Immigration & Republicans

just another rant …

It has been a long week; one in which many people on the right who either held a political position, are in office, work in radio and or are on TV regularly seem to be spewing nasty comments that most adults were taught early… people with manners do not spit at others, call out racial slurs or imply anything violent.  This is the 21st Century people not the 1800′s and though it seems like people on the right are trying to take steps backward to a time when people of colour were things, seen but not heard and who built monumental landmarks because they were forced to do it, they were owned, they were raped all because of their race. We all know, slavery of any kind to anyone is just wrong and the latest rhetoric from some on the right seems to not only long for the 1800′s but I got the feeling some felt the antebellum days were a better time. Well, that genie was let out of the bottle and it will never, never be shoved back into any bottle again.

It’s only Wednesday…

Lawmakers in DC have decided to handle immigration reform thankfully, as States have clearly tried but not in the best interest of America. I am worried that the public including non-whites are being kept out of the loop as States such as Arizona take steps to keep whom they call “illegals” from crossing the border… now in the 21st Century the State of Arizona almost gave its police the right to decide who is legal and who is not? While many states tried and still are moving toward race based exclusions,  racial profiling is already a problem; to say all police are corrupt is wrong but given the times this is yet another move from people on the right that should scare us all…forcing many to go underground again.  Is this a move to make people of colour carry a card…green or otherwise? Sounds like racial profiling to me and most people won’t admit it but the farming industry has been using illegals for decades…any and all immigration manipulation will effect farming in America; reform yes .. punishment for something Americans  started but did nothing to stop now use guns and laws to combat an issue that needs to be reformed but done with knowledge that immigration has was and does aide our economy here in America.

The notion that people in public service let alone those voted into office know right from wrong is take for granted and that journalist have standards or that having respect for people is not only right but civilized behavior. Yet, people such as Michelle Bachmann, Huckabee, bob McDonnell, Limbaugh, Glenn beck, fox and Murdoch promote, pays seem to be helping the teaparty in their efforts and those efforts have not been good.

It is a moment in time that seems surreal; a time when people on the left or at least left of center need to make sure the crazies do not … repeat … do not get in or back into office.  It seems that the times are bringing out some good, mostly bad and very ugly side of people in political positions that have a great impact on not just a select few but a huge portion of our society; it is negative and needs to end. What better way to end the negative then to use all upcoming elections to change things from Red States to blue/purple States.

Instead, people on the right who support the things ted Cruz, Paul Ryan, Grover Norquist and caribou Barbie seems to be promoting …fear as if “they” have to take back the country. The quip implies that something foreign has the country, which offends me and that “ hopey changey thingy” comment she makes is not only childish she definitely needs to be kept from holding any Public Service/Office Position from now on… in the best interest of ALL Americans.

Besides, we have change and it started out when 53% voted were willing to see who was competent, had the interest of all people in mind and who definitely understand complex issues… The current President is smart and just happens to be a person of colour who spoke of change and laid out what that would entail.   Yes, most of us who voted for President Barack Obama wanted him to move more left of center to get things done without Republicans to govern based on Democratic ideology.  Fortunately, PBO knows he needs to be a centrist, while members of the Democratic Party in Congress …if they had the courage could do the things 53% of the population voted for Americans would see change we could all  believe in.  It would mean a substantial improvement and reforms health-care, climate, energy, education will make America number one in the Nation again for everyone not the select few that republicans seem to represent

Practicing exclusion is a step backward…

Is talk cheap ~ or just the talker

elephant talk (Photo credit: gin_able)

just another rant …

Americans, bombarded with a whole lot of crazy talk lately. While some of us may gasp at most or all of what members of Congress are throwing out at us; no doubt it should open the eyes of all those trying to decide which side of the aisle and or what side of history they want to people to read about. It is clear to me.

Is talk cheap? They say talk is cheap but until you actually listen and read between the walls of words do, you find out what exactly is in the Ryan Budget.  While some say rep.Paul Ryan as a dapper smooth talker they forget that Americans have heard his budget plan at least 3 times, somebody should let him know that renaming it will not do a thing to sell it. The fact is no matter what you call it … the Paul Ryan pathway to prosperity only seems to accept and cover the wealthy. In fact, Mr. Ryan seems to promise to save Medicare close loopholes and of course cuts spending by trillions. The problem is, if you read the talking points it will be off the backs of Seniors, Minorities, low income and the poor.  With the hit, our economy took, it amazes me that the Republican Party of No is so callous to think Americans don’t see Mr.1% in full effect, but then again cheap words can mask the most blatant of realities. It only takes one to filibuster The Middle and Lower classes leaving them to suffer on the way toward that conservative mission to cut slash and burn public service jobs while handing out tax breaks.

