Excerpted with the permission of the Olathe Daily News By the Editorial Board 3-3-01

The Issue: Crossing party lines to make America better.

Our opinion: Dennis Moore does that.

Many people say 3rd District Congressman Dennis Moore is a Democrat who sounds more like a Republican.

But when it comes to critical issues, such as public education, Moore doesn't mind that kind of constituent critique. In his eyes, that means he's doing his job to bring about nonpartisan decisions in the best educational interests of the nation's youth.

Nothing was more clear than that Friday morning when Moore, D-Overland Park, brought his message to a group of nearly 50 people at the main offices of the Olathe District Schools. Moore is eager to work with Republicans sitting across the aisle from him in Washington as well as the president, George W. Bush, to bring about funding for quality public education in the country.

His message to President Bush during a recent meeting was simple: Don't cut taxes so much that it is going to hurt education and help find a way for the federal government to make good on its promise to fully fund special education mandated programs.

It's sound advice no matter if it's coming from a Republican or a Democrat. Public education is key to the future success of this nation. To shun funding responsibilities as a result of partisan politics is political nonsense. Crossing the partisan aisle is like building a bridge: It has to be done one beam at a time for it to be solid.

Moore, now in his second term, is committed to building nonpartisan bridges. He understands that Americans are tired of political fighting as a result of partisan politics. Americans realize that the good of the country and its people are lost in the echoes of party foes.

During his time in Washington, Moore has worked hard in representing the people of the 3rd District. He was the only person to talk with Olathe officials about the installation of spur tracks along Southgate. He has responded to concerns about the Environmental Protection Agency's slowness to clean up the Chemical Commodities Inc. site. Moore has worked hard to bring support to local school districts.

And he does it, not because he's a Democrat or not because he wants to sound like a Republican. He does it for one reason -- he cares.