Today is the 5th anniversary of the death of Senator Paul Wellstone, his great wife and partner, Sheila, and their daughter, Marcia in a tragic plane crash as he ran for re-election in 2002.
I wonder what he would make of the current situation in Washington and his colleagues equivocations concerning children's health care (I recall when he said "The welfare rolls may have been cut in half, but not poverty. I don't quite understand how the White House, or any Democrat or Republican, can proclaim this policy a success when we have done so little to actually reduce poverty in our country, especially the shameful poverty of women and children. Rather than all this boosterism, let's have an honest policy evaluation to find out what is really happening to poor families.") .
Glenn Hurowitz and Daily Kos have columns about his legacy that are well worth reading about the popular, progressive Senator from Minnesota.
Fortunately, his legacy lives on through the Wellstone Action. Many people I respect in Iowa City have gone through their training camps and are now walking his walk.
No comments:
Post a Comment