Gary Peters Shares Life-Affirming Values, Say Area Catholics

Press Release

Gary Peters Shares Life-Affirming Values, Say Area Catholics

Citing his record and positions on health care, education, job creation, and the war in Iraq, a group of local Catholics have announced that they are supporting Gary Peters in the Congressional race in Michigan's 9th District. Catholics for Gary Peters, which currently counts its membership at nearly one hundred, will work to spread Peters' message to other members of the Catholic community throughout Oakland County.

"I learned my values from my parents growing up here in Oakland County: work hard, play by the rules, give back to the community, and do your best to help one another - and those are the values that will guide me every day in Washington," said Gary Peters, a fifth-generation Oakland County native. "As a husband and a father of three, I am committed to ensuring that the hope and opportunity of the American Dream remain open for all Americans."

At the press conference, held on Tuesday morning in the Oakland Center on the campus of Oakland University, nearly thirty members of Catholics for Gary Peters turned out to show their support and discuss key issues facing Michigan. The group also announced plans to engage in an active effort to support Peters' campaign for Congress, including hosting community meetings, coordinating voter contact efforts, and reaching out to other Catholics.

Bob Deneweth of Beverly Hills, MI said: "We believe that our faith demands responsibility, and our moral compass is the idea of what is best for the community as a whole. For too long, the right wing has been taking a few select issues and claiming to speak for all Christians, and we are ready to get beyond that. We have had nearly one hundred Catholics come forward in the past several weeks to form Catholics for Gary Peters, and our movement is growing and gaining momentum."

Berkeley City Councilman Phil O'Dwyer, said: "We have grown tired of seeing Joe Knollenberg ignoring the common good and pushing polices that benefit special interest groups and the wealthiest in our society. We are growing tired as well of those that wave the flag, and then vote to deny benefits to those who wear the uniform. In contrast, Gary Peters is committed to bringing people together, and trying to solve the major challenges that have visited our nation over the past seven or eight years. This is a time that we can send a representative that we can be proud of to Washington."

Speaking to the group, Peters stressed the need to return basic, American values to the legislative process in Washington, D.C.

"Part of the reason why Washington is broken is because American values like caring for your neighbor and looking out for one another have been overrun by partisan bickering and gridlock," Peters said, citing last year's debate over expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program. "Congressman Knollenberg forgot these fundamental American values when he voted with President Bush to block funding for low-income children's health care, and it is children and families who have paid the price."

Gary Peters has also launched a new initiative in his campaign, called Take Action Now, in which he joins volunteers and supporters each week to take part in community service projects across Oakland County. Among other projects, Peters and his team have helped out at the Stogdill Pancake Breakfast in Pontiac, and collected and sorted food for the Gleaners Community Food Bank.

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