Action Alert: Balanced Budget Amendment


The future of AIDS research, prevention, human rights, and
care will depend on how well we explain the need to the
larger public, and also on how well we establish a grassroots
culture in which tens of thousands of people regularly speak
out to their elected representatives, the media, and others,
as a part of everyday life. Today, if you live in California
or one of other 15 states listed below, your calls to one or
both of your Senators are especially important; also get
friends living in those states to call.

The U.S. Senate may vote next week on a "balanced budget"
amendment to the U.S. Constitution; the House has already
passed it. The bottom line is that a balanced-budget
amendment will hurt people who need help, including people
with AIDS. Also, the Constitution should not be changed
without good reason; the deficit has already been reduced by
almost half since 1992, without changing the Constitution;
and many economists believe that the Federal government needs
the flexibility of deficit spending to help people during
recessions, stabilizing the economy in the process. This
attempt to change the Constitution is being rammed through
before people have a chance to understand the consequences.
Call or write your Senators and ask them to OPPOSE the
balanced budget amendment.

On February 11 the AIDS Action Council listed the following
Senators as especially important, because they are undecided
or not firm about how they will vote. The vote will be close;
if you live in any of these states, call the Capitol at
202/224-3121, ask for your Senator's office, and ask them to
vote NO on the balanced budget amendment. [Note: The busy
office staff will seldom ask why you are opposed; they just
need to get the count of those who call for and against. If
the receptionist does ask, you could say that you are
concerned about AIDS funding -- or about changing the
Constitution unnecessarily.]

Alaska: Ted Stevens (R-AK)
California: Diane Feinstein (D-CA)
Delaware: Joe Biden (D-DE)
Georgia: Sam Nunn (D-GA)
Iowa: Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Kentucky: Wendell Ford (D-KY)
Louisiana: John Breaux (D-LA)
Maryland: Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Massachusetts: John Kerry (D-MA)
Montana: Max Baucus (D-MT)
Nevada: Harry Reid (D-NV)
New Mexico: Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
North Dakota: Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan
Rhode Island: Clairborne Pell (D-RI)
South Dakota: Tom Daschle (D-SD)
Vermont: Jim Jeffords (R-VT)