Tag Archives: United States

Hello! Here are the three hottest progressive videos and graphics that we found on the web today, December 08, 2011.

Some Millionaires Made A Video And This Is What They Said

by TheAgendaProjecton Jun 6, 2011

Ten year ago, Republicans made a mistake. They gave tax cuts to millionaires. They decided our country needed less money and millionaires needed more.

Now our country doesn’t have the money we need to build an economy that will work for all of us.

We need better roads to transport our products; faster internet for our technology companies; and more research at universities to spark our innovation.

Taking money from our future and giving it to millionaires is un-American.

Put America ahead of politics: END TAX CUTS FOR INCOMES OVER A MILLION DOLLARS.

ACT: Sign the petition supporting the Patriotic Millionaires as they demand higher taxes then call Boehner‘s office at (202) 225-6205 (PatrioticMillionaires.org)

JOIN: Friends of Patriotic Millionaires on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Patriotic-Millionaires/108886172517978)

A Powerful Response To Jonah’s Extremely Viral Video

by AcousticJonathonon Dec 3, 2011

This is for you, Jonah Mowry. I support you. I believe in you. Hang in there!

THANK YOU to everyone for the support towards Jonah. He needs this right now!

www.twitter.com/yourcoverboy

$2.6 Trillion Is A Very Large Number

Found on Bernie Sanders’ Facebook wall. Originally submitted by volunteer editor Laura S.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Pell Grants help millions of Black students access higher education … by Matt Nelson, ColorOfChange.org

12/12/2011 Nativegrl77

Tell Congress to stand up for educational opportunity:

Black families across the U.S. are finding it harder to pay the rapidly-increasing costs of higher education, and now some members of Congress are trying to dramatically cut the Pell Grant program — a lifeline that makes college possible for more than 9 million low-income students each year.1

The Republican-led proposal would put educational access and advancement out of reach for millions of prospective Black students. $900 million in cuts would mean dumping 1 million students from the program within the next five years — half of whom could be kicked out before the end of this school year. The plan would also shrink the size of the award for many current recipients.2

The entire 2012 budget is under negotiation and Congress must vote by next Friday to avoid a potential government shut down. This debate is about funding priorities, and important programs like Pell will be cut unless enough members of Congress stand up to support education. Our elected officials should be working to expand opportunities for economic growth, not decimating higher education programs that help put low-income students and students of color in good jobs. Please call on members of the House of Representatives, where Republicans pose the biggest threat to Pell Grants, to vote down any attempts to cut or restrict the program:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/PellFunding

Tuition and fees at colleges and universities continue to skyrocket, increasing more than 400% since 1982 — more than 4 times the rate of inflation.3 Access to a good education dramatically increases a person’s chances for solid employment and pay. Young adults with a college degree are nearly 3 times more likely to be employed, and earn almost twice as much as those with just a high school diploma.

Defunding Pell Grants will hit Black and low-income students the hardest. Nearly half of Black undergraduates rely on Pell Grants to attend school, and families with incomes below $40,000 constitute 90% of awardees.4 Republicans have used racially-charged language as part of their attack on Pell. One Congressman called Pell “the welfare of the 21st century.”5

Of course, Pell isn’t welfare. In fact, the average grant size is much less likely to cover a sizable amount of college tuition costs than when the program began 40 years ago. Back then, Pell covered 100% of the average cost of tuition while today’s maximum Pell award generally covers one-third.6

Pell Grants are a cornerstone of our nation’s student aid program and greatly influence the makeup of our nation’s colleges and universities, providing much-needed racial and economic diversity within the overall student population. Tell Congress to fund higher education, and when you do, ask your friends and family to do the same.

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/PellFunding

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, James, Gabriel, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
December 10th, 2011

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

References

1. “House Budget Committee Is Searching for Excuses to Cut Pell Grants,” Center for American Progress, 11-15-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1070?akid=2320.1174326.5nh0Fe&t=7

2. “Fight for Social Programs Looms Anew in the House,” New York Times, 10-03-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1071?akid=2320.1174326.5nh0Fe&t=9

3. “Is college still worth the price?” CNN Money, 04-13-2009
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1073?akid=2320.1174326.5nh0Fe&t=11

4. “Pell Grants: The Cornerstone of African-American Higher Education,” Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1072?akid=2320.1174326.5nh0Fe&t=13

5. “Rep. Denny Rehberg: Pell Grants Are Becoming ‘The Welfare Of The 21st Century’,” Huffington Post, 04-01-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1074?akid=2320.1174326.5nh0Fe&t=15

6. “Infographic: A History of the Shrinking Pell Grant,” Campus Progress, 05-23-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1075?akid=2320.1174326.5nh0Fe&t=17

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Support ThinkProgress.org … Help keep up the fight for truth

12/09/2011 Nativegrl77

Hey Friend, just wanted to give you a quick update. In just 2 days, we are more than halfway towards our fundraising goal for ThinkProgress. Thank you!

We don’t have any mugs, ball caps, or tote bags to offer. But we’ll promise to keep fighting for the truth — something that’s going to be much harder to come by in 2012.

Can you pitch in $5 right now and help us get over the finish line?

As always, feel free to email me with any questions or comments.

— Faiz

On Tues, Dec 6, 2011 at 12:04 PM, Faiz Shakir (faiz@thinkprogress.org) wrote:

Dear Friend,

In 2012, Karl Rove, the Koch Brothers and others on the far-right are planning to spend nearly half a billion dollars to influence the political debate. Their goal is to make sure that the national dialogue protects their own deep pockets at the expense of the rest of the nation.

ThinkProgress is working around the clock to fight back with the truth. This past year, we traveled around the country to confront the right-wing with tough questions. We exposed their underhanded tactics, and crunched the numbers behind their radical policy schemes.

