[Anyone] More Than Numbers

[totem at laplaza.org]

Why does bushco hate americans?

This is very disturbing veto and punishes Americans.  Who does bush continue to undermine 
America?

> Congressman Tom Udall
> The Udall Update
> 
> View Website
> About Tom
> November 20, 2007
> 
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
> More Than Numbers
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
> 
> Dear Friend,
> 
> This week, after requesting more than $200 billion for the war in Iraq, the president vetoed the 
bill that funds the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. This is a bill 
that my subcommittee wrote. It would provide long overdue investments in domestic priorities like 
health care and education. These domestic priorities have long been shortchanged by the president, 
and his veto of this appropriations legislation is another clear indication of this.
> 
> As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I spend a lot of time looking at numbers. 
But I always keep in mind that these numbers represent people - they represent families in New 
Mexico. Unfortunately, the president seems to have forgotten this. His budget blueprint - a blueprint 
that he insists he will impose on the Congress - would deprive millions of Americans of the help they 
need to do their jobs, live their lives and enjoy their part of the American dream.
> 
> The president has demanded a $401 million cut in support for schools in disadvantaged areas, 
relative to Congress' proposal. This will deny services to 1,125 New Mexico students. At the same 
time, he demanded cuts that will deny after-school programs to 1,285 New Mexico children and 
reduce support for disabled students by $116 per child. That means in schools across New Mexico 
more students could graduate without the skills they need to find jobs. Their chances of going to 
college will be lower. I wonder if the president thought about those students before he wrote his 
budget.
> 
> The president has demanded cuts in community health centers that will deny care to 1.2 million 
Americans. That means across the country chances are that more men, women and children will 
arrive at emergency rooms after their diseases have become life threatening. Their communities will 
spend more money to treat them, but they will be more likely to die prematurely and less likely to 
have full recoveries. In many cases, these victims will be Americans who work full time but cannot 
afford the skyrocketing cost of health care. I wonder if the president thought about them before he 
picked up his veto pen.
> 
> The president's cuts will mean that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will award 140,000 
fewer research grants to help cure diseases like cancer, stroke, diabetes and Parkinson's. I wonder if 
the president thinks about the millions of Americans who suffer from these diseases, Americans who 
wait every day for a new therapy or a cure.
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
> New Mexico stands to lose more than most from the president's cuts. In this bill, I helped secure:
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
> 
> $750,000 for the Rio Arriba County Health Commons, a shared health facility that will bring 
together health services providers to promote wellness in Rio Arriba County;
> 
> 
> $500,000 for the High Plains Regional Education Cooperative Broadband Education Project, which 
will boost effectiveness in rural schools in northeastern New Mexico by helping them use the 
internet as a teaching tool;
> 
> 
> $500,000 for the Summer Reading and Math Institutes, which will help close the achievement gap 
by training teachers from underperforming schools;
> 
> 
> $500,000 for the Rio Rancho Public Schools Cyber Academy, to allow Cuba and Jemez high schools 
to provide an alternative approach to education through distance learning; and,
> 
> 
> $200,000 for the Sandoval County Telehealth Vehicle, which will help County residents, 
particularly shell-shocked veterans returned from Iraq, get the health care they need.
> The legislation also contained a number of other projects to benefit New Mexico. For a complete 
list, visit_here. Unfortunately, these initiatives, and many other important funding priorities in the 
bill, are threatened by the president's veto.
> 
> An appropriations bill may seem like a collection of numbers, but it is really a statement of values. 
We in Congress were asked what our constituents value, and we responded with a bill that funds 
important priorities while maintaining fiscal prudence. The president responded by funding his failed 
policy in Iraq and cutting everything else. As a New Mexican, those are not my values and I do not 
believe they are the values of the American people.
> 
> As the appropriations process continues, I encourage you to think of the people behind the 
numbers. I will. I will remember how much is at stake, and I will fight for a budget that reflects this 
country's compassion and New Mexico's needs.
> 
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
> Middle Class Tax Relief
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
> 
> With my support, the House passed legislation this week to prevent 23 million middle class 
families from being hit by the Alternative Minimum Tax. The House legislation pays for itself by 
closing tax loopholes that allow some of the wealthiest citizens in the country to pay some of the 
lowest tax rates. The president has threatened a veto.
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
> FISA Reauthorization
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
> 
> The House also passed H.R. 3773, the RESTORE Act, to give the intelligence agencies the tools they 
need to conduct surveillance of our enemies, while at the same time protecting Americans' rights to 
privacy and strengthening civil liberties protections in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). 
The bill would replace a law passed in August which allowed the government to continue surveillance 
of Americans without adequate restrictions. To read my statement, visit the RESTORE Act page. 
Opponents of this commonsense legislation have been spreading myths to confuse the public. To 
get the facts, go_here.
> 
> 
> 
> Washington, D.C.
> 1410 Longworth House Office Building
> Washington, D.C. 20515
> (202) 225-6190 Phone
> (202) 226-1331 Fax
> 
> Santa Fe
> 811 St. Michael's Drive
> Suite 104
> Santa Fe, NM 87505
> (505) 984-8950 Phone
> (505) 986-5047 Fax
> 
> Clovis Office: (505) 763-7616
> Farmington Office: (505) 324-1005
> Gallup Office: (505) 863-0582
> Las Vegas Office: (505) 454-4080
> Rio Rancho Office: (505) 994-0499