Fighting words from Wenona Baldenegro

by David Safier

Wenona Baldenegro is runnning for Congress in District One. She wrote a strong opinion piece in the White Mountain Independent in response to an earlier opinion piece.

Keep your eye on Wenona. She's a Navajo woman, born and raised in Kayenta, who went on to graduate from Harvard Law School. Now, instead of using her degree as a springboard to membership in the one percent, she's returned to her home to represent the area in Congress.

The entire piece is worth a read, but here are a few excerpts.

I am running for Congress because, for too long, our Congressional representatives have been beholden to corporations and the very wealthy, at the expense of regular, hard-working Americans. In a recent Gallup poll, the results showed that a record-low 11 percent of Americans approve of our current Congress.

Rep. Paul Gosar recently voted to dismantle Social Security and Medicare, as well as to increase taxes on the middle-class in our state. Former Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick voted to extend the Bush cuts for the very wealthy, and to create tax loopholes for corporations. This is unacceptable. Where is the tax relief for Arizona's struggling families, and why can't the very wealthy pay their fair share?

[snip]

Mr. Roberts' [who wrote the piece she is responding to] claim that I support "drug cartels opening the borders" is absolutely absurd, and is barely even worthy of a response. As a Navajo woman, I am a "first American" who has had family members serve and die for the United States. I am also a member of the Indian tribe who proudly sent its young men to serve as Navajo Code Talkers during World War II. In addition to this, I used to work for the Arizona Attorney General's Office, where I assisted in the prosecution of drug cartels and other serious criminals. Therefore, it is an insult, of the highest order, to imply that I support ceding sovereignty of the United States to another country.