11/20/17
Contact
Federal Government Officials
********************************
Many
newspapers, including New York Times and Washington
Post require subscriptions, but without one we can see a few articles
each month. We can also check with our
local libraries to find out how to get online access through them.
1.
This week in Congress. Both the House and the Senate
will not be in session during the week of Thanksgiving. When even the
right-leaning Forbes publishes a piece saying that the “GOP Tax Bill Is The End Of All Economic
Sanity In Washington” we know we have to keep calling, emailing,
faxing and writing to our senators in opposition to the tax plan.
2.
Congress may be on Thanksgiving break this week, but
GOP Reps. Jody Hice (GA), Daniel Donovan (NY), Glenn Grothman
(WI), Tom Reed (NY) and Senator Jerry Moran (KS) are holding Town
Halls. Let’s check Town Hall Project for details and to see if our MoCs
will as well: https://townhallproject.com/ Even if our legislators are on recess, their
offices are still taking calls. Let’s
keep them busy!
3.
Leaving aside all else, the logic behind the Senate’s
repeal of the ACA’s individual healthcare mandate as part of their tax “reform”
is truly appalling. The reasoning is this: without a requirement to
purchase health insurance, many poor people would "choose" not to buy
coverage; as a result, those without insurance would forgo the federal tax
credits available to subsidize their insurance premiums and, without these,
average tax rates would initially fall for all income groups under the Senate
plan—only initially, because the individual tax cuts in this bill are
temporary, expiring at the end of 2025 in order to stay within budget limits
under Senate rules. Corporate tax cuts do not expire:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/11/17/us/politics/senate-tax-plan-analysis.html
But two other effects of the lifting of the individual mandate go,
conveniently, without notice in this account: first, as the Republicans
insist, poor people will gain a tiny decline in their taxes, but many would be
unable to afford health insurance—leaving them, if ill, to depend on the
charity of hospitals or to pay out-of-pocket the rapacious costs of American
medical care; second, the cost of medical insurance, stabilized in the past by
a large pool of both the healthy and the ill, would rise precipitously for
everyone, hitting especially hard those with “pre-existing” conditions: https://www.cbpp.org/blog/repealing-individual-mandate-would-hurt-not-help-low-and-moderate-income-people That’s
why a coalition of health providers, including the American Medical
Association, the American Hospital Association, America's Health Insurance
Plans and the BlueCross BlueShield Association, oppose this bill—and so should
we! Let’s call our senators today, before they put this terrible bill to a
vote.
4.
Bruce Bartlett, an American historian whose area
of expertise is supply-side economics and who served under Presidents
Reagan and George H.W. Bush, said over the weekend, “There has never been a tax
cut in American history in which taxes were raised on the poor to benefit the
wealthy. I don't know of any other country that has done anything remotely like
this.” https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-shocking-math-of-the-republican-tax-plan Fortunately, not all the GOP senators are on
board with their version of the tax plan.
Let’s make sure we contact our own senators as well as these who are
known to be wavering: John McCain (R-AZ)
- 202-224-2235, Jeff Flake (R-AZ) - 202-224-4521, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) -
202-224-6665, Susan Collins (R-ME) - 202-224-2523, Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
- 202-224-6472, Rob Portman (R-OH) - 202-224-3353, Dean Heller (NV) -
202-224-6244, Lamar Alexander (R-TN) - 202-224-4944, Bob Corker (TN) -
202-224-3344, Jerry Moran (R-KS) (202) 224-6521, and Ron Johnson (R-WI) - (202)
224-5323
5.
The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on
December 14th to roll back net neutrality (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-15/killing-net-neutrality-rules-is-said-readied-for-december-vote).
But Congress still has the power to block this move and protect a free and open
Internet, and we need to make sure they know we want them to act. We can make
the call to our reps and get scripts and talking points at https://www.battleforthenet.com/.
6.
The Senate will vote soon on Brett Talley, Trump’s pick
for a lifetime appointment to the federal judiciary, in spite of the latest
disturbing revelations about the nominee. Already known for his membership in
the reactionary conservative Federalist Society, being found unqualified by the
American Bar Association, and failing to disclose potential conflicts of
interest, Talley reportedly defended the “first KKK” in online arguments http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/360638-trump-judicial-nominee-defended-the-first-kkk-in-online-arguments Let’s call our senators and let them know
that they must not support such a disgraceful pick.
7.
Let’s read Ryan Lizza’s very strong New Yorker piece
about how differently we are reacting to the Russia news because it is reaching
us as a ‘drip drip drip’ than if it reached us en masse as one story: https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-gops-boil-the-frog-strategy-to-save-trump And
then, let’s let our MoC know that we remain very concerned about what all this
news means about the health of our republic
8.
