{This is taken from Rep. Salwell's webpage; link submitted by Heidi Sanchez)
Like you, I love this great country of ours. When I was elected as a Member of Congress, I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And more importantly, millions who volunteer for our Armed Services have sacrificed, and serve today, in defense of our democracy.
In our 2016 elections, Russia attacked our democracy. It was silent and nearly invisible, but nevertheless it struck the core of our democracy – our free and fair elections.
Our intelligence agencies have concluded with high confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin orchestrated these cyberattacks in order to influence the 2016 election to favor then-candidate Donald Trump.
This unprecedented attack on the foundation of our republic, this deliberate effort to undermine faith in our democratic process, must not go unanswered. To ignore this evidence is to throw in the towel on one of our most treasured freedoms.
That’s why I introduced the Protecting Our Democracy Act with Rep. Elijah Cummings to set up an independent, bipartisan commission tasked with investigating Russian interference in the 2016 elections. We have no responsibility more important that protecting and defending our democracy.
I’m here to help put this into context. Examining Russia as a country that has committed serious war crimes and human rights violations across the globe, the Trump Administration’s continued and close ties to Russia, and what Russia did to interfere in the 2016 U.S. elections is essential to understand the significance of its attack and what we need to do to ensure this never happens again.
LEARN MORE: click here to see supporting documents charts and photographs.
There was a stark contrast between this week’s Democratic and Republican presidential town halls. The Democratic town hall offered a fresh perspective, as the candidates focused on expanding opportunities to ensure everyone in America has a fair shot. In contrast, the Republicans recycled failed policies that would drag America backwards with their promises of ending the Affordable Care Act and cutting Social Security. The differences between the two show that the American people simply can’t afford to have a Republican in the White House.
Yesterday, reports surfaced about Marco Rubio neglecting his Senate responsibilities time and time again. In this session alone, he has already missed 87% of his votes, and the reports reveal that Rubio has missed 68% of his Senate Foreign Relations committee meeting hearings since taking office in 2011. In response to these reports, DNC Press Secretary Mark Paustenbach stated, “Rubio has consistently shirked his duties to Floridians at every step of the way. How can we trust he’ll act any differently in the White House?” Read the full statement our Factivists put together here.
Earlier this week, Jeb Bush was joined in South Carolina by former President George W. Bush, whose economic and foreign policy agendas were disastrous. However, the failed policies of the George W. Bush years pale in comparison to the agendas of the Republicans currently vying for their party’s nomination this election.
Finally, following the news of Justice Scalia’s death, Republican Party leaders and presidential candidates immediately vowed to obstruct any replacement nominated by President Obama. In promising to do this, they chose not only to ignore precedent, but their constitutional responsibilities. In response to this promise, conservative commentators slammed the GOP over their preemptive obstructionism.
Thanks to the Grass Roots efforts
and action of local Floridians, including the FDP Progressive Caucus, FEA,
local unions, and many, many others - the Parent Trigger Bill was 'laid on the
table' this morning.
Here's an article that had come out
about the falsified petition from the proponents, and below, the statement from
the Florida Democratic Party.
Contact:
Eric Conrad or Max Steele at 850-222-3411
FL Dems Statement on Senate's Failure of
Corporate Trigger Bill
Tallahassee,
FL--
The Florida Democratic Party released the following statement in response to
the Florida Senate's failure the corporate trigger bill (SB862).
Statement
from Florida Democratic Party Chair Allison Tant:
"Today,
in a bipartisan effort the Florida Senate stood up for families, teachers, and
students across the state by striking down the corporate trigger bill for the
second year in a row. This harmful legislation would have allowed for-profit
corporations to seize control of tax-payer funded schools, and put the
education of our children in jeopardy. We commend Florida Senators for again
defeating this harmful legislation.
Boycott Limbaugh's sponsors--here is a partial list:
eHarmony.
Carbonite,
Orek,
AutoZone,
Legal Zoom,
Citrix,
Lending Tree,
Sears,
Quicken Loans,
Century 21,
Sleep Number Beds,
Dominos,
Tax Resolution.
Please pass this on. If you find out about any others, please send them to us. (There has to be some way to get a list of sponsors without listening to his hate speech. I cannot do that.)
