Dear Maryland PIRG member,
In 2008 we won several significant victories, none bigger than a landmark consumer protection bill that will mean safer toys and children’s products on Maryland’s store shelves.
We begin any campaign with top-notch research. Then we craft innovative and realistic policy solutions that get at the heart of the problem. The next step is to bring our proposed solution to the decision-maker. But often, simply sharing our findings isn’t enough because powerful interests stand in the way. That’s when we turn to tactics such as using the media to spread information, building coalitions or asking citizen activists to write letters and make phone calls.
Take, for example, our work on transportation. America’s transportation system is hopelessly out of step with today’s challenges of rising fuel prices, traffic congestion and global warming. It turns out that our transportation system is funded using essentially the same formula we used in the 1950s, although we face dramatically different challenges today than we did then.
Maryland PIRG is working to update the funding structure so that it better reflects our country’s changing priorities.
Unfortunately, the status quo works just fine for the auto industry and road-builders, and they’re fighting to keep it that way. So we’re going to have to build a lot of public support to win.
Your support makes our research, advocacy and organizing possible. Thank you!
Johanna Neumann
State Director
