Rogan's List

1/22/18

Contact Federal Government Officials

Find senator’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/RLiotu

Find representative’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/5i7SXC

Fax legislators for free:  Reps:  https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php

and Senate: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

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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.  Fourteen (14) bills are scheduled for a vote in the House this week including eight (8) on Tuesday.  Let's take a look at the Majority Leader's Schedule to see what they will be voting on.   The Senate met Sunday to resume consideration of the House message to accompany H.R.195, the vehicle for the continuing resolution (CR). The Senate calendar only shows the schedule for the current or next day.  We can look at it here.

2.      “The Senate will vote at noon on Monday to end the government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the floor Sunday evening and laid out a plan to restore government funding for three weeks and consider immigration proposals, while bipartisan talks continue to end the impasse that has triggered a partial government shutdown since Friday night.”  https://www.npr.org/2018/01/21/579463937/few-signs-of-progress-as-partial-government-shutdown-enters-second-day  If we have Democratic MoC, let’s be in touch to ask them to stand strong for CHIP and DACA. If we have Republican MoC, let’s let them know we are done with their antics.  We do not need another stop-gap measure, we need funded programs. 

3.      “Right-wing extremists have tried to put the blame of the #TrumpShutdown on our side - despite the fact that they control the House, Senate, and the Presidency. We need YOUR help to make sure our Dream Heroes are supported and they know that we need them to continue fighting for every single person who would qualify for a #DreamActNow!”  Let’s use this #TrumpShutdown - II toolkit to know what to do:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hm-zzEkEvmnaKO0FWkWWZW09ZmGA-KRZt6JH2zHKoSs/edit?ts=5a5f6ff8

4.      “If stalemate continues,” he (trump) wrote on Twitter, Republicans should use the “Nuclear Option” to rewrite Senate rules and try to pass a long-term spending bill with a simple majority. Trump has previously advocated changing a long-standing Senate rule requiring 60 votes to pass most legislation. On Sunday, it was again met by opposition from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Lifting that requirement on most legislation, however, would be a step too far, many senators believe. “That would be the end of the Senate as it was originally devised,” Durbin said on ABC.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-launches-new-round-of-partisan-attacks-as-government-shutdown-hits-day-2/2018/01/21/0560aece-fe35-11e7-a46b-a3614530bd87_story.html?utm_term=.a54aff22bff8 TWEET and EMAIL your senators. Americans expect and want the senate to NEGOTIATE. No “NUCLEAR OPTION.”

5.      We still need one more vote in the Senate in order to pass the bill to overturn the FCC ruling on net neutrality http://bit.ly/2EYVv1v If we have a republican senator, let's be sure to call them and ask them to block the repeal of net neutrality. We can also check out Fight For the Future's tool which will text us closer to the 2018 midterms, reminding us how our MoC have voted regarding net neutrality https://votefornetneutrality.com/

6.      “A former Trump campaign worker appointed at age 23 to a top position in the White House’s drug policy office had been let go from a job at a law firm because he repeatedly missed work, a partner at the firm said. In a résumé initially submitted to the government, Weyeneth said he worked at the firm until April 2016. When an FBI official called as part of a background check in January 2017, the firm said Weyeneth had left eight months earlier than the résumé indicated, O’Dwyer said. A spokesman at the Office of National Drug Control Policy — where Weyeneth, 24, is deputy chief of staff — said Weyeneth was unavailable for comment.”  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/trumps-24-year-old-drug-policy-appointee-was-let-go-at-law-firm-after-he-just-didnt-show/2018/01/20/a7de7c28-fd43-11e7-ad8c-ecbb62019393_story.html?undefined=&utm_term=.a4f5d172d5cb&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1  Our Government is rife with unqualified people in positions of power. trump won’t change that. Let’s ask for Weyeneth’s resignation. Contact: Tweet @ONDCP,  EMAIL oipl@ondcp.eop.gov.

7.      We shouldn’t imagine that we have calculated the dire effects of Trump’s tax “reform”: when Congress last overhauled the federal tax code in 1986, it created a tax credit meant to encourage private investment in affordable housing; the new tax overhaul, by lowering the tax rate for corporations, dramatically lowers the value of these tax credits. “It’s the greatest shock to the affordable-housing system since the Great Recession,” said Michael Novogradac, managing partner of a national accounting firm that estimates the new tax law will reduce the growth of subsidized affordable housing by 235,000 units over the next ten years, worsening the already existing shortage: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/business/economy/tax-housing.html  Let’s tell Ben Carson that we expect HUD take action to create housing for those who need it: 202-708-1112 or Department of Housing & Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW, Washington DC 20410.

