Chop Wood, Carry Water 6/22
Hi, all, and happy Thursday!
My introduction in yesterday’s newsletter prompted one reader, Eric D., to post the below quote from Howard Zinn. Talk about a mic drop! It’s so good I leave it here in its entirety, without further comment:
To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places–and there are so many–where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future.
The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.
Indeed. Let’s get to work.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I want the Senator to support the bipartisan Recovering Executive Compensation from Unaccountable Practices (RECOUP) Act. This bill would protect taxpayers by establishing measures to block massive, unjustified bonuses for senior executives of failed banks. CEOs of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic got millions of dollars in bonuses before their banks collapsed. This is wrong! We need legislation like this. Please ask the Senator to support it.
Also, please ask the Senator to support the confirmations of both Rachel Bloomekatz and Judge Jeffrey Cummings to the federal bench. Thanks!
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling in light of Pro Publica’s new reporting revealing that Samuel Alito took a luxury fishing vacation with a Republican billionaire who later had cases before the Supreme Court. Alito did not recuse himself from these cases. It’s outrageous. Americans are tired of reading headlines about corruption in the Supreme Court. When will Congress do something about it? Will the Congressmember call for investigations into this latest revelation? Has the s/he co-sponsored HR 3422 the Judiciary Act or HR 926, the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act? In short, what is the Congressmember doing to restore our faith in this broken court? I’ll take my answer in writing. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Workers are reporting that Starbucks has refused to let dozens of stores across the country decorate for Pride Month. Videos have even surfaced of managers ripping down rainbow flags in cafes. This comes on top of their repeated labor violations and union busting practices. Yuck!
Please sign a petition telling Starbucks to respect their LGBTQ+ workers and customers by allowing them to celebrate Pride. Sign here.
Get Smart! 📚
OK, this will only be interesting to those of you who are interested in taking a deep, wonky dive into everything Social Security, but if that’s you you’re going to love it!
Social Security: Demographics, Economics, Politics and its Future webinar on Thursday, June 29 at 8pm ET:
This will be a Zoom panel discussion on Social Security’s future with speakers including Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works and Teresa Ghilarducci, Labor & Retirement Economist, Director of Schwartz Center on Economic Policy Analysis. It’s hosted by the NYC Chapter of The Living New Deal and the Schwartz Center.
Here's the link to register and find more info about the webinar.
Give 💰!
On Monday, June 26th from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm ET the States Project will be hosting an informational and fundraising event called “Let's Talk Virginia!” The special guest will be Virginia Senator Jennifer Boysko. The hosts will lay out the stakes in Virginia this November. As we pass the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, they will also reflect on the state of reproductive rights in Virginia, the only southern state that hasn’t enforced a post-Dobbs abortion ban.
Spread the Word! 📣
This Judd Legum piece on the Hunter Biden plea deal and why it’s a) not lenient and b) not what Republicans are really upset about anyway is really worth not just reading but talking about with friends. It’s important for us all to be able to speak coherently about this situation.
Win Races! 🗳
Yay! Postcards to Swing States has launched postcarding campaigns into both Virginia and Kentucky for their November elections. You have to provide your own cards for these— you can use any vote-themed cards or PTSS has a great vendor they suggest—they’re affordable, ship really quickly, and make nice cards.
The postcards don’t have to be mailed until October so you’ve got lots of time to write. Sign up here!
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[to all 3 reps] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN PTCXBR to 50409 or share here.]
The tax cuts passed by the House Ways and Means Committee on June 13, and soon headed to the House floor, would cost U.S. taxpayers $1.1 trillion if made permanent—which is Republicans’ ultimate goal. The top two recipients of the new Republican tax package are the ultra-wealthy and foreign investors. The losers are working people and low-income families.
To make matters worse, this is just the first step in the GOP’s longer-term fight to double down on the failed 2017 Trump-GOP Tax Scam. The combined cost of this new Tax Scam 2.0 package plus making all of the expiring parts of the 2017 law permanent could cost over $4 trillion—putting public resources directly into the pockets of the richest families in the country while making public services worse for the rest of us.
Over and over again, Republicans feign concern over our country’s debt only to turn around and pass tax bills that benefit the ultra-wealthy and billion-dollar corporations at the expense of working families.
I urge you to vote NO on the Republican tax package, which, once again, is a handout to the rich and corporations at the expense of investments in our families and communities. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
President Biden and AG Garland, specifically asked U.S. Attorney David Weiss to remain in place because of his continuing investigation of Hunter Biden's activities. THAT is what accountable adults do.
Love, love, love the quote. Thanks so much. And here's one from Eleanor Roosevelt to her protege, Allard Lowenstein:
"Eleanor had looked her protege sternly in the eye. ' Well, Allard,' she said, summing up five decades of political wisdom, 'your must remember you can't flush all the toilets.'"
But neither of them ever stopped trying !