“Joe Walsh has voted pro-union three times.”

Joe Walsh being interviewed by ABC News at his Fox Lake office.

That’s the first sentence in a voting analysis of Illinois five freshman Republican Congressman by James Warren, a former labor reporter for the Chicago Tribune, now writing for the Chicago News Cooperative.

But, for observant readers of McHenry County Blog there was an earlier dissent from a representative of the business community.

It came in a comment under the Feb. 7th article about Walsh’s opening of his Fox Lake office.

Here it is:

Joe-

I am amazed to see you abandon your Tea Party roots already in voting against the amendement prohibiting PLA’s. PLA’s are a known waste of taxpayer dollars. From your campaign website

Principle 7 – The burden of debt is as destructive to human freedom as subjugation by conquest.

Since the end of last year, our Federal Government has gone on a spending spree unlike anything seen in human history. President Bush started the ball rolling with the TARP program and President Obama doubled down with his pork-laden omnibus spending bill and the wasteful stimulus package. All the while, our deficits mounted and we continue to pile on more and more debt. If something isn’t done soon, we’ll literally be bankrupting our kids and grandkids and robbing them of all the opportunities that this country has offered to us. President Reagan defined the anti-free-market actions of the federal government as follows: The government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

It is time to return our Federal Government to its first purposes. Thomas Jefferson is reputed to have said, “The best government is that which governs least.” In Washington today, however, the government is trying to regulate, control, or tax every aspect of our lives. I want to go to Congress to put a huge “STOP” sign up in front of this runaway train of government spending.

PLA”s are set asides for 13% of the construction workforce. You think that is opening competition for government spending?

It takes courage to back your own convictions. You will expose your weakness if you keep voting against your campaign promises. The voters are tired of liars and self serving representation.

The same issue will be coming up for a vote in the next few weeks under House Bill 735. Please let me know your intentions so we can advise your constituents. They will need to know that it only took 30 days for you to give up to special interests.

If you are going to vote like Melissa Bean, why did you run for office?

Randy Truckenbrodt

American Subcontractors Assn- Govt Relations Comm
Associated Builders and Contractors- former Board member
NFIB- Leadership Council
United Republican Fund- Board of Directors
cell 630-835-8603
rantru@aol.com

It is not really a big secret that Walsh was strongly supported by members of Operating Engineers Local 150.

The article also notes the following:

“…the Congressional average (of Republicans voting with fellow Republicans in party line situations) is 93 percent. The Illinois percentages so far are:

• Walsh 95,
• Hultgren 93,
• Schilling 91,
• Kinzinger 90 and
• Dold 87

for votes taken through April 15.“

The article also says this about Walsh:

“For Mr. Walsh, a Tea Party-backed upset winner against the Democratic incumbent, Melissa Bean, votes against his party reflect a belief that the party line is not conservative enough.

“Those include spurning two critical so-called continuing resolutions in the face of a threatened government shutdown.

“Clearly voting on principle, Mr. Walsh has backed defense cuts and a dollar limit on agricultural subsidies to individuals and entities.”