Gibson ignores the people

Dear Editor: Re “LETTER: U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson toes party line in opposing women’s choice,” by Joanne Michaels, Feb. 4, 2016: I share her concerns.

Gibson, R-Kinderhook, again wasted taxpayers’ money and time during the week ending Feb. 5 by voting to repeal key parts of the Affordable Care Act, along with defunding Planned Parenthood, which was despite a grand jury in Texas establishing the organization’s innocence and instead indicting the video scammers.

The “Congressional roll call” the Freeman publishes on Sundays also describes Gibson’s other recent votes. He again voted to undermine the diplomatic Iran nuclear agreement made with our allies, Russia and China, while he and the GOP have no alternative but a war that only benefits the weapons industry.

Gibson supported a bill curbing federal authority to police suspicious banking activity that would inhibit the ability for combating financial fraud, money laundering and terrorist financ- ing. The bill would weaken scrutiny of payday lenders (a.k.a. loan sharks) and gun dealers.

He also voted for H.R. 1675 to “raise from $5 million to $10 million the threshold value of stock that companies can issue to employees without having to make certain public disclosures.” It “eases rules governing mergers and acquisitions brokers,” as well as exempts most public companies from having to submit SEC filings in a digital format that would make the filings easily cross-checked.

Local news articles about Rep. Gibson, rather than simply be a rehash of his press releases, should hold him accountable for his voting record. We need policies for the people, not the powerful. With his intention to govern New York, this is more important than ever.

Checko Miller, Rosendale