12 | April | 2012 | Be a Seed for Change

Tired of fighting cuts to programs that women and their families depend on in the name of deficit reduction — while millionaires and billionaires haven’t been asked to contribute an extra penny? Think it’s time for millionaires and billionaires who pay lower tax rates than many middle-class Americans to start paying their fair share?

Take Action: Tell your Senators to support the Paying a Fair Share Act of 2012! WWW.NWLC.ORG

On April 16, we expect the Senate to vote on an important piece of legislation, the Paying a Fair Share Act of 2012 (S. 2230). The bill would ensure that those with incomes over $1 million annually pay at least 30 percent of their income in federal taxes. The legislation, introduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, was inspired by billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who highlighted the unfairness of a tax system that permits him to pay a lower tax rate than his secretary.

It’s time for this absurdity to stop. We can’t afford to continue lavish tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. To help demonstrate the real cost of tax breaks for millionaires, we’ve put together a new infographic:

That’s right. This year, the average millionaire gets a tax break of $143,000 — enough to support child care assistance for 24 children, Pell Grants to 37 college students, or a home-delivered meal each day for 249 seniors.

This is a tradeoff we can’t afford to make any longer. Please share our infographic today and urge your Senators to support the Paying a Fair Share Act of 2012!

Sincerely,

Joan Entmacher Vice President,

Family Economic Security National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Please help us continue to advocate for policies that protect and improve economic security for women and their families by making a generous donation today.

It’s hard to believe, but just three years ago, people with HIV were banned from entering the United States. You couldn’t visit a loved one, and becoming a citizen was out of the question.

Thanks to the hard work of HRC activists like yourself, we finally overturned the 22-year ban, and now we’ve arrived at another big moment: the return of the International AIDS Conference to the United States.

The conference unites the world’s most prominent activists, researchers, and policy makers to chart a path forward on HIV/AIDS.

And as the conference gets underway, The AIDS Memorial Quilt will also return to Washington, DC – serving once again as a powerful reminder of loved ones lost to HIV/AIDS and as a potent signal of the work left to be done.

You can help mark this historic occasion by submitting a quilt panel to remember those lost to HIV/AIDS. Click here for instructions on how to submit your own panel, which we’ll put on display at our headquarters.

Just as we have in the past, HRC will host a portion of The AIDS Memorial Quilt – along with your panel – at our national headquarters in Washington, DC. If you’ve already submitted a panel in the past and would like it displayed at HRC this summer, let us know here.

HRC is also bringing experts together for a discussion titled Addressing Stigma in Transgender and other HIV-Vulnerable Communities prior to the conference kickoff.

The return of the International AIDS Conference to the U.S. marks the beginning of a new era of progress on HIV/AIDS. The travel ban might be gone, but fear, stigma, and misunderstanding remain.

All around the world and here at home, there are still far too many new cases and too many lives shattered by this disease. The conference and the poignant tribute of The AIDS Memorial Quilt will serve to connect important thought leaders and bring attention to this still-critical issue.

HRC is honored to be a part of it all, and I hope you’ll help us mark this important event.

Learn more about submitting a panel to The AIDS Memorial Quilt now. We’ll display your panel at HRC’s headquarters in Washington, DC. When you send it in, you’ll be joining with world-leading researchers, activists, and policy makers to help turn the tide against HIV/AIDS.

25 years ago, The AIDS Memorial Quilt helped inspire a movement that stemmed the tide of the epidemic. Now we need to revive that same spirit to meet these remaining challenges.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

Still fighting,

Joe Solmonese President

P.S. Volunteers for the International AIDS Conference get free access to sessions and a whole lot of other great opportunities. To apply to volunteer or to learn more about the Conference click here.