If you have heard Speaker Boehner, Mitch McConnell or Rep.Paul Ryan talk about budgets lately,  you know the mission is still the same …. the talk is still cheap and at the expense of the middle/lower classes.  While the austerity and agony lasts until 2040.

The FY2014 Murray Senate Budget: A Fairer Path Forward for Women and Families

The FY 2014 budget introduced by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA) presents a clear alternative to the plan proposed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI).  In stark contrast to the Ryan budget, which makes deep cuts to programs that women and families depend on while giving lavish tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans and corporations, the Murray budget proposes new investments in early childhood programs, largely protects core safety net programs, preserves the Affordable Care Act, and advances tax fairness. However, the Murray budget includes some cuts to funding for health care and other domestic programs that could be problematic for women.

Specifically, Chairman Murray’s budget:

• Supports key investments for women, families, and the economy. The Murray budget calls for new investments to expand access to pre-kindergarten, child care, Head Start, Early Head Start and home visiting services for parents with young children – programs that help children prepare to succeed in school and give parents the support they need to work.

The budget also invests in measures to speed up the economic recovery, including a $100 billion fund to support job training and infrastructure projects that would create new jobs and strengthen the economy.

• Protects critical supports for vulnerable families and individuals.   Chairman Murray’s budget protects most core safety net programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/Food Stamps), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and housing assistance for low-income families.  Women especially rely on these programs because they face a greater risk of poverty than men at all stages of their lives.
• Fully implements the Affordable Care Act, ensuring that women will have greater access to affordable health insurance and preventive care services.
• Improves tax credits for working families. The budget would make permanent improvements to the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit that help lift millions of women and children out of poverty each year.  These tax credit improvements were extended for only five years by the “fiscal cliff” deal at the end of 2012, unlike many of the Bush-era tax cuts that were made permanent.
• Protects Social Security and promotes a secure retirement.  The Murray budget would make no cuts to Social Security benefits, which is particularly important for women who are the majority of adult beneficiaries and rely on Social Security benefits for a greater share of their income than men do.  The budget also provides incentives for companies to fully fund their pension plans and proposes other pension system reforms to help more Americans achieve a secure retirement.
• Closes corporate tax loopholes and limits tax breaks for the wealthiest.  The Murray budget would make the tax code fairer and raise $975 billion in revenue from the individuals and corporations with the greatest ability to contribute.  For example, it calls for limiting tax breaks claimed by the top two percent of income earners, taxing private investment fund managers’ compensation at the same rates as regular earnings, and preventing corporations from taking advantage of offshore tax havens.     
• Replaces arbitrary cuts from “sequestration” with a mix of revenue increases and other spending cuts.  Chairman Murray’s budget eliminates the automatic, across-the-board cuts (known as “sequestration” or “the sequester”) entirely – including restoration of FY 2013 funds.  These cuts, established by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA), took effect March 1, 2013 and are projected to result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and critical services for millions this year alone.  Under current law, sequestration will be in effect through FY 2021. The Murray budget replaces the entire sequester with a 50-50 mix of revenue increases and spending cuts.

The total spending cuts in Chairman Murray’s budget are about equal to the revenue increases – $975 billion. This total includes $382 billion cut from the discretionary side of the budget ($240 billion from defense, $142 billion from non-defense), $351 billion from the mandatory side (primarily from $275 billion in cuts to health programs), and $240 billion from interest savings.

This approach is far more fair than the Ryan budget, which not only refuses to ask millionaires and corporations to contribute a penny more toward deficit reduction but would give them huge new tax cuts.  Nevertheless, some of the cuts in the Murray budget could be problematic.  Specifically, the Murray budget:

• Cuts $275 billion from federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.  It will be very important to ensure that these cuts are implemented in a way that does not hurt beneficiaries.
• Maintains and extends low caps on discretionary spending established by the Budget Control Act.  Over the next decade, these caps will bring federal spending on non-defense discretionary programs – like Head Start, child care, K-12 education, domestic violence prevention, and job training – to its lowest level in over 50 years.  The Murray budget keeps these caps in place through FY 2021 per the BCA, and caps discretionary spending in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 as well, cutting $142 billion from non-defense discretionary spending. These extremely low limits could compel reductions in services that women and their families depend on.

