| ||||
| We need your help to stop this bad bill.
Together, these provisions greatly undermine local elected officials' ability to protect your communities, while the buffer provisions destroy vital water quality protections. |
Showing posts with label Email Campaign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Email Campaign. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2015
Keep North Carolina Waters Safe
Thank you for standing up for North Carolina,
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Email concerning the Moral Monday Rally on the 17 of June 2013
This Monday, June 17, the people of North Carolina will once again meet in Raleigh for the 7th wave of Moral Mondays, and we encourage you to be there!
Hundreds of North Carolinians are showing their dismay and opposition to the General Assembly's regressive agenda by participating in civil disobedience and being arrested. Thousands more are showing their support for Moral Mondays by attending a rally and joining the protest!
This Monday has a special emphasis on health care and environmental justice - and we'll also be sending Gov. McCrory a message that "we are not outsiders." Look for a table on the Halifax Mall that will have materials you can use to make a sign showing where you're from or what issue you're there to support. Or bring your own sign with you (you'll have to fold it up if you go inside the General Assembly building). We'll be taking pictures to show the world that this movement is diverse and home-grown.
We look forward to seeing you at 5 PM on Monday, June 17 at the Halifax Mall behind the General Assembly (use 300 Salisbury St., Raleigh in your GPS). For information on the orientation for participating in nonviolent civil disobedience, call the NC NAACP office at 919-682-4700.
Forward together!
Democracy North Carolina is a nonpartisan organization that uses research, organizing, and advocacy to increase voter participation, reduce the influence of big money in politics and achieve a government that is truly of the people, for the people and by the people.
Democracy North Carolina
1821 Green Street, Durham, NC, 27705
919.286.6000 | www.democracy-nc.org
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Email Share: Tell your Senator to Pee in Cup first
Yesterday, the North Carolina Senate passed a bill requiring applicants of the welfare program known as WorkFirst to first pay for, and then pass, a drug test before enrolling in the program.
Needless to say, we were pretty pee-ed off this morning.
But the good news is this bill is not law yet. With your help, we can send a strong message to our lawmakers. You can send a pee cup to your State Senator with a small $8 donation to Action NC.
This state gives money to many groups of people, including our elected officials and corporate executives, who receive millions in tax credits and government contracts. It’s disgusting (not to mention illegal!) to see lawmakers single out just one group for extra scrutiny. This group happens to be the state’s poorest families who have the least power or influence to abuse the government system.
Tell the NC General Assembly that if they are going to require drug tests for North Carolina residents, then they should pee first.
On top of that, there seems to be no need for the law. The state’s own estimates show that the drug test program may not save a dime and could cost more than $2 million per year. This is a ridiculous cost for a political stunt.
Come on - you know you're pee-ed off! Tell your legislators that unless they are willing to pee first, no one should have to do it.
Kevin Rogers
Director, Policy & Public Affairs
Action NC
Monday, October 29, 2012
Reselling your stuff make become illegal thanks to the Federal Court and the Supreme Court
Read about the case here, click
Are you in? More than 3,000 sites -- including prominent allies like the Electronic Frontier Foundation -- have signed up to take part in today's day of action. The Supreme Court is hearing that case that will decide if you have the right to resell the things you own.
Ebay, Craigslist, and even the old-fashioned garage sale are under threat.
Sites will be using our ribbons and ball-and-chain icons to sound the alarm about the Kirtsaeng vs John Wiley & Sons case:
The Supreme Court might side with Big Business and decide that you don't have the right to resell things that were made abroad: books, clothes, iPhones -- almost anything.
If you're planning to take part, please click here to grab the code for one of those icons, and post it on your site! (And maybe write up a blurb about why you're taking a stand.)
Here's what it'll look like:
We expect to have a legislative fight on our hands come winter, no matter how the Supreme Court rules. So we want to drive thousands of emails to lawmakers before Big Business sics its brigade of lobbyists on them.
Whether or not you're posting on your site, will you spread word to your friends -- and especially anybody who you know who sells things online?
You can use these links, or forward the email below:
If you're already on Facebook, click here to share with your friends.
If you're already on Twitter, click here to tweet about the campaign: Tweet
Are you in? More than 3,000 sites -- including prominent allies like the Electronic Frontier Foundation -- have signed up to take part in today's day of action. The Supreme Court is hearing that case that will decide if you have the right to resell the things you own.
