A Letter From A Reader - UPDATED 7/11/10

With primaries less than a month a way, people in the first district are starting to take notice. Personally, I have seen an increase in my traffic; especially the interviews I conducted with Candice Britton, Robyn Hamlin and Martin D. Baker.

It was with great luck that I received the following email from a reader.

Dear Middle Class Joe,

I recently began reading your blog and could not agree with you more about Clay. He and his father before him have been a bane to St. Louis and need to be ousted as soon as possible. I must tell you though that this will be a rough thing to do. Much like his daddy, Clay plays dirty. He has also made it so that he has a built in demographic in North St. Louis city. With all of these things said, I hope there is still a chance that he can be removed from office this year.

I have been talking to people at my church and office about voting for someone else as I plan to do. I do not know who I will be voting for but it will not be Lacy. As I talk with my collegues and friends I keep hearing people say things like they would rather deal with the devil they know than the devil they don't know or Lacy has not really hurt us, so why should I remove him from office?

I try and explain some of the things you have said on your blog, but it takes some knowledge of government that these people either do not have or do not care to know about. I want Clay out of here, so what can I tell these people in very basic terms as to why they should not vote for Clay and vote for someone else.

Thank you and keep up the good fight,

Jeremiah

Originally, I was going to reach out to Jeremiah myself but after giving it some thought, I sent this email out to the three candidates I have interviewed and asked each of them to answer Jeremiah's question.

Prior responses are below.

Next, we have Martin D. Baker's response. Martin is running as a Republican in the upcoming primary. His response to Jeremiah is as follows:

The simplest answer I can give is a phrase that Ronald Reagan was fond of saying..."are you better now than you were four years ago?" During Congressman
Clay's regime (its in my opinion a regime because he was handed the seat by his
father, which makes it an aristocrical regime) North St Louis and the district as a whole has seen property values drop, unemployment rise, and the quality of life decrease. The Clays have built their reputation on fear mongering and also continuing the lie in North City. They have went into the black community acting as though they were one of us, yet have not once attempted to allay the fears of the area. Because he shows up at the churches and community centers he gives the impression he cares. I can say without any fear, HE DOES NOT CARE. He doesn't
care because he will always poll well within the community so why should he make
any effort to meet the needs of the constituency. I would say long ago he forgot who he works for , but he never learned in the first place. When you have a built in group that will deliver percentages in the near 80 to 90 percent range you think thats a mandate when its just lack of knowledge. When I visit people in North City on a practically daily basis, I tell people how their taxes have increased, how the value of their dollar has decreased and how its apparent that jobs are leaving because many of them dont have one now. This cannot stand anymore. The time has come for the people to take their government back from the stewards who have not shown fitness nor worthiness to continue to serve. I humbly ask for your support with the promise and commitment to bring government to the people and to never forget who I serve.
Martin D Baker
Republican Candidate US Congress Missouri First District

Next, we have Robyn Hamlin's response. Robyn is running as a Republican in the upcoming primary. Her response to Jeremiah is as follows:

Lacy Clay is in office because his father was very well known and name recognition is what many people vote for while in the voter booth. Unfortunately, this has not been good for our area. Lacy Clay votes for "entitlements" very consistently which have the effect of economically enslaving many in our area. Look around the area and you will see more and more businesses that have left over the last decade.

Lacy Clay finally signed on as a co-sponsor to Audit The Federal Reserve when he realized that there were enough to pass the bill then he worked hard and voted against it.

If you look at his voting record many times he does not vote on controversial issues if his vote is not needed by the democratic progressives. He is very savvy when it comes to keeping his area "in line". He has to pay the national democratic committee $150,000 a year from his campaign contributions to keep his job.

We need job friendly legislation here for small Main Street businesses. Our country prospers when people are allowed to follow their dreams, not when congress decides what business is allowed to win or decides what businesses will lose.

Lacy Clay thinks that partial birth abortion is okay and that everyones tax dollars
should support it. I could go on and on.

