Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

It’s a sham.

House Republicans think they can impose their right-wing agenda — privatizing Social Security and ending Medicare as we know it — under the pretext of deficit reduction.

And here’s the scary part: if we don’t stop them, that’s exactly what they’ll do.

The DCCC is up with ads calling Republicans out on their real agenda, but with only 3 days until the FEC deadline hits, they are still more than $200,000 short of hitting their Million Dollar grassroots goal.

Contribute $3 or more right now and my fellow House Democrats and I will match every dollar you give with $2 of our own, tripling your impact.

http://www.dccc.org/page/m/1d63cb4c/1b9dd8ab/57a3a5e6/4e0d1563/1704337409/VEsE/

Republicans are not serious about deficits. If they were, then why give huge tax breaks to the Big Oil companies and the wealthiest Americans that will add a trillion dollars to the deficit?

I’ve seen their budget plans. Here’s what they are really serious about:

**Stopping Planned Parenthood from offering cancer screening and family planning services.

**Repealing Health Insurance Reform

**Ending Medicare as we know it and imposing the cost of rising health care on senior citizens. Under their scheme, seniors would lose their current Medicare guarantees and be left to the whims of the insurance industry.

We can’t stand by and let House Republicans launch this risky experiment with our seniors’ health care.

Contribute $3 or more right now and my fellow House Democrats and I will match every dollar you give with $2 of our own, tripling your impact.

http://www.dccc.org/page/m/1d63cb4c/1b9dd8ab/57a3a5e6/4e0d1563/1704337409/VEsE/

As a former DCCC Chairman and current Ranking Member of the Budget Committee, let me tell you from experience: the numbers that each party reports after these FEC deadlines can make all the difference. The media, pundits, and Members of Congress here on Capitol Hill will be watching to see which side has the momentum. We can’t fall short now — Contribute today.

Thank you,

Rep. Chris Van Hollen

P.S. The first FEC quarterly deadline of the year is just 3 days from now. We must exceed our $1 million grassroots goal to show Republicans, their special interest backers, and pundits that we are united, strong, and determined to fight back against the right-wing Republican agenda. Contribute now.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Should rape and incest survivors be forced to prove that they were assaulted to the IRS?

03/25/2011 Nativegrl77

Should rape and incest survivors be forced to prove to the IRS that they were assaulted?

What kind of question is that?

But a bill proposed by anti-choice lawmakers in Congress could force many sexual assault survivors to do just that.1

The bill would impose tax penalties on small businesses and individuals who buy abortion coverage with their own money—with exceptions only for cases of rape, incest, or when a woman’s life is in danger.2

The result? Survivors of rape and incest who seek abortion care could be forced to detail their assaults and provide proof to IRS investigators.3

Reliving a horrific sexual assault to the police and in court is awful enough. Forcing women to prove that they were assaulted to IRS investigators is simply inhumane.

Tell Congress to stand up against this terrible bill—and speak out against the Republican war on women. Sign the petition today

http://pol.moveon.org/noaudits/?id=26652-17809870-pwT7nvx&t=4

Despite campaigning on job creation, Republicans have focused their agenda this year on attacking the rights and well-being of women. From pushing several anti-choice bills to cutting billions from health care, food aid, child care, and education, their attacks constitute nothing less than a full-scale war on women.

But as we saw earlier this year, a huge outcry can have a big impact. When Republicans included a provision in the original version of this bill that redefined rape—which said that only “forcible” rape counted when it came to using federal dollars for abortion care—they faced a huge backlash, and eventually removed that term.4

Now, the new version of the bill is out—and as Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, put it, “This bill gets more outrageous and insulting by the day. Not only would a woman have to describe her sexual assault to the police, but she could then be forced to relive that horrifying experience with an agent from the IRS.”5

Republicans clearly have no boundaries when it comes to attacking women’s rights. But just like when they attempted to redefine rape, we can stop them—and their bill—if we all speak out.

Can you sign the petition today? Just click below—and share this email with your friends, family, and social networks today.

Thanks for all you do.

–Kat, Wes, Joan, Peter, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. “GOP Bill Would Force IRS to Conduct Abortion Audits,” Mother Jones, March 18, 2011

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=207116&id=26652-17809870-pwT7nvx&t=5

2. “H.R. 3: A Dangerous and Misleading Bill that Threatens Women’s Health,'” National Women’s Law Center, March 2, 2011

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=207136&id=26652-17809870-pwT7nvx&t=6

3. “GOP Bill Would Force IRS to Conduct Abortion Audits,” Mother Jones, March 18, 2011

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=207116&id=26652-17809870-pwT7nvx&t=7

4. “Pro-Choice Advocates: GOP’s Revised Abortion Bill Remains ‘Extremely Harmful’ To Women,” The Huffington Post, March 3, 2011

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=207117&id=26652-17809870-pwT7nvx&t=8

5. “GOP Bill Would Force IRS to Conduct Abortion Audits,” Mother Jones, March 18, 2011

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=207116&id=26652-17809870-pwT7nvx&t=9

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Gas prices demand a Receipt Revolution

03/25/2011 Nativegrl77

Gas Prices Demand a Receipt Revolution!

