Dear Families and Friends of Americans with autism:

We write to ask for your vote for John Kerry for president. John Kerry is the clear choice, the best choice, for Americans with autism and their families.

We are Tom and Chris Hubbard of Natick, Massachusetts, and we are the parents of a 17-year old son who has autism. Chris is active in autism organizations in Massachusetts. Tom was a staff member of Senator Kerry’ s for seven years. We know John Kerry as a leader, an understanding boss, and a friend in the daily struggle faced by Americans with autism and their families.

From relentless advocacy for the victims of Agent Orange, to championing the cause of disabled Little Leaguers in Massachusetts, Senator Kerry has been a consistent supporter of disabled Americans for over twenty years. In the U.S. Senate he’s fought the fight for full funding of special education (IDEA) and has pledged to do so as president. He has been a strong advocate for federal support of science, both the life sciences and the physical sciences which have generated so many far-reaching new tools for autism research in recent years. The Kerry-Edwards campaign has pledged to create a pro-active initiative within the federal government that will respond to autism as the major public health crisis it is and seek ways to prevent and treat autism, and empower Americans with autism and their families.

We know many families are concerned lest partisan politics erode the bipartisan relationship the autism community has built in Congress. Congressional bipartisanship is welcome, but the policies of the Bush Administration represent a long-term threat to the autism community that cannot be ignored.

Bush’s fiscal mess: The record high deficits created by the Bush Administration have already severely constrained federal spending for domestic programs. The upcoming (FY05) federal budget is in such chaos that the Congress may well skip enacting it until after the November election. The Bush Administration has made clear that it will cut domestic spending if Bush is re-elected, and under congressional appropriations rules, spending on IDEA competes directly with general K-12 funding, with higher education funding and human service programs of crucial importance to families of the disabled. The Kerry Administration will roll back the tax cuts for upper income Americans to allow for investment in all our children and without burdening their futures with crushing federal deficits.

Scientific research: IDEA is not the only program in jeopardy from the reckless fiscal policies of the Bush Administration; research at the National Institutes of Health is also at risk. Earlier this year the American Association for the Advancement of Science projected that NIH funding will drop over 5 percent, adjusted for inflation, over the next five years, if Congress approves Bush’s overall spending plans.

The autism community sparked a virtual revolution in scientific research on autism over the last decade, catalyzing new advances in both autism-focused research and supporting fields. The Clinton Administration responded aggressively through the National Institutes of Health. This progress is at risk, as it already is from the Bush Administration’s practice of meddling with and frustrating scientists whenever their research is perceived to undermine Bush’s political aims and ideology.

The Kerry Administration will let scientists be scientists, and provide scientists the means to continue the promising advances in research that have made us all hopeful.

Simple Trust: Parents of good will may disagree on specific aspects of the debate over autism and vaccines. But no parent can be anything but outraged by the way that Bush’ s hand-picked Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist, presided over a midnight maneuver that simply voided the right of families to sue over the possible link between vaccines and autism ---- a maneuver that was subject to no vote, and for which neither Frist, nor any member of the Republican leadership nor the Bush Administration has ever owned up to responsibility. When the chips were down, children with autism simply didn't matter to them.

Breaches of trust, denial of responsibility, blaming others when things go wrong --- quite frankly this sums up the way George Bush and his team have conducted business.

We urge you to vote for John Kerry in November, and to alert your family and friends throughout the country that John Kerry is the clear and best choice for president. We will be happy to respond to your questions and concerns as rapidly as we can; please contact us at tomnatick@comcast.net . There is also a wealth of information on the Kerry campaign’s proposals on autism and a range of disability issues under ‘John Kerry’s Plan for America’ at www.johnkerry.com

Thank you

Tom and Chris Hubbard

Natick, Massachusetts