Press Room
Letter to the Washington Post
February 20, 2008
Letters to the Editor
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20071
To the Editor:
There's a well-worn template for lobbying stories: Nefarious lobbyists seek to rip off public treasury for private gain. That template doesn't fit the Discover America Partnership, and it's unfortunate that Jeffrey Birnbaum tries to make it fit in his February 17th Magazine article, "Mickey Goes to Washington."
The Travel Promotion Act would improve U.S. capacity to promote travel to our country. It includes a modest funding proposal, none of it financed by the taxpayers: $100 million annually in public funds from fees paid by certain foreign travelers, matched by $100 million from the private sector. The Act, in turn, is but one part of a comprehensive blueprint proposed by the Discover America Partnership for making America a more attractive and welcoming destination for foreigners to visit and get to know.
As an association dedicated to the proposition that educational exchange is in America's interest, we support the partnership's recommendations as an intelligent approach to unshackling America's soft power and enhancing our ability to make friends in the world. That's the more appropriate template for this story.
Victor C. Johnson
Senior Advisor, Public Policy
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
Letters to the Editor
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20071
To the Editor:
There's a well-worn template for lobbying stories: Nefarious lobbyists seek to rip off public treasury for private gain. That template doesn't fit the Discover America Partnership, and it's unfortunate that Jeffrey Birnbaum tries to make it fit in his February 17th Magazine article, "Mickey Goes to Washington."
The Travel Promotion Act would improve U.S. capacity to promote travel to our country. It includes a modest funding proposal, none of it financed by the taxpayers: $100 million annually in public funds from fees paid by certain foreign travelers, matched by $100 million from the private sector. The Act, in turn, is but one part of a comprehensive blueprint proposed by the Discover America Partnership for making America a more attractive and welcoming destination for foreigners to visit and get to know.
As an association dedicated to the proposition that educational exchange is in America's interest, we support the partnership's recommendations as an intelligent approach to unshackling America's soft power and enhancing our ability to make friends in the world. That's the more appropriate template for this story.
Victor C. Johnson
Senior Advisor, Public Policy
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
