Ryan Masse's column last week on U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl was a mixture of both fact and fiction. Mr. Masse was correct when stating that Sen. Kohl refuses contributions from lobbyists; his integrity and complete independence from special interests allow him to judge every issue on the merits while the rest of Washington is engulfed in scandal. I am also glad that the column recognized his charitable contributions to the University of Wisconsin. In addition to the Kohl Center, many UW students are able to attend college thanks to the Kohl Scholarship Program. In fact, countless charities across the state have benefited from his generous largesse. Yet the description of his work in the U.S. Senate was uninformed and downright misleading. Sen. Kohl is a reserved, humble man who chooses not to grandstand or seek the limelight. This should not be confused with inaction or ineffectiveness. Among his several accomplishments, Sen. Kohl has secured funds to provide health care for family farms and small businesses, increased the investment in Wisconsin schools and law enforcement, and strongly supported programs that help businesses develop new technologies and improve productivity. He is Wisconsin's foremost leader from either party on issues that impact the state's rural and agricultural communities, and he stood up to the big drug companies on the flawed Medicare bill. Of particular interest to students, Sen. Kohl cosponsored legislation to make college tuition tax deductible.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Sen. Kohl may not be the loudest senator, but he certainly isn't silent on the issues. Readers of The Badger Herald deserve a fair and full accounting of the many tremendous achievements Sen. Herb Kohl has made for Wisconsin. He truly is nobody's senator but ours.

Adam Petras

College Democrats of Madison