Friday, August 10, 2012

Ten Reasons Why You GOTTA VOTE!

A recent article at suntimes.com entitled Voting Rights Act anniversary celebrated, yet threats rising, states  -  "Monday was a sobering anniversary for those of us who care deeply about the health of our democracy. When President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6, 1965, and when President George W. Bush renewed it in 2006, they were trying to prevent barriers to voting. It is tragic that efforts to bar millions of Americans from casting ballots have instead accelerated in recent years."  Following are ten reasons why WE "gotta vote".

 REASON #1
Picture this. You presented your state-issued voter ID at the polls in November, 2008 or for the past 20 to 30 or more years if you’re a senior citizen.  You were allowed to cast your vote with no problems.  It’s November 6, 2012.  You present the same state-issued voter ID at your polling place. You are told that your, previously  valid, voter ID is no longer valid or your name has been purged from the voter registry and you can’t vote. How will you feel? (Don't be caught off-guard on election day, verify your current voter registration status NOW and spread the word!)


REASON #2
Picture this.  You are a senior citizen or veteran on disability; a poverty stricken teacher, cop or firefighter laid off by your Republican governor and-majority legislators in favor of underwriting tax breaks for big corporations, or a college student barely making ends meet on a student loan.  You go to your local Board of Elections office to verify your current registration status.  You are told that your previous registration status is no longer complete and you have to add a driver's or non-driver's license to your records. The DMV Office is 50 miles away. You have no car. You have no extra money to pay for public transportation to take you to the DMV Office.  How will you feel?  That’s what voter suppression laws are all about – diabolical  roadblocks  legislated by Republican elected officials to deny you and millions upon millions of others the basic right to vote! (If you know individuals in this predicament, set up a car pool to transport them to the DMV office or help collect donations to help pay for transportation and/or drivers/non-driver's  license fees.)


REASON #3
Mitt Romney and his Super Pac advertisers are seeking to suppress the vote by spreading lies attacking  President Obama for bringing a law suit to “restore early voting provisions "for all Ohioans, including military members and their families". (Note Republican Election Commissioners, appointed by  Republican Governor John Kasich in Ohio, have decided to extend early voting hours in Republican voting precincts and cut early voting hours in Democratic voting precincts.)



REASON #4
House Speaker Boehner announced that his Tea Partied House representatives will be going on a five week vacation until the day after Labor Day.  When they return,  they will only  have 15 scheduled work days before their planned final adjournment for the fall elections.  By the way, there’s one significant matter that they refused to allow to come before the floor of the House for a vote before going on vacation - passing President Obama's  American Jobs Act!  Think about it. Do you want to suffer through another  365 days a year of Tea Partied Republican vacation days for the next four years?


REASON #5
More and more Radical Tea Partied Republicans like Romney-backed,  Richard - “bipartisanship is defined as Democrats backing the Republican agenda” -  Mourdock, are being bankrolled by GOP Super Pacs to campaign against moderate Republicans who are willing to compromise in Republican US Senate primary elections and they are winning!   You, currently rank Congress at 12%.  Tea Partied Republicans, already, rule the House. Tea Partied US Senators are, already, SILENTLY filibustering every piece of legislation aimed at job creation, equal rights for women in the workplace, fair taxation,   and social services for college students, senior citizens, the unemployed, veterans, American workers, the disabled and the poor.  How do you think you will be rating Congress over the next four years if you don’t vote in November - 0.0000000%?


REASON #6
The President submitted the American Jobs Act to Congress in September, 2011. Tea Partied House leaders Cantor and Boehner won’t allow it to come to the floor of the House for a vote.  Tea Partied US Senators SILENTLY filibustered the Bill so it can’t come before the floor of the Senate for a vote. Senator Pat Toomey (R-PS) voted against more than $1.37 billion in immediate investments that would put at least 17,900 Pennsylvanians back to work.  Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) voted against nearly $2.6 billion in immediate investments that would put at least 33,800 Texans back to work - you GOTTA VOTE!


REASON #7
President Obama’s American Jobs Act would save 280,000 jobs for teachers, cops, and firefighters out of work across the country.  Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) voted against keeping 25,900 teachers working in the Sunshine State. Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) voted against keeping 6,300 teachers in the Bay State’s schools - you GOTTA VOTE!