Document(s):

The FY 2014 Murray Senate Budget:  A Fairer Path Forward for Women and Families

Enough is Enough !

 

Take Action: Write your Representative today!                     Urge your Representative to vote NO on Rep. Ryan’s budget.                   We’ve had enough. For the third year in a row, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) has proposed a plan that balances the federal budget on the backs of women and families. The Ryan budget is an unfair and irresponsible plan that would undermine key programs women and families count on — while giving tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations. Action is needed now! The House of Representatives could vote as early as tomorrow on the Ryan budget. Tell your Representative to vote NO on the Ryan Budget. Wondering if you should take action? Think about this. Ryan’s budget would: Deny millions of women and families access to affordable health insurance by repealing the Affordable Care Act. Significantly cut funding for programs like child care assistance and Head Start, which help women work and children learn. Undermine core safety net programs that women count on by slashing Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps) and turning them into block grants. Slash funding for K-12 education, Pell Grants, job training, and domestic violence prevention. And, to add insult to injury, Ryan’s budget would, at the same time: Give trillions of dollars in new tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and corporations. Time is running out! Please urge your Representative to vote NO on the Ryan budget. Thank you for all you do for women and families. Sincerely,   Joan Entmacher Vice President for Family Economic Security National Women’s Law Center   Judy Waxman Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights National Women’s Law Center   Helen Blank Director of Child Care and Early Learning National Women’s Law Center

This Week’s Top 3 On ThinkProgr​ess

by Igor Volsky

Dear Friend,

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) released the GOP budget this week. It makes deep cuts to social safety net programs while giving tax breaks to the rich and corporations. Learn about the budget and more with these three important stories you don’t want to miss.

1. The 5 Worst Things About The House GOP’s New Budget

2. Cable News Obsessively Covers Cuts To White House Tours, Virtually Ignores Cuts To Programs For The Poor

3. Why Everyone Should Care About The Pope

Best,

Igor Volsky Managing Editor, ThinkProgress

Presidential Citizens Medal 2012 —

Patience Lehrman (Philadelphia, PA)
Lehrman is an immigrant from Cameroon and the National Director of Project SHINE (Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders), an immigrant integration initiative at the Intergenerational Center of Temple University. SHINE partners with 18 institutions of higher learning, community-based organizations, and county and city governments across the country. SHINE engages college students and older adults to provide language and health education, citizenship and civic participation lessons to immigrant communities. Lehrman also mentors inner-city high school students, provides free meals to low-income children in the summer and serves as an election official. She holds three Masters Degrees from Temple University.

Jeanne Manford (New York, NY)
Manford and her husband, Jules, co-founded in 1972 a support group for parents of gay children that grew into the national organization known as Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Manford had always supported her son Morty, but was inspired to act after the police failed to intervene while Morty was beaten and hospitalized during a Gay Activists Alliance demonstration in April 1972. In the years that followed, Manford continued to march and organize, even after losing Morty to AIDS in 1992. Today, PFLAG focuses on creating a network of support and advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Manford passed away in early January at the age of 92.

Maria Gomez (Washington, DC)
Gomez founded, Mary’s Center 25 years ago with the mission to build better futures through the delivery of health care, family literacy and job training. Mary’s Center is part of the working group launching First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Read Let’s Move Campaign.” Prior to establishing Mary’s Center, Maria was a public health nurse with the D.C. Department of Health. She has also worked for the Red Cross, directing community education programming and disaster services, and with the Visiting Nurses Association. She currently serves as Regional Representative for the South East to the National Council of la Raza, and previously served two terms on the board of the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington.

Terry Shima (Gaithersburg, MD)
Shima was drafted into the US Army on October 12, 1944 as a replacement for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. This unit was composed of Japanese Americans who volunteered for combat duty. In November 2011, the US Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal collectively to the 442nd RCT, the 100th Battalion and the Military Intelligence Service. Shima served as Executive Director of the Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA), a nonprofit organization that publicizes and assists Japanese American military veterans and their families, from 2004 to 2012 and is now chair of its Outreach and Education Committee.

Michael Dorman (Fuquay-Varina, NC)
Dorman is the founder and executive director of Military Missions in Action, a North Carolina-based non-profit that helps veterans with disabilities, both physical and mental, achieve independent living. All veterans who have served are eligible to receive services including home modification, rehabilitation and family assistance. Since 2008, the organization has completed more than 100 home modification projects and shipped thousands care packages to soldiers.

