<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)"><!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><title>Email</title><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.normal-p, li.normal-p, div.normal-p
{mso-style-name:normal-p;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.normal-h, li.normal-h, div.normal-h
{mso-style-name:normal-h;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.tablenormal-c, li.tablenormal-c, div.tablenormal-c
{mso-style-name:tablenormal-c;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.header-p, li.header-p, div.header-p
{mso-style-name:header-p;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.header-h, li.header-h, div.header-h
{mso-style-name:header-h;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.footer-p, li.footer-p, div.footer-p
{mso-style-name:footer-p;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.footer-h, li.footer-h, div.footer-h
{mso-style-name:footer-h;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
span.normal-h1
{mso-style-name:normal-h1;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
span.EmailStyle25
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Ken,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> Thank you for starting the discussion we have been having on the NFB Talk list regarding the fiscal cliff issue and how it will effect us as blind people. However, I’m afraid that you are getting the wrong impression from these emails from Senator Mikulski and other legislators you are contacting.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>After reading these notes they purport to have written to you in response to your correspondence, it looks to me as though they are nothing but form emails which are sent to anybody who writes to the Senator or Congressman regarding the fiscal cliff. Granted, I haven’t seen your original notes to Senator Mikulski, so I can’t tell you whether the generality of their responses is a result of the generality of your original notes. However, what I’m reading suggests that, although it is addressed to you, the substance of Senator Mikulski’s email letter is prewritten and sent out as a form email.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Please don’t misunderstand me here. I am not in any way trying to discourage you from contacting your legislators; quite the contrary. After all, advocacy is one of the most important things we in the Federation do. I am just pointing out that these emails you are sending with your comments at the beginning saying that you got a response from Senator Mikulski might not be what they are presumed to be. I hope she did respond to you directly, but I wouldn’t count on it. This email you forwarded to us is probably just another form email her office automatically sends out. Maybe I’m reading between the lines too much here, but I just want to point that out before we think we’re engaging in direct correspondence with a Senator. <Smile!> I hope I’m making sense and that this doesn’t offend you in any way. Merry Christmas to you, to Carol, and to your entire family!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Chris Nusbaum<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Nfbmd [mailto:nfbmd-bounces@nfbnet.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Kenneth Chrane<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, December 20, 2012 10:12 PM<br><b>To:</b> NFB Talk Mailing List; NFB of Maryland e-mail list<br><b>Cc:</b> Blind_Democrats@yahoogroups.com<br><b>Subject:</b> [Nfbmd] {Disarmed} Fw: Avoiding the Fiscal Cliff and Sequestratio<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>----- Original Message ----- <o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:#E4E4E4'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <a href="mailto:senator@mikulski.senate.gov" title="senator@mikulski.senate.gov">senator@mikulski.senate.gov</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>To:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <a href="mailto:kenneth.chrane@verizon.net" title="kenneth.chrane@verizon.net">kenneth.chrane@verizon.net</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Sent:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> Wednesday, December 19, 2012 8:40 AM<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Subject:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> Avoiding the Fiscal Cliff and Sequestration<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://mikulski.senate.gov"><span style='border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=100 height=100 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:~WRD000.jpg" alt="Image removed by sender."></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=normal-p><span class=normal-h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'>Dear Mr. Chrane:</span></span> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=normal-p style='text-indent:.5in'><span class=normal-h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'>Thank you for contacting me about the fiscal cliff and the federal deficit. It's good to hear from you. </span></span> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=normal-p><span class=normal-h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'>Americans need to have a government on their side that is capable of solving tough problems. That's why Congress must act now to avoid the devastating impact of the fiscal cliff and across-the-board cuts known as sequester. Without swift action to avoid the fiscal cliff, millions of Americans would see their taxes go up and face spending cuts that could bring our nation back into recession. The longer we delay the more damage we do to ourselves and the economy. </span></span> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=normal-p><span class=normal-h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'>My principles for avoiding the fiscal cliff are simple. We must have a combination of spending cuts and new revenue to reduce our debt and still grow the economy. We must also protect the social contract between the American people and their government. Medicare and Medicaid need to be reformed and refreshed not gutted or block-granted. </span></span> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=normal-p><span class=normal-h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'>I believe there are ways to achieve the savings required to avoid the fiscal cliff in a balanced and thoughtful way. We can start by letting the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts expire for households making more than $250,000 per year. This could save an estimated $700 billion over 10 years. We can also make thoughtful and balanced cuts to spending — both military and domestic — that will begin to reduce our deficit. That's why I supported the Budget Control Act passed by Congress in 2011 that would require $900 billion in cuts over 10 years. </span></span> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=normal-p style='text-indent:.5in'><span class=normal-h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'>What we can't do, however, is use across-the-board spending cuts to get us to a balanced budget. It would unfairly harm middle-class families and do nothing to raise the additional revenue needed to reduce the deficit. In Maryland alone, this could result in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and $3.1 billion to our state economy. </span></span> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=normal-p style='text-indent:.5in'><span class=normal-h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'>I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to prevent the fiscal cliff and make thoughtful and balanced changes to our spending policy to reduce our national debt. </span></span> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=normal-p style='text-indent:.5in'><span class=normal-h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'>Thanks again for getting in touch with me. Knowing of your views is very important to me. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you in the future.</span></span> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><br><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'>Sincerely, <br>Barbara A. Mikulski<br>United States Senator <br><br><br>Please do not respond directly to this e-mail. The originating e-mail account is not monitored.<br>If you would like to get in touch with me again, please visit the comments page of my website <a href="http://mikulski.senate.gov/contact/shareyouropinion.cfm">here</a>.<br>If you would like to get regular updates, please sign up for my E-Newsletter <a href="http://mikulski.senate.gov/media/enewsletter.cfm">here</a>.<br>Please follow me on <a href="”http:/twitter.com/senatorbarb”">Twitter</a> and <a href="”http:/www.facebook.com/senatormikulski”">Facebook</a>.<br><a href="http://www.facebook.com/senatormikulski"><span style='border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=100 height=100 id="_x0000_i1026" src="cid:~WRD000.jpg" alt="Image removed by sender."></span></a><a href="http://twitter.com/senatorbarb"><span style='border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=100 height=100 id="_x0000_i1027" src="cid:~WRD000.jpg" alt="Image removed by sender."></span></a></span> <o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>