Tag Archives: United States

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Student loan reform can’t wait


2012

James Kvaal is the Policy Director for Obama for America.

Friend —

President Obama just took two serious steps to make life a lot easier
for folks with student loans — and there’s a good chance you or someone
you know will benefit from these changes very soon.

Here’s how:

— Effective this January, if you’re someone who has different kinds
of loans — guaranteed and direct — you’ll be able to roll them both
into one direct loan and bring down your interest rate. You’ll only have
to write one check a month, and you’ll see a discount. This switch adds
no cost to taxpayers across the board.

— You might remember that, as part of last year’s student loan
reform, borrowers’ loan payments could be no higher than 10 percent of
their disposable income. This is a big deal — but it wasn’t going to
help anyone enrolling before 2014. Today, the President announced that
he’s speeding up this program so it will affect students next year —
helping over 1 million students. This will have huge consequences for
people struggling to make their student loan payments.

Sometimes, it can be hard to see how policy changes will actually affect your day-to-day life.

Not the case with this one. These changes will make a real difference in helping millions of Americans get by month to month.

We put together a video explaining how these changes will help Americans. Watch
it to learn a little more about what today’s steps would do, and then
make sure everyone you know who should hear about it does.

Learn how student loan reforms help you.

President Obama isn’t waiting on Congress to take action. He’s doing
everything in his power, right now, to help bolster our economy and get
folks back on their feet.

On Monday, he laid out new rules on federal mortgages to help make sure more families don’t lose their homes to foreclosure.

On Tuesday, the administration announced two new initiatives to help veterans find work.

Today, it means making changes that make student loans a lot easier to manage.

These are actions that can’t wait on the next vote or the next election.
So long as people are struggling, this President and this
administration will do everything in their power to help them when and
where they can. It’s just that simple.

Now, let’s make sure that the millions of people who stand to benefit from today’s steps know about it.

Watch the video to learn more about today’s student loan changes — and then help get the word out:

http://my.barackobama.com/Student-Loan-Reforms

Thanks,

James

James Kvaal

Policy Director

Obama for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell Congress: No cuts to Medicare benefits



Democrats on the so-called Super Committee are caving to Republican demands and pushing a plan that would make drastic cuts to Medicare.

This is bad policy and bad politics. Cuts like these are the worst possible way to reduce the deficit. They protect the status quo for the richest 1 percent while the 99 percent are expected to sacrifice vital healthcare that they need to survive in tough economic times like these — and they’ll hamstring Democrats running for reelection in 2012.

We’ve been down this road before. Republicans and some Democrats have been pushing plans to destroy Medicare and Social Security for months. We beat them then and we can beat them now with an overwhelming show of grassroots opposition to any plan that cuts Medicare.

Join me and tell Washington that this deal is Dead On Arrival.

Pledge to oppose any candidate — Republican or Democrat – who votes for a plan that cuts Medicare and Medicaid benefits for the 99 percent.

The facts are simple: The average income of Medicare beneficiaries is about $22,000 a year. Our nation’s seniors can’t afford to have their benefits cut and hard-working Americans can’t afford to have their eligibility for Medicare raised to 67.

As more and more people lose employer-provided health insurance, the last thing the nation’s seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income children who depend on Medicaid need is for the federal government to slash these vital programs.

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid did not cause the run-up in federal deficits. We have President Bush’s huge tax cuts for the top 1 percent, the unpaid costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the Great Recession caused by reckless, un-American, and potentially criminal behavior on Wall Street to thank for the mess we’re in.

Washington needs to make sure those who caused this mess pay to clean it up — not seniors, not Americans with disabilities, and certainly not low-income children who depend on Medicaid to survive.

Send a message to Washington now — Stand against cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security or stand alone for reelection.

This is a fight we will win, if we stand up and fight. Because when we work together, we’re unstoppable.

Thank you for everything you do.

