Lacy

House Republicans are moving forward to repeal all provisions of health reform, with a final vote scheduled for next week.

If they get their way, insurance companies will once again have the right to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, drop or limit coverage if you become sick, and charge women higher premiums than men. Seniors will lose critical prescription drug savings and free preventive care under Medicare.

It’s sad but not surprising.

The motivations here have little to do with good policy. Repeal is just the first agenda item of a new Republican majority that is much more interested in appeasing their right-wing base and looking out for special interests than working together to create jobs and grow the economy.

Behind the scenes, insurance-industry lobbyists are working overtime with Republicans to take us back to the days when their clients were able to do whatever they wanted.

But this movement is different. We don’t take our cues from special interests or lobbyists, and we never will. We don’t take their money either, relying solely on support from folks like you — and it only makes us stronger.

Right now, Organizing for America is putting together a team of dedicated organizers and volunteers to defend our progress, stop repeal, and expose the Republican plan for what it really is.

Please donate $3 or more to help protect our progress — and stop the repeal of health insurance reform.

We fought to pass the Affordable Care Act because it was the right thing to do.

Its provisions are fair, reduce the deficit by more than $230 billion over the next 10 years, cut costs, and protect all Americans from the worst insurance industry abuses. The law is already making a difference in people’s lives.

Among other provisions, the Affordable Care Act:

— Prevents insurers from raising premiums by double digits with no recourse or accountability;
— Requires insurers to spend 80 to 85 percent of premium dollars on health care, not CEO bonuses — and if they don’t, they have to provide you a rebate;
— Frees families from the fear of losing their insurance, or having it capped unexpectedly, after an injury or illness; and
— Prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against pregnant women or denying coverage to children born with disabilities.

The Republican alternative at this point consists of a two-page addendum to the two-page repeal bill. It’s a plan to make a plan to have a plan.

Even without a coherent proposal, they won’t have trouble raising money to drum up support for repeal. Republicans’ close relationship with entrenched interests has benefited them in campaigns that did not begin — and will not end — with health reform.

But we’re fighting back with everything we’ve got — building a large-scale, grassroots effort to stop this repeal and protect our progress. Your support will fund the organizing that generates calls to Congress, neighborhood canvasses, and letters in our local papers.

Together, we’ll make sure our message is heard and understood: We stand by health reform and will not tolerate attempts to put insurance companies back in charge.

Donate $3 or more to fight repeal and protect our progress:

https://donate.barackobama.com/NoRepeal

Thanks,

Yohannes

Yohannes Abraham
Political Director
Organizing for America

Lacy —

Our progress is under attack.

Their majority is not even a day old, but House Republicans are already getting ready to pass a bill to repeal health reform.

Instead of focusing on the future, they want to put insurance companies back in charge of our health care. To go back to the days when these companies could deny coverage to children based on pre-existing conditions, cancel coverage when people would get sick, or limit the care you could receive — even when you needed more. When seniors would be forced to choose between paying their mortgage and paying for their prescription drugs, simply because they landed in the “donut hole” in coverage.

They want to turn our progress into a partisan fight.

But you and I know that the Affordable Care Act and other reforms to protect consumers did not pass because of a partisan or ideological agenda.

They passed because millions of Americans stood up and said we were ready for commonsense solutions after years of fraud and abuse, for a new era of responsibility after unchecked power. They passed because, after 100 years of debate and negotiation, we said we would wait no longer for health reform.

These reforms passed because of you. Now, we must prepare to stand up for them again.

Organizing for America is pulling together a team of organizers and volunteers to defend reform — and we need you on this team. Together, we’ll show how our progress is already improving lives across the country — and take on those who are pushing for repeal.

Join the fight to protect our progress and keep Congress focused on the future.

It’s clear that’s not where House Republicans are looking — they’re putting the car in reverse and heading straight toward the ditch that we just spent two years climbing out of.

As the President said this week, we are still emerging from a recession that took a toll on millions of families, many of whom are still trying to get their lives back on track. The Affordable Care Act and Wall Street reform were important steps forward on the road to recovery, and we can’t afford to play political games with them now.

We have an obligation to ensure our progress is not rewritten by the insurance industry and big banks.

This year, we’ll need to stand by the President as he works to grow our economy, make the United States more competitive, and keep moving the country forward — but we’re also going to have to work hard to defend what we have already achieved.

Join the campaign to protect our progress:

http://my.barackobama.com/ProtectOurProgress

Thanks,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

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“THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE”

December 30, 2010
Equality California | http://www.eqca.org

Dear Lacy,

Equality California worked hard to sponsor four pieces of legislation that will help many LGBT Californians when they take effect this Saturday, January 1:

* Authored by Senator Mark Leno, SB 543 will allow LGBT youth to access mental health services without their parents’ consent, ensuring they get the care that they need when they need it — without having to come out to their parents first.
* Authored by Assembly member Bonnie Lowenthal, AB 2199 repeals the reprehensible requirement that California seek the “causes and cures of homosexuality.”
* Authored by Assembly member Fiona Ma, AB 2700 will allow same-sex couples who are both domestic partners and married to dissolve their partnership and their marriage with the same process if they choose to separate.
* Authored by Assembly member Hector De La Torre, AB 2055 will grant same-sex couples who are about to enter into a domestic partnership the same unemployment benefits as opposite-sex couples who are about to wed.

