Tag Archives: democrats

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Weekend On The Wage


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Things Many Of Us Take For Granted Are Not Feasible For Those On A Minimum Wage Budget

For most of us, the weekend means taking some time to relax and do something fun after a full week of work. Maybe it’s going out to dinner, seeing a movie, watching a child’s soccer game, or traveling to visit friends or family. But for full-time minimum wage workers, there’s little if any room to afford such activities. After housing and tax expenses, full-time workers earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour have just $77 per week on average left for other expenses. Take a look at some of the graphics below to see how many of the things we take for granted are simply not feasible on that budget. And ask yourself, where would you cut?

CAP-movie-Budget

CAP-applebees-Budget
CAP-soccer-Budget
CAP-baseball-Budget
CAP-fair-Budget
CAP-babysitter-Budget

Workers who make the minimum wage have little, if any, leeway in how they spend their money each week. $7.25 an hour is not enough to live on—much less enough to invest back into the community. In solidarity with these workers, leaders and activists around the country are taking the #LiveTheWage challenge, attempting to live on $77 for one week in an effort to highlight the critical need to raise the federal minimum wage. Check out Governor Ted Strickland talking and tweeting about his experience so far.

BOTTOM LINE: It’s been over five years since the last increase to the federal minimum wage. If we raise the wage to $10.10, it would lift 4.6 million Americans out of poverty and would raise the wages of 28 million Americans by a total of $35 billion dollars. That means more than just a long-awaited paycheck increase — it means more people able to go to the state fair, watch their kid’s soccer game, or see a movie every once in a while.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Top 5 Reasons to Stand with Raul, Democratic Party


Raul needs your help.

Raul is in the race of his life and he’s running against a true obstructionist.

You know, the kind that would rather shut down the government to score political points than help families in need.

We believe in Raul and in his vision for our community and nation but he needs your help today to win.

So we’ve put together our top five reasons why Raul deserves your support today. Dr. Raul Ruiz

5.) You know what you’re getting with Raul – a public servant who shares our values. He helps people and fixes problems – and as a doctor, he always has. No “put a Band-Aid on it” solutions from Raul – he promotes real answers to real issues. Click here to back Dr. Ruiz and show your support for a real problem solver.

4.) Raul is the type of leader we can be proud of. Raul fights for our values, not for big money special interests – that’s why they’re trying to defeat him. Even Ann Coulter is working to defeat Raul. Please donate $5 now to tell Dr. Ruiz you won’t let Ann Coulter seize his seat and stall our progress.

3.) Raul keeps his promises. In the summer of 1990, Raul walked from business to business in the Coachella Valley asking them to invest in their community by investing in his education at UCLA. He made a promise to come back home and serve his community as a physician. He kept his promise. Will you also invest in Raul?

2.) Raul mentors students who want to serve their communities as he has. His two requirements of his mentees: a) Show up and b) Serve the community. It’s this kind of simple, effective, and forward-looking public service that sets Raul apart. Show up for Raul.

1.) Dr. Ruiz needs your support to win this election. Raul’s opponent is another well-funded obstructionist that will hold the country hostage to push an extreme agenda. We need Raul’s voice in Washington more than ever. Click here to donate $5 or more to Dr. Ruiz’s campaign now – we need him standing for us in Congress.

Thank you,

Team Ruiz

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Demand Action … Clai Lasher-Sommers, Everytown for Gun Safety


Sign Now

I was just 13 years old when my abusive stepfather shot me in the back. I may have survived, but there are too many women — young and old — who have died at the hands of a domestic abuser armed with a gun.

The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation makes it five times more likely that the female victim will die. Five times!

We don’t have to accept this. I’m joining 20 other domestic violence advocates and survivors next week in Washington, D.C. to push our senators to support common-sense measures that would help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and stalkers.

Are you with me? If so, click here to automatically sign the petition to your senators asking them to co-sponsor Senator Amy Klobuchar’s bill that would protect victims of abuse from gun violence.

No one should have to experience what I experienced. No domestic abuser or stalker should be able to get a gun. It’s that simple.

Sen. Klobuchar’s Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act would help fix that by prohibiting domestic abusers and stalkers from buying or having guns. Now is the time to push our senators to support the bill as our advocacy day on Capitol Hill approaches.

If you want to help save women’s lives and make our communities safer, I’m asking you to please stand with me. Automatically sign the petition now:

http://act.everytown.org/sign/klobuchar-bill

The more supporters who take action in the next few days, the more powerful our message will be on Capitol Hill next week.

