Jay Riemersma For Congress

Friends,

Words cannot express my family’s gratitude for your support over the last year. We have been blessed by your friendships, your kindness, and your prayers on our behalf. We entered this congressional race as a political outsider, knowing that it would be an uphill battle. Incredibly, in a race in which over 100,000 ballots were cast, the results were determined by just over 600 votes. This should be a reminder to us all that our vote, and our voice matter in this process. We will not be asking for a recount though with the significant voter irregularities in Ottawa County, we are waiting to see final numbers from Ottawa County when the ballots are certified. This process will take no more than 48 hours.

While the results are not what we had hoped for, I do believe that with your help we made this a better race. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and I’m proud of the way in which we conducted ourselves throughout the process. We ran a strong race and helped bring a focus to issues of importance to voters in West Michigan. Most importantly, we sought to glorify God in all that we did, and we trust that His will has been done in this election.

I called Bill Huizenga this morning to congratulate him and his wife Natalie, and to let them know we will be fully supporting them as our Republican candidate for Congress in November. I would ask that you pray for them and please offer them your support as well; they’ll need all of our votes and help in the general election.

As for the Riemermsa family, we’ll be taking a much needed vacation! But please know that we are committed to West Michigan. We’re not going anywhere, and we’ll continue to seek out ways to serve the community and stand up for our values. We do not know what the future holds, but we know that God’s plans are for our good and we’ll move forward with that confidence.

On behalf of our whole family, thank you and may God bless you all.

For liberty,

Jay

Jay Riemersma received the news today that the Citizens for Parental Rights PAC has endorsed his campaign for Congress.  CPR had this to say about the endorsement:

Citizens for Patrental Rights PAC Endorsements
After Questionnaires and research the CPR-PAC Board has made the following endorsements. Please Vote for these Pro-Family Candidates on August 3.
US Congress 2nd District: Jay Reimersma
MI Governor: Peter Hoekstra
MI Senate 24th Dist: Rick Jones
MI State Representative, by District
     72nd Eric Larson
     73rd Dennis Smith
     74th Dave Agema
     77th Rusty Richter
     86th John Schwartz
Judges: No Primary Races in Kent or Allegan Counties
 
Jay Reimersma has pledged to take up the effort, started by Peter Hoekstra, of pushing the U. S. Parental Rights Amendment forward in Congress. Dave Agema has led the effort on HCR 45 in the MI House, which urges the Congress to pass the Parental Rights Amendment.

I have deep admiration for Jay Riemersma and the things he has accomplished in his life. His career in the NFL enabled him to embrace teammates from all walks of life and every possible background. These are the people who early on identified him as a leader and a man of conviction and integrity. Those same qualities will serve him well in the United States Congress. We need strong principled leadership now more than ever. It is with great enthusiasm that I endorse Jay Riemersma for Congress. He stands for the values I hold dear and I have no doubt that he will be identified as a national leader who will have the best interests of our country and our families as his top priority.
Karen Buie

July 21, 2010

Dear Michigan Farmer,

As fellow farmers, food processors and agribusiness leaders we are writing to you today to ask that you join us in voting for Jay Riemersma on August 3 as he seeks to replace retiring Representative Pete Hoekstra as our 2^nd District Congressman.  Jay is a strong, fiscally conservative leader who is a convincing advocate for agriculture. 

Jay recognizes that agriculture is Michigan’s 2^nd largest industry.  He understands that we create over $71.3 billion in economic activity and employee more than 1 million people in the State of Michigan annually.  If elected, he intends to ask to be on the House Committee on Agriculture so he can further our success. 

Jay has the facts.  He tells voters on the campaign trail that the cornerstone of our economy is the fact that Michigan leads the nation in the production of 19 commodities, including tart cherries, blueberries, cucumbers for pickles, three kinds of dry beans and 13 floriculture products.  He loves that we rank in the top 15 for 30 other commodities, including dairy, pork and layers.  He thinks this type of success needs to be encouraged through less government involvement and more free market opportunity.

What Jay does not understand is why his two opponents, Wayne Kuipers and Bill Huizenga, pay little attention to agriculture unless we batter them with phone calls, letters and lobbyists.

In 2007, Kuipers and Huizenga found the motivation to join Governor Granholm and vote for the Michigan Business Tax (MBT), lowering the tax liability for domestic automakers by 97% and transferring the cost to food processors, equipment dealers and agribusinesses. (For details, see 2007 Senate Roll Call 218, and 2007 House Roll Call 249 both on SB 94.) Kuipers and Huizenga have also been active legislative participants while the State lowered the Michigan Department of Agriculture’s budget and status, and at the same time raising the visibility of the DEQ.  Jay does not believe that either of these activities promoted our industry.

