speaking of ethics

Parent Cafe
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<p>Support the Specter-Harkin Amendment<br>
Tell Congress to increase vital funding for paralysis health research and quality of life programs</p>

<p>Bush Budget Cuts NIH, CDC Funding</p>

<p>Two weeks ago, we first told you of the cuts to paralysis research and health programs proposed in the President’s Fiscal Year 2007 budget. The President’s budget would cut funding for 18 of the 19 Institutes that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including those focusing on paralysis research.</p>

<p>In addition to the cuts in medical research, the President’s budget also proposes deep cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for disability programs, chronic disease prevention, quality of life programs, and health promotion. Specifically, the proposal cuts nearly $20 million from Chronic Disease programs as well as nearly $15 million from Birth Defects and Developmental Disability programs. In fact, under the President’s proposal, the entire CDC Paralysis program, which supports the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center, would be completely eliminated.</p>

<p>enate Can Vote to Increase Public Health Funding</p>

<p>This week, the Senate is scheduled to vote on the Senate Budget Resolution, which sets the overall funding allocations for all federal spending. As currently drafted, the Senate Budget Resolution CUTS funding for medical research and public health programs. While this is a very serious situation, there is a glimmer of hope. This week, (possibly as soon as Tuesday) the Senate will vote on the SPECTER-HARKIN Amendment to increase funding for all health and education programs by $7 billion. The only way to guarantee that paralysis health research and quality of life programs are not only saved from cuts but also receive necessary increases in FY 2007 is for the Senate to pass the SPECTER-HARKIN Amendment.</p>

<p>The bottom line is simple – if the Budget Resolution CUTS the allocations for medical research and public health programs, the Appropriations bill MUST CUT medical research and public health programs.</p>

<p>The SPECTER-HARKIN Amendment restores health and education funding to the same levels they were at just two years ago. That’s right, in just two short years, funding for these critical programs have been cut by $7 billion. If we don’t reverse the trend this year, it will only get worse in the future.</p>

<p>The President and Members of Congress can’t have it both ways – if they support medical research and public health programs, they must support a Budget Resolution that increases, not cuts, funding for medical research and health programs over last year’s level.</p>

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<p>With you on this EK. Invest in America’s future, fund health and education.</p>

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<p>Stop government subsidies and reduce spending. America must not become a socialist state like Sweden.</p>

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<p>w1cked is absolutely right - we need to stop the gov’t paying for all these social programs, and reduce spending. </p>

<p>After all, no way should we build schools here, when we need to rebuild the entire infrastructure of Iraq! Our inner cities need to suck it up and take care of themselves, because we need all our resources to repair the oil rigs in Iraq. And spending! Wow! Why on earth can’t we reduce our spending, when people should realize we need all that money to pay billions of dollars for the Iraq war. Good thing that at least we’re saving some money by not buying armor for the soldiers there! </p>

<p>We have to keep our sense of perspective, after all !</p>