Lt. Harrison Robins III, USAAF, was killed in Japan during World War II. Captain Wesley Yeo Clement, a fighter pilot during WW II, was killed in 1953 during the US occupation of Germany.
Robins and Clement were the great-uncle and grandfather, respectively, of Beth Farnham, the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District, who recently hosted a townhall meeting at Gettysburg’s VFW Post #15 to familiarize local voters with the policies she supports in her run for office.
Farnham’s ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World Wars I and II, and Farnham credits the fact that her family has always had a patriotic love for this country to her own calling to fight on behalf of this country. “If they could sacrifice, then so can I”, she says, citing the cost to her current family due to her frequent absences and heavy traveling while she runs for office.
Both Beth Farnham and her husband Rob used to be registered Republicans for over 25 years (her husband also a member of the NRA). In 2015, upon witnessing Republican candidate Trump demonizing migrants and then winning the early primaries in 2016, Farnham researched the Democratic candidate’s platform and decided to vote for the Democratic Party. She has been a registered Democrat since 2019.
The overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, made possible by the majority of Trump-appointed (and no longer politically impartial) US Supreme Court Judges, was just one of several catalysts that Farnham says helped her realize how much the Republican Party was subverting the American ideals of Democracy and true Christianity to further their own agenda of conspiracy theories and Christian Nationalism, all while exalting personal freedoms and applauding the characteristics and actions of their candidate Trump and other representatives.
This trend finally manifested Farnham’s desire to seek office in an effort to save this country’s democracy and the constitutional framework it was built on. “I am fighting for your right to vote, no matter how you are registered, no matter who you vote for”, she says. “I do not support any form of authoritarian rule and any suggestion of dictatorship as made by Trump, which is a slap in the face to every veteran who ever sacrificed for American Democracy.”
Farnham’s top priorities in Congress will be focused on preserving democracy; reproductive freedom; gun safety; public education, universal healthcare, and immigration reform. “In a strong Democracy, our right to vote is sacred; we have agency over our own bodies; we use, sell, and store guns responsibly; we have equal access to quality education; our healthcare needs are covered; and immigrants have clear paths to citizenship.”
Gun safety: With respect to the concept of “Right to Life”, Farnham believes that this concept should also include gun safety, as gun violence is considered the number one killer of American children. Unique to the USA, there are no federal laws in existence that provide for safe storage of firearms; reporting of lost or stolen firearms; universal background checks; and restriction of ownership of firearms to those individuals at an elevated risk of harming themselves or others. Farnham wants to help craft sensible legislation which still will uphold the 2nd Amendment, but with some parameters for responsible gun ownership.
Immigration Reform: Farnham pointed out that, since the passing of the Immigration Act of 1965, immigrants have had fewer paths of entry, including green card status, into the US. This has resulted in a pattern of either unlawful entry, or – more commonly – unlawful overstay of temporary visa status, for large numbers of immigrants referred to as “undocumented immigrants”. However, contrary to the dehumanizing claim by Republicans that they don’t pay taxes, undocumented immigrants pay federal, state, local and sales taxes. The American Immigration Council has reported that “undocumented immigrants in Pennsylvania paid an estimated $428.1 million in federal taxes and $238.3 million in state and local taxes in 2018. Pennsylvania DACA recipients and eligible individuals paid an estimated $17.4 million in state and local taxes in 2018”.
Further, the Migration Policy Institute in 2022 asserted that “DACA holders contribute nearly $42 billion to U.S. gross domestic product each year and add $3.4 billion to the federal balance sheet.” Research has suggested that, if undocumented immigrants had been granted legal status, they might have paid $51 million MORE in Pennsylvania state and local taxes in 2017 alone.
Farnham reminded the audience that the migrants living among us provide labor and valuable services that this country relies on in many ways. Her agenda includes working toward immigration reform that will include realistic routes to legal status.
Universal Healthcare: Farnham plans to work for strengthening the Affordable Care Act and reinstate its original parameters to allow Americans to access a consistent network of excellent and affordable care across the country. She cited the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which asserted that “medical debt has become a leading cause of personal bankruptcy with an estimated $88 billion of that debt in collections nationwide”. Further, Farnham listed Juniata County as one of six counties in PA-13 district that don’t provide sufficient maternity care (“maternal health desert”), or local hospitals, such as Chambersburg Hospital, no longer admitting pediatric patients.
