Nina! Nina! Nina!

Nina! Nina! Nina!

by C.A. Matthews

Nina! Nina! Nina!

The chant is infectious. The roar of the crowd is deafening. To hear Nina Turner speak in person is electrifying. You just know you're going to hear the truth and it will set you free whenever you're in the presence of one of the progressive movement's most gifted orators.

I remember the first time we caught up with the former Ohio state senator on the campaign trail. It was early 2016. Nina Turner was the "opener" to Bernie Sanders at a Sanders rally at Baldwin-Wallace University, just south of Cleveland proper. It was a cold winter's day, but well worth the trip. Still a relative newcomer to the national progressive scene, Nina's straight talk and heartfelt inspiration mobilized the troops for Bernie that day.

We were fortunate to hear Nina introduce Bernie again--and all because we made that first trek in the dark and cold to Cleveland. After the Baldwin-Wallace rally, I was fortunate enough to get down to the floor to shake Nina's hand and chat with her for a minute.

 "Nina, you've gotta get Bernie to come to Toledo for a rally!" I shouted over the noise of the crowd. 

"You're right. We need to support our brothers and sisters in western Ohio," she replied. 

Meeting Nina Turner at Baldwin-Wallace University

Sure enough, within a few weeks' time--and with less than 24 hours notice--a Bernie rally was scheduled to take place in Toledo. Along with Bernie and Nina, we also heard from Congresswomen Tulsi Gabbard and Marcy Kaptur, among others. Sort of a "grand slam" of  political celebrities, you could say. 

Without Nina Turner's ever-present support and superb oratory skills, Bernie probably wouldn't have made it as far as he did before the DNC pulled the rug out from under him in the latter half of the 2016 primary season when their chosen candidate was slipping in the polls. It truly was a crime when the DNC leadership refused to allow Nina on stage to introduce Bernie at the nomination convention in Philadelphia. A knife in the back would have been kinder, in my opinion.

To say I'm a "big Nina Turner fan" is an understatement. Even after Bernie Sanders called it quits in 2016, I still harbored much respect and affection for Nina. I've kept up with her work as the first president of Our Revolution, and secretly hoped she would run for a statewide office (like governor) so I could vote for her. Finally, she's taking the plunge--only she's running for US Congress from Ohio 11th district (eastern side of Cleveland to the Akron area). Alas, I live in Ohio's 9th congressional district across the state. So close and yet so far!

While I'm excited to see Nina Turner running for Congress--as she will be a much needed progressive voice there--I won't lie to you. I'm very disappointed to see her running in the Democratic Party primary. Didn't she learn anything about the dirty Dem's duplicity during her time with Bernie Sanders' two presidential campaigns? The Democratic Party leadership have already provided obvious clues that they've chosen their candidate (Shontel Brown) to replace Rep. Marcia Fudge, who will be stepping down to serve in the Biden administration. And after Nina recently spoke at the virtual (online) convention for the Movement for a People's Party, the DNC isn't going to be happy about her openly siding with a new progressive party.

Oh, Nina! Nina! Nina! I feel like crying out. Why can't you run as an independent, a Green, the first big name under the People's Party banner or a Party for Socialism and Liberation candidate instead? Anything except one of those not-to-be-trusted Dems.

The next couple of months will be decisive. Nina will know for certain who all she'll be up against in the Democratic Party primary before too long. Biden will be installed as the next paid-off puppet of the oligarchy in D.C. on January 20. The People's Party has formed officially and been registered in its first state (Maine) and is working hard to do the same in many others. The Green Party US is mopping up after the bloodbath of ballot banishing in several states (including Ohio) and congratulating the many Greens who beat the odds and were successfully elected to local offices. Progressives and their organizations are in a state of flux presently. All is not lost, but things do need improvement.

By the time the special election to replace Rep. Fudge's vacated seat rolls around this spring, we should know more about the lay of the land. Nina could have changed her mind about running in the Democratic Party primary at that point. We'll see. My fingers are crossed that she'll win whatever primary she enters and then the special election and then be seated in Congress. After all, that's where Senator Bernie Sanders first entered the national stage--and just look how far he's come. 

