Category: Penn ACTION

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Quack Attack: Penn ACTION & Labor call out Corbett’s plan to raise taxes on working people

  By Penn Action and Election 2010

Penn ACTION joined labor union activists launched a “Quack Attac” to in Williamport to protest Tom Corbett’s proposal to increase the pay roll taxes on workers for purposes of repaying a $3 billion debt owed to the federal government for unemployment compensation. Corbett, who earlier this year took a no-tax pledge, has consistently denied the payment made by workers into the unemployment fund is a tax.  But Marc Stier, leader of Penn ACTION said “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck –it’s a duck!” “Tom Corbett cannot mask a payroll tax hike imposed on working people simply by calling it another name. He can’t have his duck and eat it too,” Stier said. Patrick Gleason is a spokesperson for Americans for Tax Reform, the group that authored the no-tax pledge Corbett signed. agreed with Stier. Speaking about the Corbett’s proposal, Gleason said,… Continue reading

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Build progressive power in PA; become a dues paying member of Penn ACTION

  By About Penn Action, Penn ACTION

During the HCAN campaign, I received an email from one of our activists who said, “Thanks for all the great work you are doing and for helping me find a way for me to be politically effective. But I wish you didn’t keep asking for money.” I laughed when I read this because, at that point, I had never asked anyone for money to support HCAN. But now I am going to ask you for money, not for a particular project, but to sustain Penn ACTION with $25 or more by becoming a member of the organization. n recent weeks I’ve heard from many of you—in emails, on conference calls, and in response to an on-line survey—about what you want Penn ACTION to be. The answer has many parts, but it really comes down to this: You know that we are up against powerful interests that are determined to block… Continue reading

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Building a New Commonwealth: The Penn ACTION Agenda

  By About Penn Action

Penn ACTION will work on a variety of issue campaigns and civic engagement campaigns and, at some point in the future, is likely to endorse political candidates as well. But Penn Action isn’t just about moving a series of independent issue issues. If we want to build a strong progressive movement in Pennsylvania;  if we want people to be willing stay active and engaged politically and to help us build political power, we have to work toward a set of  goals and ideals that transcend a list of issues that concern us at one particular time. We One way to formulate the ideals and aspirations that unite progressives, and to do so in a way that resonates with our history in Pennsylvania, is thisL our goal is create a new and better commonwealth here in Pennsylvania and in the United States as a whole. A commonwealth is a particular kind… Continue reading

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You’ve done it again: Penn ACTION supporters leads the way

  By About Penn Action, Penn ACTION

As you know, Pennsylvania had one of the strongest Health Care For America Campaigns over the last two years, with more of you taking part in more and more varied actions—both online and offline—than in other states. And now you have done it again, twice, in the last weeks Penn ACTION supporters lead the way in the PEPSI Challenge. We win $1000. In the last few weeks, we have asked you to vote in the Pepsi challenge, in the hope that our national organization, US Action, would come in first or second in the competition and win $250,000. Well, unfortunately, US Action came in third just a little out of the running. We will try again, probably, in November. But Penn ACTION, which is the newest US Action affiliate, had more people vote in the Pepsi challenge than any other affiliate. As a result, and thanks to your efforts, Penn… Continue reading

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Penn ACTION and CLEAR lead Democrats and Republicans to Stand Together In Support of FMAP, Education Funding

  By FMAP, Penn ACTION

Just three hours before the House of Representatives voted to extend FMAP funding and provide additional federal funds for education, a bi-partisan group of state legislators from the Greater Philadelphia suburbs stood together on the steps of the Delaware County Courthouse in Media with representatives of labor unions and social service providers to urge Congress to extend funding of the FMAP program through the end of June 2011. They were joined by a crowed of more than fifty people. Republican and Democratic State Senators including Edwin Erickson, Stewart Greenleaf, and Daylin Leach, and state Representative Tom Murt, come together or issued statements with Penn Action, CLEAR, the SEPA Budget Coalition, Education Voters PA,  the Mental Health Assocation of SEPA, and the Delaware County Literacy Coatlition.  to say that the House of Representatives should follow the Senate in passing an extension of FMAP. The theme of the event was that FMAP… Continue reading

