Category: My Work

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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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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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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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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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Why we must reform the filibuster now!

  By Filibuster, Penn ACTION

In the last few years, two features of our political system have done more to stand in the way of progressive public policy than any other. The first is the role of corporate money in our politics. The second is the filibuster—which requires supporters of legislation to find not a majority of 51 but a super majority of 60 to pass legislation in the Senate. Given the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court, fixing the first problem is difficult. It is made much more difficult by the second problem But on Wednesday, January 5, Senate Democrats may step forward and try to reform the filibuster. If they do, vote on filibuster reform will be the most important vote the Senate takes in the next two years. That’s why it is critical for you to sign a petition, today, to tell Senator Casey to suppor efforts to reform the filibuster.… Continue reading

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There is no tax deduction for contributing to Penn ACTION

  By About Penn Action, Penn ACTION

Dear Friends, I’m afraid that Penn ACTION can’t offer you a tax deduction for a year-end contribution to our organization. But we need you to make one by clicking here. That’s because we’re asking you for 501(c)4 contributions, the kind of money that will enable us to work together to do the hardest hitting, most aggressive political action in 2011, the kind of work that was so instrumental to passing the Affordable Care Act this year. We’re going to use that money to mobilize you and the other 25,000 people on our list and add another 25,000 people to it by the end of 2011. Just as we did in the last two years on health care reform, together we’re going to going to demand action on issue after issue issues that concern working people and the middle class. And we are going to keep shouting out loud when powerful… Continue reading

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Take action today to block tax cuts for the rich!–and some notes on where we stand on the tax issue

  By Federal Taxes, Penn ACTION, Take political action

The Senate is scheduled to vote today on the tax cut plan President Obama negotiated with Senate Republicans. Click here  to send an email to Senators Casey and Specter to urge them to vote no and encourage President Obama to stand united with Democrats in the House and Senate to seek a better deal. Urge them to seek a deal that continues extended unemployment benefits, that stimulates the economy, that cuts taxes for working people and the middle class and that stands against unnecessary, wasteful tax cuts for the rich. Click here  to send that message now. An interesting week This has been one of the more interesting weeks since I began at Penn ACTION in June. Our actions and emails about President Obama’s tax compromise have created more controversy among the people on our email list than anything else we have done. So this is a good opportunity for me… Continue reading

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Pennsylvania leads the way to extended unemployment insurance!

  By Penn ACTION, Unemployment Insurance

Last week, it seemed likely that extended unemployment insurance would lapse at the end of the year or only be continued for three months. But then our national partner, US Action and the AFL-CIO held a press event with Speaker Pelosi and a number of Senators. Hearing from the unemployed themselves, brought the human dimensions of unemployment home to our political leaders. You can get a feel for the impact of those stories by looking at the first video, which the AFL-CIO put out. These stories stiffened the spines of the Democratic leadership and led them to insist that the unemployment insurance extension be included in any deal over taxes. In the course of the debate over the issue, Senator Casey referred more than once to how his meeting with the unemployed moved him.   Penn ACTION, along with the Philadelphia Unemployment Project and AFL-CIO brought half the unemployed people… Continue reading