In 3rd District race for Congress, Adler is the better choice
Burlington County voters have many decisions to make in next month’s election. Perhaps none is more important than deciding who will succeed veteran U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton for the 3rd District seat in Congress.
Saxton, a Republican from Mount Holly, has served his constituents well, assuring that our business community received its fair share of federal contracts, working to spare Fort Dix and McGuire AFB from several rounds of base-closing initiatives and striking a moderate tone on environmental issues so crucial to the many resort communities in the eastern end of the 3rd District.
The two men vying for Saxton’s job, Democratic state Sen. John Adler of Cherry Hill and Republican Mayor Chris Myers of Medford, will have all of the above to tend to— and a great deal more. The collapse of Wall Street, the need for a sane and affordable health-care delivery system and the long and frustrating tragedy of the Iraq war come to mind. If these were normal times, the Burlington County Times editorial board might have been tempted to endorse the Republican candidate, whose background as a high-ranking executive with defense contractor Lockheed Martin and as a former Navy officer are valuable assets.
However, these are not normal times. What is needed now is a lawmaker who has a grasp of the larger issues facing the nation and the temperament and willingness to reach across the aisle to solve problems. For many reasons, we believe John Adler is a better choice.
On the economy, Adler says he would have voted against the bailout bill that was signed by Congress because it failed to plug some of the regulatory errors that led to the meltdown in the first place. He favors targeted tax cuts for the middle class and wants to increase unemployment insurance and expand job training for displaced workers.
On energy, he wants to eliminate tax subsidies for oil companies and invest the savings in developing alternative energy solutions. He favors a halt to shipments of oil to the U.S. Strategic Reserve.
On health care, Adler voted in favor of expanding the state’s FamilyCare program and wants to work to make sure that insurance companies cannot refuse to write policies because of pre-existing conditions.
Adler wants to end U.S. military involvement in Iraq as soon as possible and redeploy more troops in Afghanistan, where he believes the real war on terrorism should be waged. We agree.
If Congress hopes to solve the monumental problems facing the nation, its members must end the toxic brew of partisanship and rancor that has too often led to stalemate. As a state senator, Adler demonstrated a willingness to reach across the aisle to sponsor a bipartisan bill with Republican Sen. Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. to help reduce red tape for small businesses to make New Jersey more business friendly. We are encouraged by that effort and trust he will take that experience with him to Washington.
Chris Myers brings a lot to the table, with his impressive military and business background. And we agree with his argument that he would be well-equipped to deal with the military and serve as a strong advocate for veterans. But we think that Adler is better prepared to handle a wider array of the new challenges ahead.
