We need your help on Election Day to keep PA Blue!
Download the PA Democratic Statewide Judicial Candidates Voter Guide at this link:
http://www.padems.com/Officials/Candidates/PA_Dems.pdf
A simple resolution to recognize October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives was halted by Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a Republican representing Butler. Why? Because, he said, “It has a homosexual agenda.”
On the same day, also on the House floor, he made matters worse. The House was about to vote on increasing marriage license fees from $3 to $28, with the increased amount going to a fund for victims of domestic abuse. Metcalfe opposed the measure, calling the funding a domestic violence programs “a slap in the face to family values.”2 The bill passed despite his outrageous claim.
More information at this link:
http://keystoneprogress.blogspot.com/2009/09/rep-metcalfe-domestic-violence-family.html
Metcalfe information:
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/house_bio.cfm?id=13
Progressive Change Campaign Committee
Friday night, Keith Olbermann led his show talking about the PCCC's latest campaign:
"More than 200 former Obama staffers, 13,000 Obama volunteers, 23,000 Obama donors on a petition: A bill without a public option would not be 'change we can believe in.'"
And those numbers are increasing! All weekend, former Obama organizers are putting their skills to use -- calling and emailing other Obama organizers to get them involved in this campaign.
Will you add your voice to theirs -- and join the thousands of Obama voters, donors, and organizers who still believe we can defeat the insurance interests and bring real change to the health care system?
Please sign the petition at this link:
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5649/t/4951/content.jsp?content_KEY=2802&tag=pod_e2-non
Then, please forward this to friends. Time is of the essence. This Wednesday, President Obama will speak to Congress about his health care priorities.
We're making a national ad that will highlight the voices of former Obama staffers who want the public option -- and it will include the number of petition signers. So let's get the number as high as possible.
We need to make sure President Obama (and any White House staff urging him to capitulate) knows that the overwhelming majority of Americans want a public option -- and that includes those who worked hardest to get him elected. Can you add your name to the petition?
Thanks for being a bold progressive. -- Adam Green, Stephanie Taylor, Michael Snook, Evan Miller, Andrew Perez, and the PCCC team
http://boldprogressives.org/
March For Healthcare - Global
Organize a march on September 13th across the USA.
Every city in the country needs you to come out on that day and March For Healthcare.
If there are a million of you out there then we can make our voices heard.
Let's March!!!
Contact Info Email:
Website: http://www.marchforhealthcare.com
Let's go change the world...
It's time for Health Insurance Reform!
TUESDAY, JULY 14TH, 2009 AT 5:52 PM
Investing in Education: The American Graduation Initiative Posted by Katherine Brandon
As part of his effort to build a stronger foundation that will allow us to lead in the global economy, the President announced today a historic initiative to strengthen our nation’s community colleges, and called for five million additional graduates by 2020. Speaking at Macomb Community College in Michigan, the President stressed the importance of education to America’s prosperity: But we also have to ensure that we're educating and preparing our people for the new jobs of the 21st century. We've got to prepare our people with the skills they need to compete in this global economy. (Applause.) Time and again, when we placed our bet for the future on education, we have prospered as a result -- by tapping the incredible innovative and generative potential of a skilled American workforce. That's what happened when President Lincoln signed into law legislation creating the land grant colleges, which not only transformed higher education, but also our entire economy. That's what took place when President Roosevelt signed the GI Bill which helped educate a generation, and ushered in an era of unprecedented prosperity. That was the foundation for the American middle class. (President Barack Obama greets the crowd at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich., Tuesday, July 14, 2009. Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson) Yesterday, we told you about the Council of Economic Advisers’ report about the future of the U.S. labor market. The report described a shift towards jobs that require greater analytical and interactive skills, and the benefits of higher education. It is expected that jobs requiring at least an associate degree will grow twice as fast as jobs requiring only a high school education. The President understands that education is fundamental to reviving our economy and strengthening our workforce, which is why he is committed to increasing graduation rates, and has asked every American to commit to at least one year of higher education: But today I'm announcing the most significant down payment yet on reaching the goal of having the highest college graduation rate of any nation in the world. We're going to achieve this in the next 10 years. (Applause.) And it's called the American Graduation Initiative. It will reform and strengthen community colleges like this one from coast to coast so they get the resources that students and schools need -- and the results workers and businesses demand. Through this plan, we seek to help an additional 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates in the next decade -- 5 million. (Applause.) You may remember Dr. Biden recently spoke about the critical role of community colleges in our higher education system. Community colleges are rapidly growing, and are needed now more than ever to keep America competitive. The American Graduation Initiative will build on the strengths of community colleges and launch new initiatives and reforms that will increase their effectiveness and impact by figuring out what works and what doesn't, modernize facilities, increase graduation rates, and expand and create new online learning opportunities.
