From: [t--m--r] at [cpqhou.sys.hou.compaq.com] (G. Thomas Rush) Newsgroups: misc.invest,alt.politics.economics,sci.econ,misc.headlines,alt.rush-limbaugh,talk.politics.misc,tx.politics Subject: Re: Push the Balanced Budget Amendment to your Senator!!!!! Date: 19 Nov 93 16:39:33 GMT [n--f--y] at [ornews.intel.com] (John Hagler) writes: >Lets talk about the truth here. The reason spending keeps going up, up, up >is because the US public all want the OTHER states to get off the FED gravy >train. We want the other states to kick their congressmen out (that way ours >doesnt lose seniority). No state has been willing to say "OK! We will be the >examples! Cut the funding for that that >will lose us xxxx number of jobs! Lets oust our Senior congressman and get a >new guy who wont buy into the status quo on Capital hill!". Lets face it >if someone ran for office saying he was going to try to get the fed programs >that benefit his state cut he wouldnt get anywhere. Everyone wants to cut the >OTHER states bilking of the Federal cash cow while we keep right on sucking >it dry. My opinion only. Precisely. That's why I started Not A Penny More -- a grassroots campaign to get the Federal government to enact a spending freeze. There are _at_least_ these benefits: 1) A spending freeze, unlike a balanced budget amendment, won't put pressure on Congress to raise taxes -- they can't spend any more money even if taxes do go up. 2) A spending freeze will force Congress to start making the tough choices about which spending really is necessary -- and many programs can surely be scaled back, if not dropped entirely (see list above). 3) A spending freeze cuts _way_ down on the game-playing -- Congress can't shout that they are cutting one program, only to whisper about the cost of the next program, which may be five times as expensive. 4) A spending freeze need not be inflexible -- the one proposed in Not A Penny More is a freeze on total Federal spending -- Congress and the President still get to choose how the money is divided among the various boondogg^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H government programs. 5) According to President Clinton's _own_figures_, a spending freeze shows a budget surplus in five years --we actually start paying off this monstrous debt that soon! I'm appending a copy of the Not A Penny More Q&A. If you're concerned about the Federal debt and deficit, this is your chance to do something about it. In 1993, Not A Penny More was very successful in generating media coverage and a network of contacts, despite starting very late in the game. Please read the Q&A, let me know if you have any questions, and distribute this information to any others you know who care about this country. Note that I've set followups to talk.politics.misc. ================================================================= Why "Not A Penny More?" A collection of questions and answers about the Not A Penny More Campaign What is Not A Penny More? Not A Penny More is a nationwide, grassroots, nonpartisan effort designed to encourage Congress and the President to enact a spending freeze. Not just a letter-writing campaign, Not A Penny More is collecting individuals' pledges to pay down the Federal debt, if a Federal spending freeze is enacted and executed. Those pledges give Washington a real benefit from a spending freeze, help Not A Penny More gather attention, and serve to emphasize how serious the pledgers believe the spending and deficit problems are. Why is a spending freeze important? A spending freeze is the only way our country can hope to get out of our debt and deficit problems. History shows that government revenues will catch up with spending in five to seven years if we hold spending constant -- and that's without any tax increases! A spending freeze forces our government to make the same kind of choices that each of us makes when we figure our budget: is this project important? If I want to do that, which one of these will I have to give up? It means we will finally get rid of some of the outdated, unproductive, and counter-productive programs that the government started decades ago. It means that government agencies, just like businesses, will have to learn to find ways to do their work more efficiently. What about President Clinton's $250 billion in spending cuts? The White House boasts about the spending cuts, but it is very quiet about new spending. $250 billion in true spending cuts would be enough to nearly balance the budget in any one year. President Clinton's "cuts," however, are spread out over five years, and there are major misrepresentations hidden in his proposal. $60 billion of the cuts come from the government financing the debt at lower interest rates. $44 billion of the cuts were already in the 1990 budget agreement. $15 billion in "spending cuts" are increased user fees. The only major, real cut seems to be $74 billion in military spending. Much of the rest is cuts in the spending increases Washington had hoped to get -- if only the defense cuts were matched by cuts in other programs! The worst problem isn't the deceptive proposed cuts, but that President Clinton plans to increase spending by $62 billion in 1994 alone! Won't tax increases on the rich balance