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Virginia Governor Defies GOP, Pledges To Expand Health Coverage To Low-Income Virginians


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Virginia Governor Defies GOP, Pledges To Expand Health Coverage To Low-Income Virginians

Virginia has been embroiled in a political drama for some time now, but with real stakes for hundreds of thousands of the state’s residents. On one side is Governor Terry McAuliffe, who has consistently pushed to close the health coverage gap for low-income working Virginians by including a Medicaid expansion provision in the Virginia state budget. On the other is the GOP legislature, intent on putting politics over people by denying health coverage to working Virginians by preventing Medicaid expansion.

The stalemate appeared to break earlier this month, when the GOP took control of the state Senate in a dramatic turn of events that may have involved an illegal bribe to get a Democrat to step down. State Republicans then rushed to pass a budget that explicitly bans the state from expanding Medicaid.

Things didn’t look good for the roughly 400,000 residents of Virginia who would benefit if the state accepted the federal funding to expand health care under the Affordable Care Act. But today, Gov. Terry McAuliffe made a bold and surprising announcement that he would act unilaterally to close the coverage gap, whether by expanding Medicaid or through another avenue.

The Huffington Post reports:

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) used his line-item veto power Friday to nix portions of the state budget, extending his battle with legislative Republicans who oppose his attempt to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

McAuliffe struck language from the state legislature’s budget that Republicans had inserted in the hopes of blocking a Medicaid expansion, which could provide health care to 400,000 uninsured Virginians.

“By refusing any and all compromise, the House leadership has turned its back on people all over Virginia who were looking to us to help them and their families gain access to lifesaving treatments and medicine,” McAuliffe said at a Friday press conference. “With respect to health care, I am moving forward. There are several options available to me.”

The governor’s office made clear that he doesn’t necessarily intend to extend health coverage by unilaterally expanding Medicaid, a decision that has been considered a possibility before.

“There are a number of options, so we’re exploring all options within the governor’s executive power to get Virginians access to the health care they need,” said a spokesman for McAuliffe.

Either way, this is great news for hardworking Virginia families. The fight will continue on Monday evening when the Virginia General Assembly returns to Richmond to consider action on upholding or overriding his vetoes.

BOTTOM LINE: In too many states, Republican lawmakers are refusing to provide health coverage to millions of Americans simply because of politics. These political games have real consequences. In the face of a Republican legislature refusing to compromise on Medicaid expansion, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe vowed to take matters into his own hands in order to make sure working Virginia families get the care they deserve.

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did you know … the LaRouche movement


just another rant …

I am sure that attitudes about the LaRouche movement is different among left of center folks out there. I admit my attitude is for and about left of center actions that will help my family yours and possibly effect others that have like minded actions … ones that create change for the better like: clean air water environment living for the 21st Century that is inclusive … extremists on the right or the left are tough to accept when the goal or mission is only for a select few to reap the benefits … that is just wrong in my opinion. Anyway, a little information about their movement is below and contrary to what they say I just cannot believe they consider themselves apart of the Democratic Party

Lyndon LaRouche, who is, well, a fringe political cult leader of sorts.  LaRouche is a left-wing Marxist-turned-right-wing conspiracy theorist, and believes in off-the-wall policies like space colonization, a quarantine for everyone with AIDS, and opposition to abortion and gay rights. And LaRouche, himself a former perennial presidential candidate, has been accused of espousing fascist, racist and anti-Semitic views.  As the late Manning Marable once said, “LaRouche appeals to fear, hatred and ignorance. He seeks to exploit and exacerbate the anxieties and frustrations of Americans by offering an array of scapegoats and enemies: Jews, Zionists, international bankers, blacks, labor unions-much the way Hitler did in Germany.” Not running for political office these days, LaRouche, 91 years old, has his minions on the ballot—people such as Kesha Rogers.  Like other LaRouche supporters, Rogers has compared President Obama to Hitler, complete with the mustache, and likened Obamacare to the policies of Nazi Germany. And she wants to impeach him, too.

