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The Right Wing War on Women and Health Care

  By Penn ACTION, Women and Health Care

t’s a classic case of bait and switch. The Republican campaign of 2010, nationally and in Pennsylvania, focused on the economy and jobs. But since taking office Republicans have instead been appeasing right wing extremists who want to roll back the advances women made in the last forty years. It began, in both Washington and Harrisburg, with legislation that would make it harder for women to use their own money to purchase health insurance that covers abortion. Having claimed, dishonestly, that the Affordable Care Act provides government funding for abortion, Republican legislation supposedly fixes the problem the invented. However their radical legislation goes much farther than the existing ban on government funding of abortion. Evidently, the Republican regard for the free market ends when it comes to women choosing how to send their own money. These new attempts to limit abortion rights are, however, just the beginning of the Republican… Continue reading

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We Won’t Go Back!

  By Health Care, Penn ACTION, Women and Health Care

Penn ACTION teamed up with Raising Women’s Voices of Southeastern PA on Thursday, February 17 when over 100 supporters of women’s health and health care reform rallied in Philadelphia in view of City Hall. Chants of  “We won’t go back!” punctuated addresses from State Sen. Lawrence Farnese, State Rep. Babette Josephs,  Carol Tracy from the Women’s Law Project,  Brenda Shelton Dunston of the Black Women’s Health Alliance, Dayle Steinberg from Planned Parenthood Southeastern PA, Kistine Carolan of the Maternity Care Coalition and Penn ACTION’s Marc Stier. As Stier pointed out, the attacks on women are not confined to attempts to role back access to reproductive care to the dark ages of back alley abortions, the attacks also extend to repealing the Affordable Care Act, which does more than any law in recent memory to bring women’s access to quality care into parity with men’s. With Planned Parenthood the target of possibly unconstitutional… Continue reading

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It's not about D or R, it's about democracy

  By Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s democracy needs the help of political activists like you today. Most people don’t pay much attention to the rules under which our legislatures operate. But you have seen what undemocratic procedures like the filibuster can do to our democracy. That’s why I writing to urge you to contact your State Representative to tell him or her to vote down the rules proposed by the House Republican leadership last week The new rules are deeply disturbing, not just for Democrats with a big D but for those of us who are democrats with a small d. They would further centralize power in the already too centralized PA House of Representatives and undermine the ability of rank and file Representatives of both parties to influence legislation. And when the power of our representatives is limited, so is the power of the people of this commonwealth. Under the proposed rule change, the… Continue reading

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Penn ACTION joins Gas Truth Protest

  By Marcellus Shale, Penn ACTION

Members of Penn ACTION joined a few hundred Pennsylvanians from all over the state at the Gas Truth protest at the inauguration of Governor Tom Corbett. Organized by Gas Truth and Clean Water Action, the rally called on Corbett to protect the state from the potential dangers of the drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. A variety of opinions were presented by the speakers at the event. Many called for a moratorium on all drilling. All called for a moratorium on drilling in the state forrests. Many called for a severence tax on natural gas. Penn ACTION Executive Director, Marc Stier, was the closing speaker at the rally. Stier focused on the political danger of natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania saying that our democracy is one of the few things more important than our water. “Just as as the hydrofracking process have polluted our waters, the natural gas drillers have… Continue reading

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Paying respects to Congresswoman Giffords

  By Arizona Shootings

Penn ACTION held candlreight vigils in two parts of Pennsylvania to pay our respets to Congresswoman Giffords and those who lost their lives in Arizona. Members of Northeast Pennsylvania Citizens in Action held a candlelight vigil Today, Tuesday, January 11th at 5:00pm at Courthouse Square, Scranton to honor and remember the victims of the tragic shooting that took place in Tucson, AZ on Saturday, January 8, 2011.  The vigil took place on the corner of North Washington Avenue and Spruce Street Scranton to honor and remember the victims of the tragic shooting that took place in Tucson, AZ on Saturday, January 8, 2011. I think its important that residents in Northeastern Pennsylvania have an opportunity to come together and pray for all of those affected by this terrible tragedy,” said Ed Farrell, Citizens In Action member.  “Whether it happened 25 or 2,500 miles away, it still hits home and reminds us that… Continue reading

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Pennsylvanians say no to repeal!

