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Dick Dillards letter rergarding the Udall Bill has prompte me to share with all of you some of my correspondence. I have from time to time placed messages on this list encouraaging people to write their elected officials in support of the Udall Bill. Quite frankly I've been disapointed in the responce. But perhaps the responce has been great and I just don't know about. Perhaps all 800 of you are involved in a "write everyone you knowand ask them to write their Congressmen" campaign and I believe no comments on the list means your not involved. So I'm going to put some of my letters on the list and encourage others to do the same. Maybe those of us who have not written Congress will be inspired by our efforts and we can get some momentumn going. Its May. Half of 1995 is almost gone and the Udall bill is "in committee". For us that have Parkinson's Disease the clock is ticking. The funding increase the Udall Bill provides might be what puts us over the top. Everyone has to be encouraged at the continuing stream of new developments in PD research . But research takes money. If there is reason to believe that another breajthrough if not cure is on the horizon, its time for a strong finishing kick to the finish. This is a version of a letter I am writing to evertone I know. I hope it starts a kind of Parkinson's chain letter: I can get by with a little help from my friends . That line from the popular Beatles song reminds me of good times past. To assure that I ll be able to continue to have good times in the future I need a little help from my friends. I m amending that to also include neighbors. I need your help in the battle against Parkinson's Disease. I need you to write your Congressman and Senators urging them to not only support but to co sponsor the Morris K. Udall Parkinson s Research, Education, and Assistance Act. This is a bill introduced in Congress which would dramatically increase research funding for Parkinson's Disease. Federal funding of Parkinson's Disease research is the lowest per person afflicted at only $30. Its ironic that despite that meager funding the neuroscientists feel that another major break through if not cure is imminent. They state that they know more about Parkinson's Disease than any of the other neurological diseases. Here s an excerpt from a letter I wrote to Senator Hatfield the original sponsor of the bill describing the range of emotions I have concerning this legislation - First there is the Joy of hope. Hope/conviction that this legislation will be the added impedance that results in the swift discovery of a cure for this disease which I and millions of others suffer from. Then there is frustration and despair at the pace of this legislative process and the specter that this legislation may become sidetracked by other priorities or agendas. For us that have Parkinson s Disease the clock is ticking. I hope that you might be successful in elevating this legislation above the day to day politics and pass this legislation swiftly as is deserving of such a noble cause. The fact that our doctors and scientists feel a cure is near should only add to the urgency. How cruel it is to know a cure is close at hand but may not be achieved for want of relatively modest funding while every night multi-million dollar boondoggles are discussed on the evening news. Where is our sense of priorities ? While hoping that Morris K. Udall Parkinson s Research, Education, and Assistance Act might indeed be swept into law my more pragmatic side puts forth more reasoned justification. What successful business would not invest $200 million per year for the short term to eliminate $6 billion per year in society costs? I do not believe the American people in their mandate for change want slash and burn budget cutting. The vast majority of Americans would be pleased if our government were described as cost effect rather than some of the descriptors currently applied. This legislation is cost effective! I m asking for a relatively small expenditure of your time, but if each of you write and if you could each get two more to write and they two more we would have a Parkinson's Disease chain letter that would flood Washington D.C. That flood of letters would assure passage of this bill. Please do this as a personal favor. Set aside some time and do it now and don t let this get lost in the good intentions pile. Enclosed is a sample letter. You can paraphrase it or just copy it and sign your name to it. This is an exercise where Quality is always good but Quantity is the bottom line. I d rather see you spend what time you might allocate to this cause getting others to write, than authoring an eloquent response. I wish I could accomplish my goal of funding the research to cure Parkinson's Disease simply by hard work on my part and not having to ask for help. However this goal will only be achieved through numbers. I could use a little help from my friends.