~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

rich people ~ Sage, Working Washington

11/28/2017 Nativegrl77

We are Working Washington

Town & Country Magazine recently did some research to find out how much money wealthy people truly needed to be happy and sustain their lifestyles. They calculated some basic needs and broke down various expenses to come up with a “happiness number.” It incorporated baseline costs of being happy like:

12-room apartment on Central Park and a couple vacation homes
Collection of “trophy art”
Elite private boarding schools for the children plus a solid inheritance
A chef, a chauffeur, and a housekeeper on staff
Appropriate wardrobe & cosmetic expenses
Tickets for key social functions
And more! (Yup, there’s more.)

So they took the cost of those “basics” and they totaled them all up.

And they got their “happiness number.”

See if you can guess what that all adds up to. How much money do rich people need in order to be happy?

Hint: it’s a bit more than $15/hour. (Apparently that’s too much for us… but not enough for them.)

Click here to make your guess… and then find out the answer.

Feeling thankful I don’t thank a chauffer is a basic cost of living,

Sage, Working Washington

Source: Here’s Exactly How Much Money You Need To Be Happy, Town & Country Magazine, 11/16/2017

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Democracy Needs You on #GivingTuesday

11/28/2017 Nativegrl77

Safeguarding Elections In The Digital Age

Dear Friends,

The 2016 election revealed the power of cyber interference to undermine our democracy. Elections in 47 states remain at risk, either because the states need paper-based voting systems, or state law lacks robust ballot audits, or both. There are simple, easily implementable solutions:·

Voter-marked Paper Ballots – Electronic voting systems that count votes by scanning voter-marked paper ballots leverage technology to quickly count votes but also preserve the ability to check that votes were counted as cast.
Routine post-election audits – Statistically meaningful manual counts of paper ballots are the best way, given current technology, to verify electronic tallies and ensure that votes are counted as cast and the election outcome is correct.
Improved security practices for all electoral systems – Cyber security practices, crafted by Verified Voting’s team of renowned experts, are needed to protect voter registration databases and epollbooks from error and malicious interference.

Generations have fought to expand the right to vote, and millions of charitable dollars are spent ensuring access to the vote. Now it’s up to us to honor those sacrifices and investments by ensuring your vote not only counts, but is counted as cast!

We ask you to vote with your dollars today and give what you can to safeguard our democracy.

To learn more about Verified Voting, the states at risk and what we are doing to ensure your vote counts go to www.verifiedvoting.org.

Thank you for donating now and making this a great #GivingTuesday!

Marian K. Schneider, President
Verified Voting

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#TakeActionTuesday

11/28/2017 Nativegrl77

Friends,

This week is make or break for the Trump/Ryan Tax Scam. So this #GivingTuesday, instead of asking for a donation, we’re asking for you to Take Action and stop this latest volley in the GOP war on seniors. We’re calling it #TakeActionTuesday.

This Thursday, the Senate is expected to vote on a giant tax giveaway for corporations and billionaires, while also destroying our earned benefits. This bill takes away tax deductions that help seniors manage out-of-control prescription drug costs, and triggers $400 billion in automatic cuts to Medicare over the next decade.

This is a critical moment. Write to your Senators right now and demand they reject a Republican tax scam that would trigger $400 billion in automatic cuts to Medicare.

Just like with Trumpcare, this bill could come down to a single Senator’s vote. But unlike with Trumpcare, our allies in Senate offices are saying that they aren’t overwhelmed by public opposition. Today is the day to remind them: We didn’t send you to Washington to destroy Medicare, and we will throw you out if you vote for this horrible bill.

Write to your Senators on this #TakeActionTuesday and tell them to reject the GOP tax scam that cuts billions of dollars from Medicare while handing trillions in tax breaks to the top 1% and big corporations.

We will not stand by as Donald Trump and Republican leaders attempt to cut our earned benefits while falsely claiming their tax plan is anything but a massive handout to the rich and powerful. Take action today!

Thank you,

Michael Phelan
Social Security Works

P.S., if you also want to support Social Security Works this #GivingTuesday, please consider becoming a Social Security Works member.

	Who We Are Social Security Works leads the fight every day to expand and protect our Social Security system. Become a member today.
	Social Security Works: The Book From co-founders Nancy Altman & Eric Kingson, this book makes the powerful case that Social Security isn’t going broke and how expanding it will help us all.