Ebay, Craigslist, and even the old-fashioned garage sale are under threat.
Sites will be using our ribbons and ball-and-chain icons to sound the alarm about the Kirtsaeng vs John Wiley & Sons case:
The Supreme Court might side with Big Business and decide that you don't have the right to resell things that were made abroad: books, clothes, iPhones -- almost anything.
If you're planning to take part, please click here to grab the code for one of those icons, and post it on your site! (And maybe write up a blurb about why you're taking a stand.)
Here's what it'll look like:
We expect to have a legislative fight on our hands come winter, no matter how the Supreme Court rules. So we want to drive thousands of emails to lawmakers before Big Business sics its brigade of lobbyists on them.
Whether or not you're posting on your site, will you spread word to your friends -- and especially anybody who you know who sells things online?
You can use these links, or forward the email below:
If you're already on Facebook, click here to share with your friends.
If you're already on Twitter, click here to tweet about the campaign: Tweet
Dennis Morgan demands Ann Coulter to apologize for using the R-word (retarded).. Also Please Sign Petition
I'm a Republican, and I'm not voting for President Obama, but that doesn't matter. This isn't about Democrats or Republicans, it's about right and wrong. And calling anyone a "retard" or "retarded" is just plain wrong.
When Ann Coulter uses that word, she's telling bullies all over America that it's okay to make fun of special needs people like my son. Even worse, she's insinuating that my son is stupid or less human just because he has a disability.
When my son was born, the doctors said he had a 1% chance of living. He has been in and out of hospitals his whole life, and he has technically died several times. But Caleb is a fighter, and he always pulls through.
My son has fought to stay alive for twenty years. He deserves better than to be insulted by someone looking to score cheap political points.
I know that Ann Coulter just says things like this to get attention, and part of me doesn't want to give her any more. But the things she said this week were just too much for me. She needs to know that her words hurt parents like me and children like mine. If she wants attention, she needs to find some other way to get it.
Thank you,
Dennis Morgan
Norlina, North Carolina
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Email Action: Take Action on Anti-LGBT Attack in Boone: Sign Petition, Attend Forum at ASU on Friday
Equality NC again calls on the legislature to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state's already existing hate crime law after a bias-motivated attack on two young women in Boone. The Safer Communities Act would expand current legislation to include hate crimes based on real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
More details are below, but there are two ways you can take action and make a difference.
1) First, if you're in the Boone area this Friday, March 2, please attend a community forum from 6:30-8:30 pm in the Blue Ridge Ballroom of Appalachian State University's Student Union. The two women involved in the assault are confirmed to speak, and Equality NC and The Coalition to Protect All NC Families will also be there.
2) The second action you can take is to help these women in their grassroots efforts to expand current hate crime protections. For more information and to sign their the petition, visit their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/328904423812343/
... and petition:
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Need medicine? It's up to your boss's religion
Republicans are trying to attach an amendment to the highway funding bill this week that could deny countless women and men access to all sorts of lifesaving healthcare, simply based on the stated beliefs of their employers.
The Right is claiming to stand up for the religious liberty of employers, but this attack is really meant to unravel healthcare reform from within. They want to give employers the power to impose their own religious beliefs on their employees, getting in between Americans and their doctors and taking life and death decisions away from the people who should be making them.
The vote in the Senate this week is just the start.
Republican leaders in both the Senate and the House have signaled that this is an election year fight they want to have, and they will be pushing for such utterly extreme legislation repeatedly.
Imagine your employer could deny you access to healthcare altogether on the grounds that their religion was opposed to modern medicine and they believed prayer was the best medicine. No exaggeration -- that's how far this amendment by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) goes.
The Obama administration announced a reasonable accommodation on this issue, providing that in the Affordable Care Act mandate for contraception coverage, religiously affiliated institutions that object to contraception as a matter of religious doctrine did not have to pay for that coverage for their employees -- instead, insurance companies would cover the cost.
That compromise satisfied the majority of those critical of the mandate before it included that exemption, and has been widely hailed as striking the right balance between religious liberty and women's access to important healthcare.
