Maria Cantwell (WA) - Response to Idea Act

[MattZuke]

Dear Mr. [me],

Written by Nicole: 8/31/11 (10 letters dating back to 8/18/11)
Approved by Janel: 9/2/11
Approved by Jennifer:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) Full Funding Act. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced the Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) Full Funding Act (S. 1403) on July 21, 2011. This bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Finance, where it awaits further review. If enacted, this bill would amend the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize and make appropriations through fiscal year 2021. The purpose of this proposed legislation is to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities in public schools.
IDEA has proven a remarkable success since its initial enactment in 1975. According to the U.S. Department of Education, prior to the establishment of IDEA, U.S. schools educated only one in five students with disabilities. Today, more than 6.5 million children and youths receive special education and related services to meet their individual needs. The majority of children with disabilities are being educated in neighborhood schools and inside regular classrooms with their non-disabled peers. High school graduation rates have increased dramatically among students with disabilities, with a 17 percent increase between 1987 and 2003.

The IDEA Full Funding Act is fully paid for by doubling the tax on cigarettes and small cigars and setting equivalent increases to other tobacco products. These tax provisions are expected to help reduce tobacco use and prevent individuals from smoking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 443,000 people die annually in the United States from tobacco use or exposure, and another 8.6 million live with a serious illness caused by tobacco. The total medical cost of smoking related illnesses is approximately $96 billion a year. I have always been strong supporter of tobacco prevention measures, and I will continue to support tobacco control and safety measures going forward.

I strongly believe that Congress must meet its obligation to ensure that these children, as well as special needs children who will enter the public education system in the future, are able to receive an appropriate education. Please be assured I will keep your thoughts in mind should I have the opportunity to consider this or similar legislation on the Senate floor.

Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this legislation. You may also be interested in signing up for periodic updates for Washington State residents. If you are interested in subscribing to this update, please visit my website at Maria Cantwell - U.S. Senator from Washington State. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance.


Sincerely,
Maria Cantwell
United States Senator

United States Senator - Maria Cantwell
Maria_Cantwell@cantwell.senate.gov
511 Dirksen Senate Office Bld.
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3441
Fax: (202) 228-0514

 

[kristin]

The IDEA Full Funding Act is fully paid for by doubling the tax on cigarettes and small cigars and setting equivalent increases to other tobacco products. These tax provisions are expected to help reduce tobacco use and prevent individuals from smoking.

Does she not see that if the tobacco tax is successful in reducing tobacco use it will also significantly reduce the revenue going to IDEA? So what will be funding IDEA once no tobacco taxes are coming in anymore??

 

[GIMike]

Yanno, if everybody wasn't so addicted, wouldn't it be awesome to see what would happen if we as a country boycotted tobacco products for even a short a period a time as say...a week?

 

[tybin]

i sent her a good old response back saying she missed the whole point of my letter(same letter).

 

[sqirl1]

i sent her a good old response back saying she missed the whole point of my letter(same letter).

automated crap. fortunately this is a democrat we're talking about, and I haven't seen one republican come out and support this crap yet so that further supports Bill Godshall's belief that this is all democrats and once this goes into the house its gone..... if it's not repackaged into a different bill like Thalium suggested in a different thread.

 

[tybin]

well...not all of us democrats believe this is the way to fund special education. perhaps if enough my party voice an opinion it will help

 

[MattZuke]

Does she not see that if the tobacco tax is successful in reducing tobacco use it will also significantly reduce the revenue going to IDEA? So what will be funding IDEA once no tobacco taxes are coming in anymore??

Send the lady a nice fax to that effect.
Send a Fax for Free

 

[GIMike]

Send the lady a nice fax to that effect.
Send a Fax for Free

was that "a" nice fax or "a hundred" nice faxes....i think i misread it....

 

[G9K]

Excellent (politrical) logic: Double taxes on tobacco products to reduce/deter tobacco use and pay for a "disabled persons" program that will probably involve 90% of the revenue going to "administration". (Her nephew needs a cushy, well-paid gov't job?) Then, when initial revenues decrease, scream for more.

