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Since I announced my jobs plan last week, people from across the state have been expressing their support for our commonsense approach to job creation — an approach that will create good-paying, middle-class jobs for all kinds of workers in every corner of our state. They know, like I do, that building a working Washington requires us to identify industries where we can or do out-compete the rest of the world. And by focusing on building up those industries, we CAN out-compete the world. No place is better suited to pursue a bold, innovative, and forward-thinking approach than Washington state. We’ve put together a short video with some of our favorite moments from last week’s events, and I wanted to share it with you. Do you have couple minutes to watch it?
This is the first of several proposals we’ll be releasing over the coming months. It means a lot to know that you’re with us as we start the discussion about the key policies we will enact during my administration. I hope you’ll take a minute to watch our video and read my plan now, and then share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you so much for your continued support. Very truly yours, |
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Tag Archives: Facebook
WA State – Support Jay Inslee FOR Governor … Building a Working Washington
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Dear Supporter,
If there’s one state I believe can turn its economy around, that can harness an innovative and creative vision for the future, it’s our state. We are uniquely suited to build a new economy that raises the quality of life for middle-class families for generations to come — and that’s because our state has a unique blend of innovation and values not found anywhere else. We create. We invent. We build. This is our first major policy proposal, but it won’t be our last. Over the weeks and months to come, this will be the trailhead as we chart a path to Building a Working Washington. I want to know you’re standing with me. Read my plan, Building a New Economy for Washington, today and then sign on as a citizen endorser. Washingtonians are at a crucial point in our history. We are still trying to recover from this recession. We are in an international competition for jobs. The middle class is being squeezed like never before. For the first time, parents are facing the prospect of diminished opportunity for their kids. It’s a wake-up call, and I refuse to let it go unanswered. My plan takes into account these challenges, the potential we have right now to take steps in the right direction, and the opportunity we have to build on Washington’s innovative past and grow industries of the future like clean tech. We accomplish this by focusing on existing industry clusters where Washington already can — or has the potential to — out-compete national and international competitors. Then we examine what is standing in the way of growing these industries further, what competition we face from out of state, and what changes we can make that will immediately make Washington more competitive to keep existing jobs while creating new ones. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read my plan and let me know you’re with me. Read my plan, Building a New Economy for Washington, today and then sign on as a citizen endorser. In the coming year, we have a choice. We can choose to go small, and tinker around the edges, and suffer from the same tired economic results. Or we can choose a different approach — a bold, innovative, forward-thinking approach — led by someone who isn’t afraid to think outside the box, be independent, and take the difficult, but right, path. Together, we will build this new economy. It will take hard work, but that is in our state’s history — and in our future. I’m committed to this fight. I hope you are too. Read my plan today, and join me. Very truly yours, |
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a message from Senator Al Franken … Let’s talk about intellectual property
As you may know, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has decided not to bring the PROTECT IP Act (the Senate’s version of SOPA) up for a vote next week. And since I’ve heard from many of you about this issue, I wanted to take a moment to share why I support copyright protection legislation – as well as why I believe holding off on this bill is the right thing to do.
As someone who has worked hard to protect net neutrality, I understand as well as anyone the importance of keeping the Internet free from undue corporate influence. There are millions of Americans who rely on a free and open Internet to learn, communicate with friends and family, and do business.
At the same time, there are millions of Americans whose livelihoods rely on strong protections for intellectual property: middle-class workers – most of them union workers – in all 50 states, thousands of them here in Minnesota, working in a variety of industries from film production to publishing to software development.
If we don’t protect our intellectual property, international criminals – as well as legitimate businesses like payment processors and ad networks – will continue to profit dishonestly from the work these Americans are doing every day. And that puts these millions of jobs at serious risk.
That’s reason enough to act. But these criminals are also putting Minnesota families in danger by flooding our nation with counterfeit products – not just bootleg movies and software, but phony medications and knockoff equipment for first responders.
We cannot simply shrug off the threat of online piracy. We cannot do nothing.
I have supported the approach Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy has taken in crafting legislation to respond to the threat of online piracy – and I appreciate his leadership on this important issue.