The GOP and its Religious Right allies have not only moved the goal post with their new overreaching proposal, they have abandoned any pretense that their concern was ever really "religious liberty." This is about the Right's ongoing war on women's health ... about primarily male lawmakers and institutions making decisions for women about their bodies ... about giving employers undue power over their employees' lives ... about granting special privileges to the Religious Right that says the rules shouldn't apply to them ... and it's about trying to destroy healthcare reform.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
GetEqual sends Email: Burst down those closet Doors
did you know that National Coming Out Day is coming up next week, on Tuesday, October 11?
For a lot of people, the holiday has become just a time to change your Facebook profile picture. But the holiday can -- and should -- be about so much more.
National Coming Out Day is an opportunity each year to assess what you're doing for LGBT equality. It's a chance to challenge yourself -- and your friends -- to keep being visible and to keep showing courage in the fight for the equality we deserve.
This year, we want to help you in that process!
We try to only ever ask you to do one thing at a time, but we're asking you -- in the honor of NCOD -- to help us in three efforts to enhance the amazing momentum that's building toward equality and justice:
- Video/Photo: We're looking for videos and photos of folks who are coming out for equality. We will use your images to stitch together a video "statement" from the GetEQUAL community for next week. Take a picture/video of yourself holding hand-written signs in front of you, and email it to us at info@getequal.org. Here are the signs we're looking for:
- I'm "occupation" (doctor, teacher, cop, computer geek, retired, unemployed, Wal-Mart cashier, etc.)
- I live in "state"
- I like to "hobby" (play tennis, knit, challenge the status quo, garden, bike the streets of NYC, etc.)
- I'm "identity" (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, interest, polysexual, polyamorous, queer, questioning, ally, etc.)
- And therefore I can't "right that you don't have" (feel safe in my job, marry my partner, adopt my own children, sponsor my partner for citizenship, etc. -- find a list here)
- "I deserve more than 12%!!" (number taken from eQuality Giving)
- Come Out for Intersectional Issues: Have you already come out for full LGBT equality without delay and without compromise? Well, take this opportunity to come out for other issues and identities! Click here to make a pledge to come out for other important issues of justice on National Coming Out Day. If we are going to win this progressive fight for equality and justice, we have to come out for a world with full equality and justice for everyone!
- Occupy Together: You've surely seen the gathering momentum in New York City and across the country that the "Occupy Wall Street" organizers have created. As we approach National Coming Out Day, commit to ensuring that the Occupy events in your area are LGBT-inclusive. This is an amazing moment to continue building a progressive movement for true change. Wave your rainbow flag, carry your equality signs, and call on other protesters to join you in coming out for LGBT equality at events across the country -- and you can find those events at www.occupytogether.org.
Whatever you do to celebrate National Coming Out Day, do something. Take a stand. And if you've already taken a stand for yourself, take a stand for someone else. As long as anyone in this country remains unequal, the United States is less than what we can be. As we fight for full LGBT equality, and continue to come out every day of our lives -- as LGBT or as an ally -- let us remember that our destinies are wrapped up in one another's, and we must stand for justice in all corners of our world.
I look forward to seeing your videos, your photos, your intersectional declarations, and your courageous faces at Occupy Together events across the country!
“Burst down those closet doors once and for all, and stand up and start to fight.” - Harvey Milk
Get Out! Get Active! GetEQUAL!
Robin McGehee, Director
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Pink Slip Truth Tour Stops In Greensboro
Pink Slip Truth Tour Stops In Greensboro
Click here to see the WXII Channel 12 story about the Pink Slip Truth Tour, a series of educational media events held this week featuring unemployed North Carolina teachers and teacher assistants. The tour stopped in Greensboro yesterday to show the public a pink slip (above) for every unemployed educator who lost a job this year because of K-12 education cuts in North Carolina.
The event is sponsored by Progress NC, a new and exciting organization that serves as a media voice for North Carolinians seeking to protect the qualities that made the Tarheel State great: a strong educational system, business competitiveness, forward-thinking government, thriving democracy, protection of natural resources and rich cultural traditions.
Progress NC Executive Director Gerrick Brenner and Research & Communications Director Justin Guillory are hosting the Pink Slip Truth Tour with a dramatic presentation that illustrates just how many teachers and teaching assistants have been laid off because of budget cuts to education. The tour is also designed to highlight the effects that overall education cuts have on North Carolina's families.
