Kanjorski forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for his telemarketing campaign

By LOU BARLETTA FOR CONGRESS

Hazleton, PA – Earlier this month, 26-year incumbent Paul Kanjorski announced he would not hold any public town meetings. Instead, Kanjorski will use tax dollars to host tele-town meetings so he does not have to face his constituents.

Despite several requests, Kanjorski refuses to disclose how much these calls are costing the taxpayers or what voters he is targeting with these calls.

“Most self-respecting congressmen hold in-person town meetings to allow their constituents to come and hear firsthand from their elected representative and to express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction face to face. Whether or not people turn out is the individual’s choice. Kanjorski’s phone calls force the taxpayer to pay for them whether they plan to listen or not,” said Shawn Kelly, spokesman for the congressional campaign of Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta.

“A few weeks ago, Kanjorski said meeting with 25 or 50 of his constituents would ‘blow a half a day or a full day’ and was just not worth it. Kanjorski should come clean and let his constituents know how much they are paying for his telemarketing. First he ignores his constituents by refusing to meet with them at town halls, then he insults them by saying they are not worth his time, and now he is forcing them to pay for his telemarketing campaign so he can hide from his bad votes and failed policies,” Kelly continued.

“The unemployed deserve to know why Kanjorski’s $800 billion stimulus plan didn’t work. Seniors deserve to know why Kanjorski cut $500 billion from Medicare. They won’t be able to ask Kanjorski those questions during these carefully screened, scripted, and taxpayer-funded telemarketing calls,” Kelly added.

KANJORSKI’S QUOTE ON FACE-TO-FACE TOWN HALL MEETINGS:

“I have a problem with them. We have had town hall meetings in the past. They don’t… they actually put you through an awful lot of effort and time to put them together and only about, oh, anywhere from 25 or 50 people will show up at a town meeting and you have to blow a half a day or a full day.” – Congressman Paul Kanjorski (“Corbett,” WILK News Radio, 7/7/10)

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