The Politics of Jamie Sanderson

Columbia Police Dept. Incident Report on Ted Vick's arrest

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Hacks lacking imagination call it Pinata Gate

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

By now you've likely heard that our reception for Donna Dewitt last Saturday - after our annual spring convention - has caused a stir. We honored Donna for her 16 years of service as President of the SC AFL-CIO, surprising her with a pinata. Although it was never intended for anyone beyond our friends and allies, video of the celebration went viral.

We are using the rare media attention as an opportunity to make the points they otherwise ignore. Please watch these clips.

Brett on Fox
http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/cavuto/index.html#/v/1653600191001/video-shows-sc-union-leader-bashing-pinata-of-gov-haley/?playlist_id=87065

Donna on CNN
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2012/05/23/t-dewitt-union-boss-smacks-gov-haley-pinata.cnn

And since the governor is using the video as a fund raising tool, we figured we should too. Please consider donating to the Network to further our work.

SC Progressive Network • POB 8325 Columbia SC 29202 • 803.808.3384 • network@scpronet.com • www.scpronet.com

Your tipsheet: So it begins

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:52:00 +0000

You've probably heard me talk about the unprecedented level of negative campaigning we're going to see from our opponents this year.

So far it's come in fits and starts, but this week the floodgates burst open: Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS launched a new $25 million negative ad campaign and we got a look at a super PAC's plan to "do exactly what John McCain would not let us do" in the last election.

These attacks are only going to get worse, so it's important that we continue to share the facts about President Obama and Mitt Romney with our family, networks, and friends.

#1: Video: Responding to Rove
Crossroads GPS -- an outside group run by Karl Rove -- released an ad filled with all sorts of false statements about President Obama's record. Watching it, I was struck by how many of the attacks actually seemed more applicable to Mitt Romney than President Obama. For example, the ad says President Obama hasn't done anything to help those affected by the mortgage crisis -- but Mitt Romney himself has said: "Don't try to stop the foreclosure process. Let it run its course and hit the bottom." The ad also says President Obama isn't working to reduce the federal budget deficit -- not only is that not true, but Romney's pushing tax cuts weighted towards millionaires and billionaires that could explode the deficit by as much as $5 trillion. I recorded a short video to address the false claims in Rove's ad. Check it out, and share it with others:

#2: "What John McCain would not let us do"
Reports surfaced this week about a plan drafted by top Republican strategists to spend $10 million on inflammatory TV ads against the President, evoking Rev. Jeremiah Wright and images of the September 11th attacks to show what these strategists crafted as "the truth," but what really is their divisive slime presented as the President's plan to destroy America. The authors of the report are upset that voters "still aren't ready to hate this president" and they're apparently willing to go to appalling lengths to tear down the President and elect Mitt Romney. These kinds of hate-filled attacks are exactly why folks like you on the Truth Team are so crucial. Check out the blog post from our campaign manager Jim Messina and share it around:

#3: Romney Economics
I wrote to you about the Truth Team's newest project, RomneyEconomics.com, earlier this week, but it's worth another look. Romney is campaigning on the idea that he's some sort of economic wizard who can use his private equity experience to create jobs as president, so it's important that we understand the actual lessons and values he drew from that experience -- which included buying and bankrupting companies like GST Steel. Take another look at the site, and if you haven't shared it yet, please do:

#4: Obama vs. Romney on the deficit
If anyone thinks Mitt Romney would reduce the federal budget deficit as president, this chart shows that just isn't true. Take a look, and make sure that others see the difference between President Obama and Romney when it comes to deficit reduction:

#5: Keeping his word: Women's health
I realize that responding to all the mud that our opponents have slung this week isn't the most uplifting thing ever, so I thought it'd be nice to end this week's tipsheet on a positive note. Watch a video showing how President Obama has followed through on his commitment to fight for women's health, and share it with others who care about this issue:

Stephanie

P.S. -- Erin Bilbray-Kohn's letter to President Obama explaining why she supports him was so powerful that we decided to make it into a video.

North West Action Dems Voter Registration Drive on Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:48:00 +0000

NORTHWEST ACTION DEMS

VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE

SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

BENNETT TOWN

FROM

10:00 AM-12 NOON

DEMONSTRATION OF THE USE OF

VOTING MACHINES!

JOIN US!

EAST LORIS PRECINCT

WEST LORIS PRECINCT

CONTACT: RUPERT HICKMAN, 843-756-8428

CAUGHT RED-HANDED - SELECTIVE PURGE SETUP FOR BLACK VOTERS

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:44:00 +0000

By Bev Harris -- BlackBoxVoting.Org

Four hundred and eighty-eight voters, all but four lifelong Democrats, and nearly all Black, had their voting history erased by Shelby County election workers, setting them up for purge from the voter list. These selective alterations appear to target the race of US Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-09).

To alter voting histories for a selected set of voters, putting them at risk for strategically selected and improper removal from the voting list, is to demean them, to treat them as if they have less worth as human beings than they do. And to demean them is to wrong them. What Shelby County's election staff has done, in altering the records, is morally wrong.

The full list of voters whose voting records have been altered is here: http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/8/82058.html -- If you know someone on this list, please let them know about this.

DETAILS ON SHELBY COUNTY VOTER LIST ALTERATIONS

Shelby County voters owe a debt of gratitude to Darrick "D" Harris (no relation). This information has come to light because, when I spoke with Harris by telephone recently, he expressed concern to me about his discovery that his voting history had somehow evaporated.

An active Democratic voter and political consultant, Harris had copies of voter databases containing his own voter history. He knows he votes regularly, but as of Oct. 2011, the voter list reports that he has never voted -- not once!

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

When voters fail to vote for two federal general elections, a purge process is initiated.

Your voter history should never vary. If it says you voted in the Nov. 2008 presidential election in 2010, in 2011 it should not report that you DIDN'T vote in 2008. The only way the database can alter your voting history is if someone changes the information in the database.

D. Harris did not just have his 2008 voting history erased. Every vote he had ever cast, going back to 2000, had been erased. I took the official Shelby County voter list, filedate 2010 (obtained by court order in a lawsuit) and compared it with the voter history list from 2011.