THE BRIEFING ROOM • THE BLOG SUBSCRIBE MONDAY, JUNE 15TH, 2009 AT 4:19 PM
Why Reform, Why Now Posted by Jesse Lee
This afternoon the President gave a landmark, sweeping speech on health care reform to the American Medical Association in Chicago. More so than at any time before, he explained his vision for comprehensive reform that addresses every weak point in our health care system. It is a vision that implements best practices that have allowed some towns and companies to cut costs by as much as half compared to others. It is a vision that makes sure everybody has access to quality, affordable coverage, whether your family hits a rough patch or you have a pre-existing condition. It is a vision in which patients’ and doctors’ interests are aligned. And it is a vision where Americans’ choices of doctors and coverage are maintained, and they also have a choice of a public option that can help keep private insurers honest. It is a vision that focuses on prevention, making sure Americans stay healthy throughout their lives. It is well worth the while to read through the entire speech, but here are a few key excerpts, including some key points you may not have heard before:
On the costs of inaction: If we fail to act -- (applause) -- if we fail to act -- and you know this because you see it in your own individual practices -- if we fail to act, premiums will climb higher, benefits will erode further, the rolls of the uninsured will swell to include millions more Americans -- all of which will affect your practice.
If we fail to act, one out of every five dollars we earn will be spent on health care within a decade. And in 30 years, it will be about one out of every three -- a trend that will mean lost jobs, lower take-home pay, shuttered businesses, and a lower standard of living for all Americans. And if we fail to act, federal spending on Medicaid and Medicare will grow over the coming decades by an amount almost equal to the amount our government currently spends on our nation's defense. It will, in fact, eventually grow larger than what our government spends on anything else today. It's a scenario that will swamp our federal and state budgets, and impose a vicious choice of either unprecedented tax hikes, or overwhelming deficits, or drastic cuts in our federal and state budgets. So to say it as plainly as I can, health care is the single most important thing we can do for America's long-term fiscal health. That is a fact. That's a fact. (Applause.)
On incentives for doctors: There are two main reasons for this. The first is a system of incentives where the more tests and services are provided, the more money we pay. And a lot of people in this room know what I'm talking about. It's a model that rewards the quantity of care rather than the quality of care; that pushes you, the doctor, to see more and more patients even if you can't spend much time with each, and gives you every incentive to order that extra MRI or EKG, even if it's not necessary. It's a model that has taken the pursuit of medicine from a profession -- a calling -- to a business. That's not why you became doctors. That's not why you put in all those hours in the Anatomy Suite or the O.R. That's not what brings you back to a patient's bedside to check in, or makes you call a loved one of a patient to say it will be fine. You didn't enter this profession to be bean-counters and paper-pushers. You entered this profession to be healers. (Applause.) And that's what our health care system should let you be. That's what this health care system should let you be. (Applause.) Now, that starts with reforming the way we compensate our providers -- doctors and hospitals. We need to bundle payments so you aren't paid for every single treatment you offer a patient with a chronic condition like diabetes, but instead paid well for how you treat the overall disease. We need to create incentives for physicians to team up, because we know that when that happens, it results in a healthier patient. We need to give doctors bonuses for good health outcomes, so we're not promoting just more treatment, but better care.
On making sure doctors and patients have all the right information: A recent study, for example, found that only half of all cardiac guidelines are based on scientific evidence -- half. That means doctors may be doing a bypass operation when placing a stent is equally effective; or placing a stent when adjusting a patient's drug and medical management is equally effective -- all of which drives up costs without improving a patient's health. So one thing we need to do is to figure out what works, and encourage rapid implementation of what works into your practices. That's why we're making a major investment in research to identify the best treatments for a variety of ailments and conditions. (Applause.)
On America’s relationship with doctors: But my signature on a bill is not enough. I need your help, doctors, because to most Americans you are the health care system. The fact is Americans -- and I include myself and Michelle and our kids in this -- we just do what you tell us to do. (Laughter.) That's what we do. We listen to you, we trust you. And that's why I will listen to you and work with you to pursue reform that works for you. (Applause.) Together, if we take all these steps, I am convinced we can bring spending down, bring quality up; we can save hundreds of billions of dollars on health care costs while making our health care system work better for patients and doctors alike. And when we align the interests of patients and doctors, then we're going to be in a good place.
