The CRPD and Miracles

The Senate breaks on December 20th for the holidays. A lot is riding on the work of Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Paul Ryan, the chairs of their respective budget committees, to reach a bipartisan budget deal. If they don't, we face another potential government shutdown. While waiting to see if a shutdown can be averted, does the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have the will to hand us a gift -- passage of a resolution to ratify the CRPD? Sometimes miracles can happen.

In 1988 the House and Senate, on a bipartisan basis, drafted, then passed and secured an appropriation, for the first assistive technology legislation in one week in August. Where there is will, cooperation, compelling facts, and limitless payoffs good things can and do happen.

With the death of Nelson Mandela we have the opportunity to reflect on what he stood for and strove to achieve -- equality, opportunity, fairness, reconciliation, and empowerment. Ratification of the CRPD, or at least its passage out of the Senate Foreign Rleations Committee, would be one way to honor his legacy.

The year 2014, a new year with new priorities, will expose those of us seeking ratification of the CRPD to new, compelling competitors for Senators' attention. We need to make one more push in the next five days to see if we can pull off a miracle. We know what we need to do, so let's do it.

Thank you.
Common Grounder