Resources: UK Progressives … the grio … state- election.info … Rogers official website

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The LaRouche movement opposed the UN sanctions against Iraq in 1991 and the Gulf War in 1991.[13] Supporters formed the “Committee to Save the Children in Iraq”.[14] LaRouche blamed the sanctions and war on “Israeli-controlled Moslem fundamentalist groups” and the “Ariel Sharon-dominated government of Israel” whose policies were “dictated by Kissinger and company, through the Hollinger Corporation, which has taken over The Jerusalem Post for that purpose.”[15] Left-wing anti-war groups were divided over the LaRouche movement’s involvement.[16]

In 2000, the Democratic Senatorial nominee in Wyoming, Mel Logan, was a LaRouche follower;[17] the Republican incumbent, Craig Thomas, won in a 76%–23% landslide. In 2001, a “national citizen-candidates’ movement” was created, advancing candidates for a number of elective offices across the country.

In 2006, LaRouche Youth Movement activist and Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee member Cody Jones was honored as “Democrat of the Year” for the 43rd Assembly District of California, by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.[18][better source needed] At the April 2007 California State Democratic Convention, LYM activist Quincy O’Neal was elected vice-chairman of the California State Democratic Black Caucus,[19][better source needed] and Wynneal Innocentes was elected corresponding secretary of the Filipino Caucus.[20][better source needed]

In November 2007, Mark Fairchild returned to Illinois to promote legislation authored by LaRouche, called the “Homeowners and Bank Protection Act of 2007”, establishing a moratorium on home foreclosures and establishing a new federal agency to oversee all federal and state banks. He also promoted LaRouche’s plan to build a high-speed railroad to connect Russia and the United States, including a tunnel under the Bering Strait.[7][21]

In 2009, a volunteer table in Mattituck, NY had a picture of Obama with a “drawn-in Hitler moustache” and “a picture of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi with Frankenstein-style bolts in her head.”[22] In Seattle in 2011 (?), an image of Obama with a “Hitler moustache” angered some. Police were called in regarding a LaRouche opponent telling a LaRouche volunteer “Look at me again and I’m going to punch your face.” In another case, during the prior month, “the same officer was called to investigated an incident in which a man threatened to rip down several political signs displayed by LaRouche supporters.” “Police investigated the incident as malicious harassment — the state’s hate-crime law.”[23] At one widely reported event, Congressman Barney Frank referred to the posters as “vile, contemptible nonsense.”[24]

LaRouche supporters, Homer Alaska, May 2012

In March 2010, LaRouche Youth leader Kesha Rogers won the Democratic congressional primary in Houston, Texas’ 22nd District.[25] The following day, a spokeswoman for the Texas Democratic Party stated that “La Rouche members are not Democrats. I guarantee her campaign will not receive a single dollar from anyone on our staff.”[26] In June 2012, Rogers won the Democratic congressional primary for a second time.[27]

In March 2014, Rogers received 22% of the vote in the U.S. Senate Democratic primary, placing her into a runoff election with David M. Alameel.[28]

Resource: wiki

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In May David M. Alameel won the runoff by 72% against LaRouche candidate Rogers and will need help from the Democratic Party with his bid to unseat Cornyn ~~ Nativegrl77

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#NotOneMore


You helped make this powerful message unavoidabl​e

If you were in D.C., this ad was all over news sites, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Basically, all the places political offices have to monitor.”

That’s how our ad team described MoveOn members’ powerful ad campaign targeting decision makers in Washington, D.C. and state capitals across the country. The ad featured a call for action on gun violence from Richard Martinez, whose son was killed in the recent shooting at UC Santa Barbara.

This ad generated 8.1 million impressions in capital cities across the country in a week, including nearly 1 million in Washington, D.C. While not all of those “impressions” mean that someone watched the entire video, we do know that it was viewed thousands of times by government staffers and more than 600 times by members of the media.

Together, we’re working to make this powerful message unavoidable—to demand action in the face of the continued scourge of gun violence in communities across America. Sadly, in just the past few weeks, there have been multiple mass shootings since UCSB and countless individual gun deaths.

But passionate messages like Mr. Martinez’s can break through. As this video was being shared from coast to coast, MoveOn member and UCSB student Kyley Scarlet started a petition on gun violence to the Obama administration, and Vice President Joe Biden responded with a personal video message for students at the school.1

That’s why, no matter how frustrating this effort can be, we have to keep lifting our voices. If you haven’t already, please share the ad with everyone you know.

Thanks for all you do.

–Garlin, Jo, Nick, Alejandro, and the rest of the team

P.S. Have an idea for reducing gun violence in your community? Start your campaign today.

