[RAICES] Save Our Schools from Budget Disaster

[thoughtcage .]

Dear friend,

I'm hoping you can join me in fighting against budget cuts
that will inevitably fall on our nation's schools and other
essential services.

Across the nation, schools are suffering.  Tens of thousands
of teachers have received pink slips and looming budget
deficits only promise worse to come.  Yet in Washington,
Congress seems unaware of the problems at home.  They're
talking about cutting taxes and cutting budgets -- not about
how to keep the schools going.

The final vote on these budget cuts will come in just a few days.

Can you help?

Please join me and sign a petition to Congress, asking key
Congressional leaders to lead the fight against tax and
budget cuts, and to work to support education and other basic
services.

Just go to:

  http://www.moveon.org/saveschools/

With this petition, MoveOn.org is also collecting personal
stories about the impact budget cuts have already had on
schools.  Tell your story.

They'll deliver the petitions and the stories to key leaders
in Congress who have the power to block this dangerous tax bill.

Thank you,
sydney

ps: this is what i wrote in my statement, in case you wanted an example.
====
I am a student at Hampshire College. Although I do not attend the University 
of Massachusetts at Amherst, I am a Five-College student in the Western 
Massachusetts Pioneer Valley. Therefore, I support the students, faculty, 
and staff at the University of Massachusetts who are facing increasing 
budget cuts. Most of these budget cuts are affecting important programming 
related to young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning 
young people. Additionally, such budget cuts means less professors can be 
taken on board. Last year, a free daycare service at UMass was removed due 
to lack of funding. This has and continues to affect many women and people 
with children who depend on these important community programs while they 
make money to pay bills, feed their children and themselves, and other costs 
of living.

Currently, military spending means cutting out important social and civil 
services - health insurance for low-income people, people of color, women, 
and children; increased state school tuitions; reduced community program 
budgets, to name a few - then there are serious issues in this country 
regarding what national budget priorities are.

I urge you to listen to the needs and dreams of the people in this country 
and to work toward a less hegemonic and more communicative foreign policy 
that is multilateral and adheres to a mutually-agreed-upon international 
law.

Thank you very much. I hope we can work toward creating a new world together 
and not at the expense of other people. The history of oppression and 
exploitation spanning human history is disturbing. Please do not perpetuate 
this, but work toward the creation of new, living, joyful things.

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