U.S. Sen. Mark Udall has been very busy in Washington. Heading up a task force on earmark reform, he has promoted “pay as you go” and the line-item veto. He fought to lower student-loan rates. A senior member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, a longtime advocate for reducing carbon emissions and addressing climate change, he agrees with the National Climate Assessment “that the evidence of human-induced climate change continues to strengthen ... summers are longer and hotter ... unusual heat lasts longer ... winters are generally shorter and warmer ... rain comes in heavier downpours.”
Udall encourages homeowners living in the wildland-urban interface to follow mitigation guidelines because drought, unhealthy forests and climate change enhance the possibility of wildland fires to turn into catastrophic mega-fires. He and Sen. Michael Bennet were physically there to help the Colorado flood victims last fall.
Co-sponsoring the Paycheck Fairness Act, leveling salaries in the workplace and empowering women led Udall to found the Women’s Policy Network – ensuring Washington is aware of the need for equal pay for equal work – and to secure federal resources for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in Colorado.
The Affordable Care Act, which he supports, gives women quality, affordable health coverage, makes it illegal to charge women more because they are female, to deny coverage because of pregnancy, remission from breast cancer, being a domestic violence survivor or any other pre-existing conditions.
Udall does not support personhood starting at conception (as U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner does). He supports health care that allows free preventive care and birth-control measures, while Gardner backs measures that would ban common forms of birth control. Gardner supports the federal bill defining life at conception (giving a fertilized egg the same constitutional rights as an adult), outlaws all abortions and bans common forms of birth control. This restricts women’s rights and their access to health services. Udall completely disagrees with this.
Keep Udall as our U.S. senator. He supports women, children and men.
Cherry Miloe
Bayfield