Sources:

1. “Vice President Joe Biden’s video message for UCSB graduates,” KCBX, June 11, 2014
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=299639&id=97504-17809870-5iignsx&t=4

Want to support our work? MoveOn Civic Action is entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

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A Win For Workplace Fairness


President Obama Just Announced The Single Largest Expansion Of LGBT Workplace Protections In Our Country’s History

Progress

As many as 9 out of 10 voters believe federal law already protects LGBT workers from discrimination. But it doesn’t. And while the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was passed by the Senate this year, it has stalled in the House; Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has made it clear that there is “no way” ENDA will pass this year.

Enter the latest chapter of the Obama Administration’s “year of action.” The White House announced today that President Obama will issue an executive order requiring that all companies who contract with the federal government must not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Think Progress reporter Zack Ford has the details:

The order, expected to be finalized in the coming weeks, is an extension of orders previously issued by past presidents — most recently Johnson — similarly banning employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin among all contractors and subcontractors who do over $10,000 in business with the government in any one year.

The protections will reach over one million LGBT workers across the country, making it the single largest expansion of LGBT workplace protections in our country’s history. There continue to be 29 states that offer no employment protections on the basis of sexual orientation and 32 with no protections based on gender identity, but many LGBT workers in those states will now have workplace protections for the first time ever. As many as 43 percent of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and 90 percent of transgender people have experienced some form of harassment or discrimination in the workplace.

As with Obama’s executive order raising the minimum wage for employees of federal contractors to $10.10, this order will cover an enormous number of people but still relies on Congress to pass a law making sure that millions more LGBT Americans have the freedom to work.

Recently, some LGBT advocates have been giving second thoughts to the current ENDA bill in Congress, based on a religious liberty exemption that could have the potential interpreted too broadly. Here’s Zack Ford again:

The LGBT movement has also become increasingly divided over whether ENDA in its current form is worth pursuing. After two decades of failed consideration in Congress, the bill has been weakened by an exemption that would grant religious organizations unprecedented privilege to continue discriminating against LGBT people. A number of state groups and legal organizations have recently dropped their support for ENDA because they believe that the exemption goes too far and codifies into law the idea that LGBT identities are incompatible with faith. The executive order is thus an important step even if ENDA eventually passes.

BOTTOM LINE: Americans of any sexual orientation and gender identity should have the freedom to work and the right to equal treatment in the workplace. President Obama’s latest executive action is the biggest expansion of those rights in American history. There is more left to be done when it comes to giving all Americans equal protection, and Congress should follow the President’s lead by passing a federal law that ends unfair and discriminatory workplace practices that hurt LGBT workers and their families.

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Teachers forced to sign a “morality contract”


by Dominick Mortarotti via Change.org

I go to a Catholic school in Oakland, and the local Bishop wants to be able to fire teachers for things like supporting gay rights or seeking infertility treatment. Please sign my petition calling on the local Diocese to change this offensive contract.

Petitions on Change.org are started by people like you who care deeply about an issue. It takes only a few minutes, and can change something big.
Start your own petition

My teachers are in trouble, and we need your help. I go to a Catholic high school in Oakland, CA, and the Bishop of our district just put out a terrible new contract which says my teachers could be fired for being gay, for supporting gay rights, for supporting a woman’s right to choose, even for using or supporting infertility treatments like in vitro fertilization.

No one at my school wants this contract: not the teachers, not the students, not even the administration.  

The Bishop in my district re-categorized teachers as ministers to be able to get around employment law and fire teachers for their beliefs or even their personal medical decisions. There’s also a broad ethical clause that would give the Diocese leeway to fire teachers for any belief they hold.

I started a petition on Change.org calling on the Diocese of Oakland to get rid of this offensive and outlandish contract. Please click here to sign my petition.

It has been really difficult to watch my teachers struggle with this terrible contract. Some of them have even quit over it. My favorite teacher is just a few years away from retirement, and she has to choose whether to live with this offensive contract or risk compromising her pension. She’s the teacher who taught me about having strong moral character and standing up for yourself. It’s awful to watch her question whether she should hide her own beliefs because she can’t afford to lose her job.

This isn’t just happening in Oakland. The Catholic church is putting out terrible contracts like this all over America, from Cleveland to Honolulu. 

But some communities are fighting back, and they’re winning. In Santa Rosa, the community fought back so hard against a contract like this that the local Diocese was forced to postpone it. I know we can do the same in Oakland — and make the Bishops think twice before they try to do this to teachers in another city.

Please sign my petition calling on the Diocese of Oakland to change the contract that would allow teachers to be fired for supporting gay rights or infertility treatments.

Thank you,

Dominick Mortarotti
Oakland, CA