Tag: Phone Calls

Fight! Make their phones ring! Fill their voicemail! Show up at their offices!

Fake Deadlines!

They’re planning on passing this flaming turd on Wednesday afternoon. Their self-imposed and totally artificial deadline of giving Trump a multi-million dollar Christmas present at our expense prevents us, the losers in this game, from getting a complete idea of what’s in store for us. The most important bill we have, that will actually kill people – some of the 13 million who will lose their health insurance as a result of removing the ACA mandate and some who depend on Medicaid and other programs, is still cloaked in secrecy.

They won’t wait for Doug Jones, unlike the courtesy paid to them by Democrats who held off a health care reform vote for the newly elected Scott Brown. (Every good turn done to Mitch McConnell reminds on of the Scorpion and the Turtle story.)

Their game is incredibly cruel and corrupt. https://mobile.twitter.com/IndivisibleTeam/status/941728219887259648

guide

Fake Compromise!

This is all we know so far. They’ve just shuffled the goodies for the rich people’s stockings around a little.

  • 37% top individual rate
  • 21% top corporate rate starting 2018
  • $10,000 cap on State and Local Tax deduction
  • 20% deduction for “pass-through” corps
  • Ends corporate AMT, keeps for individuals over $1 million
  • Double estate tax exemption
  • Repeals individual health insurance mandate (will d
  • Raises repatriation rates from Senate bill (likely 8% for non-liquid funds, 15% for cash)
  • Keeps grad student deduction
  • Keeps medical expense deduction at 7.5% the next two years
  • Allows drilling in ANWR
  • It does NOT include the dark-money-from-churches language because all parts of the bill must have a budgetary effect to prevent opening the process up to Democratic filibuster. Burn!

Real Pain.

Continue reading “Fight! Make their phones ring! Fill their voicemail! Show up at their offices!” →

Going backwards at full speed. Next stop…your wallet.

The GOP voted yesterday to destroy an important Obama-era consumer protection.

Despite overwhelming evidence that the public disapproved of a future of extortionate fees, blocked websites, throttled services and content censorship, the GOP-majority members of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) completed their mission of rooting out and destroying Obama-era landmarks by voting 3-2 along party lines Thursday to repeal its landmark net neutrality protections.

They did this despite credible evidence of corruption…

Eighteen attorneys general, dozens of Democratic congressmen and two Republicans had pushed for a delay to the ruling to address the millions of fake comments supporting the repeal, but FCC Chairman Ajit Pai refused. Two million comments filed to the FCC on net neutrality were submitted under stolen identities, said Commissioner Rosenworcel, who opposed the repeal. Half a million came from Russian addresses, and 50,000 net neutrality complaints have gone “inexplicably missing.”

They did this despite fierce public opposition…

“Organic” comments from real people, approximately 22,000,000 of them, were overwhelmingly against the repeal.  There were 700 protests across the country last week to stop the FCC’s attack on the internet, or that 83% of Americans opposed his plan to repeal Title II.2 Meanwhile Democratic lawmakers and dozens of activists protested outside. Despite all this and after a bomb threat cleared the room for a short time, the voting took place.

History proves that allowing corporations to regulate themselves is a terrible idea.

Continue reading “Going backwards at full speed. Next stop…your wallet.” →

Pop Quiz – Will the #TrumpTaxScam destroy the American Public School System?

Take out your #2 pencil and… 

A. keep your eyes on your own work.

B. do something to save America’s public education system.

#1. – Finish this sentence: The tax bill’s language that allows college savings accounts for “unborn children” is a…

A. method for responsible future parents to get a 8-9 month jump-start on saving for their little bundle of expenses.

B. method to sneak anti-choice ideology into a tax scam.

Answer: “B”

Future parents can set up a 529 savings account at any time, then transfer it when Junior makes his/her way into the world.

“This is a back-door attempt to establish personhood from the moment of conception,” said Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) . “What’s next, giving a Social Security number to a zygote?”

#2. – Will the loss or restriction of the SALT deduction hurt public schools?

A. The loss of the SALT deduction would apply significant pressure on states and municipalities to reduce taxes in order to offset the increases in federal taxes paid by their constituents.

B. What? What the heck is SALT?

Answer: “A”

Education funding is an enormous local and state expenditure, and it would have to be cut in order to provide any relief to tax payers who lost all or part of their SALT deduction.

“There is something incredibly perverse about putting pressure on states and municipalities to cut taxes in order to make up for a federal tax bill that overwhelmingly favors the rich and corporations. It is even more perverse to label that as “middle class tax relief” when the outcome will be potentially disastrous for local schools.  The vast majority of K-12 school funding in this country still comes from state and local revenues which would no longer be deductible from federal tax burdens.”

#3. – If we convince our rich people to leave state taxes alone, we’ll be OK, right?

