Governor Mike Beebe of Arkansas

12/1/2014

Governor Mike Beebe

State Capitol

500 Woodlane Street

Suite 250

Little Rock, AR 72201

Dear Governor Beebe,

My name is Matthew Winick and I have a strong interest in studying history, political science, the criminal justice, some business, and many others. Governor Beebe I find your work as Governor of Arkansas to be very interesting.   Your ideas with achievements for example helping children with special needs like programs to help end hunger, help students with disabilities get an education, assist children who are in poverty, and improve health care coverage for them really makes a difference and your work really inspires me.  Governor Beebe, I have Autism with a learning disability and I am proud to have you advocating to have programs to help people with disabilities get the care they need.  Having a disability is hard because I have trouble comprehending on learning new subjects and get teased by other people. I have benefited well from government programs like The Americans With Disability Act (ADA) because it helped me get an education without being discriminated by having accommodations to help me learn like having a T.A. or a tutor work with me on subjects, have extra time on exams with homework, special education programs helped me get the help I need with getting accommodations, and use a recorder to record lectures to help improve my note taking. Also the ADA helped me get protected under Civil Rights. Even though I benefited well from government programs, I still find that it is hard to continue working to overcome my disability. However, people like you, Governor Jack Markell, Lincoln Chafee, Dannel Malloy, Jay Inslee, Martin O’Malley, Steve Bullock, and Peter Shumlin are making a difference to help people with needs and assist people who need help being protected from discrimination.  Your advocating to helping people with disabilities with these governors really help me feel confident because you and many of them are working to make a future, our country, and history a better place.  

Besides your work to help people with disabilities your work as Governor of Arkansas really amazed me.  For example reducing your state grocery tax to help balance the budget with helping protect the middle class from a regressive tax on groceries, working on education reform like helping children with special needs by using programs, having alternative pay for teachers with more programs to get teachers to help educate people in rural areas where they struggle to learn, and having mentoring programs to help people be motivated in getting an education. Your education reform idea is a common sense idea and makes a great example of what we need today. Even though it might be expensive however I like your ideas with belief that education is important for the future and to help people get the education with care they need.  From a person with a disability with my history perspective I strongly believe that you are making a great difference with your advocating and your ideas for education reform. Someday I thinking about running for Governor for Michigan and I was wondering if you have any advice for me about Governor’s roles or how they should do policy work. I want to wish you well on continuing your role as Governor of Arkansas. When you retire I want you to continue advocating to help people with special needs including people with disabilities and education reform.

Sincerely,

Matthew B. Winick