A great response that was posted by a friend to the ice-bucket challenge. I edited it to make it more general and to remove tags. If you do not know your representative/senators, check out the links I added at the end. If you have taken the ice bucket challenge, please read the text below (including the letter to the Representatives -- its not that long): * I also want to remind everyone that you can always donate to a good cause by using Amazon Smile every time you make an Amazon purchase* As much as I am glad that the ice bucket challenge has been effective in helping to raise money and awareness for this debilitating disease, I have some problems with it, and have chosen not to participate in the challenge in that way. Instead I have donated to research and emailed my Congressional Representative (and Congressional candidate) the letter below. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest biomedical research institution on earth, and its decline in federal funding means that many worthwhile causes without a viral fundraising campaign are severely under-funded. I challenge you to write today and challenge YOUR congressmen/congresswomen/representatives to fund the research so many Americans are desperate for, for ALS and similarly debilitating illnesses. Dear YOUR congressmen/congresswomen/representative, I am nominating you to help strike out ALS; however, I am not challenging you to douse yourself with ice water. The ice will melt and the water will evaporate. As a representatives of the Tallahassee community, I challenge you to make a lasting impact on ALS research and the research of many other neurological disorders and diseases. I challenge you to firmly support and fully understand the critical role played by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in better health outcomes, job creation, and economic growth in America. I respectfully request that in your upcoming re-election bid you push for increased NIH funding. At a time of unprecedented scientific opportunity, it is critical that the United States make forward-thinking investments that promote medical breakthroughs as well as our international leadership in biomedical research. Over the past decade, our nation’s investment in NIH has often fallen short of what is needed to meet our research needs. After a doubling of NIH’s budget that ended in 2003, Congressional appropriations for our nation’s greatest research institution have stagnated and failed to keep pace with inflation. We can already see the wide-ranging impact this has had, with dramatically lower grant application success rates and less money available for new researchers seeking their first grant. Students are receiving a world-class education at American universities only to graduate and seek research positions in China, India, or other nations that emphasize investment in biomedical research. Full funding for NIH is critical if the agency is to continue to serve as the world’s preeminent medical research institution and our best hope for finding cures, improving treatments, and gaining a better understanding of the complex causes of diseases that affect millions of Americans. The agency conducts research that is too expensive and risky for private industry to undertake alone but has led to major advancements in our understanding of diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer, and ALS. In addition to bettering the lives of millions, NIH funding supports 300,000 non-federal scientists and technical personnel at 2,500 research universities and facilities nationwide. A federal investment in basic research is an investment in the heath and economic future of both our nation and state. Please make medical and health research a higher priority by continuing the investment in the NIH. Thank you for your consideration of my request to push for increased NIH funding and please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this issue further. Sincerely, YOUR name house.gov/representatives/find/ opencongress.org/people/zipcodelookup senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 15:32:55 +0000
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