~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Occupy Wall Street movement

11/22/2011 Nativegrl77 1 Comment

They can take away the tarps and the tents. But they can’t slow down the Occupy Wall Street movement.

There have been police raids on Occupy Wall Street in Oakland, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; Denver; Albany, N.Y.; Burlington, Vt.; and Chapel Hill, N.C.—and now, last night in New York’s Zuccotti Park—orchestrated by politicians acting on behalf of the 1%.

But the 99% is undaunted. Occupy Wall Street’s message already has created a new day. This movement has created a seismic shift in our national debate—from austerity and cuts to jobs, inequality and our broken economic system.

Send a message of solidarity to the Occupy Wall Street protesters—which will be delivered by Working America this week.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has been committed to peaceful, nonviolent action from its inception. And it will keep spreading no matter what elected officials tell police to do. But that doesn’t mean these raids are acceptable. In fact, they are inexcusable.

As former Secretary of State Colin Powell put it, these protests are “as American as apple pie.” Americans must be allowed to speak out against pervasive inequality, even if the truth discomfits the 1%.

The AFL-CIO will do everything in our power to make sure the free speech rights of these peaceful protesters are protected.

Click here to send a message of solidarity directly to the Occupy Wall Street protesters—Working America will deliver it this week.

We are the 99%.

In Solidarity,

Richard L. Trumka
President, AFL-CIO

P.S. Share this on Facebook and Twitter.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

AFL – CIO

11/22/2011 Nativegrl77

It looks like every single Republicanon the Super Committee is ready to sell out working families.If even a single Super Committee Democrat goes along with the Republican plan to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security benefits while cutting tax rates for the richest Americans, it will pass.Sign our petition urging all six Super Committee Democrats to stand together and protect the future of working people in America—the 99%.

Republicans on the so-called Super Committee have proposed cutting hundreds of billions of dollars in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits that America’s working families depend on—while keeping Bush’s tax rates for the richest Americans, including the top 1%. This is Robin Hood in reverse—class warfare against working America on behalf of the top 1%.

And it’s deficit hypocrisy, too. You can’t use budget deficits as an excuse to cut middle-class benefits one minute and the next minute propose making the deficit worse by lowering tax rates for rich people. After all, the Bush tax cuts are the No. 1 reason projected deficits are so high over the next 10 years.

If we want to bring down the federal deficit, we have to start by letting the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire on schedule. Haven’t Republicans noticed that Americans are fed up with politicians who constantly cater to the demands of the 1%? This is the same kind of tone-deaf overreaching that voters in Ohio overwhelmingly rejected last week.

Sign our petition: Urge Democrats on the Super Committee to reject the proposal to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for the 99% and make the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy permanent.

The debt reduction Super Committee that’s considering these cuts is no ordinary congressional committee. It is empowered by law to propose legislation that cannot be amended and can be rammed through Congress quickly, with minimal debate.

And since it looks like every single Republican on the Super Committee is ready to sell out working families, we need every single Super Committee Democrat to stand strong and protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

That’s why it’s urgent that you sign our petition—we need a unanimous working families vote from all six Super Committee Democrats. Add your name now.

Working families are counting on all six Democrats—Sens. Patty Murray, John Kerry and Max Baucus, and Reps. Chris Van Hollen, James Clyburn and Xavier Becerra—to stand with the 99% of Americans who are demanding change. It’s shameful that Republicans on this committee are united in representing America’s wealthiest 1% instead of their constituents. Let’s hope these six Democrats stand together and prove that Congress is capable of standing up for the rest of us.

In Solidarity,

Richard Trumka
President, AFL-CIO

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

“It’s something we have to fight for”

11/22/2011 Nativegrl77

I’d like to share a video with you. It features Mike McCarry, a 59-year-old veteran who juggles two jobs to make ends meet.

Mike talks about the veterans portion of President Obama’s jobs plan — the piece that Congress passed earlier this month thanks in part to your work, and that the President signed into law today.

But the fight for American jobs continues, and many in Congress — including almost every single Republican — still refuse to do the right thing for teachers, cops, firefighters, and middle-class families like they did for our vets.

Watch the video, then pass it along to your friends to keep the pressure on Congress:

It can be easy to get discouraged when members of Congress put party before people and block legislation that would help American families.

But you didn’t let up in the fight for our veterans’ future. The bill that went to the President’s desk for his signature today — which provides tax credits for small businesses that hire unemployed veterans — is proof that Congress can still come together and act when Americans demand it.

Here’s what’s next: After Thanksgiving, the Senate will vote on extending President Obama’s payroll tax cut, which puts $1,500 in the pockets of the typical middle-class family.

It’s the provision that Mitt Romney called a “little band-aid.” But $1,500 wouldn’t be a band-aid for me or Mike McCarry — and probably not for you either.

Our job right now is to make sure Congress does the right thing again.

