Everybody loves a party, right? Well, why not party with MoveOn.org?
http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=350
Now, you can host or join a Voters In, Money Out call party. They are reaching out to progressive voters to encourage them to vote and to donate time to making calls and going door-to-door for progressive candidates. Once you sign up, the site has a great tutorial that explains clearly how the process works. Then, you can either host or join a party in your area. Just click here and sign up: http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=350
If you'd prefer to make the contacts from your own home, they also have that option. Wouldn't it be great if everyone who reads this message would volunteer for at least ONE call shift? What a difference that might make!
https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Ever Wonder?
Ever wonder what the other side is saying about Democrats? I recently checked out the #UniteRed hashtag on twitter. They are saying that socialists took over in 2012 because Republicans stayed home and didn't vote! Check out reddebate.com for more of their message. Here are a few tweets from the hashtag.
@clgill57
@clgill57
"Remember 2012 elections all #GOP didn't vote consequence: we got the SOCIALIST party" #VotingMatters #unitered #VoteRed2014
Powerful Democrats Call For New #Constitution To Allow Obama To Be Elected A Third Term http://americannews.com/powerful-democrats-call-for-new-constitution-to-allow-obama-to-be-elected-a-third-term/ … #GodSaveUs #Nobama #UniteRed
We have our message and they have theirs. It remains to be seen which party can get out their voting base for this midterm election. Please don't let a few differences on some issues keep you from voting for Democrats. Recent polling suggests that it is likely that Republicans will take over control of the Senate. Try to imagine that for a second. Will they be popping the Champagne corks? If don't want to find out, do you?
One pundit suggests that a GOP control of the Senate might just backfire on them. See: http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/10/03/would-control-senate-bad-for-gop/Rz5KtZuYscRY9salocP4xN/story.html
But, let's make sure it doesn't happen. It looks like just a few Senate races could decide who's in control and just a few votes either way will decide those races. This election will show us just how much #VotingMatters So vote for Democrats and you won't be sorry.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Your Right to Vote
Did you know that the U. S. Constitution did NOT originally define who had the right to vote? It deferred that decision to each state. As you can imagine, this created much confusion. Many states only allowed Caucasian male property owners the franchise. Some allowed Caucasian males with taxable income to vote. New Jersey even allowed women to vote if they met the property requirement. In some places freed slaves and non-white Americans were allowed to vote, again if they met the property requirement. Many states and local jurisdictions started requiring poll taxes be paid to vote and literacy tests passed. By the time of the Civil War, most white males were allowed to vote regardless if they owned property. By not clearly defining the right to vote, the framers of the Constitution created chaos. Many citizens were kept from voting because they were deemed to be "undesirable". Now, if any of this is beginning to sound like what is again happening in our country, you might want to start paying attention.
These rights have been challenged before and we have several Amendments that guarantee citizens' rights to vote. In 1965, our Congress also passed the Voting Rights Act. See this link for brief timeline of voting rights up to 2014: https://www.aclu.org/timeline-history-voting-rights-act As you can see, citizens are again having to face efforts by some in power to keep others from be able to vote.
Please don't take your right to vote for granted. Learn if you can vote this year by clicking this link: http://www.canivote.org/ Then, please check this link to learn all you can about voting and access resources to help you exercise your rights. http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Voting/Learn.shtml
You know the old saying, "If you don't use it, you'll lose it." Well, that just might come true in regard to your voting rights. I would also encourage you to vote for Democrats because they are trying to protect citizens' right to vote.
These rights have been challenged before and we have several Amendments that guarantee citizens' rights to vote. In 1965, our Congress also passed the Voting Rights Act. See this link for brief timeline of voting rights up to 2014: https://www.aclu.org/timeline-history-voting-rights-act As you can see, citizens are again having to face efforts by some in power to keep others from be able to vote.
Please don't take your right to vote for granted. Learn if you can vote this year by clicking this link: http://www.canivote.org/ Then, please check this link to learn all you can about voting and access resources to help you exercise your rights. http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Voting/Learn.shtml
You know the old saying, "If you don't use it, you'll lose it." Well, that just might come true in regard to your voting rights. I would also encourage you to vote for Democrats because they are trying to protect citizens' right to vote.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Fear Mongering
I have had it with the out right fear mongering over ISIS and Ebola. What exactly is fear mongering?
