URGENT ACTION ALERT!!
Write to President Clinton and tell him to veto the Budget Bill because it
is bad for Family Farms and The Environment. (i.e. bad for sustainable
agriculture)
Budget bills and tax bills that are moving through Congress will be rolled
into one big Budget Reconciliation Bill and will be sent to the
President's desk for signature or veto. The House and Senate bills still
face some negotiations, but given the agriculture budget bills recently
approved we know that the final bill will be harmful to family farmers and
the environment. Specifically, the Budget Bill would:
*Force deep cuts on family sized farms while the largest farms and
agribusiness would take little or no cuts
*Make substantial cuts in funding for the Conservation Reserve Program
(CRP). (The Senate bill cuts funding in half over the next 7 years!)
*Take the teeth out of the wetland and soil protection programs from the
previous farm bills by weakening Conservation Compliance, and would cut the
Wetlands Reserve Program
*Reduce the ability for farmers who are in commodity programs to plant
resource conserving crops without being penalized
*Cuts food assistance and nutrition programs that are important to those
who most need it
Your letter will make a difference- we can win!
We have been told by advisors in the White House that a flood of letters
WILL influence the President's decision to send the budget bill back to
Congress and insist, in his veto message, that it be fairer to farmers and
the environment.
Write your letter now. The President's address is:
President Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
(Fax number is 202-456-2461)
Tips for letter writing:
Write the letter in your own words. Be brief. Include the reasons why you
want the Budget Bill vetoed. A Sample letter is attached to use only as a
guide.
Please ask others to write, also.
If you can, send your letter to the editor of your local newspaper
Sample Letter
(Please use your own words, this is just a guide)
President Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Clinton,
I am writing to ask you to veto the Budget Bill because it is bad for
family farmers and the environment.
I understand and accept the fact that we need to cut the deficit and have a
responsible budget, but the federal budget should cut smart and cut fair.
This could be done by reducing the six figure farm program payments going
to the nation's largest farms and agribusiness. That would both save money
and benefit a much larger number of people, rural communities and the
environment.
The current proposals weaken conservation compliance and water and soil
protection programs. These programs are extremely important for the
protection of natural resources that we need, both for growing food, and
maintaining water supplies. Seventy-eight percent of farmers support
conservation
compliance, according to a recent American Farmland Trust poll. This bill
will divide farmers, consumers, and environmentalists rather than allowing
them to work together to enhance economic opportunities and natural
resources.
If you veto this bill you will take a step towards benefiting American
family farms and the environment.
Sincerely,
Your name and address (important)
To alter your letter to send it to the editor:
-address it to the editor
-change the language slightly so that you are addressing the public and
not the president. For example instead of "I am writing to ask you to veto
the Budget Bill because it is bad for farmers and the environment..." You
could write something like, "The President should veto the Budget Bill,
etc..."
10/12/95
For more information, contact the Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture,
(914) 294-0633.
Julie Burns
Southern SAWG/Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture
hn3897@handsnet.org
12 Laurel Ave. Asheville, NC 28804
(704) 255-8376 phone
(704) 254-1937 fax
Sent: October 12, 1995 2:18 pm PDT Item: R00FFNV
Sent: October 13, 1995 12:22 pm PDT Item: R00FIfT