Contact Federal
Government Officials
Find
senator’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/RLiotu
Find
representative’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/5i7SXC
********************************
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. The
House is scheduled to vote today; the Senate tomorrow.: The bill cuts taxes for
the wealthy and corporations while raising taxes on people in poverty,
devastates the Affordable Care Act, and increases the federal deficit, which
will lead directly to cuts in Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security….The
Republican tax plan is a giveaway to the richest in our nation based on the
failed theory of trickle-down economics, which Pope Francis says, "has
never been confirmed by facts, [and] expresses a crude and naive trust in the
goodness of those wielding economic power."” (Sr. Simone Campbell/Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice)
Nonetheless, Trump has defended the tax
bill as “great Christmas gifts to the middle class”: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tax-trump/trump-defends-tax-plan-as-great-christmas-gifts-to-middle-class-idUSKBN1EA0OO Let’s
continue to sound the drum with our MoC that these are not the gifts we are
looking for! Let’s keep contacting our
MoCs letting them know that we do not want this legislation. It will not help those who need it the most
and will cost us dearly. Let’s use this
handy call list from one of our own (tabs at the bottom): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LgdtGmpTkWzogjsSjnhvaj7nYVR79COrBLADSh4XmqA/edit#gid=1537917689 If we are looking for more ways, we can check
out activist attorney "Medicaid Matt" Cortland who gives us
actions and resources here: https://mobile.twitter.com/mattbc/status/941881373647933440
2. Even
if we live in a Blue State, we can still help stop the #GOPTaxScam with
Rapid Resist. Using our smartphones or laptops, we’ll connect with
Progressive voters in key Red areas and encourage them to call their Reps to
stop this terrible bill. If we are new to texting, we will get directions,
training and guidance. If we have texted for them before, we just fill out a
simple form to start. Time is short, but if we work together we can still
#KilltheBill! We can get more
information and sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZeZzukCxzvvDTDALdPk_NGqkbn5c1JLuFnC31f9tOSq7UpA/viewform
3. Yet
another way to assist in this 11th-hour effort is by working with the Courage Campaign to get voters in
key Republican states/districts to urge their MoCs to vote "No" on
this reverse Robin Hood abomination. Click the link to sign up and make a few
calls to voters. You'll be connected automatically by the system and provided
with a script to work from, but the most important part of this is your
concerned voice reaching out to voters who might just need a last little nudge
to speak out. Click here for more: http://act.couragecampaign.org/signup/GOP_tax_scam_phonebank
4. Seven
Dreamers were arrested on Friday evening during a sit-in at Senate
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Representative Carlos Curbelo's offices http://bit.ly/2B8wKCO The
Dreamers are all on hunger strike, until Senator Schumer and Representative
Curbelo gather the votes needed to block a spending bill, unless it contains a
clean Dream Act. It should not take sit-ins, arrests, hunger strikes, and
taking the risk of deportation to get our members of Congress to do the right
thing. Let's support the Dreamers and contact Senator Schumer ((202) 224-6542) and
Representative Curbelo ((202)
225-2778), as well as our won, demanding
that they get the votes necessary to pass a clean Dream Act before the end of
the year.
5. Hidden
in the Republican's tax plan is an excise tax which could be devastating for
Puerto Rico: Two new proposed taxes in particular are at issue:
A) an excise tax of 20 percent on products manufactured by subsidiaries of U.S.
companies located outside the U.S., and B) a 12-percent tax on income derived
from intangible assets (such as patents and intellectual property) by American
companies outside the U.S. But why do these taxes involve Puerto Rico, a
U.S. territory and not a foreign nation? Because the tax bill considers Puerto
Rico to be outside the U.S., a foreign country like Mexico or Venezuela. Let's
read the full story at Newsweek. Let's add this issue into our rotation in making
our calls against the tax bill.
6. Puerto
Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has ordered a review and recount of the death
toll of Hurricane Maria, according to the New York Times. The official
death toll from the September hurricane is 64 people, but a New York Times
analysis earlier this month found that the count was likely to be well over 1,000.” http://thehill.com/homenews/365405-puerto-rico-gov-orders-recount-of-hurricane-related-deaths Let’s
call our MoC to let them know that we still expect answers about this
administration’s poor response to Hurricane Maria.
7. While
our efforts to get our voters out to the polls in Alabama were successful, we
must acknowledge that the state’s Republicans are deliberately and
systematically setting up barriers to stop many of them from ever casting a
ballot. The NAACP notes that more than 100,000 registered voters in Alabama
can’t vote because they do not have the photo identification required by the
state, a group that is disproportionately people of color:
(http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/03/naacp_legal_defense_fund_more.html).
