Kanjorski to meet public – but only with his Wall Street buddies

By LOU BARLETTA FOR CONGRESS

Hazleton, PA – Hazleton Mayor and Congressional candidate Lou Barletta today said Paul Kanjorski is acting hypocritically for refusing to meet with the public at traditional summer town hall meetings while agreeing to be the “special guest” at an event held by his Wall Street buddies near Wilkes-Barre in July.

FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, sent out a flyer inviting people to attend a meet-and-greet with Kanjorski in July at the Woodlands Inn and Resort. FINRA is a private corporation that acts as Wall Street’s self-regulatory organization and acts as a watchdog over firms like AIG, Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns, and Lehman Brothers.

The flyer was received by 11th District residents just days after Kanjorski declared he would not hold town hall meetings to meet with constituents. The flyer says Kanjorski is FINRA’s “special guest” at its very own meeting.

“Kanjorski is refusing to meet with the people and answer their questions in the open format a town hall meeting would provide, but he is all too willing to appear with his Wall Street buddies in a controlled environment where he won’t have to face the tough questions. This is a slap in the face at the people he claims to represent,” Mayor Barletta said. “Kanjorski is increasingly out of touch with the residents of the 11th District, and he’s clearly more comfortable with the people who pump millions of dollars into his campaign account than he is with the residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania. This is a blatant political ploy for Kanjorski to tout his so-called expertise, yet he is one of the architects of the economic downtown we’re experiencing.

“It’s disappointing but not surprising, considering the amount of money Wall Street bankers and brokers have given to Kanjorski over the years. Of course he’s beholden to them,” Mayor Barletta added. “Kanjorski must explain why he takes millions in campaign cash from his Wall Street buddies then hands out billions of taxpayer dollars to them in the form of bailouts. He must answer for the rising unemployment rate, especially since he called this economy the best ‘in the history of mankind.’ He must explain why he ignored the will of his constituents and voted for the government takeover of our healthcare system. Instead, Kanjorski is literally hiding in the banking industry’s pocket as he ducks the tough questions his constituents have for him.”

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