It’s hard to believe that January is almost over. Spring is just around the corner and I want to provide you with a quick update of what has been going on in Washington and out on the campaign trail.
State of the Union
Last week, President Barack Obama delivered his 2012 State of the Union Address to Congress and the Nation. President Obama had an opportunity to present a bold vision and strong leadership, yet he resorted to re-election rhetoric.
While President Obama says he wants to create jobs and improve our economy, he continues to stand in the way of dozens of jobs bills passed by the House. He claims that our nation should become energy independent, but instead he blocked a project that would have decreased our country’s dependence on foreign oil and created 100,000 jobs at the same time. Worst of all, President Obama showed no signs of taking steps toward fiscal responsibility. Instead he simply called for more taxes on hard-working Americans and gave us more class warfare rhetoric.
Over 1,000 Days and Still No Budget
Last Tuesday marked the 1,000th day since the Democratic Senate passed a budget. Passing a budget is a legal requirement of Congress and in April 2011 the House passed a bold plan to restore our nation to fiscal responsibility. The Senate’s failure to pass a budget is a dereliction of duty.
In 2012, we have an opportunity to send the Senate a message that Americans take fiscal responsibility seriously. You and your family must abide by a budget, why can’t Congress?
Out and Around the District
Last was a busy one, as I attended multiple celebrations for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. I also had the pleasure of joining members of our Vietnamese community at their New Year celebration. Lastly, it was an honor to participate in the Syracuse March for Life as well as speak at the National March for Life. A special thanks goes out to Jane Pigott for organizing a great event and for the countless individuals who work to spread the pro-life message through love and compassion.
With all that has been going on in the 25th Congressional District since Election Day, I wanted to provide you an update on our progress and again thank each of you for your continued support.
As the media has reported, our lead in this race continues to grow. The absentee vote counts in Monroe and Cayuga Counties added to our total and expanded our overall lead. That lead will continue to grow once the nearly 200 eligible Republican, Conservative, and Independence party absentee votes, which Congressman Maffei has attempted to throw out, are rightfully returned to the mix.
The remaining two counties in the 25th Congressional District – Wayne and Onondaga – should begin their absentee vote counts next week. We fully expect to pick-up additional votes and further widen our lead in Wayne County. In Onondaga County, a review of the records shows that Republicans, Conservatives and Independence party members returned hundreds more absentee ballots than did Democrat and Working Families party members.
Our expanding lead, along with the party make-up of the returned absentees in Onondaga County, make clear that Congressman Maffei’s only path to “victory” is to attempt to throw out hundreds of legally-cast and eligible absentee ballots. The sad irony of this situation is that in order to “win” Congressman Maffei must attempt to throw out the legal votes of the very people he claims to represent in Congress.
More discouraging are the multiple reports we have received that Congressman Maffei and his staff are targeting the absentee votes of Onondaga County senior citizens for disqualification. I stand opposed to any efforts on the part of Congressman Maffei to throw out the ballots of large swaths of Onondaga’s senior citizens. These people – our parents and grandparents – are our veterans, teachers, doctors, nurses, and others that built our community. They fought for our freedom, kept us safe, and worked hard to build a better future for themselves and their children. Their votes are too important to be discarded in his quest to cling to office.
As for my schedule, I will spend much of next week in Washington, DC, participating in the 112th Congressional New Member Orientation. I am attending this important training session so that I will be prepared to hit the ground running when the new Congress is sworn-in this January.
Many of you have asked how you can help during the review of the remaining ballots. If you would like to help, please contact my campaign office at (315) 218-5114. We are taking names and phone numbers for those who are able to volunteer during the counting process. You may make financial contributions to the effort by logging on to my website at www.buerkleforcongress.com or by mailing a check to: Ann Marie Buerkle for Congress – P.O. Box 219 – DeWitt, New York 13214 – and indicating “recount” on the memo line.
Again, my sincere thanks for your continued support,
There are just a few hours left to let Washington hear your voice. If you haven’t already, I’m asking for you to vote for me today.
Rarely do we get a real chance to have a real impact on Election Day. This is one of those rare opportunities. You can set this nation on the right path by getting to the polls before they close at 9:00 PM.
The signs, the enthusiasm, the support I’ve seen this morning at the polls tells me we are on the path to victory!
I’ve already voted and I hope you have as well. We can take nothing for granted this election because every vote counts.
Please ask your friends, family and co-workers to vote for me and be a part of history. Washington needs a dose of common-sense fiscal responsibility, and this is your opportunity to make your voice heard.