488 voters had their histories erased.

ALMOST ALL VOTERS WERE BLACK

Of these, according to the 2011 database, 430 are Black. It is against the law to alter voter records. It is a civil rights violation to select Black voter records for alteration.

WHY DILUTION OF RACIAL IDENTITY IS SIGNIFICANT

Last year, I reported that in Shelby County, they have been diluting the racial identifier so that thousands of Black voters are now reported as "other." Twenty-four of the voters with histories erased had also had their racial identifiers removed. In fact, 454 out of 488 on the erased list are Black, and only four are White, leaving all the others marked "other." Most likely, out of 488 erasures, 484 are Black.

ALMOST ALL ARE DEMOCRAT

Only fiver voters in the erased list show that they have ever voted Republican, but you'll notice that I listed that as just four in my opening paragraph. That's because Shelby County has also been altering party choice in its voter records. It is possible that Ruth Ann Phelps, one of the five so-called Republicans, never voted Republican at all.

Ruth Ann Phelps is reported as selecting a Republican ballot in the May 2010 primary, but her records show she is a lifelong Democrat. I found hundreds of lifelong Democrats whose voter history preference was altered in the May and August 2010 elections.

Phelps is an interesting case. She used to be one of the key employees at Shelby County Elections. She at one time had a password to the GEMS election management system, but the audit log for the GEMS database shows that Ruth Ann Phelps password was revoked in June 2010. Phelps at one time worked at the main elections operation center, where she had access to voter list maintenance systems, but in 2010 she was transferred to a downtown office. By 2011, her voter history had been erased. Right around this time, she retired.

THE SELECTIVE PREPARATION FOR PURGE TARGETS U.S. CONGRESSMAN STEVE COHEN

Not only are almost all the altered records Democrat, not only are they almost all Black, but every single one of them is in Congressional District 09.

POLITICAL TALK

I have heard that Cohen's seat is not considered at risk, though with redistricting and a well financed opponent, and paperless touchscreen voting machines, and selective removal of voters from his voting base, who knows?

I have also heard that the most astute political strategists focus on changing not just the weather (short term election results), but the climate (long term voting environment).

At any rate, it doesn't matter what Cohen's chances are. The rights that were violated are those of Shelby County VOTERS, who have a right to vote for the candidate of their choice, and who are entitled to accurate records.

And I have a question: How widespread is this problem? Are there other counties where voter histories are strategically eroding? I have spoken with both Democratic and Republican election integrity enthusiasts, and one of my frustrations is that the Democrats count on their VAN system and the Republicans count on their VOTER VAULT system to keep them up to date on voter list data. Neither of these systems is the real, working data. It should be possible to detect alterations like this in other counties, but since purges are performed using the actual county database, skip the VAN and VOTER VAULT: Examine the actual lists. As we see in Shelby County, there is no reason to believe that the raw data matches VAN or VOTER VAULT. The raw data is getting altered from time to time.

To detect this kind of alteration, a database created and saved in 2010 should be compared for changes with more recent iterations, but the actual county database should be used for the exam, rather than relying on proprietary party databases.

THEY SEND A LETTER BEFORE PURGING, DON'T THEY?

Altering the records is illegal, and a civil rights violation, regardless of whether voters can halt the purge process by responding to a letter. Taking the position that this is a minor matter, because voters wrongfully targeted for purge can always reinstate themselves by responding to a purge letter is like saying false arrest doesn't matter, because you can always prove you are innocent.

And there is such a thing as justice.

"Oppressors do all they can to prevent use of the category of justice; they do all they can to cast the situation in terms of good behavior and bad behavior…sometimes our frameworks of conviction lead us to discount the significance of what we see and hear. We regard the one before us as a candidate for charity, should we be so inclined, or we insist that his condition is his own fault."

"I heard the Afrikaners say to the black and coloreds, "We are good people, if you just behave, we will give you most of what you are asking for."

-- Justice: Rights and Wrongs, by Nicholas Wolterstorff. (Second passage in reference to pre-apartheid South Africa.)

What happened to the strategically selected voters in Shelby County, whose records were altered to put them at special risk for purge, is a moral wrong.

And it is illegal.

Mitt Romney Prefers Attacking Teachers to Improving Schools

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:10:00 +0000

WASHINGTON—Speaking from a conference on collaborative school reform, where she joins more than 400 educators, administrators and leaders to discuss how collaboration between labor and management can transform our public education system and improve teaching and learning, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten addressed the education policy proposals delivered by Mitt Romney today.

"Today, Mitt Romney squandered an opportunity to participate in a meaningful discussion of real education reform by attempting to disguise attacks on teachers and public education as meaningful policy proposals. Instead of looking to improve education for all children, he parroted failed voucher and privatization schemes that have not improved student learning. Romney's proposal to take even more money out of public education and funnel it to private schools is absurd at a time when school budgets already are being slashed to the bone across the country.

"Right now, American education needs a collaborative approach toward improvement and reform that focuses on student achievement, but Romney wants to divide the people who work most closely with kids every day from students, parents and the community. What Romney fails to understand is that when teachers and public schools have the resources they need, students win. Romney is presenting America with a false choice: If you support teachers, then you must be against kids. Real public education improvement comes from teachers, administrators, parents and communities rolling up their sleeves and working together to help all kids, not just some kids, succeed.

"It's a sad day when a presidential candidate uses a speech on education reform to further demonize teachers and divide the country—which do nothing to serve our children."

Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten

Stop outsourcing our jobs

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:25:00 +0000

Stop outsourcing our jobs

Help us gain more cosponsors for the Bring Jobs Home Act today!

Last week, Facebook’s co-founder Eduardo Saverin made headlines worldwide for renouncing his U.S. citizenship to avoid paying taxes on stock before Facebook's much anticipated I.P.O. Saverin’s actions are reprehensible but every day big corporations outsource not just profits but thousands of jobs — destroying whole livelihoods and communities in the process.