I hope that one day soon we'll be able to call our favorite truth-teller, "President Nina Turner." And we'll be chanting joyfully together once more: Nina! Nina! Nina!

Related Links:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/09/nina-turner-files-run-congress-ohio

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/henrygomez/nina-turner-congress-ohio-11

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2020/12/12/national-democratic-party-complicated-iowas-caucus-efforts-dnc/6509514002/

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Tell Congress NOT to cut endometriosis funding!

Sign now with a click

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Chairman Shelby, Vice Chairman Leahy, Chairwoman Lowey, and Ranking Member Granger: As advocacy organizations and individuals that understand firsthand the pain and hardship endured by those living with endometriosis, we urge you to support the requests led by Representatives Finkenauer and González-Colón along with Senators Romney and Warren to prioritize funding for endometriosis research in the upcoming fiscal year. Specifically, we ask that you increase funding for the National Institute of Health National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to at least the levels included in the House-passed bill as well as include report language that lists endometriosis as an eligible condition under the Department of Defense Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). Endometriosis affects about one in ten women, can cause intense pain, and is a leading cause of infertility. Despite its prevalence and health impacts, too little funding has been dedicated toward better understanding, diagnosing, and treating this condition. Many women who live with endometriosis go for years, seeing multiple doctors and even spending thousands of dollars, before they can get a diagnosis and treatment. Women with endometriosis lose an average of six hours of productivity per week at work and the condition is estimated to cost over $78 billion annually in healthcare expenditures and lost productivity. Medical research is the key to finding better ways to diagnose and treat this common and life-altering condition. Specifically, we request: Inclusion of endometriosis as eligible for funding under the DOD PRMRP in FY 2021. We are concerned by the report put forth by the Senate Appropriations Committee, which does not include endometriosis among the condition eligible under the PRMRP. Endometriosis was included in both FY 2018 and FY 2020, and this opportunity for investment in endometriosis research through the PRMRP must remain available. When research funding is low or inconsistent for a medical condition, it is difficult to attract researchers to specialize in that condition or apply for related research grants and we respectfully ask that you reinstate endometriosis as an eligible condition for FY 2021. The highest possible funding level for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in final FY2021 appropriations legislation to ensure that resources are available to double funding for endometriosis research from the FY 2019 level and increase funding for endometriosis for $26 million. We appreciate efforts in both the House and Senate to increase funding for NICHD in FY2021 and ask that the highest possible increase be preserved in the final legislation. Over 6 million people in the United States are living with endometriosis and our members know firsthand how endometriosis affects the lives of these women and their loved ones. The critical issues that face women with endometriosis need to be addressed and require quick, decisive action to increase research and awareness. As such, we ask that you provide increased funding better to diagnose and treat this condition.

Sign now with a click

Visit petition page

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In a stunning recently-leaked video, Joe Biden is heard telling civil rights leaders that they should be satisfied with his rhetorical acknowledgment and expect nothing more. Biden screams at them saying that he will not be using his executive powers to stand up for the Black community that worked hard to elect him — or any other working-class community. This is a huge development because progressives had rested what little hope they had for Biden on the possibility of executive orders — hopes that Biden just smashed as he said he would only be undoing Trump orders. Adding insult to injury, Biden nominated dairy industry lobbyist and former Obama Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, to head the department again. "Vilsack is a rerun of pro-corporate policies that continue to drive rural communities away from the Democratic Party," said The Intercept. Biden and Harris are determined to convince you that their cabinet of lobbyists "looks like America." The first Latino Secretary of Health and Human Services, the first woman to run the Treasury, the first all-female communications team, the youngest national security advisor in decades. But what difference does it make if your family's poverty, hunger and homelessness are imposed by a Black, Latino or White person? We already have a Republican Party. What actually is the point of the Democratic Party?

Donate to power our movement

If confirmed, Vilsack will face one of the worst American hunger crises since the Great Depression, with a surge in food prices, COVID-19 cases, unemployment, and food lines running for miles. Instead of using his Obama-era experience to help minority-owned or small farms, Vilsack has used the intervening years to lobby for the corporate American Farm Bureau Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council, where he is currently the CEO. The USDA has been almost exclusively led by white men and has systematically discriminated against Black farmers by giving them less federal aid than White farmers.

