August 11, 2008 05:56 PM UTC

I Would Appreciate Your Vote on Tuesday

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• by: ShafrothForCongress

(A very nice letter from Will – promoted by DavidThi808)

Thank you Colorado Pols for giving all the candidates this opportunity.

Nearly 500 days ago, I was the first candidate to announce that I was seeking to fill the 2nd Congressional seat that Mark Udall was vacating to run for Senate. When people asked me back then why I was running for office, I gave them this answer:  Because  I want to leave our nation and world in as good or better shape for our children and their children than how we found it.   And that it didn’t seem fair that we were leaving such huge challenges – the War in Iraq, a broken health care system, a mounting debt, and the declining health of our planet —   for the next generation that had nothing to do with creating them.   And, the politics of partisanship and special interests was not going to get the job done to leave the world a better place for our children.

Now, with the election on Tuesday, my answer hasn’t changed a bit. Politics as usual has failed to solve our nation’s toughest problems. As I walk door to door in across the district, people tell me they are tired of the partisanship and politicians bickering with each other instead of doing what they were elected to do-work together for the good of our nation.

I have spent 28 years bringing people together from diverse interests — environmentalists, hunters, farmers, ranchers, local government officials, and the business community – to get things done.  I’ve never had the luxury of being partisan in my work.  I’ve been held accountable for the results I achieve.  That work has resulted in more than 325,000 acres of land preserved throughout our state.

In short, what I offer voters of the Second Congressional District is a choice. If people want a genuinely different kind of representative in Congress-one that puts fighting our nation’s challenges above partisan bickering-I have the skill to bring this badly needed approach to Washington.  I have run my campaign consistent with that approach.  I have stayed away from the mudslinging that has gone on in this race and focused on giving people a reason to vote for me and not against someone else.

On the important issues of the day-ending the war in Iraq, global warming, health care, education and the economy-I offer detailed plans which can be found on my website http://www.ShafrothForCongress…

David asked: “What specific thing will be different 2 years from now if you are elected.”  

I am realistic about the influence of a freshman in Congress. I, nor any of my opponents, can single handedly fix any of the major problems our nation faces. What I can do, on the other hand, is use my experience in energy and conservation to move forward legislation in those areas. I would seek assignments on the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committee on Science and Technology and the Committee on Energy & Commerce. These committees are, in my opinion, the best way for me to be a true champion for the environment in Congress and continue the legacy of Mark Udall, Tim Wirth, and David Skaggs.   For the past 34 years, the representative from the 2nd CD in Colorado has been not just a great environmental advocate for the state of Colorado, but for the whole nation.  I will continue that fine legacy of leadership for our children and their children.

That said, I will work tirelessly on my entire platform outlined on my website. Whether laws are actually enacted depends greatly on who we elect as our next President. If, as I hope, Senator Obama is President in 2009-I believe we could have many significant changes in two years if I am elected. First of all, my health care plan is similar to Senator Obama’s plan and has a real chance of being implemented before 2010. I also believe that we can pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation that will drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. My comprehensive plan calls for greater reductions sooner than my opponents. Finally, similar to Senator Obama, I support a safe, expedited withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. I have great hope that our major involvement in Iraq will be over before the end of my first term.

This election, in my view, is about what kind of people we want to send to Congress. Typical politicians who constantly bicker and fight, or a political outsider with a fresh perspective. I am the latter, and I hope you will vote for me on August 12th.

Will