But to make matters worse, American companies that outsource jobs can write off the cost of moving personnel as a business expense, and therefore become eligible for a tax deduction. How absurd for someone to have to lose their job, and then pay for corporate tax deductions to ship that job overseas?

With unemployment still hovering around eight percent and millions of Americans still out of work, instead of giving incentives to companies that ship jobs abroad, we should encourage companies to bring jobs back home and a new bill introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) will do just that. Will you ask your Representatives and Senators in Congress if they will cosponsor the Bring Jobs Home Act today?

The Bring Jobs Home Act will not only end this loophole, but would also give eligible firms a tax credit equal to 20 percent of the cost of relocating overseas jobs back to the U.S.¹ The Bring Jobs Home Act will directly reward companies who create jobs, not take them away.

Millions of Americans have lost their jobs because companies up and moved their operations to other countries like China and India. And plant closures can have a dire impact on middle class families and their communities. According to a new study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the disappearance of U.S. manufacturing jobs frequently leaves former manufacturing workers unemployed for years, if not permanently.²

While manufacturing has started to rebound in some sectors, the dilapidated communities of Detroit are a chilling reminder of what’s at stake.

Lets replace “outsourcing” with “reshoring” by encouraging companies to return to the United States and create jobs here at home. Help us gain more cosponsors for the Bring Jobs Home Act by contacting Congress today.

Sincerely,
David Elliot
USAction / TrueMajority

1 - http://www.abc12.com/story/18503118/stabenow-bill-aims-to-bring-jobs-home
2 - http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2012/02/26/The-High-Price-of-Losing-Manufacturing-Jobs.aspx#page1

MegaVote: SC 1st, 5/22/2012

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Tue, 22 May 2012 22:34:00 +0000

Recent Congressional Votes Senate: Paul Budget Resolution Senate: Lee Budget Resolution Senate: Agency Confirmation Senate: Agency Confirmation Senate: Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Senate: Obama Budget Resolution Senate: Ryan Budget Resolution Senate: Toomey Budget Resolution House: Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization House: Suspension Vote: Iran Sanctions Resolution House: Flood Insurance Extension House: National Defense Authorization, FY 2013 Upcoming Congressional Bills Senate: Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act Editor's Note: The House is in recess this week.
Recent Senate Votes
Paul Budget Resolution - Vote Rejected (16-83, 1 Not Voting) This budget resolution from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., would set new FY 2013 budget authority at $3.084 trillion. According to the Senator, his resolution would balance the budget in five years and cut the national deficit by $2 trillion over ten years. It introduces means-testing requirements to Social Security and raises the retirement age to 70 by 2032. It would also means-test Medicare and raise the age of eligibility to 70 over a 20-year window. Senior citizens would be permitted to enroll in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan used by congressional Members and staff. The resolution would set a flat tax rate of 17 percent for all individuals and businesses and eliminate all credits and deductions except the child credit and mortgage interest deduction. Sen. Lindsey Graham voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jim DeMint voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Lee Budget Resolution - Vote Rejected (17-82, 1 Not Voting) The budget resolution from Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, would set new FY 2013 budget authority at $3.269 trillion. It purports to balance the budget by 2017 through myriad changes to entitlements and the tax code as well as reducing spending to 17.8 percent of GDP over ten years. It would establish a single 25% tax rate for individuals and businesses while eliminating the payroll, estate, and any investment taxes. Social Security would be means-tested and the retirement age would rise to 68. Medicare participants would be able to enroll in a premium-support or voucher program. Total Medicare spending would be capped at the level of the Consumer Price Index plus one percent. Medicaid would become a block grant program. Sen. Lindsey Graham voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jim DeMint voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Agency Confirmation - Vote Confirmed (70-24, 6 Not Voting) The Senate voted to confirm the nomination of Jeremy C. Stein of Massachusetts to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Sen. Lindsey Graham voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jim DeMint voted Not Voting......send e-mail or see bio Agency Confirmation - Vote Confirmed (74-21, 5 Not Voting) The Senate voted to confirm the nomination of Jerome H. Powell of Maryland to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Sen. Lindsey Graham voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jim DeMint voted Not Voting......send e-mail or see bio Export-Import Bank Reauthorization - Vote Passed (78-20, 2 Not Voting) This bill would extend the charter of the Export-Import Bank of the United States through FY 2014. It would allow the banks lending limit to rise incrementally to $140 billion (from $100 billion currently). Following House passage last week, the Senate cleared this bill for the presidents signature, narrowly avoiding the May 31 expiration of the banks charter. Passage followed several failed amendment votes, among them a vote to terminate the bank within one year. Sen. Lindsey Graham voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jim DeMint voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Obama Budget Resolution - Vote Rejected (0-99, 1 Not Voting) The Senate unanimously rejected this budget resolution, which was the GOPs interpretation of President Obamas FY 13 budget proposal. It would set new FY 2013 budget authority at $2.982 trillion. This marks the second time Senate Republicans have introduced what they call the presidents budget for a floor vote, and the second time the proposal has failed to garner a single yea vote. This was the first of five budget resolutions the Senate voted on last week, each one a messaging vote since both chambers have already set spending levels for their respective FY 13 appropriations bills. Sen. Lindsey Graham voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jim DeMint voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Ryan Budget Resolution - Vote Rejected (41-58, 1 Not Voting) In another reprisal of last years budget theater, the House-passed budget drafted by Rep. Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., failed in a party-line Senate vote. The resolution would set new FY 2013 budget authority at $2.794 trillion. As happened last year, all Democrats voted nay along with Independents Bernard Sanders (Vt.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.). All Republicans voted yay with the exceptions of Sens. Scott P. Brown (Mass.), Susan Collins (Maine), Dean Heller (Nev.), Rand Paul (Ky.) and Olympia J. Snowe (Maine). Sen. Lindsey Graham voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jim DeMint voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Toomey Budget Resolution - Vote Rejected (42-57, 1 Not Voting) This budget resolution introduced by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa. would set new FY 2013 budget authority at $2.843 trillion. It purports to create a balanced budget within eight years, in part by reducing spending to about 18.3 percent of GDP. It would also create a two-thirds supermajority requirement for votes to exceed discretionary spending levels set forth in the resolution and a three-fifths supermajority to make any advance appropriation unless the latter are for a handful of accounts at the Veterans Affairs Administration. Sen. Lindsey Graham voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jim DeMint voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Recent House Votes
Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization - Vote Passed (222-205, 4 Not Voting) The House last week passed its version of a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Originally passed in 1994, the bill had been reauthorized twice without controversy until this year. The Senate version (S 1925), passed April 26, created several new provisions to which the House objected, such as expanding protections to include LGBT victims. President Obama has threatened to veto the House bill. While it looked like the two bills were headed to a conference committee following House passage, it was discovered late last week that the Senate bill contained a revenue-raising provision, causing the House to raise constitutional objections. The path forward at this point is not clear. Rep. Tim Scott voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Suspension Vote: Iran Sanctions Resolution - Vote Passed (401-11, 9 Present, 10 Not Voting) In a shot across the bow of world leaders gathered last weekend for the G8 Summit, the House loudly expressed its position on Iran. While reiterating that it is a vital national interest of the United States to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear capability, the resolution also comes down firmly against any proposed containment policy. Debate has raged about what U.S. red lines are with regard to Irans uranium enrichment program, and there is some question as to what exactly a nuclear capability would mean. If it means having a certain amount of enriched uranium, for example, that is a much different standard than having the ability to arm a missile with a nuclear warhead. Perhaps with that in mind, the resolution also demands that Iran end its ballistic missile program. Rep. Tim Scott voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Flood Insurance Extension - Vote Passed (402-18, 11 Not Voting) Hoping to avoid a May 31 expiration date, the House passed a short-term extension of the National Flood Insurance Program. The bill would extend the programs authorization through June 30, allowing homeowners living in flood zones to purchase private insurance. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., attempted to pass a different extension last week by unanimous consent, but Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., objected. Republicans in both chambers want a complete overhaul of the program in exchange for a multi-year extension. Rep. Tim Scott voted YES......send e-mail or see bio National Defense Authorization, FY 2013 - Vote Passed (299-120, 12 Not Voting) The House passed its version of the annual defense policy bill last week following two days of debate and dozens of amendments. The bill would provide $643 billion for FY 13, including $88.5 billion for the war in Afghanistan. The topline figure exceeds agreed-upon spending levels from last years Budget Control Act (PL 112-25) by $8 billion. Amendment debate ranged widely, from the sale of fighter jets to Taiwan to the detention of terrorism suspects arrested on U.S. soil. President Obama has issued a veto threat on this bill. The Senate Armed Services Committee is slated to mark up its version this week. Rep. Tim Scott voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Upcoming Votes
Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act - S.3187 The Senate is scheduled to hold a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to this bill, which would reauthorize FDA user fees.

