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Help Rebuild the American Dream

  By Penn ACTION, Take political action

On July 16 and 17, Penn ACTION and other US Action affiliates, MoveOn and other national organizations are sponsoring a series of American Dream house meetings. The main goal of these house meetings is to focus on the long term progressive agenda. We’ll share stories our personal and political difficulties and their interconnection; talk about where we are as a country; and develop offer ideas to move us in the right direction. I’d like to invite you, as a Penn ACTION activists, to host one of those meetings. You can do it in you home, at a your church, at a local coffee shop or even a bar. We and MoveOn will invite local activists to join you at your meeting. And we will provide some help to you in planning and carrying out the meeting and in doing follow up after it is over. To sign up to host… Continue reading

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Stop the education cuts petition: 34,000 signatures, delivery events ongoing

  By Education, Penn ACTION, Take political action

About a month ago, Penn ACTION joined with Education Voters to launch a petition against Governor Corbett’s million dolar cut to education. The petition took off like wildfire and in a little oer three weeks, 34,000 people had signed. (If you haven’t signed yet, you can do so here.) Last week we began recruiting volunteers to deliver the signatures to legislative offices. We have set up a separate web site www.stoppaedcuts.org at which we are posting reports and photos about our delivery events and recruiting more people to join them. So far we have made 40 deliveries. We recently completed deliveries to Bucks County and received press coverage of our efforts there and in Montgomery County. We are also planning a Harrisburg event at which we will deliver all 34,000 petition signatures to Governor Corbett. Details coming soon. Delivering a set of petition signatures is something you can do in… Continue reading

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HCAN Activists Disrupt Aetna Annual Meeting Call Aetna to account for “hypocrisy” about the Affordable Care Act

  By Health Care, Penn ACTION

Penn ACTION dropped by Aetna’s Annual Meeting in Philadelphia to ask why the company says it is supporting the Affordable Care Act while it funnels millions of dollars of secret contributions to the Chamber of Commerce, which ran ads against the Affordable Care Act and members of Congress who supported it.  Don’t miss the great press coverage, which came from outlets all over the world. You can see coverage from the Wall Street Journal, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Hartford Courant, Bloomberg and the AP here.  Here’s our press release describing the event: The Chairman and CEO of Aetna Insurance, Mark Bertolini, was telling attendees at the annual meeting that his company was working hard to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA) when 8 protestors burst into the room shouting “We Need Health Care; Aetna’s Not Fair.” Continue reading

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Media Coverage of Penn ACTION at Aetna’s Annual Meeting in Philadelphia

  By Health Care, Penn ACTION

Coverage in the Wall St. Journal: Aetna Shareholder Meeting Halted By Protesters By Dinah Wisenberg Brin Of  DOW JONES NEWSWIRES PHILADELPHIA (Dow Jones)–Aetna Inc.’s (AET) annual shareholder meeting was halted temporarily when a group of protesters pushed through the doors to complain that the health insurance industry was trying to undermine the federal government’s health-care reform. The meeting resumed about 10 minutes later, and no arrests were made; however, the incident shows how the health-care overhaul approved last year by the federal government remains a heated issue. Aetna’s meeting had just gotten underway, and Chairman and Chief Executive Mark Bertolini was speaking to shareholders, when protesters shouting and carrying signs and bullhorns burst through the doors of the Le Meriden hotel meeting room. Aetna security whisked Bertolini out a side door, while other security people tried to restrain protesters. After the meeting, Bertolini said a protester had charged toward him.… Continue reading

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My first vote for Council at Large will go to Sherrie Cohen

  By Philadelphia

Dear Friends, I’m writing to urge you to vote for Sherry Cohen for City Council at Large in Tuesday’s primary. There are a number of good candidates for Council at Large, including the incumbents. But Sherrie could bring something special to the office—a real commitment to building support throughout the city for progressive causes. Sherrie’s done that already, especially as a leader of the Coalition for Essential Services. With the resources of a Council, Sherrie could be even more effective in this role. Why is this so important? Continue reading

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Voucher bill won’t help those who need it most

