December 8 , 2005
A Campaign Begins
By Kathleen Amoia

Joe Courtney's hat is in the ring. He is a man with a mission, laying the ground work for success one determined step at a time. Joe is the Democratic Candidate for the 2 nd District Congressional seat now held by Rob Simmons.

His introduction to the shoreline community was the main purpose of the Shoreline League of Democratic Women's November meeting. The SLDW views this event as the kick off to their year long "Forging a 2 nd District Victory" grassroots campaign.

The program began with a brief discussion of campaign strategy by Lon Seidman, who is co-president of the Connecticut Young Democrats. Seidman was followed by John Olsen, president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO. In his introduction of Courtney, Olsen called for a much needed change in Washington that would bring trust and honor back to national governance.

Courtney took up the gauntlet for change and outlined a program that challenges the direction in which both Congress and the present administration have been going. Among the core issues he addressed were fiscal responsibility, health care, energy, and the environment. The fact that this administration and Congress are out of step with their own constituency on most of these issues is a primary reason for change.

That the 110 th Congress, to be sworn in on 2007, must get its financial and fiscal house in order is paramount to Courtney's agenda. He views the growing deficit as "an unbelievable deterioration in our financial situation," and contrasts it to the surplus of 2000.

The need to improve access to and quality of health care is one of the reasons Courtney is running for Congress. He sees a direct relationship between affordable, quality health care for everyone, economic advancement, and our ability to remain a just society. He believes that the present Medicare Part D Drug Plan should have been based on successful models that already exist, including our own state's. "If we have a Congress that really cares, we can get a better program."

Courtney presents energy policy and the environment as closely related issues. "Everyone realizes there is technology out there to improve gas efficiency," that would not only reduce our reliance on foreign oil but improve our air quality. That is not the thrust of our present policy makers.

An independent voice, representing his constituency in Congress, is what Joe Courtney is promising Connecticut's 2 nd Congressional District. "It is time we had someone who understands constitutional responsibilities and the responsibilities a congressman has to those he represents."

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