It is important that people look at the overall game that he is playing with us. When checking his votes when he votes against his party to keep our area "in line" just check to see if he voted that way because his vote was not needed to pass it and he was given the okay by Barney Frank and/or Nancy Pelosi to vote against it.

Another thing, when he votes to increase our debt do we ever hear what the terms for repayment are? He is on the financial services committee. Why do we never hear
about the repayment terms?

On Independence Day, we take note that this country was founded because people were being taxed without representation. We must remember when we ask our government to take out more loans that the children forced to pay for that debt are not getting representation. Instant gratification at the expense of our children and grandchildren is nothing to be proud of. It's time to pay our own debt. Let Independence Ring!

Robyn Hamlin St. Louis, MO http://www.hamlinforcongress.com/ 314-867-8881

The first response is from Candice Britton who is running as a Democrat in the upcoming primary. Her response to Jeremiah is as follows:

Jeremiah,

I said I would run a clean respectful campaign I meant it. Some of your friends said “they would rather deal with the devil they know than the devil they don’t know”. I would not try to convince them to vote against Mr. Clay. I would provide them with information on the candidates running for the CD1 seat. If you have chosen a candidate tell them why. For the first time in a long time you can vote for a candidate. You don’t have to hold your nose or not vote at all. All of us are not out of the same mold. You have real choices this time we all are not devils, there are some good folks running in the August 3, 2010 Primary.

I would ask:, “Are you happy with the path our Country is on?”
I would ask:, “Who do you think got us into this mess “career politicians maybe?”

I’m running for public office because I feel that our great Country is headed in a bad direction. I feel this way because of the following reasons:
A. Government spending is out of control.
B. Both parties are responsible for the huge Debt and Deficit.
C. Senators and Congresspersons have forgotten whom they work for, they no longer work for us. We the people.
D. Democrats and Republicans refuse to work together to set a good example for our children. The deliberate feud between the parties keeps this great Country and her people divided. Due to this, they are free to do as they please, such as, enact legislation the majority of the people are against.

I’m a Democrat, who believes that one must live within one’s means (income), except in an emergency. That includes our government. I believe that we must help those who can’t help themselves, such as, senior citizens, disabled, veterans, children, homeless, mentally ill, working poor and middle class. I also want equality for women.

I believe that we must bring back our manufacturing base. No Country can survive without making its own goods. We are held like captives with our hands tied behind our backs to foreign countries (i.e. China). These foreign countries don’t have the American people’s best interest at heart. Bringing back America’s manufacturing base would also provide the jobs we desperately need. All Americans can’t go to college. Many people just want to learn a trade, work hard, have a family and live a financially secure life.

There are so many areas to cover as far as legislation that affects our lives that I can’t possibly cover everything in answering the question put to me. If you give me the privilege to serve you in the U.S. Congress, I will be 1 out of 435 Representatives. I get only one vote. I can promise you that I will fight for you and vote for your interest and not for a political party or for a personal gain.

I’m asking you to send me, Candice Britton to Washington D.C. I believe that we must set an example for our children. You don’t have to be a Millionaire, a Lawyer, a Doctor, Career Politician or have gone to an Ivy League College to run for public office to serve the citizens of this great Country.

I believe that I cannot ethically ask anyone else to do something that I would not do myself.

Therefore, I’m running for the U.S. House of Representatives. I need the support of ordinary citizens that are ready for changes. We the people need to take back our Government.

It’s up to you.

It’s in your hands. Resend “the same old thing” or send me, “fresh and new.” Before I would vote on ANY legislation, I would read the legislation with my staff. I would research the legislation to make sure that I have a good sound knowledge and understanding of the legislation before I voted. If the majority leader would not give sufficient time to research and understand the legislation before a vote, I will vote “NO”. I will use common sense and NEVER forget whom I work for…YOU the people.

Thank you,

Candice “Britt” Britton
http://www.candicebritton.com/

TOMORROW, WE WILL HAVE THE RESPONSE FROM ROBYN HAMLIN