You are very right, we should write a congressman, senator... if just everyone here would fire off one email...
Look up your congressman/senator/governor here:
http://www.myflorida.com/

Thank you for that very important message there, seems to me an inportant topic and there are no named storms or even wannabe storms right now to discuss

It was important enough for the Miami Herald to do a cover story on Bill Proenza's whistle calling on NOAA

Why does a government agency need to spend money on what appears to be PR.. it's like FPL constantly advertising how wonderful they are in the Miami area... we have no alternatives to FPL.. they are a monopoly so why advertise so much?

Maybe NOAA will sign deals with coke that all personnel will be photographed with coke cans not pepsi?

Seriously.... lack of money for hurricane research is a big issue, possibly the BIGGEST issue we have facing the 2007 Hurricane Season. Everything else is a tangible, maybe the MJO will hit at the height of the season, maybe the high will build in across the Atlantic, maybe dust from Africa will inhibit the storms from falling even if there is a lot of rain in the Sahel reason, maybe the alignment of the enso and la nina and a possible volcano blowing in the Caribbean will make a messy season... everything is discussion and possibilities here .. ..... the one GIVEN is that we LACK the $$$ needed to do proper research and collect proper data to forecast storm tracks better and to learn more about hurricanes and how and why they develop or don't.

After some storm like Katrina politicians rush in, make promises, make sound bites and leave .. and six months later nothing has changed.

If everyone on this board and other boards wrote just one letter to just one congressman or senator.. it might help, it wouldn't hurt and there is power in numbers vs one lone wolf crying at night.