Race To The Bottom: Senate Republicans Propose Slashing Education, Health Care

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:33:00 +0000

This week, Senate Republicans brought to the Senate floor a series of budget proposals – each one more dangerous than the previous. The common themes in this “race to the bottom?” – slashing funding for education and other critical priorities, letting student loan interest rates rise, ending Medicare as we know it, and repealing the landmark Affordable Care Act – all to ensure more tax breaks for the wealthiest.

Our nation is at a crossroads, having to choose between two starkly different visions for our future. We can ensure everyone a fair shot, make the investments necessary for economic growth, and stand up for the middle class and our most vulnerable populations. Or, we can continue to allow those who can most afford to pay their fair share to avoid doing so.

Congress will continue to debate these issues, as deep cuts scheduled to go into effect in January 2013 approach. We need to tell Congress that balancing the budget should not be done by slashing education and programs that serve our most vulnerable. Tell Congress that we need a balanced approach that asks those most able to do so to pay their fair share.

Take Action Today: Tell Congress to make the right choice for America’s future – protect children, working families, and seniors and ensure everyone pays his or her fair share.

Rep. Mia Garrick: Isn't Once Enough?

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:27:00 +0000

Okay…can anybody say, “ENOUGH already?” Talk about a waste of time, energy and tax dollars…I mean, we’ve gone from late night comedy material to The Real Housewives of Lexington in what, two weeks? Now Gov. Haley has decided to flagrantly abuse her power again by personally pleading for ballot restoration of one Lexington County GOP Senate candidate, Katrina Shealy. Does our Governor not realize that she represents and serves at the pleasure of all South Carolinians…including the other 179 candidates whose names also won’t appear on the June Primary ballot?

What we’ve learned Wednesday night about Governor Haley isn’t even funny any more. It’s sad. It’s scary. And it’s downright embarrassing. I wish I could say that her actions only reflect Lexington County or the Lexington GOP. But I live here too. I’m a native South Carolinian who happens to love my state. And regardless of what county you’re in…the good, the bad and the ugly side of SC politics reflects and affects all of us.

Not that there is a precedent for this, but I can only surmise that when a Governor, who lives in Richland County, goes to a partisan political County GOP meeting in Lexington County to inject herself smack dab in the middle of a filing issue that the SC Supreme Court decided 2 weeks ago, here’s what must’ve happened:

She and her trusted legal counsel were confused about the Supreme Court’s decision.
She assumed that the Supreme Court’s decision was only applicable to the other 45 counties across South Carolina. Not Lexington.
She decided that she reigns supreme, so “trump” the Supreme Court.

Obviously, for Gov. Haley, Can’t really Is an Option. She can’t seem to think logically. She can’t seem to act nobly, wisely or Governor-like. And she can’t seem to rise above the corruption and confusion that has chronicled her time in office.

So if you’re wondering why your Governor can’t seem to “buck” the good ol’ boy system…well, it’s because she is the good ol’ boy system. And while she’s fighting for gender equality (i.e. – the good ol’ gals) within that already corrupt system, who’s fighting for you?

