President Obama and the FCC have taken a stand to protect the Internet’s future, but the cable companies are spending millions to block them and turn this into a partisan issue. We have days to show Congress that the public fully supports Obama’s call — click now to keep the Internet free and equal:
Tag Archives: civil rights
Here’s what 10 people told the President about their health care:
Ten people who wrote the President about their health care were invited to the White House this week. See what they said to the President, and read their personal stories here.
When the Health Insurance Marketplace opened last year, Ann from Westport, Connecticut found that she qualified for Medicaid in her state. That coverage finally gave her the opportunity to see a doctor — and catch her breast cancer early on.
Don from Phoenix, Arizona signed up for health insurance last year under the Affordable Care Act and had a general checkup soon after. After getting a routine colonoscopy, however, doctors found a large, cancerous tumor. Now it’s gone, and Don is cancer-free.
As House Republicans keep trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act — this week marked more than 50 times they’ve voted to repeal or undermine it — the law continues to help and save the lives of millions of Americans. A number of them have written the President just to say “thank you,” and on Wednesday, the President met with 10 of those letter-writers here at the White House.
Unfortunately, there are still millions of uninsured Americans who don’t know why it’s so important to get covered, or how they stand to benefit. And it’s on each and every one of us to change that.
If you know someone who needs to get health insurance, share these stories with them today — and remind them that the deadline to sign up for health insurance is February 15.
Good News For The Whole Family
A Great Jobs Report In The Headlines, And Important Education News Under The Fold
Friday brought some very good news for Americans in the workforce, and for those who haven’t yet entered it (students!).
The January jobs report added more evidence that the U.S. economy continues to get stronger, not just for those at the very top but also for the middle-class and those looking to get into the middle-class. Headlines from major news outlets delivered the message loud and clear:
- New York Times: This Is a Great Jobs Report Across the Board
- Bloomberg: Job Report Crushes It
- Los Angeles Times: Best Wage Growth In Six Years
- Wall Street Journal: January Jobs Report…Cast[s] Rosier Glow on 2014
- The New Republic: The Recovery Is Finally Happening for Ordinary Americans
- CNBC: Jobs Report Leaves GOP Grasping For Ammo
A different event garnered far fewer headlines, but represents another important victory. This time, its not for those who are in the workforce now, but for those who rely on quality education to hopefully one join it.
Today, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), the lead Republican on the Senate Committee with jurisdiction over the nation’s education policy, reneged on his attempt to push through a partisan bill to rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind. In a joint statement with Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Committee, Alexander agreed to scrap his bill and move forward to develop a bipartisan starting point for the Committee to consider.
Just one month ago, Alexander put forward an aggressive timeline to have a bill on the Senate floor by the end of this month. But as education experts, including our colleagues at CAP, dug into the that bill, they found that it included a number of troubling provisions. Among other things, it would divert funding away from students living in the poorest communities who need it the most; fail teachers, parents, and students with disabilities; and rollback the federal government’s role in ensuring an equitable education for all students no matter their background, zip code, or income level.
A CAP report released this week demonstrated how communities with concentrations of poverty could lose federal funding to wealthier school districts under Alexander’s original proposal. For example, Chicago could lose more than $64 million, while the much more affluent suburb of Naperville could see its allocations increase. In Los Angeles Unified School District, students could lose out on more than $75 million, while Beverly Hills could gain.
BOTTOM LINE: In 1965, the original goal of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was to ensure low-income students have a chance of success. After initially introducing a plan that could have done the opposite, GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander has pulled back and announced a more bipartisan process. That is a very important step in making sure that our nation’s education policy improves to ensure student success in an equitable way.
Robocalls …Change.org
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No Robocalls to Cell phones – Protect Your Rights and Privacy! |
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Invitation: Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy Day in Olympia, Tues. Feb 10
After any tragic shooting, we always ask, “What could we have done to prevent this?”
Families and law enforcement are usually the first to detect that someone is in crisis — but for too long they haven’t had the tools to temporarily remove guns from somebody who poses an extreme risk to themselves or others.
That’s exactly why we’re fighting for an Extreme Risk Protection Order bill that would give family members the ability to take action and stop tragedies before they happen. This Tuesday we’re taking that fight straight to the capitol in Olympia. Can you join us?
Click here to RSVP for the Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy Day in Olympia on Tuesday, February 10.
Here are the event details:
What: Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy Day
When: Tuesday, February 10 at 9:00 a.m.
Lunch will be provided for all attendees
Meeting Place: The United Churches of Olympia
110 Eleventh Ave SE; Olympia, WA 98501

We won big in November by helping pass I-594 at the ballot to require criminal background checks for all gun sales, but our lawmakers need to know that our state’s gun violence prevention movement hasn’t stopped fighting — and meeting them face-to-face is the most effective way to prove that.
The priority this session is to pass the Extreme Risk Protection Order bill — which would let Washington families and law enforcement ask a judge to temporarily remove guns from someone who poses an extreme risk to themselves or others.
On Tuesday, we’ll also be:
- Advocating for a bill to hold adults responsible for keeping guns out of the hands of children;
- Asking our legislators to protect the background checks law we worked so hard to win last year from any attempts at weakening it; and
- Holding a training for volunteers, writing letters to lawmakers, meeting with legislators, and hosting a press event to make sure our case for strong gun laws is heard in the media.
RSVP now if you can join us for the Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy Day on February 10.
Thanks for everything you do for this movement. I hope to see you in Olympia!
Leah Bernstein
Washington State Chapter Leader
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
P.S. If you can’t make it to the lobby day but want to add your voice to the fight for the Extreme Risk Protection Order bill, click here to automatically sign the petition to lawmakers now.





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