Heroism Does Not A Congressman Make

The heroism Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler displayed in thwarting the terrorist attack on a European train five years ago is praiseworthy, and they fully deserve the honors received from Belgium, France and President Barack Obama. However, physical heroism is not a particularly compelling qualification for a congressman.

These are trying and demanding times; experience and a deep knowledge of the 4th District’s needs and aspirations are essential. Skarlatos has lived in Oregon for only a short period of time, and even that time was broken up by his schooling, National Guard deployment, travel, television appearances, book signings and movie making. This has left scarcely enough time to learn anything about the critical needs of the nearly 700,000 residents of the district.

Congressman Peter DeFazio has a deep understanding of the many diverse issues of importance to the district and has diligently worked to resolve them; as a ranking member of several House committees he is in a position to look out for the district’s best interests. For the record, DeFazio has also served his country in the military.

Henry J. Bielefeld

Springfield