Tag Archives: Congress

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Call Congress: Protect food stamps and family farms …Rashad Robinson, ColorOfChange.org


Congress wants to cut food stamps — but keep subsidizing Big Agribusiness?

Demand a Farm Bill that fully funds critical nutrition assistance programs and protects Black family farms.

Since last week, you and over 33,000 ColorOfChange members urged the U.S. Congress to protect healthy food, hungry people, and struggling family farmers. The Congress is likely to vote this week to finalize the text of the 2012 Farm Bill. Amending the bill now is crucial to ensuring that our families — on the farm and off — will continue to be able to put enough food on the table even in the toughest of times.

The current version of the bill would give billions in wasteful subsidies to Big Agribusiness, while cutting critical food programs. Can you make a call urging your Representative to support an amended Farm Bill that fully funds SNAP and safeguards livelihoods for Black family farmers? A personal call is a really powerful way to make a statement, and it only takes a moment:

http://act.colorofchange.org/call/farmbill_calls_house/

The 2501 Program and SNAP provide necessary resources to improve equity for Black farmers as well as ensure access to healthy food and vegetables for our families. Congress should prioritize safeguarding human lives and livelihoods over pandering to huge agribusiness corporations that don’t need the help. Join us in urging Congress to fully fund those portions of the Farm Bill that our community relies on the most. And when you do, please ask your friends and family to do the same:

http://act.colorofchange.org/call/farmbill_calls_house/

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, Gabriel, Dani, Matt, Natasha, Kim, Aimée and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team     July 9th, 2012

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

~ my 2cents ...

Happy 4th


The 4th of July … for many, is just another day; some use it to contemplate on what Independence Day means personally, some partake in public services while others are thinking about war and the intent for independence and the power that it gives.

I admit sometimes it feels like our independence is being compromised every time the Republicans fail to do the right thing for our fellow Americans each day they convene on the floor of Congress.

I grew up in military country; know people who have proudly served, died, live and some who came back damaged. Therefore, I think about how war affects our independence and the unimaginable unthinkable things our Soldiers see and go through, having had a brother who suffered through his own journey of strife; it can only be seen as a daily dose of hell. Unless you are a part of the Military, you can only imagine what the family’s experience, but we civilians definitely should be aware and be grateful for their sacrifices

So, as we all celebrate our own style of independence give a shout out to those you know, love and miss who serve and protect us.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Another fossil fuel industry attack …


Write Congress Today! Tell your member of Congress: Don’t block vital standards for our health and environment—vote no on the Gasoline Regulations Act.

Here We Go Again—Another Fossil Fuel Industry Attack on Science

 

The House of Representatives will soon vote on yet another fossil fuel industry-backed bill, attacking clean air and public health. It is critical that we stand up for strong standards based on independent science, not false economic claims from big polluters.
The Gasoline Regulations Act (H.R. 4771) is an all-out attack on our clean air and public health. The bill would force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to give undo weight to the industry’s economic claims when setting what should be, first and foremost, science-based standards that protect our health and environment.
The legislation delays standards that would save lives and save money by reducing sulfur in gasoline.
The bill also attacks standards that would limit ozone and other harmful air pollutants from power plants and global warming emissions from oil refineries. Some members of Congress may even attempt to amend the bill to prevent the EPA from moving forward with their historic draft standard to limit global warming pollution from new power plants.
Fossil fuel lobbyists and their allies in Congress are attacking the EPA with false claims about the impact that these proposed standards might have on gas prices. But we know that this bill will have no effect on fuel prices, but would have a lasting, negative impact on public health.
Congress needs to hear from Americans like you who support the EPA’s efforts to protect our health from dirty energy and dirty fuels.
Tell your member of Congress: Don’t block vital standards for our health and environment—vote no on the Gasoline Regulations Act.
Take Action Today!
Sincerely, Chrissy Elles Chrissy Elles Outreach Associate UCS Climate & Energy Program

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Will your Members of Congress stand with the women of Wal-Mart?