Janice Jackson (Baltimore, MD)
Jackson is the creator and program director of Women Embracing Abilities Now, (W.E.A.N.) a nonprofit mentoring organization servicing women and young ladies with varying degrees of disabilities. She is also a professor at The University of Baltimore. Jackson has actively advocated on behalf of people with disabilities and currently serves on the board of directors for The League for People with Disabilities, the Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics at the University of Baltimore, and The Image Center of Maryland. She also serves on the Community Advisory Council at the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities at Kennedy Krieger Institute, and is a counselor at Kernan Rehabilitation Center. She has also founded two support groups, We Are Able People (W.R.A.P.) and Women On Wheels & Walking (W.O.W.W.).

Mary Jo Copeland (Minneapolis, MN)
Copeland founded Sharing and Caring Hands in 1985, which has served as a safety net to those in the Minneapolis area through the provision of food, clothing, shelter, transportation, medical and dental assistance. Sharing and Caring Hands assists thousands of people a month, and is staffed almost entirely by volunteers. Copeland, who currently receives no salary for her work, has served as its director since its opening and still greets every client entering the center and conducts intake interviews.

Adam Burke (Jacksonville, FL)
Burke is an Iraq combat veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart which he received for injuries occurred by a mortar attack while running combat operation in Iraq. In 2009 he opened “Veterans Farm,” a 19 acre handicap-accessible farm that helps teach veterans of all ages how to make a living from the find healing in the land. He has been awarded numerous accolades for his work, including the 2011 Good Person of the Year award from the Good People Foundation and the Star of Honor from Work Vessels for Veterans.

Pamela Green Jackson (Albany, GA)
Green Jackson is the Founder and CEO of the Youth Becoming Healthy Project (YBH), a non-profit organization committed to reducing the epidemic of childhood obesity through nutrition, fitness education and physical activity programs. YBH was created in memory of Pamela Green Jackson’s only brother, Bernard Green, who died in 2004 from obesity-related illnesses. YBH provides resources for during and after school wellness programs for elementary and middle school students as well as a summer wellness camp where the students learn about exercise, nutrition and can participate in martial arts, walking club and dance programs.

Billy Mills (Fair Oaks, California)
Mills co-founded and serves as the spokesman for Running Strong for American Indian Youth, an organization that supports cultural programs and provides health and housing assistance for Native American communities. Mills gained prominence during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, when he unexpectedly won a Gold Medal in the 10,000 meter run. Today, he remains the only American to ever win this event. At the time Mills competed in the Olympics, he was a First Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. After the Olympics, Mills, an Oglala Lakota, was made a warrior by his tribe. In 1986, Mills and Eugene Krizek, president of Christian Relief Services, joined forces to found Running Strong.

Harris Wofford (Washington, DC)
Wofford served as a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania from 1991 to 1995, and from then to 2001 was the chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service. From 1970 to 1978 he served as the fifth president of Bryn Mawr College. He is a noted advocate of national service and volunteering. He began his public service career as counsel to the Rev.Theodore Hesburgh on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and was an early supporter of the Civil Rights movement in the South in the late 1950s. He became a volunteer advisor and friend of Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1961, Kennedy appointed him as special assistant to the President for civil rights. He was instrumental in the formation of the Peace Corps and served as the Peace Corps’ special representative to Africa and director of operations in Ethiopia. On his return to Washington in 1964, he was appointed associate director of the Peace Corps. In 1966 he became the founding president o…

Dr. T. Berry Brazelton (Boston, MA)
Brazelton is one of the foremost authorities on pediatrics and child development as well as an author, and professor. One of Brazelton’s best known achievements was the development of the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS), which is now used worldwide to recognize the physical and neurological responses of newborns, as well as emotional well-being and individual differences. In 1993, he founded the Brazelton Touchpoints Center® (BTC) at Boston Children’s Hospital where he continues to promote strengths-based, family-centered care in pediatric and early education settings around the world.

