Single Payer, and specifically HR 676 - The United States National Health Care Act, were the ONLY health care reform plans endorsed and put on the Democratic Party of Wisconsin's Platform and Resolutions at the 2009 Convention. HERE is a link to the complete Platform and Resolutions.
For the first time ever, Single Payer legislation will be debated and voted on by the House of Representatives in September. Rep. Anthony Weiner (NY-9) introduced an amendment to President Obama's healthcare reform bill (HR 3200) that would replace it with HR 676, the single-payer bill. Speaker Pelosi pledged to bring it to a debate and vote on the full House floor in September.
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is expected to bring S 703 to the floor for a vote in the Senate.
And Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH) wants to enable states to establish single-payer systems.
Let's demand that our congressional delegation vote YES on Rep. Weiner's amendment, S 703, and Rep. Kucinich's state single-payer amendment in September!
Call our Wisconsin congressional delegation and our President. Ask them to support Single Payer Health Care.
President Barack Obama 202-456-1111
Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) 202-224-5653
Senator Russell D. Feingold (D- WI) 202-224-5323
Representative Paul Ryan (R - 01) 202-225-3031
Representative Tammy Baldwin (D - 02) 202-225-2906
Representative Ron Kind (D - 03) 202-225-5506
Representative Gwen Moore (D - 04) 202-225-4572
Representative F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R - 05) 202-225-5101
Representative Thomas E. Petri (R - 06) 202-225-2476
Representative David R. Obey (D - 07) 202-225-3365
Representative Steve Kagen (D - 08) 202-225-5665
Support Single payer Health Care
March For Peace In Janesville
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Please join Rock Valley Fellowship of Reconciliation and Rock County Citizens for Peace to "March for Peace," in Janesville this coming Saturday, October 17, at 1 p.m.
Our theme is:
"No War is a good war!"
We will start the march from the parking lot outside Basics Cooperative, 1711 Lodge Drive, Janesville. That's the new Basics, not the old location from which we've started previous marches. A notice was mistakenly sent out through the mail that indicated we'd be starting from the old Woodman Road site, but that was incorrect. We'll gather at the current Basics lot on Lodge Drive, across from the Janesville Mall.
Bill Christofferson, co-chair of the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice and a Vietnam veteran, will give us a "pep talk" to begin the afternoon's activities. We will march to the corner of Milton Avenue and Black Bridge Road. Rides will be available for those not able to make the walk. You can bring a chair if that would help. Dress for the weather; we will march rain or shine. We will be at the site with signs to send our message to passersby for about 40 minutes and then return to Basics for coffee and cheese and crackers in the store's indoor Community Room.
If you have questions, you can contact Sue Nelson of the Rock Valley Fellowship of Reconciliation at snelson@habiba.org.
Say No To Puppy Mills
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Please join us in showing Petland that we will not accept their ongoing animal cruelty and support of puppy mills!
Our next protest date is:
Saturday, August 1, from 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Petland is located in the Target plaza on Highway 14 & 26. We will be standing in the median in front of Fazoli's. We have plenty of signs! You're welcome to bring your own or use ours.
Future Petland protest dates:
Saturday, August 30, from 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 20, from 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Visit All Animals Rock blogspot.
Also No Wisconsin Puppy Mills
Mad As Hell Doctors In Madison
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Mad As Hell Doctors - The Rubber Gloves Meet The Road
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The Mad As Hell Doctors will be in Madison, Thursday, September 17, 2009.
There are two opportunities in which to see them.
Town Hall at the First Unitarian Society in Madison
When: Thursday, September 17
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: First Unitarian Society
900 University Bay Dr.
Madison, WI 53705-2249
Single Payer Rally at the State Capitol
When: Thursday, September 17
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Where: State Capitol Building
2 East Main Street
Madison, WI 53703
Click HERE for full information.
The Mad As Hell Docs have a great theme song, too. Click HERE.
PORTLAND, OR (8/9/09) - Furious with the health care 'options' coming out of Washington, D.C., seven "Mad as Hell" Oregon physicians are taking an unprecedented road trip across America to lobby Congress for a single-payer health care system. A big part of their plan is to take the entire country with them.
