We are lucky to have Pat Toomey

Sen. Pat Toomey has been in the middle of many of the big issues considered by Congress in recent years, as was chronicled by the Post-Gazette earlier this “month (“Can Toomey Get the Job Done This Time on Health Care,” July 17).

While much of the piece focused on Mr. Toomey’s involvement in the health care debate, there were also brief mentions of the role he played on the 2011 Super Committee, which was tasked with reducing the federal budget deficit, and his work to strengthen gun safety laws.

Politicians are often criticized for flip-flopping and avoiding clear positions on important topics. Whether or not you agree with Mr. Toomey, what is inarguable is that he is an elected official of conviction, unafraid to advance bold ideas on the most vexing policy issues facing ourcountry.

Mr. Toomey recently demonstrated his willingness to brave controversy while solving critical problems by raising the issue of Medicaid reform. Navigating one of the landmines planted by Obamare, the senator aggressively argued for the growth of Medicaid costs to be tied to the growth of the economy, contributing to a serious discussion of how to make the health care safety net sustainable while restraining the type of entitlement growth that distorts federal, state and, ultimately, family budgets. Mr. Toomey has set himself apart from the small-ball, risk-averse partisans who have long frustrated fiscal reform and programmatic creativity.

While the Post-Gazette did a fair job explaining Mr. Toomey’s involvement on big issues such as health care reform, readers could have been left thinking that the aforementioned efforts comprise the entirety of his legislative resume. In fact, he has been one of the most productive members of the Senate.

Early in his first term, Mr. Toomey wrote the JOBS Act with three Democratic colleagues. The act cut antiquated regulations, making it easier for businesses to expand, hire more workers and access capital. Upon signing the bill, President Barack Obama said he considered the JOBS Act a “game-changer.”

Mr. Toomey also led a successful yearlong effort to institute a federal ban on the heinous practice of “passing the trash.” When a school employee is suspected of abusing a child, but a school district allows this person to resign quietly and find another job instead of facing charges, this is known as “passing the trash.” You would think that banning this practice would be easy, but to enact this legislation, Mr. Toomey had to take on lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and labor unions.

Over the past 18 months, Mr. Toomey has authored laws that better protect federal corrections officers by allowing them to carry pepper spray, helped initiate the crackdown on largescale diversion of prescription painkillers and recognized our Vietnam veterans by designating March 29 as an official day of honor. This list does not even include the dozens of amendments, resolutions and bills that Mr. Toomey has passed in the Senate.

Albert Einstein said, “What is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right.” Pennsylvanians should know that in Mr. Toomey they have a principled elected official who works hard to keep the promises he makes to voters and is not afraid to tackle the tough issues.