A. No.

B. Hahahahaha Continue reading “Pop Quiz – Will the #TrumpTaxScam destroy the American Public School System?” →

#TrumpTaxScam Tuesday. It doesn’t work.

We still have time to wreck the GOP’s #TrumpTaxScam and shame them in front of their corporate masters…so call now!

#1- It doesn’t actually work

  • The Treasury Department admits the GOP tax plan won’t pay for itself through increased economic growth. The one-page analysis says “a combination of regulatory reform, infrastructure development, and welfare reform“ is needed to offset the cost of the tax plan. (Politico / Axios)
  • “Welfare reform” = Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security along with traditional aid programs.
  • There was a HYOOGE error in the Senate’s corporate alternate minimum tax
  • A group of 13 tax law professors and lawyers, many of whom have been vocal opponents of the Republican plan, published a 34-page paper offering a taste of what those unintended consequences might be.

#2 – More and more people don’t want it. This scam can still fall apart.

  • poll/ 32% of Americans support the GOP tax plan – the lowest level of public support for any major piece of legislation enacted in the past three decades. 53% say it won’t help the economy in a major way. (USA Today)
  • CA GOP representatives are vulnerable. If the state tax deduction doesn’t reappear in the negotiations, they’re political toast.
  • New Yorkers have Trump’s phone number and want him to change things, like the removal of the property tax deduction.
  • Susan Collins may wake up and realize she’s been played over the promised health care bills.
Minimal Script: I’m calling from [zip code] to express my strong disapproval of H.R. 1, the disastrous Republican tax scam, and to ask that Rep. [___] vote against it when it comes out of the conference committee.

More script if you need it: This proposed tax scam must be stopped. The GOP is targeting welfare, Medicare and Medicaid spending to pay for their own faulty, deficit-producing tax scam OR  [insert personal reason], or find your favorite reason here.

Continue reading “#TrumpTaxScam Tuesday. It doesn’t work.” →

Friday’s Call-In Prescription

(Photo from http://abc7.com/thomas-fire-destroys-downtown-ventura-apartment-complex/2741430/)

Today is a continuation of our “Evacuation Special”, as our town and surrounding areas are still literally on fire. Today’s post will be notable for its lateness and weird format.

#1 – Assistance gratefully accepted.

Our co-director Veronica was on a writing assignment in Cuba with her husband earlier this week. She’s the one who put this website together and keeps it running, organizes all our resistance events and watches over me. All the hard jobs. While they were gone, the Thomas Fire destroyed her apartment building and literally everything she and her husband owned except for their car at the LAX parking lot and two carry-ons with warm-weather clothing. (http://abc7.com/thomas-fire-destroys-downtown-ventura-apartment-complex/2741430/)

Any assistance to help them get re-started would be gratefully accepted. https://www.gofundme.com/david-and-veronica-fire-fund

Ronne

#2 – “I’ll take ‘Natural Disasters’ for $100, Alex!” – Keep up the pressure on the #TrumpTaxScam.

Fun new fact: The House Republican tax bill would eliminate deductions for personal losses from wildfires, earthquakes and other natural disasters. (If this were Jeopardy – “What are disasters that happen in California?”) Interestingly enough, it would keep the break for victims of the recent severe hurricanes (“What are disasters that happen mostly in red states?”).

Continue reading “Friday’s Call-In Prescription” →

“I’m on the FCC. Please stop us from killing net neutrality.”

On it, thanks! Read the article here: http://beta.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-rosenworcel-fcc-net-neutrality-repeal-20171122-story.html

Indivisible Ventura was planning a rally alongside resistance groups all over the country today, Dec. 7th, exactly one week before the FCC votes to do to the internet what Trump did to Bears Ears National Monument. However, our local event has been CANCELLED due to fire conditions, but we can still do our part with these effective actions…

Step #1

FCC’s vote can be prevented by the House, so call your reps:

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Rep. [___] to support Title Two net neutrality rules and urge him/her/they to oppose the FCC’s plan to repeal them. Specifically, I’d like our Congressmember to contact the FCC Chairman and demand he abandon his current plan.”

Rep. Julia Brownley: (CA-26): DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779

or Rep. Salud Carbajal: (CA-24): DC (202) 225-3601, SB (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348

Other Rep Contacts: http://www.phoneyourrep.com

Step #2

Lobby the 3 FCC commissioners who are likely to vote ‘yes’ on repealing net neutrality, to try to get them to vote ‘no’ instead.  Apparently the phone lines are either being inundated with calls or have been shut off, so use other means if you can’t get through:

Step #3

Continue reading ““I’m on the FCC. Please stop us from killing net neutrality.”” →

Wednesday’s Call-in Prescription

Today is a continuation of our “Evacuation Special”, as our town and surrounding areas are literally on fire and we’ve relocated to a location with terrible internet access. Today’s post will be notable  for its lateness and weird format. (Picture of Hawaiian Village Apartments, which housed 50 families, including two of our members.)

