Spank-or-Thank Sunday – Fill up their voice mailboxes in a minute or less!

(From Lauren O’Neal and it’s a great idea!)

If one or both of your senators voted “YES” on the GOP tax plan (every Republican except Corker), call them immediately. Call your GOP Representative too if he/she/they was corrupt enough to vote for the House version.

Probably no one will answer, because it’s a weekend, but you know how when lots of people call about an issue, senators’ voicemails fill up and you can’t leave a message? It would be great if that mailbox was full of 100% rage. It might make them think twice about voting for the next version of the bill.

Minimum Script: “My name is [name], 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.”

Effort Required for a Sunday afternoon…
(1) corrupt Senator: 15 seconds
(2) corrupt Senators: 30 seconds
Max. effort! – (2) corrupt Senators and (1) Representative: Under 2 minutes.
(If you’re doing this action, it’s time to get more involved in ridding your area of these destructive pests! See Indivisible.org to find a resistance group near you.)

Don’t know the phone # of your senator(s) and representative?: http://www.phoneyourrep.com Continue reading “Spank-or-Thank Sunday – Fill up their voice mailboxes in a minute or less!” →

The GOP hands over America for 30 pieces of silver.

“There are two ideas of government,” William Jennings Bryan declared in his 1896 “Cross of Gold” speech. “There are those who believe that if you will only legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous their prosperity will leak through on those below. The Democratic idea, however, has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous their prosperity will find its way up through every class which rests upon them.”

That was more than three decades before the collapse of the economy in 1929. The crash followed a decade of Republican control of the federal government during which trickle-down policies, including massive tax cuts for the rich, produced the greatest concentration of income in the accounts of the richest 0.01 percent at any time between World War I and 2007 (when trickle-down economics, tax cuts for the hyper-rich, and deregulation again resulted in another economic collapse).” (Wapo)(theday)(dailykos)(independent)(VanityFair)(rueters)

Add this to the fact that we’re facing a huge displacement of American workers as automation takes over blue and white-collar jobs and that this tax scam is a nation-wide repeat of a state-wide failed experiment, the chances of a deep recession, or even a depression is incredibly high.

All so a bunch of career political hacks in Washington can please their dark-money masters enough to get re-election campaign funding. Thirty pieces of silver, indeed.

Embed from Getty Images Continue reading “The GOP hands over America for 30 pieces of silver.” →

Their #TrumpTaxScam is worse than we imagined…It almost killed Kansas.

People spend have spent millions on books and lectures to learn how rich people achieved their success. This is called learning-by-example.

The GOP wants to do that too, but they’re going to copy the same tax plan mistakes that killed a state.

This #TrumpTaxScam has passed out of committee, BARELY. Flood the phone lines and let’s stop this on the floor.

Continue reading →

Take aim at the FCC in 4 easy steps.

The FCC is set to repeal net neutrality on Dec. 14th. Let’s get started.

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:

(Ajit Pai: 202-518-7399 / email: Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov / Twitter: @AjitPaiFCC;
Michael O’Rielly: 301-657-9092 / email: mike.o’rielly@fcc.gov Twitter @mikeofcc;
Brendan Carr: 202-719-7305 / email: Brendan.Carr@fcc.gov / Twitter: @BrendanCarrFCC).

Step #3

Continue reading “Take aim at the FCC in 4 easy steps.” →

Their #TrumpTaxScam is worse than we imagined…

(The monetary value of our bodies is actually huge…estimates up to $45 million!)

This #TrumpTaxScam has passed out of committee, BARELY. Flood the phone lines and let’s stop this on the floor.

The CBO has determined that the Senate GOP tax bill hurts the poor more than originally thought. (Wapo), (Wapo), (Time), (Axios), (aol.com) (DailyKos). There are those who are thrilled that 13 million Americans will once again have the “freedom” to choose between eating and paying for insurance, returning “control over their lives” and their health care to emergency room visits.

Mitch McConnell needs to pass the Senate version of the #TrumpTaxScam this week, possibly by Wednesday, if they’re going to be able to give Trump the multi-million dollar Christmas gift he’s demanding. This is our last chance to stop this very unpopular and destructive bill from becoming law.

Step #1. If we defeat it, Trump and the GOP are toast. Call our own senators!

Continue reading “Their #TrumpTaxScam is worse than we imagined…” →

Their #TrumpTaxScam is worse than we imagined…

Step #1. If we defeat it, Trump and the GOP are toast. Call our own senators!

Continue reading “Their #TrumpTaxScam is worse than we imagined…” →

The GOP has made the Tax fight a Health Care fight. Join the resistance!

Step #1. If we defeat it, Trump and the GOP are toast. Call our own senators!

Tell our Democratic senators to use every maneuver they have to delay the vote.

Minimal Script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I’m asking Senator [___] commit to withholding consent on votes in the Senate so that we have time to mobilize against the Tax Scam bill, just like they did in the health care fight.

