Dear friends,
Today is the winter solstice. I have just one thing to say about that:
Easier may just be wishful thinking, but they are going to get brighter.
Last week’s action in support of Fair Pay for Home Care had a real impact. Organizers at NY Caring Majority shared this news:
[Last] Tuesday, #FairPay4HomeCare was the #1 trending hashtag on Twitter in the state of New York. We're ending the year with public support from AARP and SEIU 1199. We have 80 Assembly co-sponsors and 35 Senate co-sponsors on the Fair Pay for Home Care Act, with bi-partisan support in both chambers.
Please fill out the governor’s campaign survey. Hochul has not yet committed to support Fair Pay for Home Care, so here’s the strategy, straight from Caring Majority:
When you complete the quick survey, note Fair Pay for Home Care in the "What issue not listed here would you like us to know about?" section. Feel free to add your story and further context in the "Is there anything else you would like to share with Governor Hochul?" open response section.
We encourage the sharing of care stories. Tell her about home care that you provide to a loved one, or about the caregivers you depend on to care for yourself or a family member.
Take the governor’s survey and help move home care to the top of her agenda!
It’s not too late to call the governor or amplify #FairPay4HomeCare on social media! There are sample posts and a phone script provided.
Check out the debut of the Caring Majority Choir and sign up here if you want to join us!
The reports of Build Back Better’s demise are premature. Here’s why we cannot give up:
The cost of the historic plan, even using the full ten-year expense estimates, totals less than two per cent of GDP per year—an amount eminently fundable through tax increases and bond issues if there was adequate political will. Climate change isn’t going away; it’s intensifying. Neither are child-care needs or exorbitant health-care costs. Most immediately, the expanded child tax credit, which currently aids thirty-five million families, will end this month.
The folks who blame progressives for not taking Manchin seriously are misdirecting their ire.
As we work through the text of the legislation I would hope all of us will continue to deal in good faith and do what is right for the future of the American people.
He is the one who has failed to deal in good faith.
Most Americans are serious about ending child poverty and addressing the climate crisis. This is just a question about how we use our resources.
Join tonight’s phone-banking effort, organized by SEIU members, to build support across the nation for Build Back Better.
Sign the petition to Joe Manchin from Moms Rising.
I met a troop of Brownie scouts on Sunday and was very impressed by the Girl Scout law, which they recited from memory:
I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.
One of the Brownies asked me why I write about climate change in my posts. What makes it a justice issue? I explained to her that not everyone feels the effects of the climate crisis equally. The folks who get the brunt of it need the rest of us to recognize that we are all in this boat together. We need to use resources wisely.
Call NYS’s legislative leaders to support the Climate and Community Investment Act and invest in frontline communities. There’s a script from NY Renews!
The FDA acted last week to make permanent a pandemic rule-change that allows
Of course, this move will face resistance. There are already 19 states that do not permit telemedicine visits for medication abortion, and it’s likely that other states will introduce obstacles to limit access to abortion pills. Still, the FDA rule change is going to meaningfully expand access to abortion services.
The former president is beginning to feel the limits of his power and the legal jeopardy he is in because of his role in the January 6 insurrection. He is legendary for not writing anything down, like the mob boss that he is, but he has not been able to stop the piles of evidence and reluctant testimony from painting him into a corner.
His comeuppance is long overdue, and we can permit ourselves a little bit of hope that it is coming.
The Sackler family’s $4.5 billion settlement has been tossed out by a federal judge.
"The bankruptcy court did not have the authority to deprive victims of the opioid crisis of their right to sue the Sackler family," Garland said.
If the decision withstands a legal challenge from Purdue Pharma, which hoped that terms of the settlement would protect the company from future litigation, this will be good news for all of the stakeholders harmed by the opioid crisis.
Cuomo has to give up more than $5 million of the advance for his book deal.
Last week, the Senate confirmed Jennifer Sung to the US Circuit Court and took up nine more judicial nominations. Holly Thomas, a civil rights advocate, was also confirmed to the 9th Circuit.
Chauvin grabbed the teen by the throat, hit him repeatedly in the head with a flashlight and pressed his knee into the boy’s neck while he was prone, handcuffed and not resisting. The teen, who’s not been identified, was present in the courtroom Wednesday. According to the pool reporter inside court, Philonise Floyd turned to the teen after Chauvin’s hearing and said, quote, “It’s a good day for justice.”
It was Chauvin’s first public admission of guilt for murdering Floyd.
And finally, a little good news from beyond US borders: Gabriel Boric triumphed decisively in the presidential election in Chile by promising to advance sustainable development and fight inequality to lift people from poverty.
Things are gonna get brighter.
with love,
L