By Malvi Garcia-Lennon
Born in Cuba I immigrated to the United State together with my parents and my “abuelita” to escape communism.
I was a young child when we arrived in America. Still I was old enough to understand and remember our struggle. My dad had three jobs, my mom worked at a books’ warehouse, and for the first three months of school, I cried every morning because I did not want to go to school. The few words I could say in English sounded weird, and I could not understand anything anyone said to me.
I awaken to politics late 2007 when I began to realize the mess that the career politicians have created, and the terrible impact it has had on the middle class particularly minorities.
I am running for office because I believe that you and I deserve better than what the career politicians have to offer. I believe our “leaders” in Hartford–both Democrats and Republicans–are failing us. What is even worse they are failing our children. Conquering the challenges that we face, requires electing individuals willing to put aside “Party” for the sake of “People”. We need leaders who are ready to work together so the middle class can thrive again.
Connecticut needs jobs! Hartford’s, Latino unemployment rate is about 15% – sharply higher than the national average. Higher prices at the grocery store, along with the high cost of gas and utility bills add insult to injury. Families are hurting, they are desperate for some relief and the best relief I know is a paycheck.
The quickest path to stimulating job creation is to lower the tax rate for businesses, and individuals. In addition, cutting the gasoline tax would help lessen expenses for businesses and families. The consolidation of small businesses loans and grant programs, making the monies accessible to all small businesses and streamlining the application process would go a long way towards job creation. We also need to reduce health insurance premiums and lessen the cost of worker’s compensation insurance to make coverage more affordable.
As a mom and as an “abuela” the achievement GAP is of great concern to me. Our children deserve the best education because without it they are condemned to a life of hardship. Children should not waste away in failing schools. If a union has the power to protect bureaucrats then parents ought to have the power to remove their child from a failing school and send him or her to a school of the parents’ choice.
My opponent has been in the State Senate for over 20 years. Is your life better today than what it was 20 years ago, or even 2 years ago? Do you have a better job? Are you earning more money? Do your children attend better schools? Is your neighborhood safer? Now, does it make sense to re-elect someone who does not have your back or your children’s’ back?
The career politicians created the problems that we have today. We cannot afford to wait for them to fix their mess. They simply do not know how to do it. It is time to elect people who do know how to get the job done. On November 6, please vote for me, Malvi Garcia-Lennon for the State Senate Second District on rows A or D. Help me become the first Latina to serve in the state senate.
(Malvi Garcia-Lennon is the Republican and Independent candidate in the 2nd State Senate District, which encompasses parts of Windsor, Bloomfield and Hartford.)
