The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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October 30, 2006

Gutknecht’s voting record has been very disturbing

At first glance, Gil Gutknecht looks like an appealing candidate. He’s well groomed, personable and as with most incumbent members of Congress, very good at speaking eloquently while not saying much at all.

During his several years representing Minnesota’s First Congressional District, he has not rocked the boat. He has done nothing controversial. He hasn’t done much of anything, it appears.

While one might be inclined to leave such an innocuous representative in Congress, thankful that he has largely avoided public scrutiny, there is one very disturbing fact that tells the true story about Gutknecht’s tenure. He has voted with the Bush administration over 80 percent of the time.

The Bush Administration represents the worst in politics. Both individually and collectively they are cynical, arrogant, dishonest and incompetent. They have gotten us in a terrible war upon false pretenses and without an exit strategy.

They have rolled back civil liberties at every opportunity. They have made great strides towards increasing the distance between those few who are very wealthy, and the rest of the population.

They have even rolled-back environmental protection, in the face of compelling evidence that we are on the brink of environmental disaster. A vote for Gutknecht in the upcoming election is nothing more that a vote in favor of the Bush administration. Make no mistake about it. It is time to move in a new direction. It is time to elect Tim Walz as our First District U.S. House representative.

Mark Halverson

Mankato

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