Maybe Beth Krom is a better choice for Congress than John Campbell after all?

Our readers know that I am not a big fan of the Larry Agran faction in Irvine, and that as such I have not been a backer of Beth Krom’s campaign for Congress, against incumbent John Campbell.

The Agranistas haven’t been terribly kind to me either.  One of them, attorney Todd Gallinger, is suing me on behalf of the bloggers at the Liberal OC, on fairly ridiculous grounds.  Gallinger ran for the Irvine City Council a couple years ago and got his clock cleaned by my friend Steven Choi, who is still on the Irvine City Council.

That said, I decided to have a look at Campbell’s voting record this morning – to see what exactly the Republican Congressman stands for.  The results?  No bueno.

Campbell recently voted against H.R. 5854, the Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act of 2010.

H.R. 5851 would prohibit employers, including contractors and subcontractors, from discriminating against any individual who performs services for an employer engaged in offshore energy operations if that individual reports suspected safety violations to federal or state officials, testifies before Congress, or refuses to perform their jobs because of safety violations. The bill also protects whistleblowers who report violations of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

Why would anyone oppose this bill, especially in light of the recent massive BP oil spill in our Gulf Coast?

Campbell failed to vote at all on the matter of H R 5982 (Roll # 514).  This bill would have amended the Internal Revenue Code Of 1986 To Repeal the Expansion Of Certain Information Reporting Requirements To Corporations and To Payments For Property, To Eliminate Loopholes Which Encourage Companies To Move Operations Offshore, and For Other Purposes.

Why wouldn’t we want to stop companies from moving offshore – and skipping out on their taxes?

Campbell also voted against H.R. 847, which creates a mandatory World Trade Center Health Program (WTC program) within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The WTC program will provide: (1) medical monitoring and treatment benefits to eligible emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers who responded to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and (2) initial health evaluation, monitoring, and treatment benefits to residents and other building occupants and area workers who were directly impacted and adversely affected by such attacks.

WTF?  Why would Campbell vote against this bill?

And Campbell voted against H.R. 3040, which would require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to do the following:

Disseminate to seniors and families and caregivers of seniors general information on mail, telemarketing, and Internet fraud targeting seniors, including descriptions of the most common fraud schemes; Disseminate to seniors and families and caregivers of seniors information on means of referring complaints of fraud targeting seniors to appropriate law enforcement agencies, including the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the attorneys general of the States, and a national toll-free telephone number for reporting mail, telemarketing, and Internet fraud established by the Federal Trade Commission; Provide publicly available information on any record of civil or criminal law enforcement action for such fraud if requested; and maintain a website as a resource for such individuals on those kinds of fraud.

Again, why in the world would Campbell be against stopping fraudulent schemes that target seniors?

And he voted against H.R. 4213, which would extend through November, the emergency unemployment compensation program and 100 percent of the federal funding for the extended benefit program. The provision would preserve the 99 weeks of state and federal unemployment benefits.

He voted against helping the unemployed?  Aye Dios!

I could go on and on.  Campbell’s votes make little sense.  I decided to check out his campaign website to see if I could learn anything about his stance on the issues there.  Again, no bueno.  He does not list ANY of his issues or positions.

So what about Krom?

She actually does list her positions on the issues, at this link.  Her positions include the economy, health care, education, the environment and housing.

She has a lot to say about foreclosures – and she comes off as compassionate, which is not what I would say about her supporters at the Liberal OC, who posted my personal financial information on their website.  After I quit a high-paying job in 2008, my wife and I found ourselves drowning in debt.  We are now pursuing a loan modification.  I am encouraged to note that Krom feels my pain – and saddened that her supporters appear to relish it.  That is quite a dichotomy, to say the least.

Krom has this to say about education, “As a former teacher of the visually impaired, I believe the federal government must be a partner with local communities by fully meeting their commitment to fund special education programs in our public schools, providing enhanced student loan funding, modeling respect for educators and supporting access to quality learning environments for all children.”

I can’t disagree with any of that.  I only wish that she would also express support for the Dream Act on her website.  That bill would help children who came here at a very young age, and who completed their education in our public schools, to be able to go to college and eventually become citizens.  Who would possibly be against that?

Krom has this to say about the environment, “Meeting the challenge of limited energy reserves and pursuing a lifestyle that supports energy conservation and other earth-friendly habits is a good thing to do. Applying innovation in pursuit of energy independence is the smart thing to do. From energy conservation and investments in alternative fuels to water conservation and resource management, we must continue to be innovative in the way we demonstrate our leadership and stewardship over our precious natural resources.”

Pretty innocuous.  I am not a big fan of increasing taxes on energy, or pursuing overly extreme carbon limits, but Krom’s position is defensible and actually rather mild.

On health care reform, Krom states, “Nearly nine million Americans have lost their health insurance since 2000. One in six Americans have no healthcare insurance at all. With more than $2.2 trillion spent on health care in America this year, we deserve a better return on our investment.”

I wish Krom would also address a major issue in health care, which is the ridiculous cost of insurance for doctors, due to all the unnecessary lawsuits they face every day.  Congress should act to limit such lawsuits, as many doctors have even had to leave the profession due to the extremely high insurance costs.

That said, the system is broken.  I am not a big fan of Obama’s reform, but I concur that this is an area that our government needs to address.

On the economy, Krom states, “It will take hard work and vision to rebuild our economy in a way that works for everyone. We must turn this challenge into an opportunity. Business innovators and entrepreneurs must be incentivized to create jobs and expand markets. Capital must be available for those companies that build their success on a responsible business model. Accountability must be at the heart of the 21st century business model if we are to grow an economy that builds its strength in a sustainable way.”

Again, I cannot disagree with any of that.  It is all true.

I don’t expect to agree with Krom on everything, but as I look at her positions and I look at Campbell’s voting record one thing becomes crystal clear.  Folks really shouldn’t vote for Campbell.  They could do worse than to vote for Krom.  If nothing else, that would send a signal to the GOP that they better recruit better candidates, with vision and compassion for their constituents.  Campbell appears to be lacking on both counts.