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Counter Cantor — Support Safe Routes To Schools
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) has targeted the federal Safe Routes to School program established under the 2005 Federal Surface Transportation Bill (SAFETEA-LU) as wasteful government spending in his weekly “YouCut program”.
Each week representative Cantor asks people to vote for which of five options they would cut from the federal budget. Republicans then hold a floor vote in the House of Representatives to try to eliminate the program that gets the most votes.
This week, the federal Safe Routes to School program is one of Rep. Cantor’s targets. He argues that SRTS duplicates other bicycling and walking programs, and that bicycling and walking infrastructure is a local government responsibility. We need your help making sure that Members of Congress understand the value of Safe Routes to School and support it.
Safe Routes to School is a critical Federal program because, like education itself and like kids’ health and nutrition needs, the safety and well-being of getting our children to and from school is a national priority and has been dramatically overlooked by state Departments of Transportation for decades. The fact that the SRTS money is massively oversubscribed in every state makes it very clear there’s a need and that it won’t happen without Federal leadership
Are we seeing a preview of more attacks to come on bicycling and walking programs? We might be if Cantor thinks he can get away with it. Please take a few minutes to send a message to your Member of Congress to ask them to vote against any effort to cut Safe Routes to School.
Go here to make your voice heard: http://www.capwiz.com/lab/issues/alert/?alertid=15141271&type=TA
If Cantor is you representative, go here: http://www.capwiz.com/lab/callalert/index.tt?alertid=15140561&type=TA
Darren Flusche
League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
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June 14th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
http://citiwire.net/post/2066/
“WASHINGTON — Can we really slim down the next generation of Americans, help our school children shed the extra pounds that could spell lifetimes with high prospects of type 2 diabetes or heart problems?
Michelle Obama is trying hard to reach parents with her “Let’s Move” campaign. Scientific evidence is being mustered. The link to America’s military preparedness is being made. As Sen. Mark Udall (Colo.) wrote recently to the First Lady, nearly a third of 17-to-24 year olds are unfit for military service due to their weight or lack of fitness…(continues)
June 15th, 2010 at 8:42 am
[...] For more information and some defensive talking points associated with this proposal, please click here. [...]