REASON #8
The President’s American Jobs Act  would put thousands of American construction workers back to work repairing and modernizing at least 35,000 public schools across the country.  Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) voted to keep 1,200 Mainers out of work.  Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) whose state has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, voted to keep 2,200 Nevadans out of work - you GOTTA VOTE!


REASON #9
You are living in a state with a Tea Partied Republican Governor and Tea Partied Republican-majority legislators.  They have passed legislation to allow concealed guns within school zones and on college campuses.  They have passed laws denying women the right to affordable health care.  They have passed legislation to deny you the right to vote. They have closed schools and fired teachers, cops and firefighters passing on those savings towards major tax breaks for big corporations.  They have passed legislation to take away workers’ rights. You GOTTA VOTE!


REASON #10
Republicans are banking on the element of surprise for unsuspecting voters on November 6th. WE have got to 1)  spread the word among our family, friends, social networks; 2)  join voter registration drives; 3)  file petitions; 4) hold CIVIL AND RESPECTFUL  demonstrations aimed at Republican  governors, legislators, election officials and attorney generals in states that are blocking our vote,  and 5) make sure the media is there to cover it.

 Voting rights for millions of Americans depend on it!


Sources:
GOTTA VOTE
http://www.gottavote.org/en/

CURRENT VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS. FIRST TIME REGISTRATION & PROTECTION
http://www.866ourvote.org/

NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK (VOTER REGISTRATION & PROTECTION)
http://nationalactionnetwork.net/

REGISTER TO VOTE
http://registertovote.org/index.html

WORST VOTER SUPPRESSION STATES
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/04/voter_suppression.html



PETITIONS: FIGHT BACK AGAINST VOTER SUPPRESSION
PETITION: Stand  Against Voter Suppression
http://www.change.org/petitions/stand-against-gop-voter-suppression

PETITION: Don’t Support Voter ID Laws in Michigan
https://www.change.org/petitions/don-t-support-voter-id-laws-in-michigan

PETITION: Speak Out Against Voter Suppression in Pennsylvania
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/670/603/149/

PETITION: Take a Stand Against Corporate Funding of Voter Suppression
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/alec_id/

PETITION: Fight Back Against Voter Suppression
http://www.nclr.org/index.php/about_us/news/blog/fight_back_against_voter_suppression/

PETITION ; Start an On Line Petition
http://www.change.org/start-a-petition?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GST_USER_GEOT2_SCHT1_online_petition



INTERACTIVE MAPS
Interactive Map: Voter Suppression Efforts Nationwide
http://99problems.org/2012/05/interactive-map-voter-suppression-efforts-nationwide/

Interactive Map: Voter Suppression by state
http://www.care2.com/causes/interactive-map-voter-suppression-by-state.html



 ARTICLES
(Hot off the press!) PA Voter ID Ruling a Slap in the Face of Democracy
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-al-sharpton/pa-voter-id-ruling-a-slap_b_1784374.html

This Can’t Be Happening: Voter ID Laws Expose GOP Fraud Scheme

Third Suit Challenging Florida's Voter Purge Calls the Move Discriminatory
http://news.wfsu.org/post/third-suit-challenging-floridas-voter-purge-calls-move-discriminatory

GOP Voter Suppression in Ohio
http://blogs.detroitnews.com/politics/2012/08/04/romney-falsely-accuses-obama/

Republican Senate candidates tap sizable personal wealth to roil August primary elections
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republican-senate-candidates-tap-sizable-personal-wealth-to-roil-august-primary-elections/2012/08/03/9eccb896-dd3e-11e1-8ad1-909913931f71_s

Mourdak doesn’t anticipate Senate compromise

Romney Stumps for Tea Party-Backed Senate Candidate Mourdock

GOP Goes on record Against Jobs (Again)    
http://thinkprogress.org/progress-report/gop-goes-on-record-against-jobs-again/?mobile=nc


SPIN DETECTIVE POSTS
At Last- Video Proof of Voter Fraud
The GOP Voter Fraud Fraud
The Wisconsin Recall – How to Outslick the Radical Right Wing Slicksters
Wait a Minute Buster!
ANSWERS: How’s Your American Jobs IQ
Trayvon Martin- The Tip of the Iceberg
Putting An End to Unaffordable Nosebleeds
The Tea Partied Republican War on Education
Why Women Must Take A Stand At the Polls in November
Pop Pop Fizz Fizz


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