Share this video with friends and family and encourage them to keep the pressure on:

http://my.barackobama.com/Vets-Jobs-Video

Thanks,

James

James Kvaal
Policy Director
Obama for America

~ my 2cents ...

tempest Tuesday &some News

11/22/2011 Nativegrl77

just another rant …

I saw a story and video on a website called rawstory re: rep. Waters comments about President Obama to what looks like a small group of people looking to do something negative with an on camera performance. The first question I thought of is why the Democratic Party always seems to sabotage ourselves when in the majority let alone when we are not and in serious need of acting as a cohesive Political Party ready to defeat the extreme conservative right. What we all saw in 2009 was a group of lefties worried about election2010 while trying to control the message and lawmaking instead of governing with the Democratic President. I get it, the Democratic tent is huge, and so are the degrees of how left we all lean but contrary to how some not all act in this Party of and for the People. I did not vote for President Puppet and leader only when convenient as some progressive representatives seem to want. I am no expert nor do i have Political influence but having watched the Waters video repeatedly on msm at some point; it occurred to me that it looked staged for the media, which was beyond disappointing. I am still wondering … why blame President Obama for what members of Congress are supposed to do and while some folks still have that do as we say not as we do mentality that behavior has no place on the Hill especially when it is beyond critical to circle the wagons. I voted for change in 2008 and in 2012 I am hoping for a change in Congress willing to work for ALL Americans and President Obama or be kicked to the curb. The video is below …

California Rep. calls on the Black community to pressure Obama

With all due respect, to Rep. Waters; Black unemployment has been in the double digits for years. The question for me as well as some folks i know is should Rep.Waters, the CBC, and other African American members of Congress take a huge amount of responsibility for the lack of progress for Black Unemployment over the last few years. I wish people would ask Rep.Waters what she and the CBC have done for the last few years to fight for jobs to lower the ever present high unemployment numbers for minorities. I want to make sure folks know I went to the CBC website and while there seems to be a lot of things going on doing stuff the truth is unemployment numbers for people of colour have not changed that much over the last few years. Yes, Teapublicans in Congress have made this effort to help People of Colour practically an impossibility. The notion that a Black President in the White House is the remedy to years of discrimination or the cause of current problems or that President Obama’s supposed lack of effort to make direct moves to change the status or plight of just African Americans is not only offensive it sounds slightly ignorant. To play the race card is just wrong but then that is just me. We all have our opinions. I get it though, we are not only in class warfare; the middle class is fighting for the rights of women, children and minorities of all kinds. If you stop to think, but not too long the conservative right looks to be on the wrong side of History on so many issues affecting their fellow Americans. There are reports and rumors that most in the CBC wanted and supported Hillary Clinton in 2008 but her campaign was terrible, she said some questionable racial things and was maybe still is a hawk. I get it folks have opinions about Obama but we do not have Kings… Congress is responsible for creating and making laws… Call your member of Congress – ask them how and who they are voting for

Americans need a Congress willing to work for everyone … for Economic Inequality hell Equality on so many levels –

Other News

Pres. Obama Touts American Jobs Act in New Hampshire

Iran’s Nuclear Program Examined

How to Get 270 Electoral Votes

Regulators Announce Latest Bank Earnings

Conservative Groups Discuss Taxes

British Phone Hacking Inquiry Continues

President Signs Veterans Jobs Legislation

Lawmakers Look at Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Postmaster General on the Future of the Postal System

British Phone Hacking Inquiry Continues

“Super Committee” Deadline Looms

Scholars Give Deficit-Cutting Advice to “Super Committee”

Senator Tom Coburn Discusses Deficit Reduction

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Health Care for America Now

11/22/2011 Nativegrl77

You told them not to do it. Last week activists sent nearly 25,000 messages to state insurance commissioners urging them to stop a resolution that will gut the rule that keeps insurance premiums in check.

This rule, called the medical loss ratio (MLR), requires insurance companies to spend at least 80% of your premiums on medical care instead of using it to pad their profits and pay millions to their CEOs. If your insurance company doesn’t spend enough of your premiums on health care, they’ll owe you a rebate.

They didn’t listen. On Tuesday, insurance commissioners will vote on a resolution directing Congress and HHS to cancel more than $1 billion in the rebates owed to you and let insurance companies keep the money instead.

Click here and send a message to your insurance commissioners today. Tell them: You work for us, not the insurance companies – hands off the MLR.

The truth is that the medical loss ratio works and has already lowered premium rates for some Connecticut residents by 19 percent! It’s no surprise that insurance companies want to kill it. Health insurance companies continue to make record profits, and their CEOs have collected more than $1 billion in personal compensation in the last decade while the majority of Americans are barely getting by. This isn’t business – it’s robbery.

Fight this greed-driven corporate power today.

In Solidarity,

Melinda Gibson
Health Care for America Now