The GOP wants to bring our country back to the "original intent" of the US Constitution.
They do know that the "original intent" did not include Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of the Press, Freedom to own guns, etc, right? The Bill of Rights was a requirement that the states demanded in order to agree to ratify the original Constitution, and was passed by Congress AFTER that certification. So, did "original intent" include them, or not?
They do know that the 40 hour work week was not part of the original intent of the Constitution, right? Supreme Courts had ruled this, and other free-market intrusions of government like child labor and L&I insurance, unconstitutional until the 1930's. So if the GOP wants to go back to the original intent, would they rule those basic workplace protections as against what the founders intended?
One specific thing that was included in the Supreme Court rulings was denial of the ability of the government to create Unemployment Insurance. So, if the GOP wants to go back to the original intent, that means the people who are currently unemployed would be thrown to the free market. Same with Social Security and Medicare. The GOP has ALWAYS wanted to repeal those entitlement programs instead of fixing them and making them sustainable. They would rather throw our seniors and kids to the good graces of our charities. Which receive and control less than 5% of the capital available for those programs through government intrusion into the market place. People would starve, freeze and die of illness. That's the GOP.
The GOP wants to give the DENIED stamp back to the private health insurance companies. Their "Pledge to America" would very simply Plunge America into a Second Great Depression. A second Republican Great Depression.
We will get the kind of government that we vote for. If you believe that government should be used to help people, to establish a foundation for everyone so we can reach for our potential and reach for the stars, then please vote Democrat. Not because we're the least worst option, but because the Democratic Party is the ONLY option to keep our country moving in a positive direction.
Keep our nation in Drive. Vote D.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Dear Gov. Gregoire,
Please do not end the Take Charge Family Planning Program.
Take Charge saves the state money. Take Charge costs approximately $4 million a year. The unintended pregnancy costs in one year for those who are left without services are $45 million.
By cutting $4 million the state will incur $45 million in additional costs this year alone.
If $4 million to fund this program sounds like a lot now, how are we going to pay for the $45 million a year in new pregnancy costs next year which will add to the $3 billion deficit we already know about?
This program has allowed over 400,000 low-income Washingtonians to get the basic health care they need to be healthy and make responsible decisions. Thousands of unplanned pregnancies have been avoided because of this successful and cost-effective program.
The program has improved lives: young women have been able to finish school; families have been able to better to care for the children they already have; women have been able to start a career.
I know we are facing a huge revenue shortfall, and you are forced to make very tough choices. But this cut makes no sense for Washington's families or our budget, since it will cost the state $45 million in the next year.
Please use all of your resources to save this program. None of us can afford for Take Charge to end.
----
To take action and send your own letter to Gov. Gregoire, please click here!
Take Charge saves the state money. Take Charge costs approximately $4 million a year. The unintended pregnancy costs in one year for those who are left without services are $45 million.
By cutting $4 million the state will incur $45 million in additional costs this year alone.
If $4 million to fund this program sounds like a lot now, how are we going to pay for the $45 million a year in new pregnancy costs next year which will add to the $3 billion deficit we already know about?
This program has allowed over 400,000 low-income Washingtonians to get the basic health care they need to be healthy and make responsible decisions. Thousands of unplanned pregnancies have been avoided because of this successful and cost-effective program.
The program has improved lives: young women have been able to finish school; families have been able to better to care for the children they already have; women have been able to start a career.
I know we are facing a huge revenue shortfall, and you are forced to make very tough choices. But this cut makes no sense for Washington's families or our budget, since it will cost the state $45 million in the next year.
Please use all of your resources to save this program. None of us can afford for Take Charge to end.
----
To take action and send your own letter to Gov. Gregoire, please click here!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Answering Dino Rossi's latest letter.
Dino Rossi's campaign is so badly organized, they actually sent ME a fundraising letter. Here's my answer:
Brick by brick, the conservative movement is trying to take apart the foundation of our nation's future. The trillions of dollars that goes through our Federal Government provide that foundation, and Dino Rossi and his conservative allies think that it is too much. They believe that the Health Care legislation that passed cost too much. They claim that the IRS will need to hire more people to collect the taxes. That's a lie.