the budget? Even the Federal income tax itself was started as a temporary measure to balance the budget, by taxing the rich. Tax increases never have balanced the budget, and we are now at the point where they can't. Historically, Washington has spent at least $1.50 for every dollar in new taxes. Spending cuts are always delayed, if they happen at all. New programs are created, and old ones grow. In addition, our government has gotten so big that, in 1992 we could have taken every last penny of every person's income over $200,000, and only run the country for 125 days. There's just not enough money to do everything that the wasteful Washington spenders want to do. What about a National Lottery? With Congress already working right now to approve $500 in new spending per taxpayer, there is no way that a lottery can be expected to raise enough money to make a dent in the debt. Just to cover the new spending in 1994, every taxpayer would have to buy over $1000 in lottery tickets! Also, a lottery without a spending freeze will allow Washington to spend the same $1.50 for each dollar of lottery money as they do for each dollar of tax money! What about President Bush's plan for a 1040 deficit checkoff? President Bush had proposed that taxpayers be given the option of earmarking a portion of their taxes to debt reduction. President Clinton has proposed the government itself do something similar, through a debt-reduction impound account. Neither of these ideas mean anything without a spending freeze. Every dollar that goes from one "bucket" into a special "bucket" marked "debt reduction" just makes that year's deficit one dollar larger, and leaves next year's debt unchanged. Not A Penny More is the only plan that addresses the outrageous spending increases (through a spending freeze), the debt (through direct payments earmarked for the debt), and the deficit, too (which will end in five to seven years with a spending freeze alone). All it takes is holding our elected officials to a spending freeze. Not A Penny More is betting that, once we make them do it the first time, we can make them do it again! What do the pledges say and mean? With Washington preparing to spend $500 more of your money than they spent last year, it is critical that we clearly say, "We're willing to beat the budget problems, but we know we'll lose the fight unless there is a spending freeze." The heart of the pledge says just that: "I pledge $_________, to be applied to the Federal debt, payable if you sign and execute a budget that spends Not A Penny More...." The pledge goes on to set the base at fiscal 1993's originally authorized spending, to prevent Washington from running an even bigger deficit just to increase the base. The pledges deliver a strong message to our elected officials that we're not just whining, or expecting the debt to be paid off by someone else. Pledgers feel so strongly about our spending crisis that they are putting their money on the line, and this is one of the biggest appeals of Not A Penny More: time after time throughout history, we have seen that people can not be stopped if they have an idea that is right, and if they stand up with courage for their convictions. How do I know that the pledge money won't be misused? All that Not A Penny More is asking for is a signed pledge letter -- and a stamped, addressed envelope for any correspondence. We do not want to be responsible for any cash! You keep control of your money until you are satisfied that the government has kept its part of the bargain. When you send your money to Washington, send it directly to the US Treasury, with a note saying it is to be used to pay off the National Debt. This will ensure that it will not be used for any other purpose. Why not Not A Penny More? Everyone concerned about government spending, the debt, and the deficit needs to sign a Not A Penny More pledge. Some people worry that they might have to actually pay the pledge -- but remember that Congress and the President are going to sign a budget spending $500 - $650 more of your money next year if you don't sign the pledge. And then they'll do it again the next year, and the year after that. We've all got to tell them Not A Penny More, and make it stick. What happens to the pledges if there is no spending freeze? If there is no spending freeze, your pledge has committed you to nothing. We'll come back and do it again next year, with even more pledges and pledgers. We will likely ask that you renew your pledge, but you will not be pressured to. How will we know if there is a spending freeze? In the case that a spending freeze has at least a chance of passing Congress, it will be impossible to miss the news, whether on TV, radio, or in the newspaper. At the end of each fiscal year (September 30), the government begins to balance its books, determining exactly how much it spent and took in. When that process is complete (probably sometime in 1995), we will notify you and ask that you make a check out for the amount of your pledge, and to send it directly to the US Treasury, earmarked for Federal debt reduction. How can I make a pledge to Not A Penny More? A sample pledge letter is attached to this fact sheet. Make copies for your friends and families, and one