Robin Litaker says U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (R-Birmingham) has failed in helping her district when it comes to the economy, education and healthcare. Litaker is the current Republican nominee running against Sewell for Alabama’s 7th Congressional District. She discussed her race Monday on WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program.”
“But let’s talk about Black infant birth,” Litaker explained, “Black infants represent 28% of births statewide, yet they account 51.4% of infant deaths. That’s three times the number of white infants. That’s inexcusable. And then when these healthcare facilities are closing and they lose this resource, there’s one down in Choctaw County where they have to travel to Montgomery to give birth. We need to take a really hard look at healthcare and
the motives that enable them.”
Litaker accused Sewell of not being concerned about the real issues in her district.
“I mean, I think it was this year that Terri Sewell was crowned the Medicare Advantage champion, and in doing so, she received about $236,000 from the insurance sector,” she said. “And you know, that’s in contrast to the daily struggles that these people have.”
Litaker, a former teacher in Alabama, said education will be her number one priority if she’s elected.
“I’m a former Alabama ‘State Teacher of the Year.’ I originally got into this race because of education. If you look at performance in schools and districts in the seventh congressional district, and of course, I’m not talking about Hoover and Homewood, but if you look at districts across congressional seven. They are the schools that are failing the most in Alabama, and they all have one thing in common: They take the most federal funds, and you know, you have to kind of step back and go. Now, wait a minute, that’s our money. That’s our taxpayer dollars.”
The candidate also pointed out how she believes Sewell hasn’t done anything to help the economy in the more impoverished areas of the state.
“What has hit home with me as I have traveled for well over a year now, is the seventh congressional district is the 15th most impoverished district in this country, out of 435 nationally,” she said. “So when these people wake up in the morning, they’re worried about how they’re going to put food on the table. They’re worried all across the black belt, if there was an emergency, would there be a hospital they could go to? Could they get an ambulance? Do they have clean water to drink?”
“Even here in the greater Birmingham area, they don’t know the type of poverty that exists down in some of these counties and the issues that need to be brought out,” she added.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
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