Daily Archives: 03/02/2013

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The Sequester presser


Starting today, our government will need to grapple with a set of arbitrary budget cuts that will hurt the economy, make life harder for middle-class families, and threaten our national security. That’s what Washington means when it talks about the sequester.

Not everyone will feel the consequences of these cuts immediately, but if sequestration is allowed to continue, it will make life more difficult for Americans all across the country. That’s a fact that no one disputes.

And the reason we are here is because some members of Congress have made a choice to prioritize these cuts over closing tax loopholes for the wealthy. But there is still time for them to make a different choice and undo this manufactured crisis.

Today, President Obama discussed this situation and answered questions from the press. “This is not a win for anybody,” he said. “This is a loss for the American people.”

Help us make sure your friends and neighbors know what’s at stake. Share this video of President Obama on Facebook or Twitter — or even just forward this email to your friends.

Watch:

Watch President Obama's statement from the Briefing Room

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sequester-briefing

PS — We put a page together that outlines President Obama’s solution for resolving the sequester, explains what these cuts will mean for communities across the country, and asks you to share your story. Check it out: WH.gov/Sequester.

Stay Connected

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Weekly Address: Congress Must Compromise to Stop the Impact of the Sequester.


President Obama urges Congress to stop the sequester — the harmful automatic cuts that threaten thousands of jobs and affect our national security from taking effect on March 1.

Watch this week’s Weekly Address.

In Case You Missed It

Here’s a quick glimpse at what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

Call to Governors: On Monday, President Obama and Vice President Biden delivered remarks to the National Governor Association. The President drew attention to the importance of infrastructure and education, while praising the group for their great work and accomplishments across America. The President also urged the governors to push Congress to end the harmful and automatic budget cuts known as the sequester, set to take effect March 1.

“As governors, you’re the ones who are on the ground, seeing firsthand every single day what works, what doesn’t work, and that’s what makes you so indispensable,” he said. “Whatever your party, you ran for office to do everything that you could to make our folks’ lives better.”

The First Lady and Dr. Biden also spoke and covered the importance of committing to our veterans in their transition to civilian life. Both highlighted states that have made progress in changing laws to make it easier for military spouses to attain new credentials when they move to a new state, and challenged all 50 states to follow through.

Rosa Parks Statue: On Wednesday, leaders gathered at Capitol Hill to honor civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks with the unveiling of her statue. The piece marks the first full-bodied statue of an African-American woman inside the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.

Over half a century ago, Parks courageously refused to give up her seat on a bus and became a catalyst for the civil rights movement. President Obama acknowledged she opened doors for millions by noting, “It is because of these men and women that I stand here today.”

Defense Threats from Sequester: On Tuesday, President Obama traveled to Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia to warn of the sequester and promote his solutions for deficit reduction. Watch the full speech here.

“So these cuts are wrong. They’re not smart. They’re not fair,” said President Obama. “They’re a self-inflicted wound that doesn’t have to happen.”

Let’s Move! Tour: This week, the First Lady launched the start of her Let’s Move! tour to celebrate the third anniversary of the initiative that is challenging childhood obesity. On Tuesday, the First Lady appeared on “Good Morning America” to discuss childhood obesity and introduce a new partnership that highlights healthier recipes through MyPlate, a way to learn about healthy eating.

Taking Action: On Wednesday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano hosted over 100 leaders to discuss making our schools and houses of worship safer through high-quality emergency management plans. In January, the President signed 23 Executive Actions to protect our communities and high-quality emergency management was a piece of this framework.

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WHALES & DOLPHINS TO BE DECIMATED BY US NAVY UNLESS WE ACT NOW


04c7dc_2b32b05366d01572a11bfc558697c644Dear Friends,
This is the final week to sign the petition to stop the Navy from their worldwide killing of whales and dolphins with their underwater sonar sound program. Unless we all act they will carry out their plan to harm our ocean friends over 31 million times over the next 5 years! We are attending the California Coastal Commission hearing next week and your signature can help there also, as California is considering restricting the Navy’s plans! We are asking you to do 3 things right away:2deaddolphins

  1. Sign the petition and share it widely:

www.whaleanddolphinwatch.com

  1. Attend the California Coastal Commission hearing if you live nearby.
  2. Listen to (and share with your friends) the radio interview on this topic on “Your Call Radio” on Thursday, March 7th at 10 a.m. in San Francisco. You can also listen on the internet. Other shows on this issue are available on our Facebook page as well.

