As is very clear to anyone reading my letters on here, I am a conservative and also a very big fan and supporter of our current Congressman Mike Garcia. I was recruited to work on Mike’s campaign more than two years ago by fellow Vietnam veteran Bill Reynolds.
I met with Mike at a campaign event in Simi Valley and was extremely impressed at the way he handled himself and, far more importantly, to me anyway, by the way he treated the volunteers who had come out to support him going door to door. Mike is one of the kindest and most appreciative people you will ever meet. Over the time I have worked on Mike’s campaign I have also had the distinct pleasure of meeting and getting to know his family, and anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting Mike’s parents and his lovely wife will understand why he is such a terrific and caring person. Mike cares about people and goes out of his way to help those who are in need or are less fortunate, no matter what their politics happen to be. This isn’t just my opinion or something someone told me. I have witnessed it firsthand on MANY occasions.
Having said all that about the person I support, I would also like to say that I have the utmost respect for ALL of the candidates running for the congressional seat that Mike now holds. I may not share the same political views as these people, and I will not be voting for any of them, but having seen firsthand what a candidate and his family have to go through when running for or holding political office in this country, I know for a fact that it takes a very special and equally dedicated person to put themselves in a position that very few of us would.
The bottom line for me is that you can disagree with someone without wanting to burn their house down and eat their dog or have them banished to Siberia. And for political candidates I want to hear how good you are, NOT how bad the other candidates are.
Rick Barker
Valencia
