Tag Archives: United States

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Act now: Urge policymakers to take the chained CPI off the table


 

National Women's Law Center - Don't Discount Women: Demand Fair Change Not Spare Change
 
 
Why are policy makers thinking about cutting Social Security behind closed doors? Because it’s easier for them if you don’t really know what’s happening.

Well, the cat is out of the bag.

According to recent news reports, the chained CPI is officially on the table and gaining buzz in the current deficit reduction negotiations. If the chained CPI (a new and lower Consumer Price Index) is adopted the cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) that Social Security recipients depend on would be calculated in a new way that cuts the value of benefits each year. And no matter how Washington insiders try to spin it, it means a CUT to Social Security benefits.

Act now: Urge policymakers to take the chained CPI off the table during budget negotiations.

Need a reason to take action? How about five?

  1. The chained CPI will cut the value of benefits each year.
  2. The cuts add up — quickly. The cut in the value of benefits will be equivalent to the cost of a week’s worth of food each month by age 80 and nearly two weeks’ worth by 95 for the typical single elderly woman.
  3. The chained CPI cuts everyone’s benefits — including today’s beneficiaries — as soon as it goes into effect.
  4. It particularly hurts women because, on average, they live longer than men and are already more likely to be poor.
  5. It’s less accurate because it doesn’t account for the real increases in the cost of living the elderly face each year.

Oh, and there’s a 6th! As the White House has pointed out, Social Security isn’t the cause of our deficits. So switching the COLA to the chained CPI is just an underhanded move to balance the budget on the backs of the elderly, especially elderly women.

Your voice can make a difference! Tell your Members of Congress and President Obama that the chained CPI should NOT be part of deficit reduction talks.

Thanks for all of your support!

Sincerely,
 
Joan Entmacher   Joan Entmacher
Vice President, Family Economic Security
National Women’s Law Center 		 

P.S. Are you on Facebook? Help us spread the word about what the chained CPI would really mean for women.

P.P.S. Read just one of the many news reports here.
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Help Kids Eat and Stay Healthy : Kids.gov Update


During the holidays, yummy food and tasty treats are everywhere. With all of those tempting goodies, it would be easy to let children’s healthy eating habits slide, but holidays can still be healthy. Visit Kids.gov for some tips to help your kids stay on track with good eating habits. And don’t forget to remind your kids to wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. This will help them from getting sick and spreading germs to the rest of the family, because no one wants to be sick during the holidays.

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life saving … Igor Volsky


More than a year ago, the Violence Against Women Act expired. The bill still hasn’t been reauthorized because House Republicans are insisting on an exclusive VAWA—one that offers no protections for LGBT, Native American, and undocumented victims of domestic violence.

Sign our petition asking House Republicans to stop delaying the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

With days ticking down before the legislative session ends, there’s been no movement on making sure that important protections for all victims of domestic violence are reauthorized. Republican leadership has not put the inclusive version of the bill, which passed the Senate with resounding support, up for a vote.

VAWA has been reauthorized three times with no trouble. And every year of reauthorization, Congress has made a stronger, more inclusive bill. This year should be no different. Don’t let the conservative Republican agenda stop the progress of a bill that can make the difference between life and death.

Please, tell House Republicans to pass VAWA—right now.

Thanks,

Igor Volsky
Deputy Editor, ThinkProgress

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ALEC wants to know which kids you’re selling …Robert Greenwald


 
Public education is essential to our democracy — but big corporations and their front group ALEC see it as just another way to make money. They’re working to ensure your tax dollars get diverted to private companies that skimp on quality, sometimes foregoing school buildings and classrooms altogether, to maximize profits. They might as well put a dollar sign on students’ foreheads.

Is that the kind of world we want?Watch the video to understand how ALEC is trying to put students up for sale.

Thanks as always for your support,

Robert Greenwald

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NMAAHC


  • NMAAHC -- National Museum of African American History and Culture
Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863
and the March on Washington, 1963

March on Washington, 1963
March on Washington participants. Aug. 28, 1963.
Library of Congress

Opens December 14, 2012
NMAAHC Gallery at American History, second floor east

On August 28, 1963, at the March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. began his speech by declaring, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity … In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check.”

In 2013 the country will commemorate two events that changed the course of the nation — the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and the 1963 March on Washington. Standing as milestone moments in the grand sweep of American history, these achievements were the culmination of decades of struggles by individuals — both famous and unknown — who believed in the American promise that this nation was dedicated to the proposition that “all men are created equal.” Separated by 100 years, they are linked together in a larger story of freedom and the American experience.

To commemorate these two pivotal achievements, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in collaboration with the National Museum of American History (NMAH) will present an exhibition, featuring historic photographs, paintings, new film footage and objects, that explores the historical context of these two crucial events, their accomplishments and limitations, and their impact on the generations that followed.

The exhibition will be on view from Dec. 14, 2012 through Sept. 15, 2013 in NMAAHC’s temporary gallery on level two at American History, 14th St NW and Constitution Ave NW. Metro: Smithsonian or Federal Triangle.

For more information, visit www.nmaahc.si.edu.