Republican Eric Cantor has held the 7th Congressional District seat in the US House of Representatives for the past decade. Cantor has ignored the needs of the people of the 7th District. The giant "ZERO" and the "NO" on own website told it all. He has done nothing for his constituents in the way of health care, extending jobless benefits, and saving the jobs of teachers, policemen and firemen. Instead, he has helped millionaires and billionaires by insisting that the Bush Tax Cuts are extended, creating the huge deficit we now find ourselves in.

Now we have a choice! Rick Waugh, a Louisa County resident and social worker, is the Democratic candidate for the 7th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The election is Tuesday, November 2. A vote for a Rick Waugh is a vote for you and me.

Go to his website: www.rickwaugh.org for more information.

Jeff Schapiro, noted Political Columnist and reporter for the Richmond Times Dispatch, will be our guest speaker at the upcoming meeting of the Hanover Democratic Committee on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 9 a.m. at Ashland Coffee & Tea.

You don’t want to miss this. Really! If you can attend only one meeting in the year, make it this one. And bring a friend.

Schapiro will present an unvarnished, non partisan look at the upcoming mid-term elections. His 30 years covering Virginia campaigns and the state Capitol have given Schapiro a unique perspective. He has tracked Virginia’s transformation to a suburban-dominated state -- one increasingly shaped by national influences. His Sunday columns in the Richmond Times Dispatch and his Friday morning political commentaries on WCVE-FM are always rich with wry humor and sharp observations on the ins and outs of Virginia politics and government. Schapiro also writes about Southern culture and politics for the prestigious British newsmagazine, The Economist. Get a front row seat to hear Jeff Schapiro at the next HDC monthly meeting on Sept. 11.

We can do better!

(Comments by Rick Waugh)

I am a family man, a Virginian, a Louisan, a fisherman, and a community organizer – in that order. I am also a fighter. I don’t like it when the people of Virginia don’t get what they deserve.

I am running for Congress because I believe the citizens of Virginia have not been getting a fair shake from Washington, D.C. I am running because of the clients whom I have seen as a counselor. I am running because I know that our education system is still leaving children behind; I am running for the citizens of our District who cannot find the work they need to support their families; and for the citizens who have gone to Eric Cantor for help only to feel ignored. I am running because I know we can do better.

Eric Cantor has represented this District for ten years, and what do the citizens of our District have to show for it? The Wall Street lobby has a lot to show from the representation of Eric Cantor, but the citizens of Virginia do not. The party of Eric Cantor played a part in creating a financial crisis, and creating a bailout culture for huge banks. But when ordinary citizens needed help, when they needed jobs, when they needed unemployment benefits extensions, was Cantor there to help? On these measures, he voted no.

I am running for Congress because I can and will do better. I will listen to the people of central Virginia. The power belongs to the individuals who make up the people of Virginia. I am not a professional politician, so I will not take lightly my responsibility to the people of Virginia.

See www.rickwaugh.org for more.