It is time to confront Rep. Scott Tipton with the truth of his tenure in Washington, and to replace him with someone who better represents his constituents here in Southwest Colorado.
Rep. Tipton has shown himself to be a blind follower of President Trump. Despite Trump’s vulgarity, his hostility toward all (except white) immigrants, his unwillingness to inform himself on issues of the utmost importance to a President, his outright disdain for scientific inquiry, his choice of ignorant sycophants to cabinet positions and his delight in sacrificing the natural beauty and resources of our country to the highest bidder, Rep. Tipton persists in his slavish obedience to President Trump.
There is a deafening silence from Rep. Tipton on the issue of DACA; his votes however tell the tale. It is clear that the majority of American citizens, Republican and Democrat, support a reasonable and compassionate solution to the 800,000 persons who came to the U.S. as children, and now are faced with deportation if our chief executive has his way.
The same is true with Trump’s border wall; the vast majority of Americans are opposed to a wall between Mexico and the U.S., as are most agents who work on the border and recognize the folly of our delusional President in his desire to spend billions of dollars on this boondoggle. No comment from Rep Tipton.
Gun control is now recognized as a public health problem in the U.S.; no country in the world comes close to us in deaths per year due to firearms, including suicide, homicide and accidental deaths.
Unless dramatic measures are taken to restrict access to firearms, it is a virtual certainty that we will continue to have mass shootings where in innocent people die at the hands of heavily armed citizens. The common denominator of mass shootings is the use of a high-powered, fully- or semi-automatic rifle or pistol, with a high capacity magazine.
We limit those who hunt birds to three rounds, and those who use rifles to no more than six rounds, in the chamber or magazine of the rifle or shotgun. Yet, if the intent is to kill humans, any limitation is met with outrage.
Research has shown that the possession of a firearm in a household increases the likelihood of death or injury from accident, suicide or homicide, without providing significant protection from intruders. In fact, only those who truly need these weapons, such as law enforcement officers and military personnel, shoud be allowed access to them. What is Rep. Tipton doing about this problem? Again, silence.
The citizens of this beautiful part of Colorado deserve better representation than we are getting from Scott Tipton; it is time to vote to replace him, unless he proves himself more willing to listen to and represent his constituents than to act in docile subservience to a clearly unqualified president.
Robert B. Bricca
Durango