.. Club member:
Mary Louise Ambrose Belleair Bluffs, FL 33770 727 433-4045
Rachel Maddow analyzes the Democratic record being judged on Election Day: "A lot of hard stuff done on hard problems in a short amount of time.": "The legislative agenda of the last 21 months was policy, not politics. It was designed to get stuff done for the country and in that sense, it's an investment in long-term political reward, not short-term political reward ... Hard votes with long-time horizons that don't translate into killing the other party in the next election." Health reform already working, as small businesses expand coverage thanks to tax incentives. WSJ: "The number of small businesses offering health insurance to workers is projected to increase sharply this year, recent data show, a shift that researchers attribute to a tax credit in the health law ... According to a report by Bernstein Research in New York, the percentage of employers with between three and nine workers and which are offering insurance has increased to 59% this year, up from 46% last year." GM ready to gradually reduce government stake, as Treasury forces plan to maximize taxpayer investment. NYT: "The automaker is planning a three-for-one stock split that will bring its total outstanding shares to about 1.5 billion ... Through the offering, the Treasury Department, which gained a 61 percent stake in G.M. as part of its $50 billion bailout of the company last year, will sell about $7 billion worth of shares. That will cut its holdings in the company to just more than 43 percent ... Treasury intends to further reduce its holdings with subsequent stock sales over several years ... The company’s former government-appointed chief executive, Edward E. Whitacre Jr., had expressed a desire to sell the Treasury Department’s stake all at once if possible. But Treasury pushed back, seeking to maximize the price it fetched for its shares." Who turns out will make the difference. W. Post's E. J. Dionne: "Perhaps the likely voter screens are wrong and young voters will surprise the pollsters. Or the Democrats will have to go back and ask themselves if there was more they could have done to keep younger voters engaged. And the country will have to ask if it should be drawing excessively broad conclusions about the entire country from a midterm election in which older voters are vastly overrepresented compared with members of the rising generation." Third Way seeks to expand influence with Dems, attack "left-wing economic populism." Politico: "With cap and trade effectively dead in a Republican House, Third Way will release a 'Plan B”' for energy reform. On Dec. 7, it’s hosting a summit on nuclear energy — one of the group’s big causes — with Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Obama energy czar Carol Browner. It will come out with a paper on the need for changes that could save Social Security, which it presents as a direct challenge to economist Paul Krugman."
Health reform already working, as small businesses expand coverage thanks to tax incentives. WSJ: "The number of small businesses offering health insurance to workers is projected to increase sharply this year, recent data show, a shift that researchers attribute to a tax credit in the health law ... According to a report by Bernstein Research in New York, the percentage of employers with between three and nine workers and which are offering insurance has increased to 59% this year, up from 46% last year."
GM ready to gradually reduce government stake, as Treasury forces plan to maximize taxpayer investment. NYT: "The automaker is planning a three-for-one stock split that will bring its total outstanding shares to about 1.5 billion ... Through the offering, the Treasury Department, which gained a 61 percent stake in G.M. as part of its $50 billion bailout of the company last year, will sell about $7 billion worth of shares. That will cut its holdings in the company to just more than 43 percent ... Treasury intends to further reduce its holdings with subsequent stock sales over several years ... The company’s former government-appointed chief executive, Edward E. Whitacre Jr., had expressed a desire to sell the Treasury Department’s stake all at once if possible. But Treasury pushed back, seeking to maximize the price it fetched for its shares."
Who turns out will make the difference. W. Post's E. J. Dionne: "Perhaps the likely voter screens are wrong and young voters will surprise the pollsters. Or the Democrats will have to go back and ask themselves if there was more they could have done to keep younger voters engaged. And the country will have to ask if it should be drawing excessively broad conclusions about the entire country from a midterm election in which older voters are vastly overrepresented compared with members of the rising generation."
Third Way seeks to expand influence with Dems, attack "left-wing economic populism." Politico: "With cap and trade effectively dead in a Republican House, Third Way will release a 'Plan B”' for energy reform. On Dec. 7, it’s hosting a summit on nuclear energy — one of the group’s big causes — with Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Obama energy czar Carol Browner. It will come out with a paper on the need for changes that could save Social Security, which it presents as a direct challenge to economist Paul Krugman."
(Note: The words that appear in red are links that you can click.)
There are a number things the public "knows" as we head into the election that are just false. If people elect leaders based on false information, the things those leaders do in office will not be what the public expects or needs.
Here are eight of the biggest myths that are out there:
3) President Obama bailed out the banks. Reality: While many people conflate the "stimulus" with the bank bailouts, the bank bailouts were requested by President Bush and his Treasury Secretary, former Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson. (Paulson also wanted the bailouts to be "non-reviewable by any court or any agency.") The bailouts passed and began before the 2008 election of President Obama.
5) Businesses will hire if they get tax cuts. Reality: A business hires the right number of employees to meet demand. Having extra cash does not cause a business to hire, but a business that has a demand for what it does will find the money to hire. Businesses want customers, not tax cuts.
7) Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, is "going broke," people live longer, fewer workers per retiree, etc. Reality: Social Security has run a surplus since it began, has a trust fund in the trillions, is completely sound for at least 25 more years and cannot legally borrow so cannot contribute to the deficit (compare that to the military budget!) Life expectancy is only longer because fewer babies die; people who reach 65 live about the same number of years as they used to.
