Elton Gallegly and Michael Case

* I’d like to thank Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) for voting to repeal the marriage tax and to override President Clinton’s veto. My wife and I are tired of paying more than our fair share of taxes, and we’re glad our congressman is on our side.

It’s too bad the liberals believe only they know how to help people and that the working families of our nation shouldn’t be allowed to keep more of their hard-earned money.

When so many religions and cultures venerate the institution of marriage, which is so important to the raising of solid adults and citizens for the future, the fact that our governmental institutions seem determined to punish rather than reward marriage in our tax code is disappointing.

JAMES W. SNELL

Camarillo

* There was an interesting non-meeting recently in Camarillo, sponsored by B’nai B’rith, between Congressional candidates Michael Case, the Democratic challenger, and Elton Gallegly, the Republican incumbent.

Gallegly spoke first, declared he had only five minutes and could not take questions. He had to leave immediately, he said, to take the “red-eye” to Washington because Congress was in session.

After 14 years in Congress, Gallegly is the polished politician. He told this audience of his strong support of Israel and his past participation in many B’nai B’rith meetings and of the many plaques on his wall from Israel’s supporters and B’nai B’rith.

Case did not arrive until after the congressman left. It seems he was delayed by another group meeting that ran over time.

Case used his allotted five minutes to list the issues he thought were important to most Americans: using the surplus to pay down the national debt and shore up Social Security and Medicare trust funds, making health care and prescription drugs affordable for all Americans, passing the patients’ bill of rights, requiring background checks of all gun purchasers and registration of handguns, maintaining our environment as well as setting health standards for clean air and pure drinking water, a woman’s right to choose and fiscal responsibility in the use of future surpluses.

Gallegly voted against almost all of these issues.

I certainly want to send to Congress the man who can get the most done in his allotted time. Obviously, that is Michael Case.

BARBARA SIMONS

Camarillo

* I see that the liberals in the House of Representatives stood by their refusal to give Ventura County families any tax relief this year. Their cynical votes to keep the marriage penalty firmly intact in the tax code means only one thing: They really think they are going to retake Congress in November, and they want to have the entire current federal surplus to spend, spend, spend.

I recommend that all married couples and those planning on marriage remember that Rep. Elton Gallegly voted to repeal the marriage penalty. His opponent is running to help the liberals recapture the House and start spending the entire budget surplus on new federal programs.

That’s just one more reason my wife and I are going to vote for Gallegly in November.

GARY W. WALKER

Simi Valley