- Fear mongering (or scaremongering or scare tactics) is the use of fear to influence the opinions and actions of others towards some specific end. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_mongering
One of my favorite "entertainer" fake news persons is Jon Stewart. Thursday night on The Daily Show, Jon blasted the GOP over their hypocritical fear mongering. Please view the clip here if you haven't yet seen it:
The GOP are demanding that President Obama do everything possible to strengthen our borders and protect us from ISIS and Ebola!!!! Yet, they are forgetting that 88 Americans die everyday from GUNS!!!! What about all the people dying from heart disease and lung cancer and drunk drivers? Oh, no!! We have to worry about ISIS and Ebola! It's pretty obvious to me that the GOP and their right wing media outlets are shamelessly using this to scare their base and get out the GOP vote. They even tell their people that the government cannot be trusted to give them the facts. So we can't send them to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/09/30/cdc-confirms-first-case-ebola-diagnosed-us
They won't accept it. But we can educate ourselves and refuse to be manipulated by the media. They live and die by ratings; so, of course, they are going to sensationalize issues. It is up to us to be intelligent consumers of information. You know, it is possible, no likely, that the GOP would much rather voters talk about ISIS and Ebola than about the economy! Well, here are a few links that may help: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/03/1334101/-The-biggest-lesson-of-Ebola (we need to revitalize and grow a public-sector health research and production capacity which is not beholden to the profit margins of the big pharma companies)
In case you missed it, back in July I posted a blog about how GOP would use propaganda machine to influence voters before the election. See: http://pageposts1123.blogspot.com/2014/07/beware-propaganda-machine.html
Just please be careful what you give credence to and pass on to others on social media. We don't want to assist the GOP in their efforts to scare the Hell out of people!
Friday, October 3, 2014
Obama on the Economy
President Obama spoke Thursday at Northwestern University in Chicago. He told those young people that they are the ones who will shape the future. He also told how America is the one constant in an uncertain world. The world looks to USA for help and for answers. We are leaders and we welcome that attention.
Now, what is good about our economy. When President Obama took office businesses were laying off 800,000 workers a month. Now, businesses are hiring 200,000 workers a month. Unemployment was 10% in 2009 and now it is 6.1%. Our country has put more people back to work than Europe, Japan and every other advanced country combined. President Obama has increased investments in clean energy. This has helped us reduce carbon emissions. The president also told that more than half the companies that outsourced jobs are looking to bring them back to our shores.
What still needs to happen? President Obama said that it is still too hard for working families to get ahead. Now, we need to reverse the erosion of middle class and their jobs. The measure of success is more that GDP. We can increase job growth with help of Congress. We can help Americans succeed with the help of Congress. The current situation favors the few at the expense of the middle class. President Obama said that regulations that save lives and protect families are good for the economy. He mentioned a survey that said for the first time in more than a decade, business leaders cite US as most attractive place in which to invest. So, let's rebuild roads and bridges. We can pay for it with tax reform. There are so many things that we can do if we have the vision and the will to do it. Let's pass an immigration bill, he said. The White House shared a graphic that highlights his speech: http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/economic-update-where-we-are-and-where-were-going
He went on to say we should raise the minimum wage and ensure equal pay for women. None of the policies proposed alone will achieve the desired effect alone. President Obama said he is always willing to work with others to get things done. If gridlock prevails, then he will keep doing what he can alone.
Why don't we fix this by giving him a Congress that he can work with? That makes the most sense to me.
Pat Taylor Fuller is an Editor for Progressive Democrats - Moving Forward, Not Back, and she has a blogspot named Pat's Commentary http://pageposts1123.blogspot.com/
#AmericaLeads
Now, what is good about our economy. When President Obama took office businesses were laying off 800,000 workers a month. Now, businesses are hiring 200,000 workers a month. Unemployment was 10% in 2009 and now it is 6.1%. Our country has put more people back to work than Europe, Japan and every other advanced country combined. President Obama has increased investments in clean energy. This has helped us reduce carbon emissions. The president also told that more than half the companies that outsourced jobs are looking to bring them back to our shores.
What still needs to happen? President Obama said that it is still too hard for working families to get ahead. Now, we need to reverse the erosion of middle class and their jobs. The measure of success is more that GDP. We can increase job growth with help of Congress. We can help Americans succeed with the help of Congress. The current situation favors the few at the expense of the middle class. President Obama said that regulations that save lives and protect families are good for the economy. He mentioned a survey that said for the first time in more than a decade, business leaders cite US as most attractive place in which to invest. So, let's rebuild roads and bridges. We can pay for it with tax reform. There are so many things that we can do if we have the vision and the will to do it. Let's pass an immigration bill, he said. The White House shared a graphic that highlights his speech: http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/economic-update-where-we-are-and-where-were-going
He went on to say we should raise the minimum wage and ensure equal pay for women. None of the policies proposed alone will achieve the desired effect alone. President Obama said he is always willing to work with others to get things done. If gridlock prevails, then he will keep doing what he can alone.
Why don't we fix this by giving him a Congress that he can work with? That makes the most sense to me.
