Here is an editorial by Morton Kondrake from "Roll Call Online". IMHO, Mr.
Kondrake is a real-life Superman himself. His documentary on the Politics
of Medicine with his wife and with our own Joan Samuelson was a powerful
piece of journalism, as well as being a "3 hankie" drama. How fortunate we
are to have him in our "family"!
[log in to unmask], 50/7, sinemet, mirapex, singing, T'ai Chi, udalling
******************************************************************
Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 15:00:17 -0800
http://www.rollcall.com/2H1hYOk6/commentary/kondracke.html
--------------------------------------------------------
Superman Arriving To Rescue the Cause Of Doubling
Research
By Morton M. Kondracke
Actor-activist Christopher Reeve is coming to town later
this month to boost a cause whose time ought to have
arrived: doubling the federal government's budget for
medical research.
There is significant bipartisan Congressional support
for the idea. Academic studies confirm that medical
science is on the edge of curing numerous diseases, and
if only enough research dollars were spent, they would
be cured. The Clinton Administration, previously stingy
on medical research, also advocates a major increase.
Moreover, the government has money for investments for
the first time in years -- either from a budget surplus
or a proposed tobacco tax. Biomedical investment will
pay rich dividends.
Despite all the favorable indicators, however, it's not
at all certain that Congress will budget the money this
year -- mainly because politics and other priorities may
get in the way.
Reeve is coming to rally support for doubling. I
cheerfully disclose that I helped invite him -- to a
dinner sponsored by the Parkinson's Action Network on
March 18 and a press conference on March 19 for all
disease groups and Members of Congress who back
budget-doubling over five years.
As the husband of a Parkinson's victim, I'm on the board
of PAN and convenor of a pro-doubling group, NIH2.
Supporters of biomedical doubling include Congressional
leaders, such as House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga) and
Senate GOP Conference Chairman Connie Mack (Fla); the
chairmen of the House and Senate Labor-HHS
Appropriations subcommittees, Rep. John Porter (R-Ill)
and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa); and influential
Democrats, such as Sens. Edward Kennedy (Mass) and Tom
Harkin (Iowa).
In fact, it's hard to find anyone in Congress who
opposes significant increases in research funding. The
Clinton Administration has recommended a 50 percent
increase over five years.
The problem, though, is priority -- and finding a
funding source for the $30 billion it will take to ramp
up the budget for the National Institutes of Health from
its present $13.7 billion to $27.4 billion by fiscal
2003.
Theoretically, getting the doubling effort started with
a 15 percent increase for fiscal 1999 -- $2 billion, as
has been proposed by Specter -- could come out of the $8
billion projected budget surplus.
Politically, though, that's impossible because the
Administration, to forestall a GOP tax cut, moved to
reserve the surplus for the Social Security trust fund.
Republicans have been forced to accept the idea.
The Administration's source for research funding -- and
much else -- is a tobacco tax. Clinton is proposing to
raise $65 billion over five years with a $1.10 per pack
tax, which would fund school construction and child care
as well as medical research.
Many in the disease-advocacy community regard Clinton's
proposed 8 percent increase for NIH in fiscal 1999 --
$1.15 billion -- as "funny money" because it depends
entirely on passage of tobacco legislation, which is
problematical.
Most Republican leaders are hostile to Clinton's
non-research spending ideas and are talking about
passing only a limited tobacco bill designed to restrict
youth smoking.
At least eight bills have been introduced to raise
tobacco taxes and devote some of the proceeds to medical
research. Sponsors include Sens. Kennedy, Mack, Harkin,
Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), John McCain (R-Ariz), Kent Conrad
(D-ND), and Jim Jeffords (R-Vt), and Reps. Rosa DeLauro
(D-Conn) and George Gekas (R-Pa).
Another tobacco proposal, expected to be unveiled next
week, is a bipartisan measure sponsored by Sens. Harkin,
John Chafee (R-RI), and Bob Graham (D-Fla) that could
serve as a vehicle to unite factions and create a health
research trust fund.
So far, despite broad support, the idea of doubling
medical research funding is not a sufficiently
high-priority goal that the GOP is willing to raise
tobacco taxes to pay for it. House and Senate Budget
Chairmen John Kasich (R-Ohio) and Pete Domenici (R-NM)
haven't committed to reserving money in the budget,
either.
That could change, however, if disease groups --
advocating research for cancer, AIDS, Parkinson's,
spinal injury, diabetes, heart disease, etc. -- unite to
mount both grassroots and inside-the-Beltway lobbying
campaigns to influence Congress.
That's the purpose of the visit by Reeve, a spinal
injury victim and advocate, at one event sponsored by
the Parkinson's disease group and another at which all
disease groups are invited to participate.
At the 1996 Democratic National Convention, in
Congressional hearings, and on his two-hour TV spinal
injury fundraising gala last Sunday, Reeve has been
generous in advocating an across-the-board increase in
research funding not limited to his own affliction.
Reeve became famous for playing Superman in the movies.
But his struggle to recover from his spinal injury and
his advocacy of causes other than his own have made him
a real-life hero.
--------------------------------------------------------
