PDA Friends,
I am forwarding a letter to you I wrote to Senator Lincoln. I urge you to please do the same! Contact your senators today here:
http://ga4.org/campaign/boxer_anwr/b853884qjkj3wxJim Barlow
Progressive Democrats of America
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March 16, 2005
Dear Democratic Committee Member:
Arkansas' Democrat Senators are wolves in sheep's clothing. Today, March 16th, the Senate is scheduled to vote on a bill which would allow drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I spoke with Senator Pryor's office in Washington, DC, today and his office indicated he was going to vote to allow this drilling. Also, on this date Senator Blanche Lincoln's office stated she had not disclosed her position at this time. The need to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is another Bush lie. Experts agree that the petroleum reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will take 10 years to bring to market and if all oil imported to the U.S. was stopped when the oil from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge came online then the need for the USA alone would deplete that field in seven months. If you believe that drilling should not take place in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as I do, immediately call each of their offices and express your view. The phone numbers are (202) 224-2353 for Senator Pryor and (202) 224-4843 for Senator Lincoln.
Both Senators voted for the new Bankruptcy Bill which means that "John and Susan Public" will have to pay off their unsecured debts when their inability to pay said debts is caused by some of the following:
1. Loss of good paying job or any job due to the actions of our "Corporate Oligopoly" exporting Middle Class America's means of income.
2. Forty eight percent (48%) of all personal bankruptcies are caused by the inability to pay medical bills (the average unpaid medical bill for people filing bankruptcy who have insurance is $13,000 and those bank ruptcy filers who have had cancer treatment and covered by insurance, their average unpaid bill is $35,000). The foregoing was reported on CNN February 2, 2005 from a study published in the Journal Of Health Affairs.
3. Aggressive credit card marketing tactics of the banking industry.
Bankruptcy was designed to give a person or business a fresh start. However, the recently passed bankruptcy bill still allows corporations and businesses to get that fresh start, such as the recent K-Mart bankruptcy that allowed them to retain their real estate and other valuable assets while discharging their unsecured debt. K-Mart, after bankruptcy, was able to purchase Sears.
Their stock has risen from approximately $2.00 a share at the time of bankruptcy filing to over $100 a share. Don't you think that "John and Susan Public" should be treated the same?
Unfortunately, Arkansas' two Senators did not agree with this position, which leads me to believe that their primary interest is in serving the "corporate oligopoly" rather than we, the average citizens. Senator Pryor does not deserve support of the Democratic Party if the Democratic Party in the State of Arkansas is the Party of William Jennings Bryan, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson. It is my desire to find people within the Party and outside the Party who are Progressive, who will help me find a true Progressive Democrat to oppose Senator Pryor in 2006.
Sincerely,
Jim Barlow
cc: Senator Blanche Lincoln
Senator Mark Pryor