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The paradox of Republicans …. Ed Markey

10/08/2014 Nativegrl77

par-a-dox: A statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory — Oxford Dictionaries

edmarkey.com

I’ve come to learn firsthand that at a fundamental level, Republicans don’t like government. But they have to run for office so that they can take control and stop the government from working.

It’s what I call the “Republican paradox.” You can see the effects of it at work in the House. And if this year goes the wrong way, the Senate could end up just as bad.

If we’re going to keep fighting for progress, we need to keep hitting our goals. And this month, we’ve got the FEC Pre-General filing deadline coming up early — on October 15th. We need to hit $8O,OOO by then. Can you help us get there?

Republicans these days are working for their special interest friends — people like the billionaire Koch brothers who deny climate change and pollute to their hearts’ content.

The GOP isn’t working for middle class families. You know how I can tell? Because they’d rather shut down the government than end subsidies for big oil companies. They’d rather block legislation than make any kind of progress on gun safety, or equal pay, or raising the federal minimum wage.

Republicans don’t want government to work. One of the reasons I ran for Senate was because they had turned the House into a dysfunctional mess.

And right now, all of the pundits are giving the GOP the edge when it comes to taking charge of the Senate, too.

I don’t want to imagine what will happen if Republicans win this year. If we’re going to stop it, we need to reach $8O,OOO by the FEC Pre-General filing deadline. Help us keep up the fight with a $5 contribution.

This November, let’s make sure the Senate stays in the hands of the party dedicated to progress.

Thank you for your help today.

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#WeMatter

10/08/2014 Nativegrl77

By CAP Action War Room

What We All Can Do To Give Women And Families A Fair Shot At Getting Ahead

Fifty years ago most families were able to pay their bills, save for their children’s education and plan for their own retirement—all on one income. Now most women work outside the home and are either the sole breadwinner or share the role equally with their partner. Times have changed, yet many of our policies remain outdated and disconnected from the challenges women face.

Today, CAP Action, American Women, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and the Service Employees International Union announced the launch of Fair Shot Action, a new resource that will focus on ensuring that policymakers and candidates for elected office are responsive to the increasingly pivotal role women are playing in the economic stability and overall well-being of families by advocating for concrete solutions that can improve women’s lives.

The pillars of the Fair Shot Action campaign consist of 21st century policies that are essential to the overall economic stability and well-being of families. They include:

1. Work-Life Challenges and Workplace Flexibility, such as paid sicks days, workplace flexibility laws, and paid family and medical leave which recognize the dual demands faced by today’s workers.
2. Fair Treatment in the Workplace, including ensuring equal pay for equal work, raising the minimum wage, and strengthening existing laws against pregnancy discrimination to help women and their families get ahead.
3. Healthy Families & Nondiscrimination, by closing the Medicaid coverage gap and getting all states to expand Medicaid, while at the same time working to make sure that women have access to preventative healthcare including contraception without co-payments.

Click here to become a fair shot voter today.

Fair Shot Action will continue to engage women and men across diverse constituencies, to ensure that voters are equipped with tools to push legislators and candidates to take actions in support of women’s economic security and women’s health, and to coordinate activity between other national and state organizations.

New resources include Fair Shot Voter, an online tool where voters can pledge support and commit to act on policies that affect women and their families. As part of the campaign, the website will also allow voters to share their story about why these issues matter to them, tactics that constituents can use to engage with legislators, and resources that help voters find information on state and local records on these issues.

BOTTOM LINE: It’s time for our workplace policies and public polices to keep up with our changing workplaces and families. We need women and their families to be at the center of our policy debates–and for politicians who forget to be held accountable. It’s time for all of us to become fair shot voters.

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“To Every Wounded Warrior, to Every Disabled Veteran — Thank You”

10/07/2014 Nativegrl77

Yesterday, President Obama spoke at the dedication for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, honoring the heroes who have sacrificed so much on behalf of our nation.

“To every wounded warrior, to every disabled veteran — thank you,” he said.

The President also made it clear that we must provide proper care for all of our veterans, noting: “When our wounded veterans set out on that long road of recovery, we need to move heaven and earth to make sure they get every single benefit, every single bit of care that they have earned, that they deserve.”

Watch the President’s full remarks here.

Weekly Address: We Do Better When the Middle Class Does Better

In this week’s address, the President highlighted that six years after the Great Recession, thanks to the hard work of the American people and the President’s policies, our economy has come back further and faster than any other nation on Earth.

On Friday, senior administration officials held a briefing on the U.S. government’s response to the Ebola epidemic.

At the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s 37th Annual Awards Gala on Thursday, President Obama spoke about the need to fix America’s broken immigration system.

Our Response to Ebola

10/07/2014 Nativegrl77

Yesterday, the President met with his senior health, homeland security, and national security advisors to review the United States’ Ebola response. They discussed the Ebola case in Dallas, the United States’ broader preparedness plans, and both domestic and international efforts to contain and end the epidemic.

President Obama made it clear that Ebola is a top national security priority, but reiterated that the chance of an Ebola outbreak in the U.S. is extremely low.

“It is important for Americans to know the facts,” he said. “Because of the measures that we’ve put in place, as well as our world-class health system and the nature of the Ebola virus itself — which is difficult to transmit — the chance of an Ebola outbreak in the United States is extremely low.”

Find out more about our response to Ebola here.

The American Dream Needs a Fair Minimum Wage

Lew Prince, the co-owner and managing partner of Vintage Vinyl in St. Louis, MO, explains why we can’t restore the American Dream without restoring the minimum wage.

READ MORE

Driving Development of Clean Energy

Since the President took office, we have made unprecedented progress transforming America into a clean energy economy built to last. And yesterday, the Department of Energy finalized a Presidential Permit for the Champlain Hudson Power Express, a transmission line that will deliver renewable hydropower from Quebec to meet New York City’s growing energy demand.

Last week, Vice President Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan traveled to Joplin, MO to celebrate the reopening of Joplin High School, after it was destroyed in the deadly tornado that struck the town in May 2011.