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Emergency Action Needed! Critically Important Vote Tomorrow, September 4th!

September 3, 2003

Action Alert! Action Alert!

This is it.

Tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. the House Ways and Means Committee will vote on whether to include a massive, unfair, tax-advantage to green land trusts in H.R. 7 (the supposed "Faith-based" initiative).

This is a showdown between property rights advocates and green land grabbers. The outcome will be CRUCIAL. This is one that property rights folks CAN’T AFFORD TO LOSE!

We only have the next 24 hours to make our voices heard.

Multibillion-dollar, green land trusts like the ever-corrupt Nature Conservancy are demanding that Congress add a loophole to H.R. 7 that will discount 50% off of capital gains taxes for a seller of land—BUT only if land is sold to a land trust or government agency! This places EVERYONE ELSE at an extreme comparative disadvantage when attempting to purchase land.

This will severely devalue private property. It will discourage private parties from even bidding on land, so the only offers for land will be made by the land-grabbing green groups and government agencies. Do you think you will get a fair price from them???

This unfair tax advantage would enable The Nature Conservancy and their greedy cohorts to swallow private property at a RECORD PACE.

They HAVE to be stopped!

AGAIN, we have only 24 hours to launch a final assault of phone calls, faxes and emails!

** ACTION TO TAKE**

1. Contact the following members of the House Ways and Means Committee and tell them NO TAX FAVORITISM FOR LAND TRUSTS IN H.R. 7!!! Land trusts and federal agencies should NOT be able to peddle a 50% capital gains tax cut to sellers of property. It makes it impossible for others to compete with them when purchasing land! (Phone calls and faxes are most effective at this late hour. E-mails are important too, but may or may not be read in time to have an impact on tomorrow’s vote.)

William Thomas (R-CA) PHONE (202) 225-2915 -- FAX (202) 225-8798 – E-mail: bill.Thomas@mail.house.gov

Philip Crane (R-IL) PHONE (202) 225-3711 – FAX (202) 225-7830 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/crane

Nancy Johnson (R-CN) PHONE (202 225- 4476 – FAX (202 225-4488 – E-mail -- go to www.house.gov/nancyjohnson

Amory Houghton (R-NY) PHONE (202) 225-3161 – FAX (202) 225-5574 – E-mail – go to www.houghton.house.gov

Wally Herger (R-CA) PHONE (202) 225- 3076 – No fax listed – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/herger

Jim McCrery (R-LA) PHONE (202) 225-2777 – FAX (202) 225-8039 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/mccrery

Dave Camp (R-MI) PHONE (202) 225-3561 – FAX (202) 225-9679 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/camp

Jim Ramstad (R-MN) PHONE (202) 225-2871 – FAX (202) 225-6351 – E-mail: mn03@mail.house.gov

Jim Nussle (R-IA) PHONE (202) 225-2911 – FAX (202) 225-9129 – E-mail: nussleia@mail.house.gov

Sam Johnson (R-TX) PHONE (202) 225-4201 – FAX (202) 225-1485 – E-mail – go to www.samjohnson.house.gov

Jennifer Dunn (R-WA) PHONE (202) 225-7761 – FAX (202) 225-8673 – E-mail: dunnwa08@mail.house.gov

Michael Collins (R-GA) PHONE (202) 225-5901 – FAX (202) 225-2515 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/maccollins

Rob Portman (R-OH) PHONE (202) 225-3164 – FAX (202) 225-1992 – E-mail: portmail@mail.house.gov

Philip English (R-PA) PHONE (202) 225-5406 – FAX (202) 225-3103 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/english

J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) PHONE (202) 225-2190 – FAX (202) 225-3263 – E-mail: jdhayworth@mail.house.gov

Jerry Weller (R-IL) PHONE (202) 225-3635 – FAX (202) 225-3521 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/weller

Kenny Hulshof (R-MO) PHONE (202) 225-2956 – FAX (202) 225-5712 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/hulshof

Scott McInnis (R-CO) PHONE (202) 225-4761 – FAX (202) 225-0622 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/mcinnis

Ron Lewis (R-KY) PHONE (202) 225-3501 – FAX (202) 225-2019 – E-mail: ron.lewis@mail.house.gov

Mark Foley (R-FL) PHONE (202) 225-5792 – FAX (202) 225-3132 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/foley

Kevin Brady (R-TX) PHONE (202) 225-4901 – FAX (202) 225-5524 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/brady

Paul Ryan (R-WI) PHONE (202) 225-3031 – FAX (202) 225-3393 – E-mail – go to www.house.gov/ryan

Eric Cantor (R-VA) PHONE (202) 225-2815 – FAX (202) 225-0011 – E-mail – go to www.cantor.house.gov

2. Call your own Representative, no matter who it is, and tell them NO land trust tax favoritism in H.R. 7! It doesn’t matter if your congressman is conservative or liberal—THEY MUST HEAR FROM YOU! ANY congressman could go either way on this issue so let’s bring them over to OUR SIDE. House Switchboard: (202) 225-3121.

3. Contact Congressmen Roy Blunt and Richard Pombo. They are fighting hard for property rights and do NOT want to give the multibillion-dollar land trusts and government agencies ANY tax advantages in their never-ending quest to gobble up more and more private property. THANK THEM and let them know they have your support!

For Rep. Roy Blunt, please contact:

April Ponnuru - april.ponnuru@mail.house.gov

For Rep. Richard Pombo, please contact:

Laura Hylden - laura.hylden@mail.house.gov

4. Click here: to send this urgent alert to up to ten of your friends.

***PLEASE FORWARD TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE***