Tag Archives: United States

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Demand Fair Change, Not Spare Change™


National Women's Law Center - Don't Discount Women: Demand Fair Change Not Spare Change
The Flip Side of the Coin
Add your voice to our storybank to support critical domestic programs for women that are at risk.
Share Your Story

The temperature is rising in Washington over negotiations on cutting federal spending as part of a deal to reduce the deficit and raise the country’s legal borrowing limit, known as the debt ceiling.

There’s a lot on the line for women and families: Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, maternal and child health programs, Head Start, unemployment insurance, and more are at risk of being cut dramatically. At the same time, some political leaders are threatening to cause the United States to default in order to protect tax breaks for the super-duper rich.

It’s a price we can’t afford to pay. Hedge fund managers and CEOs with corporate jets are one side of the coin. The rest of us are the Flip Side of the Coin, and we want to hear from you. Tell us what domestic programs have meant for you and your family!

Women and their families should not bear the brunt of deficit reduction — women need fair change to survive and thrive. Instead of drastic spending cuts, Congress should protect key domestic programs and services and increase revenues from the wealthiest in our society.

Help us protect these critical investments by putting a face on them: add your voice to our “Flip Side of the Coin” storybank! We will compile the stories we gather and use them in our advocacy efforts, from testimony before Congress to important written materials, to protect vital programs.

With your help, we’re going to Demand Fair Change, Not Spare Change™ for women and families in the budget debate.

Sincerely,
Joan Entmacher Joan Entmacher
Vice President, Family Economic Security
National Women’s Law Center 		Judy Waxman Judy Waxman
Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights
National Women’s Law Center
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Sign the petition to congressional Democrats asking them to stop a terrible debt deal


BREAKING: Reports say the president just offered to cut Social Security benefits, if Republicans agree not to let the U.S. default on its debts.1
It’s his offering to the out-of-control Republicans, who are threatening to crash the economy in order to ram through savage cuts to crucial government programs.
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It’s sickening to think that millions of seniors would have to sacrifice in order to appease Republican hostage-takers. Especially because every poll shows overwhelming majority of Americans support raising taxes on the rich and protecting Social Security and Medicare.2
But there’s still time to stop this “bargain” in its tracks. Whatever deal the president offers Republicans will need Democratic votes to pass Congress. So we need Democrats in Congress to stand strong and oppose any benefit cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
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Can you sign our emergency petition to Democrats in Congress and tell them to stand up and tell the President they will not vote for Social Security and Medicare benefits cuts?       Add your name here.
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President Obama is making a huge mistake that will cost our country dearly.
This is one of those moments where we either stand up and demand that the Democrats in Congress show a real spine. Or we sit back and watch the Republicans destroy decades’ worth of progress.
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Will you help send a message demanding that Democrats draw a clear line in the sand: no cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits?
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Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Wes, Elena, Julia, and the rest of the team

Source:

1. “In Debt Talks, Obama Offers Social Security Cuts,” The Washington Post, July 6, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=210871&id=28665-17809870-IiKa5ex&t=5

2. “Poll: To Reduce Deficit, Most Americans say Tax the Rich More,” CBS News, January 3, 2011
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20027036-503544.html

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Higher standards, better cars. Take action! UCS


The Union of Concerned Scientists is proud to unveil the 2011 Hybrid Scorecard. More automakers are delivering real environmental benefits at good value, yet others continue to try and use the “hybrid halo” to peddle small benefits, bigger, dirtier engines, and lots of unnecessary bells and whistles. To find out how they stack up, check out the fully updated Hybrid Scorecard homepage.

Hybrid technology stands poised to play an important role in transforming vehicles in America. But only strong clean car standards will push the automakers to produce more of the hybrids that will rate high on our scorecard for environmental impact, efficiency, and value. The vehicles occupying the top of our scorecard prove such an expansion CAN be done. Strong clean car standards ensure that it WILL be done.

The Obama administration is deciding right now whether to set clean car standards as high as 60 miles per gallon (mpg) through 2025. That number matters—for our wallets and for our environment. And right now, we need big numbers of people telling the White House to deliver for U.S. consumers.

You and your fellow UCS supporters have taken public action, engaging the Department of Transportation on their blog and commenting on President Obama’s weekly address on YouTube—now it’s time to go right to the source.

We need you, and as many of your friends as you can muster, to send emails straight to President Obama telling him you want the kind of cars a 60 mpg standard can deliver.

Take Action Today!

Let’s make history together,
ScottNathanson_jpg
Scott Nathanson
National Field Organizer
UCS Clean Vehicles Program

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The State of Public Education …The Black Institute


As you know, education continues to be a vitally important issue in American society.At The Black Institute, we believe that every student can be a scholar and thus deserves the opportunity to receive an excellent education…period! The education debate is at the forefront of issues that the American people care about because it affects not only our lives but those of our children, our grandchildren and future generations. Not long ago, the NAACP signed on to a lawsuit against the NewYork Department of Education against the forced cohabitation traditional public schools and charter schools. Click here to read Bertha’s Lewis Op-Ed here  on this issue.

Let your voice be heard by leaving a comment on your thoughts.

In Solidarity,

The Black Institute Team

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Rebuild the Dream …


I trust my neighbors more than any Wall Street bank, hedge fund, or oil company. I think we all do.

But we keep letting the banks and multinational corporations, and their high-priced lobbyists, call the shots in our economy.

You know what? I think they’re doing a terrible job. Now it’s time for us, the American people, to come up with our own vision.

So today we’re launching a new effort. And we need your help.

Our goal is to help create a “Contract for the American Dream“—a people-powered plan for creating an economy that works for ALL of us.

When it is completed, this document will be very special. For one thing: thousands of us will have created it TOGETHER, as a community of friends and neighbors.

You are an important part of this community, and you have a key role to play in this effort:helping to choose the best ideas for fixing our economy.

It won’t take long, and you don’t need to be an expert. Just visit our new site and rate which ideas you think will make a real difference. We have some great ideas from progressive leaders. And you can add your own, too. No idea is too big or too small, too tame or too out there. We need your brain engaged on this.
To help get started, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich made a short video about how we can invest in creating more good jobs.
Check it out, then help rate some proposals!

We’re building this Contract with a deep belief that folks like us—all across America—have enough wisdom and common sense to come up with workable solutions to our nation’s problems. By putting our heads together, and combining our best thinking on a national basis, we believe we can craft a plan that unites our struggles for economic fairness and opportunity.

The key to this idea working is simple: we need as many people as possible to participate. We need you to submit ideas and to give feedback. The more people who join in to help craft the Contract, the better it’s going to be.

This week we’re going to focus on four areas. We are starting today with good jobs. Over the coming days, we’ll look for solutions to problems in other areas—from education, to labor rights, to taxes.

Then, on July 16 and 17, thousands of Americans are going to gather in living rooms, community centers, and church basements across the country. In just ten days, people will discuss and help sort the top ideas we have generated together. Between now and then, it’s up to all of us to feed the very best, most creative, most inspiring ideas into the conversations.

Can you help right now—by rating ideas and submitting your own?

http://www.moveon.org

Thanks for all you do.

–Van Jones