Public Education: A formerly trained educator herself, Farnham is a strong proponent of quality public education that will prepare students for global competitiveness. Her focus will be on how public schools are funded, especially in PA-13, where funding is not provided through state taxes but by property taxes. This results in an abundance of resources in areas with wealthy property owners and lack of resources in poorer districts. Farnham mentioned, as an example, a Pennsylvania school district that had 75 Kindergarten students sharing one toilet. She further is concerned with retirees on fixed incomes facing the loss of their houses due to high property taxes. Farnham suggests that public education should be funded with federal and state tax dollars. Further, she believes that tax dollars should not be used for private or parochial schools.
With respect to her Republican opponent, current US Representative John Joyce, Farnham reminded the audience that he not only voted against certifying the valid electoral votes of President Biden in the 2020 election “after the violent insurrection Trump incited on January 6th, 2021”, but he also signed the Texas Amicus Brief, along with several other Republican lawmakers, in an attempt to delete the valid electoral votes of “law-abiding Pennsylvania voters” for that election, based on no evidence of fraud.
She further pointed out Joyce’s record of voting for a government shutdown instead of the Continuing Resolution; voting against marriage equality; the child tax credit, the Inflation Reduction Act (2022); the Women’s Health Protection Act (2021), the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (2021), and The American Rescue Plan (2021). In addition, Joyce co-sponsored the unscientific Life at Conception Act (2023).
The Q&A section of the townhall meeting included questions:
-What is a top issue for South Central Pennsylvania? Farnham puts the Farm Bill as one of the top issues, especially in light of various disasters threatening the farms. “We cannot turn our backs on our farmers!”, she said. The agricultural industries have to be upheld year-round; Farnham suggests that visas for migrants working in these industries should be extended from the current six months to a longer period, with the stability of a guest worker system then guaranteeing stability for the employers’ production.
-Other questions included discussion of the dangers of history books being rewritten to suppress unfavorable eras or episodes in American History; prevention of fascism; and ethics rules for SCOTUS.
-One attendee mentioned that she was afraid to place party signs in her yards because she was afraid of Republican residents retaliating. Farnham encouraged the attendees to celebrate that we have the freedom to choose whether we want to place signs or not. “Intimidation is a check on our democracy”, she said. At the end of the meeting, that attendee asked for a yard sign to take home.
-Another attendee proposed that everyone should display the American flag on their property. Although it seems that Republican voters often high jack the US flag as a symbol of their cause, Democrats should insist on displaying the flag as an affirmation that they support the Constitution and are appalled by the disrespect to the Constitution shown by the January 6 storm on the nation’s Capitol.
Beth Farnham is a long-time resident of Conewago Township in Adams County, PA. She holds degrees in Biology, French and Secondary Education. The mother of two has served as a school board member for Conewago Valley School District; is a member of the Adams County Democratic Committee; a member of Gettysburg Presbyterian Church, and has been an activist for many causes.
For more information on Beth Farnham and more detail on her agenda, please visit: www.bethfarnhamforcongress.com. For specific answers to her stances on certain issues, visit: https://vote.wpsu.org/candidates/377/.
The 13th congressional district consists of Adams, Franklin, Fulton, Bedford, Cambria, Blair, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata, and Perry counties, as well as parts of Cumberland and Somerset counties.
Donate Gardner is a freelance writer and journalist who came to Gettysburg from Montgomery County, Maryland. A former linguist-turned-legal professional, Donate recently retired and is eager to support her new community in a variety of ways. She currently serves as the news communicator for the Adams County migrant outreach program, Pasa La Voz and supports various pro bono legal services to migrants in the area.
An immigrant born, raised, and educated in Western Europe, Donate uses her multi-lingual background to maintain connection to other cultures, both as a writer, historical researcher and advocate.
Donate is also an active musician, multi-instrumentalist and award-winning songwriter, enjoying the rich music and arts community in Gettysburg, and supporting traveling musicians coming through the area. Donate can be reached at: dvbgardner@gmail.com.