Tag Archives: United States

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

What cartoons can do for your country … Union of Concerned Scientists


Reminder: 2012 UCS Science and Democracy Editorial Cartoon Contest Deadline is Sunday, July 1

Want to start celebrating America‘s birthday early?

If so, be sure that you’ve submitted your entries for the 2012 UCS Science and Democracy Editorial Cartoon Contest before the Sunday, July 1, deadline passes by and it’s too late!

Your creative insights can help ensure that science continues to support our democracy for another 236 years.

Not convinced yet? Check out the top ten reasons that you or your friends should try your hand at becoming one of our 12 finalists (such as having U.S. senators not only see your work, but tweet it).

If you haven’t entered yet, you can get all the information you need on our contest web page, including details about submitting your cartoons, guidance on relevant topic areas, and a selection of some of the best entries from our previous contests.

And if you are not the best artist in your circle, please spread the word.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Sincerely,

Michael Halpern Program Manager UCS Scientific Integrity Program

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Here’s how to know if you’d qualify for refinancing


The White House, Washington

Hello —President Obama’s plan to give mortgage relief to responsible homeowners boils down to one important principle. He wants to simplify the refinancingprocess.And the very first step is to let people know if they would benefit from the President’s proposal — so we’ve built a tool to help answer that question.Just enter a few basic facts about your mortgage, and this tool will help you figure out if you currently qualify for easy, low-cost refinancing — or whether, like millions of families, you need Congress to act to help you lower your interest rate.

Get started now.  

As tens of thousands of people have spoken up and written in to the White House, we’ve heard one message loud and clear: The refinancing process is anything but easy to navigate.

Even homeowners who have done everything right and made all their payments on time are getting caught up in unnecessary red tape. Sitting down and reading through some of these stories is a powerful reminder of why it’s so important that we get this done right away.

One mom in Maryland, raising two teenage boys by herself, wrote in to say that she’s working 15 hour days to make her mortgage payments and keep current on her bills. Another family from Illinois is hoping to lower their mortgage payments so they can help pay for college for their kids. One woman in Arkansas called the President’s plan a “no brainer” and talked about how much good it would do for the broader economy.

So if you are like these people and think that both you and our economy could stand to benefit from the President’s refinancing plan, give the tool a try, then take a moment to share it with your friends:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/refi

Thanks,

Brian

Brian Deese
Deputy Director
National Economic Council
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

BREAKING: Supreme Court rules on SB1070 …Gabe Gonzalez, Reform Immigration FOR America


Reform Immigration FOR America

Our next steps: Educate, mobilize, vote
Today, the Supreme Court has let stand the despicable “Papers, please” provision of Arizona’s SB 1070 that allows police to profile individuals based on the color of their skin.
The ruling follows last week’s courageous announcement on administrative relief for DREAMers. While the Obama administration endorses positive reform for our families, the Supreme Court decision supports discrimination over equality.
It’s time for us to hand down our decision. Now is the time to use the power of our movement to stand up for the only real solution for our broken system: comprehensive immigration reform. 
How do we do that? Today we are kicking off the RI4A Organizing Project, a national initiative to educate, mobilize, and get out the vote.

Read the blog post ->    http://act.reformimmigrationforamerica.org/go/1423?t=7&akid=906.164689.Ea5FBW
We must use our voices and our votes to educate our friends and families about key policies, mobilize our communities, and vote for pro-reform champions like never before.

If we do this, we can secure more victories and make comprehensive immigration reform a reality.

                      www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org


We have ambitious goals to push back against the national assault on immigrant communities — and your support will be critical to ensuring reform and justice for our families is a front and center priority, in 2012 and beyond.
Get involved today. The futures of our communities depend on it.

                  www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org
Forward,
Gabe Gonzalez Reform Immigration FOR America
PS: For more analysis on the Supreme Court’s ruling, read and share our latest blog post. We will keep it updated as we learn more about the decision.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Nearly 2million public comments in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Carbon Pollution Standard


Center for American Progress Action Fund

 First Posted on 6/15Friends,

Make Your Voice Heard!

An unprecedented event has occurred in the fight for cleaner air. This week, a broad coalition of environmental public health, and progressive organizations supporting clean air safeguards announced that they have collected nearly two million public comments in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Carbon Pollution Standard, which limits industrial carbon pollution from new power plants.
Make your voice heard! Join us and say “yes” to a healthier future for our children and our planet.Never before in history have so many Americans voiced their support for a healthier, cleaner future – but we still need your voice to make sure that the final version of the rule is as strong as possible, and that the attacks from corporate polluters are drowned out.
Every year, coal-fired power plants spew over two billion tons of carbon carbon and other toxic pollutants into the air —nearly 13,000 pounds for every man, woman, and child in the United States.
Carbon dioxide pollution is a greenhouse gas that leads to climate change. One of the consequences of climate change is more smog, which harms human health. Smog irritates the lungs, spurring respiratory ailments and sparking asthma attacks. Children, seniors, and those with respiratory diseases are most vulnerable to harm from smog. A National Research Council study placed the health costs from coal-electricity generation, including a rise in respiratory illnesses, at $62 billion annually.
With the proposed standard, though, a typical new coal-fired power plant would have to reduce its carbon pollution by 40 percent to 60 percent.
Now is the time for action! Send the EPA a public comment and let them know that you support cleaner power and cleaner air.
Thank you for taking action!
Daniel J. Weiss Senior Fellow and Director of Climate Strategy Center for American Progress Action Fund
P.S. Thank you if you have already sent the EPA your comments in support of the carbon pollution standard. Please forward this to friends and family to urge that they join you.

Further reading:

 
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

“Pioneers” of outsourcin​g … Stephanie Cutter, BarackObama.com

2 Comments

The Washington Post reported that “Mitt Romney‘s financial company, Bain Capital, invested in a series of firms that specialized in relocating jobs done by American workers to new facilities in low-wage countries like China and India.”

This is the same guy that goes around the campaign trail talking a huge game about being able to protect American jobs by standing up to foreign countries like China. But now we know that Romney and his partners made millions while sending American jobs overseas.

This is a critical point, and we need to make sure everyone knows it. Check out this video I recorded today, and share it far and wide:

Romney’s support of outsourcing didn’t just happen in the private sector. As governor of Massachusetts, he vetoed legislation that would have banned companies from shipping state jobs overseas — and he actually outsourced state jobs to a call center in India.

In contrast, President Obama has a jobs plan that could put up to a million people back to work — including teachers, cops, firefighters, construction workers, and veterans — help small businesses create jobs right now, and help to put an end to American jobs being shipped overseas. He’s also fighting for tax breaks for companies that bring jobs back to America.

Mitt Romney is fighting for tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas — the type of companies he ran in the private sector.

This isn’t just a policy position for Romney, it’s his economic philosophy — and it’s his record.

Read the article, watch the video, and share them both far and wide — doesn’t get a lot more important than this one:

Thanks,

Stephanie

P.S. — Chip in $5 or more today, and help make sure we have the resources to spread the truth about Romney’s record.