My Logic: Anything that is important to everyone should be paid for by everyone, instead of persecuting some easy-to-pick-on subgroup.

Let's start specially taxing congresspersons, everything they buy has a 500% surtax. It's remotely possible that they might learn something from that, but I kind of doubt it.

 

[Luisa]

well...not all of us democrats believe this is the way to fund special education. perhaps if enough my party voice an opinion it will help

It is the Democratic elected and appointed people who are a problem. You are certainly correct--those that are active in the Democratic Party need to strongly voice their opinion. I wish you luck.

 

[GIMike]

Who wants to do what Libya did and create a new government?

 

[rothenbj]

For the fastest growing epidemic in the US, the Dems should rewrite this bill to fund with a soda tax. There's a larger user base. there's less chance of a black market and it should reduce soda consuption, somewhat. The argument would be to reduce the prevalence of obesity and of course diet should be taxed at the same rate because it could be a gateway and we just don't know the long range health effects of these products. Besides, diet soda is not a safe alternative to regular soda and it's better to quit altogether and drink water.

I wonder how much outrage you'd get actually taxing a product that may very well lead to some of those "disabilities. A sugar tax could later be added to increase funding.

 

[Vocalek]

Jim, you are positively diabolical. I knew there was something I liked about you.

 

[kristin]

Jim, you are positively diabolical. I knew there was something I liked about you.

+1
...........

 

[rothenbj]

Hey, my statements not far off the mark, I'll call it appropriate sarcasm-

Americans sweet on sugary drinks - MontereyHerald.com :

"Sweetened drinks have been linked to the U.S. explosion in obesity and related medical problems, and health officials have been urging people to cut back for years. Some officials have proposed an extra soda tax, and many schools have stopped selling soda or artificial juices."

"That's why some members of the coalition argue that parents shouldn't drink sweetened beverages, so they don't serve as a poor example at home. They hope drinking soda will become as unfashionable as smoking."

Now adding additional taxes on tobacco products is doing nothing positive to combat the obesity issue. In fact, it might contribute to it if people quit tobacco and gain weight. However a tax on the products that contribute to obesity should in fact reduce obesity and perhaps reduce the number of children diagnosed with disabilities.

 

[pianoguy]

Hey, my statements not far off the mark, I'll call it appropriate sarcasm-

Americans sweet on sugary drinks - MontereyHerald.com :

"Sweetened drinks have been linked to the U.S. explosion in obesity and related medical problems, and health officials have been urging people to cut back for years. Some officials have proposed an extra soda tax, and many schools have stopped selling soda or artificial juices."

"That's why some members of the coalition argue that parents shouldn't drink sweetened beverages, so they don't serve as a poor example at home. They hope drinking soda will become as unfashionable as smoking."

Now adding additional taxes on tobacco products is doing nothing positive to combat the obesity issue. In fact, it might contribute to it if people quit tobacco and gain weight. However a tax on the products that contribute to obesity should in fact reduce obesity and perhaps reduce the number of children diagnosed with disabilities.

Oh, it won't be long - I saw this the other day:

Battling the Couch Potatoes: Hungary Introduces 'Fat Tax' - ABC News

 

[milo hobo]

I think vaping should be subsidized by the US government way sooner than I think it should be sin taxed. Of course, I also believe that government should be based on rational instead the same old way we used to do things. No more exploding defense spending, no more exploding tax breaks for the wealthy. I would support a soda "sin" tax.

 

[GIMike]

So if you vote for a soda tax, and then a sugar tax, where does that put this throwback Mountain Dew I'm drinking that is soda that's made with real sugar? Double taxed?

 

[Vocalek]

So if you vote for a soda tax, and then a sugar tax, where does that put this throwback Mountain Dew I'm drinking that is soda that's made with real sugar? Double taxed?

Triple taxed. It contains a lot of caffeine, too.

 

[DC2]

Triple taxed. It contains a lot of caffeine, too.

According to this...
What are the ingredients in Mountain Dew? - Eating Real Food
...Mountain Dew does not contain sugar.

But it contains high fructose corn syrup, and that is a double-taxed ingredient in the New World Order.
So I say it will be quadruple-taxed.