Rich get richer, poor get poorer, & House votes on budget cuts Feb. 1

[Sapphire Blue]

Corporate Wealth Share Rises for Top-Income Americans
By DAVID CAY JOHNSTON
Published: January 29, 2006

New government data indicate that the concentration of corporate wealth among the highest-income Americans grew significantly in 2003, as a trend that began in 1991 accelerated in the first year that President Bush and Congress cut taxes on capital.

In 2003 the top 1 percent of households owned 57.5 percent of corporate wealth, up from 53.4 percent the year before, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis of the latest income tax data. The top group's share of corporate wealth has grown by half since 1991, when it was 38.7 percent.

In 2003, incomes in the top 1 percent of households ranged from $237,000 to several billion dollars.

For every group below the top 1 percent, shares of corporate wealth have declined since 1991. These declines ranged from 12.7 percent for those on the 96th to 99th rungs on the income ladder to 57 percent for the poorest fifth of Americans, who made less than $16,300 and together owned 0.6 percent of corporate wealth in 2003, down from 1.4 percent in 1991.

Continued @ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/national/29rich.html

A MEANER, HARSHER AMERICA
By MARY SCULLION

WHILE THE nation has been distracted by the domestic spying controversy and the Samuel Alito hearings, our elected officials on Capitol Hill have been busy legislating a meaner and harsher America.

Three days before Christmas, thanks to a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Cheney, the Senate passed its version of a spending reduction bill. The senators voted to slash health care, child support and educational assistance to low-income families.

The five-year budget-reduction package is expected to be supplemented by plans sometime in the coming months to seek least $56 billion in additional tax cuts, mainly targeted at wealthier Americans. The House must vote on the Senate bill, which will likely happen in the next few weeks.

The projected cuts are wide-ranging and drastic. Medicaid benefits for the poor are slashed by $7 billion over five years (with increased co-pays which will hit families with young children especially hard), while Medicare programs for the elderly are cut by $6.4 billion. Federal student-loan programs are cut by $12.7 billion over five years - while interest rates and fees for loans are increased - further reducing the chances of low-income students being able to afford higher education.

Continued @ http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/opinion/13723643.htm

Number of Americans Living in Poverty Increases for Third Consecutive Year (9/17/04)

The number and percentage of Americans living below the poverty level has increased for the third year in a row, according to data released by the Census Bureau on August 26. The total number of Americans living in poverty rose from 31.6 million in 2000 (12.1 percent) to 35.9 million in 2003 (12.5 percent). The number of poor people rose significantly among residents of the South and Midwest, Hispanics and Asians, residents of cities and suburbs, and working-age adults (aged 18-64). In addition to releasing annual national data, the Census Bureau also released state and local profiles about poverty, income, housing and other information. The Coalition on Human Needs has compiled 50 state income and poverty tables.

The Poor Become Poorer

Those living below the poverty line were on average more poor in 2003. The poverty level as defined by the Census Bureau in 2003 was $14,680 a year for a family of three, or $18,810 for a family of four. The average income for families living under the poverty level was $8,858 in 2003, which is a decrease from the 2002 average of $9,164 (in 2003 dollars). The "depth" of poverty, calculated as the average amount by which the incomes of poor people fall below the poverty line, was the largest on record since 1975. The number of Americans living in "extreme poverty," with incomes lower than one-half of the poverty level, was 15.3 million in 2003. This represents 43 percent of poor people, more than at any time since 1975.

Children

The rise in poverty hit children hard. From 2002 to 2003, the poverty rate among children under 18 rose from 16.7 percent to 17.6 percent, and the number of children living in poverty rose from 12.1 million to 12.9 million. In 2003, more than one-third of Americans living in poverty were children. Single-mother families accounted for two-thirds of the total increase in the number of poor children. The number of children living in extreme poverty rose by over half a million (515,000) from 2002 to 2003, and nearly one million (929,000) from 2000 to 2003. (For a 3-person family, extreme poverty is defined as less than $7,340 a year.)

Continued @ http://www.chn.org/humanneeds/040917c.html

National call-in week to stop the Federal budget cuts started January 23; this bill will go back to the House for a vote on February 1.

