Forwarded message:
> > From jbenson Mon May 15 19:57:02 1995
> > From: "JANETTE B. BENSON" <jbenson>
> > Subject: Emergency Action Alert (fwd)
> > >
> > > EMERGENCY ACTION ALERT
> > > From the Federation of Behavioral, Psychological and Cognitive
> > > Sciences
> > > The House Budget Committee has recommended the complete elimination of
> > > NSF research funding for Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology,
> > > Linguistics, Political Science, Economics, Geography, Cognitive Science,
> > > Decision, Risk and Management Sciences, History of Science, and
> > > Statistical Research for the Behavioral and Social Sciences-- as NSF's
> > > contribution to balancing the Federal budget.
> > >
> > > There is no doubt that NSF funding will be cut in the effort to balance
> > > the budget. But to selectively wipe out the behavioral and social
> > > sciences goes far beyond simply saving money. This is the most important
> > > crisis these sciences have faced since Ronald Reagan attempted to
> > > eliminate the same sciences in the early 1980s. Action on this will
> > > happen very quickly. The Budget Committee approved the budget package on
> > > May 11. The vote on the package by the full House will happen sometime
> > > between the 15th and 18th of May. In all likelihood, the budget
> > > resolution will pass the House unaltered. The Appropriations Committee
> > > will be bound by the spending limits imposed by the Budget Committee.
> > > But it need not be bound by the particular cuts recommended by the Budget
> > > Committee! Unfortunately, the House leadership has also made it known
> > > that no program that lacks a current authorization will be funded. The
> > > National Science Foundation is not currently authorized. Efforts to pass
> > > its authorization failed last year in the Senate. The House Science
> > > Committee Chair, Robert Walker (R-PA) has said that as soon as the budget
> > > is passed, the Science Committee will proceed to report its
> > > authorizations which include, among other things, NSF, NASA, and the
> > > research programs of the Department of Energy. Robert Walker is also the
> > > Vice-Chair of the Budget Committee, and he played a key role in
> > > determining the selective cuts at NSF. In a news conference on May 12,
> > > Walker said that the Directorate containing the research programs
> > > mentioned above was created simply because it was "politically correct"
> > > and that it is now time to make a correction. This means that there is
> > > little chance the NSF authorization from his Committee will contain an
> > > authorization for the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences
> > > Directorate. If the Committee does not authorize the Directorate, the
> > > Appropriations Committee cannot fund the research programs it contains.
> > > So scientists must pay close attention to actions of the Budget,
> > > Appropriations, and the authorizing committee.
> > >
> > > The only way the course of events can be changed is for concerned
> > > citizens to let their elected representatives know that they as voters do
> > > not approve of these ideological cuts masquerading as budget balancing
> > > measures. You must take it on yourself immediately to
> > >
> > > 1) write or call your own representative and senator's office to express
> > > your disapproval
> > >
> > > 2) send a copy of your letter to: Robert Walker, George Brown (ranking
> > > minority member of the Science Committee and a likely ally of behavioral
> > > and social scientists), Jerry Lewis (Chairman of the House Appropriations
> > > Subcommittee that appropriates money for the National Science
> > > Foundation). And this next thing is equally important: SEND, FAX OR
> > > EMAIL A COPY OF YOUR CORRESPONDENCE TO THE FEDERATION OF BEHAVIORAL,
> > > PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND COGNITIVE SCIENCES. We have to be able to monitor how
> > > great an impact behavioral and social scientists are having, and the only
> > > way we can do that is by keeping track of how many contacts from
> > > scientists congressional offices have received. Any letter to Congress
> > > may be addressed as follows: Representative's name, U.S. House of
> > > Representatives (or U.S. Senate) Washington, D.C. 20515 (House) or 20510
> > > (Senate). The Federation email is federation@apa.org. Federation fax is
> > > (202) 336-6158. If you need more information, our telephone number is
> > > (202) 336-5920.
> > >
> > > 3) Help us get the word out. Please see that the anthropology,
> > > sociology, linguistics, economics, political science, cognitive science,
> > > and geography departments on your campus receive this action alert as
> > > well.
> > >
> > > 4) It is very important that elected representatives do not hear only
> > > from the scientists affected. If you have acquaintances in the physical
> > > or biological sciences or the university administration who would write a
> > > letter or make a phone call to an elected representative, do everything
> > > you can to get such a communication sent.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
>