National Women's Law Center - Stop Discounting Women
Tell Your Members of Congress to Stand with the Women of Wal-Mart
Betty Dukes with Senator Franken, lead Senate sponsor of the bill
                Co-sponsor the Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012.
Take Action

One year ago today, we told you devastating news: the Supreme Court had ruled against Betty Dukes and the courageous women of Wal-Mart.
In a 5-4 decision, the Court ruled that the Wal-Mart women could not band together as a single class to challenge discrimination in pay and promotions.
But that’s not the end of the story.
For the last year, the National Women’s Law Center and advocates across the country have pushed Congress for a solution. Today, Congress offered one!
Tell your Members of Congress to stand by the women of Wal-Mart by co-sponsoring the Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012.
Getting co-sponsors on this bill will help it to gain momentum — and we need you to help us move forward!
So what would this bill do?
The Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012 would remove the obstacles the Supreme Court placed in the way of ordinary Americans seeking their day in court. It offers a clear path for women workers to come together as a group to challenge discrimination. And it would make sure that no employer is too big to be held accountable.
Individual workers — many of whom live paycheck to paycheck — should not be required to stand alone against some of the largest corporations in the world to end discrimination. This bill recognizes the reality of workers’ lives and offers an alternative.
Please tell your Members of Congress to co-sponsor the Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012. Act now for Betty Dukes, the women of Wal-Mart, and all women workers who suffer from discrimination in pay, in hiring, and in promotions.
Thank you for all that you do.
Sincerely,
Emily J. Martin Emily J. Martin Vice President and General Counsel National Women’s Law Center   

P.S. For more information, check out NWLC’s new fact sheets on the Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012 and the extreme wage gap for retail workers.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Politics Blowing UP the Transportation Bill ?


URGENT TO CONGRESS: JOBS AT STAKE
June 30 is the deadline for Congress to act on the surface transportation bill. This bill would protect and create good jobs in the United States and begin to fix our crumbling infrastructure, but it’s being held up because of political antics from extreme Republicans.

Tell your members of Congress it’s time to stop playing politics and pass the surface transportation bill.

I’m writing to you because this is urgent. Jobs are at stake.

Here’s the deal. Both the U.S. Senate and House have passed versions of the surface transportation bill—the Senate version of the bill would create or sustain nearly 3 million jobs—and a conference committee of key House and Senate leaders is negotiating final details of the bill right now. But some Republicans in the House want to make it their way or the highway. They want to starve funding for badly needed infrastructure projects and hold hostage family-sustaining jobs.

In the past two and a half years, Congress has settled for nine short-term extensions instead of coming up with a long-term solution to fix our crumbling infrastructure and get ironworkers, crane operators, cement masons and other construction workers—14 percent of whom are currently unemployed—back on the job.

Without a long-term fix, jobs will be lost and our roads, bridges and transportation system will fall into further decay. Click here now to e-mail your members of Congress to tell them we can’t wait. We need to pass the surface transportation bill now.

This is a chance for our leaders to come together and do their part to create good jobs in the United States and invest in our future. For too long, we have watched while politicians pushed policies that have sent jobs overseas while kicking the can down the road on investing in infrastructure projects that would create jobs here.

Tell your elected leaders in Washington to pass the surface transportation bill before the June 30 deadline.

We’re at a critical point in the legislative process. The conference committee reportedly has narrowed the gap between the bills passed in the House and Senate. But, without pressure from working people like you, a few extreme Republicans—intent on slowly starving funding for the transportation system—may get their way. We can stop this from happening.

E-mail your lawmakers to tell them that now is the time for Congress to set differences aside and come together to pass a surface transportation bill that creates and saves family-sustaining jobs, fixes our crumbling bridges, roads and transportation system and keeps in place Buy America and Davis-Bacon prevailing wage protections for projects financed by the bill.

Thank you for your support.

In Solidarity,

Andy Richards
Digital Strategies, AFL-CIO

P.S. Actions and events are being organized across the country to call for elected leaders to stop helping companies outsource jobs and instead support the patriotic companies that create jobs here. Click here to find an event near you.