Nunnelee’s priorities are off
I read in the news that our congressman Hon. Alan Nunnelee is improving after surgery and extensive medical care. I am happy to hear that, and I wish him the best of health.
Yesterday in a restaurant, I saw on the counter a flyer requesting donations for a young child I will call “Johnny”. He has a rare internal disorder that requires frequent hospital visits and extensive care. His recovery will be expensive and will require years of care. A jar was there on the counter for donations to help pay the medical expenses.
I did not see a jar for donations for Hon. Nunnelee. But then, he has access to very good healthcare at a very reasonable personal cost. Which is as it should be. But he is no better than “Johnny”. “Johnny’s” parents should not have to worry about the fact that if they cannot come up with enough money, “Johnny” may not have the medical care he needs to survive.
Hon. Nunnelee has voted repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act, simply because he toes the party line and is against everything the present administration is for. The Congressman would rather preserve tax breaks for Exxon/Mobil and send “Johnny’s” siblings off to fight in the Middle East somewhere.
In an interview in Sunday’s Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal the congressman was asked the question “What is the single greatest Mississippi-specific issue you face when Congress returns?” His reply was “Jobs. Specifically, working on getting my bill preserving current weight limits on Interstate 22 through the Senate and signed into law.” A pro-business truck weight limit bill is the best answer Hon. Nunnelee can come up with to help the poorest, least-educated, most obese state in the country. Tell me again why we vote for this guy?
So “Johnny” really doesn’t matter as long as the campaign donations jar stays full. And he is no different than Wicker and Cochran/McDaniel.
So you can vote for these guys next time around or put some money in “Johnny’s” jar. Or be a total hypocrite and do both.
Billy Wilemon Jr.
Aberdeen
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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