This is just one of the numerous discriminatory measures the GOP is using to
keep African-Americans and Latinos from participating in our democracy, and we
need to fight back. Congress could have a huge impact if they finally stepped
up and restored the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court gutted in Shelby
County v. Holder, but the necessary legislation is being stalled at the
committee level. Let’s contact our members of Congress and let them know that
instead of rushing to cut taxes for the wealthy, they should turn to the real
problems facing this country and prioritize restoring the Voting Rights Act.
8. Rumors
continue to swirl that Donald Trump will fire special counsel Robert Mueller to
disrupt his investigation into Russian interference in our elections (https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/12/15/congresswoman-speier-says-republicans-trying-to-shut-down-russia-probe/).
Trump claims he will not, and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle
have said this would be unacceptable. But we’re going to need more than
firmly-worded statements. Let’s contact our members of Congress and let them
know we want to see action on proposed legislation that would protect the
special counsel from Trump and preserve our hopes of seeing justice.
9. In
yet another gesture indicating that Trump does not want to hear from we the
people, the White House has taken down its popular Obama-originated petition tool. While they say it will return next month, it
should be noted that while 17 petitions have garnered enough signatures for a
response, Trump has not responded to any.
http://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-is-changing-its-petition-tool-2017-12 Let’s contact the White House and tell them
we want this tool back and we want items acted on in the spirit of
communication: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW,
Washington, DC 20500 or (202) 456-1111
10. The Leadership Conference, a coalition of 200
civil and human rights organizations, is calling for the withdrawal of the
nominations of Petersen, Farr and Schiff to lifetime judicial
appointments. After an embarrassing televised hearing last week, Petersen
has already withdrawn (source: The Hill). The NAACP sites Farr’s record of
fighting advances in black political participation spans decades as one of
their concerns (source: Southern Poverty Law Center). Schiff was a prolific
blogger, writing under a pseudonym with controversial and provocative
commentary, including calling Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy ‘a judicial
prostitute.’ Let's read the Leadership Conference's letter to Congress. Let's tell
our senators that we oppose Farr and Schiff for these lifetime judicial
appointments.
11. The
Leadership Conference spells out their objections to judicial nominee Kyle
Duncan: "Mr. Duncan is a right-wing ideologue who has devoted his legal
career to undermining civil and constitutional rights in America. He has
aggressively advanced a radical personal agenda to set back LGBT rights, voting
rights, immigrant rights, women’s reproductive freedom, and criminal justice
progress." Let's read the full letter here. We can read more about Kyle Duncan at The Bayou Brief. Let's tell our senators that we
oppose Duncan for this lifetime judicial appointment.
12. “HHS
[Dept. of Health and Human Services] is refusing to make public more than
10,000 comments on a Trump administration proposal to reduce federal
regulations for religious and faith-based groups that could affect access to
abortion and care for transgender patients, according to sources with knowledge
of the decision.” https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/18/hhs-faith-based-rule-withholding-comments-236759 Let’s contact HHS to show them we are
watching and tell them to reveal ALL the comments: U.S. Department of Health & Human
Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201 or Toll-Free
Call Center: 877-696-6775. Since we know the directive came from
the White House personnel, let’s contact them, too: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC
20500 or (202) 456-1111
13. Under
pressure from the National Restaurant Association—the “other NRA”— Secretary of
Labor Alex Acosta is trying to push through a policy that would allow the
pooling of tips given to restaurant servers. It would allow employers to
redistribute tips to (underpaid) kitchen workers or simply to pocket the tips
of servers. The employer’s logic is that servers make more than kitchen
workers because the former are given tips, and a pool will increase the take of
dishwashers, cooks, etc. There is no question that the wages of kitchen
workers should be raised--but not on the backs of their fellow workers.
Tipped restaurant workers, mostly women, already have the lowest minimum wage
in the country — just $2.13 an hour:
http://www.newsweek.com/trump-wants-you-tip-restaurant-owners-not-servers-740792 The
public comment period is NOW and ends February 3. We can add our
comments (and pray they are not hacked!) on this latest Trump attack on the
most vulnerable among us here https://actionnetwork.org/letters/add-your-name-to-tell-department-of-labor-we-wont-let-you-take-workers-tips
Other Actions
1. We
know that Trump will benefit from the GOP tax bill, but let's not forget he's
been cashing in on the Presidency since day one. Here's a brand-new resource
that provides some interesting financial data as well as information about
Trump's political connections. "Those seeking to curry favor with
Trump are not only donating to his reelection campaign but holding fundraisers
and galas at his resorts, private clubs and hotels – the proceeds of which
benefit him and his family. To track this new influence-buying and
presidential profiteering, the Center for Responsive Politics has created this page
to track payments to Trump properties from Trump-related entities and beyond.
Let’s check this out: https://www.opensecrets.org/trump
We can also follow Open Secrets on twitter to keep an eye on money in
politics @OpenSecretsDC
2. The
evidence is piling up in support of what many of us believed all along: the
driving force behind Trump's rise is racism (https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/12/15/16781222/trump-racism-economic-anxiety-study).