8.     The Economic Policy Institute has issued a new report on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed rule that would make it legal for employers to pocket their workers’ tips, as long as they pay those workers at least the minimum wage. This report is specifically focused on the disproportionate effect of this rule on women workers, who, being both more likely to be tipped workers and to earn lower wages, would lose $4.6 billion of these lost wages compared to the $1.2 billion lost by men: http://www.epi.org/publication/women-would-lose-4-6-billion-in-earned-tips-if-the-administrations-tip-stealing-rule-is-finalized-overall-tipped-workers-would-lose-5-8-billion/  We need to let Trump’s DOL know that we deplore their plan to steal the hard-earned wages of any worker and, particularly, the wages of many women trying to support children: 1-866-487-2365 or Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta, Dept. of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington DC 20210

9.      “A Republican congressman was removed from the House Ethics Committee on Saturday after it was reported that he used thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to settle a misconduct complaint by a former staffer. Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.), who denies wrongdoing, reached a settlement with the aide after she claimed last year that he made unwanted romantic overtures toward her, according to a report published in the New York Times. The fourth-term lawmaker now faces an investigation by the ethics panel, according to a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).” https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/gop-congressman-removed-from-ethics-committee-after-misconduct-settlement-reported/2018/01/20/3a7cf152-fe2c-11e7-8f66-2df0b94bb98a_story.html?utm_term=.58b6a01a8d08 We need to ask for a separate group outside of Congress to oversee the ethics investigations. Let’s ask our congress to be transparent and create an ethics review watchdog committee.

10.  “The Senate’s No. 2 Republican revealed Saturday that Twitter told him he interacted with content from accounts linked to the Russians. “As part of our recent work to understand Russian-linked activities on Twitter during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, we identified and suspended a number of accounts that were potentially connected to a propaganda effort by a Russian government-linked organization known as the Internet Research Agency,” read the email sent to Sen. John Cornyn.” http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/john-cornyn-told-by-twitter-he-interacted-with-russia-linked-accounts-during-2016-election/article/2646586  Let’s ask the White House how many of these trump received from twitter!

11.   If anyone calls the White House comment line (202-456-1111) this is the full outgoing message: "Thank you for calling the White House. Unfortunately, we cannot answer your call today because congressional Democrats are holding government funding —

including funding for our troops and other national security priorities — hostage to an unrelated immigration debate. Due to this obstruction, the government is shut down. In the meantime, you can leave a comment for the president at www.whitehouse.gov/contact. We look forward to taking your calls as soon as the government re-opens."  Let’s use this contact link and tell the White House that we are waiting on the GOP to work out the issues of A) CHIP, B) DACA, C) Federally Qualified Health Centers, and D) Puerto Rico recovery.

Election 2018 - General

1.       Donald Trump is urging Pennsylvania voters to elect state representative Rick Saccone to Congress in the March 13th special election, and it’s little wonder why – Saccone is an anti-union, anti-choice, pro-tax scam reactionary.  (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-set-speak-pennsylvania-special-election-looms/story?id=52438005). The Democratic nominee for this seat is Conor Lamb, a military veteran and federal prosecutor who is refusing to accept corporate PAC donations, and he needs our help. Let’s sign up to make phone calls for Conor at bit.ly/FlipThe18th, or by joining Postcards to Voters in their upcoming postcard campaign for this election by e-mailing Join@TonyTheDemocrat.org.

2.      “Jason Kander started Let America Vote to fight back against proposals across the country that make it harder for eligible voters to exercise their constitutional right to cast a ballot. Whether it’s extreme identification requirements, questionable purges of voter rolls, voter intimidation, new and extreme voter registration processes, or anything that makes voting harder, Let America Vote will be there to lead the way against it. Through online and grassroots organizing, an aggressive earned media strategy, and advertising, Let America Vote will play a crucial role among the existing network of organizations fighting for voting rights.”  Let’s check out this organization and see how we can help:  https://www.letamericavote.org/

Election 2018 – By State

1.       PA: January 23, 2018, is Special Election Day for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 35. Democrat Austin Davis https://www.davisforpa.com/ is running against Republican Fawn Walker Montgomery. If we’re in this district, let’s be Davis voters on January 23!

2.      PA: There’s still time to get involved in flipping a US House seat to blue in a special election to be held March 13, 2018, for Pennsylvania’s 18^th Congressional District. Democrat Conor Lamb, https://conorlamb.com/ , a former prosecutor and Marine Corps veteran is running against Republican Rick Saccone. 

https://ballotpedia.org/Pennsylvania%27s_18th_Congressional_District_special_election,_2018 Let’s all visit Lamb’s website to see how we can help, and if we’re in PA’s 18^th, lets mark our calendars and be Conor Lamb voters on March 13.