California Representative Ted Lieu responded swiftly
and appropriately to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ poor attempts at humor
about Russia late last week:
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/360993-dem-on-sessions-russia-jokes-he-still-doesnt-get-it Let’s
take a moment to join Rep. Lieu to let Sessions know that there is nothing
funny about what is emerging about the Trump campaign and Russia: https://www.justice.gov/contact-us
9.
The FCC, under the leadership of Chairman Ajit Pai, has
initiated a series of rollbacks aimed at deregulating media ownership and
broadcast rules: http://nbcnews.to/2j8DMeH http://bit.ly/2zjmaaX Sinclair
Broadcast Group, which is seeking approval for a merger with Tribune Media,
stands to benefit from these moves, and if their approval goes through, will
have the ability to corner 72% of the market
http://nyti.ms/2uGra3h Democrats in both the House and Senate has
written letter to the FCC Inspector General, David Hunt, asking that he launch
an investigation into Chairman Pai's actions, to determine whether they uphold
the FCC's stance on impartiality and independence from political
partisanship http://bit.ly/2jw4RfG Senate
Democrats have also written to Pai, asking that he recuse himself from voting
on matters related to Sinclair Broadcast Group. Let's contact Inspector General
Hunt, and tell him we support an investigation into Pai's actions: David Hunt
Inspector General Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, SW Washington D.C., 20554 We
can also contact Chairman Pai, and ask that he recuse himself from decisions
relating to Sinclair: Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov Let's
also be sure to contact our MoC and ask them to speak out in support of an
investigation, and in support of Pai's recusal.
10. The
tax bill just signed by the House includes language allowing churches to
campaign for political candidates.http://thehill.com/policy/finance/358447-gop-tax-bill-would-allow-churches-to-endorse-political-candidates Let’s
use this tool from the Secular Coalition for
America to contact our Senators to tell them
to preserve the separation between Church and state http://p2a.co/EVGiALA
11. Money
bail and mass incarceration remain a huge problem in the U.S., but there is a
growing movement for reform at both the state and federal level http://bit.ly/2hNJuGiThis
summer, Senators Kamala Harris and Rand Paul introduced legislation to incentivize
states to reform or replace their money bail system http://nyti.ms/2vnUdcs Let's
be sure that our MoC support and cosponsor the Pretrial and Safety Integrity
Act of 2017 (S. 1593/H.R. 4019)
12. Another
problem with the tax bill is that it appears to be not just unpopular,
but also distinctively — almost historically — unpopular. On average, only
about 30 percent of Americans support the tax plan. This is lower than
support for almost any of these legislative initiatives. The only thing that
was less popular was … the Republican health-care bill that was intended to
replace the Affordable Care Act. We know how that turned out. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/11/18/heres-the-incredibly-unpopular-gop-tax-reform-plan-in-one-graph/?utm_term=.0f1fbe56ca21 Keep calling! Get every voter in our family
to call our senators, every family member and friend. This TAX PLAN for the
RICH must NOT PASS.
13. JPMorgan,
BlackRock and Wells Fargo are investing in construction of the border wall,
despite the CEOs' criticism of anti-immigration policies and rhetoric in the
Trump administration. https://theintercept.com/2017/11/16/trump-border-wall-sterling-construction-company-blackrock-jpmorgan-wells-fargo/ Let’s
tell these companies that we do not support their investment in an ineffective
and environmentally harmful border wall that will waste tax dollars. BlackRock
on Twitter @BlackRock or BlackRock, Inc., 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10055.
JPMorgan on Twitter at @JPMorgan or JPMorgan, 270 Park Avenue, New York City,
NY 10055. Wells Fargo on Twitter @WellsFargo or Wells Fargo, 420 Montgomery
Street, San Francisco, CA 94104.
1.
From Postcards to Voters, here's an update on the postcarding
campaign for Doug Jones: We have assigned 131,791 addresses to 2,972
volunteer writers (and their friends, families, groups, and clubs) as part of
this grassroots effort to boost turnout in support of Doug Jones in
Alabama. One day last week, we assigned 13,887
addresses! Get in on the fun by emailing Join@TonyTheDemocrat.org or
by texting JOIN to 484-275-2229.
State
Actions
Other
Actions
1.
As we head into the holiday season, let's check out
these great tips for engaging in productive conversations with our family and
friends http://bit.ly/2jBoVNM
2.
“This Thanksgiving, thousands of our brave military men
and women are serving far from home to keep us safe. Let’s make sure they know
how much we appreciate their service and sacrifice.” Let’s join the United
Service Organization (USO) in signing this card to our troops: https://action.uso.org/1711_TGV
3.
Depressingly enough, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has said
that although she has no reason not to believe Roy Moore’s accusers, she still
finds it imperative to vote for him so that Alabama sends a Republican to the
Senate: http://time.com/5030135/alabama-governor-kay-ivey-roy-moore/ Let’s
let Governor Ivey know that his victims deserve more from her: on Twitter
@GovernorKayIvey and http://governor.alabama.gov/contact
4.