Building up our political game to regain control of our plummeting government
is top priority, of course, but long-term progress will depend on how we get
along with even those who put racial resentment ahead of all else. There's good
advice about how to do this out there (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0Ti-gkJiXc),
and with the big holidays coming next week, many of us will have a chance to
engage with some of those folks who do/say racist things. Let's have a plan
ready for these encounters, and then...engage!
3. "Since
DACA was rescinded in September, it is estimated that over 10,000 immigrants
have lost their protective status, " http://ti.me/2kfTl5F Every day, more immigrants are at
risk of deportation. We need to keep pressuring our MoC to pass a clean Dream
Act. Organizing For Action has a helpful resource which walks us through the
process of writing a Letter to the Editor. Let's check it out, then write to
our local newspaper, in support of a clean Dream Act https://www.ofa.us/get-involved/lte/
4. At
least two million people, including at least one senator, had their identity
stolen to make anti-net neutrality comments during the FCC’s comment time
before the vote last week. https://www.engadget.com/2017/12/14/fake-net-neutrality-comments-stolen-identities/
Let’s check to see if our identity was
also fraudulently used for this purpose:
https://ag.ny.gov/fakecomments
5. Spread the Vote combats voter
suppression by helping citizens of states with Voter ID laws get the IDs they
need to vote. They achieve this through tackling the four most significant
obstacles faced by the poor, young people, and voters of color: money, time,
transportation, and bureaucracy. Let’s
see how we can help and consider donating to this cause, too: https://www.spreadthevote.org/
6.
Fox News is calling the Mueller investigation a “coup”
against Trump. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/18/16790592/fox-news-coup The real fake news continues on that
network. Let’s start boycotting Fox’s
advertisers and telling them so on Facebook, Twitter, email, or postcard/letter: http://foxnewsboycott.com/fox-news-sponsors/
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms
to attend/organize
1.
Wednesday, December 20 at 8pm EST – let’s join
in on Facebook Live hosted by March
for Truth to learn what you we do to protect the Trump-Russia
investigations. “This Facebook Live
discussion will feature commentary and discussion with experts, activists and
special guests from the Congressional leadership on the current crisis, and
will also look back on the trajectory of the investigations in 2017 and look
forward to what will transpire as we head into the 2018 midterms.” https://www.facebook.com/events/1329588500503206/
2.
More support is being garnered for a peaceful
nationwide rally should Mueller’s investigation be thwarted. http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/365361-holder-calls-for-mass-protests-if-trump-fires-mueller Even if a Saturday night massacre seems
unlikely why not have a plan ready? Remember how off guard we were all caught
last November 2016? Let’s get signed
up: https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/search/
States
1.
TN: Those
of us in TN need to call one of Corker’s office to ask him to help stop the tax
bill. He could still be the swing vote the country needs. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bob-corker-wants-to-know-how-a-real-estate-provision-wound-up-in-final-gop-tax-plan/
Phone numbers: BRISTOL AREA:
423-753-2263, MEMPHIS: 901-683-1910, KNOXVILLE: 865-637-4180, JACKSON:
731-664-2294, CHATTANOOGA: 423-756-, NASHVILLE: 615-279-8125
2.
MI: The Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board
(MPSAB) has called for a shutdown of Enbridge's Line 5, until damage to the
pipeline's protective coating has been repaired http://bit.ly/2CyKwe6 Meanwhile,
Governor Snyder has struck a deal with Enbridge, which would allow for the
construction of a new pipeline through the Great Lakes http://bit.ly/2AbPwaI Let's
tell Governor Snyder that we don't want *any* pipelines running through our
lakes; the risk of a spill is simply too high 517-373-3400Governor Rick
Snyder P.O. Box 30013 Lansing, Michigan 48909. We can also attend the
Snyder/Schuette Accountability Rally in Lansing on Thursday:
3.
ALL: “New York City’s mayor and the state’s
attorney general are planning a hearing of their own on the Trump
administration’s plan to repeal former President Obama’s climate change rule
for power plants.” http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/365176-new-york-city-mayor-state-ag-to-hold-peoples-hearing-on-climate Let’s
contact our own state Attorney Generals to urge them to take action on this
issue. Contact info here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=10gYBofYuBagQEirGHvmu43K8McyseyHRGfVc7p2AbBY
Reading/Watching
1.
Excellent op-ed in LA Times titled “American
still has not reckoned with the election of a reckless con man as
president”: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-dorfman-reckoning-trump-election-20171217-story.html
2.
Gerrymandering from the eyes of a campaigning
candidate: http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/12/18/this-is-how-gerrymandering-works/
3.
"The Year We Couldn’t Keep Quiet" https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2017/12/14/the-year-we-couldnt-keep-quiet/
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