Letter: Sarvi shows he will listen to us

To the Editor:

With due respect to Robert Loewen (R-E, May 23), I believe this election is too critical to stay the course with John Kline.

Steve Sarvi, the endorsed DFL candidate, brings an enhanced vision for the people of the 2nd District. From the moment he returned from deployment Iraq, he has made it his mission to meet the people of our district. He has a story to tell of his experience, the toll on our soldiers, Iraq’s innocent citizens, our economy and our standing in the world. Moreover, he has held over 30 town hall meetings to understand the needs, hopes and solutions for those whom he would represent, the elderly, underinsured, veterans and sports enthusiasts.

Kline, who has held one town hall meeting in the last year, has repeatedly refused to meet with constituents whose opinions differ from his, and when he has, has been less than respectful of their right to be heard.

Sarvi has shown that he will respectfully dialogue with all his constituents in hope of finding common ground to build solutions.

Loewen is correct, Kline has voted with the Bush administration 93 percent of the time. As a Bush rubberstamp, he has supported policies that have led to increased oil prices a disastrous war, doubling of the national debt and the mortgage crisis. He has gotten a zero percent rating from the Disabled American Veterans, receives massive donations from oil companies and has voted against repealing their taxpayer funded subsidies even when they are now collecting record profits.

Yes, Kline has continued to stand with the president on the issue of the Iraq war. Kline has refused to ask tough questions of this administration. What are the benchmarks to know when we are “winning” and how will we know when we have “won”?

A veteran of Iraq and Kosovo, a city administrator and a three-time mayor, Sarvi has dedicated his life to serving his community and country and will work diligently to represent all of the voices of congressional District 2. For information about Sarvi, contact him at http://www.stevesarvi.org.

Colleen Clark, Red Wing

Tags: opinion, savi, clark