Vilsack's nomination also risks the loss of one or both of the Senate seats in Georgia's special runoff election because of depressed turnout. He is loathed by progressives in the state for his ouster of civil rights leader Shirley Sherrod while heading Georgia's USDA department of rural development. Vilsack fired her after a deceptively-edited video on Breitbart said she was racist.

This administration is shaping up to be a mash-up of the Obama, Geroge W. Bush, and Clinton administrations. The only difference is they've all had more time to deepen their corruption as corporate lobbyists in the private sector. If it sounds like the country is moving backward, it's because it is. And the Peoples Party is going to turn that around.

Join our National Call this Thursday at 8:30 pm ET with special guest Thomas Frank, the author of Listen, Liberal and The People, No. We will also be joined by Scientists for a People's Party Coordinator, Johanna Heureaux-Torres, who will discuss actions to support Steven Donziger, the lawyer who helped win a historic Amazon clean-up deal against Chevron and now faces six months in jail. It will be our last National Call of the year and we will ring in the holidays with a celebration of everything our movement has accomplished this year! 

In Solidarity,

Carol Ehrle
Media and Messaging Coordinator
Movement for a People's Party

Telling It Like It Is

Telling It Like It Is

by C.A. Matthews

Before I go any further, please watch the following short "Honest Government Ad" produced by The Juice Media:

https://youtu.be/dpIkl2QnJeI

This brilliant piece of satire is scathing, and yet it could be argued that nothing presented in its three minutes is unduly exaggerated or misrepresented. The cold hard facts are just that bleak, that bloody awful. Our friends in Australia at The Juice Media did their homework well.

The three main points of the video are summed up as follows:

1.)    The Trump administration has completely (and possibly purposefully) mishandled the COVID-19 crisis, causing (at latest count) over 158,000 unnecessary deaths in the US with a fatality rate of 3.38%. There's no end to the COVID deaths and suffering in sight, since little to no national effort has been made to enforce stricter methods to contain the virus and universal health care (such as Medicare for All) has yet to be enacted.

2.)    Any so-called "relief packages" passed by the Trump administration and the current Congress have been woefully inadequate to address the needs of the American populace. Instead, our leaders in Washington have further enriched the billionaire class and showered more tax breaks and free money on banks and corporations rather than helping out small businesses and families. Many Americans now face imminent eviction and hunger--if they're not already among the many millions unemployed.

3.)    Our rights to peaceful protest and free speech have been abridged by a federal policing force akin to Nazi Germany's SS snatch squads. Hints that our upcoming presidential election could be cancelled or delayed have been dropped in late night Tweets. Instead, blame has (once again) been leveled at minorities and protesters rather than on our corrupt system of policing and governance in the US. All this under the guise of "patriotism" and "saving democracy" while, for all intents and purposes, effectively thwarting those cherished ideals.

Not too bad for a short satirical parody video, right? It really packs a punch!

The main reason I wanted to feature this "Honest Government Ad" was to emphasize the point that those who dare "tell it like it is" are often maligned, sometimes threatened (physically, financially and psychologically), and almost always ridiculed or ignored until it becomes apparent that these prophets' vision of reality was true all along. No doubt many will try to tear down the facts presented in the video or explain how Trump and Congress couldn't possibly be so cold-hearted. Still, how do you explain the thousands of unnecessary deaths and untold suffering that could have been prevented if anyone in Washington DC had an ounce of compassion for us ordinary Americans?

Nina Turner, former Sanders campaign surrogate and Our Revolution president, is one such brave soul not afraid to speak truth to power. She recently left the Democratic Party, and it was not a decision she took lightly. The lies, corruption, manipulation and plain old-fashioned greed of the DNC finally convinced her that playing their game wasn't going to bring about Bernie Sanders' "future to believe in." She felt she could no longer spend precious energy and effort on covering for a losing cause--a party that supports it corporate backers above all else. Nina has moved on to support the Movement for a People's Party. 

They are lucky to have her.