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

Step #2. Inspire progressives from GOP-controlled states to fight alongside us.

Continue reading “The GOP has made the Tax fight a Health Care fight. Join the resistance!” →

“Clean-Dream-Act” or bust.

“I was a stranger and you welcomed me”. Matthew 25:35

Who are Dream Heroes? They are members of Congress who pledge to protect Dreamers. If Congress hasn’t passed the Dream Act by Dec. 8—when funding for the government expires—then they will insist on including it as part of the December spending bill. The pledge is that they will only vote for a continuing resolution (“CR”) if it has the Dream Act included. A vote on a continuing resolution without the Dream Act is a vote to deport Dreamers.

Minimal Script to thank someone for their support: I’m writing to thank Rep./Senator [___] for standing with the 800,000 threatened Dreamers . Please join with the other supporters who will refuse to vote on a continuing resolution unless it includes a clean Dream Act.

Minimal Script for those not on the right side of history yet: I’m calling from zip code [___ to ask Rep./Senator [___] to stand with the 25 Democratic representatives who are refusing to proceed with a continuing resolution until passing a clean Dream Act.

More script if you want it: We must ensure that Dreamers can go to school, work, and serve in the military—but not in exchange for a border wall or increased deportation of other immigrants.

Will you be thanking or spanking today? Continue reading ““Clean-Dream-Act” or bust.” →

Reminder – Say “NO” to the increase in the National Parks fee – Deadline November 23! That’s in just 2 days!

Time is going by fast and soon we’ll be lost to turkey and relatives. So put this on your to-do calendar today!

The Trump administration’s Interior Department (led by Ryan Zinke) has proposed a massive fee increase for certain national parks.

The administration wants to gut funding for the National Park Service while simultaneously arguing that the parks need more funding; the difference is, they want visitors to bear the burden. If we can’t, they have other options knocking on their doors…

ACTION #1 – Deadline November 23.

Please make your voices of opposition heard by commenting here.

Sample Written Statement: (Try to use your own voice)

I do not support the National Park Service’s proposal to increase entrance fees at 17 national parks to address the maintenance backlog. Visitors should not be forced to pay today for the years of inadequate federal funding that has led to this massive backlog. The solution to the parks’ repair needs should fall to Congress. There is a pending bill, the National Park Service Legacy Act (S. 751), that addresses the National Park Service maintenance backlog and it deserves the Department of the Interior’s support. This bipartisan legislation would provide a more substantial — and sustainable — investment in our parks. Thank you.

ACTION #2 AFTER you submit your statement from Action #1

Tell Ryan Zinke that you want him to advocate for our parks, not agree to funding cuts. Share your posts with your crew!

Email: https://www.doi.gov/contact-us

Tweet: @SecretaryZinke

ACTION #3

Minimum Script: I calling from [zip code] and I want my legislators to tell Zinke that you strongly support our NPS system and believe it deserves adequate funding to keep our national parks accessible to all..

Continue reading “Reminder – Say “NO” to the increase in the National Parks fee – Deadline November 23! That’s in just 2 days!” →

We’re not buying it…

The GOP is proposing a $72 billion dollar tax cut, to be dispersed using their their perennial “Trickle-down-never-has-worked-never-gonna” scam.

The GOP, simultaneously in-the-majority and struck with their proximity to our pocketbooks, has, once again, re-discovered “supply-side” economics, aka ” the trickle-down theory”. Years ago, people called this concept by the truthier title of “the-horse-and-sparrow” , as in, ‘If you feed the horse enough oats, some will pass through to the road for the sparrows.'” Interestingly, the authors of this nonsense never seem to “re-discover” or care that this tax scam has never been successful, except for creating, over and over, the steaming piles of offal for us to clean up.

Direct-Invest-in-Us plan

What would happen if we just didn’t give the $72 billion dollars to our wealthiest people and corporations, including the 35% that goes to foreign investors? What if that $72 billion dollars didn’t go to tax shelters in the Bahamas, wealthy companies cutting employment or those hiring foreign workers?

What if we went out on a limb and say that “We the People” are America’s greatest asset.

What would happen if we invested that $72 billion directly into us for 2018?

We could invest in our health. This money could pay the health insurance premiums for more than 12.6 million adults. We could take the high-risk people out of the pool, lowering premiums for everyone else, instead of the 10% premium increase that Trump has recently handed us, the first of many. We could keep 13 million people from losing their insurance and prevent the $25 million dollar cut to Medicare, along with the resulting toll of bankruptcies, preventable complications and death.
We could invest in education. $72 billion could cover Pell grants for 12.3 million low-income and first generation college students, increasing their chances of higher paying work throughout their working lives, resulting in higher contributions to our tax, Medicare and Social Security systems.
We could invest in jobs. We could create 689,000 jobs building and repairing our long-neglected infrastructure.