To the editor:

The mask is off. U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-2nd District) has revealed his true character — or lack of — by voting to continue giving taxpayer money to that notorious, infamous, sleazy and crooked group known as ACORN.

On Sept. 19, as a direct result of several recent scandals, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on whether to continue giving taxpayer money to ACORN. A whopping majority of the Democrats in the House of Representatives voted with Republicans to do the right thing — cut off ACORN’s free money.

But not Mr. Larsen. He voted to continue throwing good, hard-earned taxpayer money after bad.

I guess Mr. Larsen’s heart just wasn’t in it. His excuse? The U.S. Congress has more important things to do “that frankly deserve more attention from a member of Congress.”

Say that again? What could be more important than stopping an organization that advocates tax evasion and enables child prostitution? If this vote wasn’t important, why did he bother to vote at all?

Taking the least offensive issue first — tax evasion — how can ACORN justify advising potential business owners to hide their profits to avoid paying their share of B&O and income tax? Remember, ACORN itself receives a large amount of its operating capital from the very same tax system it seeks to cheat. They take tax money from you, but tell others to lie, cheat and steal and not pay their fair share of that pesky old tax thingy.

ACORN was caught bare-faced advising how to profit from child prostitution without being caught. They spelled out how to deceive the authorities on harboring the children after they’d been virtually kidnapped, transported across international and state borders for immoral purposes.

Mr. Larsen has given us an inside look at his character and, frankly, I don’t like it. As my 13-year-old granddaughter would say, “That’s pretty lame, Mr. Larsen.”

Let’s see what kind of family value issues he runs on for re-election in 2010.

Mary Jane Aurdal-Olson

Clinton