Arizona Advocacy Network: Working Families Differ With Bush over the Real State of the Union

Arizona Advocacy Network

Arizona Advocacy Network and End The War Coalition Reject Omnibus Package with Blank Check for War in Iraq

The Arizona Advocacy Network and the End the War Coalition join in denouncing Senators McCain and Kyl for adding billions in new Iraq war funding without a deadline for withdrawal

Phoenix—The Arizona Advocacy Network and the End the War Coalition released the following statement on Wednesday, following the Senate vote on the FY08 omnibus appropriations bill:

“After seven years of upside-down budget priorities and five years of tragic war in Iraq, Congress’ support for legislation that holds critical human-needs funding hostage to President Bush’s intransigence on the war is unacceptable. The Arizona Advocacy Network opposes any new funds for the Iraq war without a concrete deadline to bring the troops home,” said Linda Brown, executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network.

Mitchell Rubin, the spokesperson for the End the War Coalition in Phoenix added “The End the War Coalition and the Arizona people share the hope that Representative Giffords, Grijalva, Pastor, and Mitchell will begin the final year of President Bush’s administration by standing up to President Bush by reversing the president’s upside-down priorities and ending the war in Iraq.”

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Arizona Advocacy Network

For Immediate Release                                                       Contact: Linda Brown

Date: October 4, 2007                                                          Phone: 602-622-6641

Arizonans Turnout to Protest Bush Veto of Children’s Healthcare

Prescott, AZ – Nearly 10 million kids and thousands in Arizona were just one step away from receiving the basic health coverage they need following last week’s passage in both the U.S. House and Senate of the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act – critical legislation that would reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP, known as Kidscare in Arizona) for 6.6 million kids and provide coverage to nearly 4 million more low income children. However, after spending half a trillion dollars on the Iraq war, President Bush vetoed the reauthorization of this critical program for the nation’s children, jeopardizing the healthcare of 10 million children including thousands right here in Arizona.

In response, the Arizona Advocacy Network, Children’s Health Care Advocates and Community Leaders gathered today in protest, reacting angrily to Bush’s backwards and irresponsible policy that sacrifices the healthcare of children for a failed policy in Iraq. Those gathered called on Republican Rep. Rick Renzi, who voted in favor of the children’s health insurance program in defiance of the White House last week, to stand firm and vote to override the President’s veto when it comes back before the House. Even as President Bush was vetoing a modest, $35 billion expansion of the children’s healthcare insurance program, he asked Congress for nearly $200 billion in additional funds for Iraq.

“After spending half a trillion dollars in Iraq, President Bush chose to deny healthcare funding for millions of children in need, thousands right here at home, with one stroke of his veto pen,” said Linda Brown, executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network. “The fact is, for what we spend in just one week in Iraq, 800,000 children could have health insurance for an entire year. This is a question of priorities, and President Bush and many Republicans in Congress have theirs all mixed up: billions for the Iraq War and a veto for kid’s health care. The needs of our children and other priorities here at home, like education and prescription drugs for seniors, have been shortchanged for far too long while this President spends billions and billions each week in Iraq.”

“Rep. Renzi, and all members of Congress, must look this President in the eye and say enough is enough and to vote to override the President’s shameful veto of this critical legislation to provide health care for thousands of kids in Arizona and expanding that care to thousands more in desperate need,” Brown added.

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Phoenix, AZ--The Arizona Advocacy Network Foundation today released a report with new data revealing the cost of the Iraq War to Arizona. Arizona taxpayers have spent $6.3 billion of the $456 billion in total funding for the Iraq war.
The report, titled “Getting U.S. Back on Track” and authored by the USAction Education Fund, illustrates, how Arizona’s cost of war could have provided health insurance for more children, funded Head Start and provided more college scholarships here in Arizona.

The report also finds that the modest new investments in neglected priorities such as health care and education to be debated this fall between Congress and President Bush would amount to a fraction of what is spent every month on the war.

“This data highlights how the Bush administration’s upside-down priorities have shortchanged Arizona families and communities,” said Linda Brown, executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network Foundation. “For a fraction of what Arizona’s taxpayers have spent in Iraq, about $3,313 for each and every household in the state, we could be addressing neglected priorities like providing more health care and college scholarships for our families.”

· Cost of restoring Arizona K-12 education funding ($76.9 million) = 5 hours 36 minutes of Iraq war spending
· Full Title I funding for U.S. schools ($14.4 billion) = 45.6 days of Iraq war spending
· Cost of restoring Arizona child care funds ($12.1 million) = about 53 minutes of Iraq war spending
· Cost of restoring Arizona child support funding ($10.2 million) = about 44 minutes of Iraq war spending
· Cost of restoring Arizona job training funds ($19.6 million) = about 85 minutes of Iraq war spending
· Cost of fully funding SCHIP coverage in the United States for one year = about 53.4 days of Iraq war spending
Bush administration officials and Republican leaders have suggested they would shut down the government before passing even modest increases in funding for these vital priorities.

“It is unconscionable for President Bush and GOP leaders to threaten to shut down the government over a fraction of what they are spending on the endless war in Iraq,” said Brown. Our members of congress should vote to override President Bush’s veto of new funding that makes a down-payment toward fully funding children’s health care, job training, education and other priorities that have been neglected for far too long.”