Brenner and Guillory are joined on the tour with veteran educator Tammie Veilleux of Washington County, who was laid off this summer because of the budget cuts. They are meeting with local media and educators along the way to emphasize the impact of budget cuts on classroom sizes, school resources and the preparedness of North Carolina's children for the future.
Click here to learn more about Progress NC or visit www.progressnc.org.
State Sen. David Rouzer of Smithfield is raising money from lobbyists (shared email)
Dear XXXXX
Money is very tempting. Some people just can’t resist, even when the cash takes them across the line.
It’s against NC law for a state legislator to take campaign donations from registered lobbyists. There’s just too much risk of corruption. Ask former Speaker Jim Black.
After years of calling out Democrats, now we’re seeing some Republicans in the General Assembly heading into the same dangerous territory.
Case in Point: State Sen. David Rouzer of Smithfield is raising money from lobbyists, TODAY.
He has found a way around NC law and he’s holding a fundraising event at a lobbyist’s home in Raleigh this evening, with lots of other lobbyists who want to cozy up to him.
This is crazy! Click here and tell him to stop!
Lobbyists for the hog and liquor industries, Wal-Mart and other businesses are hosting the event and some Republican leaders of the NC General Assembly will be there, too.
If Rouzer was running for re-election to the state Senate, this fundraiser would be completely illegal. But here’s the catch: Rouzer is running for US Congress . . . and in Congress, they take money from lobbyists every day – and then vote on the lobbyist’s legislation.
We can do better in North Carolina - and we’ve tried with our state law.
Rouzer says we need principled, moral leadership for North Carolina and he’s promising to provide that if elected to Congress. But today, he’s certainly starting off on the wrong foot.
Yes, federal law trumps state law, so Rouzer is free to take $25,000 or $50,000 from these lobbyists and their clients, even if it stinks.
So now it’s up to Rouzer. He can pocket the money or he can honor the spirit of the North Carolina law. Tell David Rouzer we’re watching.
Tell him to stop taking money from lobbyists.
Sincerely,
Your Democracy NC Team
Faith in America, Email NC Ballot is act of Violence
Ballot initiative is an act of violence against
North Carolina children and families
But it also has created an opportunity for
ground-shaking vote against religion-based bigotry
The anti-gay religious industry for 10 years has been threatening violence against North Carolina gay and lesbian citizens in the form of a placing a moral, religious and legal stamp of disapproval on their lives via the state's constitution.
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011 their threat of violence became an act of violence as the N.C. House and Senate voted to place an anti-gay marriage amendment before a misinformed and ill-intentioned citizenry – which represents the problem and the remedy.
While the vote was taken this week, that is not where this sad chapter in North Carolina governance started - it began in November 2010 with the election of a Republican majority in the N.C. General Assembly. If anyone doubts that the Republican Party is the party that embraces religion-based bigotry, please spare us the defense argument. We've heard it before.
But on to the good news – a majority of North Carolina voters on May 8, 2012 can send a ground-shaking and historic message – religion-based bigotry and prejudice toward LGBT people will not prevail in North Carolina. View remarks by Chely Wright and Mitchell Gold at rally in Raleigh.
This weekend, N.C. Republican Sen. James Forrestor – who has been pushing this bill for N.C. Southern Baptists and other anti-gay religious groups in the state – called the beautiful and vibrant city of Asheville a "cesspool of sin" because of "homosexuals that live there." That's right. Forrestor believes Asheville, N.C. is a cesspool because of its LGBT people.
In the week leading up to the action in the General Assembly, Forrester spoke at a forum held at a Gaston County church about the proposed amendment. During that forum he referred to Asheville as a “cesspool of sin.” In explaining his remarks to M2M Politics, he stated “They have a lot of homosexuals that live in the Asheville area."
It is pretty clear that Forrestor is one of the most ignorant, prejudiced and bigoted individuals in our state. Certainly, he does not represent the majority of North Carolinians and I do not believe the majority of voters will embrace bigotry, prejudice and discrimination as values this state upholds nor as values to enshrine in our state constitution. I'm even more certain that young people are 80 percent opposed to such ill-intentioned mistreatment of LGBT people.
