Tell the Fiscal Commission: Don't Harm Low-Income People

On June 30, 2010, 119 national organizations sent a letter to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, urging it to adopt the principle that lower income people should not be harmed by its recommendations - indeed, that smart investments to help low-income people will strengthen the economy and the nation.

Now we want to show that organizations in every state agree.  Please sign the letter by Friday, August 27, 2010.
(Please sign if you are authorized to speak for a state or local organization* - service provider, congregation or other faith-based group, advocacy org, business, PTA, labor union... - adding your voice will help!  And if you're a national group that hasn't yet signed, we welcome you!)

Read the letter and see the national group signers as of June 30, 2010.

Sign the letter.

What's this all about?
The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has been established by the President to make recommendations to substantially reduce the deficit by 2015.  Co-chaired by former Clinton Administration Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles and former Senator Alan Simpson, the Commission has bipartisan appointees from the House and Senate as well as others appointed by the President and has been charged with making its recommendations by December 1.  It will forward proposals to Congress if they are agreed to by 14 out of 18 members.Click here for more background information.

Deficit fever has infected Washington.  
We agree steps should be taken to address a long-term problem.  But deficit reduction is a means to an end - the end being a strong economy with prosperity shared by all.  If you agree that reducing the deficit by making cuts that hurt low-income people will only weaken the economy and our nation, please sign the letter.   Be assured that we can fix the long-term problem through equitable and sensible revenue increases and savings in areas such as waste in the military or in other areas.  But we cannot fix the problem by creating roadblocks for millions of people to be productive participants in our nation's future.

We will show the large list of new signers to members of the Commission, and will circulate the letter to all Members of Congress on their return to Washington in September. 

For more on why this is important, see CHN's testimony to the Commission.
To view the Commission's June 30 public forum (all or part). You can see videos of testimony as well as printed text.

We hope you will join many groups in affirming these basic principles: 
No more harm to those with the least, and investment in all to strengthen our future.

A note about the form for signing the letter: 
You will be asked at the bottom to say "yes" or "no"  to the question, "Are you authorized to sign on behalf of your organization?"  Please only sign if you are authorized, and then select "YES."  If you forget to answer this, we will have to contact you to make sure we should be listing your organization.