The Fair Elections Now Act
The system we currently use to elect our members of Congress is broken.
Lawmakers today seem more interested in Wall Street’s profits than Main Street’s progress — a bias that has been borne out in an economic “recovery” of corporate profits while unemployment numbers lag far behind. The Fair Elections Now Act would significantly repair our broken election system, was re-introduced in Congress today.Tell your members of Congress to support the Fair Elections Now Act. This bill would enable candidates for Congress to avoid taking cash from corporate lobbyists, CEOs and other special interests. Instead, they would run viable campaigns based on small-dollar donations from real people, matched by public funds.
Instead of spending time hitting up special interests for cash, candidates for elected office would be able focus their attention on voters in the communities they represent.
In the wake of the unlimited corporate spending allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Fair Elections Now Act is a particularly essential reform (in addition to a constitutional amendment, increased disclosure and shareholder protections).
Learn more and urge your members of Congress to support fair elections:
Go to www.citizen.org/fair-elections-now-act.
Every personal phone call, letter and email sent to Congress by constituents is tallied by each member and grabs their attention. Voice your support today!
Recent Republican efforts to suppress the vote
through various methods including strict voter ID legislation, restrictive voter registration rules, elimation of same-day registration, and shorter early voting periods, are clearly politically motivated.In a New York Times editorial the Advancement Project, a civil rights advocacy group, described this rash of Republican-sponsored legislation as "the largest legislative effort to scale back voting rights in a century." The people disproportionately affected by this legislation -- minorities, the working poor, people with disabilities, students and the elderly -- deserve better. Democracy for America and Young Democrats of America are working on the issue. DFA and YDA are launching a national campaign to defend democracy and defeat the Koch-funded attacks on voting rights. "We are united against voter suppression. Join us in defending our democracy.... Click here to join us today."
Corporate Personhood
“Human felons can't even vote, but felonious companies can buy elections—no matter how many crimes they've committed.” See the Huffington Post story “Madison world. . .” by Richard (RJ) Eskow.
Clarence Thomas Ethically Challenged: From Credoaction.com---
A New York Times expose published Sunday [6-19-2011]details the improper ties between Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and influential rightwing funder and activist Harlan Crow.
Crow is a major contributor to conservative causes and a stalwart supporter of Clarence Thomas. In past years he gave Thomas' wife, Ginni Thomas, $500,000 to exploit the Citizens United decision and start a shadowy, Tea Party-related group called Liberty Central. He gave Thomas a bible (estimated value $15,000) that once belonged to Frederick Douglass, and reportedly provided the Supreme Court Justice with access to his yacht and private jet.
As if that wasn't enough, the New York Times has revealed that Thomas may have improperly solicited a multi-million dollar donation from Crow to benefit one of his own pet projects near his birth place in a remote coastal community outside Savannah, Georgia.
To sign a petition, calling on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to resign, . You should sign the petition, too. Click here.
Obama wants disclosure of Coporate disclosure of political spending
“We will fight it through all available means […] To quote what they say every day on Libya, all options are on the table.” That’s what the chief lobbyist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told the New York Times after hearing the White House may issue an executive order requiring corporations that do business with the government to disclose their political spending. The Chamber’s pledge to fight tooth and nail to keep the American people in the dark about conflicts of interest in government is appalling, but not surprising. If corporations and their executives are spending on politicians in an effort to “win” government contracts, the American people should know.
The "Front Group" Hall of Shame
. . . .According to the Playbook, these are the initial actions of industries under attack: (1) “Hire a big and well-connected PR firm, and (2) “Have your PR firm set up and operate a coalition or front group, which, if at all possible, should have words like ‘American’ or ‘freedom’ or ‘choice’ in its name.”
So, as you see, the creation of the Choice and Competition Coalition is coming straight from the Playbook. And it undoubtedly will have some big money behind it. . . .
Republican proposal would abolish Medicare Here's the most important thing you need to know about the new Republican federal budget plan: It abolishes Medicare within 10 years. (See "A Conservative Vision, With Bipartisan Risks," TheNew York Times, April 5, 2011.) The budget plan would eliminate guaranteed medical care for senior citizens; it would replace Medicare with vouchers that seniors would use to pay big insurance corporations; and if the vouchers aren't enough to pay for their care—and the Congressional Budget Office says they won't be—too bad. (See "CBO: Seniors Would Pay Much More For Medicare Under Ryan Plan,"Kaiser Health News, April 5, 2011.) Please contact all your representatives, let them know what you think, and ask them where they stand. The new plan is a wholesale privatization that abolishes the guarantee of care that defines Medicare. In fact, by 2030, the CBO estimates the average senior would be paying the insurance industry more than $20,000 each year out of pocket. (See "Representative Ryan Proposes Medicare Plan Under Which Seniors Would Pay Most of Their Income for Health Care,"Center for Economic and Policy Research, April 6, 2011.) And seniors aren't alone—the plan also includes devastating cuts to Medicaid, repeals the health care reform we all fought so hard for, and gives millionaires huge tax breaks. (See "Tax Plan From GOP Promises Rate Cuts," The Wall Street Journal, April 6, 2011.)
