Dear Editor:

I don’t think that a lot of people realize how important the Eighth district U.S. Congressional election is in the larger scheme of things. This is a year when Republicans and Democrats are fighting for control of the House of Representatives, and at this point it could go either way. Our district has been identified nationally as one of the only in the country where a Republican could take a seat away from a Democrat.

This is why organizations from outside the state have poured money into this race. This is why articles about this race have been published in newspapers from Los Angeles to Washington, DC. This is why President Bush has taken the time to fly to our district twice to raise money and support for Mac Collins.

It is imperative that we all understand what is at stake here. If the Democrats take control of Congress, the new Speaker of the House will be Nancy Pelosi of California. Pelosi is a radical liberal from San Fransico. As the Speaker of the House, she would have the power to set the agenda for this country’s Congress.

Her plans include, but are not limited to repealing all of Bush’s tax cuts, retreating from the war on terror, cutting defense and military spending, taking away our gun rights, supporting abortion, and granting amnesty to illegal aliens. If elected Speaker Nancy Pelosi will also work to have Judges put in place that will not interpret the Constitution as written but as they see fit to suit their liberal agenda.

I understand Congressman Marshall has voted correctly on some of these issues a few times and I applaud him for doing so. However the fact still remains that he lends power to Pelosi and others like her and doing one or two things right and a lot of things wrong does not make for a great legislator.

I think we can all agree that while Nancy Pelosi may represent her constituents in San Francisco, she does not represent the people of middle Georgia. Mac Collins is the only candidate who is actually from Georgia and who will not vote for Pelosi to be Speaker. His opponent is originally from New York and has already voted for Pelosi to be Speaker of the House, twice.

Beyond the vote for speaker, Mac Collins has already served 12 years in Congress and has influence to give our district a voice in the capitol. During his career, he has been on the frontline of the battle to cut taxes and his voting record has earned him an A record from the NRA and the endorsement of Georgia Right to Life and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Mac staunchly supports the war on terrorism and believes in doing everything necessary to ensure that we are victorious and our country is secure. Having talked with Mac several times on different issues, I think that if we elect a representative who is as angry at the illegal immigration situation as we are, as Mac certainly is, we may actually be able to take significant steps toward solving this problem.

Some have made the insinuation that Mac is soft on illegal immigration but I know that Mac supports doing away with the “anchor baby” law, something that I believe is a main catalyst of the illegal immigration problem. And Mac realizes, as I do, that the illegal immigration problem is a security problem first and foremost more than a socio-economic problem.

Mac Collins has also been criticized for favoring a “23% sales tax” but what they didn’t tell you is that is part of a comprehensive tax reform bill that would do away with all other federal taxes, make your bring-home pay substantially higher and make every one in America pay their fair share of taxes including illegal, untraceable immigrants and drug dealers. Not everyone pays their fair share of income taxes, but everyone would have to pay their fair share of sales tax.

While people from all over the country keep a close eye on this race, we are the only ones with the votes to decide how it will ultimately turn out. Saxby Chambliss supports Mac Collins and I support Mac Collins.

Mac’s opponent supports Nancy Pelosi. Remember that when you go to the polls and vote for Mac Collins for U.S. Congress.

Sincerely, Wayne McGuinty