The hostility embraced by lawmakers who voted to put this on the ballot may prove to be a unique gift that may result in one incredible signal coming from this state on May 8, 2012. And that's not just expressing hopeful sentiment.
Here's what the current voter rolls and other numbers look like.
• Current registration: Democratic – 2,711,351; Republican – 1,936,077; Libertarian – 11,654; Unaffiliated – 1,485,675
• If there is a 40 percent turnout among Democrats, Republicans and Unaffiliated, and equality gets 60 percent of the Democrats, 70 percent of Unaffilated and 25 percent of Republican, the anti-gay marriage amendment would be defeated 1,260,320 to 1,192,919.
If you do not think that is a realistic scenario, consider North Carolina polling in April that showed 64% of independent voters, 60% of Democratic voters, and 36% of Republican voters support legal recognition. If those numbers support legal recognition, what might they think of embedding bigotry, prejudice and discrimination toward gay couples and LGBT people in general into the state constitution.
Those numbers and the fact that 80 percent of young people will vote against it ought to have Forrestor and his bigoted friends in the General Assembly wondering if perhaps they have given supporters of equality the opportunity to express a historic stand against the very bigotry and prejudice that motivated their hostile anti-gay legislation.
That is exactly what they have done.
And here's the most important part. Those winning numbers and that monumental statement for equality in America will not materialize without an all-out county-by-county organizing effort. And it must begin now and we must have everyone working together. And egually important will be our efforts to transform a misinformed citizenry into an informed citizen. We have to exposed the vile religion-based bigotry behind such a measure and present the irrefutable case that history has provided against such a vile form of bigotry.
Faith in America is wasting no time in helping make that happen.
We will be in Hendersonville, N.C. this coming Tuesday evening for a community dialogue on what really is at stake in this ballot initiative. If you are in the area, please join us at the Historic County Courthouse on Main Street, Hendersonville at 7 p.m. for a compelling and important dialogue. The event is being co-sponsored by PFLAG Flatrock/Hendersonville and Love Welcomes All.
And what a more appropriate place to hold this event than 10 minutes from Asheville – that vibrant mecca of diversity that N.C. Sen. James Forrestor believes is a "cesspool."
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
$53 Billion For Iraq, $0 For America
Dear
For the past decade, Congress has had no problem spending over $120 billion to rebuild schools, roads, bridges and other essential infrastructure in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, America's infrastructure is crumbling and millions of people are out of work. Contact your member of Congress and tell them it’s time to rebuild America.
It just takes a second using our form: http://www2.americanprogress.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=163
All the Republican leaders in Congress voted to approve massive amounts of funding to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan without a penny in offsets. But now they are opposing President Obama's proposal to rebuild America even though it’s fully paid for.
Contact your member today and demand we invest at least as much in our own communities as we did in Iraq and Afghanistan. And let us know what you hear back from your representatives.
Best,
Judd
Judd Legum
judd@thinkprogress.org
202-682-1611
Sunday, September 11, 2011
A note from Richard Burr on 9/11
This year, like every year that has passed since, our nation reflects back on the horrific attacks that cost the lives of 2,977 men, women, and children in New York, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon, and on the brave men and women who have laid their lives down since then in defense of the freedoms and security we so often take for granted.
These coordinated attacks on our nation had such a profound impact on our society and our world view that we now look at our recent history in two different phases, pre-9/11 and post-9/11. They made us more aware of the threats that we face as a nation, and they woke us up to the cold reality that the things we hold most dear as Americans are the very things that make us a target for terrorism.
However, these attacks and our collective response had a much deeper, more profound impact than that – they brought us together in a way that nothing else has since the Second World War, and they underscored the same spirit that has characterized our nation and its citizens since America’s founding. It is this spirit that truly sets America apart and makes us unique. It is a sense of perseverance and determination, a loyalty to our fellow Americans, and the willingness to risk it all for what we believe in. This spirit was forged in the fires of revolution, grew strong in the face of adversity, and has defined the character of our nation since its inception.
These attacks were not just directed at buildings and people. They were meant to hit us at our core, to attack our very way of life and everything we stand for. They sought to instill fear and doubt in us, but they failed. They sought to intimidate us and disrupt our communities, but they failed. What they did was bind us together in a unified front to stand up to these injustices and push forward with the same spirit and character that the terrorists sought to destroy. We stood together, and in one collective voice said, “We will not be intimidated, and we will not be held down. We are Americans, and we stand together.”