8) Government spending takes money out of the economy. Reality: Government is We, the People and the money it spends is on We, the People. Many people do not know that it is government that builds the roads, airports, ports, courts, schools and other things that are the soil in which business thrives. Many people think that all government spending is on "welfare" and "foreign aid" when that is only a small part of the government's budget.
This stuff really matters.
If the public votes in a new Congress because a majority of voters think this one tripled the deficit, and as a result the new people follow the policies that actually tripled the deficit, the country could go broke.
If the public votes in a new Congress that rejects the idea of helping to create demand in the economy because they think it didn't work, then the new Congress could do things that cause a depression.
If the public votes in a new Congress because they think the health care reform will increase the deficit when it is actually projected to reduce the deficit, then the new Congress could repeal health care reform and thereby make the deficit worse. And on it goes.
Rick Scott, who is trying to run against President Obama instead of Alex Sink, got called out by the St. Pete Times' Politifact for claiming that "the stimulus hasn't created one private sector job." According to the Truth-o-Meter that's a big fat lie that rates a Pants on Fire.
You can check out the whole story on the Politifact website (it's also linked on the Pinellas County DEC 9/18 newsletter) and use the information as ammunition when/if you get into a debate with any Repubs of your acquaintance.
Largo/Mid-Pinellas Democratic Club members are celebrating President Obama's appointment of Elizabeth Warren to establish a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Most agree with MoveOn.org that this is the boldest step Obama's taken so far to rein in the big Wall Street banks. And it's a major victory for grassroots progressives who rallied for Warren.
According to MoveOn, "the banks fought to keep her out of this job—and now that she has it, they'll do whatever they can to keep her from exercising her full authority. That's why we need to get the word out—to make sure she has the grassroots support she needs to aggressively police Wall Street. So we made a video of Warren's greatest hits from her appearances on the "Daily Show" and a list of five cool facts about her. Check them out at the link below and send them to all your friends: http://pol.moveon.org/warren_fivethings_share.html?id=23504-11149306-SVeFSGx&t=2 Top Five Things You Should Know About Elizabeth Warren 1. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was her idea. Here's why she thinks this agency is so critical: "It is impossible to buy a toaster that has a one-in-five chance of bursting into flames and burning down your house. But it is possible to refinance your home with a mortgage that has the same one-in-five chance of putting your family out on the street." 2. The Republicans are so scared of her, they tried to pass a law blocking her from leading the agency. Republicans in Congress and the big Wall Street banks have always been against Warren leading the new consumer agency. Republicans even offered an amendment that was widely understood as designed to block Warren. That amendment failed. 3. She is one of the most prominent, successful and fierce female lawyers in America. Coming from working-class roots, she graduated from high school as a debate star at 16. She finished law school when she was nine months pregnant. And she has repeatedly been named one of the 50 most influential female lawyers by the National Law Journal and was twice nominated as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People (among other honors). 4. She spoke truth to power about the failed foreclosure program. The Home Affordability Modification Program was supposed to save homeowners from losing their homes but has left many deeper in debt than they were before. Warren used her position on the Congressional Oversight Panel to bring the voices of these disaffected homeowners right to the decision makers in the administration and demand accountability. 5. She may have actual superpowers. She once calmed a crowd at an NBA game with her encyclopedic basketball knowledge. She explained the financial meltdown so clearly to Jon Stewart that he said it made him "want to make out with" her. And there's a viral cowboy rap video about her.
The events and policies that have pushed deficits to these high levels in the near term, however, were largely outside the new Administration’s control. If not for the tax cuts enacted during the presidency of George W. Bush that Congress did not pay for, the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that were initiated during that period, and the effects of the worst economic slump since the Great Depression (including the cost of steps necessary to combat it), we would not be facing these huge deficits in the near term.
This non-partisan organization focuses on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families/individuals. Their analysis shows that the budget deficit will continue to grow if the Bush tax cuts remain. They don't distinguish the different aspects of the tax-cuts; i.e., "high income", which Obama & Democrats want to let expire, and "middle/low income", which they plan to renew.
The graph to the right illustrates the impact of the various programs on the growth of the deficit into 2019. It is quite unfortunate that none of the high profile Republican politician and pundits, or conservative media (CNN or FOX) bother to read anything that doesn't come out of their own think-tanks.
Without the economic downturn and the fiscal policies of the previous Administration, the budget would be roughly in balance over the next decade. That would have put the nation on a much sounder footing to address the demographic challenges and the cost pressures in health care that darken the long-run fiscal outlook.[7]
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