Will Nina be maligned, ridiculed, ignored and threatened? Of course she will be! She has been treated similarly in the past, and so the future will hold no surprises for her in that area. But Nina will at last be able to tell it like it is without looking over her shoulder in fear, worrying what the party naysayers are saying and doing behind her back. Her newfound freedom may cost her dearly in her future political career, but in the end, I think it will be worth it.  Nina's voice of truth and passion will never be tainted by association with the self-aggrandizing hypocrites of the DNC.

Telling it like it is can be both scary and liberating. "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house," as it says in the Bible. But, in the end, truth telling is what keeps many of us sane and capable to act and able to look ourselves in the eye in the mirror during these insane times.

And we need all the sanity we can get because...

The following are examples of activists who aren't afraid of  telling it like it is. Watch and share their videos with others who are seeking the truth.

One of the most popular podcasters in the history of You Tube most certainly tells it like it is:

https://youtu.be/8h9CTXNujN0

"If you're an employer who pays a non-living wage, then you're not a job creator--you're a poverty exploiter. ...We live in a failed state." --Jimmy Dore

Another voice crying in the wilderness--Lee Camp--points out how our government seems to have an addiction to killing people.


 https://youtu.be/Ox5rs4evx7k

An outsider who takes a closer look into what's happening in America and not afraid to share his views--The Rational National, Canadian pundit David Doel.


https://youtu.be/hpPQsn5Qaj

Jordan Chariton of "Status Coup" has made a name for himself by covering  stories the mainstream media reporters tend to forget--like how there's still lead in the water in Flint, Michigan.  https://youtu.be/q0A54XtpK0A



The Humanist Report's Mike Figueredo is an indie voice who doesn't  hold back on the truth, no matter whose toes he may step on. https://youtu.be/OUzbdO5Vpgo

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 From NRDC:

Tell the EPA to Stop Undermining Clean Air Protections During COVID-19

At a time when we should be strengthening clean air protections, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—against the advice of its own scientists—has decided not to enhance critical safeguards to better control dangerous air pollution. This inaction means up to 12,500 more people will die prematurely every year—and Black and Latino people, as well as low-income communities, bear a disproportionate share of the air pollution burden. The continued assault on our nation’s clean air safeguards is unconscionable, especially now, in the middle of a global pandemic that directly impacts respiratory health. Tell the EPA to step up and protect people’s health.

Share       

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 From Color of Change:

It has happened again. 

This time, in Detroit. A Black man was ruthlessly murdered by rogue cops. And the officers are still employed two weeks later. 

On July 10, Hakim Littleton’s friend was being arrested by a swarm of cops -- and in the process, Hakim drew a gun, shot at an officer, and ultimately missed.¹ After Hakim was tackled, disarmed, and lay face down on the ground, he was repeatedly shot, and one officer even shot him in the back of the head at point-blank range.

We’ll never know why Hakim drew the gun. He will never be able to tell what was going through his mind as officers swarmed them that day. But we do know that Hakim should still be alive. He did not deserve to be executed at point-blank range by the very people who “swear to protect” us.
Hakim’s murder was a public execution. We demand accountability for the officers, the police chief, and the entire Detroit Police Department for our Black brother. 

Add your name to the petition to demand #JusticeforHakim.

Despite how carelessly the cops sprayed bullets at Hakim, Detroit police chief James Craig has spewed lies to the media, misrepresented what happened the day Hakim was murdered, and continues to conspire against Hakim by referring to the officers as “heroes.” The department even tried to hide the additional video footage that clearly shows Hakim was shot multiple times from behind as he lay face down on the ground. The video wasn’t released until local activists and community members demanded the footage more than a week later. 

This callous behavior is nothing new for the Detroit Police Department. 

The Detroit police were once the most deadly and notorious police department in the country.² They lead the nation's largest cities in the rate of fatal shootings by police -- in just a five-year span from 1995-2000, they murdered 40 people. While that number has decreased, it was only due in part to the federal oversight they were placed under due to the overwhelming amount of police violence. And more recently, the city of Detroit has had to pay out tens of millions of dollars in police misconduct lawsuits, as a result of persistent police brutality. 

