Write a Letter Speaking Out Against Voter Suppression If Georgia’s new voter suppression laws had been in place during the last election, Trump would have been able to bypass Georgia’s Secretary of State and overturn the election. Stacey Abrams would have been arrested when she gave water to elderly voters standing in line for 5 hours and thousands of citizens would have been turned away at the polls because of new ID laws. This is exactly what the GOP wants. Action: We must convince our senators to act now to protect voters. This week our call to action is to join other Washington State Indivisible members in writing letters to our local paper. Here are the main points when writing your letter:
From Indivisible: How to Write Letters to the Editor that Really Get Attention Sample letter (reword so that your letter is unique) The regressive era voting laws just passed in Georgia should sound the alarm that the U.S. Senate must move promptly to reform and protect voting rights with the We The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. On March 27, 2021, Sen. Patty Murray publicly stated that she is open to overturning the filibuster if Republicans use it to prevent the Democratic majority from passing this vital legislation. I want to thank Senator Murray for voicing her willingness to use every legislative option, including an exemption to the filibuster rule, to ensure that essential reforms can be signed into law. But why have we not heard from Senator Cantwell? And when will our Senators act? If our Senators wait too long, we will likely see more Republican state legislatures following in Georgia's footsteps, rushing through Jim Crow era voting restrictions and unfair redistricting before these key bills will have their intended effect. We need our Senators to act, and to act swiftly. Submit your letter to the Olympian. HR 1976 Medicare for All - Ask our MOC for Support Congress has a new Medicare bill. H.R.1976 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): To establish an improved Medicare for All national health insurance program. Learn more in this Washington Post article: Opinion: Health insurance does not equal universal health care Action: Contact Representative Marilyn Strickland. She has not expressed support for Medicare for All.
Incremental fixes to the ACA won’t ensure that all Americans can afford to get the medical care they need when they need it, but Medicare for All would. Paying for Infrastructure and Tackling Income Inequality - Time for a Twofer As Congress (or at least the Democrats in Congress) turns its attention to fixing our nation’s ailing infrastructure and envisioning the infrastructure needs of the future, they will have to consider revenue sources to fund this work. Meanwhile, there is a lot of analysis appearing about how it is that the rich keep getting richer while the middle class and poor are falling behind, creating an ever-broadening income disparity. Solutions for both are attracting more attention and gaining support; we should let our MOCs know that we support these types of ideas. One idea is to address loopholes in our tax system that are really designed for the sole benefit of the wealthy. For instance, some states provide a wealthy few with the ability to pass-on their wealth tax free. South Dakota is a prime example of this type of domestic tax haven. Another idea is to increase funding for the IRS, along with a mandate to increase their audits of the wealthy. IRS funding has decreased 20% since 2010, leading to a steep drop in audits of the super-rich from 30% to less than 10% over the last decade, costing the federal government over $175 billion annually according to a recent study. Action: Contact our MOCs and let them know you support an infrastructure program to repair, revitalize and modernize our nation’s infrastructure, and that you expect Democrats can address income inequality simultaneously by taking steps to ensure that wealthy Americans are paying their fair share. Contact WA MOCs
Script: My name is ____________________ and I am a member of Olympia Indivisible. Our nation’s infrastructure is failing, and it is clearly not adequate to face the challenges of the new century like climate change. At the same time, income inequality continues to increase, and the middle class and the poor continue to struggle just to stay level. Democrats must begin to fix these huge problems that Republicans have created. I support funding the infrastructure package with measures that ensure that the wealthy are paying their full share of a fair tax! I support ideas such as fully funding the IRS to collect the estimated $175 billion annually that the rich are currently avoiding, or eliminating the ability of states like South Dakota to become domestic tax havens for tax free transfers of hundreds of billions of dollars. Fixing our infrastructure should provide good jobs for the working class and put an end to the wealthy shirking their responsibilities. Bringing Order Out of Chaos We are halfway through the legislative session with some successes and some failures for our bills (which doesn’t mean we won’t try again). On KAOS Radio's Parallel University radio Podcast, listen to some of our fellow Indivisiblers from WILA who lead bill tracking teams on Governance, Health Care, and the Environment and our own Lisa Ornstein talk about using Take Action Network (TAN) to act on important bills as they move through the legislative process. Then come to Friday’s training, and learn how you can be part of this network of activists. TAN allows you to weigh in on bills and policies that mean the most to you, with targeted efficacy and one-click ease. TAN is free, won't sell or share your private information, and won't push ads at you. Action: Register Here for Take Action Network 101 training and learn how fast and easy it is to use TAN. After registering, you will immediately receive a confirmation and a link to the Zoom meeting. Take Action Network 101 gets you set up with TAN, shows you how to use it, answers your questions and provides support. Next Training: Friday, April 2, 2021, 5:00 to 6:00 PM Register Here |
To submit topics to the CTA Team use this email: OICTATeam@gmail.com.
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