Details of the Coastal Commission hearing and the radio shows are on the Facebook page:(please “like” our page when you visit)

www.facebook.com/whaledolphinwatch

Our numbers are growing every day and the more people who are on board, the less we can be ignored. About 600,000 of you have signed the petitions and more than 2 million others have read about this issue as a result of your courageous sharing. We can change this trajectory and you are an integral part of that shift. We cannot do this without you! 

Thanking you in advance for your love and care about our natural environment. We are eternally grateful and so are our cetacean friends!

With Love and Respect for our Ocean Environment, 

Lyndia, Lance, Kim and Wes

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This Week’s Top 3 On ThinkProgr​ess


Dear Friend,

We know the impending budget cuts have almost completely dominated the news cycle this week, but here are three other important stories from ThinkProgress that you may have missed:

1. Scalia: Voting Rights Act Is ‘Perpetuation Of Racial Entitlement’

2. Congress Finally Reauthorizes Violence Against Women Act

3. 8 Inspiring Things That Happened Since Trayvon Martin Was Tragically Killed One Year Ago

Best,

Igor Volsky Deputy Editor, ThinkProgress

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Just Dumb


By ThinkProgress War Room

Sequester: “A Fancy Word for a Dumb Idea”

That’s what the President of the AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka, called the sequester — and he’s absolutely right.

Republicans have once again shown that they’ll do almost anything to protect the wealthy and special interests like Big Oil — no matter the cost to the rest of us and to the economy. This time, they have allowed devastating across-the-board spending cuts to kick in.

Just yesterday, the Senate voted on a balanced plan to replace this year’s indiscriminate cuts with a mix of targeted cuts and new revenues from ending loopholes for the very wealthiest Americans and corporate special interests. This plan got 52 votes and should have passed but Republicans blocked it by insisting on a 60-vote margin.

It’s clear that Republicans would rather impose painful spending cuts that will hurt the economy and millions of Americans than end a single tax loophole for the wealthy and special interests like Big Oil and Wall Street.

As a reminder, here’s a list of things Republicans apparently prefer to happen instead of eliminating wasteful giveaways in the tax code:

  • 70,000 kids will get kicked off of Head Start
  • 10,000 teacher jobs will be at risk
  • 7,200 special education teachers, aides, and staff could be cut
  • Nearly 140,000 fewer children will receive life-saving vaccinations
  • Up to 373,000 seriously mentally ill adults and seriously emotionally disturbed children could go untreated
  • 2,100 fewer food inspections will take place
  • Tax returns and refunds will be delayed
  • The long-term unemployed will see their benefits cut by about 10 percent
  • Nearly a billion dollars in loans to small businesses cut
  • It could take several hours to get through security at the airport
  • More than 100 airports might have to simply close down
  • Our military leaders have said it would weaken our national security
  • The Secretary of Homeland Security said the cuts will make it harder to protect the country from a terror attack and that the border will be less secure

Not all these things will happen overnight, but they will happen. And the longer the sequester goes on, the worse things will get. Worse yet, unless a permanent replacement is agreed to, these painful and damaging cuts will continue for nine years.

BOTTOM LINE: Instead of standing by and watching as our economy and millions of Americans are hurt by these irresponsible and devastating cuts, Republicans need to agree to reduce our deficit with the kind of responsible, balanced approach that three-quarters of Americans prefer. Their reckless behavior got us into this mess in 2011 and now it’s time for them to come back to the table and help get us out of it before the worst impacts of these indiscriminate cuts happen.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed

Draft State Department report says the Keystone XL pipeline is environmentally sound.

How sequester cuts to the IRS might raise the deficit.

President Obama: marriage equality should be the law of the land.

Happy 100th Birthday, Big Oil tax breaks!

VIDEO: The GOP constantly pretends we haven’t already cut trillions in spending.

Sean Hannity launches Islamophobic attack on Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN).

Austerity fail: European unemployment hits record high, again.

Another day, another extreme anti-abortion bill enacted by the GOP.

Don’t worry, the next manufactured crisis is just over three weeks away!