Pat Taylor Fuller is an Editor for Progressive Democrats - Moving Forward, Not Back, and she has a blogspot named Pat's Commentary http://pageposts1123.blogspot.com/
#AmericaLeads
Thursday, October 2, 2014
History of the Secret Service
Did you know that the Secret Service (SS) has TWO missions? I learned today that it does. The first is criminal investigations and the other is protection. That is what I learned reading the Congressional Research Service's report dated June 18, 2014. http://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL34603.pdf It was written by Shawn Reese, Analyst in Emergency Management and Homeland Security Policy and is prepared for members of congress and committees.
Did you know that in 2003 it was transferred from the Department of US Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security(DHS)? Before that SS had been with Treasury for over 100 years. Do you think the two missions are compatible and how would you prioritize them? Do you think the DHS is the appropriate place for the Secret Service? This report was submitted before the recent revelations regarding SS mistakes and missteps that finally led to the resignation of the SS director, Julia Pierson, the first woman to lead that agency. http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/01/politics/secret-service-director-resigns/index.html
There are many reports in the media concerning the number of death threats against our President and how much of an increase it is since Barack Obama took office. One article from United Kingdom asserted that he received over 30 a day and the SS had to investigate them. And that article was from 2009! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/5967942/Barack-Obama-faces-30-death-threats-a-day-stretching-US-Secret-Service.html Other articles dispute that claim. This one from CBS news is also from 2009: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/secret-service-threats-against-obama-no-higher-than-normal/
I have not found a current article with actual data. But, what I do know is that something needs to change in our Secret Service. The White House should be protected from uninvited guests, whether it's people crashing a party or a fence jumper trying to force his way into the building. The building should also be protected from a gunman with a long-range rifle! Come on! Something needs to change and soon. We need to have confidence that everything is being done to review policies and procedures and fix this problem!
Did you know that in 2003 it was transferred from the Department of US Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security(DHS)? Before that SS had been with Treasury for over 100 years. Do you think the two missions are compatible and how would you prioritize them? Do you think the DHS is the appropriate place for the Secret Service? This report was submitted before the recent revelations regarding SS mistakes and missteps that finally led to the resignation of the SS director, Julia Pierson, the first woman to lead that agency. http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/01/politics/secret-service-director-resigns/index.html
There are many reports in the media concerning the number of death threats against our President and how much of an increase it is since Barack Obama took office. One article from United Kingdom asserted that he received over 30 a day and the SS had to investigate them. And that article was from 2009! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/5967942/Barack-Obama-faces-30-death-threats-a-day-stretching-US-Secret-Service.html Other articles dispute that claim. This one from CBS news is also from 2009: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/secret-service-threats-against-obama-no-higher-than-normal/
I have not found a current article with actual data. But, what I do know is that something needs to change in our Secret Service. The White House should be protected from uninvited guests, whether it's people crashing a party or a fence jumper trying to force his way into the building. The building should also be protected from a gunman with a long-range rifle! Come on! Something needs to change and soon. We need to have confidence that everything is being done to review policies and procedures and fix this problem!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
I Love Obamacare
I love Obamacare. How about you? My granddaughter has epilepsy and cannot be denied coverage. My husband has had a kidney transplant and medications that would cost thousands of dollars a month are covered and we cannot be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. I love it that millions of people who once could not afford healthcare or who were turned down for coverage now have healthcare coverage. Yet, many right wing "news" sources continue to tell their viewers outright lies about Ocare. And amazingly, the people believe the lies.
This article in Daily Kos by Joan McCarter tells ways that Obamacare is working. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/30/1333217/-Seven-ways-Obamacare-is-working#
More people have coverage; that coverage is more affordable. Total healthcare costs are rising at the lowest rate in history. People's physical and mental health are improving. Ocare is helping to reduce the deficit. What's not to like about that? Yet the right wing continues to tell people about death panels and other nonsense to scare and confuse them. Please help spread the word that Obamacare is working and encourage Medicaid expansion in states that have not done so yet. Peoples' lives depend on access to affordable healthcare coverage. http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacares-medicaid-expansion.php
This article in Daily Kos by Joan McCarter tells ways that Obamacare is working. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/30/1333217/-Seven-ways-Obamacare-is-working#
More people have coverage; that coverage is more affordable. Total healthcare costs are rising at the lowest rate in history. People's physical and mental health are improving. Ocare is helping to reduce the deficit. What's not to like about that? Yet the right wing continues to tell people about death panels and other nonsense to scare and confuse them. Please help spread the word that Obamacare is working and encourage Medicaid expansion in states that have not done so yet. Peoples' lives depend on access to affordable healthcare coverage. http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacares-medicaid-expansion.php
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