Tag Archives: Barack Obama

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Latinos Are Being Fed to This Beast

The_Beast_thumbnail_with_button.png
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

AFL – CIO sec- treasurer , Elizabeth Shuler


On my busiest work days, when there’s hardly time to eat lunch, I usually run downstairs to the AFL-CIO cafeteria. The wonderful staff working there knows how to make a mean tuna salad sandwichon wheat…quick and always delicious.I’m not sure Vanna in the cafeteria knows how important she is on those tuna sandwich days. But today, we’re launching an initiative that will make it possible for me to go that extra mile to let Vanna know how much she’s appreciated.

Send an e-card to show you appreciate someone whose work helps you get through the day on our new, easy-to-use tool.

Every day is an opportunity to recognize the hard work of others. I’m lucky enough to come into contact with tales of incredible workers every day. People like Jack Johnson, who makes great music and matches fan donations to certain charities though the Ohana Charitable Foundation. Or Jane McGonigal, an innovative game designer and writer who is making a difference by creating new avenues for work and play.

No matter what you do, work connects us all. We depend on one another’s work. Together, it’s how we build, create, teach, re-wire, heal and grow what’s important.

On behalf of everyone at the AFL-CIO, and the millions of workers we’re proud to represent: thanks for the work you do. It means the world to us.

I bet you can think of plenty of workers in your life who deserve thanks—the teachers who inspire your children, the firefighters who keep us safe, the nurses who heal our wounds, or the electricians who keep the lights on. It might be workers you sometimes forget about—the waitresses who served your dinner, the accountants who worried about your taxes so you didn’t have to or the mail carriers who got your package there in time for your mom’s birthday.

We want everyone to know their work matters. Say thanks to the workers in your life today:

http://go.aflcio.org/thankyou

In Solidarity,

Elizabeth Shuler
Secretary-Treasurer, AFL-CIO
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Preserving and Strengthening Medicare


The White House

Weekly Address: Preserving and Strengthening Medicare

President Obama speaks to the American people about the critical need to strengthen and preserve Medicare for our seniors and future generations.

Watch President Obama’s weekly address.

Watch the President's weekly address

President Barack Obama tapes the Weekly Address in the East Room of the White House, Aug. 23, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Weekly Wrap Up

First Lady Michelle Obama Hosts First-Ever Kids’ State Dinner: On Monday, First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the first-ever Kids’ “State Dinner” at the White House, welcoming 54 budding chefs to a formal luncheon in the East Room as part of her Let’s Move! initiative. The guests, all between the ages of 8 and 12, represented all U.S. states, three territories and the District of Columbia.

Each of the guests, along with their parents, submitted a healthy recipe as part of Epicurious’ Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, which invited families to create an original lunchtime recipe that is healthy, affordable and delicious, and follows the nutritional guidelines of MyPlate.

President Obama Held a Press Conference: Also on Monday, President Obama took questions from reporters and discussed a big new announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“Today, HHS announced that thanks to the health care law that we passed, nearly 5.4 million seniors with Medicare have saved over $4.1 billion on prescription drugs. That’s an average savings of more than $700 per person,” he said. “This year alone, 18 million seniors with Medicare have taken advantage of new preventive care benefits like a mammogram or other cancer screening at no extra cost.”

Assisting Iranians in Need: On August 11, strong earthquakes in northwest Iran destroyed and damaged hundreds of villages, causing the loss of many lives, leaving thousands without electricity, water, health care and other essential services. The United States immediately sent the Iranian people our condolences and offered direct earthquake relief to the government of Iran. Despite our strong differences with the Iranian government, we have a deeply held obligation to help those in need in times of disaster. To learn more about the United States’ assistance to the Iranian people, please read Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough’s comments.

First Lady Announced a Major Milestone for Joining Forces: On Wednesday, at Naval Station Mayport near Jacksonville, Florida, First Lady Michelle Obama announced that 2,000 companies had hired or trained an amazing 125,000 veterans and military spouses in the past year through Joining Forces. This effort, combined with policies and legislation put in place by the President have resulted in a 20 percent decrease in veteran unemployment compared to this time last year.

International Traveler Spending On Pace For a Record Setting Year: Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Commerce released data showing that international visitors have spent an estimated $82.2 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services year to date, an increase of 11 percent when compared to the same period last year. The new data indicate that the first half of 2012 set a new record for U.S. travel and tourism exports, and, if these trends continue, international visitors could end up injecting close to $170 billion into the U.S. economy by year-end.

The Department of the Interior recently redesigned Recreation.gov to engage visitors with enhanced interactive web content and more multimedia, mobile, trip-planning tools. Check out the new Recreation.gov website to see the 90,000 federal sites, including national parks, wildlife refuges, waterways, and forests for you and your family to explore in the United States.

#InnovateGov: On Thursday, the inaugural class of Presidential Innovation Fellows, top innovators from all over the country who are working to create solutions that will boost government innovation for the American people, was welcomed by US Chief Technology Officer Todd Park. Learn about these projects at wh.gov/innovationfellows and read Todd Park’s blog post.

Open-Sourcing We the People: Also on Thursday, the White House published the source code for We the People, the online petitions system for the public to connect with the White House. When President Obama talked about We the People at the Open Government Partnership last year, he promised to, “share that technology so any government in the world can enable its citizens to do the same.” Now anybody, from other countries to the smallest organizations to civic hackers can take this code and put to their own use. One of the most exciting prospects of open sourcing We the People is getting feedback, ideas and code contributions from the public.

First Lady Michelle Obama Visited Sikh Community in Wisconsin: Also on Thursday, First Lady Michelle Obama visited with the Sikh American families affected by the tragedy on August 5 in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. She not only expressed her condolences but also underscored how strong those who died were, and how strong the Sikh community continues to be. The First Lady expressed her pride in the community, and looked into the eyes of the children in the room and said that she expects them to achieve ever greater things as well. The First Lady also greeted the family of Oak Creek Police Lt. Brian Murphy, who was shot and injured while defending the temple. Learn more about First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit to the Sikh Community.

Stay Connected