They claim that the first set of stimulus money "has doubled our national debt". That's a lie. The conservative Heritage Foundation report that was the source of that claim said that if nothing was done that would be the result over the next decade. Rossi puts that doubling in the past tense. We intend to do something to balance the budget, pay OFF the deficit, and pay down the debt. And we're willing to do it without destroying our country and hurting our people.
Rossi claims that the stimulus plan failed to create jobs. The Congressional Budget Office believes otherwise, that the stimulus may have created up to 3.3 million jobs. So Rossi is lying again here.
Rossi claims that the government "took over car companies". That's a lie. GM is doing an IPO over the next few months so that the government can sell the shares it owns after the bankruptcy saved the company from extinction, and maybe even make money on the sale of that stock.
The policy of giving money to banks, insurance companies and Wall Street was a $700B boondoggle that came from a Republican Treasury Secretary under a Republican President. I agree that it was a bad idea. But is Dino so completely stupid that he believes that the Federal Government should be able to tell those companies that they are not allowed to give bonuses to their executives? He needs to make up his mind.
Rossi talks about the expiring tax cuts affecting the "average family". If Bill Gates walks into a bar, I'll bet the average income of the bar will increase as well. If Republicans are going to complain about the debt and the deficit, then they are being hypocrtical by only looking at one side of the equation. We need to pass I-1098 so that the people who won't be hurt by taxes can help pay the taxes.
America is at a crossroads. We can either continue to move forward, or we can put the country in reverse. Much of what has happened over the first year and a half of President Obama's term has been moving in the right direction. Personally, I don't think it's far enough, and certainly not fast enough. But one step forward is better than 8 years of goosesteps in the wrong direction.
The Balanced Budget Amendment to the US Constitution has been introduced before. It's a crock, designed to be a nice talking point during the election. The truth of such a requirement is that it would destroy our country. In the United States, We the People are the government. So when conservatives say, quite seriously, that they want to drown the government in a bathtub, what they are saying is that they want to drown the people of the United States in their own debt. People who don't believe in government have no business running for office.
Rossi says that healthcare is too costly. He has never had cancer. He doesn't have a child with severe disabilities. Dino Rossi doesn't care about health care expenses because he has never had to pay them. He has no idea why people need help paying for their health care expenses because he has never needed help.
Rossi whines about $11 Billion in earmarks, which is less than 1% of the total budget. I don't think he has his priorities in order.
Dino Rossi can count on my help to send him back to the private sector, so he can continue to make money off the forclosures that are driving our fellow citizens out of their homes because the private sector has failed to use the Trillions of dollars at their disposal to hire people at a living wage. Third time's a charm, Dino. I hope this is the last time any of us ever see your name on a ballot.
I'll say again, people who don't believe in government have no business running for office. If the private sector is capable of doing everything, why hasn't it? Because it's another lie.
There is not one shred of truth to anything that Dino Rossi says when he talks about his values. He doesn't care about people, he cares about money. That's why he's asking for our money so he can help defeat our values in Washington DC.
Don't give him the time of day.
Chad Lupkes
Chair, 46th District Democrats
Brick by brick, the conservative movement is trying to take apart the foundation of our nation's future. The trillions of dollars that goes through our Federal Government provide that foundation, and Dino Rossi and his conservative allies think that it is too much. They believe that the Health Care legislation that passed cost too much. They claim that the IRS will need to hire more people to collect the taxes. That's a lie.
They claim that the first set of stimulus money "has doubled our national debt". That's a lie. The conservative Heritage Foundation report that was the source of that claim said that if nothing was done that would be the result over the next decade. Rossi puts that doubling in the past tense. We intend to do something to balance the budget, pay OFF the deficit, and pay down the debt. And we're willing to do it without destroying our country and hurting our people.
Rossi claims that the stimulus plan failed to create jobs. The Congressional Budget Office believes otherwise, that the stimulus may have created up to 3.3 million jobs. So Rossi is lying again here.
