Two of our Long Island Congressmen are worthy of praise

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Israel’s opposite number from Long Island is Rep. Peter King. King is serving his 11th term in Congress, and has held some of the most prominent positions in the House, including chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. He is an easily recognized face on TV, and is known for his honest and sometimes stinging remarks on the events of the day.

King’s most prominent role recently has been as the voice of Republican moderation on the shutdown. He has taken on the architect of the shutdown, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, calling him a “false prophet” and a “fraud.” King has urged his colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle to end the shutdown and keep the federal government operating — so far without much success. But sometimes, someone has to tell it like it is to get things moving again.

In these days of political correctness, it is refreshing to find someone in public office who is willing to say what has to be said, at the risk of alienating members of his own party. King isn’t really alone in his battle, even if he appears to be. There are many Republican members of Congress who agree with him but are afraid to say so publicly. King is offering a road to sanity in the hope that, sooner or later, a majority of his fellow members will follow it.

It isn’t often that one region can have two trailblazers in Washington. Agree with them or not, at least they’re doing something, while the rest of the U.S. Congress is doing nothing.

Jerry Kremer was a state assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? JKremer@liherald.com.

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