Ten years have passed since that fateful September morning, and not an American alive at the time will ever forget the horrors of that day. Those whom we lost will remain in our hearts forever, and images of the aftermath are permanently engrained in our memories. We came together to cope with a national tragedy and were reminded not of those things that divide us, but of those things that unify us. In the wake of tragedy, we found hope.
Though a decade has passed since then, I urge all Americans to look back to the days and weeks that followed 9/11 and remember that sense of unity and patriotism that was so prevalent. Though it is our diversity and differences that, in part, make us such a great and unique nation, it is our common bonds that make us Americans. Let us put our differences aside and once again focus on those things that bind us, for we are all Americans, and we will forever be one nation under God.
This year, like every year that has passed since, our nation reflects back on the horrific attacks that cost the lives of 2,977 men, Sincerely,
U.S. Senator Richard Burr
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SenatorRichardBurr
Twitter: @SenatorBurr
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Letter From HRC to the Citizens of NC
We only have two weeks left until the North Carolina General Assembly votes on the anti-LGBT marriage amendment, House Bill 777 and Senate Bill 106. Join HRC and help mobilize constituents in key districts to contact their legislators and tell them to vote "NO" on writing discrimination into North Carolina's constitution.
- Business owners – If you own a business or know someone who does, we need your voice now! The two bills up for a vote seek to amend our state constitution in ways that would damage our state's ability to attract and retain the best and the brightest.
The Body Shop, a global company with a headquarters in Wake Forest, has advised lawmakers in a letter that "...this bill (SB 106) ultimately would have long-term detrimental effects to North Carolina's economy - not only could it keep businesses from relocating to North Carolina, but it may lead to the exodus of businesses..."
If you own a business, sign onto a public letter with other businesses and civic leaders. Be sure ask others you know who are also business owners to sign onto the letter.
- Rally – HRC, Equality North Carolina and a coalition of pro-equality organizations will be convening at the state legislature on the day of the vote, Tuesday, September 13. The rally will be held to urge legislators to oppose House Bill 777 and Senate Bill 106. For more information about the rally, click here.
- Phonebanks – Volunteer at one of our in-person phonebanks in Raleigh, Greensboro, Asheville, and Pinehurst. Volunteer today! If you're not able to join us at one of our in-person phonebanks, we've made it easy for you to help from your home, your office or anywhere in the state through our virtual phonebanks. Sign up today!
Sincerely,
Marty Rouse
HRC National Field Director
P.S. If you haven't already done so, or even if you have, email your legislators today and tell them to defeat these harmful measures in September!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Help Defeat Anti-LGBT Amendment
Get on the phone to help defeat the “anti-LGBT amendment”
On September 12 the North Carolina legislature will hear amendments for the general election ballot of 2012. One of these amendments is House Bill 777/Senate Bill 106, otherwise known as the “anti-LGBT amendment.” This ridiculous amendment would ban same-sex marriage, prohibit civil unions and nullify domestic partnership benefits.
Equality North Carolina needs your help to make sure this amendment doesn’t get onto the ballot.
All you have to do is sign up for a shift to make phone calls. (Don’t be scared, it’s easy!) You can even do it right from your own house — all you need is a phone and a computer.
You can sign up for a slot from noon to 9pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of every week up until the vote by clicking here.
Once you sign up we’ll give you a short training and then you can makes calls to urge voters to contact their legislators and ask them to oppose this hateful anti-LGBT amendment. You’ll even be able to patch your callers through straight to their legislator.
Please sign up to make calls now!
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force supports EQNC and urges you to help defeat this legislation.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund, founded in 1974 as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Inc., works to build the grassroots political power of the LGBT community to win complete equality. We do this through direct and grassroots lobbying to defeat anti-LGBT ballot initiatives and legislation and pass pro-LGBT legislation and other measures. We also analyze and report on the positions of candidates for public office on issues of importance to the LGBT community. The Task Force Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) non-profit corporation incorporated in New York. Contributions to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund are not tax deductible.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Email from NC Democratic - Tillis, McCrory and Berger: Turning Back The Clock On NC Schools
Last week, Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly decided to challenge a court ruling on pre-kindergarten access could lead to an appeal of the landmark Leandro school-quality case.
