Nearly 800 Activists Expected to Lobby Their State Legislators for Less Government, Lower Taxes, and More Freedom

This week, President Bush released his proposed federal budget, which, as expected, signaled a return to deficit spending. Between a sluggish economy and increased spending on defense and “homeland security” the surplus has evaporated. But Washington is not the only government facing an economic crunch. In fact, state governments across the nation are swimming in red ink, and unlike the federal government, most states have laws that require budgets to be balanced. The National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) projects state shortfalls to total $40 billion for 2002.

CSE’s Key Issues for February During the month of February, CSE will concentrate on a number of key issues and encourage our members and activists to reach out to their elected officials and make their voices heard. CSE’s grassroots activists will call upon their senators to restore America’s energy security by passing legislation that emphasizes domestic production of reliable energy resources and regulatory improvement.

Dear Congressman: The annual House Republican Conference retreat offers Members an excellent opportunity to identify the key issues facing the American public and develop strategies to address them during the second session of the 107th Congress. On behalf of the nearly 300,000 members of Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), I wanted to take this opportunity to inform you of our legislative priorities and to pledge the assistance of our network of dedicated activists to fight for lower taxes, less government, and more freedom.

Dear Senator: The annual Senate Republican Conference retreat offers senators an excellent opportunity to identify the key issues facing the American public and develop strategies to address them during the second session of the 107th Congress. On behalf of the nearly 300,000 members of Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), I wanted to take this opportunity to inform you of our legislative priorities and to pledge the assistance of our network of dedicated activists to fight for lower taxes, less government, and more freedom.

Soundbite: With our nation our at war and the threat of another terrorist attack at home very real, the importance of the institutions of government responsible for administering justice cannot be overstated. Unfortunately for Americans, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Senator Patrick Leahy (D- Vt.) are stonewalling on President Bush's judicial nominations. Both Democratic Senators are blocking President Bush's nominees from ever receiving a committee hearing or a vote on the Senate floor. This partisan obstructionism is indefensible and harmful to our legal system. Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department has been devoting scarce tax dollars towards a baseless racketeering case against the tobacco industry instead of protecting and defending Americans from future terrorist attacks. Americans deserve a Justice Department that places protecting the nation from terrorist attacks ahead of pursuing frivolous lawsuits against law-abiding companies.

© 2002 Copley News Service, 1/31/2002 As a rookie columnist, I have always tried to be fair in recognizing good ideas, whether they come from Democrats or Republicans, and when I criticize what I believe to be ill-considered ideas, I do so on substantive grounds so as to avoid making ad hominem attacks. So I was disappointed to hear Democrats make false claims about us returning to an era of deficits and fiscal profligacy when the Congressional Budget Office reported that it was reducing its 10-year budget surplus projection from $3.4 trillion to "only" $1.6 trillion.

In his first State of the Union address last night, President George W. Bush spoke powerfully and passionately about our great nation. He recalled the great strength and courage we have shown in the wake of the terrible terrorist attacks of September 11th and looked forward to the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead of us.