Call your U.S. Representative toll-free at 800-426-8073 until the February 1 vote.

The number, courtesy of AFSC, is toll-free, and the call takes only a few moments... not a lot of effort for DUers to do the right thing & help our fellow citizens who will be severely hurt by these proposed cuts.

A compilation of info from the Coalition on Human Needs...

The Taint of the Union 2006 (a new report from the Coalition on Human Needs): www.chn.org/pdf/taintoftheunion2006.pdf

This budget cut bill is a result of a corrupt system and must be stopped.

Congress decided to make cuts in health programs. Lobbyists for drug and health insurance companies made sure that the cuts hit poor families in the form of higher Medicaid co-payments and cuts in benefits rather than reductions in the excessive profits made by these industries. http://www.cbpp.org/12-18-05bud3.htm

Congress decided to make cuts in student loans. Lobbyists for banks made sure that most of the cuts fall on students and their parents in the form of higher interest rates and fees rather than reductions in the excessive profits made by the banks on student loans.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-harrop_12edi.ART.State.Edition1.18854b6b.html

And all these cuts will pay towards tax breaks that benefit the well-connected wealthy, while deepening the deficit and doing little to expand the economy. http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/bp168

TANF Updates

Follow Up from Welfare Advocates' Meeting
Last week the Coalition held a Welfare Advocates' Meeting to discuss the provisions reauthorizing the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program within the budget reconciliation bill. Mark Greenberg put together a presentation on the TANF provisions and we have posted his slides in a PDF format here: http://www.chn.org/pdf/2006tanfinbudget.pdf

To see how the new work participation requirements will affect each state, see Mark's paper on the Center on Law and Social Policy (CLASP) web site: http://www.clasp.org/publications/tanfagreement_update_jan12.pdf

Vicki Turetsky discussed how the bill will cause families to lose child support. To see state-by-state numbers, see her paper on the CLASP web site: http://www.clasp.org/publications/incentive_payments_121405.pdf

To see how the cuts affect your state, click here: http://www.chn.org/issues/opportunityforall/statefactsheets.html

[Sapphire Blue]

1. Please, I need help keeping this kicked for visibility! Thanks!!!

:kick:

[Sapphire Blue]

2. The switchboard is open today; please call & leave a message for your Rep.

If you can't get through on the toll-free line, please call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at [phone] or find their direct line / email contact info @ http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml.

[teryang]

3. kick

This is a sad trend. It's been going on for some time. Goverment of the people?

[Sapphire Blue]

4. We, the people, need to call our Reps & tell them to vote NO...

on the budget cuts!

Please call your U.S. Representative toll-free at 800-426-8073 until the February 1 vote.

[Sapphire Blue]

15. 1-800-426-8073

[Sapphire Blue]

42. kick

:kick:

[bvar22]

5. *

The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[kineneb]

6. 'Part of the "savings"...

in the bill comes from the expectation that some seriously disabled people will die before they receive their full benefit.'
-on how the provisions will affect the disabled in California

Thank goodness Hubby got his disablity claim approved last year.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

http://www.chn.org/pdf/factsheets/California.pdf

[Sapphire Blue]

7. Key Facts About American Children

1 in 3 will be poor at some point in their childhood.

1 in 5 was born poor.

1 in 5 children under 3 is poor now.

1 in 6 is poor now.

1 in 8 has no health insurance.

1 in 8 lives in a family receiving food stamps.

1 in 8 has a worker in their family but still is poor.

1 in 14 lives at less than half the poverty level.

http://www.childrensdefense.org/data/keyfacts.aspx


Please call your U.S. Representative toll-free at 800-426-8073 until the February 1 vote; tell them to vote NO on the budget cuts. Please do it for our children.

[prolesunited]

23. Well, why can't they just get jobs

and quit sponging off the rest of us hard-working Americans ? Oh, wait, they're kids. Well, let's repeal those silly child labor laws then. Those truly were the good old days.

Or, maybe they just need to pick better parents.