One thing’s for sure…the ballots have been printed and alas, Katrina Shealy still isn’t on them. And while our Governor suffers yet another self-inflicted blow to her outrageously inflated ego, we have to wonder…did we really want another Nikki Haley crony at the State House? Can you imagine having her Tea Party twin in the Senate too?

Now, I’ve got to agree with you. At face value, our Governor represents change. And like many of you, I wanted so much to believe and celebrate that. But hindsight is 20/20 isn’t it? And now that we know what we’ve got, we know that the good ol’ gals are just as corrupt and self-serving as the good ol’ boys they’ve replaced. South Carolina has already been duped once.

Isn’t once enough?

GCDP Events and Important Announcements

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:22:00 +0000

GEORGETOWN OFA PHONE BANKING

Saturday, May 19 10AM-4PM

Steelworkers Union Hall 1515 Butts Street

Come and make calls for South Carolina and North Carolina

Stop by and make calls to re-elect our President

For more information call Carrie Dennison 240-5092

ANNOUNCEMENT

Covenant Missionary Baptist Church

1414 Winyah St Georgetown

Covenant Missionary Baptist Church is hosting a Candidates forum May 19^, 2012 at 5PM. We are inviting all Candidates to come out and be a part of this forum. Each candidate will be introduced and you will have 3 minutes to speak. After which community members will have an opportunity to ask questions.

Once the forum ends candidates will have an opportunity to speak one on one with those in attendance.

Candidates are asked to contact Sis. Lena McDonald Green at 843-359-7378 or by email at macmuffin77@aol.comto confirm your attendance.

Where: Covenant Missionary Baptist Church

When: May 19, 2012

Time: 5PM

Refreshments will be served

Thanking you in advance

Rev. James B. Lewis Sr., Organizing Pastor

PER GEORGETOWN COUNTY VOTER REGISTRATION OFFICE

In-house voting at the Voter Registration Office is scheduled to begin on Monday, May 21.

Absentee ballots are printed and have been mailed to the county election offices. Ballots will be mailed to all that have requested to vote absentee. If you wish to vote absentee and have not requested a ballot, call the voter registration office at 545-3339.

DISTRICT 7 CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES DEBATE

Monday, June 4, 7PM

Bethel AME Church Glisson Center 401 Broad Street Georgetown

Debate sponsored by the Georgetown County Democratic party, Coastal Observer and
The Georgetown Times newspapers. If you want to submit questions, send to the newspapers

editor@coastalobserver.comor thoward@gtowntimes.com

All five democratic candidates are participating.

This an opportunity to hear all our democratic candidates for the 7th Congressional District.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR WORKSHOP

Saturday, June 9 11AM-12PM Waccamaw Library Pawleys Island

Jim Watkins will conduct a workshop on effective points to use in writing a letter

to the editor.

To sign up for the workshop email Jim at jimsilverback@gmail.com

Calling all Georgetown County Democrats!

The time is now to start that journey to Victory in November! We have an opportunity to elect a Democrat in the new 7th Congressional District to work with President Obama (a must win) and democrats are filing to run for almost every position on the ballot. Let's volunteer today to work for our democratic candidates so we can celebrate in November.

COMMENTS

"Change is made from the bottom up not from the top down.

Not in Washington but the streets of America."

President Barack Obama

To volunteer contact the party at 240-3396.

Questions or suggestion, contact Nancy Kolman at 240-3396

Thank Senators for Protecting SC Victims

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:12:00 +0000

Thank Senators For Protecting Victims of Rape and Incest

Thank SC Senators for Protecting the rights of victims of rape and incest

Late yesterday afternoon, Senator Bright shocked the South Carolina Senate by proposing an amendment to the budget that removed rights to comprehensive healthcare services for victims of rape and incest.

Luckily, 18 Senators stopped this harmful amendment.

Please thank these 18 Senators and encourage them to continue to stand up for victims' rights.

We believe this issue will come up again - show you support victims' rights to healthcare by sending your email now.

Send a message to those Senators who stood up for victims and thank them for their efforts

Tell Rep. Tim Scott: We won't be fooled

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:36:00 +0000

House Republicans have voted for shameful bills to redefine rape, defund Planned Parenthood, and to let women die. Still, despite their appalling record on women's issues, you might think that Republicans in Congress would have some concern for domestic violence survivors. You'd be wrong.

Just over a month ago, Rep. Tim Scott and House Republicans voted to block the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

But then, yesterday, Rep. Scott joined fellow extremist Tea Party Republicans in voting for a bill which they misleadingly called the "Violence Against Women Act," but which actually guts current protections for victims of domestic abuse.

Tell Rep. Scott: Shame on you for gutting protections for victims of domestic abuse and for continuing to play politics with women's lives. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

The purpose of this charade was to muddy the waters on the substance of their position, and by confusing people, to appear to care about women.

It was reprehensible that Rep. Scott joined with the Tea Party majority in Congress and voted against considering renewal of the real Violence Against Women Act, an incredibly popular, successful, and (until now) bipartisan bill that has reduced domestic violence rates by 58% since it was first passed in 1994.

In fact the last time the program was reauthorized, it passed nearly unanimously through both the House and the Senate.

But the political climate in Washington, DC is much different now than it was just a few years ago, and Republicans are voting in lockstep with the Tea Party instead of standing up for their constituents on key bills like the Violence Against Women Act.

Still it's astonishing that after an incredible backlash from appalled constituents, Rep. Scott and other Republicans thought they could hoodwink people by voting for a sham version of the bill.

Rep. Scott needs to know we will not be fooled by his vote for the fake VAWA. At a moment like this, we need to make sure our elected representatives, no matter how hostile to women's health and women's rights, know we are going to hold them accountable for their shameful votes.

Tell Rep. Scott: Shame on you for gutting protections for victims of domestic abuse and for continuing to play politics with women's lives. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

Thank you for standing up for women.

Becky Bond, Political Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets

Tell GM: Dump ALEC!

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:53:00 +0000

Every Michigander should be proud of GM's dramatic turnaround.

But that doesn’t mean GM workers, drivers and shareholders should be underwriting GM’s membership to a controversial lobbying group like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

It’s time for GM to do the right thing. Click here to tell GM to cut ties with ALEC.

