~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

#GetCovered

12/10/2013 Nativegrl77

Yesterday in Southeast Washington, DC, President Obama spoke about what he called the defining challenge of our time: reversing a decades-long slope toward growing inequality and a lack of upward mobility. It’s a trend that has jeopardized middle-class America’s basic bargain — the idea that if you work hard, you have a chance to get ahead.

Find out why we have to make our economy work for every working American.

It Shouldn’t Have Happened to Me, But It Did

Deputy Cabinet Secretary Michael Robertson discusses when doctors told him that he had stage IV colorectal cancer, and why the passing of the Affordable Care Act is personal to him.

Yesterday, youth leaders from across the country gathered here for our White House Youth Summit. The Summit was made of up 160 of this country’s finest national and local leaders aged 18-35. Joined by White House and Administration staff, these millennial participants discussed issues important to their generation — especially spreading the word about the Affordable Care Act and organizing to get people enrolled in their respective communities.

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about health reform and HealthCare.gov these past few months, check out some of our favorite enrollment stories.

StudentCAM … contest

12/10/2013 Nativegrl77

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

VoteVets.org is supporting Seth Moulton

12/10/2013 Nativegrl77

VoteVets.org

As a U.S. Marine, Seth Moulton served four tours in Iraq over five years — leading an infantry platoon that was one of the first to enter Baghdad.

Now he’s running in a toss-up race for a first term in Congress, and VoteVets is proud to stand with him.

Seth has an important campaign finance deadline this month and your contribution of $10 will give him the resources he needs to win.

http://action.votevets.org/seth-moulton

Seth is running as the progressive candidate in a Democratic Primary against corrupt Congressman John Tierney.

In 2012, plagued by ethical problems that involved unreported gifts from owners of an illegal offshore gambling business, Tierney barely hung on with 48% of the vote… in a district Obama carried by double digits.

This race is our best chance to elect a progressive veteran to Congress in 2014 while simultaneously restoring some integrity and trust in our nation’s capital.

Let’s do it.

Help VoteVets support Seth Moulton by making a $10 contribution to his campaign before the critical end of quarter deadline.

http://action.votevets.org/seth-moulton

We have a lot of important campaigns to support in 2014 — but Seth’s race is near the top of the list. It’s important.

All the best,

Jon Soltz
@JonSoltz
Iraq War Veteran and Chairman
VoteVets.org

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a message from Gov Inslee

12/10/2013 Nativegrl77

In 1994, I faced a difficult decision: do the right thing and cast the deciding vote for the Federal Assault Weapons Ban — likely losing my congressional re-election in the process — or take the politically easy route and vote against it.

I voted for it. And to this day I stand by my position supporting commonsense, responsible gun safety legislation.

Now in the state of Washington, we all have a chance to do the right thing by supporting I-594, an initiative requiring criminal background checks for gun purchases in our state.

Passing I-594 won’t be easy. Our opponents are rallying to try to stop us, even going so far as to declare December 15 — one year and one day after the Sandy Hook massacre that left 20 people dead — “Guns Save Lives Day” in an effort to build opposition to sensible gun reform laws.

Don’t let the gun lobby and the gun makers profit off the anniversary of one of the worst tragedies our nation has ever known. Sign the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility’s open letter today, and demand the gun lobbyists cancel their outrageous “Guns Save Lives Day.”

Look, we have plenty of responsible gun owners in Washington, and an overwhelming majority of them support criminal background checks because they’re responsible gun owners.

Not the sponsors of “Guns Save Lives Day.” There is nothing responsible about exploiting the death of innocent little children — even worse when it’s done to stop reforms that could prevent future tragedies. They should cancel this horrific excuse to celebrate guns, and stop spreading misinformation about responsible, reasonable reforms like I-594.

Join me and tell the gun lobby this is completely unacceptable. Sign the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility’s open letter now, and demand the gun lobbyists cancel “Guns Save Lives Day” now.

Responsible gun owners know there are sensible things we can do to keep guns out of the hands of people like Adam Lanza, and they’re eager to stop the next tragedy — not exploit the last one.

Thankfully, the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility is leading the charge to fight back against “Guns Save Lives Day” — spearheading efforts to educate Washingtonians about I-594 and why it’s the right thing to do for Washington and our kids. I’m proud to join them, and I hope you’ll help out, too.

Sign the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility’s open letter today, and help them fight back against “Guns Save Lives Day.” now.

Thanks for your support.

Very truly yours,

Jay Inslee

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ThinkProgress ~~ the GOP

12/10/2013 Nativegrl77

By CAP Action War Room

Today’s GOP, In Two Numbers

Last week, President Obama laid out a sweeping agenda to combat income inequality, strengthen the middle class, and extend ladders of opportunity to those striving to enter it. He also challenged the GOP to put forward their own ideas instead of just rejecting whatever he proposes. We have yet to see any new ideas from the Republicans but their opposition to the president’s agenda of economic empowerment is still going strong.

Two numbers perfectly illustrate the almost cruel indifference shown by today’s GOP toward the concerns of the millions of Americans who are struggling to get by:

4,831,590: That is the number of low-income Americans who will not receive health coverage through Medicaid simply because Republican governors and legislatures are refusing to expand the program under the Affordable Care Act. Because the expansion is almost entirely paid for by the federal government, states refusing to expand the program will forego billions in tax dollars, even as providers remain on the hook for uncompensated care provided to the uninsured. Texas will lose out on more than $9 BILLION, while Florida is leaving more than $5 BILLION on the table.

real_victims-53

1,300,000: That is the number of unemployed Americans who will immediately lose their benefits come January if Republicans in Congress refuse to extend long-term unemployment benefits, which would be an unprecedented move during a period of persistently high unemployment. The number who stand to lose their benefits would climb to 3.6 MILLION by the end of 2014. In addition to unnecessarily causing added misery for millions of struggling families, letting the extended benefits lapse would also deal a blow to the economy to the tune of 240,000 lost jobs as well as reduced growth. Over the weekend, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) tried to justify the GOP’s intransigence by making the bizarre argument that extended benefits are somehow harmful to the unemployed and do them a “disservice.”

BOTTOM LINE: If Republicans want to appeal to a broader group of Americans, they should stop putting politics ahead of people. The policies Republicans are pursuing will needlessly punish millions of Americans who can least afford it.