But I’ve also been listening carefully to the debate – and to the many Minnesotans who have told me via email, Facebook, Twitter, and good old fashioned phone calls that they are worried about what this bill would mean for the future of the Internet.
Frankly, there is a lot of misinformation floating around out there: If this bill really did some of the things people have heard it would do (like shutting down YouTube), I would never have supported it.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take seriously the concerns people have shared. And if holding off on this legislation gives us an opportunity to take a step back and try to bring everybody back to the table, I think it’s the right thing to do. This is a difficult issue, and also an important one. It’s worth getting this right.
I strongly believe that we need to protect intellectual property – and protect the free and open Internet. I think most people, even those who have expressed concern about this particular bill, agree. And it’s my hope that we can now build a stronger consensus around how to accomplish these two important goals.
Thanks for reading. And for those of you who have written to me about this issue (even if it was an angry letter), thanks for being honest with me. I’ll always return the favor.
Al
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Congress has a plan to change the Internet forever. A bill they’re debating right now would give the government power to shut down whole websites, and even let corporations say which websites should be shut down. That means a huge corporation could have any website even suspected of violating a copyright shut down — no questions asked. The government could then completely block all access to sites as big as Facebook or YouTube if one person posts one thing on those websites that corporations don’t want online. Most major entertainment companies have come out in support of the bill, but despite swirling rumors, the huge video-gaming company Electronic Arts (EA) has yet to take an official stance. However, EA is part of the Entertainment Software Association, one of the big corporate lobbyists for the bill to censor the Internet — meaning that if EA came out against the bill, that would be a serious blow to the people trying to get it passed. Shashank Kasturirangan is a student at NYU who’s a huge fan of gaming — including EA’s games — but he can’t believe that EA would want to mess with the Internet. Shashank started a petition on Change.org calling on Electronic Arts to stop lobbying for Congress’s plan to censor the Internet and come out against the bill. Click here to add your name to his petition. The Internet censorship bill is particularly dangerous, according to advocates, because it would enable the government to set up the same type of tools to block online content that are used in repressive regimes around the world, like China, Iran, and Syria. For the first time, corporations and the government would be able to say what’s acceptable to put on the Internet. While some companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter have come out against the bill, big movie studios, record companies, and their corporate lobbyists like the Entertainment Software Association are pushing Congress hard to pass Internet censorship. Electronic Arts has millions of customers around the world playing video games like Madden 2012, The Sims, and Scrabble, and they care deeply about what the public thinks about their company. If enough people call on EA to oppose the plan to censor the Internet, they will be forced to come out against the bill. And if EA backs off, other companies that haven’t yet taken a position will certainly think twice before supporting Congress’s plan to censor the Internet. Thanks for being a change-maker, – Jess and the Change.org team |
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AFL – CIO … Is Newt Gingrich right?
| “You have to ask the question: Is capitalism really about the ability of a handful of rich people to manipulate the lives of thousands of people and walk off with the money, or is that in fact a little bit of a flawed system?” —Newt GingrichHere are words you won’t hear from me very often: I agree with Newt Gingrich.As Mr. Gingrich recently pointed out, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney “looted” companies, leaving behind “broken families and broken neighborhoods.” That’s not the kind of capitalism that built America.If you agree that job creation is a critical part of capitalism—and that unions are a critical voice to stop job-killers like Mitt Romney from taking over our democracy—then sign our petition. While I agree with Mr. Gingrich’s point about the kind of capitalism that works for working people, it’s unfortunate that both Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Romney are on the wrong side of most issues that matter to working people. For example, they are both on record in support of so-called “right to work” legislation, like the bill that’s being considered in Indiana. This misnamed bill has nothing to do with “rights”—and it has terrible consequences for people’s work. If “right to work” passes, Indiana’s unions no longer will stand between corporate raiders like Mitt Romney and many of the workers they like to fire to boost short-term profits. And it will become much harder for everyday workers to improve their wages, benefits and retirement security. America wants to work—and it is politics as usual, not economic obstacles, standing in the way of putting people back to work. With your help, while the federal government is stalled and caught up in an election-year circus, we’ll focus on a job-creating agenda in statehouses around the country. Our priorities include:
Thank you for all the work you do. In Solidarity, Richard L. Trumka |
Be a Seed for Change 
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