Thanks for taking action,

Clai Lasher-Sommers
Keene, New Hampshire
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

a message from VP Joe Biden


The White House, Washington

Hey, everyone —

During his State of the Union address, the President asked me to lead an across-the-board review of our nation’s job-training programs.

It’s a top priority for the President, and it is absolutely critical to our economy’s success.

So earlier today, I put forward a roadmap for how the United States can keep and maintain the highest-skilled workforce in the world.

I’ve met with business leaders, community college presidents, governors and mayors, and most importantly, hard-working Americans who were hit hard by the Great Recession, but who are doing everything they can to learn new skills to find a decent, good-paying middle-class job.

And there was a clear consensus: We must rethink how we train today’s workers so that our programs are job-driven, teaching real skills that employers need.

We’ve heard from businesses that many jobs in today’s brightest sectors go unfilled because there simply aren’t enough people with the skills to do them. That’s not good for businesses, it’s not good for workers, and it’s not good for this country.

Some of our country’s businesses, community colleges, and state and local training programs — often supported with federal dollars — have found ways to successfully prepare Americans for these jobs. We need to make sure our entire system is learning from them.

Find out why training programs matter for middle-class Americans — and which ones around the country are working best.

We’re taking steps to improve that training, directing federal agencies to make current programs that serve more than 21 million Americans smarter, and holding training programs that use public funds accountable for making a difference.

This isn’t the only step we’re taking to make sure Americans have the skills they need, either. Today, I joined President Obama as he signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act into law. It connects more ready-to-work Americans with ready-to-be-filled jobs. And it builds on bipartisan efforts in Congress to improve business engagement and accountability. While there’s still more to do, it’s another important step in getting Americans working.

Thanks,

Vice President Joe Biden

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SBA Admin ~~ Maria Contreras -Sweet


SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet

SBA Administrator: My 100-Day Progress Report

SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet has been on the job for 100 days! Check out her progress report to learn about the work she’s done and the insights she’s gained since being sworn in this April.

> Read more

 

Free Affordable Care Act 101 webinar covering healthcare reform and your small business hosted by SBA and Small Business Majority. Click to RSVP today

Affordable Care Act 101 Webinars

SBA and Small Business Majority will continue to host free Affordable Care Act 101 weekly webinars so small business owners can learn the basics of the Affordable Care Act and how they can enroll in health insurance marketplaces.

In addition, Spanish-speaking small employers throughout the country can join representatives from SBA, HHS and Small Business Majority for ACA 101 webinars in Spanish. Below are the registration links for the upcoming Spanish-language webinars, which will be held every other Tuesday throughout the summer and fall. SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet will kick off the first webinar on July 22.

SBA & AARP Webinar: Q&A Session to Help You Start Your Business—Ask the Experts!

This is your chance to get your small business questions answered by those in the know! Join AARP and SBA on Tuesday, August 12 at 2pm ET to ask about developing your business plan, securing financing, accounting, marketing, bookkeeping and more.

> Submit questions and register now

 

Employee Fraud: What You Can Do About It

Employees are one of your biggest assets, even though they don’t appear on your balance sheet. They help you operate your business and are the faces of your company brand. But employees can also be a big liability if they steal from you. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself.

> Read more

2014 National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Conference

Register now for the nation’s premier event for minority businesses, taking place July 31-August 1 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC. Join America’s most diverse entrepreneurs, business owners and executives to capitalize on actionable opportunities for business growth by:

  • Networking with decision makers from multinational corporations, government representatives and leading entrepreneurs.
  • Accessing information from industry experts about business expansion through capital, contracts, and new markets.
  • Engaging in one-on-one meetings at our business-to-business matchmaking sessions with agency representatives to expand your network and identify opportunities.

> Read more and register

 

Webinar: Overview of the 8(a) Business Development Program

Interested in the 8(a) Business Development Program? Join our webinar and knowledgeable panelists to make sure you are getting the most out of the benefits of the program. Ask questions and learn how to take your business to the next level on July 23 at 2pm ET.

> Click to register

8(a) Graphic

ChallengeHer — Opportunities & Access to Federal Contracts for Women-Owned Small Businesses

If you’re a woman-owned small business looking to contract with the federal government and seeking assistance on how to navigate in the federal procurement arena, we have good news that can help!

> Read more

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