Notice: Due to the terrible air quality and the high winds predicted for tomorrow, Thursday, 12/6, Indivisible Ventura’s rally to save net neutrality is cancelled!

The rally scheduled for 12 pm – 2 pm at the Verizon office across from the Pacific View Mall on Mills Road is cancelled. Keep your signs though. We are planning to reschedule prior to the vote by the FCC. Stay tuned. 

DO THIS INSTEAD! CLICK HERE.

#1. Fight the #TrumpTaxScam. Every. Damn. Day.

Make calling your legislators about the #TrumpTaxScam a daily habit until this fight is done. The level of public protest matters. Politicians monitor their office’s call tallies daily to see if they can continue their corrupt policies with impunity. Show them that we’re watching and that they will pay with their jobs at the poll-booth.

Minimum Script for Dems: My zip code is [#####] and I’m calling to thank Sen./Rep. [Name] for fighting against the Republican tax bill, and I urge [her/him] to keep doing everything possible to defeat it. [Optional: Insert sentence about how the bill will personally affect you.] Thank you.”

Minimal Script for GOP:  My zip code is [#####], and I am stunned and furious that you’ve betrayed the American people to give tax cuts to billionaires. I will do everything in my power to make sure you never get re-elected. Thank you.”

Rep. Julia Brownley: (CA-26): DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779

or Rep. Salud Carbajal: (CA-24): DC (202) 225-3601, SB (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348

Other Rep Contacts: http://www.phoneyourrep.com

Senator Feinstein: DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430

and Senator Harris: DC (202) 224-3553, LA (213) 894-5000, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 355-9041, SD (619) 239-3884

Other Senator Contacts: http://www.phoneyourrep.com

#2. Pass a Clean Dream Act.

Continue reading “Wednesday’s Call-in Prescription” →

Tuesday’s Call-in Prescription

Today is our “Evacuation Special” as our town is literally on fire and we’ve relocated to a location with terrible internet access. Today’s post will be notable  for its lateness and weird format.

We’re asking people to make two important calls today! And then do some fun things.

#1. Pass a Clean Dream Act. 

Even if you’ve called on this before, do it again.

#2. Read “Kill the concealed carry for everyone!” for background. They’re voting on this in the House TOMORROW (Wednesday).

Using the same kind of reverse logic that results in a tax bill for the middle class that is actually harmful to them, the GOP has decided that overriding common-sense safety provisions of states run by grownups will make us safer.

This actually passed out of committee (*^?^**!!!) so ignore the references to talking just to committee members. Call your own Representative and both Senators, no matter how you imagine they’ll vote. Note that three Democrats openly support this bill, because they feel they have to to survive. Too bad.

Minimal Script: I’m calling from [zip code]  to express my opposition to (H.R. 38(for Reps),  S.446 (for Senators)

More Script if you want it: This bill would invalidate state-level concealed carry restrictions, make it difficult for law enforcement to verify whether a weapon is legally carried, and essentially allow permitless carry across the country. Continue reading “Tuesday’s Call-in Prescription” →

The pen IS mightier than the sword… a primer on modern looting and pillaging.

On Friday night, Republican senators passed an astonishingly evil tax bill  with 500 mostly-unread pages. The fight isn’t over yet as it still has to go through the reconciliation process, which means the different versions passed by the House and  Senate have to be consolidated and then passed by both chambers a second time. Unless, of course, Paul Ryan and his gang of thieves allow the Senate gang to decide how to divide their spoils.

Here are some actions you can take to stop this bill from being finalized into law while we still have time.

If your Senators and/or Representative stood against this bill – Thank them, but warn them too: 

Minimal script: My zip code is [#####], and I’m calling to thank Rep./Senator [___] for fighting against the Republican tax bill, and I urge [her/him] to vote to go to conference.

More script if you want it:  However, I also want Democrats to stop being doormats, get a spine and stop letting the GOP ignore regular order. What will Rep./Senator [name] do to restore regular order in Congress?

Rep. Julia Brownley: (CA-26): DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779

or Rep. Salud Carbajal: (CA-24): DC (202) 225-3601, SB (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348

Other Rep Contacts: http://www.phoneyourrep.com

Senator Feinstein: DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430

and Senator Harris: DC (202) 224-3553, LA (213) 894-5000, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 355-9041, SD (619) 239-3884

Other Senator Contacts: http://www.phoneyourrep.com

If your Senators and/or Representative are amongst the cringing toadies who voted for this bill:

Continue reading “The pen IS mightier than the sword… a primer on modern looting and pillaging.” →