---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 19:09:29 +0000 (GMT) From: Patrick Lemmon Reply-To: nonprof@RTK.NET To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Budget Sign-On Letter
===================== BUDGET SIGN-ON LETTER ===================== November 4, 1998
The coming years may be deciding ones for the nation's future budgetary priorities. Now is the time for nonprofit organizations to speak out about the need to address domestic investment shortfalls.
Our plan is to first get national organizations to join us in signing the following letter to the Administration urging it to address unmet needs in the FY 2000 budget and beyond. We will convey the message of the letter in meetings with senior White House staff. Our second step will be to launch a campaign at the state and local level to reinforce the message we send the White House.
Our current target date for releasing the letter is December 1, though we may continue to accept sign-ons after that. Please note that we are only accepting national organizations at this time.
If you are a local or state group, please make sure that national organizations you work with have signed the letter. So far, about 100 national organizations have signed the letter.
To sign on your organization, contact Patrick Lester at OMB Watch at 202-234-8494 (voice), 202-234-8584 (fax), or . Patrick can also let you know who has signed on.
Sincerely,
Gary Bass, OMB Watch Bob Borosage, Campaign for America's Future Duffy Campbell, National Womens Law Center Stuart Campbell, Coalition on Human Needs Pat Conover, United Church of Christ, Office for Church and Society Wade Henderson, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Ann Hoffman, UNITE John Isaacs, Council for a Livable World Ed Jayne, AFSCME Gawain Kripke, Friends of the Earth Donna Lenhoff, National Partnership for Women & Families Paul Marchand, The Arc Susanne Martinez, Children's Defense Fund Cecilia Munoz, National Council of La Raza Joel Packer, National Education Association Ron Pollack, Families USA Greg Speeter, National Priorities Project Ned Stowe, Citizens Budget Campaign Jim Weill, Food Research and Action Center
December 1, 1998
President William J. Clinton The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
Today our nation has the historic opportunity to make needed investments in initiatives that are essential to the well-being of the American people -- investments that are well within our nation's economic and budgetary capacity in this era of prosperity, relative peace, and substantial federal budget surpluses.
Our organizations are deeply concerned about the nation's failure to make adequate public investments in education, meeting human needs, infrastructure, environmental protection, and research and development. There are tens of millions of people in this nation whose basic needs for education, health care, food, shelter, child care, clean air and water, and other essentials still are going unmet. We face these deficits even though there rarely has been a more auspicious time to act to meet these needs.
On May 26th, in announcing new federal budget surplus projections, you said that "our economy is the envy of the world." That is true. Now it is time -- it is past time -- to use this economic power for the benefit of our children, seniors, struggling workers, the unemployed, women, minorities, people with disabilities, environment, and infrastructure. We believe that, while strengthening Social Security is an extraordinarily high priority, you should also direct the agencies of the federal government to prepare the first budget of the new millennium with ambitious measures that address other critical needs.
It is unconscionable that, as we approach the new century:
* Forty-three million people have no health insurance, four million more than when you took office. The United States' infant mortality rate is eighteenth among nations.
* One in five children in America lives in poverty, as opposed to one in seven 25 years ago.
* Three out of four of our nation's third graders read below grade level. Many of them try to learn from untrained teachers in school buildings that too often are dilapidated and unsafe.
* Mass transit remains antiquated and expensive, making it increasingly difficult for poor and moderate income Americans to get to jobs in the morning and to get home at night to care for their children.
* The Census Bureau reports that 34 million people are moderately or severely hungry or in families so economically marginal that parents are taking steps like skipping meals so children can eat.
* More than 5 million families pay over half their incomes for housing, leaving little or no income for other basic needs like food and health care.
* Inadequate training and high staff turnover plague child care in many communities -- one major report called child care and early childhood education in this country "some of the worst services for children in Western society."
* Drinking water systems serving more than 50 million Americans violate health regulations and standards. National parks, neglected for too long, desperately need repairs of roads, bridges, historic structures and other parts of their infrastructure.
* Millions of Americans who want to work cannot get the training that will prepare them for jobs paying decent wages.
In each of these areas, members of minority groups, women, and persons with disabilities are even more likely than other Americans to be suffering harm.
These deficits threaten the nation in the generation ahead as much as the fiscal deficit threatened the nation in the generation just past. To avert this threat will require responsibly investing in public initiatives that will meet the needs of America's people and strengthen the economic security of millions of struggling families.
During good economic times like these, the nation can well afford such investments. Sharing our nation's strength and good fortune through investments that work is far wiser and will pay far greater dividends than spending the surplus on spiraling tax breaks for the most affluent Americans.
It is essential that America respond to its pressing and long-deferred needs. Investments in the development, education, health, productivity and employability of all Americans are precisely the ones that will guarantee a stronger economy, a sound Social Security System, a healthy civil society, and a thriving nation in the next century. Your Fiscal Year 2000 budget is, symbolically and practically, the place to start such a process.
Sincerely,
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees The Arc Campaign for America's Future Children's Defense Fund Citizens Budget Campaign Coalition on Human Needs Consortium of Citizens for Disabilities Council for a Livable World Families USA Food Research and Action Center Friends of the Earth Leadership Conference on Civil Rights National Education Association National Council of La Raza National Partnership for Women & Families National Priorities Project National Womens Law Center OMB Watch United Church of Christ, Office for Church and Society UNITE
[additional organizations]
-------------------------------------------------------- Patrick Lemmon Manager, Community Education Center OMB Watch 1742 Connecticut Ave, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 234-5108 Patrick Lemmon
"The most radical step you can take is your next one." --James Baldwin --------------------------------------------------------