Tag Archives: point4counterpoint

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

a message from Stephanie Cutter

12/10/2012 Nativegrl77 1 Comment

Who will decide if your taxes increase in just 22 days? A few dozen members of the House of Representatives, that’s who.

Cutting taxes for the middle class shouldn’t be difficult, especially when Republicans claim they agree with the President on the issue. But some Republicans are still holding middle-class tax cuts hostage simply because they want to cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires.

Here’s what’s going on right now: President Obama is asking Congress to move forward on a plan that would prevent 98 percent of American families from paying higher taxes next year. The Senate has passed that bill, and the President is ready to sign it — but the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives won’t even bring the bill to the floor for a vote. House Democrats have filed a petition that would force a vote if it attracts 218 signatures.

If a bill has enough votes to pass, Congress should vote on it and pass it. It’s a pretty simple proposition. And every Member of Congress who hasn’t signed on to keep taxes low for the middle class needs to hear from you.

Your representative in Congress, Jim McDermott, has already done their part to help bring the bill to the floor. But there are dozens more who still need to step up and do the right thing.

Use the call tool today to reach out to fellow Obama supporters and make sure they contact their Republican representative.

Let’s get one thing straight: If your taxes go up, Republicans will have made a conscious choice to let that happen. They’ll have missed the opportunity to prevent it, just to cut taxes for the wealthy.

Republicans need to stop using the middle class as a bargaining chip. If they fail to act, a typical middle-class family of four will see a $2,200 tax hike starting in a few short weeks. Middle-class families could face some tough financial decisions simply because Republicans didn’t want to ask the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans to pay their fair share.

That’s not what President Obama and you campaigned on, and that’s not what millions of Americans voted for just one month ago.

We know we can affect change in Washington when we raise our voices together. So pick up the phone and make a few calls. Republicans in the House need to hear from their constituents. You can help:

http://my.barackobama.com/Call-Tool

Thanks,

Stephanie

Stephanie Cutter
Deputy Campaign Manager
Obama for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

One Last Stand for Our Military Women

12/10/2012 Nativegrl77


	End the Abortion Coverage Ban Now



	Tell your Members of Congress to urge congressional leadership to include an amendment to end the abortion coverage ban in a final bill the President signs into law.

In the past three weeks, you’ve sent over 54,000 emails to Members of Congress asking them to end the abortion coverage ban on servicewomen who become pregnant due to rape. Just this week, the Senate affirmed our efforts by voting unanimously to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and it includes Senator Jeanne Shaheen‘s amendment that would end this extreme policy.

But we’re not there yet. Negotiations are taking place right now on the final bill for the President to sign.

Tell your Members of Congress to urge congressional leadership to include this critical amendment in the final bill.

We are closer than ever to removing the abhorrent ban on abortion coverage for servicewomen and military dependents that have experienced rape or incest. This unfair policy forces them to pay for the abortion care they need, unlike their civilian counterparts who also depend on the federal government for health insurance. The only thing in the way of ending this unjust ban is some anti-choice Members of Congress who are willing to play politics with the women that serve this nation.

Don’t let anti-choice Members of Congress negotiate away abortion coverage for servicewomen who become pregnant due to rape.

Tell your Members of Congress to urge their leaders to include the critical Shaheen amendment in a final bill for the President to sign into law.

Congressional leaders will finish their negotiations at any moment.

Make sure they hear voice today.

Thanks for all you do to protect women’s reproductive health.

Sincerely,

Judy Waxman
Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights
National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Your support allows us to continue to fight for women’s health, as well as work on many other critical issues. Please consider making a generous donation today.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Congress Must Extend the Middle Class Tax Cuts

12/10/2012 Nativegrl77 1 Comment

President Obama urges Congress to extend the middle class income tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses without delay, making it clear that a balanced approach to deficit reduction means that Republicans in Congress must agree to ask the wealthiest Americans to pay higher tax rates.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Clean Power …

12/08/2012 Nativegrl77

Unleash Clean Power

The Union of Concerned Scientists has a practical plan to cut U.S. oil use in half over the next 20 years, which will save billions of dollars each year, dramatically cut global warming emissions, and ease many other serious problems, including oil spills, the high cost of oil and gas price spikes, and health threats from air pollution that have become the all-too-familiar face of oil.

A key piece of that plan is cleaner fuels. Imagine a future where the fuel in our cars and the electricity that powers our homes and businesses come from fast-growing grasses and agricultural and other wastes, which can serve as non-food sources of biofuel or bioenergy. This future may not be far off if we put smart policies in place to spur growth in this emerging industry.

In the coming weeks, an innovative company—INEOS Bio—will begin producing clean fuel and electricity from vegetative waste at a first-of-its-kind biorefinery. And this plant is just the beginning. Our new report, The Promise of Biomass, finds that, by 2030, we could sustainably produce enough non-food bioenergy to make four times the corn ethanol produced in the United States in 2010, or nearly 20 percent of total U.S. power consumption that year.

But the policies that have set the stage for clean bioenergy to become a large-scale power source are under attack from the fossil fuel industry and its allies, who profit handsomely from the status quo. If Congress fails to act, a key policy supporting production of clean bioenergy from sustainable, non-food sources will expire at the end of 2012, slowing the development of this burgeoning industry at a critical time.

Choose a clean power future.

Urge your member of Congress to promote innovation by extending production tax credits for clean, non-food-based fuels and renewable electricity.

Take Action Today!

Sincerely,

Rachel Cohen
National Field Organizer
Clean Vehicles Program
Union of Concerned Scientists

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Meet Tiffany and Family

12/07/2012 Nativegrl77 1 Comment

The White House

Over the last week we’ve asked you what $2,000 more in taxes would mean to you and your family, and we’ve already received more than 370,000 responses — including one from Tiffany.

Today, President Obama will meet Tiffany and her family in their Northern Virginia home, where he’ll talk more about why it is so important for Congress to pass the middle-class tax cuts before the end of the year, both for families like hers and our economy.

Meet Tiffany, and find out why $2,000 means so much to her family.