[nfbwatlk] FW: What would you choose?

Wed Jan 6 09:29:50 UTC 2010

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From: Aaron Ostrom, Fuse Washington [mailto:info at fusewashington.org] 
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 4:56 PM
To: Jacob Struiksma
Subject: What would you choose?

Click below to sign this petition  

To Governor Gregoire, Speaker Chopp, Majority Leader Brown, and the
Washington State Legislature: 

We urge you to:

* Protect our economic future by preventing further erosion of the things
that residents value so much about our state: quality schools, affordable
health care, a safety net for the most vulnerable, affordable housing,
public safety, and a clean environment.

* Adopt a balanced approach to closing the current budget shortfall that
includes closing unfair tax loopholes and identifying new revenue sources to
stabilize the funding for these programs in the short and long term.1

 <http://www.fusewashington.org/page/ocs/2010budget/442kp> Sign the petition

Dear Friend,  

What would you choose?

1. Limit kids in low-income communities to a half day of kindergarten, and
2. Kick 100,000 people off health care, and
3. Reduce transit services and delay toxic cleanups

OR

4. Close unjustified tax loopholes and find new revenue sources to prevent
devastating cuts to these critical services.

This is the stark choice legislators face when they return to Olympia on
Monday to decide how to close the $2.6 billion deficit the state faces due
to the recession.   

They are under tremendous pressure to cave into "Eymanomics" - to slash
funding for critical services, hurt millions of people and put our economic
future at risk. We must show them there is strong support for progressive
leadership -- that voters expect them to stand up for our kids, our jobs,
the vulnerable, and our environment.   

That is why we are joining organizations across the state to deliver
thousands of petitions to the Capitol on the first day of session urging our
leaders to "help families weather the storm" and take a balanced approach to
the state's financial problems. Please click on the link below to sign the
petition, and forward this email to your friends and family:   

http://www.fusewashington.org/page/s/2010budget
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/ocs/2010budget/442kp>  

Last year the legislature cut $3.6 billion from the state budget for 2009
-2011. These substantial spending reductions have cut into the core of our
education and healthcare systems, programs that support kids, the elderly
and disabled, and projects that clean up toxic waste sites and protect clean
air and water. An additional $2.6 billion in cuts would be devastating and
include the following impacts:  

*	100,000 additional Washington State citizens would lose their health
insurance - including 16,000 children - and the total number of uninsured in
our state will top one million; 

*	Class sizes would swell, early learning programs for children under
5 will be cut, school districts across the state will lose funding and more
than 10,000 students will be priced out of a college education; 

*	85,000 seniors would lose the assistance that makes their medication
affordable; 

*	50,000 pregnant mothers would lose critical prenatal support; 

*	The state would abandon programs to protect clean water and clean up
toxic pollution; 

*	Working parents across the state would lose access to childcare,
threatening their ability to work 

Fortunately there is a better way forward! We can take a more balanced
approach by closing unjustified tax loopholes and raise other sources of
revenue to fund these programs.   

To prevent these devastating cuts the Governor and Legislature need to hear
from you! Our goal is to generate 3,000 signatures by Sunday.   

Take action by clicking on the link below:   

http://www.fusewashington.org/page/s/2010budget
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/ocs/2010budget/442kp>  

Thanks!  

Aaron and the team at Fuse

1Clicking the button adds your signature to our petition, including
additional introductory language. The full language follows: 

To Governor Gregoire and the Washington State Legislature:

For the people of Washington State to live up to our shared values and
succeed economically over the long term, we must make investments in core
priorities. After billions in cuts last year, the additional cuts now under
consideration for 2010 would result in higher class sizes and fewer
resources for schools, hundreds of thousands of our fellow residents without
access to healthcare (including 16,000 children), sharp reductions to the
services that protect kids, the disabled, the elderly, and most vulnerable,
and in more polluted air, and dirtier water.

These cuts will undermine our state's ability to compete, and will result in
the loss of thousands of additional jobs at a time when our economy is
hurting and too many are already out of work. There is a better way. We urge
you to:

*	Protect our economic future by preventing further erosion of the
things that residents value so much about our state: quality schools,
affordable health care, a safety net for the most vulnerable, affordable
housing, public safety, and a clean environment. 

*	Adopt a balanced approach to closing the current budget shortfall
that includes closing unfair tax loopholes and identifying new revenue
sources to stabilize the funding for these programs in the short and long
term. 

As our elected representatives, we look to you for responsible leadership.
Another state budget that slashes funding for core services is the wrong
approach. We urge you to seriously consider the devastating impacts these
proposed cuts would have as you consider how best to balance the budget in
this legislative session.

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http://www.fusewashington.org/
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m/25988186/d21f0e/2a9df3e2/4a642440/2859
427891/VEsH/> 

Fuse helps you make a difference by making your voice heard on the most
important issues when the decisions are being made. Real people generating
stronger progressive leadership from elected officials -- that is the power
of Fuse.
Together for Progress
Join us at
http://www.fusewashington.org/
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m/25988186/d21f0e/2a9df3e2/4a642440/2859
427891/VEsE/> 

Support our member-driven organization: Fuse depends on the support of our
members. If you'd like to support our work, you can give now at:
www.fusewashington.org/donate
<http://www.fusewashington.org/page/m/25988186/d21f0e/2a9df3e2/4a642441/2859
427891/VEsF/> 

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