Please help start a national effort by writing a letter; Tell your friends.

Dear MoveOn member,

Two days ago, the House of Representatives was poised to dramatically increase proposed cuts to crucial health care, nutritional and educational services. But MoveOn members fought back with over 30,000 phone calls and 130,000 personal letters to Congress as part of a "virtual march" on Washington. Hours before the vote was scheduled to occur, top Republicans were forced to call it off—citing a sudden drop in support even among their own party.1

While we celebrate this victory, the fight must go on. Congressional Republicans are vowing to redouble their efforts next week to slash deep cuts in vital services for the nation's poor and middle class, while handing out tax breaks to the rich.4

That's why today we're aiming to send in 10,000 letters-to-the-editor opposing the Republican budget plan to newspapers across the country. To make the letters as powerful as possible, please consider sharing a personal story about how the programs congressional Republicans are trying to slash have affected you, your family, or anyone you know.

You can write and submit your letter-to-the-editor right now at:

http://political.moveon.org/lte/

Sharing your story can be easy. Just briefly describe the situation you or someone you know was in, the government service that was involved, and how it helped. A good letter to the editor is only a paragraph long, and should only take a few minutes to write.

Here's an example of what this kind of letter would look like:

Dear Editor,

Congressional Republicans would have us believe the federal programs they are trying to cut in this week's budget process don't affect most of us. But, among other things, they are aiming to cut billions of dollars from student loans, including work-study. My parents didn't have a lot of money, and I never would have been able to get a college degree without low-interest government loans. Now I'm a doctor and I don't think of myself as needing federal assistance—but every generation should have the same chance that I did. Congress should reject the Republican budget because it goes against the basic values of the American Dream.

To help get you started, here's more information on some of the services most at risk in the Republican budget:6

Medicaid: The Republicans' primary target is the last-resort health care option for millions of children, pregnant women, the disabled, the elderly and the working poor.7 Have you or anyone you know benefited from these medical services? Might you ever?

Student loans: The Republican budget would slash billions from the largest source of student aid in America.8 Have you or anyone you know used government grants, loans, or work-study to help afford higher education? Will you or your family in the future?

Food stamps: Public outcry helped convince the Senate to abandon their attack, but House Republicans are still pushing for big cuts. Nearly 80% of all food stamp funds go to families with children,9 and over half all Americans will use food stamps at some point in their adult life.10 Have you, or anyone you know, ever needed food stamps to put dinner on the table? Do you think you ever might?

Pension guarantees and unemployment insurance: The Pension Benefits Guarantee Corporation protects the retirement security of nearly 45 million American workers.11 National unemployment insurance helps millions transition when they are laid-off.12 Are you or anyone you know counting on your pension for a stable retirement? Have you ever turned to unemployment insurance to make ends meet?

These cuts are driven by right-wing ideology, not fiscal responsibility. As The Washington Post wrote in a strong editorial:

"Republican leaders want to bump up that number to $50 billion—supposedly to deal with the costs of Hurricane Katrina. But don't be bamboozled by the self-satisfied claims of fiscal discipline you'll hear from those pressing these cuts: Their post-Katrina budget plan would add to the deficit, not reduce it."13

In the next few weeks, as part of an unusual process called "budget reconciliation," both houses of Congress must decide if they will go ahead with the Republican plan, and if so, how much to cut from where. During this period of negotiation and multiple votes, the politicians are actively gauging the political consequences of their choices and our voices as can be very powerful.

For their budget plan to succeed, congressional Republicans need the people who depend on these services to stay silent and invisible—but we can make sure that doesn't happen.

It's a lot to ask to make your personal story public. But it if your family, friends or community can help put a human face on the services we're fighting together to save, your story could become a powerful weapon—and inspire many others to take up the cause.

We're aiming to send in 10,000 letters to the editor in 24 hours.

Please take a minute and write yours today.

http://political.moveon.org/lte/

Thanks for all that you do,

–Ben, Marika, Rosalyn, Micayla and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Friday, October 21st 2005

Sources:

1 "House Republicans Put Off Vote on Cuts" The New York Times, 10/19/05
www.nytimes.com/2005/10/20/national/20spend.html&cid=0

2 "Senate Plan to Cut Food Stamps Dies" The Washington Post, 10/19/05
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1037

3 "Senate Republicans see $10 bln in health cuts" Reuters, 10/20/05 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1038

4 "House GOP sets $50b target for cuts to budget," The Boston Globe, 10/20/05 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1029

5 "Katrina's Cost to the Poor," The Washington Post, 10/20/05
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1030

6 For a thorough review of the impact of the Republicans' proposed cuts, both at the $35 billion level currently adopted by the Senate at the $50 billion level proposed by House Republican see the Democratic Staff of the House Budget Committee report, available here:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1031 (pdf)

Also see the new report from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, available here:
http://www.cbpp.org/10-21-05bud.htm

7 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Medicaid eligibility
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicaid/whoiseligible.asp

8 U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1032

9 Food Research and Action Center
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1033

10 "Food stamps' broad reach—Half of U.S. adults have used them, researchers find" The San Francisco Chronicle, 09/05/04
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1034

11 Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation
http://www.pbgc.gov/

12 U.S. Department of Labor
http://workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/uifactsheet.asp

13 "Katrina's Cost to the Poor," The Washington Post, 10/20/05
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1030

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