Subject Line: Stand up to Bush. Don't let him abandon the poor again.

Dear ColorOfChange.org member,

Two weeks ago, Bush spoke from New Orleans, promising to protect the most vulnerable, address the scourge of racism, and "confront...poverty with bold action" [1]. We knew he was lying when he said it. Now there's no doubt.

Last week, more than 100 Republican members of Congress announced that they want to pay for reconstruction in the Gulf by taking over $500 billion away from programs that help poor people [2]. And on Tuesday, a group of them blocked a bi-partisan effort to give emergency health insurance to the poorest folks displaced by Hurricane Katrina [3].

What was Bush's "bold action" in response to these attacks on the poor from within his own party? Not a damn thing.

It looks like Bush & Co. have a plan to pay for rebuilding the Gulf Coast: let the ultra-wealthy continue to enjoy tax cuts and raid the funding of programs that help the poor.

It's wrong and we shouldn't stand for it. Join us in speaking out, now:

http://colorofchange.org/callhimout

We're looking for 10,000 people to sign our petition and stand up to the President. We're calling on Bush to declare unequivocally that NO programs that are a part of the safety-net for poor folks will be touched to pay for the rebuilding in the Gulf.

If he refuses, he will have made it perfectly clear where he stands. And we'll start fundraising for a media campaign to make sure that everyone in America gets the message—that Bush's rhetoric about fighting poverty is a sham.

The Republican plan is beyond shameful. They want to cut almost $500 billion from Medicare and Medicaid, $25 billion from the Centers for Disease Control, $7.5 billion from the global fight against AIDS, and even $6.7 billion from school lunches for needy children. These cuts will be especially hard on many black folks and others in struggling communities. Basically, they're using Katrina as an excuse to gut programs that are relied upon by millions of the most vulnerable people in America.

Of course, the money to pay for rebuilding the Gulf Coast has to come from somewhere. But there's no way it should come from the programs that the victims of Katrina and poor people in every community need to survive.

If Congress just rolled back Bush's tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, it could pay for the entire $200 billion reconstruction effort--and have more than $100 billion to spare. But instead of rolling back his tax cuts, Bush wants to make them permanent.

We can't let him get away with this.

It’s time to call the President out. Join us to stand up, speak out, and be heard. Please sign the petition and pass it on to your family and friends. Together, we will ensure that the legacy of Katrina is more help, not more harm, for those in need.

http://colorofchange.org/callhimout

Thanks,
-- James Rucker & Van Jones
   ColorOfChange.org
   September 30th, 2005

[1] Official White House Website
[2] AlterNet.org
[3] WashingtonPost.com