A recent court ruling overturned the Republican's attempt to charge the parents of at-risk children a premium fee to send their 4 year olds to pre-K programs offered by public schools. Now, in GOP challenge to that ruling, Senate Republican leader Phil Berger's chief of staff said in a memo to Senate Republicans that, by appealing the ruling, the GOP’s ultimate goal of overturning the Leandro case could be a possible benefit of such action.
Governor Perdue acted swiftly in response to the court ruling by issuing an executive order restoring the high standards and accessibility of the ‘More at Four’ program for all at-risk children. Sen. Berger's Chief of Staff's reaction was to personally insult the Governor by suggesting that she is a 2-year old who needs to attend day care. Shameful.
Republicans clearly believe that slashing schools budgets, eliminating pre-k programs for as-risk children and decimating our public colleges and universities are all things to laugh about—Democrats don't think there is anything funny about this destructive agenda.
This effort by the GOP is nothing more than a Trojan horse designed to turn back the clock on decades of progress and excellence in North Carolina’s public education system. I have no doubt that the ultimate goal for the Republicans is to overturn the Leandro case, de-fund our schools and completely dismantle public education in North Carolina.
The Leandro case is the legal foundation that provides for a sound basic education for every public school student in North Carolina. By attempting to overturn the case, Republicans in the General Assembly are attempting to return to an era of extreme inequality in public education.
You don’t have to look far to find journalists, citizens and experts from all across the state who not only support the ‘More at Four’ program; they also oppose overturning the Leandro case. It’s destructive, it’s immoral and it’s against everything that we stand for in North Carolina.
It has become painfully clear that Tillis, McCrory, Berger and their allies in the General Assembly are out of control and must be stopped—Speaker Thom Tillis was even quoted recently as saying that he will "do whatever the hell he wants".
A simple penny would have would have prevented the Tillis, McCrory and Berger team cuts to pre-K programs like More at Four, and would have protected teacher and teaching assistant positions in the classroom. Make no mistake about it, the Republicans are dead-set on turning the clock back on North Carolina—unfortunately for them, Democrats will simply not let it happen.
Sincerely,
David Parker
Chair, North Carolina Democratic Party
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
A note from Joe Hackney
Dear Fellow North Carolinian,
Republicans in our state are continuing their quest to turn back the clock by opposing the ‘More at Four’ pre-kindergarten program for North Carolina’s youngest and most at-risk students.
The ‘More at Four’ program offers pre-K opportunities for children with developmental needs, kids from low-income backgrounds and children who have a parent on active duty in the military.
Republicans are currently seeking to overturn a Wake County Superior Court ruling that preserves the constitutional right to free education and protects the ‘More at Four’ program.
Apparently, my Republican colleagues in the General Assembly believe that charging North Carolina families a premium fee to send their children to public schools is good policy.
Shame on them.
Robbing North Carolina’s youngest learners of the opportunity to realize their potential is simply wrong and Democrats won’t stand for it.
Providing pre-K for these children is not only the right thing to do, it is one of the best ways to ensure future academic success.
Governor Perdue and the Democrats in the legislature will continue to fight to protect pre-K and ensure that North Carolina’s kids have the tools they need to learn, compete and succeed.
Please join me in signing a thank you note to Governor Perdue for taking a stand to protect our children’s futures.
Sincerely,
Representative Joe Hackney
House Democratic Leader
Friday, August 5, 2011
Alert: S&P downgrades U.S. credit rating
The United States credit rating was downgraded for the first time Friday night, after a bipartisan debt deal signed into law this week failed to assuage concerns about the nation’s growing spending, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Standard & Poor's said it was reducing the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA for the first time since it began assigning grades to countries in 1941. The credit rating agency warned several times this year that unless the government took steps to tame its debt, it could face a downgrade.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Congress Freshman Ellmers Speaks
Dear Friend,
Our time is now. This is the moment where we as a country must make the difficult decisions and fight the good fight.
This crisis did not begin last week or even a few months ago. It is the result of decades of wasteful spending at the hands of the very people entrusted to preserve our union and protect our economic future. But today, that game is over.
