DAVID MARLOWE

We can truly make a difference when we speak up How many times have you said or thought, “This country is going to He_ _ in a handbasket,” then resigned yourself to the belief you could do very little to affect the outcome? If you fall in this category but wish there were a way you could really have an impact on our government, then read on. Benjamin Franklin said, “An informed and freedom-loving people can never be enslaved.” The only thing enslaving the American people today is our reluctance to act on the information available to us. We are a busy society. It takes time to research an issue. It takes time to find out who our representatives are and how to reach them. It takes time to write a letter. Our justifications for not acting are myriad, and in all honesty, truthful. But, the reality is…we can make a difference. And there is a very easy way to do so. Question. If you had the necessary facts at your fingertips, to make an informed decision on the important issues confronting our congressmen, and if all you had to do was indicate your position on those issues on a prepared form, then mail the form to the provided address(es) of your representatives, and if you knew your voice would be heard…would you do it? I thought so. The National Write Your Congressman, Inc. Legislative Research Center provides that opportunity to each of us. (I don’t make it a habit of promoting any business or organization in this column, but in this instance I’m making an exception, because this is an exceptional organization.) Who are they and what do they do? They are the equivalent of our national watchdogs and our pipeline to the elected representatives who create our laws. Congress decides how our tax dollars are to be spent. Here are a few examples of what could be prevented by informed citizen input: Out of funds allocated for the modernization of computer and telecommunications systems, the IRS spent $400 million on “noncontinuing projects” and parts of programs that were eventually eliminated. $15.3 million spent by the Department of Health and Human Services for a training program at the University of Mississippi to help participants earn the equivalent of a high school diploma (GED). The program had a success rate of only 8 percent. $6 million to construct and lease a courthouse in a small Louisiana town. The courthouse held two short trials between its opening three years ago and last summer. $305 million in overpayments to defense contractors during a six-month period, due to antiquated accounting and computer systems at the department of Defense. More than $5 billion a year spent on errors and fraud in the Earned Income Tax Credit program, including $3.6 billion last year in over-claims. The Department of Education hosted a two-day meeting at the $370-a-night Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C., for potential bidders to discuss the contract to administer a national testing program. At the time, the House had already voted to deny funding for the program and the Senate had voted to take it out of the Department’s hands. Two days after the meeting, Education Secretary Richard Riley halted department work on the testing plan. $217 million worth of printing errors on the redesigned 50-dollar bills. It will cost the Bureau of Printing and Engraving $16.3 million to destroy the mistakes and start over. The Bureau also purchased $50 million in printing equipment, which is in storage because the Washington facility would require extensive renovation in order for the equipment to be installed. * Information provided by the congressional office of U.S. Representative Joel Hefley And the list goes on. These are our tax dollars. Where is our voice in the matter? The National Write Your Congressman group provides us a vehicle for taking a proactive stance against such waste. They provide us a vehicle for being heard. And they have established a track record for making an impact on the decisions being made by our congressmen…simply by making it easy for us to act on our beliefs, rather than just complain. The following are just a few of the achievements accomplished by N.W.Y.C. members during the 106th Congress: Social Security Earnings Limit – seniors over 65 can now make as much money as they wish without losing benefits Repeal of Estate Tax – A bill eliminating estate and gift taxes by 2010 was vetoed last year, but President Bush has pledged to sign it. Health Deduction for Self-Employed – Gradually increases the deduction of health premiums of the self-employed to 100% in 2003. Family Tax Credit – Congress renewed a per-child tax credit of $500. Full credit is allowed for couples with incomes less than $110,000. Property Rights – Lawmakers approved a measure that shifted the burden of proof in asset forfeiture cases from the property owner to the government. Installment Sale of Business – Congress repealed a 1999 law requiring business owners who sold their company in installments to pay all capital gains within the first year of the sale. Major national issues before run the gamut from affirmative action, abortion, gun control, gay rights, Medicare, school choice, work place religious freedom, workers’ compensation, capital gains taxes, family-owned business to social security reform, pork barrel spending, term limits, defense cuts, flag desecration and states’ rights. Your opinion counts. Your voice can be heard. You can make a difference in this country. National Write Your Congressman can make it easy for you to stand up and be heard. Your vote counts. Remember…one vote gave America the English language instead of German. One vote gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency of the United States. One vote gave Adolf Hitler leadership of the Nazi Party. One vote gave the United States the largest tax increase increase in the history of the world. N.W.Y.C. will provide you nonpartisan,nonpolitical, timely and factual reporting of the issues confronting us today, as well a means of acting on that information. Their mission statement is: “To encourage responsible Americans to use their influence in government to preserve the freedoms set forth by our Founding Fathers.” Thomas Jefferson summed it up very adequately, when he said, “The will of people is the only legitimate foundation for government.” For further information, contact Jodie Bougene, 1102 S. Chestnut St., Hammond, La. 70403 or the National Write Your Congressman Legislative Research Center, 9696 Skillman, Dallas, TX 75243-8253; or e-mail: researc@nwyc.com. DAVID MARLOWE is editor and publisher of L’Observateur.