Contact info@socialsecurityworks.org

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They gave us their legacy ~ Lonnie G. Bunch III, Founding Director of the NMAAHC

11/28/2017 Nativegrl77

Dear Friend,

It’s #GivingTuesday and, in recognition of this special day of kindness and generosity, the National Museum of African American History and Culture is celebrating the thousands of individuals and families who have donated over 36,000 objects, photographs, and heirlooms that have become the Museum’s prized collection.

We’re also thanking friends like you for all you’ve done to make the Museum possible. I invite you to help the Museum tell the full American story through its collections and exhibitions bybecoming a Charter Member on #GivingTuesday.

Help bring the African American story to the country and world this #GivingTuesday.

December 31, 2017 will be the last day to join the Museum and enjoy Charter Member status, so I encourage you to join now on this special day of giving.

And in honor of #GivingTuesday, we are giving away vintage NMAAHC baseball caps to anyone who joins at the $100 level, while supplies last.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the first Smithsonian museum to build its own collection from scratch. It was a huge task that we took on by going city to city, town to town and putting out a call to people to look in their basements and attic trunks to see what treasures they had and what they might be willing to give.

The enthusiastic response brought the Museum priceless items such as Harriet Tubman’s hymn book, Louis Armstrong’s trumpet, and shards of stained glass from the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.

Thousands of people have moved precious items from their family’s legacy to our nation’s legacy. Today, on #GivingTuesday, I ask that you recognize their gifts with a gift of your own. Join as a Charter Member on #GivingTuesday and receive a vintage NMAAHC baseball cap when you give at the $100 level.

All the best,
DD YE year end 1 signature

Lonnie G. Bunch III
Founding Director

Building Photograph by Alan Karchmer/NMAAHC.

Image 1: Ten shards of stained glass from the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, September 1963. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Trumpauer-Mulholland Collection.

Image 2: Gospel Hymns No. 2, by P. P. Bliss and Ira D. Sankey, Harriet Tubman’s personal book of hymns. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles L. Blockson.

Image 3: Trumpet owned by Louis Armstrong, 1946. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

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Consider yourself briefed, boss.

11/21/2017 Nativegrl77

We are Working Washington

BossFeed Briefing for November 20, 2017. Last Thursday, multimillionaire Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin posed for photos with a large sheet of dollar bills, and his wife. Last Friday, the Senate Finance Committee voted to advance a bill which would cut taxes for the rich, slash Medicaid, threaten reproductive freedom, and more. Tomorrow the President is slated to pardon two turkeys. This Thursday is Thanksgiving, a national holiday which falls the day before Black Fridayand a series of other branded weekdays.

False pretenses

Awaiting pardon at a DC hotel.

Three things to know this week:

Employees of gaming site IGN walked out of work last Monday when they learned that the company’s HR department forced at least one woman who raised a sexual harassment complaint to agree in writing that she had “conducted herself inappropriately”. Management eventually made a statement as demanded by the workers who took action.

After Donald Trump’s Chief Economic Advisor claimed that “big CEOs” are excited about the Republican tax plan, a former CEO spoke up about how tax rates had affected his hiring: not at all. As he explains, demand from customers and market opportunities drive pay and investment, not giveaways to the top 1%.

The 64,000 richest households in Seattle saw their incomes rise by an average of of $40,000 last year. The city now rivals San Francisco in its level of income inequality.

Two things to ask:

Can you imagine if it weren’t the top priority? A KING-5 investigation found that workers at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton were exposed to high levels of cyanide and other toxins for seven years. The company reportedly disabled safety alarms because they went off too often, though an official spokesperson stated that employee well-being has always been a top priority.

OK who’s next? Some San Diego restaurants have imposed itemized surcharges on their bills in what looks like a familiar attempt to express their political feels about the rising minimum wage there. The City Attorney has now stepped in, charging a restaurant owner with “committing theft by false pretenses” over a misleading surcharge.

And one thing that’s worth a closer look:

More than seventy percent of female agricultural workers experience sexual harassment at work, reports Molly Rosbach in an important Yakima Herald piece which digs into women’s experiences in the industry. One worker speaks of men exposing themselves and groping her, and describes her work environment as “not safe.” And yet the head of the Washington Growers League claims that the issue is mostly extramarital affairs and sexually-oriented comments rather than physical contact. The state’s department of agriculture is now calling for training on sexual harassment to be treated as a basic part of occupational safety.