What do you believe in? National Women’s Law Center

What do you believe in? Whether for our families or our country, we believe in making responsible and balanced budget decisions. We believe in making sure the wealthiest Americans and corporations pay their fair share. And we believe in protecting the programs and services that millions of vulnerable women and their families count on. Are you with us? Take a stand in support of fair budgets by sharing our button today! The more shares, the more visibility for our cause. Share the image on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Or, simply forward this email to friends and family There were key developments on the federal budget this week. The House and Senate each released its own budget for FY2014. They could not be more different. The House budget slashes critical services for vulnerable families while the Senate invests in early childhood programs, protects programs vital to women and families, and advances tax fairness. Here’s what you need to know. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan‘s budget would: Give massive tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and corporations by lowering the top individual and corporate tax rate to 25 percent. Repeal the Affordable Care Act — denying millions of women and families access to affordable health insurance. Dramatically cut funding for programs like Head Start and child care assistance, which help women work and children learn. Dismantle core safety net programs by turning Medicaid and SNAP (Food Stamps) into block grants. Cut funding for K-12 education, Pell Grants, job training, and domestic violence prevention. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray’s budget would: Increase investments in early learning and home visiting programs, giving more children access to the prekindergarten, child care, Head Start and Early Head Start opportunities. Protect Social Security and core safety net programs. Permanently extend the improvements in the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit that lift millions of women and children out of poverty. Expand access to affordable health insurance and preventive care services by continuing to implement the Affordable Care Act. Close corporate tax loopholes and limit unfair tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. Two budgets. Two visions. We need to speak up for the vision that puts women and their families first. Please join us in support of fair budgets by sharing our button today. Thanks for all your support! Sincerely, Joan Entmacher Vice President for Family Economic Security National Women’s Law Center    Judy Waxman Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights National Women’s Law Center     Helen Blank Director of Child Care and Early Learning National Women’s Law Center     P.S. For more information about what’s happening with the House and Senate budgets, please check out NWLC’s latest resources.

the daily share

How A Bartender Destroyed Mitt Romney’s Presidential Machine With One Brave Move INSPIRING: Former GOP Lawmaker Admits To A Huge Mistake Every $1 We Invest In This Could Save $6 On Housing, Healthcare, And Public Services

Rand Paul and his budget …

Rep. Paul Ryan introduced a budget plan that will repeal Obamacare, end no-cost birth control, and hurt women. The budget situation in Washington, D.C. is moving fast. We need 50,000 people to step up and contact Congress by Friday. We’re counting on you – please take action. Rep. Paul Ryan is moving a plan that would balance the budget on the backs of women and families. How? By repealing Obamacare and the no-cost birth-control policy.1 He might not have made it to the White House, but Rep. Ryan is doing everything in his power to make good on his anti-choice campaign promises to the Tea Party and right wing. We need Congress to stand firm – our country’s budget issues can’t be solved by taking away people’s health care. Things are moving fast. If we can get 50,000 people to step up and send a letter by Friday, we have a better chance of showing lawmakers that repealing Obamacare can’t be part of any budget deal. I’m counting on you – please take action. Anti-choice extremists in Congress now see repealing Obamacare as the best way to impose their will on women. And they’ll stop at nothing. Sen. Marco Rubio even threatened to shut down the government unless the health-care law is overturned.2 Ryan and Rubio are trying to sell their idea as a way to balance the budget and wipe out our national debt – but we know that’s not their real agenda. Obamacare helps women, saves America money in the long run, and ends massive abuses by the insurance industry. Every member of Congress needs to see that we’re watching them on this budget. We can only do that with your help. Will you write a quick email right now? NARAL Pro-Choice America knows that Obamacare and the no-cost birth-control policy in it is critical to women’s equality. That’s why it’s our top priority. Big deals are going down as I speak. We need no less than 50,000 people speaking out together – by Friday – to protect one of the most important milestones we’ve ever reached for women’s health. Thanks for helping us make choice real for all women. Ilyse Hogue President, NARAL Pro-Choice America 1 – “GOP Budget Plan Promises To Repeal Obamacare, Cuts Medicaid,” Huffington Post, March 12, 2013 2 – “Marco Rubio: I’ll Vote To Shut Down The Government Unless Obamacare Is Completely Defunded,” Think Progress, March 8,2013

War on Women, Budget Edition

ThinkProgress War Room

Latest GOP Budget Marks Latest Attack on Women

Budgets are statements of values and priorities. Based on the GOP’s latest budget, apparently the interests of women are not a priority.

Here’s a look at how the GOP budget is bad for women and children.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed

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Is Texas turning blue?

Even Paul Ryan admits that we’re not facing a debt crisis.

Latest GOP budget gives millionaires at least a $200,000 tax cut.

It’s time for the Obama administration to lift its secrecy on drones.

The new pope’s views on LGBT equality.

Everything you need to know about the Steubenville rape trial.

President Obama evolves even further on marriage equality.