starship-design: FW: SSRT: Space Science Political Alert #4. (fwd)

["L. Parker" <lparker@cacaphony.net>]

-----Original Message-----
From: listserv@ds.cc.utexas.edu [mailto:listserv@ds.cc.utexas.edu]On
Behalf Of Chris W. Johnson
Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 1999 2:55 PM
To: Single Stage Rocket Technology News
Subject: SSRT: Space Science Political Alert #4. (fwd)




Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 16:48:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: Donald L Doughty <spacelst@world.std.com>
To: DC-X <delta-clipper@world.std.com>
Subject: Space Science Political Alert #4.  (Summer's Over...)] (fwd)
Sender: delta-clipper-approval@world.std.com
Reply-To: delta-clipper@europe.std.com


Space Science Policy Alert #4.
Monday 6 September 1999.  By Tim Kyger

*Cross-posting of the data in this message is strongly encouraged. *

_* Night Comes In *_
On Wednesday, 8 September 1999, Congress returns from summer recess.  On
Wednesday, 8 September, the House will consider, debate, and vote on
H.R. 2684, the FY '00 VA/HUD Appropriations Bill, which funds NASA.

H.R. 2684 contains a cut to NASA of about a billion dollars -- unless
changed.

The Senate's VA/HUD Appropriations Subcommittee will meet on Thursday, 9
September to mark their FY '00 VA/HUD bill.  Current word is that they,
too, will cut NASA's requested FY '00 budget by about a billion dollars or
so.

We have three days to change things.

_* Bonds Speaks Redux *_ Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) is the Chair of the
Senate's VA/HUD Appropriations Subcommittee.  He says that (at least as of
August 3rd)  that he has not received any appeals to keep NASA's budget at
pre-cut levels, and further, that he does not have any meetings planned on
the issue.  Senator Bond's spokesman Dan Hubbard said, "I am certain that
no one has been in contact with us on this issue."  It was further said
that Senator Bond has no plans to meet with NASA Administrator Dan Goldin,
or with pro-NASA Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH), or anyone else about this
issue.

Folks should let Senator Bond know what they want -

Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO)
Senate VA/HUD Appropriations Subcommittee Chair
202/224-5721 vox
202/224-8149 fax
314/725-4484 in Kansas City
573/634-2488 in Jefferson City
573/334-7044 in Cape Girardeau
314/725-4484 in Saint Louis
417/881-7068 in Springfield
Room SR-274
Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
kit_bond@bond.senate.gov email address
www.senate.gov/~bond web site

_* I Know What You Did Last Summer. *_
I worked on Capital Hill for eight years. Letters have more political
clout than phone calls.  Email has the least political clout of anything
you can do, ranking lower than even a phone call.  You can always fax your
letter, however, and this is probably the most convenient way to register
your opinion on this matter.  (Staffers assume that paper mail or faxes
take more effort, so they take them more seriously.)

Last week, Capitol Hill had started to receive letters, calls, faxes,
and email.  But it was only a trickle.  If we are to prevail, it has to
change from light rain to a hurricane.

A draft letter that may be used to model your letters will be found at
the end of this message.

After you write and/or fax Senator Bond, write and/or fax Senator
Mikulski, the Ranking Democrat on the Senate VA/HUD Appropriations
Subcommittee:

Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
202/224-4654 vox
202/224-8858 fax
410/962-4510 in Baltimore
410/263-1805 in Annapolis
301/345-5517 in College Park
410/546-7711 in Salisbury
301/797-2826 in Hagerstown
Room SH-709
Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
senator@mikulski.senate.gov email address
www.senate.gov/~mikulski web site

When you're done, write and/or fax the following other two Senators:

Ted Stevens (R-AK), Chairman of the full Appropriations Committee
202/224-3004 vox
202/224-2354 fax
907/271-5915 in Anchorage
Room SH-522, HSOB
senator_stevens@stevens.senate.gov email address
stevens.senate.gov web site

Robert Byrd (D-WV) is the full Committee Ranking Democrat, and he is
also on the VA/HUD Subcommittee.
202/224-3954 vox
202/228-0002 fax
304/342-5855 in Charleston
Room SH-311, HSOB
senator_byrd@byrd.senate.gov email address
www.senate.gov/~byrd/ web site

_* Why We Fight *_
If you want to see the damage these proposed cuts to NASA's budget would
do, point your browser at:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/oss/announce/housefull2000.html

_* History in the Making *_
The following point was first made to me by Chaz Miller, formerly of
ProSpace.  Good point, Chaz!

The debate that will occur on H.R. 2684 this coming Wednesday will
constitute the first policy debate by our elected representatives on
what the goals of the U.S. ought to be for its federal civil space program
in at least a generation -- certainly it will be the first in *my* adult
lifetime (born in '55.you do the math!).  Debates on the Space Station
don't count; they've only been debates about a specific program within
NASA.

You owe it to yourself to be aware of what is said in this coming
debate.

You also owe it to yourself, and to our posterity, to try to influence
this debate beforehand.

-* Silence Means Security; Silence Means Approval. *_
Write those letters!

If you need more background information, please see the website at the
following URL:

http://home.marssociety.org/usa-political/news/kyger-3b-19990830.html

or http://www.reston.com/nasa/budget.html

Stay tuned.  This is going to be a long fight.

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