According to the Michigan Farm Bureau, 50% of the total jobs lost in the United States since 2000 have been in Michigan.  Since 2001, half a million people have left the State of Michigan searching for employment.  That is the equivalent of the entire population of Grand Rapids, Warren and Sterling Heights departing for a new home (2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th largest cities).  How have Kuipers and Huizenga responded to these challenges? 

Huizenga shepherded the Michigan Film Incentive through Lansing.  Then, he and Kuipers voted for the entire package of film incentive bills that Governor Granholm happily signed, saying, “We’re going to grow this industry and in the process, grow our economy and create jobs.” The film incentive now allows film companies to come into Michigan and receive up to a $ .42 cash rebate on every $1 they spend in Michigan.  The 2010 Department of Agriculture’s budget is $80.3 million.  The State’s budget for film rebates is $155.1 million!  There has not been a measurable increase in film jobs, but we are spending the millions.

Jay does not believe the government’s role is to pick winners and losers.  He certainly does not believe that we should export our tax dollars to Hollywood at the expense of our second largest industry.  Imagine if that $ .42 per $1 of expense had been invested in you and your operation.  How would your farm have performed in the last twelve months? How many jobs could you have created?

Jay has been a proven, committed leader in his roles at the University of Michigan, the NFL, The Family Research Council and in the West Michigan community where he and his family live.  He serves on the Board of Directors for the Red Cross and for his home church. He is the type of common sense thinker we want involved in the national conversation on estate taxes, cap and trade, immigration, foreign trade, regulatory oversight and the 2012 Farm Bill.  We need him in Washington and we need him on the Ag Committee.

The Grand Rapids Press published an independent poll on June 27, 2010 that shows Jay is in the lead.  That poll matches Jay’s internal polls showing that West Michigan voters are in favor of his limited, constitutional government approach to leadership.  The latest poll results are:

Riemersma    26.18%

Kuipers          17.91%

Huizenga        16.89%

Cooper           6.59%

Undecided     29.98%

We have two weeks before the August 3^rd primary to choose our candidate to replace our retiring Congressman Pete Hoekstra.  We can count on Jay Riemersma to be an advocate for agriculture in Congress, a believer in Michigan and a leader for the nation as we rebuild from the current situation we are facing.  Please join us in sending strong conservative leadership to Washington by voting for Jay Riemersma for Congress on August 3^rd.

Sincerely,

Tim Den Dulk – Dairy Producer

Dennis Boersen – Grain Producer

Craig Jipping – Pork/Grain Producer

Tom Karnemaat – Floriculture Producer

David Swanson – Pickle Producer

David Smeltzer – Fruit Producer

Bryan Kleinheksel – Pork and Grain Producer

Cal Van Singel – Vegetable Producer

John Zoet – Egg Producer

Ken Timmerman – AgriBusiness

Ron Prentice – Fruit Producer

Rob Zeldenrust – AgriBusiness

Bob Fenton – AgriBusiness

Carl VanderKolk – Agribusiness

 P.S.  Jay just issued his Five for Freedom Policy Playbook at www.votejr.com.  This document is his  written commitment to his action plan on lowering taxes, cutting government spending, restoring trust, valuing life and reforming healthcare.   He is the only candidate with a plan.  Please hand, fax or e-mail this to your voting neighbors so they can know the facts and vote for Jay on August 3^rd!

July 19, 2010

To the Editor, Grand Rapids Press,

Concerning your endorsement of Bill Huizenga, who by the way is a good man, I think you should have endorsed Jay Riemersma.
 
I served as Chief of Staff for Rep. Pete Hoekstra and then as Executive Director of the Republican Conference in the U.S. House of Representatives under Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma.  The House is like a committee of 435 people.  The static and congestion are extreme.  Having worked in the Capitol for 10 years, including 4 years for the Republican leadership, I can assure your readers that Jay Riemersma will be the more effective candidate to send to Congress.
 
Riemersma is a man on a mission.  Like Pete Hoekstra in 1992, Riemersma is running for a cause, not a job.  Washington DC is a glamorous town for a politician.  If you are running for a job, Washington DC is a nice promotion.  If you are running for a cause, you better have the intestinal fortitude to fight.  The pressure to conform is intense.  In this regard, Riemersma’s experience in the NFL, like Jack Kemp’s, is a huge edge, not a liability.  When 435 people gather to make decisions, a congressman needs clarity of purpose and a competitive edge.  In 1993, then-Minority Whip Newt Gingrich reached out to Pete Hoekstra (with no legislative experience) because he was the only Fortune 500 senior executive elected to Congress.  I then worked for J.C. Watts, a football standout at the University of Oklahoma.  Gingrich tapped Watts for leadership because J.C. knew how to build and lead teams, which is what getting something done in a committee of 435 requires.
 
West Michigan needs a fighter and a team builder with clear focus and the guts to resist conformity, yet without being abrasive and alienating.  Jay Riemersma fits this mold and would serve West Michigan with distinction in Congress.
 
Jon Vandenheuvel
Severn, Maryland