I hope you had a lovely holiday and all is well. I’m writing with a quick update on the “fiscal cliff” and how you can get involved.
Right now, President Obama is asking you to think about what $2,000 a year means to you and your family — because Congress needs to hear it.
The Senate has passed a bill that stops taxes from going up for 98 percent of American families, and asks those who can afford it to pay a little more. If the House follows suit, President Obama is ready to sign it as soon as it hits his desk.
If they fail to do so, a typical middle-class family of four will see their taxes go up by $2,000 in just a few short weeks.
President Obama is asking Congress to do the right thing and act before the New Year, but he needs our help. We’ve got a good track record here: When we make our voices heard and urge Congress to take action — whether it’s about health care, student loans, Wall Street reform, or “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” — they listen.
For more than 19 months, President Obama campaigned on the idea that if we’re going to be successful, every American has to do their part and pay their fair share.
A centerpiece of his platform, and the campaign you built, was that income taxes should not go up on the middle class — that the responsible way to pay down the deficit, while investing in education, job training, research, and science, is to ask the wealthiest Americans to pay a little more.
None of this is a surprise to anyone in Washington. They heard the same arguments we did — they paid attention to the campaign, and then they saw a clear majority of voters deliver a verdict on November 6th.
If and when the House passes this bill, 98 percent of American families and 97 percent of small businesses will not see a tax increase.
President Obama speaks to the American people from a busy factory floor in Pennsylvania about the urgent need to pass the middle classtax cuts, which will give families and businesses preparing for the holidays the certainty they need going into the New Year.
Democrats and Republicans must come together to pass one thing that everyone agrees on—extending income tax cuts for 98 percent of American families and 97 percent of small businesses, and there is no reason to wait. The President urges Congress to take action to help grow our economy and strengthen the middle class.
If Congress does nothing, every family in America will see their taxes automatically go up at the beginning of next year. A typical middle-class family of four would see its income taxes go up by $2,200. That’s $2,200 out of people’s pockets. That means less money for buying groceries, less money for filling prescriptions, less money for buying diapers. It means a tougher choice between paying the rent and paying tuition. And middle-class families just can’t afford that right now.
The President asked the American people to speak loudly by sharing what $2,000 means to them online on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #My2k. Here’s how to get involved:
Holidays at the White House: Earlier this week, the First Lady previewed the 2012 White House holiday decorations, showcasing this year’s theme: “Joy to All.” The decorations embrace several beloved White House traditions, including 54 decorated trees throughout the residence and a White House gingerbread house. The First Lady explained that this year’s theme “celebrated the many joys of the holiday season: the joy of giving and service to others; the joy of sharing our blessings with one another; and, of course, the joy of welcoming friends and family as guests into our home over these next several weeks.”
Vice President Biden Goes to Costco: On Thursday, the Vice President visited the newly opened Costco in Washington, DC. After picking out a few Christmas presents and other items, he spoke about the importance of extending tax cuts for middle-class families.
“I’ve got a mandate to help middle-class families and families that are working hard to try to get into the middle class. That’s my mandate. That’s what the American people said. They said: Work really hard to help us.”
- President Obama, November 14th 2012Right now, working really hard to help the middle class means keeping taxes low for 98% of American families who are otherwise staring down a $2,000 tax increase on January 1 — if Congress doesn’t act.
This debate is about you, so it ought to feature your voices. Use #My2k on twitter or share your story at wh.gov/taxes
As you may or may not be aware, I don’t feel that Carbon Dioxide is the the villain at the centre of the world’s problems . I personally believe that is a convenience for Governments to generate revenue amongst other things, a distraction from other more important matters. What I do believe, is that we are extremely wasteful of dwindling resources and are polluting our planet at an alarming rate… More kids are suffering with asthma that ever before. More people have respiratory illnesses than ever before. We are killing ourselves and the planet with pollution and waste in a thousand different ways.
• The levels of toxic diesel fumes inside school buses are 4 times higher compared with outside the buses.
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 2 million premature deaths are caused each year due to air pollution in cities across the world
• A Scottish study has shown that jogging with traffic around results in reduced blood flow to the heart. This is particularly dangerous for people with stable heart disease, because it can trigger off cardiac arrhythmia or even a heart attack
• Every year 335,000 Americans die of lung cancer, which is a direct result of air pollution
And we are not talking CO2 pollution here, just all the other nasties that get pumped into our atmosphere for us to breath.
The Fuel Film… Educational, Informative and surprisingly entertaining
The Big question from sceptics is: … That crops for bio-fuel takes away the ability of the world to feed it’s growing population, this is answered in a couple of ways in the film.
One solution of several is in using marginal land, another is algae
For those that don’t know: Marginal land is land that is difficult to cultivate and is not being used for food crops. This land could be used to grow biomass crops to be used for bio-fuels. California has apparently 1 million acres of marginal land that could generate 5 billion gallons of bio-fuels per year.