#JusticeforHakim: Sign the petition to hold the entire Detroit Police Department accountable for murdering Hakim Littleton.

At Color Of Change, we have run far too many campaigns against the Detroit police department -- and that’s a testament to how violent their police force is. Just a few weeks ago while protestors rallied to put an end to police violence, Detroit police drove their SUVs into the crowd of protestors, showing a blatant disregard for their lives.³ 

Even against the backdrop of a global uprising against police violence, Detroit officers won’t stop abusing and murdering people. 
We deserve to breathe and live free of persistent police violence. We deserve to have our loved ones come home at the end of the day. We are tired. Black Detroiters are tired. We demand accountability and we’re demanding it at every level. 

That’s why we’re calling on Mayor Mike Duggan, Prosecutor Kym Worthy, and Attorney General Dana Nessel to 1)  release the officers’ names, 2) fire them, 3) launch an independent investigation, and 4) Mayor Duggan to fire Chief James for his handling of the case.

Add your name now to demand justice.

Until justice is real,
Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Erika, Malachi, Marybeth, Madison, Leonard, Ernie, McKayla and the rest of the Color Of Change team

---

References:

1. "Protesters gather in Detroit after police shoot and kill man who officers say shot at them first." The Washington Post. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/257704?t=9&akid=44314%2E3399430%2Efu-83T

2. "How the roots of Detroit's police department helped spawn 1967 rebellion." NPR. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/257705?t=11&akid=44314%2E3399430%2Efu-83T

3. "Detroit police SUV drives through crowd after protesters climb on hood." Detroit Free Press. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/257706?t=13&akid=44314%2E3399430%2Efu-83T

America, The Debt Factory/Trickle Down is a Trick!

 America, The Debt Factory
by C.A. Matthews 

Ordinary Americans don't realize that all of us are employed full-time. Even those of us who are currently searching for a job have one--every single one of us--from cradle to grave. We're all "professional debt manufacturers."

Our job description reads likes this: We're born to parents who struggle to pay off our medical bills from birth to whenever we can afford to leave home. Flash forward to our school years and we're generating more debt through prohibitive daycare costs and private high school tuition (because our defunded public schools can't afford to hire decent teachers or provide new textbooks). And then there's college... We all know about the huge racket of student loan providers and their astronomical interest rates, don't we? American college kids were put on this Earth to generate loads of debt, weren't they?

Is it any wonder our "bosses" in the GOP-dominated Congress can't wait to increase our debt load by increasing our taxes and cutting our social programs? They feel ordinary Americans were put on this Earth to stay in debt eternally. Our bosses see no need to increase the taxes of  "extra-ordinary" Americans (also known as the "wealthiest" or  the "1%"). The 1% aren't really expected to pay taxes (like they're supposed to by law) since they're not "ordinary" like us.  

Our bosses allow the wealthiest to skip paying taxes via huge loopholes. It's a tough job simply being super rich and hoarding money in offshore tax havens and hiding more in shell companies, so that's why they get all the breaks. Remember, ordinary Americans' have a job to do: We must manufacture debt and endlessly pay it off with no hope of  joining the extra-ordinary folks who, by accident of birth, never experience the joy of debt.

If you're thinking I'm being facetious, you haven't kept up with the news. Our supposed "representatives" have sold out ordinary Americans' hopes and dreams. These mostly Republican Congress members have done so in order to please their wealthy paymasters by creating a  so-called "tax reform" bill that actually increases taxes for the poor and middle class while lowering taxes for the wealthiest 1%. And the saddest part is the stress of living debt-filled lives has turned many ordinary Americans' hearts against their neighbors instead of against the actual perpetrators of this horrendous farce--the owners of the debt factories, the 1% along with their lobbyist lackeys and paid-off politician puppets.

But all is not lost. We can destroy the debt factory. We can take control of our lives and our future. The first step is to unite as We the People to defeat the Republican's tax scam bill before it becomes law. I hope Bernie's words from a Protecting Working Families Rally in the following report gives you some ideas and inspiration to fight back like it did me. 

Know you are not alone. We will prevail if we work together. Power to the people, not the immoral debt factory!

