Family Values?

Family values?Rep. Scott Mendenhall, R-Clancy, wants to “protect family values.” Family values are important. Not all families look the same, but however they are defined, no family is more or less deserving than any other family. Mendenhall states that families are the basic building blocks of society. If families are important and to be protected, why did Rep. Mendenhall consistently vote against bills that would provide support to families? It’s a bit of a mystery. Here are some examples: He voted against a bill that would allow parents on public benefits to pursue higher education and job training. He voted against a bill that would have expanded the Children’s Health Insurance Program. He voted against a bill that would restore the devastating cuts to Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. And perhaps the most egregious, considering his apparent empathy for parents who are forced to work more than one job, he voted against an increase to the minimum wage. It seems that Mendenhall values families that look like his own and devalues all others. Or is it possible that “family values” has nothing to do with family support infrastructure and is code for something else, something like “gay people shouldn’t be treated equally?”Zach SlatteryPO Box 818