I respectfully disagree with Tom Bishop and Bruce Griffith about who should be our delegate in the 9th House District that includes Patrick County.
I am supporting Stephanie Cook, a former factory worker who scrimped, saved, and borrowed money to improve herself and is now a teacher in the Franklin County school system. Among other things, she supports raising the minimum wage to try to pull people out of poverty. Mrs. Cook wants to expand and improve healthcare in Virginia too, something her opponent seems less interested in doing.
I might remind your readers that we still don’t have U.S. 58 completed or anywhere near completion—the most dangerous section of that road running through the heart of Patrick County. This fact seems to contradict Bruce Griffith’s assertion that Charles Poindexter’s powerful committee assignments have been of great benefit to the citizens of Patrick County. Completing this highway might very well improve the economy of our area in addition to making trips up and down the mountain much safer.
Our local hospital has just closed, and I suspect that this could be due, at least in part, to unpaid medical bills—bills that might have been covered if Mr. Poindexter and his fellow Republicans had approved the expansion of Medicaid to low income people in Virginia.
When I see a candidate described as “a good Christian,” I sometimes wonder exactly what that means. Do actions speak louder than words, or is the story of the Good Samaritan no longer appropriate? If we really want to help the “least among us,” would it not be right to provide some level of basic healthcare to people who cannot afford health insurance?
Stephanie Cook will work to improve the lives of all Virginians, not just the privileged few, and especially those in rural counties like ours. She is a dedicated, energetic worker who I feel is very much in touch with the concerns of the average person in our district. She will be a fine representative in the General Assembly if citizens of our district really want change instead of “politics as usual.”
John Reynolds
Patrick Springs
