Former U.S. Senator John Danforth from Missouri

9/11/2017

U.S. Senator John Danforth

Partner

c/o Dowd Bennett LLP

7733 Forsyth Blvd. Suite 1900

St. Louis, MO  63105

Dear U.S. Senator Danforth,

My name is Matthew Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan with a strong interest in learning history, social justice, and public policy. In these subjects, I like to learn the need to make Civil Rights stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, and many others. U.S. Senator Danforth, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work as U.S. Senator from Missouri and your work in public service to be very inspiring to me.

When you served as U.S. Senator from Missouri from 1976-1995, I was very proud on how you were a moderate Republican on supporting Civil Rights, protecting the environment from pollution, and pushing for immigration reform.  On Civil Rights, I really liked on how you joined moderate Republicans to work with Democrats to support the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to help protect people with disabilities from being discriminated in education including public places, teamed up with Democratic U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy from Massachusetts on pushing to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1991 to help expand laws to help protect minorities, women, and people with disabilities form being discriminated in employment services, and advocating for the need to reduce racial profiling in law enforcement resources to help protect minorities.   To protect the environment, I liked on how you supported the Clean Air Act of 1990 to help reduce air pollution by requiring industries to burn clean fuel along with promote research in biofuel for vehicles, supported funds for renewable energy resources to help reduce addiction to oil with gas,  and pushed for funds to help protect public lands, water resources including national parks from being polluted.  Another thing that I liked about your work in the U.S. Senate was on how you were a strong supporter of the need for campaign finance reform including ethics reform to help reduce money from corporations including lobbying groups in elections including a ban on gifts from lobbyist.   Also when you served as 24^th U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. from 2004-2005, I really liked on how you were an advocate for the need for protection for refugees who are escaping from oppressive countries, support the need to strengthen human rights including people with disabilities’ rights, and work really hard to try to bring peace to Sudan.

U.S. Senator Danforth, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advance subjects, sometimes I have trouble communicating my thoughts, and get teased.  The ADA of 1990 that you supported helped benefited me getting some education and to be protected from being discriminated.   In education, the ADA of 1990 helped give me accommodations like extra time on exams, have a tutor or a T.A. help me work on different assignments,  use a recorder or education software to help assist on improving my comprehension, and special education resources helping me set up accommodations in elementary school through my community college.  In May 2014, I was able to get an associates degree at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan.my main focus in Associates Degree is history, government, some business, some science, and criminal justice.  Also your strong commitment to be a strong supporter of Civil Rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspire me to work hard on my disability.   Your role as a U.S. Senator and your service in public service motivates me to continue my strong interest in learning history.  My future goal is to someday work in history to help emphasize the need to make Civil Rights stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment, and have ethics reform with campaign finance reform to reduce corruption.

I strongly believe that you made a great difference when you served in public service. I’m very proud on how you were a moderate Republican on supporting Civil Rights and protecting the environment who stood up to your own party when they got too extreme   The ADA of 1990 that you supported really made a great difference where it helped benefited me in getting some education and helped protect me from being discriminated based on a disability. You have really inspired me to work hard on my disability and continue to be motivated to learn history. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, making great achievements in public service when your party got too extreme, and inspiring me. Please continue to advocate for common sense ideas

Sincerely,

Matthew B. Winick