We made a lot of progress in 2010, and with your help I know we can do the same in 2011. And we must.

LGBT youth need us to make their lives better now. More than 85 percent of them report harassment at school, and more than 33 percent of them report attempting suicide.

2011 will be the year that we make huge strides forward for LGBT youth. Equality California is sponsoring a bill in the new legislative session, authored by Sen. Leno, which will ensure all students learn about the contributions of LGBT people and the movement for LGBT rights in their social science classes. We’re also sponsoring a bill to strengthen anti-bullying laws with Assembly member Tom Ammiano.

This work cannot happen quickly enough. But we need your help to do it. Make a year-end gift to help us build support for our pro-equality legislation.
With your support and commitment, we can protect LGBT youth and advance the rights of all LGBT people. Please give today to support our work.

The board and staff of Equality California are truly grateful for your support and wish you and your loved ones much happiness in the New Year.

Jim Carroll
Managing Director
Equality California

Lacy —

I’ve been in Washington for almost 40 years. I’ve seen a lot of Congresses come and go. But I can’t remember a group of lawmakers who accomplished more than the folks who just wrapped up their work.

With their help, we repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and ratified the START arms control treaty. We passed a new law to rein in the abuses on Wall Street and protect consumers. We reformed the health care system and passed the Recovery Act to get our economy growing again.

But do you know why all that happened? Because people like you rolled up your sleeves, dug deep, and decided to make a difference. We had a dedicated group of lawmakers — no doubt — but they were supported every step of the way by folks from all across this country who were ready for change. People like you.

I know how much that means to me. And I can’t even begin tell you how much it means to the President.

So here’s the deal: President Obama wants to send you a note to express how grateful we are for all you did.

Would you like to receive one?

Two years ago, we were staring into an abyss. The financial crisis was the worst this country has faced since the Great Depression.

But this Congress passed the largest set of tax cuts for the middle class since President Reagan, the largest education reform since President Johnson, the largest infrastructure investment since President Eisenhower, and the largest clean-energy bill ever.

Now — even though we still have a ways to go — the economy is growing again.

Prior to this Congress, lawmakers had talked about reforming health care for almost a century. But with the President leading the way, these folks went out, and — with you at their side — they did it. Now 32 million more Americans will have access to health coverage.

When we came into office, just about the entire country had come to realize that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was wrong. More than 14,000 brave men and women had been discharged simply because of who they were. With your help, we struck down that law and made this country a more just place.

Every lawmaker who worked to accomplish these things will talk about their votes — and the role they played in this progress — for years. The President and I take great pride in those achievements. But each one belongs to you. You believed in them, you fought for them, and we’re darn grateful.

Thank you — for everything,

Joe

Lacy —

Moments ago, the Senate voted to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

When that bill reaches my desk, I will sign it, and this discriminatory law will be repealed.

Gay and lesbian service members — brave Americans who enable our freedoms — will no longer have to hide who they are.

The fight for civil rights, a struggle that continues, will no longer include this one.

This victory belongs to you. Without your commitment, the promise I made as a candidate would have remained just that.

Instead, you helped prove again that no one should underestimate this movement. Every phone call to a senator on the fence, every letter to the editor in a local paper, and every message in a congressional inbox makes it clear to those who would stand in the way of justice: We will not quit.

This victory also belongs to Senator Harry Reid, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and our many allies in Congress who refused to let politics get in the way of what was right.

Like you, they never gave up, and I want them to know how grateful we are for that commitment.

Will you join me in thanking them by adding your name to Organizing for America’s letter?

I will make sure these messages are delivered — you can also add a comment about what the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” means to you.

As Commander in Chief, I fought to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” because it weakens our national security and military readiness. It violates the fundamental American principles of equality and fairness.

But this victory is also personal.

I will never know what it feels like to be discriminated against because of my sexual orientation.

But I know my story would not be possible without the sacrifice and struggle of those who came before me — many I will never meet, and can never thank.

I know this repeal is a crucial step for civil rights, and that it strengthens our military and national security. I know it is the right thing to do.

But the rightness of our cause does not guarantee success, and today, celebration of this historic step forward is tempered by the defeat of another — the DREAM Act. I am incredibly disappointed that a minority of senators refused to move forward on this important, commonsense reform that most Americans understand is the right thing for our country. On this issue, our work must continue.

Today, I’m proud that we took these fights on.

Please join me in thanking those in Congress who helped make “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal possible:

http://my.barackobama.com/Repealed

Thank you,

Barack