  By Education, Vouchers

Originally published in the Germantown Chronicle and the Mt. Airy Independent, April 29-May 11, 2011 Seven years ago, as I campaigned for State Representative in Nicetown and Germantown, I saw that many people, and especially African Americans, felt betrayed by the public schools. They were frustrated with inadequate funding, inexperienced teachers, limited school services, and unresponsive administrators. So I’m not surprised that State Senators who rightfully care about these communities, such as LeAnna Washington (D-4), would consider supporting SB1, the voucher proposal that will be voted on soon in Harrisburg. Good public policy, however, cannot be made on the basis of frustration. There are voucher proposals that progressives like myself could support—proposals that equalize funding statewide for all students and that guarantee everyone a place in a good school where professional teachers are honored, respected and well paid. But SB1 is not that proposal. SB1 is, in fact, a fraud. Continue reading

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Pennsylvanians follow Gov. Corbett to Washington to say NO to vouchers

  By Education, Penn ACTION

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn6jbA9e1uE That’s video from Penn Action’s May 9 D.C. rally against vouchers.  Along with Action United and with help from the SEIU, the PSEA, USAction and the Philadelphia Student Union, a bus of concerned citizens travelled from Bucks County and Philadelphia to Washington D.C. to protest against school vouchers.   Pennsylvania’s Gov. Corbett joined his role model, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, in addressing the American Federation of Children, a pro-voucher, anti-public school organization.  We wanted to be there to let Gov. Corbett know that vouchers are not the solution to any problems Pennsylvania schools have – and that his $1.2B of cuts are not helping.   You can read and watch accounts of the event from a number of media outlets that covered the event. Politics PA UFCW Photos Philadelphia Inquirer and here Philadelphia Daily News (AP) Washington Post Pittsburgh Post-Gazette WHTM-TV 27 (ABC) Harrisburg Teamster Nation AFL-CIO Daily Kos… Continue reading

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Bucks County constituents tell Rep. Fitzpatrick that they don’t want to be worked to death

  By Health Care, Penn ACTION, Social Security

A longtime professor of literature at Bucks County Community College, Chris Bursk, knows that not every story has a happy ending. Much as the 68-year-old teacher loves his job, Bursk isn’t entirely thrilled at the prospect of working till age 80. “I’d like to retire. But I don’t think I could afford it,” he said. His students’ future seems bleaker still, Bursk said. “So many worry about the world they will inherit and how they will get by,” he said. That’s an excerpt from the Bucks County Courier Times coverage of Penn ACTION’s Work ’till You Die event at the office of Cong. Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08).   The world Chris Bursk’s students will inherit will be a lot harder for them if the Ryan/Fitzpatrick plan to destroy Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security is made law.  To help prevent that from happening, the Save Social Security Coalition, which is led in Pennsylvania… Continue reading

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Penn Action volunteer responds to Rep. Fitzpatrick’s attack

  By Health Care, Penn ACTION

As you know, in March, the Congressman fled from constituents standing the legally mandated distance from his office to celebrate the anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act.  Shortly after that, a story about his avoidance of us ran in the Bucks County Courier Times.  In response, his office placed a guest opinion attacking Penn Action and volunteer, Barbara Stakes.  Barb is a Bucks County resident and tireless advocate for health care justice.   She’s told her story countless times at events to educate the public about the Affordable Care Act.   She continues to fight to protect it from defunding at the hands of the new Congress.  Her response to the Congressman’s attack ran in the Courier on April 25.  You can read it here.  From Barb’s guest opinion: In October, I qualified for the PA Fair Care Highmark Blue Shield program made possible by the ACA’s… Continue reading

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Work till you die events around Pennsylvania

  By Penn ACTION, Social Security

The Save Social Security Coalition, which is led in PA by Action United and Penn ACTION is holding four events around Pennsylvania this week to say no to efforts to  end Medicare as we know it and to reduce Social Security benefits. We are going to call out members of Congress–including Representatives Barletta, Dent, Fitzpatric, Gerlach,  and Meehan, who have voted for proposals to replace Medicare with a voucher that after ten years will provide only a third of the benefits seniors get today; who have voted for a $1.7 billion reduction in Social Security; who have voted to slash 1.4 trillion from Medicaid which provides health care fo seinors, women, children and people with disabilities; and who voted to give another $1.1 trillio ntax cut to the riches Americans and cut their tax rate and the corporate tax rate from 35% to 25%. SE PA:  Chester April 28th 10:45… Continue reading