On the Health Insurance Exchange and a public option: Now, if you don't like your health care coverage or you don't have any insurance at all, you'll have a chance, under what we've proposed, to take part in what we're calling a Health Insurance Exchange. This exchange will allow you to one-stop shop for a health care plan, compare benefits and prices, and choose a plan that's best for you and your family -- the same way, by the way, that federal employees can do, from a postal worker to a member of Congress. (Applause.) You will have your choice of a number of plans that offer a few different packages, but every plan would offer an affordable, basic package. Again, this is for people who aren't happy with their current plan. If you like what you're getting, keep it. Nobody is forcing you to shift. But if you're not, this gives you some new options. And I believe one of these options needs to be a public option that will give people a broader range of choices -- (applause) -- and inject competition into the health care market so that force -- so that we can force waste out of the system and keep the insurance companies honest. (Applause.)
Now, I know that there's some concern about a public option. Even within this organization there's healthy debate about it. In particular, I understand that you're concerned that today's Medicare rates, which many of you already feel are too low, will be applied broadly in a way that means our cost savings are coming off your backs. And these are legitimate concerns, but they're ones, I believe, that can be overcome. As I stated earlier, the reforms we propose to reimbursement are to reward best practices, focus on patient care, not on the current piecework reimbursements. What we seek is more stability and a health care system that's on a sounder financial footing. And the fact is these reforms need to take place regardless of whether there's a public option or not. With reform, we will ensure that you are being reimbursed in a thoughtful way that's tied to patient outcomes, instead of relying on yearly negotiations about the Sustainable Growth Rate formula that's based on politics and the immediate state of the federal budget in any given year. (Applause.)
And I just want to point out the alternative to such reform is a world where health care costs grow at an unsustainable rate. And if you don't think that's going to threaten your reimbursements and the stability of our health care system, you haven't been paying attention. So the public option is not your enemy; it is your friend, I believe. Perhaps the most rousing moment of the speech came about half way through, as he stated the underlying moral basis for health reform: We are not a nation that accepts nearly 46 million uninsured men, women and children. (Applause.) We are not a nation that lets hardworking families go without coverage, or turns its back on those in need. We're a nation that cares for its citizens. We look out for one another. That's what makes us the United States of America. We need to get this done. (Applause.)
Obama for America Post from Obama for America:
President Obama's Call from Air Force One By Christopher Hass - May 30th, 2009 at 7:46 am EDTOn Thursday, President Obama took time to speak by phone with thousands of Organizing for America volunteers about the urgent need to organize for health care reform.
“If we don’t get it done this year, we’re not going to get it done,” the President said.
He stressed that health care reform will only become a reality if grassroots supporters mobilize support for it in every community in America. The fight over health care reform, he noted, offers a "big chance to prove that the movement that started during the campaign isn’t over.”
Also speaking on the call was David Plouffe, OFA Director Mitch Stewart, OFA Deputy Director Jeremy Bird, OFA New Media Director Natalie Foster and OFA volunteer Diane Robertson, who offered her advice on how to organize support in your community.
The fight over health care reform begins in your neighborhood June 6th. Sign up to host or attend a kickoff event in your area.
Pennsylvania Democratic Party State Committee Meeting June 5 - 6
June 5-6, 2009The Westin Convention Center, Pittsburgh
We still have tickets for the Inaugural Catherine Baker Knoll Dinner, scheduled for Friday, June 5th, available at PA Dems Party Headquarters and padems.com. Call Rachel Moore at 717-920-8470 to order by phone or click here to order your tickets online.Join Governor Ed Rendell, Sen. Bob Casey, Sen. Arlen Specter and PA Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney for what promises to be an unforgettable night honoring an unforgettable public servant.
And don't miss the FREE workshops on Friday afternoon. All workshops will be held in the Westmoreland Room and are open to all registered Democrats in Pennsylvania
A Personal Message for Obama Supporters from Judge Anne Lazarus
Democratic Candidate for Pennsylvania Superior Court – Vote Tuesday May 19,2009
My name is Anne Lazarus and I am a Democratic candidate for Superior Court. I'm asking for your support on May 19th.I began my career as a judge nearly 20 years ago when I was appointed by Governor Robert P. Casey as a merit selection judge to the Court of Common Pleas of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania. On the Court of Common Pleas, I have served as a judge in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions and currently on the Orphans’ Court. I remain as excited today about the opportunity to dispense justice fairly and equally as I was when I first joined the court.For the past four years, I have served as Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, a role that requires me to provide guidance to judges throughout the Commonwealth on standards of ethical behavior as directed by the Code of Judicial Conduct. I am proud to say that no judge that has sought an advisory opinion from the committee, and has followed our advice, has ever been disciplined for misconduct.As committed as I have been to the law, I have been equally committed to the community and volunteering. I have served as a board member of the Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program and in 2006, the Pennsylvania Bar Association recognized my work with the first-ever Judicial Pro Bono Award. I also serve as an adjunct professor at the Widener University School of Law, the National Judicial College, and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. I believe it was for all of these reasons that I was again given the Bar Association’s highest rating “Highly Recommended” for this campaign. They wrote that I am “intelligent, thoughtful, candid and scholarly, … and demonstrate superior writing ability, knowledge of the law and exceptional judicial temperament.” I am the only Democrat running for Superior Court who won the Bar’s highest rating. I hope I can count on your vote on May 19th. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me at anne@lazarusforsuperiorcourt.org or 215-687-6348.Thank you.