Big corporations like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Kraft are fleeing ALEC in droves over its support for controversial “Stand Your Ground” gun laws and voter suppression legislation.

We support GM and the hard-working men and women who are leading the company’s turnaround, but it’s time for GM to drop its ALEC membership and focus on what it does best – building great cars and trucks.

Click here to tell GM to do the right thing and cut ties with ALEC.

Thanks for all you do,

Zack Pohl and the entire Progress Michigan team

P.S. Neither Ford nor Chrysler are current members of ALEC. Click here to tell GM to do the right thing and cut ties with ALEC right now!

Call Sens. Graham and DeMint: Stop filibustering the student loan bill!

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:07:00 +0000

Despite petitions from over 320,000 CREDO activists and more than thousand phone calls in recent days, Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint and their Republican colleagues sold out students on the Senate Floor last week by filibustering the extension of low interest rates on federally subsidized student loans.¹

The overwhelming majority of the Senate Republican caucus — including those who had previously voted with Democrats to reduce the interest rates on federally subsidized student loans — are filibustering the Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012, denying immediate relief to students and families who need it most.

Call Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint: Drop your filibuster of the Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012, which keeps the interest rates on federally subsidized student loans from doubling this July. Click here for a simple script and the number to call.

The Senate bill that the Republicans are filibustering would pay for the extension of low interest rates by closing a loophole that lets wealthy individuals such as Newt Gingrich to cheat the system by structuring their businesses to avoid payroll taxes.²

We know our pressure on Republicans is working. In response to public backlash, the Republicans are pushing their own bill that would pay for the extension by attacking health programs that benefit our communities — like training for primary care doctors, HIV screenings, and immunizations for kids.³ They are clearly sensitive to our activism — if we can take it up a notch, we can break the filibuster and pass the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012.

Call Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint: Stop filibustering the Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012, which keeps the interest rates on federally subsidized student loans from doubling this July. Click here for a simple script and the number to call.

Thank you for taking action to make sure that all students can afford a higher education — including those from South Carolina's working class families.

Murshed Zaheed, Deputy Political Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets

1. "Vote on Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to "S. 2343 (Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of2012)", Senate.gov, May 8, 2012.
2. "Background on the "Newt Gingrich/John Edwards" Loophole," Democrats.senate.gov, April 25, 2012.
3. Sarah Kiff, "How the Prevention Fund is being spent," WashingtonPost,com, April 27, 2012.

Stop the Elites in Their Tracks

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:02:00 +0000

Democracy Activism or Judicial Activism — Our Choice

 Joshua Holland knocked it out of the park with his recent column, “How the Corporate Elite Hijacked America's Courts to Enrich the Top 1 Percent,” a must read for any democracy advocate.

It’s clear Move To Amend is on the right track.

Holland describes a decades long assault on our judicial system by right leaning organizations to appoint judges that side with the wealthy and their corporations at a much higher rate than it finds for the middle class and unions.

We move to amend. (And we need your friends and colleagues to join us! Please share our petition and forward this email.)

Holland cites several studies, among them one that shows that members of Congress are more likely to respond to the wealthy constituents than they are to middle class constituents. The poor are barely on their radar.

He concludes that if these activists continue to get their way, we can kiss the remaining shreds of the social safety net good-bye.

To address this miscarriage of justice, we’re building support for the Move To Amend amendment, which states that a corporation is not a person and money is not speech.

Passing our amendment to the Constitution must be done if we are to have a real democracy — regardless of the powerful forces aligned against us. To us, like our revolutionary forebears, it is do or die — there is no place for tyranny among a free and democratic people.

Thomas Paine said, “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” The truth is we have greater power now than when those words were first uttered — we just need to exercise it!

The time has come for each of us to ramp up our efforts to perfect our democracy. Please use your networks to distribute this message far and wide. Our goal is 500,000 signatures on the Motion to Amend by year’s end.

Thank you,

Ashley Sanders, Ben Manski, Daniel Lee, David Cobb, Egberto Willies, Jerome Scott, Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, Laura Bonham, Leesa "George" Friday, Nancy Price, Stephen Justino

Move to Amend Executive Committee

A Message from Mitt Romney

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:32:00 +0000

	Mitt Romney - In His Own Words

With the GOP primary effectively over, Mitt Romney seems to have enough Republican delegate votes to call himself the nominee. We now know what we’re up against in November.

See how Mitt Romney feels about issues important to the middle class. Watch the video.

Romney’s views on public services couldn’t be clearer—they’re in his own words—giving us a glimpse of what a Romney presidency would look like.

A presidential candidate who is on record as being in support of national “right-to-work” legislation, using the Department of Education to go after teachers unions, repealing the Affordable Care Act and passing the Ryan/Republican budget is not a president who stands with the American people.

Do his words match your ideals? Watch the video to find out.

Mitt Romney has spoken, making the choice in November clear.

In unity,

John Ost
AFT Political Director

P.S. We will need each and every one of you between now and November. Can we count you in?

