Weekly Call To Action - December 10, 2023

Quote of the Week:

“When a man, unprincipled in private life, desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents, having the advantage of military habits, despotic in his ordinary demeanor, known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty; when such a man is seen to mount the hobby-horse of popularity, to join in the cry of danger to liberty, to take every opportunity of embarrassing the general government and bringing it under suspicion, to flatter and fall in with all the nonsense of the zealots of the day, it may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion, that he may ‘ride the storm and direct the whirlwind’.” –Alexander Hamilton, note to George Washington, 1792

---

Legislative Actions:

Take the WILA Survey

​Your Washington Indivisible Legislative Action team (WILA) needs to know your legislative priorities. It's important for us to have as much input as possible to make sure we're focusing on issues of most concern.

Action: Fill out the survey form: https://bit.ly/WILA-2024-Priorities

---

Local Actions:

Take Starbucks Gift Cards Off Your Holiday List

​Source: From our friends at Starbucks Workers United 

Starbucks has shown their true colors this year in more ways than one. From a ruthless union-busting campaign to attacking their workers for standing up and doing the right thing, Starbucks has demonstrated that their previously accepting, progressive image just doesn’t hold water anymore.

Unionized baristas are asking for you to support them by forgoing the Starbucks gift cards this season!

Action: Take Starbucks Gift Cards OFF your holiday list. Instead, buy a gift card or coffee gift from one of our independent, locally-owned, fair trade coffee shops:

• Dancing Goats Coffee
• Olympia Roasting Company
• The Owl’s Nest
• Rhythms Coffee

---

Winter Solstice Forest Walk 
to “Evergreen Gold” Timber Sale

Source: From our friends at Center for Responsible Forestry

On Sunday, Dec. 17, from 12-3pm, join volunteers from the Center for Responsible Forestry on a cloudy meander through the mossy winter wonderland of Thurston County’s Black Hills, into one of the most pristine imminently threatened timber sales in “Capitol Forest.” Giant cedars needing at least three people to hug! Frozen lichens! We might even find some mistletoe! Don’t miss these and other cute signs of wintry forest magic. Be prepared to walk in the rain, on unsteady ground and through wet shrubbery. 

Action 1: Details and registration for Evergreen Gold Timber Sale Community Hike

Action 2: The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is trying to log over 150 acres of 86-101 year old mature forest in Thurston County. This timber sale, chock full of centenarian trees, is scheduled to be auctioned off in the Spring unless enough people Take Action! 

---

Federal Actions:

Curtail Exorbitant Pay Disparities Between CEOs and Workers

Photo credit: Wikimedia, Jose Sancez

From 1979 to 2020, net worker productivity rose 61.8%, but workers wages only rose 17.5%. Meanwhile, CEO pay skyrocketed by more than 1,209% -- over 18 times the productivity growth.

Now, as people grapple with record-high inflation spurred by corporate greed, CEO’s are earning 399 times the pay of the median worker -- the highest disparity in 50 years.

Our economy -- and our democracy -- cannot continue like this. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representatives Barbara Lee and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have introduced the Curtailing Executive Overcompensation (CEO) Act, which would apply an excise tax on public and private companies that have at least a 50-to-1 CEO-to-median-worker pay disparity.

The tax would apply only to large companies with over $100 million in gross receipts and $10 million in payroll. The tax rate imposed would be proportional to the size of the executive’s compensation (including salary, bonuses, and stock awards and options) and the degree by which the pay ratio exceeds 50-to-1. The tax would be limited to one percent of a company’s gross receipts.

The disparities don’t just increase economic inequality; they pose a dangerous threat to democracy. CEO’s use that wealth to gain power in our politics. This has led to a two-tiered system of government where the wealthy dictate policy while everyday workers are shafted. If a political donor calls a member of Congress, their offices are almost four times more likely to make room in their schedule for them than they are with a regular constituent.

Action: Send a message urging your members of Congress to become co-sponsors of the CEO Act now.

Script: If we want the United States to thrive -- while ensuring the survival of democratic capitalism -- we must do everything in our power to curtail exorbitant pay disparities between CEOs and workers. Please co-sponsor and support the Curtailing Executive Overcompensation (CEO) Act. 

---

Hold Fox News Accountable

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Photo by Felton Davis

Source: From our friends at Mediaanddemocracy.org 

On July 3, 2023, the Media and Democracy Project (MAD) filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) a Petition to Deny the broadcast license renewal application for Fox Television Stations, LLC (FTS) owned television station FOX 29 Philadelphia (WTXF-TV). The ultimate parent entity of FTS is Fox Corporation.
 
As FCC broadcast licensees, FTS, Fox Corporation (FOX) and Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch are required to operate their broadcast stations in the public interest. They must also conform to the FCC's established character qualifications for broadcast licensees. In our petition, we argue that as revealed in the Dominion settlement documents, the same ownership (FOX Television Stations and the Murdochs) knowingly permitted the broadcast of election lies on Fox News and that this “shocks the conscience,” and fails to meet the “character qualification” to remain public interest broadcast licensees. In total, FOX owns 29 broadcast local TV stations - including WTXF - in addition to the cable Fox News Channel. 
 
Media and Democracy’s petition has received vocal public support from a respected bipartisan group of FCC veterans and media experts who agree that the FCC must hold a hearing to determine whether FTS, Fox Corporation and the Murdochs can continue as licensees of the public airwaves. As a result of our effort and broad support, the FCC has opened that petition to public comment—a rare step that demonstrates the Commission’s seriousness and desire for public feedback.

Action: Sign on to the letter to the FCC calling for a public hearing into Fox Corporation’s broadcast renewal license for WTXF.

---

Save Our Salmon

Photo Credit: Flickr. Photo: Backbone Campaign

The Biden administration is requesting all federal agencies to take new steps to prevent extinction and restore populations of critical species and to honor treaty obligations with Tribal neighbors. Restoring Chinook salmon in particular is essential to the survival of Southern Resident Orca whales.

President Biden and his administration must know they have support from congressional members of our region. You can access President Biden's memorandum here.

Action: Ask our members of Congress to show support for President Biden's Memorandum on Restoring Healthy and Abundant Salmon, Steelhead, and Other Native Fish Populations in the Columbia River Basin.

---

Have You Scheduled These Events?

Save the Date!!     Time to mark your calendars so that you do not miss Olympia Indivisible’s launch of our 2024 plan to Mobilize for Democracy! 
​
This event is a critical, all hands on deck event!

As we did in 2020, we’ll meet on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, Jan. 15, 2024) at the St. John’s Espicopal Church (114 20th Ave SE, Olympia) from 1 to 3pm. Find out how we are going to work together to make pro-democracy electoral wins at home and across the nation. This all-member event will also be open to the public, so bring your friends. Register HERE today!
______________


Action Cafe 2023, Every Monday at Noon
OI members meet, make new friends, and take actions together. Every Cafe comes with a side order of live music and a heapin’ helpin’ of good cheer!

Cafe patrons receive an email on Sunday with a sneak-peek at what we'll do at the cafe the next day. On Monday morning, Chef Lisa will send you a pdf "Menu" which has links to the actions we'll take together at the Cafe. 

Action: Register HERE. We will send you a Zoom link and tomorrow morning, Chef Lisa will send your "menu."