Friends of United for a Fair Economy and Responsible Wealth,

We're more than half way through the year, and Congress still hasn't passed a strong estate tax! In order to put the pressure on our legislators, UFE held a national media event this week.

We hosted a press teleconference, featuring former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, hedge fund pioneer Julian Robertson, filmmaker and philanthropist Abigail Disney, and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. Together, we are calling on Congress to immediately pass a strong estate tax.

The national media has been reporting heavily on the event, so our elected officials have surely heard our message. Click here to see our media digest and listen to the teleconference.

Now we need your support to take the pressure up a notch.

Here are 7 ways you can help:

1) Support progressive estate tax legislation in the Senate and House. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have introduced a strong estate tax bill in the Senate (S.3533), and Rep. Lydia Sanchez (D-CA) has put forth a parallel bill in the House (H.R.5746).

Call toll-free 800-830-5738 or 202-224-3121 (Capitol switchboard) and ask to be connected to your two US Senators, or call their direct lines. Ask for the staff person who handles taxes, or tell the person who answers the phone:

• My name is _____________. I am a constituent. I am calling to urge the Senator to co-sponsor S.3533, the Sanders/Harkin/Whitehouse Responsible Estate Tax Act.

• It's time to restore the progressive tax system that made our country strong, beginning with a robust estate tax. The Responsible Estate Tax Act is an important step on the road to an economic recovery that benefits all Americans.

• This bill is a common sense solution. It balances the desire to protect small businesses and farms with the assurance that the super-wealthy give back to the country that made their prosperity possible.

• And, it's the most fiscally responsible of any estate tax proposal.

Then call your representative using the same numbers and ask him or her to co-sponsor HR.5746 by Rep. Sanchez.

2) Counter anti-estate tax articles. Write a letter to the editor and post your position on blogs. Use the talking points above and connect your letter to any local stories about taxes or deficits. You can also post comments on news sites and blogs.

3. Reinforce your legislative calls. Send an email to your senators and representative. You can even mention some of our media coverage in your letter.

4) Ask for a meeting with your legislators to discuss the estate tax while they are home during the August recess, or go to public meetings they are holding and raise the estate tax with them. I'm happy to help you prepare, find others who want to attend the meeting, and send you your legislators' voting records.

5) Ask organizations to endorse the Americans for a Fair Estate Tax (AFET) letter to Congress supporting the Sanders bill. Ask national, state or local groups you are part of to sign the letter on our website.

6) Help UFE find partner groups to work with in these states: Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, and Washington. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to email me at [email protected].

7) Share this alert with your friends, family and colleagues. Forward this email, post it on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and everywhere else you communicate.

With your help, we can win a strong estate tax!

Thank you for taking action,

Lee Farris
Senior Organizer on Estate Tax Policy
United for a Fair Economy
617-423-2148 x133
[email protected]