When I was a little boy, I believed in the Easter Bunny and
Santa Claus. As I grew older, I abandoned my belief in those
comforting myths. This year, at the "advanced" age of 39, I
have jettisoned another soothing fable: that Arizona
Congressman Jim Kolbe is a moderate within the increasingly
right-wing Republican Party.
Kolbe has consistently voted for voucher programs for
private and religious schools and has also voted against
funding to decrease class sizes and modernize school
buildings. He also has an inconsistent record of support for
funding for Head Start. No wonder that most pro-public
education organizations do not endorse Kolbe's re-election.
In the environmental arena, Kolbe's record is even worse.
He has voted to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge while also voting to slash the budget of the
Environmental Protection Agency. Other votes include
refusing to call for an increase in the 20-year-old
fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks and opposing a
measure that would have reduced the levels of arsenic in
drinking water. Kolbe also voted for increased tax
breaks for oil and gas producers while also opposing increased
funding for the development of renewable energy resources. No
surprise that he receives a favorable rating of 14 percent
from the League of Conservation
Voters.
[Excerpt - Arizona
Star]
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