3.      MN: Phillip Parrish, https://parrish4mn.com/, is a hate-filled, virulently anti-Muslim candidate seeking the nomination for governor in the Republican primary. 

http://www.citypages.com/news/meet-phillip-parrish-your-virulently-anti-muslim-candidate-for-governor/469298443 Let’s contact the chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota and demand that the party condemn Parrish’s bigotry, remove him from the Republican ballot, and withhold any support of his candidacy. Contact Jennifer Carnahan, Chair, chair@mngop.com ; 651-222-0022; or 2200 East Franklin Ave, Suite 201, Minneapolis, MN 55404.

4.      TX:  The Texas primary is on March 6.  The last day to register to vote in the primary is on February 5.  Early voting begins on February 20. 

Other Actions

1.       Saturday and Sunday saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets for the second Women’s March:  https://apnews.com/ecd3ad82d5054d30a1dfc27dc910b492 If we attended one, please share your photos on social media to spread the impact and message. If we know people who attended one, let’s take the time to say thanks for standing up and speaking out.

2.      For women who would like to be more involved in politics, but who do not want to run for office, Erica Sagrans offers us an alternative: become a campaign manager:

 https://www.teenvogue.com/story/more-women-campaign-managers Sagrans, a former campaign manager herself, along with Working Families Organization and RiseUp's Nelini Stamp, are asking that those of us who are interested in receiving campaign management training sign up, and if enough women sign up, they will go ahead and offer training:  http://bit.ly/2FZcyC3

3.      Yesterday marked the eighth anniversary of the Citizens United decision that cleared the way for Big Money to cement its stranglehold on American politics. Activists across the country spent the day advocating for a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizens United by stamping dollar bills with pro-campaign finance reform messages (http://www.thenews-messenger.com/story/news/local/2018/01/17/american-promise-wants-stamp-big-money-out-politics/1036869001/). Let’s observe this anniversary by joining the movement. We can learn how at https://www.stampstampede.org/.

4.      With so many deliberate distortions and lies flooding social media, it’s getting harder to keep track of actual facts. Fortunately, the highly reputable Associated Press is offering a fact checking through its new twitter account, @APFactCheck. If we’re on Twitter,  AP says it will "quickly deliver any live fact-checking we do around big events . . . Getting fact checks out on social media as soon as possible also can be a major weapon in helping to debunk trending false stories."  We don’t need to be on twitter to check out AP’s  NotReal News, the real facts behind, “some of the most popular, but completely untrue, headlines of the week.”  https://apnews.com/f6d1bd95d2ec4dd89b14adb2ebb0d24d/NOT-REAL-NEWS:-A-look-at-what-didn't-happen-this-week

5.      “With the help of our birthday enthusiasts™ (volunteers), we host monthly birthday bashes at homeless and transitional living facilities across the country. Our themed parties are complete with activities and games, decorations, cakes, and FUN for all the children and families living at the agency.”  Let’s see how we can help The Birthday Party Project:  https://thebirthdaypartyproject.org/

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

States

1.       MI: In response to the lack of action by the State of Michigan, advocacy group Oil & Water Don't Mix has released a removal plan for Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline

http://bit.ly/2DwIHCn http://bit.ly/2ENxtGU Let's check it out, then pass the information along to Governor Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette and ask them when they plan to decommission the pipeline. Governor Snyder: e-mail: 

governorsoffice@michigan.gov Mail: Governor Snyder P.O. Box 30013 Lansing, Michigan 48909 Phone: 517-373-3400 Attorney General Schuette: e-mail: miag@michigan.gov Mail: G. Mennen Williams Building, 7th Floor 525 W. Ottawa St. P.O. Box 30212 Lansing, MI 48909 Phone: 517-373-1110

2.      WV - A bill proposed in the West Virginia state Senate would require all schools in the state, both public and private, to offer an elective course on the Bible. Let's read more at The Hill. If we are West Virginians, let's contact our state Senators to let them know we do not approve of this blurring of the lines between the separation of church and state by making this a mandate. The wvlegislature.gov links to find our own senator are broken so let's contact Senate president, Lt. Gov. Mitch Carmichael or find our state senator at Ballotpedia. (note: scroll down on linked page to find the list by district.)

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, "Trump marked his one-year anniversary in office with a government shutdown, the first shutdown in history when a single party is in control of the House, Senate, and White House. "  Let's review Amy Siskind's list week 62.

2.      “What Exactly This Shutdown Means, Agency by Agency” - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-exactly-this-shutdown-means-agency-by-agency

3.      And, as usual, our weekly dose of Small Victories:  http://mailchi.mp/peaceisloud/small-victories-together-we-rise?e=86890239c4