Congressman Guinta has been no friend to workers over the past two years in office. He has pushed for anti-union legislation and now intends to stick it to workers in their retirement. His dishonesty knows no bounds. For this reason Congressman Guinta was named one of the 10 most corrupt politicians in Washington.
"Rep. Frank Guinta of New Hampshire fudged the numbers and cooked the books to buy a seat in Congress.
Beginning in 2009, Rep. Guinta made several shady loans to his campaign committee, claiming the money was his own despite an income that seemed to preclude that possibility."
Now Congressman Guinta is using he unique skills to deceive voters once again.
The Ryan plan, which Guinta has supported from the beginning, wants to make drastic changes to Medicare and Social Security. One of the key changes to Social Security is the age in which people are eligible to receive benefits. Many in the GOP are pushing for a higher age requirements. The current plan allows seniors to receive full benefits at age 67. They Ryan Plan wants to move that requirement to 70 with possible increases later.
This has been a very hot button issue with senior citizens, and many of the people in the "baby boomer" generation who are nearing retirement. While Guinta has already voted for the Ryan plan his stance on raising the age limits are still unclear.
However, senior citizens in Exeter had a rare chance to press him to reveal his position on raising the retirement age for Social Security. Congressman Guinta was asked to just say yes or no, but he would not.
By saying "it should be on the table", to me is the same saying "yes". It is a slimy and sneaky way of not letting your true position be know to voters. Even in his own press releases the Congressman contradicts himself:
Granite State seniors can always count on me to be in their corner. I will make sure there will be no changes to Medicare for anyone who is currently receiving benefits, or for those who are nearing retirement age. The same is true for Social Security.
If any of that statement was true then he should have said "NO" when asked the question about raising the age requirement. This is not the first time Congressman Guinta has tried to hide his postions. Congressman Guinta did the same thing when he began warning Granite Staters about the 'Defense Cuts' he voted for (
NHLN write up).
Carol Shea-Porter, Candidate for Congress in the First Congressional District, released the following statement:
"I was not surprised that Congressman Guinta would not give a straight answer. His primary opponents did not hesitate to answer, nor did I. It's very sad and very telling that the man who wants to vote on these issues refused to tell the people what he thinks."
People are beginning to take notice of Guinta's inactions. “
Congressman Frank Guinta is ducking open town halls with his constituents, plain and simple,” said Zandra Rice Hawkins, Executive Director of Granite State Progress. “His strategy is to quietly host supporter-filled events, then pretend that he’s being accessible to constituents. Frank Guinta is a congressman and all of his constituents should be able to attend a town hall with enough public notice to participate. Congressman Guinta is using DC-style campaign tactics unbecoming of Granite State traditions.”
People want to talk to their congressman and want to know where he stands on the issues that matter to them. They want to know that he will not turn Medicare into a voucher program that will not pay their bills. They want to know if they are going to have to work into their seventies before receiving Social Security benefits.
For me the answer is simple, I want a Representative who is open and honest. I want a Representative who will meet with public regularly to talk about issues. I want a Representative who will stand up for seniors and workers in Congress.
I WANT CAROL SHEA-PORTER BACK!!!
(originally posted at NH Labor News)