From: [email protected] Subject: Some Good News from Congress Land Rights Network American Land Rights Association PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973 – E-mail: [email protected] Web Address: http://www.landrights.org Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003 Phone: 202-210-2357 – Fax: 202-543-7126 – E-mail: [email protected] Some Good News from Congress Here are a few items of GOOD NEWS from Congress! Congressmen Sam Graves of Missouri, Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado and longtime Champion Richard Pombo of California are speaking out in support of private property rights and common sense. GRAVES Rep. Graves has introduced a bill, HR 1517, that will change the Land and Water Conservation Fund to prohibit land acquisition, so that all the money in the fund will go to maintenance and construction of recreational facilities, from shooting ranges to tennis courts, campgrounds, bathrooms, trails, roads, headquarters and interpretive centers. It would prohibit use of the funds for land acquisition, because federal and state governments already own nearly 40% of the land in the United States. Graves is seeking cosponsors on his bill. ACTION ITEM: THANK Congressman Graves, and tell your own member of Congress to cosponsor HR 1517. He can be reached at [email protected]. Here are the cosponsors so far - thank them also if you live in their home state, even if not in their district: SPONSOR - Rep. Graves, Sam [MO-6] COSPONSORS: Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6] Rep Cannon, Chris [UT-3] Rep Gibbons, Jim [NV-2] Rep Hastings, Doc [WA-4] Rep Hayworth, J. D. [AZ-5] Rep Herger, Wally [CA-2] Rep Otter, C. L. (Butch) [ID-1] Rep Peterson, John E. [PA-5] Rep Rehberg, Dennis R. [MT] Rep Stearns, Cliff [FL-6] Rep Terry, Lee [NE-2] Rep Thornberry, Mac - 3/31/2003 [TX-13] MUSGRAVE Freshman Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado is leading the charge to hold the line on taxes. Here are excerpts of a letter that Musgrave is circulating and gaining signatures for in support of NO INCREASE in the gas tax, followed by the signers of the letter. ALL of these members of Congress should be THANKED for fighting against a tax increase! May 25, 2003 Dear Speaker Hastert: Current proposals to raise the gas tax are ill timed and are not helpful to the efforts by you and others institute much needed tax relief for the American people. As you know, the current federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon. State taxes on gasoline average just over 22 cents, according to the Federal Highway Administration. The combined state and federal gas taxes amount to more than $50 billion annually in taxes. This represents an annual tax burden of $660 for the average family, and every penny increase in the gas tax increases that family's annual tax bill by $25. If a 5.4 cent increase in the gas tax is enacted, each family could see their yearly tax burden increase by $135. The total gas tax incurred by each family annually would be almost $800. Furthermore, a decision to index the gas tax to inflation would impose an automatic tax increase to these families each year. We will oppose any and all efforts to raise or index the gasoline tax. We remain committed to work with President Bush and the Republican Leadership to reduce the overall tax burden on the American people. Sincerely, Marilyn Musgrave (CO) Rob Bishop (UT) John Shadegg (AZ) Mike Pence (IN) Roscoe Bartlett (MD) Jim DeMint (SC) Pat Toomey (PA) John Kline (MN) Jeb Hensarling (TX) Trent Franks (AZ) Jeff Flake (AZ) Chris Cannon (UT) Tom Feeney (FL) Todd Akin (MO) Gresham Barrett (SC) Sue Myrick (NC) Joe Barton (TX) James Sensenbrenner (WI) Ron Paul (TX) JoAnn Davis (VA) Joe Wilson (SC) Let Rep. Marilyn Musgrave know that you appreciate her efforts - the members of congress who help us out need to know that we are with them! E-MAIL her a thank-you at [email protected]. Her official website is www.house.gov/musgrave. POMBO Resources Committee Chairman and private property rights CHAMPION Richard Pombo had a few things to say about the extreme, anti-people enviro crowd recently. Here are his comments regarding the enviros and the Endangered Species Act, which was approved thirty years ago: "Today the radical environmental community in America attacked the Bush Administration again with the signature scare-tactics they've used for the last three decades," countered Pombo. "Frankly, their rhetoric has become tiresome for all Americans. It's like watching a bad, thirty year-old horror movie: the effects are terrible because the technology is poor, the acting is weak, and the writing is painful." THANK YOU, Richard Pombo - keep up the good work. PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR LIST. -- To unsubscribe from this mailing list; please visit http://governance.net and enter your email address.