Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Something Big’s Happening

09/27/2013 Nativegrl77

The White House, Washington

Starting October 1st, Americans will have access to the Health Insurance Marketplace — a new, simpler way to compare plans and purchase health insurance — all in one place. The Marketplace will be run in partnership with states or fully by HHS in 36 states. In these 36 states, consumers will have a choice of 53 health plans on average, and young adults will have even more low-cost options.

In partnership with HealthCare.gov, we’ve created a map to help you explore a summary of the choices and premiums expected to be available on October 1st.

See the map and learn more about the Marketplace.

Delivering on the Affordable Care Act: Marketplace Premiums Lower than Expected

At the center of the Affordable Care Act is the premise that we need to make health care more affordable and accessible for more Americans, and a new report released today demonstrates just how affordable insurance will be. The report, released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), finds that in state after state, affordable options will be available through the Health Insurance Marketplace in 2014.

Yesterday, President Obama delivered a speech at UNGA — the United Nations General Assembly — in New York City. The President expressed optimism at the prospects for diplomacy in solving a range of long-simmering conflicts across the globe.

Last Friday, President Obama delivered remarks at a suburban Kansas City, MO Ford Motor Co. stamping plant — a plant that recently had to bring on a shift of 900 workers to keep up with the demand for the new F-150.

Will the news cover this?

09/27/2013 Nativegrl77

National Women's Law Center - Don't Discount Women: Demand Fair Change Not Spare Change
We’ve crunched the numbers. And they aren’t good.

The Census Bureau released new data on poverty in the United States. You may have heard that poverty rates overall were stuck at record levels. That’s bad enough — and our analysis has turned up even more disturbing information about older women.

Last year, Americans 65 and older — the majority of whom are women — saw significant increases in extreme poverty. That means their annual income is only about $5,500 or less.

Ironically, this is the exact same group that some Members of Congress like to target for cuts — especially around Social Security.

Enough is enough. People need know the truth. Please post this image to Facebook.

Share the image on Facebook (and check out our other graphics on the new poverty numbers)
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Or, simply forward this email to friends and family

This new finding is just one result from NWLC’s comprehensive analysis of recent Census data. Other key findings include:

Poverty rates for women were once again higher than for men. The poverty rate for women was 14.5 percent, compared to 11.0 percent for men.
Poverty rates are especially high for women of color, women who head families, foreign-born women, and elderly women living alone.
More than half of all poor children lived in families headed by women. More than one in five children — more than 16 million — were poor.
The gender wage gap hasn’t budged. Women working full-time, year-round were typically paid only 77 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts — just like they were a decade ago.

The increase in extreme poverty among the elderly should send an especially strong message to policy makers: They should take cuts to Social Security off the table, and start working on improving benefits instead. And they should start working on bringing down those other high poverty rates, by ending the sequester and making investments that create jobs and expand opportunities.

Sincerely,

Joan Entmacher
Vice President, Family Economic Security
National Women’s Law Center

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Obamacare in Washington ~~ Check out your State’s #ACA

09/27/2013 Nativegrl77

Ted Cruz managed to talk about Obamacare on the Senate floor for 21 hours earlier this week without saying much that was actually true about Obamacare.

It was an example of just how much misinformation there is out there about health reform — and we need to fight back with the truth.

We put together a beautiful new website that’s full of facts about how Obamacare is working across the country — including in Washington. Take a look, and share it with your friends and family:

Click on the learn more and find your State

Open enrollment in Obamacare’s exchanges begin in less than a week, so it’s never been more important to get the word out about the benefits of health reform.

So set the record straight on the misinformation about Obamacare — hold Ted Cruz and his Republican allies accountable:

http://www.thisisobamacare.com

Thanks,

Laura

Laura Santucci
Acting Executive Director
Democratic National Committee

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Marissa Graciosa, Reform Immigration FOR America

09/26/2013 Nativegrl77

Tell your representative to show leadership and pass immigration reform now!

