My name is William Heitman and I am a PWP (Person with Parkinson's Disease).
Please allow me to share the following about Parkinson's Disease (PD) and
funding with you.
If you had the opportunity to make up to a 1000 % annual return on an
investment in one year, could you find the money?
I recently went to Washington, DC as part of the Parkinson's Action Network's
fifth annual Public Policy Forum. We "Parkinson's Activists" spent the better
part of a week (Jun 14-17) hearing about the latest research funding, and how
to approach Members of Congress. On Tuesday the 16, we visited our lawmakers.
We are not professional lobbyists, but we know whereof we speak. We deal with
this disease daily. We feel the public needs to know about our situation:
PD is expensive:
The US economy loses about 25 billion dollars a year (that is 68.493 million
dollars a day) to maintain about one million American PWP. Our US Government
pays out a substantial part of that from your taxes. A conservative guess
might be 20% of it, or five billion dollars a year (13.6 million dollars a
day). While we are grateful for the cash, too much of it goes for our
expensive and powerful pills. We would greatly prefer a cure.
However, that takes more money.
The investment is one hundred million dollars a year for five years. This
amount is not simply a nice round number. Distinguished researchers,
advocates and lawmakers worked together a few years back to decide how much
could be absorbed by projects of high scientific and/or clinical merit by the
PD research community.
Lawmakers made possible that investment last year by passing into law the
Morris K. Udall Research and Education Act (The Udall Act). However, that Act
only "authorized" the spending of 100 million dollars. "Appropriation" of the
funds this year is still required.
There is a powerful case for doing this. For instance, if a cure is achieved:
--First, this great (up to 1000 %) rate of return, as good as it is, applies
only to the first year without a 5 billion dollar direct cost of PD. Then
things get better. Today, that cost recurs every year. Funding a cure for PD
would begin a future when the Government benefits by that $ 5 billion , year
after year-forever (much improving ANY yearly rate of return).
--Second, saving the rest of that $25 billion should increase investment and
produce even more tax dollars. Ex PWPs could buy stock rather than pills.
However, for any of this to happen the money is required .
Every day's delay is another day of uncomfortable life for the PWP's and
68.493 million dollars down the drain. Time is money. Time is life. Please
help us to preserve both. So far, there has been no appropriated Udall Act
money.
Researchers (relatively underfunded by other sources) have not been idle.
Important research proposals, many based on the current studies, await these
funds.
Investing now, we can start saving 13.6 to 68.5 million dollars a day and stop
Parkinson's Disease sooner--preventing the loss of productive citizens.
Would you help us do this? Ask your Congress to "fully fund the one hundred
million dollars authorized by the Udall Act".
.
To call: dial the number
` (202) 224-3121
The operator answers "Capitol." Name the Legislator that you want to call.
They will connect you with his/her office.
Best regards,
William H. Heitman
Fortunately, past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results,
Like most investments, there are no guarantees--actual results may vary
depending on future costs, and other variables. There exists the possibility
that the desired result may be more difficult or expensive than expected.
However, there is also potential for an even better rate of return than 1000 %
.
