Open letter to Tom Perriello

Tom Perriello, I am one of your constitutents who regret that you lost your bid for re-election last Tuesday in the Fifth District of Virginia.

During the nearly two years in the House of Representatives you have admirably represented your constituents and citizens of Virginia and the United States.

Your record of accomplishments is impressive and your character remains untarnished. You have not allowed political expediency to trump your moral compass to do the right thing.

You assumed office at a critical time when America was facing the greatest economic challenge since the Great Depression. America was on the brink of another depression. You joined with like-minded members of Congress and the President to prevent an ecomomic disaster, to spur private-sector growth during the last nine months and pass healthcare legislatioin.

It is no wonder that during the last weekend of your re-election campaign Pesident Obama joined with you in a huge rally in Charlottesville; something that he had not done for any other member of the House.

Tom, I personally want to express to you my heartfelt gratitude for your intelligent, compassionate and hard-working service you have rendered as my Representative in the House of Representatives. Indeed, it is better to be on the right side and lose an election than it is to be on the wrong side and win an election. Moreover, you leave a legacy after two years as a Representative in Congress that is seldom equaled by those having political longevity.

Because you are you, a man with integrity, who is committed to being not merely your brother's and sister's keeper, but being their brother, I know you will continue to be, and I wish that for you, creative, productive and a substantive contributor to the enrichment of others and in helping to make America a better place.

Respectfully,

Uriah J. Fields (Electronic mail, November 3, 2010)