Tag Archives: Barack Obama

GOP Rejects Own Plan to Keep Government Open


By

CHART: Democrats Have Already Negotiated & Compromised

Republicans continue to falsely claim that President Obama and Democrats won’t negotiate over the budget. That’s just not true.

In fact, Senate Democrats even tried once again this afternoon to launch a formal conference committee to hash out a budget through September of 2014, but Republicans blocked their request, as they have on 19 previous occasions since the Senate passed a budget over six months ago.

What is true is that Democrats refuse to negotiate over keeping the government open and paying the bills that Congress has already racked up. Those items should be non-negotiable. They are simply Congress’ job.

As soon as the GOP brings these latest manufactured crises to an end — as they could at literally any moment if they simply allow the House of Representatives to vote on a clean government funding bill and a bill that guarantees that Congress will not allow an unprecedented and catastrophic default on our obligations — Democrats are more than happy to negotiate on the actual budget.

In fact, they have done plenty of negotiating already. The clean bill to re-open the government is already a huge compromise and agrees to the sequester spending levels that Republicans demanded and promised to bring to a vote mere months ago.

Check out this chart that shows just how much Democrats have already compromised with Republicans:

FundingLevelCharticle-1

This compromise bill was Speaker Boehner’s own idea and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) touted it as a major victory for House Republicans just last month, but now they refuse to even allow the House to vote on it. Worse, Republicans continue to threaten to unleash a “financial apocalypse” on the global economy as soon as next week unless the president and Democrats agree to their laundry list of Tea Party demands.

BOTTOM LINE: Unless Congress acts, we’ll face a global economic calamity next week. Americans across the country — including the family members of our troops killed in action — are already suffering because the GOP shut down the government in a failed effort to deny affordable health insurance to millions.

It’s time for these manufactured crises to end. Republicans just need to allow the House of Representatives to vote on a clean government funding bill and a bill that guarantees that Congress will pay our nation’s bills.

 

BioMarin said No to her friend with Cancer


The first thing I have to say is thank you. More than 140,00 people — including you — have signed my petition to help save the life of my friend Andrea Sloan.

Andrea is in desperate need of a new cancer drug made by pharmaceutical company BioMarin, but they say she’s “not eligible” for any of their current trials. Andrea needs access to the drug under a “compassionate use” program, and because of our petition, it’s looking like that could really happen.

Just last week, a leaked internal email from BioMarin proved that they are taking this petition seriously and really considering helping Andrea.

Now is the time to turn up the pressure on BioMarin. Can you share my petition on Facebook to help it gain more signatures and momentum?

We are so close to getting Andrea the medicine she needs. She has dedicated her life to helping others — I know we can do what it takes to help her.

Thank you,

Carol Carter
Lake Dallas, TX

P.S. Have you seen this video that Andrea made explaining compassionate use? Click here to watch, and feel free to share that as well!

What a shutdown means for veterans


VoteVets.org

Add your name to VoteVets’ petition calling
for an end to the government shutdown

The Republican-sponsored government shutdown promises to have a drastic, and immediate, impact on veterans and military family members.

Starting today, the Department of Veterans Affairs may be forced to furlough up to 20,000 claims processors — wiping out all of the recent progress made reducing the backlog.

We could also begin to see immediate lapses in care. During the 1995 shutdown, some military hospitals canceled appointments and even some surgeries.

From there, things only get worse…

The VA believes that after two or three weeks “benefit checks it issues, including disability claims and pension payments will be disrupted.”

Worse still, the toll sequester has already taken on military readiness will be multiplied with each passing day.

But nothing ends this shutdown faster than the voices of veterans and military family members, particularly those personally impacted.

Add your name to mine on VoteVets’ petition calling for an end to the government shutdown, and let them know if you expect it to impact your family.

http://action.votevets.org/shutdown

In their zeal to deny coverage to the one million-plus uninsured veterans who will qualify for health care under the Affordable Care Act, Ted Cruz and his Tea Party allies are disproportionately placing the burden of a shutdown on military families.

We have an extraordinarily unique voice in this fight. It’s critical that you make yours heard today.

All the best,

General (Ret.) Wesley Clark

Tell Mars, Inc. to set an example for the Snack Food 20


Ran

by RAN

Today I visited the corporate headquarters of Mars, Inc. with Strawberry, an orphaned orangutan from Indonesia, to let the company know that consumers all across the world want Mars to stop using Conflict Palm Oil in its products.

Tell Mars and the rest of the Snack Food 20 to cut Conflict Palm Oil!
Image Description

Mars and all of the Snack Food 20 companies need to hear from you too!

Unlike some of its fellow Snack Food 20 companies, like Kraft and Smucker’s, Mars is on the move. We have a chance to push Mars, the maker of wildly popular brands like M&Ms, Snickers, and Combos, to become an industry leader in sourcing responsible palm oil.

After RAN put the snack food sector on notice last April, Mars, Inc. responded by strengthening its palm oil commitment. The company has committed to working towards sourcing 100% of its palm oil from traceable sources that are not associated with deforestation, expansion on carbon-rich peatlands and the violation of human and labor rights.

Mars needs to hear from you right now—the power is in your palm! Tell Mars to turn its new commitments into a global palm oil policy and take action to cut Conflict Palm Oil from its products immediately.

At the Mars HQ, Strawberry and I gave representatives of the company a copy of the RAN report Conflict Palm Oil: How US Snack Food Brands are Contributing to Orangutan Extinction, Climate Change and Human Rights Violations and outlined RAN’s demand to cut Conflict Palm Oil. We’re confident the company is getting the message.

But Mars won’t change unless it hears from enough of us that we expect it to cut Conflict Palm Oil from its products. Tell Mars and the rest of the Snack Food 20 to cut Conflict Palm Oil from their products!

twisted Tuesday … a Govt shutdown?


Pfawextremism

 

just another rant

Will somebody tell Republicans it is time to pay the bills? The media keeps reminding us that thousands of people will be out of jobs, as if anyone needs to be reminded. In what was/is considered the worse economic collapse, Republicans voted against the stimulus package in 2008, but they acted as if they voted for it when the money came in. While they were handing out checks left and right they continued to bad mouth PBO and the big government behavior, some Republicans asked for more money others said the money really did help but would deny it if asked.  The fact is, even more tried to give the money back which not only hurt their constituents it put Teachers, Police and other first responders at risk of losing their jobs.

 

Yet, here we are in the year 2013 with Republicans deciding that holding America hostage in the 11th hour is the best way to do “The Peoples Business.”  Apparently, they are still pissed that #ACA passed through Congress ~ became a law (ACA) which was then deemed constitutional by SCOTUS but they do not care so #ACA has been on the floor say 43 – 46 times. The Republican Party talks about how unfair the Democrats have been while wasting tax payer money and looking quite stupid at the same time.  So, after hours and hours of legislative ping pong, Republicans continue to say NO to just about everything to people/voters who might otherwise be unemployed before the November elections.  It baffles me and got to wonder how does this 1%  behavior look to their constituents, not to mention it seems reckless and inadvisable but given the last few months of The Political Party of NO does not disappoint.  They have proven not to be honest players, have not voted on any jobs bills and call unemployment bailouts; listen if this does not open your eyes what Republicans can do to let the public realize they are willing to use Americans as pawns to gain control of Congress. Though PBO is in his 2nd term, Republicans continue to play political games, the governing party is in place and the fix needed is not.

 Congress knows what to do to fix the problem, yet Republicans do not seem to care

 The month of September has so many memories,  good bad and the really ugly. It is a time when summer ends a time to remember history and is yet another step to move the debt deficit and new bills forward, not to experience past acts or behaviors. It is a month to invoke compassion, peace, love and cooperation, we all know the weather and the NFL won’t

 Republicans seem to say one thing and do anther on the floor of Congress. If the economy had been ok prior to the election of President Obama, the amount of spending would be next to nothing …people just seem to have amnesia … but we cannot let Republicans gain control of what will be  not only a correction but a move toward the 21st Century.  It may cost a little more but what better way to spend money …on All Americans not a select few not for a group who practices exclusion.  The notion that the collapse of our economy just happened is stupid and people need to realize the sad reality that the last guy could have fended off this but opted to pass the buck on the next President. I remember Bush saying this guy has no clue, it was an offensive comment then, and now 5.5 yrs. later, it does not take a rocket scientist to know that the state of our economy was a lot worse than we will ever really know. I would like to know whom among us is that stupid to think it would be corrected in 20 months when the fix is for about 30 years of errors that got us into this financial crisis?

I blame the Republican Tea Party for our current lack of improvement with all their no votes, blocking major legislation and using Americans as pawns to gain back control by any means necessary. Conservatives continue invoke fear, promote hate toward people considered to be in the Protected Classes and that is not just scary but should be a red flag for those who expect Politicians to speak out and up for All Americans; clearly The Republican Tea Party is not for everyone.