Let them eat MREs

Nearly 1.5 million households with a veteran received food-stamp benefits in 2011.

Sadly, this also includes far too many members of the military who are on active duty. In that same year, over $100 million in food aid was used on military bases.

Those are shocking statistics, aren’t they?

What’s more galling is that the Senate Agriculture Committee just approved a bill that includes a $4.1 billion reduction in the food stamp program, and the legislation comes to a vote before the full Senate next week.

Thankfully, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has stepped up to offer an amendment to stop these cuts and pay for them by cutting subsidies to insurance companies, many of which are based overseas.

Ahead of the vote, please sign our note to Senator Gillibrand letting her know that we stand with her in this fight.

http://action.votevets.org/food-stamps

Going through the list of those who voted for the bill in committee, it’s no shock to see several Senators who always seem ready to rush our military into new wars overseas, but fail to act as expeditiously when it comes to taking care of them at home.

We have to stop them in this fight.

Jon Soltz
@jonsoltz
Iraq War Veteran
Chairman, VoteVets

Farm Bill debate begins–yo​ur voice is needed:

Our government is currently paying farmers to grow virtually the opposite of what it recommends that Americans eat—including billions to subsidize items such as corn syrup that go into processed food. Not only do these policies undermine our health, they damage our air, soil, and water. Thankfully, there’s a better way. Check out our new analysis, The Healthy Farm: A Vision for U.S. Agriculture, that identifies four ways that modern, science-based practices can produce abundant, affordable, healthy food and protect our environment. Be sure to visit our interactive healthy farm and take action as debate on the Farm Bill heats up. —Karla Science in Action Debate on Farm Bill begins—we need your help We have an opportunity right now to reorient government policies to provide greater support for healthy food and farms. A proposal has been introduced to strengthen support in the Farm Bill for programs that meet our food needs, provide economic opportunities, and minimize harmful environmental costs. Tell Congress: the Farm Bill should support healthy farms and food—not processed food and industrial agriculture! Share: Cartoon of the Month Click to view larger image.  VOTE for UCS! Support our submission in the Looking @ Democracy video contest. INFOGRAPHIC: Are U.S. farms growing the food we should eat? Find out! Organic dairy—it’s good for your bones and great for the local economy. Learn more. Just rotate the crops? How one scientific study is upending the claims made by chemical companies! Ask a Scientist Karen Perry Stillerman Senior Analyst, Food and Environment ProgramFollow Karen’s blog >> Our country has one of the highest costs for medical care, and has increasing amounts of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases. To what extent can changes in our food system help make Americans healthier and what is UCS doing about these problems? —Janet Cruz, Kamiah, ID It’s true that healthcare spending in the United States currently accounts for 18 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is expected to rise sharply as the population ages. And rates of diet-related chronic diseases are soaring. Most of us know we should eat a healthier diet—with more fruits and vegetables, and less meat, sugar, and processed foods—but we’re being undermined by a food system that sets us up to fail. MOREDo you have a question for UCS scientists? Submit your question today. This Just In Take a trip to a modern, sustainable farm Healthy farms can meet our need for affordable, healthy food while providing real environmental and economic benefits. Our interactive graphic takes you on a tour of the top practices and benefits associated with modern, sustainable farming. Start your journey now!

ALEC’s at it again: this time pushing state legislation that threatens our food’s safety by shielding factory farms from whistleblowers. Here’s what you need to know… MORE   Laura Wisland: Solar Power Blooms Across the Country  Michael Halpern: Duped Again on Emergency Contraception  Todd Sanford: Wildfire Season Has Arrived in the West  Kevin Knobloch: A Welcome Voice of Corporate Leadership MORE   Did you miss Ricardo Salvador on @MHPnews? http://ow.ly/kwGSx Check out this weekend’s segment on #GMOs, Monsanto, hunger, and more…  VIDEO: Planning for sea level rise http://ow.ly/kqsaI @weatherchannnel highlights the growing risks of rising seas. #climate  We need a science champion for @EPAadm. Tell your senator to confirm Gina McCarthy: http://bit.ly/141B77I  States are choosing renewable energy facts over fiction peddled by #ALEC, #Koch brothers @CSMonitor http://ow.ly/kr03y DEFEND SCIENCE! Your commitment to UCS ensures that scientific facts inform decisions that affect our environment, our health, and our security. Donate today.