-Jim

Jim Dean, Chair
Democracy for America

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The sad life of Petland puppies …Cristina Moon, Change.org


Change.org
                Call on Petland USA to stop supporting cruel puppy mills.             
Sign the Petition

While the puppies in Petland USA stores may look cute in their cages, chances are the puppies have led miserable lives that threaten their health from the day they’re born.

Petland USA is the country’s largest chain of stores that sell puppies. Most of Petland’s animals come from puppy mills, where thousands of dogs are bred again and again to supply the pet trade. Dogs are kept in cramped, unsanitary conditions, and they often lack adequate vet care.

There’s hope to stop puppy mill sales at Petland stores. Last month Petland Canada ordered its stores to stop selling puppies, in part due to continuous pressure from animal protection advocates. So Mary Haight, a Change.org member from Chicago, wants Petland USA to do the same. She started a petition on Change.org asking Petland USA to end puppy mill sales in its stores. Click here to sign her petition.

Walk into any major pet store like Petco or PetSmart, and you won’t find puppies for sale. Those stores work with local animal shelters to find homes for the countless animals waiting to be adopted across the country. Yet Petland stores prioritize profit by selling animals from puppy mills, propping up this cruel business.

Puppies bred in puppy mills are often plagued with poor health. Kept in cramped conditions and often housed outside in all types of weather, animals in puppy mills lead a pitiful existence. Puppy mill operators are also known to in-breed puppies, leading to other health and behavior problems.

Each Petland store in the US is an individually-owned franchise, meaning Petland USA’s corporate headquarters can’t ban puppy sales in stores on its own. But Petland USA can stop any new stores from selling puppies, and a strong statement from the corporation would go a long way to putting a stop to its existing stores that buy animals from puppy mills.

Please join Mary Haight in calling on Petland USA to support adoption and speak out against its stores doing business with puppy mills. Sign the petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/petland-usa-stop-selling-pets-fire-puppy-mills-petland-canada-has

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Cristina and the Change.org team
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Victory for Dixie Mitchell … Ian Pajer-Rogers New Bottom Line


    JOIN THE NEW BOTTOM LINE >>> www.newbottomline.com

Thank everyone for signing this petition from The New Bottom Line to help Dixie Mitchell keep her home, which was scheduled to be auctioned off on October 28th.

Last week, we delivered over 7,000 petition signatures and Dixie’s loan modification paperwork to Ocwen Financial in Florida, while Dixie’s supporters rallied outside of her Seattle home. Dixie’s story earned tons of media coverage in Seattle and Dixie also went on Up with Chris Hayes on MSNBC to talk about her case.

All the hard work finally paid off. On Friday, Dixie received a call from Ocwen offering her the loan modification that will save her home.http://www.newbottomline.com/victory_for_dixie_mitchell

This after years of Dixie fighting just to get Ocwen to look at the paperwork. It’s a testament to what can happen when people organize to hold corporations and big banks accountable to regular Americans.

While Dixie can now rest easy knowing that her home is safe, millions of other Americans are not so fortunate. The New Bottom Line is made up of dozens of local progressive, faith-based, and community groups in 27 states nationwide. We are committed to fighting for an economy that works for all Americans and are particularly focused on elevating low-income communities that were hardest hit by the financial crisis.

Join The New Bottom Line: http://www.newbottomline.com/join

Like The New Bottom Line on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/newbottomline

Follow The New Bottom Line on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nblcampaign

Whether it’s helping an individual save her home or fighting for principal reduction on millions of underwater mortgages, The New Bottom Line is at the front line of the fight for economic justice.

In this exciting time where the 99% is finding a powerful voice, join The New Bottom Line to stay up to date on all the action –whether it’s 40 Robin Hoods paddling down the Chicago River or a divestment campaign that you organize in your community– The New Bottom Line is at the forefront of fighting for an economy that works for all of us.

Thanks so much for your action.

Ian Pajer-Rogers
Online Organizer
The New Bottom Line