[Sapphire Blue]

8. Child Poverty in 21st Century America

Child Poverty in 21st Century America (http://www.nccp.org/pub_cpt.html)

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina exposed glaring truths about poverty in America. Child poverty and material hardship are not just problems experienced by the states in Hurricane Katrina's path—they plague Americans around the country. Just as residents began the clean-up process, the U.S. Census Bureau released numbers showing that in 2004, the poverty rate rose for the fourth straight year in a row—37 million Americans live below the poverty line. In the wake of this national tragedy, poverty should once again become a topic of national concern. Now is the time to focus on how to make sure no more children are left behind. This series, Child Poverty in 21st Century America, addresses the challenge.

Contents

Child Poverty in States Hit by Hurricane Katrina: http://www.nccp.org/pub_cpt05a.html

Who are America's Poor Children? http://www.nccp.org/pub_cpt05b.html




National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP)

http://www.nccp.org/pub_cpt05b.html

[applegrove]

24. Those rates are truly awful. Why all the red state people have

not noticed that they do better under democrats.. I do not know.

[Sapphire Blue]

25. Hi applegrove!

:hi: Nice to know that we agree on something!!!

[applegrove]

26. I know. I know. Been a bad couple of days for us. We agree on much.

I'd beinterested to find out what the poverty rates are in all ten Canadian provinces and Europe for that matter too. I hear the US is between Mexico and Russia on the lists of imcome equality. Mexico has a history of massive poverty. Russia has been a market economy - for a few years.

Hi to you too! :hi:

[Nicole]

38. Blue states are no better off here

I live in red OK. I see that the blue states equal to us out number those better off than us. There are a couple even *gasp* worse off than us!. I know that is hard to believe since all red state people don't notice these things. :sarcasm:

[applegrove]

40. Touchez!

[Sapphire Blue]

9. Assessing the Effects of the Budget Conference Agreement

Assessing the Effects of the Budget Conference Agreement on Low-Income Families and Individuals

Some Congressional leaders are claiming that the low-income provisions in the conference agreement on the budget reconciliation bill are modest and will not harm vulnerable families. Many of the legislation’s key provisions were altered behind closed doors in weekend negotiations, and the legislation was not released until after 1:00 the morning of December 19, just hours before House members had to vote on the legislation. Not surprisingly, there was considerable confusion over what the legislation actually does when the House passed it.

Because the Senate subsequently deleted several minor provisions from the conference agreement before it passed it, the legislation has to go back to the House for another vote. When the House acts this time, perhaps as early as February 1, there should be no confusion about what the legislation would do.

Careful examination of the 774-page legislation shows that the conference agreement would, in fact, cause considerable hardship among low-income families and individuals. The legislation contains cuts in various areas, including Medicaid, that would directly affect low-income families and individuals and are closer to provisions in the original House-passed reconciliation bill than to the provisions of the Senate bill. This is due in no small part to action by the conferees to shield certain powerful special interests — principally pharmaceutical companies and the managed care industry — and instead to extract sizable savings from low-income families.

Continued @ http://www.cbpp.org/12-20-05bud.htm

[Sapphire Blue]

10. Q: When is a Cut a Cut?

A: When it Takes Away Services or Benefits that People Need

Apologists for the budget bill that will be back before the House on February 1
have said over and over that because spending on basic programs for health
care and other services will rise, there are no cuts. This is preposterous. Here’s
why: http://www.chn.org/pdf/2006whenisacutacut.pdf

[realFedUp]

11. kick...this vote in Congress will be important to take a stand on.

thanks Sapphire Blue for all the info.

[Sapphire Blue]

13. Please consider suggesting this as an 'official' DU Activist Corps Action

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

(I hope this is an appropriate request; if not, my apologies to Admin.)

[realFedUp]

20. no Democrat voted for these cuts last time....

do you have information that any will this time?

[Sapphire Blue]

22. No, but a Repub has turned around, will vote NO... see post #21

[emdee]

12. Kick

:kick:

[ninkasi]

14. Disgraceful

America is now a country which invades other countries without cause, and is in the process of crushing the poor and the middle class under the heels of the wealthy. We have become the disgrace of the world, to have fallen so far so fast, thanks to Bush and his greedy corporate cronies.