Farm Bill Countdown

Farm Bill Countdown

The clock is ticking on Congress’ latest attempt to pass a Farm Bill. We have just 173 days until the current extension expires. By taking action, you are joining others who are keeping up the pressure on Congress to pass the Farm Bill.

Take Action Today!

ACTION ALERT

Tell Congress to Support the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act
It sounds like simple advice: “Eat your fruits and veggies.” But it’s not so easy. Our country spends too much money subsidizing crops like corn and soybeans that get turned into processed junk food, instead of expanding access to foods that are healthier for us and the planet.

 
Now we have the chance to begin to reorient how our federal dollars are spent.

 
The Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act—a proposal to improve the federal Farm Bill—will encourage greater production of sustainably produced fruits, vegetables, meats, and other healthy foods; make these foods more accessible for all individuals; and stimulate local economies. The bill will also expand access to healthy food for all consumers by improving the ability for families and seniors to use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits at farmers markets and other outlets for local, healthy foods. Our analysis shows that these programs can create jobs and encourage healthier eating.

 
Tell your members of Congress to cosponsor the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act!
Take Action Today!

Sincerely, Jenn Yates National Field Organizer Food & Environment Program Union of Concerned Scientists

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

CBO: Farm bill and Chained CPI

Updated cost estimates of the farm bill legislation that was considered in the Senate and the House during the 112th Congress

 The updated estimates are relative to our most recent baseline projections for agriculture, conservation, and nutrition spending. The enclosed tables show the effects on direct spending of:

Preliminary Estimate of the Budgetary Effects of Using the Chained CPI for Mandatory Programs and the Tax Code Starting in 2014

Austerity over American Growth …Republicans

Just another rant …

So, the Sequester is coming … let’s call it March madness because that Congressional Act that will happen in March is clearly based on some insanely mad folks and will probably shove America into another mini recession that could blow up and get out of control much quicker than estimated . I ask you, where and what are Republicans thinking and how amusing is it that Election2012 has taught them nothing! They continue to vote against bills that could help their own constituents while getting our economy back on track.

However, it seems like Republicans do not believe they even have middle-lower or poor constituents that will feel the sequester pain… reality is they ignore them.

We may never know all the reasons or facts behind our economy receding, and yes; we all have to admit some housing loans were a big mistake.  We do know that Republicans have made it a mission almost impossible since they first held Americans hostage and while we still need banksters and Wall street to take responsibility for the out of control greed that caused our financial downfall . There is still a sense that those who played with consumer money knew the government would not only pay to get them out of the ditch but the government would be held accountable and not the banks. I am convinced this was on the minds of those willing to make bets against the housing consumer since Freddie and Fannie Mae are governmental programs.

The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves in their separate, and individual capacities. In all that the people can individually do as well for themselves, government ought not to interfere. The desirable things which the individuals of a people can not do, or can not well do, for themselves, fall into two classes: those which have relation to wrongs, and those which have not. Each of these branch off into an infinite variety of subdivisions. The first that in relation to wrongs embraces all crimes, misdemeanors, and nonperformance of contracts. The other embraces all which, in its nature, and without wrong, requires combined action, as public roads and highways, public schools, charities, pauperism, orphanage, estates of the deceased, and the machinery of government itself. From this it appears that if all men were just, there still would be some, though not so much, need for government. – Abe Lincoln

The fact is; being out of a job, homeless or being on food stamps is a non-partisan reality.  Yet, Republicans do not feel this way. In fact, they have yet to move on from the original stimulus bill choosing to make comments though we all saw a great number of Republicans cutting ribbons, telling their constituents they were their champions even stating President did not do his part. Honestly, the idea that Republicans state they need to be more pragmatic is laughable and as these folks continue to riff on who did what when to whom, President Obama genuinely tried to be bipartisan for the last 4yrs, but some of us feel the ultimate plan was to embarrass him … old school politics will continue to be a battle.  Putting ones Party first before the People, a practice that began in 2009 has continued into President Obama’s second term with the Party of NO not only misinforming voters but also filibustering our President’s ability to govern.

People are hurting, Republican mayors and governors came forward to say vote for the package; yet Boehner and others, who, agreed to meet with the President and in private told his group to say no to anything beforehand continue to say no to legislation which shows just what kind of person he and his party are.