I’ve learned a powerful lesson in my years of organizing: you get what you ask for. With countless activists like you making calls, joining rallies and marches, and even risking arrest to ask for nothing less than a fair pathway to citizenship as part of immigration reform legislation, all we need now is for our representatives in the House to come forward and lead on the issue.

While our communities show true courage, our legislators in the House of Representatives are hiding. They are choosing political theater over working together to fix our broken immigration system. They are hiding from our demands for bold action to keep our families together.

It’s time the House followed our lead. We’re sending postcards directly to Congressional offices with images of our communities showing real leadership and a message demanding action. Send your representative a clear message: “Real leaders don’t hide. Pass immigration reform in 2013.”

We elect our members of Congress to lead, yet the House has failed to do so by refusing to take action. We must remind them that, as representatives of the people, they answer to us — and we challenge them to model the bravery and leadership that thousands are demonstrating in the streets every day by passing immigration reform this year.

We are closer now than we have ever been to passing real reform, and our representatives need to know that we aren’t backing down. Send your message now: step up and lead on immigration reform! Click here to send a postcard.

Standing strong,

Marissa Graciosa
Reform Immigration FOR America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Obamacare, Obamacare, Obamacare

09/25/2013 Nativegrl77 2 Comments

Health Care and the ACA ~~ Originally posted on 8/22/13

the Progress Report

In less than 6 weeks, millions of Americans will have the chance to sign up for quality, affordable health coverage for the very first time. Progressives are doing everything possible to educate Americans about the law and push back on the never-ending conservative misinformation campaign against Obamacare. Conservatives are, well, trying anything and everything in order to try and derail the law at the very last minute.

(Things are not going very well for conservatives.)

Here’s a roundup of the very latest Obamacare news:

Pro-Obamacare protesters confront Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at town hall: Multiple pro-Obamacare protesters confronted the Tea Party senator at the Dallas stop of Heritage Action’s tour promoting a government shutdown over Obamacare. The town hall slid further downhill from there when Cruz’s father took the stage, railed against Socialism, said “Sarah Palin was right,” and warned of the dangers of death panels. Even Republicans have called this strategy and tour “political suicide” for the GOP.Meanwhile, Texas Governor Rick Perry is quietly lobbying the Obama administration for $100 MILLION in Obamacare funding.

Tea Party group calls on Congressional staffers to “burn their Obamacare cards: FreedomWorks, a right-wing group that has helped fuel opposition to health reform and other progressive policies since the earliest days of the Obama presidency, is currently engaged in a cynical effort to dissuade young people and others of securing affordable coverage under Obamacare, which it is offensively likening to Vietnam war opponents who burned their draft cards.A GOP amendment to Obamacare requires Congressional staffers to receive their health coverage through the Obamacare marketplaces starting next year and now FreedomWorks says it hopes they forego their health coverage and instead pay a fine, though the group concedes “everyone should do whatever’s best for them and their families.” We assume most Hill staffers (including Republicans), like most Americans, will prefer the security of health coverage.

More GOP congressmen concede they will help their constituents enroll in Obamacare: While Republicans remain united in their irrational opposition to Obamacare, even some vocal conservatives are now conceding that they will help their constituents find out about their rights, responsibilities, and new benefits under the law.

Two more states announce affordable premiums: Colorado and Montana became just the latest states to announce that their residents will find affordable premiums when they go to sign up for coverage offered through the new marketplaces that will be opening on October 1. Indeed, the growth in overall health care costs has slowed remarkably since Obamacare passed, contrary to fearmongering from many of the law’s opponents.

GOP civil war escalates: Republicans are locked in an all-out civil war over whether or not to shut down the government over Obamacare (which even Republicans concede won’t actually stop the law but will harm millions of Americans and the economy).Heritage Action is currently on a national tour to fan the shutdown flames, with former Tea Party Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), now the president of the Heritage Foundation, going so far as to tell a town hall audience that any Republicans who are afraid of shutting down the government ought to be “replaced.” To that end, his group and others are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads going after Republicans.