Real reform?

To the editor:

There is none as righteous as the recently reformed. It’s hard not to be cynical when listening to Newt Gingrich chiding his fellow Republicans for perpetuating the culture of corruption that ultimately was his own undoing in the U.S. House of Representatives. Nonetheless, his “solution” – decreasing the size of the federal government – may have some merit. But, that depends.

Newt claims that Republicans are “the party of the people” and that the GOP promotes family values. So is Newt ready to advocate for real change by limiting pork barrel projects (e.g., the infamous Alaskan bridge to nowhere) and no-bid contracts for inner-circle big businesses (e.g., Halliburton)? Or is he just pushing the same ol’ GOP (Greedy Old Policies) – eliminating social programs, student aid, environmental protection and worker protections on which so many of “the people” depend?

Francois Henriquez,

Lawrence