Dear California residents, please take ten minutes to write to Senator Feinstein asking her to support a bill which would help the people of Nepal, who are in dire need due to civil war and poverty.
A bill to offer quota- and duty-free import of whole garments from Nepal has been floundering in the Senate since last summer. It was introduced by Sen. Feinstein, but then the Sentor put on hold ostensibly because Nepal delivered 18 Tibetan refugees to the UN High Commission on Human Rights. However, there were also suspicions that the Texas company Panda Energy may have used political connections (which it has aplenty) to block the bill due to a contract dispute with the Nepali government regarding a hydroelectric facility. (I've been researching Panda and it looks a lot like a little Enron. Things don't add up all over the place.)
But the most important thing is that this trade bill would provide income for about 100,000 poor people in Nepal who could definitely benefit from being able to sell handcrafted clothing. Yes, labor practices are not kosher across the board in Nepal, but the overall effect would be good for a lot of people, in this time of war and poverty in the Himalayan kingdom.
Please take just a few minutes to write to Sen. Feinstein. She wants to pass the bill, but she needs some nudging.
Write to Sen. Feinstein here:
http://feinstein.senate.gov/email.html
or better yet call her office at (415) 393-0707...
Sample letter:
Dear Sen. Feinstein:
I am writing to inquire about your plans regarding the trade bill for Nepal, to promote economic stability for this war-torn and very poor country.
I hope that the bill will move forward in the Senate. I was very troubled to read news reports that it would not be passed in the Senate. I hope very much that it at least comes to a vote.
Please do your best to bring the bill before the Senate. It would cost the U.S. very little in lost tariff revenue, and yet it would benefit
over 100,000 workers in Nepal at a much greater rate because of increased trade.
At this time, Nepal needs all the help it can get. People are very industrious, and they want to work and raise their incomes. They need the opportunity which is currently granted to nations of Africa, to be able to market their handcrafted garments in the U.S.
If the bill passes, I will even help to develop worker co-ops in Nepal to benefit garment producers directly.
I have been involved in grassroots development in Nepal for years, and I urge that this bill at least gets to the floor of the Senate.
Please let me know the status of the bill.
Thank you for your time.
Sage Radachowsky
Boston, USA
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Read more about the legislation here:
http://feinstein.senate.gov/03Releases/r-nepal.htm
Original: Please urge Sen. Feinstein to support Nepal garment bill