Candidate Profile: Melissa Haluszczak
Many of you may not know Melissa Haluszczak, but she is hoping to change that very soon. Currently a paralegal, she was one of the primary organizers for the first Tea Party in 2009 and played a major role in local grassroots activities. Taking her passion to the next level, she is now the Republican candidate for the 14th Congressional District which stretches from Coraopolis to Penn Hills and goes as far south as McKeesport.Since 2002, incumbent Rep. Mike Doyle (D) has not faced a Republican challenger. Titus North opposed Doyle as the Green party candidate in ’06 and ’08 but never received more than 10% of the vote. Now, with Haluszczak in the race, people will have a choice between the two major parties.
If a constituent searches for information online about the campaign, they may notice a lack of news articles about the 14th Congressional race. Haluszczak recalled a phone conversation she had with a local newspaper writer who explained the he would not be covering the race because his editors had deemed it to not be ‘news worthy’. She quipped, “If the race is not news worthy, then my opponent and his current activities must not be newsworthy either, seeing how they are also not being reported on.” This may seem somewhat surprising since much credit has been given to Rep. Doyle (D) for being a major player behind the scenes in passing the National Healthcare bill.
When asked what party she is with, Haluszczak says that she is a Republican candidate but explains she campaigns with a little ‘r’ after her name. As she constantly reminds her campaign staff and volunteers, “I have told my volunteers that this is not a ‘Party Campaign’. We cannot get into the mindset of 'Republicans vs. Democrats”. She originally become involved with politics not because of her choice in party, but rather because of her concern for the direction of the country in terms of the national debt and out-of-control government expansion.
Why would a Pittsburgh Democrat vote for you?
“Many Democrats in Pittsburgh are conservatives,” She explained. “My values are American values, not party lines. Many people are tired of going to work and having their money thrown away. And this is not something that has been happening for the past two years but for the past 10 years. People are tired of their borders not being secure. They are tired of corporate bailouts and trillion dollar deficits. Our Congressman has supported “Cap and Trade” legislation that will only result in jobs being moved out of the district. He voted for the stimulus project that has not stimulated anything. Many people are tired of the waste and inaction and want change.”
Haluszczak explained she has continued to work full time. Only until recently when she began visiting two communities a night did she switch from taking the bus to driving to work. She said there are politicians who can campaign and not work because they are fortunate enough to have a large amount of personal wealth. “I am like everyone else who has a job and understand the fear of losing it.”
In her travels through the district, Haluszczak has been to many local events. She has visited almost all the local boroughs in the 14th District. She talked about her experience at a local charity event in Homewood where she was told that “they have never any politician attend an event and meet them”. This is a recurring them she hears in her travels.
As the city itself faces a financial crisis
with the pension fund and the county assessments are coming due in the
near future almost all local taxes are expected to rise. How would you,
if elected, help the local residents in terms of taxes?
“We need to reinstate the Bush tax cuts as well as repeal the death tax. Those will initially help everyone. The upcoming taxes involved with the Health Bill will need to be repealed as well. With the challenges that not only Pittsburghers but residents throughout the state will face as the reassessments take place, repealing the health bill will help reduce the massive tax burdens at the federal level.”
Are there any Federal programs that you feel
should be eliminated?
“First, I would push for an audit of the Federal Reserve. We need to see what exactly is going on with the Reserve. Secondly, we should also eliminate the Department of Energy. That would save the government $21 Billion dollars. It has not done what its stated intent was and we have only become more dependent on foreign oil. Then we would have to put into place an across the board spending freeze and take a hard look at each item in the budget.”
How do you feel about the apology that was
given to BP during a congressional hearing on the Gulf Oil Spill?
“The apology should not have been given. BP needs to be a responsible company,” Haluszczak explained. She stated that the company itself should have provided those funds voluntarily and can understand the apology was in reference to the government forcing the company to give up the funds. She stated that the government is also responsible having given the oil rig safety awards and having an incredibly slow response time to the crisis. “There is a social responsibility for everyone. I recycle just like everyone else. As a Christian, our responsibility is to take of God’s gift. The Planet is one of those gifts and we need to make sure that we do everything we can to preserve and protect it.” In this case, both the government and BP have failed.
Campaigning has its fun side.
Although Haluszczak has been busy working her regular job during the day and campaigning at night, she has found a few fun perks to the role of candidate. She, along with several other local candidates from all parties, has been invited to perform at the Candidates' Comedy Night 2010. This is an event where politicians can get up on stage and perform whatever acts they want to and all the proceeds go to the Allegheny County Music Festival Fund. “It will be an experience to get together with political allies and opponents with the common goal to help good charities.”
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