Do you have 44 seconds to spare?
We’ve been watching it all day in the office and trust us — you’re
going to want to pass this one along to your friends who don’t mind a
good swipe at the Tea Party.
From Big Oil subsidies to bonuses for bigwigs, the GOP has stuffed some
extra special goodies in the stockings of corporations and the
ultra-wealthy this year, while giving the rest of us a lump of coal. And
don’t get us started on Republicans’ idea of outreach to women.
DCCC Video
Last week, President Obama laid out a sweeping agenda to combat income inequality, strengthen the middle class, and extend ladders of opportunity to those striving to enter it. He also challenged the GOP to put forward their own ideas instead of just rejecting whatever he proposes. We have yet to see any new ideas from the Republicans but their opposition to the president’s agenda of economic empowerment is still going strong.
Two numbers perfectly illustrate the almost cruel indifference shown by today’s GOP toward the concerns of the millions of Americans who are struggling to get by:
BOTTOM LINE: If Republicans want to appeal to a broader group of Americans, they should stop putting politics ahead of people. The policies Republicans are pursuing will needlessly punish millions of Americans who can least afford it.
The frenzy of attention surrounding insurance companies dropping substandard policies peaked last week when the House of Representatives voted on the GOP’s 46th attempt to repeal Obamacare.
Republicans, however, don’t seem to much care about the nearly 5 MILLION poor Americans who won’t receive any coverage at all because Republican governors and state legislators in 25 states are refusing to expand Medicaid. Indeed, the very same politicians and conservative groups expressing the most outrage about insurers dropping substandard insurance plans are also actively campaigning against the Medicaid expansion.
This means that families making just a few thousand dollars a year are still not considered poor enough to qualify for Medicaid in Texas and many other states refusing to expand eligibility.
Here’s a ThinkProgress infographic showing how those being denied coverage by Republicans for political reasons compares to those who have received cancellation notices.
You can find out more on the coverage gap HERE.
BOTTOM LINE: The number of Americans who Republicans want to gain coverage under Obamacare is ZERO, which they’ve demonstrated by voting almost 50 times to repeal the law. While Democrats want to make Obamacare work, Republicans only want it to go away and are working to deny millions of the neediest Americans health coverage in the meantime.
On three recent occasions — January 2011, January 2013, and July 2013 — Senate Democrats threatened to make changes to the Senate filibuster rules in order to stop Republicans from obstructing even the most routine business of the Senate and slow-walking or simply blocking the president’s nominees. Each time, Democrats agreed to very modest changes to the rules or even simply a gentleman’s agreement with Republicans and each time Republicans broke their word and went back to their same old obstructionist ways.
In the past few weeks, things have gotten even worse than usual. Senate Republicans have embarked on an unprecedented campaign of obstruction:
Republicans have reveled in this disturbing pattern of partisan obstruction, daring Democrats to change the Senate rules in order to eliminate the filibuster on nominations.
Well, it appears Republicans have made their bed and now they may have to lie in it.
A parade of Democrats, including some who have previously expressed strong opposition to the idea, have come forward in recent days to support changing the Senate rules:
Sen. Reid reportedly may move to end the GOP’s partisan obstructionism as soon as this week. We’ll be sure and bring you the latest updates.
BOTTOM LINE: We simply cannot allow a minority in Congress to retroactively veto laws and the results of elections. This is unfair, makes a mockery of our constitutional system, and represents the worst kind of partisan gridlock that the American people are sick and tired of. It’s time for the GOP’s unprecedented campaign of obstruction to end.
Initiative Measure No. 522 concerns labeling of genetically-engineered foods.
This measure would require most raw agricultural commodities, processed foods, and seeds and seed stocks, if produced using genetic engineering, as defined, to be labeled as genetically engineered when offered for retail sale.
Written by the Office of the Attorney General
The Law as it Presently Exists
In general, federal law regulates the safety and quality of food shipped between states, while Washington law regulates the safety and quality of food produced and sold within the state. Both federal and state law identify and regulate foods that are “misbranded” or “adulterated,” but neither state nor federal law requires any specific labeling of foods produced using genetic engineering.
Under Washington law, the director of the state Department of Agriculture is authorized to condemn, seize, and destroy misbranded or adulterated foods and food items. Washington law defines food and food products as “misbranded” where labeling or packaging is false or misleading, and “adulterated” if they contain some added substance that is poisonous or harmful to health, or if they are contaminated, diseased, putrid, or otherwise unfit as food or injurious to health. State law imposes many specific labeling and packaging requirements and prohibitions for food and food products, but it does not require any specific labeling of genetically engineered foods. No provision of state law treats genetically engineered food as adulterated.
Washington law also authorizes the director of the state Department of Agriculture to stop the sale of mislabeled agricultural seeds, flower seeds, and vegetable seeds sold in Washington, and to condemn and seize the seeds if necessary. Seeds are considered to be misbranded if they are not accurately labeled in compliance with state law, but existing state law does not require that genetically engineered seeds be labeled as genetically engineered.
The Effect of the Proposed Measure, if Approved – Read what it says carefully
The measure would impose labeling requirements on genetically engineered foods and seeds offered for retail sale in Washington. The measure defines “genetically engineered” to mean changes to genetic material produced through techniques that directly insert DNA or RNA into organisms or that use cell fusion techniques to overcome natural barriers to cell multiplication or recombination.
Beginning July 1, 2015, any food produced using “genetic engineering” that is not labeled as required in the measure would be considered “misbranded.” The measure would require genetically engineered raw agricultural commodities to be labeled conspicuously with the words “genetically engineered,” and genetically engineered packaged processed foods would have to be labeled conspicuously with the words “partially produced with genetic engineering” or “may be partially produced with genetic engineering.” The measure would exempt the following foods from the labeling requirements: alcoholic beverages; certified organic foods; foods not produced using genetic engineering, as certified by an approved independent organization; foods served in restaurants or in food service establishments; “medical food”; and foods consisting of or derived from animals that have themselves not been genetically engineered, regardless of whether the animal has been fed any genetically engineered food; and processed foods produced using genetically engineered processing aids or enzymes. Processed foods containing small amounts of genetically engineered materials would be exempt until July 1, 2019.
Beginning July 1, 2015, the measure also would require that genetically engineered seeds and seed stock be labeled conspicuously with the words “genetically engineered” or “produced with genetic engineering.”
The measure provides that its requirements are to be implemented and enforced by the state Department of Health, instead of the state Department of Agriculture, and would authorize the Department of Health to assess a civil penalty of up to one thousand dollars per day for each violation. The Department of Health, acting through the Attorney General, could bring an action in superior court to enjoin a person violating the measure. Separately, after giving sixty days notice, any private person could bring an action in superior court to enjoin a person violating the measure, and potentially recover costs and attorney fees for the action.
Please click on the link below for EVERYTHING you might need to know before voting YES or NO on I522
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I have had quite a few people say I have to vote yes or that at least this is a start …
I think I522 doesn’t go far enough and consumers need better reasons for why some things are not included while others are …and I
have a problem with the timing of I522. I need to have everything labeled … period
Why do we have to wait until 2015 and why should we trust that these people providing us with food are truly organic given what we know popped up in organic farms(the good bad and the really ugly) I am slightly offended by the notion that we must take them at face value and isn’t it a bit disingenuous to think accidents don’t happen lest we talk about cheaters or the corrupt.
I want everything labeled
Be a Seed for Change 
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