http://www.lazarusforsuperiorcourt.org/
Obama Supporters the PA Democratic Judicial Candidates Need Your Help
Judge Jack Panella for Supreme Court http://votejackpanella.com/
Judge Anne E. Lazarus for Superior Court http://www.lazarusforsuperiorcourt.org/
Judge John Milton Younge for Superior Court http://www.judgejohnyounge.org/
Judge Robert J. Colville for Superior Court http://www.judgecolville.com/
Dan Bricmont for Commonwealth Court http://danbricmont.com/
Judge Jimmy Murray Lynn for Commonwealth Court http://www.padems.com/node/1765
Reminder it is petition time in Pennsylvania.
First day to circulate and file nomination petition February 17
Last day to circulate and file nomination petitions March 10
PA Democratic Municipal Primary May 19, 2009
Obama supporters stay active and engaged at the local level.
Your local Democratic Party needs your help and ideas.Use the PA Democratic Party map to locate your local party website.
PA Democratic Party County Map: http://www.padems.com/about/map
If the local county party does not have a website listed on the PA Democratic Party Map contact the PA Democratic Party for local contact information.
PA Democratic Party: http://www.padems.com//
http://www.padems.com/about/staff
Enjoy the Whitehouse Slideshow at www.Whitehouse.gov......
THE BRIEFING ROOM • THE BLOG Thursday, February 12th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Apply for a job
We're happy to announce that the jobs application feature is now live on WhiteHouse.gov. The Jobs Application feature enables people everywhere to apply to be considered for a political appointment in President Obama's Administration. You can get to it by clicking on the "Jobs" link at the very bottom of each of the pages on WhiteHouse.gov. That link will take you to a page which tells you a little bit more about the application process, with a a button at the bottom marked, "Begin Application Form." That’s where you fill out your information, upload a resume, and tell us what kinds of positions you’re interested in. But a quick heads up – you have to complete the application in one session, and it’s going to take you about 15 minutes to do it. So before you start, you might want to print the Paper Application, gather up the information you’ll need, then sign back in. We’re looking to fill several thousand politically appointed positions in the Executive Branch. We’re already interviewing for many of the upper level positions, but will be reviewing applications and making decisions on appointments over the next few months. Remember, the WhiteHouse.gov jobs application is just for politically appointed positions in the Executive Branch of the government. These are positions that serve at the pleasure of the President and so are by definition temporary, not permanent. We have received more than 350,000 applications to date for several thousand positions; the selection process is very competitive and rigorous. For more information on these types of appointments, click on the Executive Branch link on the "Our Government" page of WhiteHouse.gov, or check out the Plum Book. (We also encourage you to look at the many thousands of permanent career positions with the government. Go to USAJobs.gov for more information and to fill out an application.) If you already submitted an application to Change.gov, you don’t need to submit a new one. All applications from Change.gov have been brought into the White House applicant database and are currently being used to search for candidates. A number of people have asked whether they can update an application. If you want to modify an application you submitted to Change.gov or WhiteHouse.gov, you will need to submit a brand new application to WhiteHouse.gov. The security requirements of the White House technology environment will not permit applicants to retrieve and modify already-submitted applications. If you have skills and a desire for public service, check out the WhiteHouse.gov jobs pageUSAJobs.gov (career positions) and tell us about yourself.