Now, while not 100% convinced that it is possible to ‘grow’ all our fuel requirements, it nice to know that there are alternative possibilities and people willing to fight to get them heard.
All it needs now is the desire from Government and vested interests to make it happen… Having said all that what is happening in the Gulf is a wake-up call for the world….
But is anybody listening? Because as sure as death and taxes we are not going to give up our love affair with the car easily
My mother is amazing. She’s had my back from the second I came out to her – and long before that.
When she heard that the leaders of our Roman Catholic Church had spent $2 million on anti-gay marriage ballot campaigns in this election, she wrote a letter to the top Catholic bishop in the U.S., sticking up for people like me. I think it’s a message he desperately needs to hear.
I’ve been going to Catholic mass almost every week since I was a little girl. My aunts and uncles are nuns and priests. My husband was a member of the Knights of Columbus. We raised our kids in our parish community and sent them to Catholic schools. Catholicism is more than just a belief for me – it’s a deep seed of my identity.
And it has always taught me that God made us all, and loves us all the same. The same way I try to love all my kids. That’s why, when my incredible son told me he was gay, it didn’t change my love for him one bit.
He’s always my child.
That’s why I was outraged to learn that the leadership of our Church just spent $2 million on anti-gay marriage ballot campaigns. Think of all the positive things that $2 million could have accomplished. Think of the hungry fed, the sick comforted, the homeless sheltered. Instead you chose to use parishioners’ donations like mine to divide and discriminate.
Catholicism teaches us to love one another – not to attack our sons and daughters for simply wanting to make lifelong commitments and start families. You won’t have to ever marry a same-sex couple, but it makes no sense to deny them the right to be married under the law. And your parishioners aren’t going to stand for it much longer.
I think it’s time we all got on the right side of history. I hope you do, too.
I hope you’ll join my mom and add your name to the letter now. We each have to speak up and make a clear case for equality, whether or not we’re Roman Catholic. In the next election, Church leaders could decide to pour even more money into anti-gay ballot campaigns if we don’t speak out now.
We’re going to send the letters along later this week.
Thanks for taking a stand.
James Servino
Online Advocacy Manager
P.S. Here’s one of my favorite shots of me (in the center) with my mom and three siblings:
Previously, when estimating the budgetary effects of legislation regarding prescription drugs, CBO found insufficient evidence of an “offsetting” effect of prescription drug use on spending for medical services. Recently, CBO reviewed dozens of newer studies and determined a body of research now demonstrates a link between changes in prescription drug use and changes in the use of and spending for medical services
Previously, when estimating the budgetary effects of legislation regarding prescription drugs, CBO found insufficient evidence of an “offsetting” effect of prescription drug use on spending for medical services. Recently, CBO reviewed dozens of newer studies and determined that a body of research now demonstrates a link between changes in prescription drug use and changes in the use of and spending for medical services.
The Congress has traditionally placed a limit on the total amount of debt that the Department of the Treasury can issue to the public and to other federal agencies. Lawmakers have enacted numerous increases to the debt limit—commonly known as the debt ceiling—some of which have been temporary and many of which have been permanent. Treasury debt is now approaching the current limit.
The Congress has traditionally placed a limit on the total amount of debt that the Department of the Treasury can issue to the public and to other federal agencies. Lawmakers have enacted numerous increases to the debt limit—commonly known as the debt ceiling—some of which have been temporary and many of which have been permanent.
Attend A Beyond Coal Photo Lecture And Help
Protect The Climate! Photograph Credit: David T. Hanson
You’re invited to a Beyond Coal photo lecture and clean energy discussion. RSVP now!
Join us for an evening with award-winning photographer David T. Hanson to see the impacts of Puget Sound Energy’s coal-fired power plant — the Colstrip Generating Facility in southeast Montana. Hanson’s photographs dramatically evoke a story of the local impacts of our coal-fired electricity.1
These startling photographs have been exhibited at the New York Museum of Modern art, and were published as a book in 2010.
Following Hanson’s presentation, there will be a discussion of alternatives to PSE’s dirty Colstrip plant and ways local residents can help support the growing movement to end our reliance on coal.
Learn how you can get involved to make this critical transition off of coal. RSVP now!
BEYOND COAL PHOTO LECTURES
Bellevue — Wednesday, December 5, at 7:00 p.m.
Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA 98004 (map)
Bainbridge Island — Friday, December 7, at 7:00 p.m.
IslandWood Conference Center, 4450 Blakely Avenue NE, Bainbridge Isle, WA 98110 (map)
This event will be a great opportunity to learn how you can get involved in a local campaign
to confront our growing climate crisis.
Join us and help build the movement to protect our region and the climate. RSVP now!
Thanks for all you do for the environment,
Seth Ballhorn
Beyond Coal Campaign
Sierra Club
P.S. Events are always more fun with friends. After you RSVP, please forward this email or share it on your social networks using the handy buttons below:
