Tag Archives: Bernie Sanders

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

a message from Senator Al Franken


I have an idea for how to stop the right-wing war on women: Elect more women and fewer right-wingers.
 
That’s why, in 2012, my Midwest Values PAC is standing with longtime champions like Dianne Feinstein, Claire McCaskill, Kirsten Gillibrand, and, of course, Minnesota’s own Amy Klobuchar. And it’s why we’re fighting to elect more women like Tammy Baldwin and Shelley Berkley and Elizabeth Warren to the Senate, and women like Christie Vilsack and Tammy Duckworth to the House.
 
And, just to be clear, by “standing with” and “supporting,” I mean “giving money to.” Kind of a lot of it, actually. But don’t thank me — thank your fellow MVP members. Your contributions — yes, even the little ones — are going straight to great candidates facing tough fights in 2012. Click here to make one of those contributions today!
 
Electing more women is a big part of what we need to do in 2012. But great progressives across the country — from Sheldon Whitehouse and Bernie Sanders to Sherrod Brown and Jon Tester — are on ballots this year, and MVP is right there with them.
 
The same goes for the terrific Democrats who represent Minnesota in the House — Tim Walz, Keith Ellison, and Betty McCollum. We’re there with them, too.
 
And I’m proud that MVP is fighting to take back the Minnesota legislature and defeat the anti-marriage equality ballot amendment in my home state.
 
That’s a lot of important causes. And MVP is giving out a lot of money to them. And that’s all because people like you clicked on links like this one and helped us build this organization into a powerful progressive force.
 
I want to do more — much more. I want to elect more women, support more progressive champions, win more races. But it all depends on you.
 
 
Thanks for making me look good.
 
Al
 
P.S.: I am also looking forward to employing more “extra asks” in the P.S. section of emails. But I need you to help me prove that it works. Won’t you click here to make a contribution today?
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Republicans comment on Wall Street Protests


by on Oct  7, 2011

A pair of Republican presidential candidates had some harsh words for the protesters who’ve been hectoring Wall Street for the past three weeks: Cut out the “class warfare” and “blame yourself” for being poor and jobless.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said the demonstrators are coming across as “anti-capitalism.” The former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza said the Occupy Wall Street protesters are trying to distract the country from President Obama’s “failed policies.”

“Don’t blame Wall Street, don’t blame the big banks, if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself!” Cain said. “It is not a person’s fault because they succeeded, it is a person’s fault if they failed. And so this is why I don’t understand these demonstrations and what is it that they’re looking for.”

At a campaign stop in Florida Tuesday, Mitt Romney said the demonstrations were “dangerous” and “class warfare.”

When ABC’s Emily Friedman asked Romney today about the protests, the GOP front-runner declined to elaborate on his previous comments, saying “I’m just trying to get myself to occupy the White House.”

http://youtu.be/pOUw6vh1FMI

Published on Oct  7, 2011 by

At the Value Voters Summit on Friday, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.)said he is “increasingly concerned” by “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrations which began in New York and spread to other major cities.

Oct 5, 2011 by Current

Sen. Bernie Sanders takes issue with Mitt Romney’s definition of class warfare, saying, “Class warfare is being waged in America today – the problem is, the wrong side is winning.” Sanders continues, “In America now you have the most unequal distribution of income and wealth of any major country on Earth, with the top 400 wealthiest people owning more wealth than the bottom 150 million Americans

http://youtu.be/585snIsu7Ss

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Why do Republican​s hate Social Security? …Senator bernie sanders


Republicans hate Social Security because it has been an extraordinary success and has done exactly what it was designed to do. It is the most successful government program in our nation’s history and is enormously popular.

When Social Security was developed, 50 percent of seniors lived in poverty. Today, that number is 10 percent — still too high, but a testament to the success of Social Security.

Republicans have spent years demonizing Social Security and spreading lies about its sustainability. They want to scare Americans and build support for making drastic cuts to the program or privatizing it entirely. Their long-term goal is to end Social Security as we know it, and convert it into a private account system which will enable Wall Street to make hundreds of billions in profits.

The truth is that, today, according to the Social Security Administration, Social Security has a $2.7 trillion surplus and can pay out every benefit owed to every eligible American for the next 25 years.

Further, because it is funded by the payroll tax and not the U.S. Treasury, Social Security has not contributed one nickel to our deficit.

Now — in a prolonged recession that has decimated the poor and middle class and pushed more Americans into poverty than at any point in modern history — we need to strengthen Social Security. That’s why I, along with nine co-sponsors, have introduced the “Keeping Our Social Security Promises Act.” This legislation would lift the Social Security Payroll tax cap on all income over $250,000 a year, would require millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share into the Social Security Trust Fund, and would extend the program for the next 75 years.

Join me now as a citizen co-sponsor of the Keeping Our Social Security Promises Act.

For 76 years, through good times and bad, Social Security has paid out every benefit owed to every eligible American. The most effective way to strengthen Social Security for the next 76 years is to scrap the payroll tax cap for those earning $250,000 a year or more.

Right now, someone who earns $106,800 pays the same amount of money into Social Security as billionaires like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. That is because today, all income above $106,800 is exempt from the Social Security tax. As a result, 94% of Americans pay Social Security tax on all of their income, but the wealthiest 6% do not.

That makes no sense.

The “Keeping Our Social Security Promises Act” will ensure the long-term solvency of Social Security without cutting benefits, raising the retirement age or raising taxes on the middle class.

Join me and Democracy for America in fighting to strengthen Social Security — Sign on as a citizen co-sponsor of the Keeping Our Social Security Promises Act.

Social Security is keeping tens of millions of seniors out of poverty today. I can think of no more important issue facing our country today than making sure that Social Security remains strong for generations to come.

Thank you.

-Bernie

Senator Bernie Sanders
U.S. Senator from Vermont

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell Sens. Murray and Cantwell: Support the Social Security Protection Act of 2011.

2 Comments

Tell Sens. Murray and Cantwell: Support the Social Security Protection Act of 2011.

Take Social Security off the chopping block.

Clicking here will add your name to this petition to Sens. Murray and Cantwell:

“Social Security is one of the most popular and most effective social programs in our country’s history. We cannot allow its opponents to undermine it.

Help take Social Security off the chopping block by co-sponsoring the Social Security Protection Act of 2011.”

Click here to add your name

http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=7242&id=17410-2591629-SdISt_x&t=9

We need to take Social Security off the table as a bargaining chip in talks about the budget deficit and federal spending.

Social Security is one of the greatest anti-poverty programs in our country’s history and is wildly popular. In addition, despite fearmongering to the contrary, Social Security is currently running a surplus, is fully solvent for decades, and is prohibited by law from adding to the deficit.

In fact, the only crisis facing Social Security is caused by opponents of the program who are crying wolf about a crisis in order to justify undermining one of the most popular social programs in our history.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is introducing a bill today called the Social Security Protection Act of 2011. The bill would take Social Security off the chopping block by requiring a two-thirds super majority to reduce benefits, raise the retirement age or privatize the program.

Tell Sens. Murray and Cantwell: Support the Social Security Protection Act of 2011. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

Make no mistake, enemies of Social Security are trying to sabotage it even as they try to bamboozle the rest of us about their real aims. And we already know that some plan to use the prospect of a government shutdown or the fight around the debt ceiling as leverage to undermine Social Security.

We’ve seen how this works before. Time and again, conservatives have ginned up fake emergencies to justify far-reaching and deeply unpopular legislation. And all too often, we’ve seen Democrats in office do nothing to stop — or worse, actively enable — these conservative power-grabs.

We can’t let this happen with Social Security, which for 75 years has withstood both the test of time and the active efforts to undercut it.

Tell Sens. Murray and Cantwell: Support the Social Security Protection Act of 2011. Click here to automatically sign the petition..

Ten senators are already co-sponsoring the Social Security Protection Act. As a number of the co-sponsors of the bill wrote in a Dear Colleague letter:

http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=7242&id=17410-2591629-SdISt_x&t=9

“Our legislation does not prohibit Congress from cutting Social Security benefits, raising the retirement age or privatizing this important program. It simply ensures that if Congress takes any of these actions, a super-majority vote is needed…”

This is precisely the type of leverage we’ll need in the upcoming fights. It will help stop conservatives from ramming through cuts or privatization as some sort of grand compromise on “must pass” legislation.<

Once we do this, we banish the false specter of crisis, and have a real discussion about how to make changes to Social Security to keep it successful for another 75 years.

Thank you for standing up for Social Security.

Matt Lockshin, Campaign Manager

CREDO Action from Working Assets

P.S. The co-sponsors for the Social Security Protection Act of 2011 are: Bernard Sanders (VT), Daniel Akaka (HI), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), Sherrod Brown (OH), Barbara Mikulski (MD), Barbara Boxer (CA), Debbie Stabenow (MI), Mark Begich (AK), Richard Blumenthal (CT) and Frank Lautenberg (NJ).

~ my 2cents ...

mashup Monday & some News …


Today, President Obama signed the childhood nutrition bill -very good news.
I have received a lot of petitions to oppose the deal President Obama was able to get done within hours unlike you all in Congress who seemed more worried about the Midterms. He is fighting for the Middle Class because we do not have time for all your principled conversations and or ugly debates. What we need is action now but  Congress does not seem any closer than they were before the Midterms. On the other hand our President and his admin was able to get a deal helping those in need. I want Rep.Weiner to know we all know that the House passed most if not all the bills on the calendar but those same bills died in the Senate and will continue to do if people cannot accept the word compromise and fight to keep the Democratic Party in power by getting more on the floor of Congress.

I do not agree with the choices I am being asked to make; it seems to be  one side or the other and in my mind the people of America need help -that is who Americans are about, so if i have to make a choice it is to help Americans.  If changes can be made to the deal made that might be a good thing but the quickness by which so many in the Democratic Party turned on President Obama did not sit well with me and many other people i know and we won’t stand for it. I think past President’s not only had the support of their own Party. I now wonder is that still true because i don’t see it. I see a group of progressives and yes i call some of them the “Professional Left” seem to be waiting for this President to fail, make a mistake and or say he was for something when in fact he was not. The votes were not there 20 months ago they still are not there and now look where we are just a couple of weeks before the hammer comes down. I want folks like adam greene the net roots, jane hamsher, ed shultz, bill press and others who have money to stop the BS and look for the compromise that will help get Americans back on track. The BS I and many others are talking about are of this President being weak, not strong, not fighting or does not stand up enough is total BS. I watched the HCR debate and or negotiations and it was not pretty. I blame Congress for being distracted by the midterms. I will say that not all Americans agree with what you are doing Rep.Weiner you don’t speak for me and  i don’t appreciate you hoping from station to station bad mouthing this President or that it is bad decision because it might be the only choice that is, if you are just as worried about the alternative like our President- People first. I am having a hard time feeling this group like you seem to be the enemy not the support we need. The Democratic Party or mostly progressives and liberals need to stop having tantrums and place the blame where it really belongs which is the Republicans and our own Democratic Party that did not get the job done before the Midterm elections and if anyone thinks Anthony Wiener has my support after getting on every cable station with his BS he is incredibly mistaken. It was time to unite in solidarity instead we saw our own Party put off votes, scale bills down ignore what the President asked for and worried about their campaigns. I was pissed then and i am still pissed that not only did the calendar seem hastily done but absolutely no strategy to get the House bills taken care of by the Senate -one chamber was gone the other in session and stacks and stacks of bills waiting to be addressed.

I blame what I call the Republican Tea Party for the lack of improvement of our economy but i will be damned to say the deal is bad when our own party couldn’t get it done and if you paid attention this deal is not just a compromise bro it is a stimulus package 2.0 with some items that clearly need to be changed and even President Obama said this, yet this too was ignored. It makes me wonder do they all even talk or is this a planned move because i know meetings between the President and our Democratic party have happened it begs the question of what is going on. I give Props to Senator Sanders for making the filibuster go National TV style because i truly believe “the Media” has quashed the President’s and the Democratic Parties Message but i am offended by his comments of my President and will continue to support President Obama. I am all for constructive criticism but what has been happening is much more than that and i intend to fight the move from the Professional left to Primary President Obama because of this latest move toward the 21st Century.

I expect more from our Congress. We had a 85million dollar JOBS bill that got scaled down to 15million; bills that died or bills that the RTP cleverly added lewd Amendments to that no one would vote for thus killing real change.
I suggest people on the left remember that stuff -not getting the job done stands out for me, ask someone how long did it take our President to negotiate and possibly keep some people in their homes, food, and or the ability to pay for some bills? The speeches only do some much when you need to pay for your meds like Seniors do.

The action by Senator Sanders on the floor of Congress was commendable but too late in my opinion and most if not all Americans would like to know why this did not happen before the Mid-term elections. I still am trying to figure out how we lost so much if you and the other mobilizers were getting the vote out – only 4.7% of Blacks voted -some call Low information voters, women and gays actually leaned right and look where that got us …whose fault is that?
This letter is written out of frustration because i just don’t believe the debate, speeches and negotiations will help. They are a waste of time when there are so many other things that need to get passed before the new Congress convenes -I am a voter and i want a compromise with folks working behind the scenes on what can be done about the parts that are awful but worth the compromise because it will help millions –

Other News ….

**The Obama Tax deal is being supported by AARP Clinton, Harold Ford,

**Tax cut test vote in the Senate should happen at 3pmET today

**There are at least 1 million homeless Haitians right now

**Amanda Knox gave an emotional appeal

**Petraeus pushes to end DADT

**UN forest deal stalls

**Cancun delegates reach climate change deal

**Gates sees problems if DADT fails to pass in the Senate

**Seattle –UW Huskies will be going to the Holiday Bowl

**Bank of America will resume foreclosures

**TJ Maxx will cut 4400 jobs

**James Moody died over the weekend -he was 81

CSPAN …