Other informational articles/video:

Here's How the Tax Bill Will Affect People Earning Less Than $100,000:
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/30/heres-how-the-senate-tax-bill-affects-people-earning-less-than-100000.html

John Laurit's blog post, "A working class with no living wage" explains the situation we're truly in: https://www.johnlaurits.com/2017/us-income-wages-working-class/

What does Universal Basic Income (UBI) consider basic needs? Krish Mohan gives us some ideas: https://youtu.be/NV_hxRF_Wyk

 "Trickle Down is a Trick!"

Protecting Working Families Rally in Akron, Ohio

Photos by Adrian Matthews 

Former Ohio State Senator and Our Revolution President Nina Turner declared, "Trickle down is a trick!" several times at the Protecting Working Families Rally in Akron on Saturday night. Nina wasn't about to let Republicans pull the wool over our eyes with their claims of a "middle class tax cut" in the rushed through tax bill, which essentially gives massive tax breaks to richest of the rich at the expense of the poor and middle class.  

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders echoed Nina's sentiment about the fraudulent theory of trickle down economics. "It has never worked," he said, "Most recently in Kansas, the state legislature had to undo the damage it did."

Bernie spoke for an hour  in Akron Saturday night. He took on the GOP tax bill, Trump's hypocrisy, and his fear of the oligarchs destroying our democracy. Bernie touched upon many of his stump speech points, including universal health care, Ohio's opioid epidemic, better daycare, free public college tuition, for-profit prisons, green energy, environmental protections, climate change action, and a woman's right to control her own body. The crowd wildly cheered and clapped him on. It was electrifying to be in a room with so much energy.

Bernie informed us the Senate had less than two hours to see the tax bill before it was brought to a vote in the middle of the night. Most telling, the bill was never given a public hearing. No one knew what all was in the bill before it was brought to the floor for a vote. Senators discovered that the GOP's tax bill includes handwritten notes and insertions in its margins, many illegible. Among the hundreds of pages of this so-called "tax bill" is a section to give a tax break to a parochial school supported by Secretary of State Betsy DeVos as well as a section on "personhood," which is essentially an anti-abortion measure. This bill also has a section which allows for oil drilling in the beautiful and wild Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. No kidding.

What the heck do these last three sections have to do with reforming our tax system? These additions demonstrate that more than likely "tax reform" is the furthest thing from most Republicans' minds. 

You need more evidence? This bill allows a tax break for the moving expenses of corporations who shut down their American businesses/factories and move  overseas, but it doesn't allow their employees, working families, to take their moving expenses off their tax bill when they're forced to move to look for a new job. This means poor folks appear to have a "higher income" and will pay more taxes at a possibly higher rate, while these pro-NAFTA/TPP corporations who offshore their production will show "less income" on their tax forms and pay even less (if they'll pay any) taxes on their profits. Sheesh!

Need even more evidence? In 2018, you'll no longer be able to claim business expenses as a small business owner. Yeah, even we freelance writers will be penalized, since we'll no longer be able to take off reasonable business expenses against our already meager incomes. Talk about "reforming" taxes for ordinary Americans' benefit!

The Congressional Budget Office has stated the bill will create more than a $1.4 trillion deficit, and Bernie predicts that Republicans will then use that deficit as an excuse to cut Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other programs. Bernie warned us that the GOP will call these cuts "entitlement reform," but it  still means destroying these programs that help so many working Americans rather than "reforming" them.

"They are looting the federal government to give tax breaks to people who don't need them," Bernie stated. "This is a moral outrage--and we will not allow them to get away with it."

Bernie informed us that 4,000 lobbyists crafted this tax scam/anti-abortion/parochial school benefiting/oil drilling in the NAWR/allow jobs to go overseas bill. These lobbyists were paid by billionaires such as the Koch Brothers and the DeVos family. Bernie sees this bill as the beginning of the oligarchs' complete take over of our government. The 1% believe they can use their billions to buy off every politician and essentially run our country into the ground for their private gain. 

What can we as ordinary Americans do to stop this tragedy? We have the power--and we have used it successfully to keep the ACA intact earlier this year. We must continue to use our power to call/email/write and visit our elected officials and remind them who is in charge--We the People are. 

There is a short window of opportunity for us to press our suit during these next two weeks while the House and Senate reconcile their slightly different bills, according to Bernie. The Republicans timed the passing of this bill during the holiday season for a reason, thinking we'd be distracted or disheartened and we wouldn't keep up the pressure on our Congress members to do the right thing and kill this measure.

Don't let this be the case! Don't give up. Keep up the pressure on your senators and representatives. Continue to call/email/write them and visit their offices and let them know how upset you are about how this tax scam gives tax breaks to billionaires while causing poor and middle class people to pay more taxes and receive even less from programs that we've paid into such as Social Security. 

Tell your representative you want to receive your Social Security when you retire since you've paid for it. Tell them you don't want your grandparents kicked out of the nursing home if the Medicaid program is eliminated (since the vast majority of those in nursing care receive Medicaid benefits to pay for the costs).

"Our job is to create an alternative and progressive vision... We are winning the fight for the future of America!" said Bernie. "Our vision, your vision is gaining momentum all across this country." 

So take heart and keep fighting, progressives! We can do this if we keep working hard together. To quote Bernie: "Don't allow them to divide us up on the color of our skin or where we were born or our religion--let us stand together and think big and transform this country!"

Here's  a link to a video of the entire Akron rally: 
 https://youtu.be/1mrdGSyrupQ 

How the GOP tax bill will impact ordinary Americans from the Real News.


Some other programs that will get the ax from the Trump administration:

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No doubt about it--these Congress-persons are this week's C.R.A.P. award (Chastise Rich Arrogant Politicians) winners: 

Continue to call/email/write/visit with these out-of-touch persons and let them know how you really feel about their tax cut for the super-wealthy. Don't mince words. Be polite, yet firm, about your determination to put them out of office for supporting this disastrous piece of legislation. A website where you can easily email all your federal representatives at once can be found at http://www.democracy.io

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“Don’t fall for supply-side, trickle-down nonsense. Lower taxes on the rich don’t generate growth and jobs. They only make the rich even richer, at a time of raging inequality, and they cause bigger budget deficits.” – Robert Reich, Sanders Institute Founding Fellow

Congress is now considering a proposed GOP tax plan and is expected to vote on it in the coming weeks. Who benefits? Who doesn’t? We all need to understand the impact of the proposed bill and let our voices be heard before the vote takes place. We at the Sanders Institute have compiled some information from our fellows and other resources to give you some answers:

Why The Republican Tax Plan Is More Failed Trickle-Down Economics

This article from Robert Reich succinctly explains why Trickle-Down Economics just does not work. He gives clear, historical examples of when trickle-down economics has been implemented and failed and when the opposite, tax increases on the wealthy, have worked.

CBO Projects the Impact of GOP Tax Plan

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released this report on Sunday. It clearly shows that the federal government would be raising taxes on those making less and generously benefiting those making more. For instance, Americans making less than $30,000 in 2019 will pay $2,580,000,000 more in taxes - while those making over $200,000 will pay $118,550,000,000 less in taxes in 2019.

The GOP Wants To Eliminate The Estate Tax

This article outlines a bold new idea when talking about the Estate Tax, a tax that the GOP plan would repeal. It argues that the growing inequality in the United States has negatively affected Social Security and suggests that we keep the Estate Tax to reduce that inequality and make Social Security more sustainable.

There is a lot at stake in this far-reaching legislation. Educate yourselves, take a stand, and let your voices be heard.

Thank you for staying engaged,

David Driscoll
Executive Director
The Sanders Institute

***

From the March for Science:

Hundreds of thousands of advocates across the country have dedicated their time and energy to contact their representatives over the past few weeks as Congress races to pass policies before the end of session.  We’re writing today to ask you to take add your voice to support science once again.

On December 7, Scott Pruitt, administrator of the EPA, will testify in front of the House Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee.   Join us in asking our representatives to hold Scott Pruitt publicly accountable for his efforts to undermine and destroy the EPA and its mandate to protect our health and environment.

