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NARP reports that a letter is currently circulating among state governors to support full funding of Amtrak for 2005. NARP's information is a little sketchy, but you will find it here. http://www.narprail.org/act.htm
The page includes a link for contacting your own state governors. I've already written to Arnold. Join me!
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I was about to do the same Mr. Toy when I read the link. Then 2 things popped out to me concerning why I shound't contact my governor.
1 Sen. Byrd is part of this iniative and thus I refuse to support. For those of you who do not know hwo Sen. Byrd is, he is a Democratic Senator from West Virginia, who happens to be a former KKK memeber. I refuse to believe that anyone who is/was a member of the KKK should not be leading this country.
2 Amtrak is the Federal Gov's issue, not any state and thus writing to my Governor would be pointless. The federal gov funds amtrak and thus states shouldnt be involved in its funding.
1. States are involved. There are state supported trains. Also, governors will lean on their state's congressional delegations whenever possible
2. What does the KKK have to do with Amtrak? How long in the past was this. Quit using ancient history to beat up somebody and deal with today's issues today. If I want to find a political skunk I always look to the Admiral of Chappaquadik (or however you spell it) who has never apologied or admitted cupability for leaving a woman to drown. (That's Teddy Kennedy to those of you not old enough to remember.)
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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Polarbear, you are confusing the authors with the recipient.
The governors letter is to show Congress that state governors support full Federal funding of Amtrak for 2005. Sen. Byrd is not circulating the letter. The letter is addressed TO four Senators on the Appropriations Committee, one of them being Byrd.
[This message has been edited by Mr. Toy (edited 07-13-2004).]
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Sen Byrd is in his 70s or 80s. He was in the KKK back in the 1930s or 40s, when he was a young man and didn't know any better. He has since expressed shame for it and made numerous disavowals. Also, unlike most Dixiecrats (Strom Thurmond, Phil Gramm, Trent Lott, etc), he did not leave the Democratic party after Richard Nixon employed the "Southern strategy" to get the Wallace vote. His staff has many African Americans. Give the guy a break!
The reason you have heard so much about Byrd's ancient faux pas with the KKK was that he was a leading critic of the Iraq War from the get go.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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There are too reasons I probably wouldn't get involved with this idea.
1) We don't have any state-funded trains here in Minnesota to begin with. Now I know this doesn't get past the deal with the Senate passing a larger spending bill, but I don't really think it would be something our governor would even relay to the senators.
2) With the ever increasing percent of Minnesota citizens without health insurance (thanks to Governor Pawlenty and his no new taxes pledge) I think there are simply more important things this state could be spending its money on.
As a fellow Minnesotan, I respectfully wish to disagree with you on the futility of contacting our governor. National politicians and the President will certainly be influenced when a large portion of governors endorse a position, especially in an election year. Both Minnesota senators have signed a similar letter. Gov. Pawlenty, a Republican who fought against light rail as a legislator, would lend credibility to this as a bi-partison issue that has popular support.
Since at least one of our senators and my congresswoman are enthusiastic Amtrak supporters, it is like preaching to the choir to write to them (which I have).
So far I have only received an acknowledgement that the letter was received from the Gov. Both Sen. Dayton(D) and Rep. McCollum(D) returned well-informed positive replies to previous letters I wrote. Sen. Coleman(R) has not replied, but according to NARP, he signed the Senate letter.
We rail supporters are an invisible constituency to elected officials unless many of us make ourselves heard. If you change your mind, he is at tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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