April 18, 2012 06:19 AM UTC

Constituents Confront Coffman Over Fair Share on Tax Day

• 3 Comments
• by: ColoradoFairShare

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

Today, a group of CD6 constituents including an Army National Guard veteran, a PhD who’s been looking for work for two years and whose unemployment benefits have run out, and a widow with three kids called on Rep. Mike Coffman to stand with them to make the rich pay their fair share. The group, part of the Colorado Fair Share organization, visited Coffman’s Lone Tree office to tell their stories.

Don Henry, a recently-discharged 15-year Army National Guard veteran, stated, “We are protesting today because it’s time to shine a light on the giant corporations who pay little or no taxes. I’ve been on unemployment too and I don’t want to see the middle class continue to be stepped on. This is America, and everyone’s supposed to pay their fair share.”

Crista Laughlin from Aurora brought her 21 year old daughter with her to the Congressman’s office because she had some questions for him. “Why are there children in this country without medical insurance?” she asked. “Why are there veterans in homeless shelters? And what are you, Representative Coffman, doing to help the middle and lower class?”

The protesters called on Rep. Coffman to support the Buffett Rule which stops millionaires from paying lower taxes than working people, and to close corporate tax loopholes. They questioned Rep. Coffman’s position on the Buffett Rule and whether he stands with the 99% or the 1%.

The Congressman’s staffer responded by calling the Buffett Rule “a gimmick” and insisting that he wanted to help middle class constituents. He also refused to say whether that meant the Congressman supported the 99%, stating, “I didn’t say that.”

According to David Bouchey, a former investment analyst who lost his job three years after his company went under, “I don’t appreciate Rep. Coffman letting my unemployment benefits expire while voting for tax breaks for millionaires. He doesn’t understand the economy. He keeps voting against average citizens, and we’re the ones who need the help.”

So the question remains – where does Mike Coffman stand, with his constituents or with the richest 1%?

If you’d like to know more, you can sign the 99% Voter Pledge.