Letter: Don't blast Herger without the context

I'm tired of folks cherry-picking information to fit their personal bias. Here are some figures for California's top recipients of Health Services/HMO political contributions; Wally Herger is 15th on the list in California.

There are six Republicans, seven Democrats and one third-party member in our state alone who've received more than Herger from these contributors. Why aren't we attacking the character of these individuals? Mr. Herger received $52,500 from these sources, while Democrats Henry Waxman and Pete Stark received $144,300 and $164,270, respectively, from the same entities. Barbara Boxer received a $73,615 "bribe."

On a national level, Democrats have far outstripped Republicans in contributions from Health Services/HMOs, and there are scores of Democrats who've received substantially more than Wally Herger. Are those considered bribes too? Look at the entire list of recipients and it'll put things in proper context, and context, as we know, is everything.

Fred Stafford
Yuba City