Chop Wood, Carry Water 3/28

Hi, all, and happy Monday!

Today is the day that many states observe Cesar Chavez Day; it’s also the start of trans visibility week.

How better to celebrate labor leaders, human rights activists, and our LGBTQ family and friends than by making our calls and working to elect more democracy-minded lawmakers? After all, we can pass no new labor legislation, no pro-LGBTQ laws, no human rights laws, no nothing, until we expand our majority in the Senate. Full stop.

So while it’s important to say “Happy [fill in the blank] day!” it’s more important still to work to actually improve the lots of the communities being celebrated. We do that by working to pass better laws, and—to do that—elect better lawmakers.

Otherwise our words are empty.

So happy Cesar Chavez Day. Happy trans visibility week.

Now let’s get to work.

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

First, Clarence Thomas’s failure to recuse himself in a case involving texts from his wife to Mark Meadows about the attempted coup is unacceptable. The federal law on recusals is clear: “Judges should not participate in proceedings in which their spouse has ‘an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding.” Now that we know that Ginny Thomas does have such an interest, Justice Thomas can no longer participate in matters relating to the insurrection and attempted coup. If he refuses to recuse himself he needs to be impeached. [H/T]

Also, please confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson immediately. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here)

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

I’m calling to make sure that the Congressmember is co-sponsoring HR 7018, the Green Postal Service Fleet Act. This bill would would force Louis DeJoy to cancel his purchase of 160K new gas powered, non-union-built trucks and instead order at least 75% electric vehicles that are union built. This issue is incredibly important to me.

One more thing: I want the Congressmember to support the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, HR 3617. I know the House will vote this week.

Extra Credit ✅

Send this to President Biden, either through the White House contact form, or through Resistbot (text President to 50409, then copy and paste this message into the field when it asks what you want to say.) Either way please personalize.

I’m joining the Congressional Progressive Caucus in asking that the President declare a national climate emergency, using the powers given to him, including the Defense Production Act and the National Emergencies Act, to supercharge our move to clean, renewable energy and to end our dependence on and use of fossil fuels.

We are in the midst of multiple interconnected national and global crises, from climate change to the war in Ukraine to public health and economic calamities. Ending our use of fossil fuels is a critical step in tackling ALL these crises.

Please, us this unprecedented moment to make things better, not worse. Declare a National Climate Emergency and take the actions our nation and planet desperately needs NOW.

Protect Elections! 🚨

Join Run For Something for a special workshop to learn about how you can work with them to run for an election administrator position -- whether that is a County Clerk, County Recorder, or other position that directly affects fair election administration.

Join them on March 29th for their call, "See Yourself Running: Election Administrator.” RFS endorsed election administrators from across the country will talk about their campaign experience and what you should know about these elected positions.

Reserve your spot here.

Come to my Workshop!

I’m doing an Activism 101 workshop for a group of east-coasters later today, and I’ve been told that strays are welcome! If you’d like to sit in on this one-hour, free webinar that delves into all the ways you can help win elections and why they matter, come!

3:30 PM PDT/ 6:30PM EDT, Monday 3/28. Hop on here (or email me for meeting ID and passcode.)

Stop Voter Suppression! 🗳

VoPro Pros — one of the best all-volunteer voter protection orgs out there—has asked me for help in amplifying a REALLY important voter protection phonebank happening today and tomorrow.

The New Hampshire Senate has a vote coming up on SB418 - a voter suppression bill establishing strict new documentation requirements for many NH voters. This bill is likely targeted at college students. Volunteers will be calling strong Dems with GOP reps and asking them to pressure them to vote against this dangerous bill.

VoPro Pros is hosting phone banks today at 6PM EDT and tomorrow (3/29) at 1PM and 4PM EDT. They’ll train you. It’ll be easy and pleasant. This is so important. Hope some of you can do it.

Monday sign up here!
Tuesday sign up here!

Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)

[to all 3 reps] [H/T] [quick send text SIGN PNTBBM to 50409]

I understand that President Biden plans to use a billionaires income tax to help fund his proposed federal budget for next year. The new levy would largely end the scandal of billionaires going tax-free for years on end and raise $360 billion over 10 years from those with wealth of at least $100 million—the richest 0.01% of taxpayers, or about 20,000 families.

This would be a major improvement to our tax system, which currently allows the wealthy to accumulate huge amounts of assets—their wealth—tax free while average Americans pay the taxes they owe year after year. 

Billionaires are more than capable of paying the tax. During the first two years of the pandemic, their total net worth shot up by $1.7 trillion, or 57%—to $4.6 trillion. Much of that gain will never be taxed because billionaires don’t need to sell their assets—“realize their gains”—living instead on cheap loans borrowed against their rising fortunes.

A Billionaires Income Tax has been endorsed by 105 national organizations, 219 economists and law professors, and more than 250 millionaires. It’s also endorsed by me, and I hope you will staunchly support its passage. Thanks.

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OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk tomorrow.

Jess