Duane Peterson / True Majority – 2005-02-18 23:59:53
http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/edit/index.php?op=edit&itemid=2398
Tell Congress to Stand Up for What’s Right
Beneath the incomprehensible federal budget numbers — a $2.57 trillion budget, a $427 billion deficit, $419 billion in military spending — the federal budget is a moment of truth. It’s the checkbook of our country. And it, like the spending plan of a family or business, should reflect the stuff we care about. But Bush’s proposed budget is out of step with Americans’ true priorities.
To bankroll more tax cuts for millionaires and a sell-off of Social Security to Wall Street, President Bush suggested record cuts to essential services that provide real benefits to the American people. The silver lining is that what the president proposes, Congress disposes. None of Bush’s cuts will happen if Congress rejects his budget.
This is where we come in. Congress needs to hear loud and clear from the American people: The Bush budget should be dead on arrival.
To send a free message to your senators and representatives, just click “reply” and “send.” If this mail was forwarded to you and you aren’t yet a member of TrueMajority, click here to send your message.
Ten Bush Budget Blunders
Below are ten misguided Bush budget decisions that particularly offend American values and squander our country’s future. Tell Congress to reject Bush’s indecent budget proposal. Tell your representatives that you don’t want your government to…
• Undercut schools in need by reneging on the $12 billion in funding to schools promised by President Bush himself. [1]
• Eliminate child-care assistance for 300,000 children by 2009. [2]
• Keep college out of reach for qualified students by failing to raise the maximum Pell Grant as promised [3] — and by freezing work-study funding. [4]
• More than double the copay charged to many veterans for prescription drugs, in addition to requiring some vets to pay a new $250 yearly “user fee” for promised health-care services. [5]
• Eliminate Community Development Block Grants — lifelines for cities around the country, used to build and maintain clinics, day-care facilities and housing developments. [6]
• Eliminate the Even Start literacy program that helps impoverished children and their illiterate or semiliterate parents learn to read. [7]
• Cut funds from Medicaid that would pay for health care for 1.8 million low-income children. [8]
• Cut food stamps benefits for up to 300,000 of the working poor, largely parents and children. [9]
• Force deeper cuts in basic domestic programs by adding new tax cuts that would cost $1.6 trillion over ten years. More than half of these cuts would go to households that earn more than a $1 million yearly, while virtually none target households earning less than $100,000 per year. [10]
• Balloon the federal deficit to $1.4 trillion by 2010, thanks to war spending and new tax cuts. [11]
• Continue funding Pentagon waste.Bush’s budget contains over $20 billion for Pentagon weapons systems such as super stealth fighter jets and the Star Wars program. These were designed to fight the Cold War, but are now unnecessary since the Soviet Union went out of business – and they are unusable in the struggle against extremism. [12]
Congress Can Just Say ‘No’
Congress has the power to overrule Bush’s grossly misguided spending priorities. Please contact your representatives today and demand that they reject the Bush budget and realign America’s spending priorities to serve us all, not just a privileged few.
To see how Bush’s proposed federal budget affects your community, check out the National Priorities Project’s Web page.
Sources:
• [1] Democratic Staff, Committee on Education and the Workforce, US House of Representatives. FY 2006 Bush Budget: Breaks Promises, Underfunds K-12 Funding, and Forces Students to Pay More for College.
• [2] “Assessing President Bush’s New Budget Proposal,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 2/7/05.
• [3] Rep. George Miller. Inadequate Yearly Progress Report. Committee on Education and the Workforce. U.S. House of Representatives. December 2003.
• [4] FY 2006 President’s Budget Request, US Department of Education. 2/7/05. Trends in College Pricing 2004, The College Board. 2004.
• [5] “Bush Budget Raises Drug Prices for Many Veterans,” New York Times, 2/7/05.
• [6] “Bush Plans Sharp Cuts in HUD Community Efforts,” Washington Post, 1/14/05.
• [7] “White House, Congress to Battle Again over Domestic Programs,” Washington Post, 2/7/05.
• [8] “President’s Medicaid Budget Shifts Huge Financial Burden to States,” Families USA. 2/7/05.
• [9] “Assessing President Bush’s New Budget Proposal,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 2/7/05.
• [10] “What the President’s Budget Shows about the Administration’s Priorities,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 2/7/05.
• [11] “Bush Proposes Steep Cuts in $2.57T Budget,” Associated Press. 2/7/05.
• [12] The Cato Institute (www.cato.org) and the Center for Arms Control and Proliferation (www.armscontrolcenter.org).
A Letter You Can
SendHere’s the letter we’ll send to your members of Congress, or click this link below to write your own :
http://truemajority.kintera.org/2005budget
Dear [Congressmember’s name]:
President Bush’s proposed budget does not reflect my values of fairness, compassion or investment in my country’s future. Fortunately, Congress has the power to craft a budget that does reflect America’s values.
Please use your influence to protect the American people by reversing the following proposals in the president’s proposed budget. Don’t follow the president’s plans to:
Undercut schools in need by reneging on the $12 billion in funding promised to schools by President Bush himself.
Eliminate child-care assistance for 300,000 children by 2009.
Keep college out of reach for qualified students by failing to raise the maximum Pell Grant as promised — and by freezing work-study funding.
More than double the co-pay charged to many veterans for prescription drugs, in addition to requiring some vets to pay a new $250 yearly “user fee” for promised health-care services.
Eliminate Community Development Block Grants — lifelines for cities around the country, used to build and maintain clinics, day-care facilities and housing developments.
Eliminate the Even Start literacy program that helps impoverished children and their illiterate or semiliterate parents learn to read.
Cut funds from Medicaid that would pay for health care for 1.8 million low-income children.
Cut food stamps benefits for up to 300,000 of the working poor, largely parents and children.
Force deeper cuts in basic domestic programs by adding new tax cuts that would cost $1.6 trillion over ten years. More than half of these cuts would go to households that earn more than a $1 million yearly, while virtually none target households earning less than $100,000 per year.
Balloon the federal deficit to $1.4 trillion by 2010, thanks to war spending and new tax cuts.
Continue funding Pentagon waste Bush’s budget contains over $20 billion for Pentagon weapons systems such as super stealth fighter jets and the Star Wars program. These were designed to fight the Cold War, but are now unnecessary since the Soviet Union went out of business – and they are unusable in the struggle against extremism.
Reversing these ill-advised policies and investing in the future of America’s people will generate great returns in human capital and real national security.
Thank you for considering my views.
[we’ll insert your name here]