Next year, there is even more at stake and we need to work even harder. But we can’t do it without your help. We need to raise $25,000 this week to help fund our reporting for the coming year.

Please click here to pitch in $5 and help us bring the facts to the 99%.

We have made a huge impact this year. A few examples:

After Herman Cain told us in an interview he would not be comfortable with a Muslim in his cabinet, we began a campaign to fight back against Islamophobia in the conservative movement.
We attended congressional town halls conducted by at least 20 different members of Congress, and broke the news that Paul Ryan got booed for saying the rich were taxed enough.
In early October, we launched a new page on ThinkProgress that was solely devoted to reporting on the nationwide Occupy protests, branding it The 99 Percent Movement.

Our influence is scaring many on the right. The powerful corporate front group ALEC kicked our reporters out of a conference, and the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity launched a smear campaign against one of our writers.

We need your support now, more than ever, to keep up the fight in 2012.

Best,

Faiz Shakir
Editor, ThinkProgress.org

P.S. We never stop. Please pitch in $5 and it’ll be the hardest working $5 you’ve ever spent.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Unemployment Insurance – Share Your Story

12/09/2011 Nativegrl77

Unemployment Insurance – Share Your Story

Unemployment benefits are a vital lifeline for many Washington workers who are jobless through no fault of their own. These programs help them continue to put food on their table, gas in their car, and pay their bills while they look for work.

Federal unemployment programs will begin to expire at the end of this year.

In fact, unless Congress acts to extend these vital benefits, approximately 100,000 Washington residents and more than two million Americans will be cut off from federal unemployment compensation by February 2012.

Over the coming weeks I will be pushing my colleagues in the Senate to work quickly to extend unemployment benefits before the end of the year.

But I need your help.

I consider it to be my job to be your voice in the Senate. So tell me your stories. Send me your pictures and your videos. Show me how inaction by Congress to extend these benefits would most impact your life.

While the unemployment rate dropped to 8.6% in November, we’ve still got a lot of work to do to get our economy back on track. But I can promise you that it will be your stories and experiences that will guide me as I fight for workers in Washington state.

Your Story…

Have a photo or video that tells your story? Please share it by using this form.

Send an e-mail with your photo or video link to: yourstory@murray.senate.gov

You can also Tweet your photo to @PattyMurray using #extendUI.

Note: Selected stories, photos, or videos may be used by Senator Murray online or in her public remarks. We will include only your first name and hometown. Your full name and email will never be posted online or provided without your permission.

Their Story…

I have heard from so many workers across Washington state—and I know they aren’t looking for a hand-out, they just want their government to be there for them the way it was there for generations of workers before them. They are just looking for a hand up—some support so they can keep food on their families’ tables while looking for work, and the resources and tools they need to skill-up, train-up, and get back on the job. Here are a few of their stories:

“I got laid off my job in April 2011. My unemployment insurance will run out at the end of this year. Unless Congress acts swiftly, federal unemployment insurance programs will expire December 31, leaving me with no benefits starting January 2012. I have two small children, three and five years old. Due to my employment status, we have to tell them that we will only be able to give them one Christmas gift this year. We also had to tell them we couldn’t go see the “Disney on Ice” show because it was too expensive. Please renew the full federal Unemployment Insurance program through 2012 now! The benefit I get will help pay for our mortgage while my wife’s salary, who works for Macy’s, covers our day to day expenses – including providing for our children. I have been looking for a job for nine months now but there are not many jobs out there.”

– Jose Villanueva, Seattle

“I am writing to urge your support for an extension of the federal unemployment benefits. I am receiving these benefits right now and have enrolled in a special program to start my own business. Through the SEAP program, I have become my own job creator. These funds, along with my own savings, have allowed me to meet my expenses while starting my financial education business, Twight Financial Education. As a fee-only financial planner, I work with people who want to know more about how to handle and invest their money. Sometimes, we must work on getting them from paycheck to paycheck first. You know that while you have been in office, the financial world has become more complex, even as employee benefits have diminished. Without these UI benefits, I would not have been able to keep my business going. I have not yet made a profit, but expect to next year. I have momentum now and your support for these benefits is critical for me and many others.”

– Dana Twight, Seattle

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Price for access to Vogue digital archive: $1,575

12/09/2011 Nativegrl77

Price for access to Vogue digital archive: $1,575

By Dylan Stableford | The Cutline – 18 hrs ago

Would you pay $1,575 a year to access Vogue’s archive? That’s what the revenue keepers at Condé Nast are hoping, after they unveiled the iconic fashion magazine’s digital vault on Thursday.

The cover of Vogue, June 1950.

The Vogue Archive includes every American issue published by the magazine since 1892–every page, including covers, advertisements and more than 400,000 full-color images.

The archive–aimed primarily at designers, fashion students, teachers and academic institutions–took nearly two years to complete, Vogue says. In addition to employing standard search functions, users can refine their searches by color, materials and clothing. The magazine plans to update the archive monthly with each new issue, and will make some of it available to current print subscribers in 2012.

“The Vogue Archive is expected to become a definitive resource for students of fashion and the visual arts,” the release says. “Additionally, as a comprehensive primary source of modern social history, the Vogue Archive opens new research avenues in the humanities and gender studies.”

Other consumer magazines have tried to leverage their digital archives before, including Playboy, Rolling Stone and Time. But none have attempted to charge such a hefty fee for access. (Playboy’s “Hard Drive,” for instance, costs $299.)

Annual subscriptions for individuals cost $1,575; schools and libraries can gain access for multiple users at a corporate discount that will vary, depending on the institution’s size.