Called a "Care-A-Van," these road-tripping Oregon physicians will leave in a used motor home from Portland, Oregon on September 8th, inviting doctors and ordinary citizens from other states to join them on their twenty-city tour across the country. Their journey will culminate in a D.C.-based protest event on September 30th, scheduled to take place on the steps of Congress. Demonstrating with the doctors will be thousands of fellow 'Mad as Hell' single-payer advocates, all adorned with the movement's new symbol - the white ribbon. Their demand: Single-Payer Now!
Several national, single-payer advocacy organizations including Physicians for a National Health Program, Health Care Now, Single Payer Action, and even groups like Progressive Democrats of America and Jobs with Justice are supporting the Oregon physicians by setting up "Mad as Hell Town Halls" across the country in anticipation of their arrival.
New Congressional Candidate Tracker
Today we're excited to announce a new way to keep track of everyone running for Congress. And you can help!
The RaceTracker project on the OpenCongress Wiki tracks every election for the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and state governor.
For every state and district (including yours!), you can find info about candidates and their status, campaign contributions they've received, district maps, past election results, and more.
Best of all, RaceTracker is free, open-source, non-partisan, and collaborative. Add what you know to the wiki, citing a news source, and help build public knowledge about Congress. Check it out ::
Project:RaceTracker
... to dive right in and see an example, here's the page for Sen.
Roland Burris (D-IL), whose seat is up for election in 2010 and for
which eight candidates are already in the mix ::
IL-Senate_Class_III_Seat
... for more information on how you can use RaceTracker and how to get involved, please see today's announcement on our blog ::
Blog
Finally, if you haven't taken a look at our Wiki in a while, it's worth checking out the new info that the public and our editors are continually adding to pages for Senators and Representatives: official contact information for their offices (both in D.C. and in their districts), Congressional scorecards from issue-based groups, video announcements & floor speeches, narrative summaries of hot votes, and more ::
Open Congress Wiki Home
... hope you enjoy RaceTracker, and let us know what you think!
Thanks,
-the OC Team
Opencongress.Org
Utility Rate Increase Alert
Wisconsin Power and Light (WPL), just like the Janesville Water Utility, announced they will “likely’ file an emergency rate increase because of lost sales volume.
JG Excerpt: (Jan.22, 2009}Just before Christmas, the Janesville Water Utility also requested a rate increase for the same reason - low sales volume expected from the closing of the GM plant.
The chief executive of WPL's parent, Alliant Energy, projected WPL's sales will drop 6.4 percent this year, or $30 million. Because of that, Alliant CEO Bill Harvey says they "will likely file an emergency rate case" to the Public Service Commission.
JG Water Rate Increase: (Dec.20,2008)The Janesville water rate increase and WPL's increase are two sides of the same coin and both must acquire PSC approval before becoming law. Both requests defy the principle of supply and demand. When demand goes down - supply goes up - prices should drop. Instead, they want to increase prices to make up for lost revenue.
To account for the reduced revenue, the city has approved a wastewater rate increase and is anticipating a water rate increase for next year. Rate increases also are planned for 2010.
The PSC, the Janesville City Council and the Janesville City manager all want your input on this matter. Send all comments regarding rate increases by water, heating gas and electric utilities to the PSC.
Janesville residents, in addition to sending complaints to the PSC, can send their comments regarding the proposed water and sewer rate increases to the Janesville city manager and all council members here.
Note: WPL is a subsidary of Alliant Energy. For all practical matters - they are one and the same.
“Say Anything” night debuts downtown
Got something to say?
Say it at Codos!
Every Wednesday, starting at 7 p.m., until there’s nothing left to say.
Codos: Between the Main Street Saloon and Perfectly Plus.
“The word ‘poetry’ scares people,” said Russ. “Let’s just have a spoken-word night.”
Last week a small group gathered at Codos Coffee, 119 N. Main St., and entertained each other for the evening reading poetry, song lyrics and original material.
This group was diverse – and that’s why it worked.
Enthusiastic patrons begged Codos owner Russ Allen to keep it up, and he agreed to a spoken-word night every Wednesday until folks run out of things to say.
SO: bring your novel, short-story, speech, drama and essay excerpts -- poetry too – and anything else we forgot to mention. Make it original, steal it from someone else (but remember to attribute it!), wing it, prepare it, keep it hate-free and (relatively … relatively) clean, come if you’re young, come if you’re not, read in English or some other language, students, elders, all genders welcome!
Open Community Radio Now!
