Barry Welsh for Congress 2006

Indiana's 6th District has a great candidate to support. His name is Barry Welsh. He ran last year for the state senate. He announced his candidacy shortly after an appearance this weekend at the Indiana Progressive Leadership Conference. The headliner at the conference was Jim Dean, who we all know as Howard Dean's brother. Unfortunately, the media did not show up for the press conference.

Barry Welsh is putting "People before Profits."

Here is an excerpt from his candidacy speech:

Congressman Pence has donated to The Delay defense fund, and taken campaign contributions from the Delay political machine. Coming out against them would make him a flip-flopper, and Congressman Pence’s allegiances have been made very clear.

I am a Christian, and a Pastor, and I respect those of different beliefs, but I am sickened that there are those that support Bill Bennett’s racist attitude. To say that all blacks are criminals is, in my opinion, obscene. I publicly denounce Bill Bennett, Tom Delay, and all who revealed and then covered the leaking of a CIA agent’s identity, no matter how high the corruption reaches. Tom Delay may not be found legally guilty, but paying your wife and your daughter one half million dollars each to work on your own campaign is ethically wrong. I am not afraid to say so. Tom Delay was Congressman Pence’s mentor. My roll models are Phil Sharp and Lee Hamilton.

I am running because there are major differences between Congressman Pence and myself, and it will be easy for the voters to choose, should he survive his primary challenger.

I support our troops, Congressman Pence says he supports our troops as well, and visits Iraq on taxpayer dollars, but proudly proposes "Operation Offset" which cuts military family’s benefits. Is that really supporting the troops? The radical neo conservative republicans say one thing and their actions point a different direction, so much so that disillusioned Normal Republicans, or any Hoosier, cannot believe them.

They are oilmen, and say that they are concerned with the prices of gas while lining their pockets with mega-profits. There is nothing wrong with profit, but greed is not a virtue.

As long as there are oil men in power, gas prices will continue to rise. Hurricane Katrina disrupted production at twenty-five percent of the refineries and did the price of gas only go up on that twenty –five percent, or did it go up on one hundred percent of the gas?

We all know the answer, and we all know the reason why, greed.

I am not a perfect person, I have made mistakes, and I have taken responsibility, learned from the mistakes, grew, and moved on, so do not view this as one simply casting stones.

I am not running because I am judgmental or "Holier Than Thou." I am not announcing this campaign because I am special. I am not. I am doing this because I am one of you and I will represent all of you, not just the richest one percent. I am running because like you, I have hade ENOUGH!

I feel that leadership means taking responsibility when it is warranted not when a public opinion poll tells you to. I take responsibility for my actions, and I will take responsibility for your best interests, not the special interests, when you choose me to be your representative in Congress.

There are too many self-servants and not enough public servants in our governments.

I will be a public servant. Please visit my website at www.barrywelsh.org. I ask for your support and your vote in the primary and general elections. Thank You.