Rossi claims that the government "took over car companies". That's a lie. GM is doing an IPO over the next few months so that the government can sell the shares it owns after the bankruptcy saved the company from extinction, and maybe even make money on the sale of that stock.
The policy of giving money to banks, insurance companies and Wall Street was a $700B boondoggle that came from a Republican Treasury Secretary under a Republican President. I agree that it was a bad idea. But is Dino so completely stupid that he believes that the Federal Government should be able to tell those companies that they are not allowed to give bonuses to their executives? He needs to make up his mind.
Rossi talks about the expiring tax cuts affecting the "average family". If Bill Gates walks into a bar, I'll bet the average income of the bar will increase as well. If Republicans are going to complain about the debt and the deficit, then they are being hypocrtical by only looking at one side of the equation. We need to pass I-1098 so that the people who won't be hurt by taxes can help pay the taxes.
America is at a crossroads. We can either continue to move forward, or we can put the country in reverse. Much of what has happened over the first year and a half of President Obama's term has been moving in the right direction. Personally, I don't think it's far enough, and certainly not fast enough. But one step forward is better than 8 years of goosesteps in the wrong direction.
The Balanced Budget Amendment to the US Constitution has been introduced before. It's a crock, designed to be a nice talking point during the election. The truth of such a requirement is that it would destroy our country. In the United States, We the People are the government. So when conservatives say, quite seriously, that they want to drown the government in a bathtub, what they are saying is that they want to drown the people of the United States in their own debt. People who don't believe in government have no business running for office.
Rossi says that healthcare is too costly. He has never had cancer. He doesn't have a child with severe disabilities. Dino Rossi doesn't care about health care expenses because he has never had to pay them. He has no idea why people need help paying for their health care expenses because he has never needed help.
Rossi whines about $11 Billion in earmarks, which is less than 1% of the total budget. I don't think he has his priorities in order.
Dino Rossi can count on my help to send him back to the private sector, so he can continue to make money off the forclosures that are driving our fellow citizens out of their homes because the private sector has failed to use the Trillions of dollars at their disposal to hire people at a living wage. Third time's a charm, Dino. I hope this is the last time any of us ever see your name on a ballot.
I'll say again, people who don't believe in government have no business running for office. If the private sector is capable of doing everything, why hasn't it? Because it's another lie.
There is not one shred of truth to anything that Dino Rossi says when he talks about his values. He doesn't care about people, he cares about money. That's why he's asking for our money so he can help defeat our values in Washington DC.
Don't give him the time of day.
Chad Lupkes
Chair, 46th District Democrats
Thursday, September 02, 2010
How to support our kids:
"It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex. ... The legislature shall provide for a general and uniform system of public schools."
This is from the Washington State Constitution, Article IX. If we accept this constitutional duty, then we must recognize the responsibility of the legislature to maintain their ability to raise revenue sufficient to fulfill their paramount duty, that of funding our schools. Anything that limits or reduces the ability of the Legislature to raise that revenue should be considered an attack on our schools. And anyone who proposes and/or promotes limits or reductions on the ability of the Legislature is against our State Constitution, against our schools, against our kids' future, and SHOULD NOT BE PROPOSING INITIATIVES TO THE PEOPLE OF WASHINGTON STATE!!!
Please vote against I-1053 and against I-1107. Let our legislature do its job providing for our kids education and our future.
This is from the Washington State Constitution, Article IX. If we accept this constitutional duty, then we must recognize the responsibility of the legislature to maintain their ability to raise revenue sufficient to fulfill their paramount duty, that of funding our schools. Anything that limits or reduces the ability of the Legislature to raise that revenue should be considered an attack on our schools. And anyone who proposes and/or promotes limits or reductions on the ability of the Legislature is against our State Constitution, against our schools, against our kids' future, and SHOULD NOT BE PROPOSING INITIATIVES TO THE PEOPLE OF WASHINGTON STATE!!!
Please vote against I-1053 and against I-1107. Let our legislature do its job providing for our kids education and our future.
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