[Pooka Fey]

16. WTF???!!! K&R n/t

[mousie]

17. -kick-

[slipslidingaway]

18. Kick, this was a very close vote!

[Sapphire Blue]

21. Feb. 1 vote will be close; Repub Rep voted YES now voting NO. Please call!

1-800-426-8073 (Capitol toll-free number) Let's stop these budget cuts!!!

Republican Representative Who Previously Supported Budget Cut Bill Announces Opposition To The Bill

Representative Simmons (R-2d, CT) Announces His Opposition To Feb. 1 Budget Bill

WASHINGTON , D.C. - Rep. Rob Simmons, R-2nd District, today announced that he will oppose the nearly $40 billion budget bill scheduled for a vote on Feb. 1. The Second District lawmaker released the following statement:

"I opposed the original House budget in November because I knew it could be, and should be, improved. The budget that was drafted in the House-Senate Conference was a better budget and I voted for it in December.

"Since then I have met with and listened to a wide range of constituents - including AARP, American Federation of Teachers, Connecticut Voices for Children, labor unions and radiologists-regarding the details of the proposed changes. The consensus is that the bill, despite the improvements, remains unsatisfactory. Consequently, I have decided to vote against the budget on February 1.

"Representation is only effective if the elected official listens to the people. In a democracy the government must serve the people, not reign over them. I have listened and concluded that the budget, as it stands, falls short."

http://www.chn.org/issues/opportunityforall/simmons.html

[slipslidingaway]

29. Excellent!!! If memory serves me this only passed by 6 votes...

Would you go back to the thread from last week and post the link to the votes or better yet reference the old link, there were 6 Dems that did not vote. This is achievable in my opinion.

[Sapphire Blue]

31. You're correct & this IS achievable. Here's a link to the Dec. vote...

FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 670

S 1932 YEA-AND-NAY 19-Dec-2005 6:07 AM
QUESTION: On Agreeing to the Conference Report
BILL TITLE: Budget Reconciliation, 2006


Republican: 212 Yeas 9 Nays 10 NV

Democratic: 196 Nays 6 NV

Independent: 1 Nays

TOTALS 212 Yeas 206 Nays 16 NV

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll670.xml

[slipslidingaway]

33. Thanks, although Alito has taken center stage this past week

a few more calls, emails on the reconcialition bill are worth the time.

This is also the bill that Cheney had to break the tie on in the Senate, it is not a slam dunk and thanks for keeping it alive.

[KakistocracyHater]

19. the truth is the tax cuts cost more than school lunch programs

& paying the retirement monies owed the retirees. It's his tax cuts that have caused the mess, but as usual, he gets it all confused & coincidentally scapegoats his rivals.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

27. We spend almost as much on "defense" as the rest of the world combined.

* The US military budget was almost as much as the rest of the world’s.

* The US military budget was more than 6 times larger than the Russian budget, the second largest spender.

* The US military budget was more than 30 times as large as the combined spending of the seven “rogue” states (Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria) who spent $13 billion.

* It was more than the combined spending of the next fourteen nations.

* The United States and its close allies accounted for some two thirds to three-quarters of all military spending, depending on who you count as close allies (typically NATO countries, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan and South Korea)

* The seven potential “enemies,” Russia, and China together spent $134.2 billion, 34% of the U.S. military budget.


http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/ArmsTrade/Spending.asp

And, that's not even counting the "off budget" defense spending.

[FormerDittoHead]

49. Interesting how the Military is never cited for "waste"...

...even after $700 hammers and toilets, etc...

It's those damn students and welfare moms (read: BLACKS)!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

52. Not to mention a few hundred billion pissed away in Iraq.

The "World's mightiest (and, most expensive) military" can't subdue a 3rd world nation without an army. But, they are adept at blowing up wedding parties and assorted civilians.

[Vinca]

28. I heard somewhere that many CEOs earn before lunch what

many of the rank and file earn in a year. It doesn't make sense.

