PBS and NPR


The budget fight in Congress is really just beginning and it’s going to be a big one. Republicans are claiming they’ll shut the government down if they don’t get their way. They’re willing to cost even more Americans their jobs — just so Republicans can make a political point and attempt to hold Obama hostage.

What Republicans don’t understand is if Democrats stand together, we’ll win this fight.

That’s why DFA members are demanding a budget that has no cuts to vital programs, invests in jobs, and makes the rich and corporations pay their fair share.

And when we talk about vital programs, we’re not just referring to Social Security, Medicare, or the many aspects of our social safety net that keep the struggling middle class and poor Americans from poverty and homelessness. We’re also talking about education, the Environmental Protection Agency, and of course, NPR and PBS.

Our fiends at CREDO action are calling on Congress to fully fund National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System, please join them right now.http://act.democracyforamerica.com/go/504?akid=474.1480546.8I3SJ5&t=1

Our fiends at CREDO action are calling on Congress to fully fund National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System, please join them right now.

House Republicans, when deciding how they want to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year, immediately attacked NPR and PBS. They cut all funding — that’s right, all of it — for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the nonprofit responsible for funding public media including NPR, PBS, Pacifica and more.

If the funding is not restored in the Senate, it would be a tremendous blow to the entire public interest media sector.

House Republicans disingenuously claimed that they needed to cut funding for public media because of budgetary constraints. But what they failed to highlight is that national public broadcasting is remarkably cost effective, providing local news and information, free of charge, for millions of viewers while only receiving about .0001% of the federal budget.

More to the point, it’s nearly impossible to put a price tag on the actual value of public broadcasting.

We cannot allow congressional Republicans to destroy public media.

Tell Congress: Fully fund NPR and defend public service media! http://act.democracyforamerica.com/go/504?akid=474.1480546.8I3SJ5&t=2

Public media is one of the last bulwarks against the corporate media, where the combination of consolidation and profit motive has long since shifted the focus to infotainment rather than substantive news. In many rural and less affluent communities, broadcasters rely on federal funding to provide the only available high-quality news and public affairs programming.

Without public media, corporate media monopolies would increase their already large control of what we see on television, hear on the radio or read in the newspaper.

The increased accumulation and consolidation of corporate power is a threat to our democracy. And nowhere is this more evident than in our media. It’s important that we stand up to stop this today. America simply cannot afford to lose what public media brings to the table.

Tell Congress: Fully fund NPR and defend public service media!http://act.democracyforamerica.com/go/504?akid=474.1480546.8I3SJ5&t=3

Conservatives have longed for any opportunity to defund NPR, PBS and other public media, and now it looks like they may finally get their wish — unless we stop them.

Tell the Senate to reject cuts to public broadcasting today.

Thank you for everything you do,

-Charles

Charles Chamberlain, Political Director


Democracy for America

You’re invited: Tony & Janina’s American Wedding


 

Be a part of their story

Have you heard the story about Tony & Janina? Their family was torn apart by our broken immigration system and their heartbreaking story has been captured by a powerful documentary film.

Tony & Janina’s story is just one of thousands that happen every day. More and more states are attempting to copycat Arizona’s racial profiling laws, while the House of Representatives has grown increasingly restrictionist and lawmakers attempt to take citizenship away from newborn babies.

We need to stand up and fight back, locally and nationally.

But where do we start? With you. In your homes and communities, with your friends and families, at your churches and schools. We want you to hold a screening of a special version of “Tony & Janina’s American Wedding” and invite your community. We’ll provide you with a special copy of the film, discussion questions and everything you’ll need to get your community involved.

Sign up to host a screening party in your neighborhood >> http://ri4a.org/

It’s simple. Just sign up to host, set the date and time of your party, and then start inviting your friends. We’ll provide you with everything you need to get the discussion underway – you just provide the space.

