LINDA AT MACHU PICCHU
Probably 1985
Remember awhile back when I told you that, as part of
advocating for cancer research, to be ready to hold elected officials’ feet to
the fire if they mess with the NIH and NCI budgets? Probably not; I couldn’t find that particular
blog myself, but I know I wrote it. Be
that as it may, it appears that the time has come to burn some shoe leather. It has to do with this blatantly stupid thing
called the “Sequester”.
No doubt you are current on the Sequester. It arose from the fact that the ability to
compromise has deserted our leaders in Washington. To over simplify: Democrats pay lip service
to the importance of controlling the budget deficit, want to do it by raising
taxes, reluctantly subscribe to the notion that spending might be trimmed a little with no serious
consequences, and want to make damned sure that the Republicans are blamed for
anything that goes wrong. In contrast, Republicans
obsess on the importance of controlling budget deficits, want to do it by
slicing funding to select agencies (but not the Pentagon or the Border Patrol),
once upon a time felt that closing tax loopholes might be a good idea (but now
maintain that they’ve given enough on taxes already), and want to make damned
sure that the Democrats are blamed for anything that goes wrong. Note that the last phrases in each of these
sentences are very similar. I think they
are the driving force behind what is going on.
This needn’t have happened.
Sequester is the result of kicking the budget can down the road. Obama appointed a bipartisan committee to
provide an answer to the question: “How can we get our budget deficit under
control without turning the U.S.A. into Greece, or Somalia?” In due course the committee brought forth a
recommendation that in my (admittedly uninformed) opinion, would have worked. Obama ignored it, presumably because he thought
that it would harm the poor and downtrodden, including all the racial
minorities that normally vote for Democrats.
If he had submitted it Congress the Republicans would have seen that
it failed, presumably because they thought it would slow economic growth. Of
course, most economic leaders support Republicans.
So there you have it.
You may strongly support one side or the other, or join me in saying “a
pox on both their houses.” Whatever. The fact is that, as of yesterday, the NIH’s
budget has been cut by over 5%. If
budget’s need to be cut, cut my Social
Security, for God’s sake! Reform the
Pentagon! Stop subsidies to wealthy
agribusiness! Ease up on throwing good
money at bad ideas in the energy line!
But LEAVE THE NIH BUDGET ALONE!
All of you are computer literate. Use Google to get the email addresses of your
Congresspersons and tell them to get their butts in gear. And don’t forget to email Obama and tell him that
he, too, is acting like a jerk. Burn their boots.
I sent the following to my three Congress persons and to the President. It took me about 15 minutes. Go thou and do likewise.
ReplyDeleteI am outraged at the childish intransigence being shown by both sides of the budget/deficit debate. You have been sent to Washington to represent the best interests of the people of this country, which by any measure you are not doing. There is enough blame to go around; both political parties are in default on their obligations to the American people. I am especially incensed to learn that the NIH will have its budget cut. My wife died of ovarian cancer just a few years ago, and even as an 80-ish codger I work every day to help science find a preventative and/or cure. I know we have to make budget cuts, and I agree that a bit more taxation also may be necessary. But, for Heaven’s sake, make some rational choices. And, please, don’t kick the can down the road again. As they sometime say – get cracking.
Myrl E. Beck, Jr., Ph.D.
Bellingham, WA
Can you share the email addresses here so we don't have to go hunting? Then I'll send them. I agree with "a pox upon both houses". I'm sick of them getting nothing done because they are unwilling to let the other side "win."
ReplyDeleteI actually used a link given in an email I got from the Director of Fred Hutch. Obama's I got from Google. None of them give an email address; rather, you have to fill out a short form. Anyone who asks, I will forward the Hutch letter.
DeleteI wrote my two Senators and my Representative. Each has a web site that requires you to select a topic for your “letter”, using a drop-down menu,before you submit the thing. I received an almost instantaneous reply from Senator Cantwell. I had chosen “The Economy”. There was no way to specify a topic that was not on their list. The email response I received had absolutely nothing to do with the NIH budget. Instead it dealt with Senator Cantwell’s heroic efforts to right all the Republican wrongs that were affecting job growth! Perhaps someone in her office recorded that some crank was exercised about the Sequester, but if you think Mz. Cantwell herself ever saw my letter I have a bridge I’d like to sell you. I think I will write her a letter about Israel and Palestine, but choose The Economy as a topic – and see if I get the same letter in return.
ReplyDeleteIt’s discouraging, but we must press on.
I just received a reply to my letter complaining about NIH de-funding, from Rick Larsen, my local Representative in Congress. Markedly unlike Marie Cantwell, Larsen actually addressed the issues I had raised. I had the impression that he actually had read my email. More likely someone on his staff had done so, but even so it is encouraging.
ReplyDeleteHave you held any feet to the fire today?
As of today (3/17) I have received no reply from Senator Patty Murray. I am almost pleased by this result - she makes no bones about the fact that she is ignoring me, unlike Senator Cantwell, who tried to fob me off with a generic prefab letter.
ReplyDeleteHave any of you written (phoned/emailed) your men and women in Washington? Have you received any replies? I do not detect the odor of burning feet.
I confess I haven't burned any shoe leather yet. I better get on it.
ReplyDeleteProvidence moves in slow and mysterious ways, our desires to frustrate. Senator Patty Murray got back to me today, a mere 46 days after I wrote her. (I am a bad correspondent, too, so I shouldn't throw stones. (Besides, she is an important person.) She actually addressed the Sequester in an intelligent and nearly apolitical way. She didn't mention the NIH/NCI budgets, though - I guess that's too much to expect. So, maybe my foot-burning did a little good, although not enough.
ReplyDeleteI hate to say this, but I suspect that none of you have written Washington. Shame on you!