by Kirsten Polley
Being that this is my first presidential election that I am able to vote in, I am pretty excited. I am also excited to be able to vote for Tammy Baldwin for US Senate.
Growing up in the Madison area, I had the privilege to have Tammy Baldwin as my State Representative. I got to see how people rallied around her and believed in what she stood for. So when I was offered an opportunity to intern for her campaign this last semester, I jumped on it.
I am a Political Science / International Studies double-major and the Vice-Chair of the College Democrats at UWM; so this fit perfectly into my interests. I was also excited because I truly believe in what Tammy Baldwin stands for and can’t wait to see her be the first openly gay person to serve in the Senate, as well as be the first woman to represent Wisconsin in the US Senate.
I am voting for Tammy Baldwin not just because of my political preferences but because of her record. She fights for the common citizen. She is really focused on getting the Buffett Rule passed, which would make tax rates more equal between the super-rich and the common worker.
She also has a record of voting for education. She is working to help prevent Wisconsin’s student loan rates from doubling, an issue that directly affects me. She has voted to give more support to teachers. Teachers are the gateway to education, so without supporting them how can we support out students? Tammy also voted yes to giving more money to make schools greener.
This is also related to her record on the environment. Tammy voted for the Cash for Clunkers program which helped to take old inefficient cars off the road. She has voted for environmental education grants for outdoor experiences, something that I think is an especially important issue for school districts like MPS. Without funding for programs like this, many children growing up in cities wouldn’t get the chance to experience the beauty of the outdoors. Tammy has twice voted in favor of Amtrak, giving access to trains which leads to less auto pollution. She voted no on speeding up approval of forest thinning projects, protecting the forests for future generations to come. Tammy Baldwin also cosponsored the Inter-state Compact for Great Lakes Water Resources. Living in Milwaukee this is particularly important to me. This compact helps to regulate, conserve, regulate activities and protect the Great Lakes.
I personally believe that Tammy Baldwin is the right choice for Wisconsin.
Vote November 6th.