Constitutional Values

Dear Fellow Residents of PA-13,

I am honored to be the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District and if you voted for me, I thank you.

This election season we will knock on doors, make phone calls, send text messages, and meet in person in order to fight for Democracy, Reproductive Freedom, Gun Safety, Public Education, Universal Healthcare, and Immigration Reform.

In a presidential election that threatens to divide us, it is time, however, to recognize what unites us – our deep love of country and our Constitutional Values.

What are Constitutional Values?

They are simply the words between the commas of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. While the Constitution is our Law, the Preamble is the Spirit by which it is written. All laws of the Constitution should reflect at least one of the Constitutional Values in the Preamble.

For reference, you may read it here:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

When we review these phrases, we remember who we are and what we stand for, no matter our political party, religion, ethnicity, gender, country of origin, marital or economic status.

-We the People of the United States – Our government is built from the bottom up, not the top down, and we elect, by our sacred votes, our leaders to office. Therefore, we do not accept dictators, emperors, monarchs, czars, or other autocrats as leaders of our country.

-in Order to form a more perfect Union – The job of Congress is to work together in order to pass legislation that benefits We the People. Normally, Congress passes about 200 bills a year, but last year was only a paltry 27. This intraction was largely due to the obstructionist Freedom Caucus. We must elect leaders willing to do the work of Congress and improve our American lives.

-establish Justice – We hold all people, including former presidents like accused criminal Donald J. Trump, accountable for their actions and words. No one is above the law.

-insure domestic Tranquility – We have the right to assemble peacefully, not engage in violent insurrections like that of January 6, 2021 that overran our U.S. Capitol in order to unlawfully keep Trump in power and it resulted in several horrific injuries as well as deaths.

-provide for the common defense – We stand by our Allies, like we did in World War II, so that they, and consequently we, are not overtaken by authoritarian regimes like Russia threatens to overtake Ukraine. By defending Democracy around the world, we defend our own.

-promote the general Welfare – Legislation that improves lives like the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the America Rescue Plan should be voted for by our representatives in Congress.

–secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity – We have agency over our own bodies, the freedom to create the families we choose, we pass this liberty to our descendants, however they exist, and no legislator has the right to force us into family makeups we don’t want because forced birth and forced partnership are recipes for writing inescapable trauma into our DNA.

When we speak to our families, friends, and neighbors, we can remind them of what we have in common, then seek the representation that reflects these values.

Unfortunately, our current representative, Rep. John Joyce doesn’t carry these values.

No matter how entrenched our legislator is, he is not doing his job in Congress because, in addition to participating in the Freedom Caucus,  he votes against the needs of his constituents. 

No number of handshakes, smiles, or millions of campaign dollars raised justifies his votes against maintaining our water pipes and sewer systems, lead removal, rural broadband access, inflation reduction, child tax credits, and so much more.

His votes against the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the America Rescue plan were votes against the very people of our 13th Congressional District. 

His vote against aid to Ukraine, a Democratic Ally, is a proverbial gauntlet thrown against Democracy and a delight to autocrats around the world.

Not only does Representative Joyce not carry our Constitutional Values, but most certainly former president and accused criminal Donald Trump doesn’t.

Meanwhile, Trump is being tried for falsifying business documents, hasn’t properly posted bond for a previous trial, and is facing two other cases that total 71 felonies for election fraud. 

This, all from the same person who refused to serve his country and referred to those who have as “losers” and “suckers”. 

But we remember our family, friends, and neighbors served because like us, they love(d) our country and protect(ed) our Democracy, as well as that of our Allies and fledgling democracies.

Yet,  Representative John Joyce tried to throw out our valid electoral votes in 2020, refused to certify them in the wee hours of the morning after Trump’s violent insurrection, and recently celebrated Donald Trump’s endorsement of his campaign. 

Because he is aligned with Trump’s violent authoritarianism, not our Constitutional Values.

As this election season progresses we will work to find ways to discuss this election with our friends, family, and neighbors. 

At the very least, we share our Constitutional Values and our deep love of country.. 

Then, when you have reminded them of what we have in common, please, ask them to vote for me, Beth Farnham.

Because together, we CHOOSE DEMOCRACY!

Sincerely,

Beth