Greg Leeman's angry comments about the spending priorities of our Federal
government are so correct it makes me want to shout at someone too,
especially when many of the excuses we get for restricting research spending
are fiscal ones. It's not just the Endowment for the Arts that enjoys a
misplaced priority. There have got to be literally thousands of spending
items in the national budget which should be moved down a very small notch
to make room some funds to possibly alleviate the kind of suffering Greg
describes. Last week those morons passed a road construction bill. I don't
recall the figure but I think it was BILLIONS more than the States or any
agency or Department asked for!! Four-laning roads past a political
contributor's store, things like that it was described as.
We're not going to stop American politics as usual. Maybe what we can do is
to start leaning on our SUPPORTERS in Congress. Tell them we need more from
them besides just a yes vote on the appropriation, that the job is NOT
GETTING DONE and that unless they do some real politicking they might as
well vote NO. To get this money, or whatever the next step might be in our
battle, they need to do the same kind of vote trading that resulted in the
pork barrel road construction appropriation. If they don't believe in this
cause enough to do that, then they are not friends of the Parkinson
community and their previous support is a sham. That's what I'm going to
tell my Republican Congressman, and my Democrat Senators, anyway, all of
whom have been supporters ("yeah" voters) of "Mo." I am going to point to
them that if they believe in it enough to vote or it then I expect them to
fight for it.
I'll try real hard not to call them morons.
Someone here said, I believe, that e-mailing Congresspersons is a waste,
that they don't read it (or tabulate it even?) Is this true? I would love
to be able to forward them Greg's little speech. I wonder if it would be
okay if I mailed it. Lautenberg is 75+ years old and in his 14th year; he
at least should be moved enough to trade some votes for us. He must have
friends with PD, and he must remember the Democrat Senator from RI who
retired because of PD.