With only four days left before our nation faces an unprecedented default on our debt, President Obama still has no plan. At this crucial hour he has passed the buck and refused to take responsibility for the office he holds. His lack of leadership is glaring. In this, the most serious economic crisis in recent years, our president has failed to lead. But here in the House of Representatives, we are more than happy to take up this task and rescue our economy from disaster.
To date we have proposed and passed countless bills to cut spending and cap the growth of the federal government, each time being ignored or rejected by Harry Reid and President Obama. Just last week we passed a historic bill known as Cut, Cap and Balance which I was proud to co-sponsor. Along with my freshman colleagues, I traveled to the floor of the Senate to watch as Harry Reid and his liberal allies voted to let our bill die a slow death. I was there to look each Senator in the eye as they submitted their votes and watched in astonishment as they once again failed to do their job, just as they have for over 800 days without passing a budget.
So now the President has resorted to hunkering down at the White House, leaving the tough decisions to Congress. Every now and then we hear from him on TV, begging Americans to call on Congress like a child asking one parent to convince the other to use their credit card. While job creators are struggling to make payroll and forced to make layoffs, the President marches on with his tax, spend and borrow policies that will only kill more jobs and continue to stifle economic growth.
I was proud to support and co-sponsor Cut, Cap and Balance and believe it holds long-term potential. Throughout this debate I have been clear and firm on what needs to happen in order to raise the debt ceiling: spending cuts must be greater than the amount of debt raised and tax increases are unacceptable. We don't have a revenue problem Mr. President, we have a spending problem.
We are engaged in a war on spending that started years before this crisis and will be waged for years to come. This current conflict over the national debt is the latest battle in the spending war that can and must be won. The Budget Control Act put forth by Speaker Boehner is not perfect, and as I have come to find throughout my life, few things are. This plan is the best step going forward and will keep our common sense, conservative principles at the table while keeping us engaged throughout these negotiations. I am proud to support Speaker Boehner and my Republican colleagues in this fight and will continue to fight each and every day to cut spending, protect job creators, and give Americans the resources to make our economy prosperous again. I will not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Why Wall Street Reform Matters to You
One year ago today, after a tough battle with the special interests in Washington, President Obama signed Wall Street Reform into law.
That law does three important things. First, it brings to an end taxpayer funded bailouts, so taxpayers will never again be left paying the bill if a big bank fails. Second, it stops the reckless risk-taking by Wall Street that put consumers in jeopardy and led to the economic crisis. And third, this law puts in place the strongest consumer protections in history.
And to make sure you can count on those consumer protections, we put a first-ever consumer watchdog in charge. It’s a new bureau – a new cop on the beat – with just one job: looking out for families in the financial system.
Here’s a quick video we put together last year to explain it:
The President faced a lot of opposition when we fought for this bill. An army of lobbyists and lawyers were looking to preserve the status quo, and one year later, they’re still at it. The special interests are trying to water down what we passed, and spending tens of millions of dollars to get their way. And they’ve got friends in high places.
But President Obama has made it clear: he’s not going to let them win. He’ll veto any effort to weaken or repeal Wall Street Reform. He’s not going to let them take us backward.
We can’t afford to go back to the days when consumers were ripped off by misleading fees and deceptive lending and our economy was vulnerable to greed and recklessness -- not when we know that millions of middle class families are still hurting because of the damage that was done.
So we have a lot of work to do to rebuild this economy. We’ve got to rein in the deficit to put our economy on stronger footing and ensure that seniors and middle-class families aren’t bearing the entire burden when millionaires and billionaires, oil companies, hedge fund managers and corporate jet owners are let off the hook.
We’ve got to keep money in your pockets by preventing payroll taxes from going up for working people. We’ve got to continue to make smart investments in clean energy, innovation and technology to create the good paying jobs of the future.
But we’ve also got to keep up the fight to solve the problems that led us into this economic mess in the first place.
It comes down to this. You shouldn’t need to have lobbyists on the payroll to have your voice heard in Washington. And in your financial dealings, you deserve a basic measure of protection against abuse. You should have the freedom to buy a home or open a credit card or take out a student loan with confidence that you’re getting a fair deal.
That’s what these consumer protections will do. That’s why Wall Street Reform matters.
Sincerely,
David Plouffe
Senior Advisor to the President
