Honorable Dick Thornburgh from Pennsylvania

4/12/2019

Honorable Dick Thornburgh

c/o Dick Thronburgh Forum for Law and Public Policy

University of Pittsburgh

Hillman Library

3960 Forbes Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA  15260

Dear Honorable Thornburgh,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history including social justice.  In these subjects, I like to learn the need to make Civil Rights stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, and many others. Honorable Thornburgh, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work when you served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, as 41^st Governor of Pennsylvania, as 76^th U.S. Attorney General, and as a moderate Republican to be very inspiring to me.

When you served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 1969-1975,  I liked on how you worked to prosecute public officials who were corrupt or accepted illegal bribes, worked with law enforcement to go after organized crime to help reduce violent offenders, and went after industries including steel industries that polluted the rivers to help protect the environment while improve public health.  When you served as 41^st Governor of Pennsylvania from 1979-1987, I liked on how you were a strong supporter of Civil Rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights,  funding women including minorities businesses to help them compete in the economy, and expanding laws to combat against hate-crime to help protect minorities including people who are different.  Also on the environment, I liked on how you supported funds to help clean parks including water resources to make them safe for people use and expanded environmental education awareness to help educate youth including people to learn about the benefit of the environment, and worked with emergency response team to support cleanup efforts when there was a Three Mile Island nuclear power plant meltdown to help reduce contaminated waste.  Funding special education to help students with disabilities get accommodations they need to learn and established the Governor’s Schools, a summer programs to help talented or gifted high school students to help develop them into an interest field is common sense or education reform.  When you served as 76^th U.S. Attorney General from 1988-1991, I liked on how you worked with President George H.W. Bush to help expand Civil Rights legislation to continue to help protect minorities, women, and people with disabilities from being discriminated in education including public places.  Also in you role as U.S. Attorney General I was very grateful on how you worked with George H.W. Bush, his administration, and Democrats including moderate Republicans in congress to push for the American With Disabilities’ Act  of 1990 to help protect people with disabilities from being discriminated in education including public places along with provide accommodations to help assist them.  After you left public service, I liked on how you continue to use your role as a moderate Republican to help support Civil Rights to reduce discrimination, express the need for environmental protection to reduce pollution, support the idea of immigration reform to help protect immigrants including refugees from being oppressed, and heavily continue to advocate for people with disabilities’ rights.      

Honorable Thornburgh, 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.  When I was young I would have teaching time where a speech therapist would work with me on developing speech including patterns of speech. Your commitment to support  Civil Rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability.  The American With Disabilities’ Act of 1990 helped benefit me to get an education including be protected from being discriminated based on a disability.  In education the ADA of 1990 helped me get accommodations in elementary school through Washtenaw Community College like extra time on exams, have a T.A. or a tutor work with me on learning different subjects, use educational software including a recorder to help assist me on improving comprehension along with note-taking.  As a result the ADA of 1990 helped me get an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts in May 2014. My main focus in the associates degree is history, government, some businesses, some science, and criminal justice reform.  Also your role in public service and as a moderate Republican gives me motivation to continue to learn history including social justice. My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need to make Civil Rights stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, and many others.     

I strongly believe that you made a great difference in public service. I’m very proud on how you worked hard to support Civil Rights, protect the environment, and use common sense ideas to help our society.  Also I truly appreciate on how you use your role as a moderate Republican to support Civil Rights including people with disabilities’ rights, environmental protection, and many others when the GOP gets too extreme.  I’m grateful of your support of the ADA of 1990 which helped make a great difference for me.  You have truly inspire me to work hard on my disability and to continue to learn history including social justice.  Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, making a great impact for society, and inspiring me. I wish you the best to continue to advocate for common sense ideas.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick