Honorable Connie Morella of Maryland, USA

3/21/2018

Honorable Connie Morella

Ambassador in Residence Department of government

c/o American University

4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C.  20016

Dear Honorable Morella,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan with a strong interest in learning history and social justice. In these subjects, I like to learn the need for Civil Rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, and many others. Honorable Morella, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work as a moderate Republican when you served in Congress, as U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to be very inspiring to me.

When you served in Congress as member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland’s 8^th District from 1987-2003, I liked on how you were a moderate Republican who supported advancing Civil Rights, protect the environment from pollution, and supported women’s rights from being weakened. On Civil Rights, I really appreciated on how you were a strong advocate for people with disabilities’ rights, support Civil Rights Act of 1990 to help protect minorities including women along with people with disabilities form being discriminated in employment services with public places, and worked to push for Equal Rights Amendment to help protect women from being discriminated based on gender even though it didn’t get passed in congress. Another thing that I liked about your work on Civil Rights was how you joined with moderate Republicans and Democrats including President George H.W. Bush  to pass The American with Disabilities’ Act of 1990 which is to help protect people with disabilities’ from being discriminated in education with public places based on a disability.  Voting in favor of The Clean Air Act of 1990 to help reduce air pollution by requiring industries to burn clean fuel, supporting funds for renewable energy resources to reduce addiction to oil with gas, and pushing for funds to help protect wetlands including public lands from being polluted by toxic chemicals is common sense to protect the environment.   Another thing that I liked about your work in Congress was how you supported the need for immigration reform to help protect immigrants including illegal immigrants or refugees from oppressive countries, improve immigration visas to help immigrant families come to America to work for our country, and support campaign finance reform to reduce money from corporations in campaigns to reduce corruption.  In 2003, I liked on how you accepted President George W. Bush to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to help improve our relations between different foreign countries. In your role as U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development from 2003-2007, I liked on how you worked with other foreign countries to find ways to help reduce poverty by providing aid to countries to provide food with water to people who struggled with nutrition, advocate for the need to improve human rights in order to help protect people who are different from oppression, and many others.   After you left public service, I like on how you are a continuous supporter of Civil Rights, advocate for better protection for women’s rights,  and have the courage to  endorse Hilary Clinton during the 2016 Presidential election due to your own part getting too extreme.  

Honorable Morella, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advance subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased. Your support for the ADA of 1990 helped benefit me to get an education in elementary school, middle school, high school, and even a community college (Washtenaw Community College). The ADA of 1990 help provided accommodations like extra time on exams, have a T.A. or a tutor work with me on different subjects, have special education resources help set up accommodation to help me, and use educational software including a recorder to help improve comprehension with note-taking. Also it helped protect me from being discriminated in public places based on a disability. Even though I still struggle with a disability, your continuous commitment to be a strong supporter  of Civil Rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability. Also your role in Congress and in the  U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development motivates me to continue to learn history and social justice.

I strongly believe that you made a great difference in public service. I’m very proud on how you had the courage to be a moderate Republican on supporting Civil Rights, protecting the environment,  push for women’s rights, and express the need for immigration reform.  The ADA of 1990 bill that you supported helped benefited me to get some education and to be protected from being discriminated based on a disability.  You have truly inspired me to work hard on my disability and to continue to learn history.  Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, having the courage to support common sense ideas, and inspiring me.  I wish you the best to continue to advocate for these common sense ideas when your country is having a hard time.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick

Program of the dedication of Honorable Connie Morella for the Connie Morella Library