Letter: Berg must stand behind decisions to help ND

Talk about it

I’m tired of hearing Rick Berg complain when Earl Pomeroy discusses Berg’s record. Berg refuses to discuss that record by dodging debates, and now he whines when his voters ask to hear more about what he did during his 26 years in the Legislature? Maybe it’s because he’s flip-flopped on the issues again and again.

When Berg sat down with editors at The Forum, they asked him how he proposed to deal with Social Security. Pomeroy is strongly committed to maintaining Social Security benefits, but Berg had said that he wanted to privatize Social Security, putting benefits in private accounts at the whim of Wall Street.

First, Berg flip flopped on what he’d said earlier. He no longer wanted to privatize Social Security.

No, Berg had an even wackier idea in mind. “Why don’t we drill in Teddy Roosevelt National Park?” he said. That’ll save Social Security.

Well it didn’t take long for people to realize what a bizarre idea that truly was. First of all, Social Security doesn’t need saving, as long as Berg and his friends keep their hands off our benefits. And his response showed a critical misunderstanding of the way the oil industry operates. You would think he would have done his research before running for U.S. Congress.

So Berg flip-flopped again. He just wanted to drill next to the park he said. But the damage had been done. Even his fellow Republican Gov. Hoeven tried to distance himself from Berg by this point.

If Berg can’t take the positions that help North Dakotans and then stand behind them then I certainly don’t want him representing us in Washington. And you won’t see me flip-flopping on that!

Jessica Haak, Jamestown

Tags: jessica haak, opinion, letters, berg, pomeroy