~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Latinos Are Being Fed to This Beast

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Over the past year we have exposed how greedy and abusive private detention corporations lock up immigrants for profit. Thanks to our work together and our partners we were able to fight back and shut down a facility in Southwest Ranches, Florida. Now we want to make you aware of an equally pressing nationwide problem.We want to introduce you to the latest Brave New Foundation campaign, Beyond Bars. Its purpose is to change Americans’ thinking and inspire action through short videos and shareable graphics that expose the U.S. system of mass incarceration.Think about this. The United States is spending over $200 billion a year on a justice system that locks up more people than any country on earth. We have more prisoners than China. More than Russia. More than anyone. This system is a beast — gobbling up resources that should be going to communities. WATCH THE VIDEO.

Beyond Bars will investigate corporations that profit off incarceration and politicians that use “tough on crime” rhetoric to scare voters. But we won’t just expose the negative; we’ll also show better ways to achieve public safety: things like prevention, rehabilitation, and job opportunity. This is particularly important to the Latino community as we see the rates of incarceration go up every year.

Will you join this campaign to curb mass incarceration? We want your thoughts, suggestions, and engagement as we begin this multi-year initiative. You can start now by sharing this new video to take a stand for a more just world.

Together we can make an impact,

Axel Caballero and the Cuéntame team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Big Voting Rights Win In Florida

Voting rights activists got another victory, this time in Florida, where a federal judge said he would permanently remove harsh restrictions on third-party voter registration groups. Those restrictions, passed as part of a massive electoral overhaul and spearheaded by Gov. Rick Scott (R) had hamstrung non-partisan groups like the League of Women Voters from registering voters leading up to the November election.

U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle said he would grant a motion to permanently remove the restrictions as soon as he receives confirmation that a federal appellate court had dismissed the case.

In December the League of Women Voters of Florida, Rock the Vote, and the Florida Public Interest Research Group Education Fund sued to block the restrictions. The Department of Justice also opposed the restrictions and had filed their own lawsuit challenging them. “Florida’s anti-voter law created impassable roadblocks for our volunteers, who have been bringing fellow Floridians into our democratic process for over 72 years,” said Deirdre Macnab, President of the League of Women Voters of Florida. “Thanks to today’s ruling, we can finally put these roadblocks behind us and concentrate on getting Floridians registered to vote. We are grateful the court recognized that the Constitution does not tolerate these types of barriers to civic participation and voter registration.”

The non-partisan Brennan Center issued a press release applauding the decision.“This order is a decisive victory for Florida voters,” said Lee Rowland, counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, one of the attorneys who argued the case for the Plaintiffs. “The Florida legislature has tried repeatedly to stifle access to voter registration opportunities, and once again a federal court has stopped them in their tracks. We are thrilled that voter registration groups can now get back to what they do best — expanding our democracy.”

Rarely these days are the federal courts seen as a safe harbor for individuals aggrieved by state action, but recently in the context of voting rights, they have been. This is a big win for any citizen that believes elected officials should be forced to conduct their affairs in a fair and transparent fashion, especially when it comes to restricting essential civic rights like voting.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/big-voting-rights-win-in-florida.html#ixzz258Ei8B8G

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Consumers Union, Policy and Action from Consumer Reports

400,000 and counting

That’s the number of consumers who’ve asked Trader Joe’s grocery to sell only meat raised without antibiotics. This tidal wave of support shows grocers and factory farmers that you DO want drugs out of food animals so we can better fight off antibiotic-resistant superbugs in our communities.

Chris Meyer, Vice President, External AffairsWe’ll be delivering your petition signatures soon in a high profile way. If you haven’t joined our campaign, there’s still time to get involved.

Chris Meyer, Consumer Reports

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Consumer Reports Did you know you can actually overdose on vitamins? Or that those ‘natural’ supplements may be anything but. Consumer Reports examines the 10 surprising dangers of vitamins and supplements in this month’s issue.  Learn more…

1.2 million messages to lawmakers this year from consumer advocates like you!

YOU showed us the money

Many of you sent in photos of refund checks you got from insurance companies that wasted your money. We put together a quick, fun video featuring you and your money being reunited, thanks to a provision in the health care law that holds insurers accountable to you.

But opponents still want to take away your right to a refund by gutting the law. Our video shows critics that the law works – cash doesn’t lie! Watch it now, Take actionthen forward it to your state Insurance Commissioner.

Get antibiotics off your grill this Labor Day It can be tough shopping for meat raised without antibiotics, thanks to confusing labels and few grocers that carry a variety of no-antibiotic meat. Look for these labels so you know you’re really buying chicken, pork and beef without drugs.

Can’t drive 55? How about 55 miles per gallon? That’s the new standard (54.5 mpg) required of all new cars starting in 2025, thanks to a strong push from those of you demanding better gas mileage. The new rules were just finalized, so check out details here.

Fact Check: Health care law’s ‘cuts’ to Medicare You’ve likely heard politicians claim the Affordable Care Act is taking away Medicare benefits. We turned our fact checker on this claim and found out who is saving money (taxpayers), who is getting less money (health insurance companies), and who is getting more benefits (seniors). Check out the facts here.

Planning on living forever? Sometimes it seems possible with all the new medical implants on the market. But surprisingly these devices are held to lower safety standards than prescription drugs. With your help we fought for new safety rules in Congress. Find out what we won, lost and what’s next.

From the headlines

Bank of America ends nasty practice after our report

Arsenic in juice: More food testing on the way thanks to new grant

Internet sloooow? Check the map to see if you’re left out of broadband coverage

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