RE SCOT Lehigh’s Sept. 2 scathing op-ed column “Give it another go, Joe!’’: I am a former staffer who ran the Washington congressional office for Joe Kennedy when he represented the 8th District of Massachusetts. I was in the company of many dedicated staffers who were, and still are, proud of what he stood for and accomplished during his career of public service.
Joe Kennedy was among the first in Congress to call for an overhaul of predatory credit card practices and introduce legislation to tackle the problem. Others took on that fight after he left office, but now there is finally a law on the books to help consumers, thanks to his early efforts. On the Banking Committee (now called the Financial Services Committee, where I later served as communications director), Kennedy fought for broader disclosures under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act to battle against discriminatory practices in the subprime lending market - an accomplishment recently noted by current Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank.
These were not easy political battles, nor popular in their time. Kennedy fought them anyway. Regardless of what he decides to do with his future, his political legacy should not be so easily dismissed.
Amy Simmons
Middletown, Md. 
