Budget Help?

Supposedly there has been a bill submitted to congress for consideration that will increase the budget and size of the Peace Corps over the next 3 fiscal years.

Hrmmmm very interesting! Go Obama! Of course, Congress still has to hack it apart part :-/ Hopefully not to death. Hopefully it gets at least some sort of increase.

I'll get back to you later with the link, yah

UPDATE: I was send an email by Rajeev Goyal with MorePeaceCorps. It addressed this very bill that I spoke of. You can find the bill at The Library of Congress

Futhermore, his e-mail (I cam crediting Rajeev Goyal and M.P.C. with it, I am simply pasting it in here) said this:

On February 13, 2009, RPCV Congressman Sam Farr (CA-D) introduced the Peace Corps Expansion Act 2009 (House Bill 1066) in the House of Representatives, with 40 co-sponsors. The ambition of the bill and the number of co-sponsors sent a shock wave through Congress. *We have to rally to support HR 1066.* Click here to read the full text.

The Act, which cites growing numbers of applications to Peace Corps, calls for $450 million in FY 2010 to support and expand the Peace Corps. This is a $120 million increase over the FY 2009 budget, followed by $600 million for FY 2011, and $750 million in FY 2012.

To ensure that this legislation is passed, each of us must 1) support Congressman Farr’s initiative and 2) reach out to our members of Congress to grow the number of co-sponsors. Members of Congress should get in touch with RPCV staffer Marc Hanson (marc.hanson@mail.house.gov) in Congressman Farr’s office to have their names added.
Here's what you can do to take action: Check and see if your Congressman/woman is already a co-sponsor. It your Member is already a co-sponsor, send a supportive message by calling the toll-free number for the Capitol switchboard (877 851-6437) and asking to be connected to your representative's office. Leave this message:

For Members who are already co-sponsors.

"I believe the Peace Corps is underfunded at a time when demand for service has never been higher. Thank you for becoming a co-sponsor of House Bill 1066, the Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2009. I hope that you will reach out to other Members and invite them to co-sponsor this important bill.

If your Member is not yet a co-sponsor, use the same toll free number asking to be connected to your representative’s office. Leave this message:

For Members who are not yet co-sponsors.

"I believe the Peace Corps is underfunded at a time when demand for service has never been higher. Please consider becoming a co-sponsor of House Bill 1066, the Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2009. Contact Congressman Farr to become a co-sponsor and support the Campaign to increase the size of the Peace Corps.”

Please note this is a House action only!

For more information, call Rajeev Goyal – 917-438-4626 or email him at rgoyal@mrss.com.

And don't forget, look up the bill! Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2009

Peace Corps Budget

Budget-crunched Peace Corps cuts Volunteer Positions

This article really lays out the problems the Peace Corps is having right now. I was actually contacted by this reporter as well, but I didn't feel like I was a good source for her so I passed. I do recognize a lot of names in the article though! Its really awful because a lot of problems the PC is having could be solved by a bigger budget. Granted, its not always as easy as that, but given a bigger budget, the Peace Corps would not have to cut employees, close regional offices, and decrease the amount of volunteers. Its just frustrating to know that Congress, and especially the Senate, doesn't take the Peace Corps very seriously.

Several Things!

So I e-mailed my screening assistant today. I didn't get a chance to until late, unfortunately, because I was hoping for a response today, but I'll be waiting until at least tomorrow now. Oh well, right? Well, hope to hear something from her tomorrow. This is what I wrote, trying to be polite and concise:

Lisa,

Hi, I know you are probably swamped with work, but I wanted to touch base with you about the status of my medical kit clearance. I have received dental clearance, and am waiting on medical clearance.

It is possible that I will have a restriction, so I'm just hoping to be cleared sooner rather than later in case my nomination can't support the restriction. That way I would have as many departure dates as possible still open for my placement officer to work with.

Also, I wanted to see if your office needed any thing else from me for medical; I haven't heard of the need for any more forms or updates from me yet, so I hope I am good on that end! :)


Thanks for your time Lisa!
I appreciate it!

Jenna E Walker
SSN: ***-**-****

So that's it, nothing special, but I think it works.

Also, today I went to the bank because my CD (certificate of deposit) was up and I needed to do something with it. This holds it in the bank for a set period of time with a monthly percentage increase. I took some money out so I can get a new computer this weekend when I go to Indy. I put the rest back in for a 3.5% monthly interest rate. The big thing though is that I put it back in the bank, into the CD for TWO YEARS. It sorta hit me that yes it is going to happen and I've sorta already started doing stuff even before my medical clearance and invitation.

The other day, Wednesday, Thursday maybe? My sister, her fiance Cory, and I were at the mall...really just looking for pants for him and my Justin. Well, we got those. But then we fell into a shoe store. I found both Chacos and Keens at this place and decided to try them on to decide what I liked best. I really liked them both, but liked the Chacos better because their was more freedom and less chance of blisters. Then they asked what I'd be using them for. When I replied Peace Corps, probably in Latin America, they immediately got excited about Eccos and said I must try them on, they are the most comfortable shoe with great support and will last for years. They brought them out in my size and I thought "ehhh...no....I don't like what they look like really" but tried them on. As soon as I started to put my foot in I thought "oh shit, its over, its completely over, I'm done in." and couldn't help but buy them. I'm going to contact Ecco before I wear them to see if I can get a discount from them, if so I'll return them, if not I'll start wearing them ASAP. They are more comfortable than you could ever wildly imagine. They fit perfectly--even my wide flat feet--and had a great amount of support. 

If you are thinking about Chacos, Keens, or Tevas....definitely try Eccos on. They are pretty expensive, but insanely worth it, more than I could ever describe. Only your feet can describe how perfect they are!