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Penn ACTION, Democracy for America and UFCW tell Pat Toomey to come clean on Social Security

  By Penn ACTION, Social Security

In response to Pat Toomey’s waffling on Social Security, dozens of seniors, labor leaders, and community residents brought together by Penn ACTION, Democracy for American and UFCW Local 1776 gathered at the Municipal Services Building across from City Hall to tell Toomey to come clean about his position on Social Security.  “When Pat Toomey attacks Social Security he is attacking all of us, every participant, which is every American that participates in that system,” said Arshad Hasan of Democracy for America. “Worse than that he’s attacking me and my generation – people who are working, and he’s saying, ‘you work for it, you pay into it, but you don’t get it. I don’t want to leave a system for you.’ And I think that is fundamentally unfair.” Seniors held up bars of soap and shouted, “Come clean Toomey!” Toomey came under criticism last month when he responded to a question… Continue reading

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Join Penn ACTION to get out the vote in 2010!

  By Penn ACTION, Penn Action and Election 2010

Election 2010 is under way. You can make a huge difference in 2010 by taking part in Penn ACTION Get Out The Vote (GOTV) Campaigns in Bucks County and Philadelphia. Click here to apply for a paid canvassing position in Bucks County. Click here to volunteer to do phone banking in Philadelphia. We will have also have opportunities for Penn ACTION supporters all over the state to do phone banking from home into a variety of critical areas in the state. Details will be available soon. Most people are just starting to pay attention to the 2010 Election. And this election is all about turnout. Every poll shows that, if we can turnout supporters of progressive causes and candidates, we can win statewide, Congressional and General Assembly elections. Penn ACTION is beginning two major Get Out The Vote (GOTV) Campaign in Bucks County and Philadelphia. Please join us! Paid Canvass… Continue reading

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Penn ACTION in brief

  By About Penn Action

Penn ACTION is a relatively new organization that has become the only progressive grassroots organization outside the labor movement with statewide reach in Pennsylvania. We are committed to working on our own, and in coalition with other groups, to building and expanding the progressive movement in Pennsylvania—one that realizes our idea of a New Commonwealth in Pennsylvania and the United States as a whole. To realize that ideal, we will work to advance critical progressive legislation and to help elect progressive political officials. We have a statewide email list of 195,000 with an activist base of 15,000 people who have taken actions—online or in person—in support of progressive issues and electoral campaigns. We have extraordinary volunteers who hold political events and actions in every corner of the state. We aim to keep staff members working in Northwestern PA, Northeastern PA and Southeastern PA and hope to expand to two other… Continue reading

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The Next Step in Building Progressive Power in Pennsylvania

  By Penn ACTION, Politics, Take political action

We won a big victory. But the struggle is not over, either for health care or for the larger progressive agenda. I’m writing to ask you to sign up so that together we can build a force in Pennsylvania to keep America moving forward.For over twenty months, we worked together to do something that will make us proud for the rest of our lives. Continue reading

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A small victory: Blues will support AdultBasic for six more months

  By Health Care, Penn ACTION

We had a small victory for AdultBasic today. But there is still more to be done to insure that the program continues until it is no longer necessary. The Adult Basic Program Health Care For America Now joined five events around the state led by the Pennsylvania Health Access Network in support of Adult Basic, Pennsylvania’s health insurance program for 47,000 people who cannot afford health insurance but whose incomes are not low enough to qualify for Medicaid. AdultBasic is inadequate insurance, but it provides a lifeline for many people. And over 350,000 are on a waiting list for the program. AdultBasic has been funded in large part by community reinvestment funds contributed by Pennsylvania’s Blues—mostly from the two largest Independence Blue Cross and Highmark. The Blues agreed to make these contributions in the first year of the Rendell administration, when it was apparent that they were amassing surpluses in… Continue reading