Backs Susan Fowler
Ann Birney
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
ONCE UPON A TIME, not so long ago, this newspaper quoted Peggy Mast as justifying a vote by saying that none of her constituents had contacted her about the other side of the issue. I don’t remember the issue, but I do remember feeling betrayed because I had, indeed, contacted her.
Since then I have had confirmed what I suspected — no matter what facts constituents may offer her, no matter how much she nods and smiles, it appears that her vote will be determined by the right wing Republican machine, the Kansas Republican Assembly, which seems to be her sole source of information. Mast’s contribution to providing health care for Kansans was voting against allowing (not requiring, but allowing) small businesses to buy into the state health insurance plan, EVEN THOUGH IT WOULD HAVE COST TAXPAYERS NOTHING. Mast also did not vote to provide health insurance for young children. She voted against the compromise school finance bill, she voted against extending in-state tuition to veterans and their dependants, and she voted to make it a misdemeanor if a school superintendent accidentally submitted an incorrect school budget report. She voted to cut funds to all Regents universities except the one in her district.
Susan Fowler, on the other hand, is a breath of fresh air. She is an information professional who as 76th District House Representative will know how to efficiently find and sort through a wide range of facts and opinions to make healthy decisions for her constituents, not just for one faction of one party. Susan Fowler will, I am convinced, work to provide affordable healthcare, she will support the education that Kansas needs in order to be competitive, and she will see that jobs are available for our people, no matter what their educational level. I urge you to vote for Susan Fowler on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Ann Birney
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