| Defending What Makes Us Strong
Sensible Priorities: Repeal of Estate Tax Unaffordable and Immoral
Equal Rights: Federal Marriage Amendment Vote is Here, Bush Supports Discrimination
Free Speech: ‘Flag Desecration Amendment’ Would Weaken First Amendment
IN FOCUS
Immigration Reform Bills Lacking, Need Serious Work
Repeal of Estate Tax Unaffordable and Immoral The Senate is poised to vote on legislation by Republican Senator John Kyl that would permanently repeal the Estate Tax at the behest of a handful of America’s wealthiest families. It would cost the national treasury no less than a trillion dollars within its first decade – the Right’s ‘starve the government’ strategy truly epitomized. Chances are no one you know will save a penny from this reckless tax cut. And chances are no one you know will ever have his or her estate taxed. However, oil company executives, the Walton family and several Bush administration officials (including Vice President Cheney and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld) will all reap millions while the rest of us foot the bill. It’s common sense. Passing another trillion dollars in crippling debt onto future generations will drain the government’s capacity to effectively provide for Americans in areas like health care and education and burden taxpayers and consumers with significant additional costs. Join the hundreds of organizations and millions of Americans who are speaking out and saying don’t let it happen! Call your senators toll-free at 1-800-459-1887 and tell them to vote NO on repeal of the Estate Tax. After you make your calls, please let us know how they went with our online call report form.
Federal Marriage Amendment Vote is Here, Bush Supports Discrimination Yesterday, our president offended the values of millions of Americans when he endorsed amending the Constitution to discriminate against gay and lesbian couples. We’ll see similar kowtowing to the Right’s extreme base when senators vote on the so-called ‘Marriage Protection Amendment’ in the next few days. As a constitutional amendment, the measure requires a vote of two thirds to pass, and sadly, that’s the only reason it won’t. But senators need to hear from their constituents that writing discrimination into our Constitution is unacceptable. Close to half of U.S. senators, if not more, are going to bend to the will of Pat Robertson, James Dobson and others to either shore up the support or avoid the wrath of the Religious Right on Election Day. Right-wing groups are already trying to use the vote as a political weapon against senators around the country. But we're not letting them get away with it. Thanks to your efforts, some senators who have been targeted by the Right have been denouncing their tactics on the Senate floor.
If you have not done so already, please e-mail your senators now and urge them to OPPOSE the ‘Marriage Protection Amendment.’
‘Flag Desecration Amendment’ Would Weaken First Amendment The ‘Flag Desecration Amendment’ is moving through the Senate and could come to a floor vote as early as next week. At stake is the very freedom at the heart of our democracy. Congress has already rejected constitutional amendments on the flag three times, but the issue is back for the sake of election year demagoguery – and this time the vote in the Senate will be dangerously close. With states poised to ratify the amendment, literally one or two votes in the Senate will determine if, for the first time in our history, we curtail the liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Our First Amendment freedom of expression is not only meant to protect speech that is universally popular. Over the decades, the Supreme Court has addressed the issue several times, holding that it is a “bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment… that the Government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive and disagreeable.” Please write a letter to the editor of your local paper and simultaneously let your senators know that you oppose the ‘Flag Desecration Amendment’ and let others in your community know why they should too. http://www.pfaw.org/go/FlagLTE If your letter gets published, please send us a copy or a link, or let us know how we can find it by e-mailing capitolhill@pfaw.org.  |  |  |  | IN FOCUS:
Immigration Reform Bills Lacking, Need Serious Work
On May 25, the Senate voted 62 - 36 in favor of S. 2611, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006. PFAW supported passage of the bill as a good-faith attempt at real reform, but as the bill heads to conference committee, amendments are needed to fix some troubling provisions. Major problems with the Senate’s approach include that it provides for: • a three-tiered earned legalization program, which would force an estimated two million undocumented immigrants to remain in the shadows with no path to legal status,
• the indefinite detention of immigrants; and
• an expansion of the range of offenses classified as aggravated felonies. While provisions of the Senate bill must be fixed, the conference committee must use S. 2611 as the starting point for any final bill, working to correct its flaws and thoroughly rejecting the punitive, enforcement-only approach taken by the House in H.R. 4437. PFAW encourages the House and Senate to work together in crafting comprehensive immigration reform legislation that recognizes immigrants' contributions to America and reflects true American values by providing immigrants with critical due process and judicial review protections.
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