THE BRIEFING ROOM • THE BLOG Monday, February 9th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
President Obama is holding his first press conference. You can watch it streaming at WhiteHouse.gov/live. He opened up with some brief remarks, which you can read in full (as prepared for delivery) below. OPENING REMARKS OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA -- AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY First Presidential Press Conference East Room, The White House Monday, February 9th, 2009 Good evening. Before I take your questions tonight, I’d like to speak briefly about the state of our economy and why I believe we need to put this recovery plan in motion as soon as possible. I took a trip to Elkhart, Indiana today. Elkhart is a place that has lost jobs faster than anywhere else in America. In one year, the unemployment rate went from 4.7% to 15.3%. Companies that have sustained this community for years are shedding jobs at an alarming speed, and the people who’ve lost them have no idea what to do or who to turn to. They can’t pay their bills and they’ve stopped spending money. And because they’ve stopped spending money, more businesses have been forced to lay off more workers. Local TV stations have started running public service announcements that tell people where to find food banks, even as the food banks don’t have enough to meet the demand. As we speak, similar scenes are playing out in cities and towns across the country. Last Monday, more than 1,000 men and women stood in line for 35 firefighter jobs in Miami. Last month, our economy lost 598,000 jobs, which is nearly the equivalent of losing every single job in the state of Maine. And if there’s anyone out there who still doesn’t believe this constitutes a full-blown crisis, I suggest speaking to one of the millions of Americans whose lives have been turned upside down because they don’t know where their next paycheck is coming from. That is why the single most important part of this Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Plan is the fact that it will save or create up to 4 million jobs. Because that is what America needs most right now. It is absolutely true that we cannot depend on government alone to create jobs or economic growth. That is and must be the role of the private sector. But at this particular moment, with the private sector so weakened by this recession, the federal government is the only entity left with the resources to jolt our economy back to life. It is only government that can break the vicious cycle where lost jobs lead to people spending less money which leads to even more layoffs. And breaking that cycle is exactly what the plan that’s moving through Congress is designed to do. When passed, this plan will ensure that Americans who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own can receive greater unemployment benefits and continue their health care coverage. We will also provide a $2,500 tax credit to folks who are struggling to pay the cost of their college tuition, and $1000 worth of badly-needed tax relief to working and middle-class families. These steps will put more money in the pockets of those Americans who are most likely to spend it, and that will help break the cycle and get our economy moving. But as we learned very clearly and conclusively over the last eight years, tax cuts alone cannot solve all our economic problems – especially tax cuts that are targeted to the wealthiest few Americans. We have tried that strategy time and time again, and it has only helped lead us to the crisis we face right now. That is why we have come together around a plan that combines hundreds of billions in tax cuts for the middle-class with direct investments in areas like health care, energy, education, and infrastructure – investments that will save jobs, create new jobs and new businesses, and help our economy grow again – now and in the future. More than 90% of the jobs created by this plan will be in the private sector. These will not be make-work jobs, but jobs doing the work that America desperately needs done. Jobs rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, and repairing our dangerously deficient dams and levees so that we don’t face another Katrina. They will be jobs building the wind turbines and solar panels and fuel-efficient cars that will lower our dependence on foreign oil, and modernizing a costly health care system that will save us billions of dollars and countless lives. They’ll be jobs creating 21st century classrooms, libraries, and labs for millions of children across America. And they’ll be the jobs of firefighters, teachers, and police officers that would otherwise be eliminated if we do not provide states with some relief. After many weeks of debate and discussion, the plan that ultimately emerges from Congress must be big enough and bold enough to meet the size of the economic challenge we face right now. It is a plan that is already supported by businesses representing almost every industry in America; by both the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO. It contains input, ideas, and compromises from both Democrats and Republicans. It also contains an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability, so that every American will be able to go online and see where and how we’re spending every dime. What it does not contain, however, is a single pet project, and it has been stripped of the projects members of both parties found most objectionable. Despite all of this, the plan is not perfect. No plan is. I can’t tell you for sure that everything in this plan will work exactly as we hope, but I can tell you with complete confidence that a failure to act will only deepen this crisis as well as the pain felt by millions of Americans. My administration inherited a deficit of over $1 trillion, but because we also inherited the most profound economic emergency since the Great Depression, doing too little or nothing at all will result in an even greater deficit of jobs, incomes; and confidence. That is a deficit that could turn a crisis into a catastrophe. And I refuse to let that happen. As long as I hold this office, I will do whatever it takes to put this country back to work. I want to thank the members of Congress who’ve worked so hard to move this plan forward, but I also want to urge all members of Congress to act without delay in the coming week to resolve their differences and pass this plan. We find ourselves in a rare moment where the citizens of our country and all countries are watching and waiting for us to lead. It is a responsibility that this generation did not ask for, but one that we must accept for the sake of our future and our children’s. The strongest democracies flourish from frequent and lively debate, but they endure when people of every background and belief find a way to set aside smaller differences in service of a greater purpose. That is the test facing the United States of America in this winter of our hardship, and it is our duty as leaders and citizens to stay true to that purpose in the weeks and months ahead. After a day of speaking with and listening to the fundamentally decent men and women who call this nation home, I have full faith and confidence that we can. And with that, I’ll take your questions.
