I have written to Rep. Ron Kind on many occasions and basically was ignored or sent responses that did not address any of the issues I asked about.

I asked that he sponsor legislation to:

1) Amend the Constitution to abolish the law of the soil clause of the 14th Amendment, which allows natural born citizenship to children born on American soil (i.e., illegal immigrants). It is reported that 70 percent of all births in Dallas’ Parkland Hospital are to illegal immigrants. And the medical expenses are paid for by the American taxpayer, while we of course have to pay for our expenses.

Reply from Kind: none.

2) Limit terms of Congressmen to one term of 10 years. Reply: none.

3) Abolish the capital gains tax. Reply: none.

4) Abolish the U.S. Department of Education. Reply: Thank you for contacting me about education issues (huh?) ... NCLB was underfunded by the Republicans. . . . I will work hard to ensure that NCLB is fully funded (what?).

He also referenced the College Cost and Reduction Act (H.R. 2669) — what does this have to do with abolishing the Department of Education? He never addressed the issue of abolishing the Department of Education.

I sent the same e-mail to Sen. Herb Kohl. All he could talk about was how hard he would work to properly fund NCLB.

I sent the same e-mail to Rep. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, and Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, and both answered me and gave me a straight answer. Coburn, a Republican, agreed, and McCaskill, a Democrat, disagreed.

That’s our Ron.

“At first, new congressmen seem to be OK, but once they get the scent of Washington in their nostrils they turn out like all the rest,” humorist Will Rogers observed back in 1930.

Ron is now like all the rest.