Letter to the Editor: Roskam Misuses Franking Privilege
Glen Ellyn Patch welcomes letters to the editor. Letters may be submitted to Local Editor Mary Ann Lopez at maryl@patch.com.
Letter to the Editor
Submit letters to the editor to Mary Ann Lopez at maryl@patch.com.
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To the editor:
I’ve just received another big full color campaign piece from Rep. Roskam sent under his signature or franking privilege. This means he is sending out campaign literature paying no postage. Franking was established to allow congress to communicate with constituents on legislative issues. These are campaign pieces and specifically not included under franking.
Rep. Roskam is very concerned with government not overstepping its bounds. I think asking the Post Office to finance your campaign with free mail is doing just that.
Thank You,
Karen Morby
Wheaton
J
9:26 am on Friday, August 31, 2012
Karen, I am glad to see that someone besides me noticed this and was compelled to comment.
I expect this wasteful spending from the D's. I expect a little more respect for our dollars from Peter Roskam.
I called his local office on this matter on Monday. I stated my opinion of this being a fluff campaign piece and asked specifically to know how much $$ of ours was wasted on this. A phone call by the end of Tuesday was promised.
On Wednesday, I called again(no return call yet), spoke with 'Tom'. Was told that a number of people had called to say the opposite, that it was full of good information and I was entitled to my opinion. Also, I was told that Peter has come within his budget for things like this. I asked what would happen to the money if this piece wasn't done and was told it would go back to the US Treasury. I actually had to argue with him about this point, that being fiscally conservative and responsible isn't a pick and choose concept.
Still waiting for a call back and from someone on Peter Roskam's team, or Peter himself. The word 'hypocrite' has been coming to mind.
Call me dissapointed.
Jeanne Lies
12:04 pm on Friday, August 31, 2012
Maybe that explains Roskam's support for Jeanne Ives. Both like to use government resources to run their political campaigns. Ooops, gotta go, Milton is on the phone.
J
11:30 am on Tuesday, September 4, 2012
A follow up. It has been over a week now. The 'chief of staff', a person whose name I appearently can't be told, will get back to me, at some point. This is an example of you are only as good as your staff is, and Peter's current staff has very, very limited common sense people skills.
In case someone that knows Mr. Roskam reads this, he has taken a repeat voter for him and turned him into one who will consider next time in a different light. Arrogance and indifference is not something I look to vote for. We have way too much of that, unfortunately.
Daniel M. Vallo
10:35 am on Friday, August 31, 2012
Karen good job and please don't be put off by that spinmeister TOM. Probably took them by surprise and they are scarmbling to have a plauseable reply. I did LOL being reminded by old crony Rostenkowski of his mess with franking/postage problem. Just shows how politicos are devious. Maybe Roskam needs closer scrutny !!
J
9:56 pm on Saturday, September 8, 2012
Finally got my answer from Roskam's chief of staff. The total cost of the piece is $27,119.80.
He was the only one on Roskam's staff that didn't seem like a total waste. He didn't debate my feelings about the piece's waste of taxpayer money and said it wasn't designed for me and what he called the 3%(those politically aware). He even asked for advise on how to reach the 97%. I told him good luck.
What dissapoints me is that I would expect this BS from an Illinois Democrat, not from what I perceived as a fiscally conservative Republican.