Are you sick of hearing the same talk radio blowhards and cookie-cutter music on the radio in Janesville?
By passing one bill, we can open the radio dial to thousands of stations with fresh new voices and alternative music, ending decades of radio domination by Big Media and their mouthpieces.
The Local Community Radio Act of 2009 (H.R. 1147) was just introduced in the House. The Act nearly passed in the last Congress with the support of more than 100 members.
With just a little urging from you, Rep. Ryan could be the deciding vote in this Congress and help usher in a new era of better radio:
Tell Congress to Open Up the Radio Dial
This Act would open up the airwaves to more Low Power FM (LPFM) radio stations, creating a megaphone for new bands, fostering more local and independent news and giving people across the country a chance to break into radio. This is how we inject new blood into a radio system that could be better serving all of us.
Please get Rep. Ryan on board by clicking here and signing the letter.
The Local Community Radio Act would open urban areas to local radio, too. A few companies have dominated the radio dial for too long, muting the voices of so many others. Make sure that Rep. Ryan makes better radio a reality now.
Onward,
Candace Clement
Campaign Coordinator
Free Press
Reform Media, Transform Democracy
Support The Employee Free Choice Act
Today, we took an important step toward fixing our economy and leveling the playing field for working Americans – the Employee Free Choice Act was introduced in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.
Now the hard work begins. Corporate special interests are twisting arms, spending millions on misleading ads, and spreading lies and propaganda to block the bill. We must ensure Congress passes the Employee Free Choice Act.
Ask your members of Congress to support the Employee Free Choice!
It's been two years since corporate lobbyists blocked this bill. They were backed by the same greedy CEOs who ran this economy into the ground – and they will stop at nothing to keep workers from getting a fair shake.
But with the most pro-worker Congress in years, and President Obama committed to the cause, this is our best chance yet to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. The stakes couldn't be higher – giving more workers a fair chance to negotiate for better pay, benefits, and job security will help restore the struggling middle class and make the economy work for everyone.
There's not a moment to lose—let your members of Congress know that we need their support!
UFCW members have joined with organizations across the country in rallying legions of activists around this crucial piece of legislation. Together, we collected over 1.5 million signatures supporting the Employee Free Choice Act—including signatures from 250,000 UFCW members!
Now that the bill has been introduced, it's time for your representative to hear directly from you.
We also need you to spread the word – every voice makes a difference. Tell friends and family to write their members of Congress too.
Together, we can make it happen!
Sincerely,
UFCW Employee Free Choice
Join Healthcare For All Rally
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Paulette Garin, 2008 Democratic Congressional Candidate in Wisconsin’s 1st District and State Coordinator for PDA – Progressive Democrats of America will be featured as the Single Payer Speaker at a rally and action event which will be held Saturday, July 25, on the steps of the Capitol in Madison. Garin will be speaking on behalf of the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care – The National Single Payer Alliance which is one of the sponsors for the event. PDA is one of four lead organizations in the Alliance.
Congresswoman, Tammy Baldwin, who co-sponsored HR 676 – Single Payer legislation, will be the guest of honor.
Other sponsors and speakers for the rally include: ABC for Health, AIDS Network, AFSCME Wisconsin, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, Community Action Coalition for South Central WI, Inc., The Coalition for Wisconsin Health, Disability Rights WI, The Dane County Grassroots Network, Healthcare for America Now!, The League of Women Voters Dane County, Madison-area Urban Ministry, NAMI Dane County, Organizing for America, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, SEIU Wisconsin, Wisconsin AFL-CIO, Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice.
Marchers will gather at the Library Mall at 2:30 p.m. for a walk up State Street, with the rally starting at 3:00 p.m.
Garin said, “I am humbled and honored to speak on behalf of all the Single Payer supporters. Single Payer really is the gold standard of what we should ask for in regards to healthcare reform. It is 100% guaranteed coverage for all Americans regardless of job transfer or pre-existing condition. Single Payer fulfills President Obama’s 3 principles of cost effectiveness, access, and choice unlike any other proposal.”
The event is being hosted by the Dane County Grassroots Network.
ALSO HAPPENING IN Racine - Community Conversation on Health Care Reform: Expo and Forum
Sunday, July 26
1-4 p.m.
Racine Masonic Center
1012 Main Street
Racine, WI
Sponsored by Community for Change
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