[bonito]

30. Kick!

[Wilms]

32. kick

[Sapphire Blue]

34. Only 73 more recommendations to get to the top of the Greatest page!

Being very (perhaps foolishly) positive! :-)

[ellenfl]

35. kicking (for me!) eom

[slipslidingaway]

36. And another kick for you!

[lonestarnot]

37. kick

[Nicole]

39. Kick

:kick:

[Sapphire Blue]

41. kick

:kick:

[Ladyhawk]

43. K&R. Are the Republicans crippling us on purpose?

It looks that way to me. :(

[Sapphire Blue]

44. Budget to Hurt Poor People on Medicaid, Report Says

Budget to Hurt Poor People on Medicaid, Report Says

By ROBERT PEAR
Published: January 30, 2006

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 — Millions of low-income people would have to pay more for health care under a bill worked out by Congress, and some of them would forgo care or drop out of Medicaid because of the higher co-payments and premiums, the Congressional Budget Office says in a new report.

The Senate has already approved the measure, the first major effort to rein in federal benefit programs in eight years, and the House is expected to vote Wednesday, clearing the bill for President Bush.

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Mr. Bush plans to recommend a variety of steps to help people obtain health insurance and cope with rising health costs. But the bill, the Deficit Reduction Act, written by Congress over the last year with support from the White House, could reduce coverage and increase the number of uninsured, the budget office said.

(snip)

The report gives Democrats new ammunition to attack the bill. But they appear unlikely to defeat it, since the House approved a nearly identical version of the legislation by a vote of 212 to 206 on Dec. 19.

(snip)

"About one-third of those affected would be children, and almost half would be individuals with income below the poverty level," the report said in addressing co-payments for prescription drugs.

Continued @ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/30/politics/30budget.html

We can defeat this bill. Call your Rep. PLEASE. 1-800-426-8073.

PLEASE!!!

[Sapphire Blue]

45. Kick for this NYT article.

:kick:

[Sapphire Blue]

46. "About one-third of those affected would be children..."

Please call for our children!

[Sapphire Blue]

47. Send a message to your Rep: Stop Budget Cuts That Hurt Working Families

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/protectworkingfamiliesnow

(From the AFL-CIO Working Families e-Activist Network)

[Sapphire Blue]

53. !

:kick:

[indigo32]

48. kick

:kick:

[Wilms]

50. kick

[Wind Dancer]

51. Kick...............

[indigo32]

54. Kick

:kick:

[Lindacooks]

55. kick

[Imagevision]

56. And the middle class will shrink in size before Bush leaves office?

[Sapphire Blue]

57. IS there still a middle class?

[raccoon]

58. It's going the way of the eight-track tape. And quickly. nt

[Sapphire Blue]

59. Stop the Largest Cut to Student Loans Ever...

Email from Campaign for America's Future...

Stop the Largest Cut to Student Loans Ever

On February 1, Congress will reconvene and immediately vote on a budget "reconciliation bill" that contains the largest cut to student loans in American history. If they have their way, the right-wing majority will follow this with another round of tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

The budget bill would lock in increases to the cost of the typical student loan burden by as much as $2,000, and cost parents as much as $3,000 more in interest on loans for their children's education. <1>

The $12.7 billion cut from the student loan program won't begin to pay for the top-end tax breaks the right wing majority plans to take up next. These are not the priorities of the American people. They are the priorities of legislators who listen too much to their wealthy corporate donors and not enough to their voters.

Let's put the Congress on notice. Call your member of Congress before this Wednesday and demand that they stand up for affordable education and stand against irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthy. Click below for a toll-free number to your lawmaker's office, and simple talking points to make your call quick, simple and effective. Please call now.

http://www.ourfuture.org/no_student_loan_cuts.cfm

These skewed priorities are just another example of Congress' corrupt pay-to-play system. It's par for the right-wing course that the Republican chairman of the Education committee -- Rep. John Boehner -- is known as "the Congressman from Sallie Mae," a leading provider of college loans. Boehner -- who you may recognize from last week's new "campaign" ads -- is one of the front runners to replace Tom DeLay as Majority Leader. He told a group of bankers last December, that "I've got enough rabbits up my sleeve to be able to get where we need to" during a debate over student loans. Don't worry, he told them, you're in my "trusted hands." <2>

This budget bill slaps hardworking students in the face and hands a bouquet to the privileged. We have less than two days to let our legislators know that our priorities put affordable college education for working families ahead of tax handouts to the Yacht Club elites. Please call and underscore your priorities for your lawmaker today -- before Wednesday's vote.

http://www.ourfuture.org/no_student_loan_cuts.cfm

Last fall, the Campaign for America's Future and our allies at the Emergency Campaign for America's Priorities threw numerous roadblocks in the way of this conservative reverse Robin Hood plan. We were able to protect funding for food stamps and other important progressive programs. And, we were successful in scaling back the irresponsible tax cut legislation pushed by big business interests. We forced members of Congress to think long and hard about their priorities and the choices they were making.

