Tag Archives: senate spot

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Alma Adams … goes to Washington

11/17/2014 Nativegrl77

by OnPolitics

Record-setting 100th woman in Congress takes oath today

When Alma Adams takes the oath of office Wednesday, the North Carolina Democrat will set a new record and become the 100th woman to serve in this current Congress. 401 more words

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This Month’s Jobs Numbers

11/17/2014 Nativegrl77

Sunday, July 06, 2014

You might be seeing a lot of news about the economy creating more jobs.

That’s because at the beginning of every month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases a report on our country’s general employment situation for the previous month — and this month’s showed good news.

What’s it all mean, and why should you care?

There’s still much more to do to keep moving forward, but we’ve put together a few key points about how our economy is doing generally. Take a look — and if you learn something new, pass it on.

Our country hasn’t seen this kind of job creation since the 1990s — and we’ve been adding more than 200,000 jobs a month for five months straight.

The 1.4 million jobs added in the first half of this year are the most in any half since 1999. What’s more, this is the first time since September 1999-January 2000 that we’ve seen total job growth above 200,000 for five straight months.

Auto sales in June are also the highest they’ve been since mid-2006 — before the financial crisis.

Let’s not forget that the American auto industry is continuing to bounce back — adding 18,000 jobs this past month for a total of 463,000 jobs added since Chrysler and GM came out of bankruptcy in June 2009.

Meanwhile, we’re continuing to produce more oil at home than we’re importing from overseas.

In addition to doubling renewable electricity generation from sources like wind and solar, last October something big happened: For the first time in nearly two decades, we started importing less foreign oil than we were producing at home.

It’s progress — but we’ve still got work to do.

Want a more in-depth look at what the jobs numbers mean, complete with more charts, numbers, and economist-speak?

Take a look at this post from Jason Furman, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.

And if you’re looking for more great charts and infographics related to the economy, visit our Shareables hub.

Black History

make sure the Senate vote on the Keystone XL pipeline is … NO

11/17/2014 Nativegrl77

In the next few days, the U.S. Senate is set to vote on the Keystone XL pipeline, and we need to make sure your senators vote no.

The Keystone XL pipeline is a bad deal for the United States. The pipeline would mean millions of tons of new carbon pollution entering the air, and could also mean dozens of newly polluted waterways and poisoned communities all across the Midwest. The impact on the climate would be catastrophic — the equivalent of seven coal-fired power plants operating continuously for 50 years.

The fight against climate change is the fight of our generation. No elected official can claim to be on the right side of that fight if they vote to approve Keystone XL.

Tell your senators to oppose any bill that would approve the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

Keystone XL will carry more than 800,000 barrels of dangerous tar sands through America’s heartlands. We know the pipeline will endanger our health, climate, and national security, while displacing American families for the benefit of a foreign oil company.

That is the future Big Oil has in mind, but it’s what we’re fighting to prevent. And it’s why you need to ask your senators to vote no.

Tell your senators to reject Keystone XL:

http://action.nextgenclimate.org/no-kxl

Thanks,

Thomas Steyer
NextGen Climate

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a message from Gov.Inslee

11/17/2014 Nativegrl77

The votes are in, and one thing is absolutely clear: I still need your help to build a working Washington. I’m going on offense

All the way up to Election Day, we fought off an incredible onslaught of false attacks by opponents who hoped to erase the progress we’ve made together.

When I emailed you last week, my colleagues and I were still fighting to make sure every vote was counted. Today, we know for certain that we continue to hold a majority in the state House, we re-elected every one of our Democratic members of Congress, we made history by passing legislation to require background checks for gun sales, and we made gains in county elections across the state.

Now it’s time for us to move forward.

Help me prepare to fight off the next round of attacks and continue to build a working Washington. Click here to contribute $5 now.

Now that we’ve seen the election results, the good news is that we held our ground. The bad news is that, with Republicans continuing to hold control of the Senate, we’re going to have to continue fighting just as hard just to maintain the status quo — and even harder to make any progress.

I don’t know about you, but I’m done playing defense and ready to go on offense. I’m going to spend the next two years fighting harder than ever to fully fund our schools, create new jobs, repair our roads and bridges, and build a clean energy future — and I hope you’ll be right there with me.

Click here to contribute $5 and help me continue to move our state forward.

Thanks for standing with me once again.

Very truly yours,

Jay Inslee

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Open Enrollment Starts !

11/15/2014 Nativegrl77

By CAP Action War Room

It’s that time of the year again! Open enrollment starts tomorrow and consumers can once again shop for health care coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Using the call center, in-person assistance, or the improved HealthCare.gov site, consumers are also able to renew or make changes to existing plans. As open enrollment begins, here are a few key facts on how the Affordable Care Act is doing:

7.1 million people enrolled in the marketplace: During open enrollment last year, more than 7 million people purchased insurance through the exchange.
The number of uninsured Americans fell by 25 percent this year: An estimated 10.3 million fewer people are uninsured this year, reducing the amount of Americans without health coverage by 25 percent.
On average, tax credits reduced the cost of premiums by 76 percent: Last year, the average person who received financial assistance for coverage paid a monthly premium of $82, which is 76 percent less than the average price before credits.
More insurers are offering plans for 2015: 25 percent more health insurers are expected to offer plans this year, creating competition that drives down prices for consumers.

With an increasing amount of data to prove the Affordable Care Act is working, a few million more people are expected to enroll in the exchange this year. Here are a few important things to know going into open enrollment:

Open enrollment dates: Open enrollment starts on November 15th and lasts until February 15th. For coverage that starts January 1st, the deadline to enroll is December 15th.
People with existing plans should shop around: People who already have insurance will need to renew their plans during open enrollment by December 15. But with the addition of more insurers in the marketplace, those with current plans should shop around on HealthCare.gov to make sure their current plan is still the best fit for them. Customers who don’t renew their coverage will likely be automatically enrolled again, but they could miss out on savings.
Financial assistance is available: An estimated 8.7 million people could qualify for tax credits to help pay for their insurance. Last year, 85 percent of people who enrolled in insurance on the marketplace qualified for federal subsidies.

BOTTOM LINE: The Affordable Care Act is working — it has largely succeeded in bringing affordable, quality healthcare to millions while significantly shrinking the number of uninsured Americans. During open enrollment, consumers can shop for a health coverage plan that works for them, and financial assistance is available. The millions more expected to enroll this year, as well as the millions who have already taken advantage of the law, stand to benefit greatly from this open enrollment period. But it only lasts for three months, and if you want coverage that starts January 1, the deadline is December 15th. So get shopping!