The Daily Orange Editorial Board endorses Democrat Dan Maffei for the 24th Congressional District election.

His focus on expanding the Pell Grant program and supporting tax cuts for the middle class make him the best candidate when compared to Republican incumbent Ann Marie Buerkle and Green Party candidate Ursula Rozum.

First, Maffei would like to increase the number of Pell Grant recipients. This directly relates to college students. Access to financial aid is incredibly important and affects every student directly. Everyone knows someone who is a recipient of a Pell Grant.

Pell Grants do not need to be paid back and can make or break a student’s ability to go to college. Increasing the number of available Pell Grants would allow more of the American population to have an education, creating more well-rounded citizens.

Second, one of Maffei’s main goals is to support the middle class by increasing taxes for the wealthy and continuing the tax relief for the middle class.

To try and combat the economic downturn, Maffei wants to collect more money from the wealthy while protecting the struggling middle class. Choosing to selectively increase taxes on the wealthy helps to achieve this goal.

Finally, the other candidates running for office, Buerkle and Rozum, are not viable candidates for office to The Daily Orange Editorial Board.

Buerkle’s ideas are too far right and do not do anything to help college students. Rozum is a small-party candidate running a grassroots campaign. She has previously stated that she is more focused on spreading the Green Party message than winning the election.

Published on October 29, 2012 at 3:00 am

Contact: opinion@dailyorange.com