Vote Nov. 2 for Roxanne Conlin
In a state as dependent on and connected to the land as Iowa, you would think that our representatives would have a personal investment in environmental preservation and alternative energy development.
Unfortunately, we got Sen. Chuck Grassley instead. As a senator, Grassley has a 0 percent approval rating with the League of Conservation Voters, a national organization that supports environmentalism in Washington. And, if it's possible, 0 percent seems generous.
Representing our state, Grassley has voted against increasing corporate fuel-efficiency standards, against funding for the Cash for Clunkers program, against limits on greenhouse gases such as regulating emissions from coal and oil power plants, and against an amendment to cut funding and benefits for road building and timber companies in national forests.
Fortunately, there is hope come November. Grassley's opponent, Roxanne Conlin has a newer and more renewable idea. Conlin wants to eliminate $36.5 billion in subsidies for oil companies (subsidies repeatedly supported by Grassley), and use that money to fund clean energy initiatives instead. She supports rapid completion of the smart grid, allowing alternative energy to be transported from producer to consumer more efficiently.
Conlin sees a future in local and environmentally responsible alternatives to foreign oil.
And since I'm 16 and I won't be able to vote on Nov. 2, I'm counting on you to turn out and vote for leaders such Roxanne Conlin who believe in a world worth investing in for the next generation, starting in our very own state.
Source: Press-Citizen