Now the final budget vote is pending -- and the bill still cuts student loans. When a student at Kansas State asked George Bush about those cuts, the president said the bill only reforms the program, it doesn't cut loans. That was a lie. The bill takes $12.7 billion from student loan programs.

The right-wing's proposed cuts to affordable student loans come as tuition is rising at double digit percentage rates -- up 40% over the last five years for public universities. <3> More and more students must take on debt to help finance their education. The average college student graduates with more than $19,000 in student loans. <4> And now, after freezing Pell Grants, the leading federal scholarship fund for college, Congress is voting to increase the costs of taking out a loan.

Conservatives say we have to tighten our belts to reduce the deficit. But the money cut from the loans will be surpassed by the tax cuts they plan to lavish largely on the wealthiest Americans. The result? The budget deficit will continue to increase and college will become increasingly expensive and even out of reach for millions of Americans.

It is time to make ourselves heard once more. Many swing legislators are already starting to waver. This is a long-shot, but Congress shouldn't think it can get away with slashing student loans while continuing to line the pockets of millionaires. Please, make a two minute phone call to your member of Congress and make your voice heard.

http://www.ourfuture.org/no_student_loan_cuts.cfm

Please call your Rep @ 1-800-426-8073!!!

[Sapphire Blue]

60. *

:kick:

[Sapphire Blue]

61. Kicking this until the Wednesday vote!!!

:kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick:

[Wilms]

62. .

[Cocoa]

63. New York, Virginia and Connecticut DUers!

target the wavering republicans Simmons NY, Sweeney CT and Goode VA!


http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Fro ...

<snip>

Republicans from marginal districts know that lean funding can hurt them come election time, and the only Democrat to vote for a budget or spending reconciliation bill during Blunt’s tenure as whip, Rep. Ralph Hall of Texas, is now a Republican.

Blunt scored a victory by six votes — 212-206 — when the House passed a nearly identical package of spending cuts last month. But his coalition is showing signs of erosion.

Rep. Rob Simmons (R-Conn.), perennially one of the GOP’s most vulnerable incumbents, has declared he will switch his vote to no. Rep. John Sweeney (R-N.Y.) is wavering. Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.), another supporter of the cuts in December, is not commenting on his upcoming vote, according to a spokesman.

None of the three has declared his support in the three-way race for majority leader, but Sweeney is an outspoken advocate of holding a full slate of leadership elections.

Blunt faces John Boehner (R-Ohio) and John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) in Thursday’s election of a new majority leader, a job Blunt has handled since Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) was forced to step down because of an indictment.

more...

[drm604]

64. Okay, I'd like to try an experiment.

In three days time we DUers, along with others all over the net, managed to convince some of our Democratic Senators to attempt a filibuster of the Alito nomination. The filibuster failed, but we actually got them to attempt it and we changed some Senators' votes on the filibuster. We really do have some power. If we had started earlier who knows what might have happened. Everyone who's involved in trying to stop these budget cuts should read through some of the threads in GD:Alito and try using the same techniques we did. I wish I could point you to some specific threads but search is not working right now. Basically, we called and FAXed everybody we felt could be swayed. Not just their DC offices, but all of their local offices as well. We did so repeatedly. We called or emailed all of our friends and relatives and asked them to do the same. We got Kerry and Kennedy on our side. We convinced Obama. We convinced Biden! Try to use the same techniques to stop the budget cuts. I think we may be able to do it!

