Former U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe from Maine (moderate Republican and former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd district)

 

4/24/2021

U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe

337 Foreside Road

Falmouth, ME  04105

Dear U.S. Senator Snowe,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history including social justice. In these subjects,  I like to learn the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, and many others.  U.S. Senator Snowe, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work when you served as Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine’s 2nd District and as U.S. Senator from Maine to be very inspiring to me.

When you served as Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine’s 2nd District from 1979-1995, I truly appreciated on how you were a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights, supporting funds for women including minorities businesses to help them compete in the economy, and expressing the need to make civil rights stronger to reduce discrimination. On people with disabilities’ rights I liked on how you joined with some moderate Republicans to work with Democrats to pass The Americans with Disabilities’ Act of 1990 to help protect people with disabilities form being discriminated in public places including education. To help protect the environment, I liked on how you voted in favor of the Clean Air Act of 1990 to reduce air pollution by requiring industries to burn clean fuel along with promote research in biofuel for vehicles. In your role as U.S. Senator from Maine from 1995-2013, I like on how you were a continuous strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights, supporting funds for women including minorities businesses to help them compete in the economy, and expressing the need to make civil rights stronger to reduce discrimination. Also on civil rights, I liked on how you worked with President Obama including Democrats to repeal DADT policy to help protect people with different sexual orientation from being discriminated in the military, support the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help allow filing for equal pay discrimination lawsuit when being discriminated in pay based on gender,  and pass Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act to expand protection for  minorities, gender, people with disabilities, and people with different orientation from a hate crime.  Supporting The American Recovery Act of 2009, a stimulus package to fund job-training programs to help workers including youth develop or improve on job skills , improve public transportation, and helping improve the economy is common sense to help the economy during the recession. Supporting funds for renewable energy resources to help reduce addiction to oil with gas, encouraging businesses including industries to use energy efficient products to reduce high energy cost while reduce pollution, and voting in favor of legislation to help protect lakes including coastal areas and The Great Lakes from pollution. Another thing that I liked about your work in the U.S. Senate was how you supported legislation to expand on funds for stem cell research to help find ways to combat against Parkinson’s diseases or other diseases, express support for immigration reform to help protect immigrants including refugees from oppressive countries, and heavily advocate for the need for campaign finance reform to help reduce dark money from lobbying groups including corporations from corrupting elections.  Also I like on how you are a moderate Republican on supporting civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights to reduce discrimination, expressing the need for environmental protection to reduce pollution, advocate for the need for immigration reform to help protect immigrants including refugees from oppressive countries. 

U.S. Senator Snowe, 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. Also The  American Recovery Act of 2009 that you supported helped me get into get into a job-training program called the B. Side of Arts in 2009. In the B Side of Arts they gave lectures about how business works and job-training skill sessions to help me and other workers learn different job skills. As the result, the American Recovery Act helped improve my work skills. Your role as former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine’s 2nd District and as former U.S. Senator from Maine gives me motivation to continue to learn history including social justice.

I strongly believe that you made a great difference when you served in public service. I’m very proud on how you worked hard to support civil rights, protect the environment, expand on jobs training programs, and many others.  Even though I still struggle with a disability, The ADA of 1990 helped assist me and the American recovery Act helped me develop on work skills. You have inspire me to work hard on my disability, learn about your work, and continue to learn different subjects. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. Please continue to advocate for common sense ideas to help our country during difficult times.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick

Former U.S. Senator Snowe sent me a book.