It made me sad and angry given what is going on that someone could be so cynical but it shows how Republicans see politics as a game and we Americans are the pawns

I’d laugh but it hurts

Call Congress: Protect food stamps and family farms …Rashad Robinson, ColorOfChange.org

Congress wants to cut food stamps — but keep subsidizing Big Agribusiness?

Demand a Farm Bill that fully funds critical nutrition assistance programs and protects Black family farms.

Since last week, you and over 33,000 ColorOfChange members urged the U.S. Congress to protect healthy food, hungry people, and struggling family farmers. The Congress is likely to vote this week to finalize the text of the 2012 Farm Bill. Amending the bill now is crucial to ensuring that our families — on the farm and off — will continue to be able to put enough food on the table even in the toughest of times.

The current version of the bill would give billions in wasteful subsidies to Big Agribusiness, while cutting critical food programs. Can you make a call urging your Representative to support an amended Farm Bill that fully funds SNAP and safeguards livelihoods for Black family farmers? A personal call is a really powerful way to make a statement, and it only takes a moment:

http://act.colorofchange.org/call/farmbill_calls_house/

The 2501 Program and SNAP provide necessary resources to improve equity for Black farmers as well as ensure access to healthy food and vegetables for our families. Congress should prioritize safeguarding human lives and livelihoods over pandering to huge agribusiness corporations that don’t need the help. Join us in urging Congress to fully fund those portions of the Farm Bill that our community relies on the most. And when you do, please ask your friends and family to do the same:

http://act.colorofchange.org/call/farmbill_calls_house/

Thanks and Peace,

– Rashad, Gabriel, Dani, Matt, Natasha, Kim, Aimée and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team     July 9th, 2012

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

Media Matters for America

Right-Wing Media Attacks SNAP Outreach To Elderly Americans Right-wing media are attacking a program designed to increase awareness of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) among the elderly, saying they hope the effort “come[s] to a quick end.” But SNAP outreach programs have been crafted and employed by previous administrations, hunger is increasing among all groups, including the elderly, and the elderly are under enrolled in SNAP. Read More

Dobbs Helps Cover Up Romney’s Support For Health Insurance Mandate Fox Business host Lou Dobbs covered up the fact that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney previously supported the same kind of financial penalties on individuals who refuse to purchase health insurance that are in the Affordable Care Act, penalties Romney now criticizes. In fact, even the architect of Romney’s health care law says the law Romney championed as governor of Massachusetts is very similar. Read More

O’Reilly And The Enduring Threat Of Uncertainty Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly is still blaming health care reform legislation for “uncertainty” that he warned is harming jobs growth – even after the Supreme Court issued a final ruling that the law is constitutional. Economists and small business owners have said that lack of demand, not uncertainty, has held back jobs growth. Read More

Media Matters for America : Bain , FOX and #ACA

REPORT: Media Overwhelmingly Focus On Rulings Against Health Care Reform Constitutionality A majority of federal rulings on the substance of President Obama’s health care reform law have found it to be constitutional, including the law’s mandate that individuals purchase health insurance. But a Media Matters review of the five largest newspapers and the flagship CNN, Fox News, ABC, CBS, and NBC evening news programs finds that the media overwhelmingly focused on rulings that struck down the law in whole or in part — 84 percent of segments on the broadcast and cable programs reviewed and 59 percent of newspaper articles that reported on such rulings — while largely ignoring rulings that found it constitutional or dismissed the case. Read More

Fox News Botches Basic Facts About Food Stamp Program Fox News attacked the food stamp program for its increasing enrollment and costs, accused the program of facilitating fraud, and expressed astonishment that states are rewarded for increasing enrollment. However, enrollment in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increased due to the recession; there are only about 1 percent of cases that are found to be fraudulent, and the state awards for enrollment date back to the Bush administration. Read More

Right-Wing Media Side With Pro-Romney Forces In Wash. Post‘s Internal Bain Capital Dispute Right-wing media are touting a Washington Post Fact Checker article alleging that the Obama campaign “failed to make its case” in a new ad claiming that Romney “shipped jobs” overseas. But a different Post article pointing to data from the Securities and Exchange Commission has affirmed that Bain Capital, with Romney as head, “owned companies that were pioneers in the practice of shipping work from the United States to overseas.” Read More