for yourself. Fill out your copy and send it (do not include money) to your state contact or to: Not A Penny More, C/O Thomas Rush PO Box 11110 Klien, TX 77391 If you'd like a response, please include a stamped, addressed envelope. Not A Penny More can work to shame Congress and our President into enacting a spending freeze if you help. Remember, their 1994 plan is going to authorize at least $500 more spending for each taxpayer than planned in 1993. You can let them spend that, or you can tell them, Not A Penny More. What else can I do to ensure Not A Penny More works? This is a grassroots effort. Almost anything you do to spread the word is helpful. Specific things you can do include: * Include a stamped, addressed envelope with your pledge, and ask for the current press release. Once you get the press release, send it and this Q&A sheet to local newspaper and radio and television stations. * Write letters to your newspaper. Call your news stations and talk shows. Tell them you support Not A Penny More, and why. * Write the President and your Congressmen. Include a copy of your pledge letter. Ask what they've done to enact a spending freeze. * Give copies of this information to your friends and families. Collect their pledges, and send them to your closest state contact. Thank you. With your help, we will see a Not A Penny More budget. ======================================================================= Not A Penny More Campaign Pledge Letter Please forward to your closest state coordinator via email or US Mail, or mail to Not A Penny More, PO Box 11110, Klein, TX 77391 (by email: [t--m--r] at [cpqhou.compaq.com]). Dear President Clinton: I believe that the Federal debt is the most serious problem facing this country today, and that the only way to control the growth of the debt is to stop the growth of government spending in actual dollars. We have all seen that cuts in projected spending increases do not reduce the deficit. How serious are you about deficit reduction and cutting spending, Mr. President? I'm so serious that I hereby pledge $________________ to be applied to the Federal debt, payable in the event that you sign a budget that spends Not A Penny More than the initial 1993 authorized Federal expenditures. Sincerely, _________________________________________________ _________________ Signature Date _________________________________________________ Name _________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________ City, State, Zip _________________________________________________ Telephone or electronic mail address The National Coordinator of the Not A Penny More Campaign is Thomas Rush (713) 259-0569 email: [t--m--r] at [cpqhou.compaq.com] State Coordinators in the Not A Penny More Campaign are: AL: Heath Goebel [c--n--z] at [dudemar.b24a.ingr.com] 312 Randolph Avenue Huntsville, AL 35801 (205) 536-5698 CA Patrick May [m--y] at [apple.com] (N): 307 Hershner Drive Los Gatos, CA 95032 (408) 377-7458 or Bob Bickford email: [r--b] at [well.sf.ca.us] 43 Mohawk Avenue Corte Madera CA 94925 (415) 927-4814 CA J.M. Ivler email: [i--l--r] at [ug.eds.com] (S): 9051 Cerritos Ave Anaheim, CA 92804 (714) 828-8489 CO: David Aitken [David Aitken] at [f418.n104.z1.fidonet.org] 1240 Ogden #4 Denver, CO 80218 (303) 831-4334. DE: Richard B. Schwartzman email: [r--h] at [genie.slhs.udel.edu] 112 West Main Street Newark, DE 19711 (302) 456-1437 FL: Jennifer O. Hassler email: [REDACTED] at [arms.uucp] P. O. Box 12231 Gainesville, FL 32604 (904) 372-6043 IA: Allan Kirkhart email: [a--la--k] at [microware.com] 3000 University Avenue #52 West Des Moines, IA 50325 (515) 225-8663 x252 IL: Frank Pittel [f w p] at [fwpbbs.mcs.com] 108 N. Roy Northlake Il. 60164 (708) 531-9340 MO: Jim Burnes email: [j--r--s] at [compusci.com] 530 Villa Garden Kirkwood, MO 63122 (314) 821-0694 ND: Dwight Galster email: [g--s--r] at [plains.nodak.edu] 213 E Court, University Village Fargo, North Dakota 58102 (701) 280-1630 (home) (701) 237-8094 (office) NM: David Christy email: [d c hristy] at [nmsu.edu] 511 Alumni Ave. Las Cruces, NM 88003 (505) 645-3778 NY: William Kone email: [k--e] at [courier1.sha.cornell.edu] 128 Grandview Court Ithaca NY 14850 (607) 272-0557 OH: Shefali Sanghani email: [s--a--g] at [teleng.eng.telxon.com] 1299 Linden Ave. Akron, OH 44310 (216) 920-9611 PA: Monica Cellio email: [m j c] at [transarc.com] 7634 Westmoreland Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15218 (412) 271-5279 TX: Thomas Rush email: [t--m--r] at [cpqhou.compaq.com] PO Box 11110 Klein, TX 77391 (713) 259-0569 VA, Frank Ney email: [c--a--r] at [highlite.gotham.com] MD, Compuserve: 71005,2421 DC: PO Box 6354 Arlington VA 22206-0354 (703) 709-5324 WA: Tom Isenberg email: [t--m--s] at [microsoft.com] 2526 - 175th Ave NE Redmond, WA 98052 (206) 936-7359 WI: Robert Hess email: [R--E--S] at [wisc.macc.edu] 1101 Chandler St #7 Madison, WI 53715 (608) 251-9520 WY: Rod Heil email: [a--z--h] at [uwyo.edu] P.O. Box 335 Laramie, WY 82070 (307) 742-2921 [END] -- thomas rush compaq computer corporation [t--m--r] at [cpqhou.compaq.com] their employee, not their opinions. It's time to tell President Clinton to cut spending _first_. Write him at [P--i--t] at [WhiteHouse.Gov.] Please do it today (and tomorrow and...).