Chop Wood, Carry Water 4/8 ☀️
There went the sun!
Hi, all, and happy Monday!
Hope you’re all enjoying “Eclipse Day.” My goodness! It feels like a holiday!
By the time this newsletter goes out the prime viewing window will have passed— I hope many of you got an outstanding view. I’m in California and without eclipse glasses, so I didn’t expect much. But I’d read somewhere that you could see the eclipse (a partial view only from here) via either dappled sunlight or a colander. I thought it sounded nuts, but both turned out to work really well! See above! We have a perfect sunny day here, so that helped.
On top of that my neighbor turned out to have a telescope with a special filter, so we got a great view of the eclipse after all!
It’s lovely to experience the sense of community that a natural phenomenon like this engenders. Wonder and awe are feelings we should all enjoy and cultivate; sharing them with neighbors, family, or even with strangers is more amazing, still.
Speaking of awe, I’m in constant awe of all of you. You’re the light I turn to every day, and your brilliance is never, ever diminished.
So let’s unleash it upon the world one more time, shall we?
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I understand that Senators Whitehouse and Vance have introduced the Stop Subsidizing Giant Mergers Act, legislation to end tax-free mergers and taxpayer subsidies for acquisitions that consolidate corporate power. Will the Senator be signing on as a co-sponsor? I’d like him/her to.
I also hear that Senator Cantwell and Representative Rodgers have introduced a draft version of a bipartisan online privacy bill called the American Privacy Rights Act. The bill isn’t finalized yet, but it sounds promising, and I strongly support the passage of strong and comprehensive internet privacy legislation. I hope the Senator will work to help perfect and pass this bill. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I also hear that Senator Cantwell and Representative Rodgers have introduced a draft version of a bipartisan online privacy bill called the American Privacy Rights Act. The bill isn’t finalized yet, but it sounds promising, and I strongly support the passage of strong and comprehensive internet privacy legislation. I hope the Congressmember will work to help perfect and pass this bill. Thanks.
Also, we need aid for Ukraine and we need it now. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
This action comes from the terrific More Perfect Union.
The Minneapolis City Council passed a policy last summer that would ensure fairer compensation for gig economy rideshare drivers based on time and mileage, and compensate drivers for canceled rides. That policy takes effect on May 1 -- and instead of complying and paying drivers a fair wage, Uber and Lyft are threatening to leave the city.
A More Perfect Union investigative report found that Uber is taking as much as 53% of every ride. It’s time Uber and Lyft paid their drivers a fair wage!
Please sign this letter asking the CEOs to do just that.
If you prefer not to sign petitions you can also DM the companies through their Facebook pages here and here. Simply click on the “Message” button, then copy and paste the below note into the message field. Make sure to personalize!
I urge Uber and Lyft to meet the requirements of the new law being implemented in Minneapolis and pay your drivers a fair wage instead of threatening to leave Minneapolis.
The more you squeeze riders and drivers alike, the more cities, like NYC and Denver, will turn to ride-share apps that save riders money and pay drivers a fair wage.
Get Smart! 📚
Exciting! On Friday April 12 from 3-4:15 PM ET
will be the special guest at a Volunteer Blue kickoff event that will focus on how we all are important players in the fight to save democracy.Cox Richardson will touch on the themes contained in her book “Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America,” which the New York Times called, “a vital and urgent call to action about the precarious state of American democracy.” Richardson will also do a Q & A.
The April 12 event also will include an overview of the status of Presidential, Senate, and House races to show which are winnable and which will benefit most from our help.
Spread the Word! 📣
From CAP Action: Estimated Medicare prescription drug negotiation savings by state
The Biden administration continues to make healthcare more affordable for people across the country. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 enabled Medicare to negotiate prices for prescription drugs for the first time in the program’s history, meaning that millions of Americans will be able to access the medications they need at more affordable prices. CAP estimated the likely net price reduction for a monthly supply for each of the first 10 Medicare Part D drugs currently undergoing price negotiation and released an interactive table that allows you to see how many Medicare beneficiaries in your state stand to benefit from the savings associated with these lower prices.
USE AND SHARE THE INTERACTIVE TOOL
Give 💰!
Run For Something put out an unbelievably inspiring update on how their candidates did last week—it’s like a mini “Extra! Extra!” Please read it, and then consider making a donation—if you can!—to this extraordinary organization. Most of you know they’re one of my top three “give to” orgs. If you read this post you’ll see why.
Win Races! 🗳
Are you ready to take action for the 2024 election in North Carolina? Please visit amazing North Carolina organizer Marilyn Hartman’s up-to-date list of volunteer opportunities in NC for the election. Take a look, bookmark the page if you find it useful, and check back regularly. She updates it frequently. And feel free to share with others.
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
The wonderful Inside Climate News now has 15 state-or-region-specific climate newsletters. Click here to see if your state or region is covered, and please consider signing up!
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: your House rep ] [H/T] [Text SIGN PEUMEL to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
I strongly urge the Congressmember to support and help pass H.R. 6270, the State-Based Universal Health Care Act, introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna of California. This bill helps states test universal health plans that could be a model for a national plan - a Universal, Simple, and Affordable (USA) plan.
A USA plan will drastically reduce administrative overhead, freeing billions of dollars for our health care and general welfare. With your support, states can save money and provide health care for all their residents.
How H.R. 6270 moves us toward health care that is universal, simple, and affordable (USA):
Mandates that participating states guarantee healthcare coverage for at least 95% of residents in the first 5 years, thus reducing the uninsured and underinsured populations to less than 5% (currently 30% in most states).
Requires any state-based plan to have benefits equal to or greater than those received by beneficiaries of federal healthcare programs.
Allows states to cooperate on multi-state plans. Section 1332 of the ACA does not.
Enables states to integrate Medicare funds into a state plan. Section 1332 does not. This is critically important for equity.
Please work to pass this bill, and then get to work passing Medicare For All. Nothing else will fully solve our healthcare crisis.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
I cannot get enough of HCR, so I signed up for her event.
In respect of the Extra Credit, instead of wasting time and energy writing to CEOs who don't care, why not just let Uber and Lyft drive themselves out of town and out of business and use the apps that are being developed and which more closely resemble the concepts that got everyone interested in ride-sharing in the first place. If enough of that happens, these two companies will either get the message or be gone and their drivers will have the freedom to set their own rates and schedules and maybe afford health insurance through the ACA markets.