Letter: Klippert answers were appalling

This past Monday, I attended the Voters’ Forum held at the Richland Library. I must regretfully inform the Herald’s readers that I was appalled by Rep. Brad Klippert’s performance.

When responding to a question on religious freedom versus mandatory vaccinations, he condescended to his audience by reminding us to “listen very carefully to the wording of this question.” He went on to question vaccines’ efficacy, citing “those mental issues in children, that we’re seeing more of.”

During a question on state banks, his flat-out “NO!” was so virulent that the mediator asked, “Why?” Klippert went on to give a bombastic defense of why local banks are “all that we need,” and then assured us in a hoarse, tearful voice that “you do not want the government in charge of your banking!”

This reveals two things: First, that Klippert has no idea what a state bank is. Second, that including the word “state” is enough to send him on a frenetic, stars-and-stripes-infused rampage in which everything is a threat to his notion of liberty. I can only imagine that he was seeing 1984’s film “Red Dawn” flash before his eyes. Luckily, his lack of basic knowledge is balanced by theatrical flair.