  By Health Care, Penn ACTION

Yesterday the Republican leadership in the House made good on their campaign promise to roll back the progress made by the Affordable Care Act.  This is be frustrating for those of us who worked so hard for health care reform last year, but keep in mind three things. First, this was a political show that is likely to have no long term negative consequence.  Repeal legislation will not pass the Senate or be signed by President Obama. Second, the repeal effort gave us an opportunity to talk more and, after Arizona, more calmly, about the new protections and rights that the ACA created. The more people hear about the bill, the more they like it. Polls are clearly trending in our favor.  People know that was a vote against affordable health insurance for Americans with pre-existing conditions – including children.   It was a vote against making sure that greedy… Continue reading

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Donna Reed Miller without tears

  By A political memoir, NW Philly, People, Philadelphia, Politics

Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller announced her retirement last week. I though this would be a good time to repost a slightly revised version of this piece, which I originally posted May 22, 2007. I’ve been meaning to write a long piece about Donna Reed Miller’s role in the eighth district for a awhile. It is a fascinating story with all kinds of complications that provides an interesting view from which to explore race and class issues in our city. This is not it. But it is a brief sketch for those who want to know more about the Eighth district. I can sum Councilwoman Miller up with a story. I once met with her to discuss public financing of political campaigns. This was before Councilwomen Tasco and Verna with the encouragement of state representative Dwight Evans, decided to hold hearings on the subject. She was interested enough, but our conversation… Continue reading

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Good news on filibuster reform: thank Senator Casey

  By Filibuster, Penn ACTION

I have really good news on filibuster reform. First, Senator Casey has announced his support for the filibuster reform package introduced by Senators Udall, Harkin, and Merkley. Second, it looks like serious reform is on the way. Majority Leader Harry Reid has taken advantage of the rules to draw out the first “legislative day” for a few weeks to build support. But we are hearing growing optimism on the part of reform minded Democrats. Thank Senator Casey and each other! We’re very grateful for Senator Casey’s support. And I want to thank all of you who signed our petition to Senator Casey. After meeting, along with Common Cause, SEIU, CWA, and the Steelworkers, with his legislative director, we thought Senator Casey was leaning in our direction. But it was just hours after I forwarded the list of signers of the petition to the Senator’s office that I received word that… Continue reading

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HCAN PA / Penn ACTION statement on the shootings in Arizona

  By Arizona Shootings, Penn ACTION

The shootings yesterday in Arizona are a personal tragedy for Congresswoman Giffords and her staff, for Judge Roll, for the other six people killed and for the many people injured. We pray today for them. The shootings are also a tragedy for our political process. Democratic government is the means by which we resolve our disputes, and come to some agreement about the common good, without a resort to violence. Any time violence disrupts our democracy, we all lose. It seems that the man who fired the bullets suffers from a serious mental illness. He and any accomplices are responsible for their actions. But these shootings, like many acts of property violence against Congressional offices over the last two years, have taken place in the context of a long right wing campaign against health care reform that has been characterized by ideological extremism, an intolerance for progressive views; a willing… Continue reading

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Taking the terrorist threat seriouslyor how the Pennsylvania Department of Homeland Security protects us

  By Humor, Pennsylvania

I wrote this piece in September. when newspaper reports revealed that the Pennsylvania Department of Homeland Security had spent a large sum of money to hire some “experts” to provide it, and the state’s police departments with intelligence about terrorist threats. I sent it to the Inquirer op-ed editor. He was out of town and by the time he returned the moment had passed  to publish it. I forgot about it in the run up to the election. But I’ve been told it’s funny, so here it is. The report of the contents of PA Actionable Intelligence Brief #137 is true. The liberal media is once again fomenting outrage at the government by attention to the $103,000 contract that the Pennsylvania Department of Homeland Security signed with the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response to provide timely intelligence about possible terrorist threats. But in all the hubbub that the liberal… Continue reading