Sign the Petition

Contact Your Representative

Help us send a message that we need our representatives to ask hard questions and demand real answers.  Let your representatives know that you’ll be watching.

Contact your representative directly or sign a petition asking them to #PressPruitt on vital issues.  Why has he limited the role of scientists serving as science advisers to the EPA, instead replacing them with science denialists?  Why is he continuing to question the scientific consensus on climate change, ignoring the findings of a recent report from the Trump administration that concluded that humans are the primary drive behind climate change?  What are his continued plans to roll back regulations that protect our air and water?  We need to know why the administrator of the EPA repeatedly asks to undermine the agency’s mandate to protect our health and environment.  

To learn more, visit us here. 

But don’t stop there. In the next few weeks, science faces threats from many sides and needs your support. Congress’ 2017 session ends on December 14 -- set aside a few minutes each day to advocate for science.

Tax Bill: Send a message to your representative that the Grad Student Tax in the new tax bill will jeopardize the future of science by forcing thousands of graduate students not to continue their training. Share our open letter, signed by more than 40 partners, and petition and support future scientists.  

Net Neutrality: Overturning net neutrality will have grave consequences for the future of science, potentially censoring scientific research and data and empowering internet service providers to limit the freedom of information we rely on.  Send the FCC a message.

Thank you for continuing to advocate for science. 

#KeepMarching,

March for Science

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There are more than a trillion reasons to reject the Republican tax scam.

It would constitute one of the greatest upward transfers of wealth in American history and is a prelude to a cruel campaign to cut Social Security, Medicare and other vital public programs.

But there’s only one thing to do about it: Fight back, now, before the tax cuts become law.

Send Congress a simple message today: Vote against the final tax bill or be prepared to face the wrath of your constituents.

Add your name now.

Americans overwhelmingly oppose the tax deal, because they understand it’s designed for multinational corporations and the superrich.

Why would congressional Republicans ram through an unpopular proposal?

Two words: Citizens United.

This legislation is entirely about appeasing the donor class.

Republicans said as much.

“My donors are basically saying, ‘Get it done or don’t ever call me again,’” said Representative Chris Collins, a Republican who represents suburban Buffalo, New York.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina echoed that sentiment: “The financial contributions will stop [if the GOP does not pass tax reform].”

The problem we face is this: To overcome the Republican proclivity to deliver on the fantasies of the donor class, we need massive public outrage.

Public opposition, which we have, isn’t enough. We need outrage — expressed directly to members of Congress.

The House and Senate each have passed horrible tax cuts, but they differ in some important ways.

In the coming days, they will cobble together a single version, which then must be passed separately by each chamber if it is to become law.

If enough Americans weigh in, with enough passion, we can stop that from happening.

Sign our petition to Congress now.

There really are more than a trillion reasons to oppose this deal, which would cut corporate and superrich taxes by vastly more than $1 trillion.

In general, it’s fair to say the legislation would drastically increase already severe economic inequality, fundamentally changing the character of the country.

It threatens to make us a class-bound society, riven by unbridgeable social divides, betraying the promises of democracy, equality and opportunity that represent the best of America.

Here are five specific reasons to oppose the tax scam. The legislation:

• Rewards corporate tax evasion, providing a discount tax rate for profits that companies have kept overseas and avoided paying tax on. This perk alone is worth more than $450 billion to multinational corporations — led by Apple — which alone stands to save $47 billion.

• Facilitates feudal-like dynasties by raising the threshold before the estate tax kicks in, or eliminating it altogether (House version). Very conservatively, eliminating the estate tax would be worth more than $500 million to the Trump family.

• Worsens our already immoral health care system (Senate version), leading to millions more going without insurance and sharp price spikes for those on the Affordable Care Act exchanges.

• Contains a host of tiny provisions that will have major implications for large groups of people. A provision in the House bill, for example, would force graduate students to pay taxes on tuition breaks they receive, making graduate school unaffordable and unattainable for thousands of less wealthy students.

• Paves the way for Republican demands — already echoing — for deep cuts to Social Security, Medicare, education and other vital programs.

America is better than this.

But it’s up to us to prove that.

Take action now.

Onward,

Robert Weissman
President, Public Citizen