We need everyone in the fight. Host a party, share Tony & Janina’s story and get your friends and family involved!

http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/blog/blog/tony-janinas-american-wedding/

Thanks,

Marissa Graciosa

Reform Immigration FOR America

WI State Senator Chris Larson …supports


Here is a message for PFAW members and activists from Wisconsin State Senator Chris Larson, a member of PFAW Foundation’s Young Elected Officials Network and one of the 14 Democratic Senators who left Wisconsin in order to prevent the Republican controlled Senate from passing Gov. Scott Walker‘s union-busting budget proposal:

Friends,

I write to express my sincere thanks to you and the other thousands of PFAW supporters who have taken the time to show your support for us and for our state’s public employees. Just one week ago, our Republican Governor Scott Walker announced that he would be using a budget adjustment bill to reverse 50 years of Wisconsin history and go after worker rights in Wisconsin. If passed, the balance in our society will again tilt to the powerful over the powerless. The ability to organize and get fair treatment are qualities that built our country. This is what the last generation fought for in the 60s and the 70s to make sure we all had a better life.

If this bill moves forward in Wisconsin, rights in all America we have grown to take for granted will no longer be so reliable. Workers will no longer be able to work as a group to negotiate anything besides wages. Republicans here have already passed a “tort reform” law that makes it much harder to seek justice in Wisconsin. But this new move by Walker is much worse. It is an unprecedented attack on workers, their communities and our tradition of working with labor to move our state forward.

If this passes here, it will pass in other states.

To be clear, Walker is seeking to scapegoat unions as the cause of the fiscal crisis in an effort to divide the middle class against itself. This, while he is opening tax loopholes for the richest in the country.

I appreciate your support and seek it for the ongoing fight ahead of us. Please speak out in any way you can. We need you to let your neighbors know that this assault on worker rights will hurt every person and every community across Wisconsin, and perhaps across the nation. It will drive down wages and decrease work place safety for all workers in our country, union and non-union alike.

Thank you for all you do for your community.

In Solidarity,

Chris Larson

Wisconsin State Senator

twitter.com/ChrisJLarson

Harmful Bush-era “Conscienc​e” Rule Rescinded


A few years ago, we asked you to imagine this: A woman with cervical cancer is not given information about the option to extract and freeze her eggs before her cancer treatment because her gynecologist has a religiously based opposition to infertility treatment.

You helped us oppose this Bush administration “conscience” rule by sending thousands of comments and emails to the administration. The rule, which was in effect since 2008 encouraged providers to deny access to abortion and contraception, and treatment for infertility, substance abuse and HIV/AIDS in ways the law does not allow.

When President Obama took office he proposed rescinding this harmful rule, and again you responded by sending over 5,000 comments in support of removing this restriction. We are pleased to report that the Obama administration announced late last week that it was rescinding dangerous provisions of this rule. We couldn’t have done it without your help and support!

But the battle over women’s health continues and we need your help now. Please make an urgent donation today to support the Center’s work on women’s health and other issues important to women and their families.

Please make an urgent donation today to support the Center’s work on women’s health and other issues important to women and their families.http://action.nwlc.org/site/R?i=WAE9P7vrbxWLu20UOP3Kew..

The new House leadership has unleashed alarming attacks on women’s health and reproductive rights, and if they have their way, women’s access to health care will be set back decades. The House voted to repeal the new health care law, which is already helping women and families. Now House leadership wants to put into law parts of the regulation which was just rescinded. For example, exempting hospitals from requirements to treat women in need of emergency abortion care, even if they may die without it. They want to raise taxes on potentially millions of individuals and small businesses that keep the insurance plans they currently have if they include coverage of abortion. And on top of it all, this past week they made it clear that they are launching an all-out assault on women’s access to contraception and other family planning services.

For nearly 40 years, the National Women’s Law Center has led the way for women and families — in the classroom, in the workplace and in society as a whole. We’re up against what is already one of the most challenging sessions of Congress in recent history, but with our team of experts and your help we know we can win, no matter how much the other side pushes its dangerous message.

Your generous donation allows us to continue to stand up for women and their families. Please support the Center’s important work today. http://action.nwlc.org/site/R?i=vP-vEw_2yVfPMfAafWcfmQ..

Your generous donation allows us to continue to stand up for women and their families. Please support the Center’s important work today.

On behalf of women and families everywhere, thank you for your generous help.

Sincerely,

Judy Waxman

Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights

National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Learn more about Obama’s decision to rescind this harmful Bush-era regulation in our new fact sheet.