In this election, the choice of United States Senator

In this election, the choice of United States Senator is clear: the incumbent Charles S. Robb. For over 20 years, first as our Governor and then as our Senator, he has given the Commonwealth of Virginia responsible, honest, and above all, fair representation.

Chuck Robb’s record of service begins not with election to political office, but when he volunteered to serve in Vietnam, a conflict that saw many men of his generation, both liberal and conservative, finding ways to avoid military duty.

As Governor he took the tough steps to improve Virginia's schools after years of neglect by previous Republican Administrations. Robb was able to raise spending on education by $1 billion while managing to avoid raising taxes at the same time.

In the Senate, he has often put principle ahead of party; in 1991, Robb supported President Bush's decision to launch the Persian Gulf War when an overwhelming number of Senate Democrats refused to do so. He backed measures, supported by both President Clinton and the Congressional Republican leadership, to balance the Federal Budget that put our financial house in order and created the first government surplus in decades.

"In contrast, Robb's Republican opponent, ex-Govemor George Allen, has spent most of this campaign trashing Democrats, polishing his tarnished record, and tooting his own horn. If truth be told, George Allen was the worst enemy of public education ever to occupy the Governor's office: he was the only Governor in the nation to refuse millions of dollars in Federal aid to education that the tax payers of th'e Old Dominion where entitled to receive. * His introduction of SOL tests in schools has turned classes into nothing more than games of trivial pursuit. Despite Allen's claims, criminals in Virginia are still being paroled. His purported cost saving measures has left VDOT ill prepared to deal with the ever increasing traffic gridlock Virginians face on their highways.

Perhaps the most telling difference between Robb and Allen is the manner in which they approach their jobs. As Governor, Allen boasted of "knocking the teeth down the throats" of his opponents. Chuck Robb has never failed to extend his hand to any fellow citizen, no matter what their political views. George Allen has made it quite clear that he has nothing but contempt for anybody who does not share his particular political philosophy, while Chuck Robb has always treated all Virginians equally.

On Nov. 7, choose the workhorse over show horse; re-elect Senator Chuck Robb.

Fred Schaefer

Sperryville