Why Does Senator McCaskill Want to Bankrupt Our Children?
by Dean Baker, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (Huffington Post). . ."The idea being pushed by Senator McCaskill. . . would limit federal spending to 20.6 percent of GDP. It would require difficult-to-obtain super-majorities to exceed this cap. Spending would be cut across a variety of programs if the cap is not reached. This proposal is hugely deserving of ridicule for a variety of reasons. First, it operates from a blatantly wrong premise -- that government spending has grown out of control. Those familiar with arithmetic know that government spending had increased by little as a share of GDP prior to the downturn caused by the collapse of the housing bubble. In 2007, the last year before the onset of the recession, spending as a share of GDP was 19.6 percent. That is 1.1 percentage points less than the 20.7 percent share 30 years earlier in 1977. So the idea that there is a long-term trend of out-of-control spending is simply not true, or what they call outside of Washington, a lie. . . . ."More importantly, a strict limit on government spending that is binding would prove enormously costly because there are some things that the government does more efficiently than the private sector. . . ."
The Republican Plan with Lipstickby Robert Reich, the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton.
Report of the Sustainable Defense Task Force
Debts, Deficits, and Defense: A Way Forward.
For a pdf copy of the report,click here.
Five fun facts about the $14 trillion national debt By Joshua Holland, AlterNet;
Posted on March 24, 2011, Printed on March 25, 2011. http://www.alternet.org/story/150371/
Big Oil subsidies (from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee)
“Un-American.” That's what Big Oil CEO James Mulva called Democrats' attempt to make big oil companies pay their fair share.
That’s what Big Oil CEO James Mulva called Democrats’ attempt to make Big Oil companies pay their fair share. Meanwhile, as we all continue to experience painful increases in gas prices, Republicans insist on handing Big Oil BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars in subsidies. That’s $185 for every licensed driver to Oil companies already making record profits. It's corporate welfare at its worst.
Big Bank Tax Drain
Wall Street banks caused the economic crisis that has left millions unemployed, foreclosed on, and without prospects (the worst economy since the Great Depression). This report analyzes data from the latest financial filings by the six big banks (Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley) to exposehow they continue to avoid taxes and contribute to tax revenue shortfalls. Closing special tax loopholes on the financial sector and implementing revenue-raising initiatives could generate over $150 billion in federal tax revenue each year. To read the report's excutive summary or download the full report, click here.
D.C. Republicans target most vulnerable
To check out what moveon.org rates as the top ten worst budget cuts in the Republican federal budget proposal,click here, then contact your representatives and senators. For more on the consequences to Michigan of the Republican's proposed cuts, click here.
The Patriot Act(from Democracy for America)
On Feb. 9, 2011, Republicans in Congress attempted to jam a renewal of several of the most controversial provisions of the Patriot Act through the House. Since the days of George W. Bush, some lawmakers have supported these unconstitutional attacks on personal liberties that have allowed our government to spy on Americans without a warrant.
This ploy was stopped by members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. . .. It's important Progressive Caucus Members are building coalitions across party lines to get the people's business done. Please thank the members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus right now and encourage them to continue to stand strong if Speaker Boehner tries again.
The GOP War on Women
MoveOn.org has recorded some of the recent aspects of the GOP War on Women. Click here for ten examples from DC and around the country.
H.R. 3 Passes: 251 extremists in the House of Representatives voted to approve an anti-choice bill that would significantly restrict women's access to abortion services and even "redefine rape." The Republican bill -- which was supported by a handful of male anti-choice Democrats -- represents a vicious assault on women's rights. "The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" or H.R. 3 goes far beyond any other anti-choice measure that has been proposed in the House, including the Stupak Amendment that passed the House last year. It's so extreme it will even redefine rape in order to limit the number of women who can receive abortion care.
We must let these politicians know that their constituents will not forget this vote. For more information and a way to take action, click here. (from credoaction.com).
(from NRDC) The Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, known as the FRAC Act, is an important piece of legislation that would repeal the exemption in the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for an oil and gas technique called hydraulic fracturing. Now 160 organizations from across the country, including national, regional, state and local organizations, have signed a letter urging members of Congress to co-sponsor the FRAC Act (S. 1215/ H.R. 2766). The signers are not just environmental advocates; they include conservation, faith, sportsmen and community organizations. These groups come from 35 states and make clear that it is not just folks in Colorado or New York that are concerned about the risks to human health and the environment from hydraulic fracturing. Oil and gas production occurs in over 30 states (you can see how many wells are in your state in our latest map). Recent reports of contamination have come from Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Wyoming, Texas, Ohio, and more. The FRAC Act continues to gain co-sponsors. If your Representative or Senator is not a co-sponsor, you can send them a letter asking them to support the FRAC Act from NRDC's website. Along with your own letter, you can also send them the letter signed by 160 organizations from around the country.
