MORE REASONS TO VOTE FOR BARON HILL

I want a congressman who will spend my tax dollars wisely, and not abuse them for personal gain. That's why I'm voting for Baron Hill in November. Baron is one of us, and he'll fight for Southern Indiana in Washington.

This week, I received a bright, glossy mailing touting Congressman Mike Sodrel's work to supposedly meet our energy needs. It was a bad vote then and still is -- yet mailed at my expense. The piece noted that it was "prepared, published, and mailed at taxpayer expense." But the mailing highlights votes Sodrel made over a year ago, when he supported the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that gave tax breaks to Big Oil and did little to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. Not only was this a bad vote, but Sodrel made it over a year ago! How convenient he rolls this out at taxpayer expense as he heads into a tough election in the fall.

Mike Sodrel is out of touch with the 9th District. He's fiscally irresponsible, and not the kind of leader I want representing my interests in Congress.
And oo little, too late. That's what I call Mike Sodrel's attempts to paint himself as pro-energy independence.

According to Sodrel's latest mailing – paid for entirely with hard-earned taxpayer money – "in the long run, we need to become independent of oil altogether." Well, Mike, I couldn't agree more. But it's too bad you've voted time and again to give tax breaks to Big Oil. The same Big Oil companies that continue to report record profits. ExxonMobil – from whom you've taken campaign contributions – earns $1,318 a second. Meanwhile, here in Indiana we're paying over $3 a gallon at the pump.

That's out of touch, Mike Sodrel. Hoosiers need a representative who will fight for their interests, not the special interests.

It's time to restore fiscal responsibility to Washington. Since the current administration took office, we have watched a surplus turn into a deficit. Balanced budgets have been thrown out the window. And pork barrel spending has gotten so out of control that we are using taxpayer money to build bridges to nowhere in Alaska.

And Mike Sodrel? He's nothing but a rubber stamp for the Bush administration, voting with them well over 90% of the time. That's why I wasn't surprised to receive a mailing from him that looked suspiciously like a piece of campaign literature. Big picture, bright colors, boastful information
about his record. And all of this was paid for by hard-earned taxpayer dollars, proving yet again the need to restore fiscal responsibility to Washington. I want my tax dollars to go toward educating our children, improving access to quality healthcare for working families, and providing our seniors with affordable prescription drugs. I do not want my tax dollars going toward campaign literature promoting Mike Sodrel.

It's about time we got our fiscal house in order.

I am GLAD to see Mike Sodrel has agreed to debate Baron Hill on gasoline prices. Baron Hill began issuing the challenge way back on Primary Night, and it is about time Sodrel responded. I thank Mr. Sodrel for going before his constituents and allowing us to hold him accountable for his work while in Congress.

In fact, I'm curious to hear Sodrel's justification for some of his actions. Last year, he voted for the Energy Bill that gave massive tax breaks to BIG OIL companies and failed to address our nation's long-term energy needs. While we are all paying over $3.00 at the pump, Big Oil companies are seeing and enjoying their largest profits ever. Earlier this year, Sodrel claimed gas prices may not even be an issue in November, and that costs can fall as quickly as they rose. I'm very interested to know how he reached that conclusion!

Thank you to Baron Hill for demanding a debate. It is time we moved beyond all the muck and start talking about real issues in this 9th District race!

Come November, I'm voting for Baron Hill. He'll always put Southern Indiana first. That's why I'm voting for Baron Hill, a proven leader who will spend my tax dollars wisely and always act in the best interests of Southern Indiana's 9th District.