Former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer from California

6/25/2020

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer

136 Yale Drive

Rancho Mirage, CA  92270

Dear U.S. Senator Boxer,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan with a strong interest in learning history including public policy. In these main subjects, I like to learn the need to make Civil Rights stronger in order to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, have government reform to reduce corruption, and many others.  U.S. Senator Boxer, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work as U.S. House of Representative from California’s 6^th district and as U.S. Senator from California to be very inspiring to me.

When you served in the U.S. House of Representative from California’s 6^th district from 1982-1993, I really appreciated on how you worked with Democrats including moderate Republicans to support along with pass the ADA of 1990 to help protect people with disabilities from being discriminated in public places, education, and jobs.  Also when you served in the U.S. House, I was very proud on how you supported The Clean Air Act of 1990 to require companies to burn cleaning fuel including expand funds on renewable energy projects to reduce pollution.  In the U.S. Senate in your role as U.S. Senator from California from 1993-2017, I was very proud on how you continue to be a strong supporter of improving Civil Rights by co-sponsor the Matthew Shepard Act to expand on federal definition of hate-crime to include crimes based on sexual orientation including minorities and people with disabilities, continue to advocate for people with disabilities’ rights, repeal DADT policy to help protect military officials with different sexual orientation from being discriminated in the military, support funding women including minorities businesses to help them compete in the economy,  and strongly supporting the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women filing for equal pay discrimination lawsuit when they are discriminated in pay.  To improve the economy, I liked your bipartisanship approach on working with Republican Senator John Ensign from Nevada to create Invest in the USA Act to encourage American companies to bring overseas profits back to the U.S. in order to create jobs and support the American Recovery Act of 2009, a stimulus package to create job-training programs along with invest in helping small businesses. Working the moderate Republican Jim Jeffords from Vermont on Clean Power Act to reduce emissions of the pollutants (sulfur dioxide and mercury) coming from power plants, supporting funds for research in renewable energy sources to reduce addiction to oil with gas, working with other U.S. Senators to help provide funds to protect including clean the Great Lakes from being polluted, and continuing to advocate for environmental protection is common sense to protect the environment from pollution.  Another thing that I like about work as U.S. Senator from California is how you are very committed on government reform like supporting Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act to reduce dark money along with limit contributions from special interest groups on political campaigns, expressing the need for disclosure rules to help show the public to know who their legislator is meeting with or getting money from, pushing for a ban on gift to congressional members or staff members from lobbying groups, and advocating for the need to overturn citizen’s united decision to continue to reduce corruption in elections including government from corporations including lobbying groups .         

U.S. Senator Boxer, I have Autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased. Another thing that I struggle is when people get judgmental about me being different based on a disability.  Your commitment to be a strong supporter of Civil Rights and your support for people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability. The ADA of 1990 that you supported helped benefit me to get an education from elementary school through my community college and it helped protected me from being discriminated based on a disability. In education, the ADA of 1990 helped give me accommodations like extra-time on exams, have a T.A. or a tutor help me work on different assignments, use educational software resources including a recorder to help assist me on comprehension along with improve on note-taking, and have special education services help set up accommodations.  It also helped me get an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts in May 2014 from Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan. My main focus in Liberal Arts is history, government, some science, criminal justice, and some businesses.  The American Recovery Act of 2009 helped me get into a job-training program called the B. Side of Arts at EMU college of Business in Michigan. At the job training program they had lecture explaining how businesses works including classes to help me along with other people to develop job-skills and even got paid. As a result, the American Recovery Act helped me develop job-skills to help me prepare for the workforce. Your work as U.S. House of Representative California’s 6^th district and as U.S. Senator from California motivates me to continue to be interested in learning history including the need for government reform.

I strongly believe that you made a great difference in serving in public office.  I’m  very proud on how you had the courage to improve Civil Rights, protect the environment, work hard to fix the economy, and push for government reform.  The ADA of 1990 and the American Recovery Act helped benefit me.  You have inspired me to work hard on my disability and to be interested in learning history with government reform. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, making a great impact on society, and inspiring me. I wish you well for the future and to continue to advocate for common sense ideas to help our country when it faces tough times.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick