Advocacy Update

Well the veto did get overridden (boooo!!!) but it was a great effort.  Thanks everyone who pitched in.

Advocacy Update
Veto Override Fails-Back To the Drawing Board-After Thanksgiving   November 16, 2007   From:   NFXF Washington Team   To:       All NFXF Advocates   As he promised he would, the president vetoed the LHHS Appropriations bill on November 13th. Your overwhelming response to our Action Alert resulted in nearly 2,500 emails sent in just 24 hours to Members of Congress urging an override. Your letters were delivered to 82 of 100 Senate offices and 230 of 435 House offices-a remarkable achievement in such a short time. On November 15th at 11pm the House reconvened in an attempt to override the president’s veto. Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (D-WI) set the stage and explained the consequences of failing to override the veto as follows: “For medical research at the National Institutes of Health, meeting the President halfway would put us $700 million below the bill we are considering today.  That means about 700 fewer grants for research to treat and cure so many deadly diseases.”   Despite the urging of NFXF Advocates and of nearly 1,100 organizations representing tens of millions Americans, the House came up a few votes short and the president’s veto stands. Before Congress recessed for the Thanksgiving holiday discussions had already begun exploring an attempt to compromise and meet the president half-way. Whether that’s possible and what that will mean to FX is yet to be determined. Stay tuned, don’t be discouraged and keep up the great work!   Better yet-Make plans now to join us for the next NFXF Advocacy Day February 26-27, 2008 in Washington, D.C. The only way Congress will truly understand how important FX is, is if we take the time to tell them, and there’s nothing like a face to face meeting to get your point across. More details on Advocacy Day to follow soon.   Nothing more will happen until after the Thanksgiving holiday. When we have news we’ll be in touch. Have a great Thanksgiving. Your NFXF Washington Team	“If this veto is not overridden, then the best that could happen is we wind up splitting the difference with the President’s wholly inadequate budget” David Obey (D-WI) in comments to  his House colleagues urging an  override of the President’s veto of the LHHS Appropriations bill. The override attempt failed. Quick Links Membership DONATE ONLINE

Under Construction

FYI ~  I got mad at the changes they made to my theme so I’m working up a new design while I’m still lying here in bed drugged up.  So if you see a gazillion things changing before your eyes….it’s all good.  It’s just me being unsatisfied.

Matty’s Happy

Matt can’t verbally express his emotions all that well.  He is learning though.  When someone really ticks him off he stomps around the house telling everyone that he is “mad angry.”

Because he doesn’t express how he feels very well, I never know much about how he feels about things.  One of the biggest worries I have had with Mat is if he likes his life now.  He absolutely hated Husband #2, and I felt so guilty for making him suffer through that man.  I had always hoped (dumbly) that he would come around.  Matt & Rachel’s response to Kevin was huge for me.  If my kids didn’t like the guy I was dating then I moved on. 

Well, this morning Matt made it apparent that he really likes it here.  Here was our conversation while we waited for the bus:

Rachel:     How many more minutes do I have before I can walk to school, Mom.

Mom:       A couple.

Rachel:     How many is a couple?

Mom:       Two.  Ya know how people call Kevin and I a couple.

Rachel:    Yeah.

Mom:      Well, that is because a couple always mean two, like Kevin and I are two people who are married.

Matt:      And they are better than milk.