To the editor:
Support me on June 26
Fellow Democrats — I ask for your support at this Tuesday’s June 26 primary — there’s only one Congressional district in the entire country home to FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt; FDR’s words to us seven decades ago are still on the mark today (I dedicate my campaign to them):
“These economic royalists complain that we seek to overthrow the institutions ofAmerica. What they really complain of is that seek to take away their power. These economic royalists are unanimous in their hatred for me — and I welcome their hatred … The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism — ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power.”
Thanks to these folks who have endorsed my campaign for Congress — Pete Seeger, Cornel West, Medea Benjamin, Jeff Cohen, Rosendale Town Board member Manna Jo Greene, Woodstock Town Board member Jay Wenk, New Paltz Mayor Jason West, Occupy Kingston and Occupy Saugerties, many other elected officials in Dutchess, Delaware, Otsego counties, and beyond — and all 2,350 who signed our petitions for us to be on the ballot.
Make no mistake — on Tuesday’s primary you have a choice — to vote for a current/five-term Dutchess County Legislator who has fought fracking tooth and nail for four years (1,100 signed on to the www.PetitionOnline.com/NoDrill effort I launched in 2008); I believe fracking should be banned and criminalized — or my primary opponent, who actually said this of fracking to Alan Chartock on WAMC April 17: “In terms of the impact I think the jury is still out.”(!)
I also agree strongly with Rep. Maurice Hinchey that we need to bring back FDR’s Glass-Steagall Act to break up the big banks (and tax Wall Street speculation) to restore stability to our markets and economy — and that we need to expand Medicare to cover everyone to save $400 billion annually for businesses and individuals — unlike my primary opponent (PNHP.org).
Go to JoelforCongress.org and call us at (845) 750-4392 to get involved now — help us remake the Democratic party from the grass roots up to restore the winning, populist, progressive legacy of FDR and Eleanor (and Maurice) and truly stand once more for people and not special interests — before it’s too late (again).
Joel Tyner, County Legislator, Rhinebeck/Clinton
Join the family! 
