To: Rep. Ted Yoho (FL-3)
Stop holding the country hostage!
When you were elected to represent our district, you gained the responsibility to represent all the citizens in the district, not just those who agree with your ideology. This shutdown is hurting ordinary citizens of all political, social, and economic persuasions. Please stop holding the country's economic progress hostage; vote on a clean budget resolution and raise the debt ceiling without demanding cuts to Social Security, the desperately needed Affordable Care Act, or any other vital programs.
Why is this important?
Republican extremism has impacted me in this way: Research funding for the basic sciences has been cut by the Republican budgets, including the sequester, leading to unemployment for me and for many other scientists nationwide.
As we are forced to abandon the pursuit of basic research that has led to huge economic advances for our nation and the world, we see that these budget cuts are discouraging young people from pursuing science and we are telling our students to go into other fields or move overseas.
We are ceding our national advantage in innovation and development to countries like China and Korea who are raising their investments, which will ultimately aid them in surpassing our economy and relegate the U.S. to following, rather than leading, in our global, technological economy.
As we are forced to abandon the pursuit of basic research that has led to huge economic advances for our nation and the world, we see that these budget cuts are discouraging young people from pursuing science and we are telling our students to go into other fields or move overseas.
We are ceding our national advantage in innovation and development to countries like China and Korea who are raising their investments, which will ultimately aid them in surpassing our economy and relegate the U.S. to following, rather than leading, in our global, technological economy.