MegaVote: SC 1st - 5/15/12

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Recent Congressional Votes Senate: Judicial Confirmation Senate: Cloture Motion: Student Loan Interest Rates House: Suspension Vote: Export-Import Bank Reauthorization House: Suspension Vote: U.S.-Israel Cooperation House: Sequester Replacement House: Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations, FY 2013 Upcoming Congressional Bills Senate: Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 Senate: Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012 House: Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012 House: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013
Recent Senate Votes
Judicial Confirmation - Vote Confirmed (91-3, 6 Not Voting) The Senate confirmed the nomination of Jacqueline H. Nguyen of California to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Sen. Lindsey Graham voted Not Voting......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jim DeMint voted Not Voting......send e-mail or see bio Cloture Motion: Student Loan Interest Rates - Vote Rejected (52-45, 1 Present, 2 Not Voting) This bill would extend the current 3.4 percent interest rate on federally-subsidized Stafford loans to undergraduate students for one year. This extension would be paid for by eliminating a tax preference for certain shareholders of S-Corporations. The Senate failed to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to invoke cloture, and thereby end debate, on the motion to proceed to the bill. It is possible the Senate will hold another cloture vote on this bill. The House passed a competing version (H.R.4628) on April 27. Sen. Lindsey Graham voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Jim DeMint voted NO......send e-mail or see bio
Recent House Votes
Suspension Vote: Export-Import Bank Reauthorization - Vote Passed (330-93, 8 Not Voting) This bill would extend the charter of the Export-Import Bank of the United States through FY 2014. It would allow the bank's lending limit to rise incrementally to $140 billion (from $100 billion currently). HR 2072 passed under suspension of the rules, meaning the support of at least two thirds of all Members voting (in this case 282) is required for passage. The Senate will take up H.R.2072 on Monday, May 14, with a cloture vote scheduled. Rep. Tim Scott voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Suspension Vote: U.S.-Israel Cooperation - Vote Passed (411-2, 9 Present, 9 Not Voting) This bill states that it shall be U.S. policy to deepen cooperation with Israel in a wide variety of areas, particularly regarding Israels "qualitative military edge" over regional rivals; to veto anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations; and to assist Israel in ongoing negotiations on a two-state solution. The bill also extends U.S.-government-backed loan guarantees to Israel through FY 2015. HR 4133 passed under suspension of the rules, meaning the support of at least two thirds of all Members voting (in this case 276) is required for passage. Rep. Tim Scott voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sequester Replacement - Vote Passed (218-199, 1 Present, 13 Not Voting) This bill cancels the automatic discretionary spending cuts instituted by last year's debt-ceiling agreement and replaces those cuts with a different set of reductions to a variety of mandatory spending programs, as well as a reduction on the overall spending limit for all FY 2013 appropriations bills. The bill separately eliminates the cap on defense spending instituted by the debt-limit agreement to accommodate a higher level of spending in that area. The Senate is unlikely to take up this bill. The President has issued a veto threat. Rep. Tim Scott voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations, FY 2013 - Vote Passed (247-163, 21 Not Voting) This appropriations bill provides $51.1 billion dollars in funding in FY 2013 for the departments of Commerce and Justice and other agencies such as NASA and the National Science Foundation. This funding level would be $1.8 billion less than in FY 2012 and $731 million less than the president requested for the upcoming fiscal year. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of the bill on April 19, but floor time has not been scheduled. The President has threatened a veto on the House version. Rep. Tim Scott voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Upcoming Votes
Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 - H.R.2072 The Senate is scheduled to hold a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to this House-passed bill. Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012 - S.2343 The Senate will likely continue consideration of this bill, with another cloture vote possible. Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012 - H.R.4970 The House will take up a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which aims to foster cooperation among law enforcement, public health and other organizations in combating domestic violence and other crimes against women. The Senate passed its version on April 26. National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 - H.R.4310 The House aims to pass its version of the annual defense policy bill.

Nikki Haley, Mick Zais further ruin public schools with charter bill

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:49:00 +0000

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley signed into law Monday a bill expanding charter schools, calling it a big first step in improving education by expanding options for parents who don't want to send their children to traditional public schools.

The new law allows boys-only and girls-only charter schools and requires traditional schools to open their doors for students who want to do extracurricular activities not offered by their charter school. It also allows universities to sponsor their own schools.

So, we have the further ruining of public schools with Nikki Haley and cohort Mick Zais. Not only do they want to get rid of public education in S.C., they want to ride the backs of those in public education by having charter school students participate in i.e. sports at public schools.

"Charter schools are not a magic bullet, but they are a tremendous step in the way to providing a personalized and customized education for every student - not a standardized and uniform education for every student," Zais said at the ceremony at Greenville Technical Charter High School.

Coded language. In other words, we'll teach you what we want to teach you and leave out what is taught (disagreed with) in public schools.

"Competition is even more needed in education because it lifts the quality of the teachers. It lifts the options for the students and it allows the parents to see the accountability," Haley said.

Kinda hard to compete when you've cut ultra millions from public education.

Why are people not fed up with the evident slap in the face the GOP clowns repeatedly get away with. It's in public - and right in full view of you, the person they want to demean, demoralize and not educate fully.

GCDP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE & DEMOCRATIC PARTY MEETING TODAY

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:32:00 +0000

ALL DEMOCRATS OF GEORGETOWN COUNTY

Your party needs your support to elect democrats and spread the true meaning of all issues that move America Forward.

Our own Michael Martinez will be joined by Jonathan Sweeney, SCDP Regional Director to get us "Fired Up and Ready To Go!!"

Look forward to seeing everyone at 6PM sharp to begin this journey!

GEORGETOWN COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND DEMOCRATIC

PARTY MEETING

Monday, May 14 6PM at the Steel Workers Union Hall 1515 Butts Street Georgetown

Election of GCDP Secretary

Michael Martinez, GCDP County Field Director will roll out the plan for phone banking, canvassing, and GOTV plan. Don't miss his presentation; it can lead us to Victory in November!

Questions or comments- Call 240-3396

USW Information on S.C. Voter Supression

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

USW Voter Supression: SC

Next weekend: South Carolina trips to North Carolina

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

In 2008, South Carolinians from all across the state lent a helping hand to our friends in North Carolina -- and it worked. President Obama won that key battleground state.

This time around, the election could be even closer -- and once again, we can play our part in helping other states get ready for November.

That's why you should come out next weekend to lend a hand and register voters in North Carolina.

Can you make it? Here are the details:

Charlotte Meetup Location: Charlotte OFA-NC office
301 East 9th St.
Charlotte, NC 28202

Wilmington Meetup Location: Wilmington OFA-NC office
4401 Wrightsville Avenue
Wilmington, NC 28403

Saturday, May 19th -- shifts from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 20th -- shifts from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

When we help out our neighbors in North Carolina, we're energizing voters and supporting their local organizing efforts.

If we lend a hand to the people who are driving the work there now, they'll be able to get organized even faster -- and they'll be even more ready come November.