[Sapphire Blue]

65. One day left to contact Reps... the vote is Wednesday.

If you can drum up more support for this on DU, please do whatever you can! I've been trying for months... seem to have more much more success outside of DU, though, w/friends strongly committed to social justice... we've been doing much of what you've suggested above, even met w/Reps on break... I would have gone to the steps of the Canon Building DC had I been able to (rtsp://real.faithandvalues.com/streaming/sojourners/051214_moralbudget.rm)

I asked Will Pitt to post something on the Reverse Robin Hood Budget a while back, hoping that he would surely be able to generate more response than I had, and here's the result:

Got some work for y'all to do re: some Robin-Hood-in-Reverse stuff

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5084190

I also asked last week that this be a DU Activist Corps assignment, mentioned it in this thread, too, to no avail. So, I feel somewhat at a loss, wondering if DUers even care... even posed that question as a thread a while back...

Does anyone on this board give a damn about the poor???

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5612819

And posted this in frustration after the vote...

Dedicated to those who do nothing... those who are indifferent...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5661760#5661888

I'll try to post one more thread in the morning... we'll see what happens. One Repub has flipped, will be voting NO. Hope we can get more to flip! We need to speak out, we need to stop these cuts!

[drm604]

66. You know more about this issue then I do.

Post a thread in GD:Alito. Do it at a time when it's not likely to fall off the first screen, maybe around 9:30 - 10:00 am. (If you can't do it all by then, do it later. You can't wait another day.) Give it a very interesting (but truthful) subject line to attract interest. Ask people to kick and recommend. Announce that you want to turn the Alito juggernaut onto another good cause. Give all of the contact info for everyone you think can be swayed and who's vote will make a difference. Explain the bill and what you feel is wrong with it. Give some general talking points.

1. Tell them what you want to change (stop the bill from passing).

2. Tell them why this change is necessary (what's wrong with the bill, who it will hurt, etc.)

3. Tell them who to contact and how to contact them. Have them call and fax ALL of their local and DC offices, VISIT an office if possible. Give phone and fax numbers or point to a source that has them. If you can't find some of them, ask people to post them. Have them make several contacts with a given rep before the vote. Have people contact reps outside their own district. We want the reps to see a huge groundswell of opposition. This works!

4. Challenge people to see who can make the most phone calls and send the most faxes. Brownie points are given if you actually visit a reps office, especially a DC office. Emails are largely ignored, you can send them but only if you also call and/or fax and/or visit.

5. Tell them what to say (in general terms, they should use their own words); give them talking points. Tell them to be courteous but insistent.

6. Have a thread (probably the same thread where you're posting this) where people can report back on the responses they've gotten from calls and visits. They should report those who are definitely voting with us and, more importantly, those who seem to be wavering and need to be pushed a little harder. They can also report full voice mail boxes, empty fax machines, busy signals, phone exchanges that seem to be down, etc.

7. Ask them to call their friends and relatives and ask all of them to call and/or fax and to call their friends and relatives.

8. Ask for any ideas, suggestions, or insider info which may help to achieve your goal.

9 Keep a running tally as to where the votes stand. This is important. This seems to grab peoples interest and motivate them!

10. Try to get a high profile rep, like John Conyers, involved. See if you can find out from his office who can be swayed and see if he can help with the swaying or tell you what it will take to sway a given rep. Get involved with your own local rep in a similar way. If you know any reps personally, get them involved.

Most of the people involved in the Alito thing know all of this stuff already but laying it out for them will make it easier (think of yourself as programming self-multiplying robots to do your job). The biggest thing is to build excitement and momentum. The Alito thing was perfect for that. I don't know if it will work for you bill or not but I'd like to see it tried.

I have a full-time job, I've only been there a few months, and I've been forced to take more sick leave then I'm really comfortable with so I cannot get involved in this full-time. You seem to understand the bill and who needs to be contacted so try to run with it and see what you can do.

I'm frankly skeptical that we can achieve much the day before the vote, and it's possible that a lot of the Alito people are feeling depressed and are taking some down time away from the net in which case they won't even see what you're trying to do, but it's worth a try.

[Cocoa]

67. kick

the vote is tomorrow. It's going to be CLOSE. :kick:

[Wilms]

68. kick

[slipslidingaway]

69. The vote was so close last time, link below, email , call & a kick.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll670.xml