By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Saturday, October 15, 2016, Jesse Smith (D) says that Rogers’ endorsement of Donald J. Trump for President of the United States shows that Rogers is comfortable with Trump’s, “Vile behavior towards women, race, religion, disabled, etc.”
Smith’s attack on incumbent Congressman Mike Rogers (R from Saks) comes after Rogers’ Thursday, October 13 statement reaffirming his endorsement of the New York City businessman and billionaire for President.
Jesse Smith said, “Responding to Mike Rogers’ statements from Oct. 13, it is no great surprise that he is endorsing Trump for president. This, in spite of his having a wife, daughter, and 51% of the population of District 3 who are female. Rogers’ is, apparently, comfortable in endorsing this man who has spewed such hate, dishonesty, vile behavior towards women, race, religion, disabled, etc.”
Smith also attacked Rogers for his opposition to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, better known as “Obamacare.” Smith said that Rogers, “And his party have voted 72 times to end Obamacare yet they have never once put forward an alternative plan.”
Smith asked, “What else are they doing in Washington? We send our representatives to Washington to work together to make our lives better not to do the bidding of large obscenely rich corporations who pay little to nothing in taxes to the government.”
Rep. Rogers also spoke out against the controversial Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Smith responded, “The ‘overly burdensome EPA’ comment is truly puzzling. Burdensome to whom? Why, large, obscenely rich corporations, that’s who. The EPA was created in the 1970s for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress.”
Smith continued, “We all believe that we should have a natural right to clean air, clean water and not be poisoned by the illegal actions of corporations who generate contaminants such as PCBs, lead, asbestos, dioxin, radiation and too many others to list here.” “This kind of illegal contamination is right in Rogers’ back yard—Monsanto/Solutia, Anniston Army Depot, Ft. McClellan, Logan Martin Lake. In 2002, an investigation by 60 Minutes revealed Anniston had been among the most toxic cities in the country. Monsanto ended up settling with Anniston for $700 million dollars. With the large numbers of people affected, this probably did not adequately compensate those people.”
Smith said, “It did not, in fact, include any of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who served at Ft. McClellan. It is well-known that thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of soldiers who came through Ft. McClellan from 1935-1999 have been suffering from any of the long list of auto-immune illnesses consistent with toxic chemical exposure. Many have been trying for years to get some legislation passed to help them.”
Smith said, “A bill in the House, backed by Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y. would require the VA to create a registry of everyone who served at Fort McClellan from 1935 to 1999. It then would require the department to reach out to those veterans and offer health exams and information about the effects of toxic exposure. It also would open up disability payments to the veterans.
Currently, Tonko’s bill has 78 co-sponsors: 59 Democrats and 19 Republicans. Alabama Republican Rep.Mike Rogers, whose district includes Anniston, has still not signed on.”
Smith also defended the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act which was signed into federal law in 2010, when Democrats still had overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress.
Smith said, “This was done in the hope of preventing the banking industry from another disaster like the Great Recession. Why would Rogers be against this Act? The only conclusion one can draw is that it hurts his banking and other corporate interests who have so generously supplied him with campaign funds.”
Smith concluded, “It is time we, the people, take back Congress and place it in the hands of people we can trust to show leadership and accountability to us.”
Smith is a U.S. Army veteran. He ran unsuccessfully against Rogers in 2014 for the Third Congressional District. The Third Congressional District has not been won by a Democrat since Rep. Glen Browder (D) won re-election in 1994.
The election will be November 8, 2016.