WHAT: Take A Stand Congressman Renzi Rally;
RELEASE OF COST OF WAR REPORT
            WHO: Arizona Advocacy Network, End the War Coalition, 
WHEN: Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 5:30 pm           
WHERE: Wheeler Park, 212 West Aspen Avenue, Flagstaff

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The loyalty letter pledging to cut domestic spending comes at a time when the president’s approval rating for his handling of domestic issues is at an all time low.   “It’s mind-boggling that Representatives Franks, Shadegg & Flake would choose to hitch their wagons to a broken-down garbage truck when they should be standing up to the president and fighting for the people of Arizona,” said Linda Brown, executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network.   “It’s also curious that after six years of irresponsible tax cuts that favor millionaires and corporate interests, our representatives - especially Franks & Shadegg, have discovered a newfound interest in fiscal responsibility.”

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Senator John McCain endorsed the 50-year plan a speech to more than 250 Nationwide Insurance employees in Des Moines, saying “We have had troops in South Korea for sixty years and nobody minds.  If you stay (in Iraq) a long, long time, but have the Iraqis doing the fighting, and your people are back in the bases and away from the firing line, I think Americans would be satisfied.”*

“This is a slap in the face to the millions of Americans who are demanding an end to the war. Once again President Bush and Senator McCain are demonstrating how incredibly out of touch they are with the American people,” said Linda Brown, executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network. “Outrage over the President’s Iraq policy has reached a boiling point, with a majority of Americans supporting a timeline to bring the troops home.  It is beyond belief that President Bush would turn around and model his Iraq policy after S. Korea, where our troops have been stationed for more than 50 years.  And for John McCain to mimic this stance shows that he still doesn’t get it.  Arizonans do not support an endless war.”   

“The public is more energized than ever before – President Bush and Senator McCain should prepare for the barrage of rallies, protests, press conferences, phone calls, prayer vigils and letters that are headed their way,” said Chris Fleischman of the End the War Coalition.  “Arizonans are furious and we will not let up until our troops are safely home from Iraq.”

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* http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/04/mccain-korea-2/

PHOENIX, AZ – A letter being circulated by conservative members of the House of Representatives has drawn the ire of leading Arizona advocates for health and human services, good government and sound fiscal policy.  The letter asks members of Congress to commit to sustaining any presidential vetoes of pending budget proposals well before the details of these bills have been determined.  Three members of the Arizona congressional delegation, Congressmen Shadegg, Flake and Franks, have already signed the letter that is being circulated by a conservative group called the Republican Study Committee.  They are seeking to give advanced assurance to President Bush that they will stand by his planned vetoes of budget proposals that have not yet worked their way through Congress.

 “We expect our members of Congress to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work required to appropriate funds in accordance with America’s priorities,” said Linda Brown, executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network. “They are not supposed to be a rubber stamp for the President and his failed policies.  We have already seen where that has gotten us.  It’s time for Congress to get down to the people’s business.” 

“Our members of Congress need to remember that they were elected to serve and represent the people of Arizona, not be toadies to President Bush,” said Reverend Trina Zelle, executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice, “Those that sign this loyalty oath to President Bush are choosing to abdicate their responsibility to their constituents and they can expect to be held accountable for their actions.”  

The Budget Resolution just approved by Congress allows an increase of 3.1 percent beyond inflation for non-defense appropriations.  “That is modest progress, but it is urgently needed,” said Tim Schmaltz of Protecting Arizona’s Family Coalition.  “This funding would enable Congress to take meaningful steps towards addressing education, health, child welfare, nutrition, and other vital needs.”

The group has sent its own letter to Congressman Rick Renzi, who is currently being targeted by his colleagues to sign on to the letter.  They are asking that he refuse to sign. 

“Signing this letter would short-change the people of the first congressional district,” said Lance Morris, Chairman of the Blackhawkpoint Intertribal Council of Rimrock.   “We need Representative Renzi to show some backbone and stand up for his constituents.”

More than 135 members of congress have already signed the letter.  They need 146 to ensure that they can sustain any presidential veto.   The group says they will continue enlisting other leaders and activists in his district to contact the congressman until Congressman Renzi affirms his loyalty to his constituents--not the president-- by pledging not to sign the Bush loyalty letter.

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Despite Overwhelming Demand to End the War, Bush Recklessly Vetoes Legislation To Begin Safe, Responsible Redeployment of Troops Out of Iraq

State Representative Ed Ableser, an outspoken critic of the war said “It’s a sad day when the President of the United States is so far removed from reality that he refuses to sign legislation that’s in the best interest of our troops and of our national security because of a stubborn refusal to change his own failed policy.” 

“President Bush’s veto is not surprising, given his record of stubbornly clinging to failed policies,” said Iraq veteran and ASU graduate student Chris Sheppard, “but that doesn’t make his action any less devastating for the troops being sent into harm’s way, their families, and all of us who hold out hope for a responsible end to the war.”

Opposition to the Iraq war and the President’s escalation stretches all across the country and includes a growing number of Iraq veterans and the families of our troops.  Brown, Sheppard and Ableser will be joined by other legislators and opponents of the escalation at a rally protesting the president’s veto on Wednesday, May 2nd at the Arizona State Capitol at 12:15pm. 

The Arizona Advocacy Network is part of the national campaign Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, which is working for a reasonable and responsible time frame to bring an end to the war in Iraq.

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• Provides $450 billion for domestic annual appropriations in FY 2008.
  
• Increases outdated benefit levels and eligibility for Food Stamps, funds SCHIP at levels adequate to cover all eligible children, restores funds cut from child support enforcement, and strengthens the unemployment insurance program.
  
• Rejects new tax breaks for the wealthy and special interests, and any changes in the tax system, such as an AMT “fix,” that do not make the system more progressive and that do not, at a minimum, replace lost tax revenue.

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