Both AL.com and Peggy Noonan (in the Wall Street
Journal) have published very compelling editorials in favor of voting for Doug
Jones in the Alabama Senate race: http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/11/our_view_alabama_voters_must_r.html and https://www.wsj.com/articles/alabama-women-say-no-to-roy-moorealabama-women-say-no-to-roy-moore-1510875446 Let’s
do whatever we can to help Jones in this critical election which was supposed
to have been a red state slam dunk: https://dougjonesforsenate.com
5.
“Cards of Hope is Empower
and Help’s social good project started by our
founders. We started this project in the summer of 2017 where we invite
children from all over the country to make cards for children at refugee camps,
schools across Africa and local underprivileged communities within USA. These
cards are received by us and mailed to these children as a message of peace, love,
care and more. They provide these children with HOPE for better tomorrow and
bring smiles on innocent faces. Through Cards of Hope we are providing a
message to these children that You are always in our thoughts and
prayers.” Let’s see how we can be part of this important work: http://empowerandhelp.com/2017/10/25/cards-of-hope/
6.
Each year, Amnesty International commemorates Human
Rights Day, December 10th, by hosting Write for Rights. The campaign
consists of writing letters to government officials to request that they
release prisoners of conscience, as well as to commute sentences for victims of
human rights abuses. Not only is everyone welcome to participate, but we can
also host letter writing events in our local communities, to help increase the
impact of our words. We can learn more about Write for Rights at Amnesty
International
https://write.amnestyusa.org/about/ Then,
we can read up on this year's cases and sign up to write letters in support of
these individuals: https://write.amnestyusa.org/cases/
7.
“The Stampede is a mass,
sustained demonstration against big money in politics and voter
suppression. With already over 75,000 people all across the country stamping
their cash with the Stampede, this people-powered grassroots campaign is a
striking visual display of the growing demand in this country for change
with how our elections are funded and how big moneyed groups influence
government policies at the expense of “We the People.”” We can learn how to become part of this
here: https://www.stampstampede.org/
8.
If you are looking for that perfect holiday gift for
the resister, re-sister, or political junkie, look no more! Take a peek at The Covfefe Coloring
Book! Pre-orders being taken now: https://colorcovfefe.com/ Even better, $1 for each book sold will be
donated to non-profits involved in the hurricane relief effort in Puerto Rico
and the U.S Virgin Islands.
9.
Action Together Network Twitter Warrior has a Thanksgiving
themed tweetsheet for #RenewCHIP, #cleanDreamAct, #GunControlNow, #GetCovered
& #TrumpTaxScam Sendout/schedule throughout the week to keep awareness up.
Click on this sheet to tweet and have a great holiday week: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1m_QvwEUIXwcXUUFTIZX4l66W2F_GGx39QkHbJON8Wkg/htmlview
Petitions
1.
Let’s “demand that World Bank President Jim Yong Kim
commit to ending finance for fossil fuel exploration as part of the big shift
away from dirty energy finance to clean, renewable energy”: https://act.priceofoil.org/sign/world-bank-end-all-fossil-fuel-exploration-finance
2.
VoteVets realizes
that the tax bill will hurt veterans.
Let’s sign here with them to tell Congress no to this tax bill that will
hurt so many: http://action.votevets.org/page/s/stop-republican-tax-cuts
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms
to attend/organize
1.
Americans for Tax Fairness
is coordinating anti-tax events. Let’s
check here to see if there is one near us or how we can start one: http://stoptrumptaxcuts.com/events/
Reading/Watching
1.
Experts in authoritarianism advise us to keep a list of
things subtly changing around us, so we’ll remember. Amy Siskind is
keeping that list for us. Amy writes, "This week the Russia probe entered
Trump’s inner-circle, as more lines of direct and indirect communications
surfaced, and efforts at cooperation between the Trump campaign and Russia were
revealed. A political backlash against Trump continued as a special election in
Oklahoma 37, a district Trump comfortably won by 40 points, went to a
Democrat — a 26 year-old lesbian whose wife is African
American." Let's review Amy
Siskind's list week 53.
2.
.“I’m a feminist. I study rape culture. And I don’t
want Al Franken to resign” - https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/11/17/im-a-feminist-i-study-rape-culture-and-i-dont-want-al-franken-to-resign/?utm_term=.91b4bfcb4dc2
3.
“When trying to determine why the US has so many mass
shootings, only one statistic matters” - https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-11-17/when-trying-determine-why-us-has-so-many-mass-shootings-only-one-statistic
4.
And, as always, our weekly dose of Small
Victories: http://mailchi.mp/peaceisloud/small-victories-heed-the-call?e=86890239c4
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.