With no real world experience, Upton is truly a career politician.

Let's take a look at John Proos. John earned a bachelor of political science in 1992 from Marquette University, and in 1994 he earned a master's degree in higher education administration from Michigan State. Between his graduation in 1994 and his election in 2004, John worked for Fred Upton in two capacities.

This illustrates that, like Upton, Proos has gained negligible experience in the real world of the private sector, and none in his chosen profession of higher education.

After working under Upton's tutelage, Upton helped Proos into the state representative seat, where he has been since 2004. Upton is reputed to already be giving Proos the glad-hand introductions around Washington, D.C., as Proos seeks to be our state senator. You don't suppose the 57-year-old Upton is greasing the skids for his chosen successor, do you?

Let's keep tracing the path. After helping Proos into the House seat, Upton brought Al Pscholka into the fold to work in his St. Joseph office. In his literature, Pscholka touts a bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University (though he does not divulge the discipline). His real life experience includes a stint as a reporter for a local radio station. Following that job, Pscholka jumped into a public sector position at Cornerstone Alliance, which he held for nine years prior to his current six-year public sector job working in Upton's office. Like Upton and Proos, Pscholka has had minimal real world experience in the private sector. With Proos being term-limited, Upton is satisfied that Pscholka has been sufficiently schooled under him and is now helping Pscholka take his turn as state representative.

The pattern should now be familiar. Upton, Proos, Pscholka - all on the same team, all cut from the same cloth.

How do you like Michigan so far? Do you really want more of the same? Should we continue to allow things to keep going as they have been, or is it finally time for some new blood? Our state cannot withstand any more wishy-washy politicians.

It is high time we had some real conservative representation here in Southwest Michigan!

Jack Hoogendyk for U.S. Congress, Todd Griffee for state Senate and Paul Peterson for state representative. The right conservative representation at the right time. Check out the candidates and see what you can do to help them fix Michigan.

Chad Shimunek
St. Joseph

Thanks for reading and passing along!
Original story here: http://www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2010/05/26/opinion/letters/1442541.txt