Tell Obama that Clean Cars are the Solution to Our Pain at the Pump …Stronger standards for cars strengthen America’s energy and economic security while giving drivers real choices in every class. Tell the president to side with people like you.

I’ll bet you’ve noticed that gas prices are once again hitting us hard, endangering America’s economic recovery. In his national news conference on gas prices, President Obama said that a long-term solution to this problem “cannot wait for the next generation, or the next president.”

We couldn’t agree more.

The Obama administration, in conjunction with the state of California, is working on new fuel efficiency and pollution standards (known as the “clean car standards”) for vehicles sold through 2025. These standards could be the single most important step toward making this pain at the pump a thing of the past, and meeting the objectives of the UCS Oil Savings Plan that would cut our projected oil use in half by 2030.

As gas prices rocket toward $4 per gallon and beyond, now is the time to tell President Obama your “pain at the pump” story, and that strong clean car standards are the number one option to help solve this problem once and for all.

Take Action Today! www.ucsusa.org

Sincerely,

Scott Nathanson

National Field Organizer

Clean Vehicles Program

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Can you call Senator Cantwell?

03/25/2011 Nativegrl77

Please call Senator Cantwell and tell her… “Don’t vote for a budget that makes cuts to education, health care, and Social Security, and puts corporations and millionaires above hardworking Americans.”

I never wanted a handout.

I just wanted to get my nursing degree and build the life I’ve dreamed of. I wanted to provide my daughter with the opportunities that my mother couldn’t give me when I was growing up.

That’s my dream, but I’m afraid my dream is about to die.

Republicans are trying to cut the financial aid I rely on to pay my tuition. Last year, as a student, I couldn’t find steady work and earned less than $4,500. If my financial aid is taken away from me, I won’t be able to afford to get my nursing degree.

Once again I’m going to have to choose between paying rent or buying diapers, between having heat or having enough food for my family to eat. Can you imagine the pain involved in making those choices?

Can you help save my dream? The Senate is on recess, and Senator Maria Cantwell is home in Washington. Can you call her in her district office in Everett, and ask her to vote against any budget that makes cuts to education, health care, and Social Security, and puts corporations and millionaires above hardworking Americans like me?

Here’s where to call:

Senator Maria Cantwell

Everett office: 425-303-0114

I recently got a part-time job at Walmart and with that money, along with my student aid, I’m now able to cover all my expenses. I even had enough money to get new glasses for the first time in six years. I’ve struggled to get this far, but I finally feel like I’m going to be able to make a good life for myself and my daughter.

Please, don’t let the Republicans take all this away from me. You see, the cuts they want to make aren’t abstract. And they aren’t limited to student aid, either. They’re trying to cut job training, food aid to women and children, and more. Congress doesn’t seem to understand the consequences to people like me all across the country if these programs are cut.

Can you call Senator Maria Cantwell, and ask her to vote against any budget that makes cuts to education, health care, and Social Security, and puts corporations and millionaires above hardworking Americans like me?

Senator Maria Cantwell

Everett office: 425-303-0114

Thank you.

–Katryna Wade, Arkansas

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Beat an anti-gay Democrat in New Jersey …information from DFA

03/25/2011 Nativegrl77

I’ve noticed something when talking to Democratic legislators about marriage equality: They’re afraid that they’ll lose reelection if they vote for equality, but they’re not afraid they’ll lose if they vote against it.

They’ll tell me that they think voting for marriage equality is the right thing to do, but all too often they vote “No” because it’s easier.

It’s disgusting.

A lot of folks are thinking of 2012 as the big election year, but there’s actually elections going on in a lot of places this year — including in New Jersey, where one local DFA member is challenging an anti-gay Democrat for State Senate.

Jeff Gardner has been working to elect progressive Democrats up and down the ballot across New Jersey for years — and now he’s a progressive Democratic candidate himself.

Please join me in supporting Jeff’s people-powered campaign and contribute $10 to beat an anti-gay Democrat right now. http://act.democracyforamerica.com/go/613?akid=647.1480546.RddnWi&t=1

Listen, I know you don’t live in New Jersey, but trust me when I tell you that Democratic legislators in other states are watching this race. They know that Jeff’s opponent — anti-gay State Sen. John Girgenti, who is part of the Senate Democratic Leadership — is an entrenched incumbent. And they know that if Jeff wins, it’ll open the floodgates for pro-marriage grassroots candidates across New Jersey and other states across the country.

Let’s send all those Democrats who are watching a message: You can’t vote against equality and get away with it.

Contribute $10 now to help a progressive beat a conservadem in the primary.

This will be a tough race against an entrenched incumbent backed by a powerful political machine — but people power done right can beat anything. Contribute today to make it happen.

http://act.democracyforamerica.com/go/613?akid=647.1480546.RddnWi&t=2

-Arshad

Arshad Hasan, Executive Director

Democracy for America