Expressing Support for the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan People

Op-Ed

Expressing Support for the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan People

Dear Friend,

This week I was part of a bipartisan Congressional delegation to the United Kingdom and India, where we primarily discussed the worldwide climate crisis with government and business leaders. While in India, we also had the opportunity to visit Dharmsala - the capital of the Tibetan government in exile and home to thousands of Tibetans - and to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

A few weeks ago, anti-Chinese protests, following mistreatment of Buddhist monks, broke out in Lhasa, Tibet. The civil unrest was due to years of China brutally suppressing Tibetans and systematically and relentlessly eradicating Tibetan culture.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the head of our delegation, said, "If freedom loving people throughout the world do not speak out against China's oppression in Tibet we have lost all moral authority to speak on human rights anywhere in the world. The cause of Tibet is a challenge to the conscience of the world."

I was moved to see and hear the pleadings of Tibetans of all ages who have braved crossing the Himalayas to escape oppression. The Dalai Lama gives them hope and calls on the world not to forget those still in Tibet.

The IRS Gives YOU Money

Beginning in May, the Internal Revenue Service will send out checks, designated in the economic stimulus plan that Congress passed in February. More than 130 million Americans will receive stimulus payments. The IRS will determine eligibility and will address the checks using the 2007 income tax returns.

However, some retirees, veterans, and low-income workers - who do not pay federal income taxes and are not normally required to file an income tax return - will need to prepare the simple Form 1040A to be eligible for a $300 payment for individuals and $600 payment for married couples.

Tomorrow, March 29, IRS offices across the country will be open extra hours from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., providing free help preparing the 1040A form. The help is also available during regular office hours over the next two weeks.

A list of IRS offices and partner sites - including those in Edison, Trenton and Freehold - is available here. You can also call 1-800-906-9887 during the hours the IRS will be open tomorrow.

Funding the Fight Against Alzheimer's Disease

This month, the Alzheimer's Association issued a new report, 2008 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures, which contains powerful data about the disease. As reported, 5.2 million Americans live with Alzheimer's and an estimated 10 million baby boomers - one out of eight - will develop the disease. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.

Alzheimer's is a tragic and devastating disease that touches us all in some way. Congress and the President should ensure that the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health have the funding they need to advance research into the disease.

More than 20 years ago, the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) - a support agency created to provide Congress with objective and authoritative analysis of complex scientific and technical issues to aid in policymaking - issued "Losing a Million Minds: Confronting the Tragedy of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias." This comprehensive and valuable report remains an important resource about the disease and what we need to do to combat it. It is also a good example of why Congress needs to restore funding for the OTA, which was defunded in 1994.

Sincerely,

RUSH HOLT
Member of Congress

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