RSVP now to join the trip on Saturday or Sunday -- and help recruit fellow South Carolinians to travel to North Carolina:

http://sc.barackobama.com/South-Carolina-Canvass-Trips

Thanks,

Patrick

Patrick Meredith
South Carolina State Director
Obama for America

Amelia Warren Tyagi: My Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:45:00 +0000

You know those long family reunions, where people you barely know trap you with endless stories and bear hugs? Well, my mom loves them. Really.

She's always hatching the next plan to assemble the whole clan. Brothers, grandkids, cousins -- even the second cousins and cousins once removed (and she's the only person I know who can tell the difference). Grilling hamburgers, sipping a beer and swapping story after story after story.

She's never missed a Halloween, or a soccer game, or a birthday. My mom is a family woman, down to her cake-battered sneakers.

Not just in the good times. When her mother died, Mom called her Daddy every single day, often two or three times a day, no matter how busy she was.

She called to share a funny little story, or just to check in. She thought it would be just a few weeks to see him through the worst of the grief. But then weeks turned into months, and still she called, 7 days a week. In the end it was more than 2 years, until the grief -- and the cancer -- finally took him.

She talks a lot about her 3 grandkids, but she doesn't talk much about the days when it looked like Grandbaby #3 wasn't going to make it. I was just 20 weeks pregnant when I went into labor, and the doctor thought it was the end. I was put on strict bed rest, and then we started counting the days.

Back at home, I had two older daughters, and they needed a mother who wasn't lying around all day. My Mom came right away to help, and she never missed a beat. She cooked mac n' cheese, drove to swim lessons, and read the bedtime story.

During that time President Obama asked her to launch the new Consumer Protection Bureau. I'm not sure if the White House ever knew what was going on in our home -- I kind of doubt it -- but there was many a phone conversation that went something like, "Just a moment, Mr. Axelrod, I need to take a hot dog out of the toaster."

In the end, Grandbaby #3 held on. Atticus made it to full term, chubby, with a full head of black hair. And his Gammy came to town to cheer him into the world.

When Mom decided to run for Senate, her only real fear was what it would do to her family. Would we get hurt somehow? Would she miss out on too much?

So this is my chance to say: We're behind you all the way. Happy Mother's Day!

I love you, Mom!

Love,
Amelia

Railroaded for 126 years

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Sun, 13 May 2012 08:30:00 +0000

"In our search for wealth and prosperity, we created something that's gonna destroy us."
~ Robert Monks

When the Supreme Court decided for corporations in the Citizens United v FEC case, it elevated the doctrine of "corporate personhood" to new heights. Hundreds of thousands of people now know what those words mean.

But as awful as Citizens United is, corporate personhood wasn't created with that case. Corporate Personhood was concocted by corporate lawyers 126 years ago.
On May 10, 1986 in the Santa Clara v. Southern Pacific Railroad case, the Court is said to have given corporations their first foothold in the Constitution.
In the case, corporations argued they are protected under the 14th amendment — the amendment passed to ensure equal protection of African Americans after slavery was abolished. Since then, there has been case after case in which the Court expanded the Constitutional "rights" of corporations.

Fortunately, we’re not as stupid as corporate America thinks we are.

Move To Amend is leading the Constitutional amendment charge — educating and organizing to stop corporate personhood in its track. Among the many resources and tools we offer, is the Motion to Amend. Our goal is to surpass 500,000 signatures this year, and to hit the 250,000 mark by the end of May. Help us reach our goal; please share the link to the motion your networks and urge them to sign our petition.

Move To Amend is not anti-corporate, we’re against corporations claiming the same inherent rights as human beings. Check out this timeline; it outlines the Supreme Court decisions, which have expanded rights over the centuries. You’ll find the Supreme Court sides with corporations much more frequently than it expands rights to human beings.

For our democracy to flourish, to become more perfect, it requires that every one of us, in whatever community in which we reside, to stand up, join together, and move to amend the Constitution to eradicate the doctrine of corporate personhood. If we do not, then as Robert Monks suggests, we will certainly be destroyed.

On this anniversary of Santa Clara v. Southern Pacific Railroad, will you do your part for real democracy by finding ten people to sign the Motion to Amend? If everyone on our list collects 10 signatures we would reach over a million people!

Yours for democracy,

Ashley Sanders, Ben Manski, Daniel Lee, David Cobb, Egberto Willies, Jerome Scott, Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, Laura Bonham, Leesa "George" Friday, Nancy Price, Stephen Justino

Move to Amend Executive Committee

Sherrod Brown: Join the fight for Paycheck Fairness

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Sanderson) — Sun, 13 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

It is astounding to me that in a year that begins with a ‘2’, women in this country only earn an average of 77 cents for every dollar a man earns.

In Washington they call it the gender wage gap. I call it a major problem.

In the Senate, we’re trying to close this gap with a piece of legislation called the Paycheck Fairness Act -- a law designed to help make paycheck equality a reality for everyone.

This is a critically important bill that needs to be passed now. But, in the latest exciting installment of their anti-women sideshow, far right members of the Senate are prepared to oppose it.

That’s why I’m joining forces with Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Ben Cardin, Debbie Stabenow, Bob Menendez, and Maria Cantwell to urge immediate passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act. But in order to get this done, we need your help.

We’re circulating a petition telling the Senate GOP to stop playing politics with the financial security of women and their families. Click here to sign on today.

There are 6.3 million households in the United States headed by working single mothers. Millions more rely on women as the sole or co-breadwinners. To them, the gender pay gap is not just a woman’s issue -- it is a family issue, and a huge strain on the financial security of middle class families everywhere.

This is the 21st century -- it’s time our equal pay policies reflected that. There is absolutely no reason why full-time, working women should make less than full-time, working men in this country.

Paycheck fairness is going to be a front-and-center issue in Washington in the coming weeks. My colleagues and I are doing everything we can. We’re only missing one thing -- you.

We need to show the right wing that our network stands strong behind paycheck fairness. Click here to sign now.

Women’s financial security is too important to play politics with. Sign on today to help us fight for Paycheck Fairness now.

Thank you for your help.

Sherrod