I’ve known Peggy Bennett for some time now going back to my days when I was active in the Albert Lea community. (Peggy Bennett is a Republican running in Minnesota House District 27A in Albert Lea.) I must admit I apparently didn’t know her as well as I thought I did. I’ve noticed she is actually misleading you on a few things that I’ve read recently. I’m very disappointed, because I didn’t think she would do that. I’m afraid she has misinformed you in the past on a few other issues as well.

The Democrats did not jam a health care bill down anyone’s throat as Bennett has stated. That is simply not true. On both the state and federal level, in the halls of our government buildings, there are lobbyists from the insurance companies and drug companies making life difficult for those in need of good quality health care. Who is really representing whom?

Yes, the health care bill needs work. If Bennett and the Republicans really cared about quality and affordable health care it could have happened. What they say and what they do often seems to be very different depending on the issues they discuss.

Broadband internet is a huge deal in outstate Minnesota. What the Legislature was finally able to get passed was only a band-aid solution. What Bennett touts is not very effective at all and the money was already there to take care of the issue. Strangely enough in my travels, people would tell me that if only the Democrats would cooperate, it would happen and, quite frankly it is the opposite. Once again the Republicans are misleading the public.

I about fell out of my chair when Bennett stated that there was a lot of cooperation between the two parties at the end of the session. This is far from the truth. I’ve watched the last two sessions close, and both times it was an absolute mess, to the point that Kurt Daudt turned off some microphones so that the Democrats wouldn’t have a voice. Democracy? Working together? I don’t think so.

In addition, Republicans introduced lengthy bills at the last minute, preventing Democrats from reviewing them. Again, working together? I don’t think so.

We are getting to the end of a messy, confusing, misleading campaign on both the state and national level. I thought people were more caring than that.

I have great confidence in what I have shared with you. Any rebuttals that may now come attacking me simply won’t be true, and I know that they will come. It will be your soul, not mine, if you want to continually mislead the public and not want to help those who could use it. Unfortunately, that is the new way with some of the people with whom I’ve seen post time after time.

Paul Tuveson

Woodbury