TO DO: Government By the People Act
Source: People for the American Way

http://site.pfaw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=governmentbythepeopleactnew&autologin=true

Members of Congress: Please do all you can to support passage of the Government By the People Act (H.R. 20). Big money donors’ ability to buy political influence is harmful to our democracy and H.R. 20 would help change that by multiplying the influence of regular voters’ small donations and making politicians less dependent on -- and, in turn, less beholden to -- wealthy special interests. Signed,

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Article: Government By the People Act
Source: Huff Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/courtney-hight/government-by-the-citizens-united_b_4732796.html

Courtney Hight Become a fan

Director, Sierra Club's Democracy Program

Government by the People, Not the Polluters

Posted: 02/06/2014 12:51 pm EST Updated: 02/06/2014 12:59 pm EST

Ever since the Supreme Court's disastrous decision in Citizens United v. FEC, big polluting, big money campaign donors have been allowed to wreak havoc on our democracy, drowning out the voices of everyday Americans by dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into campaigns and lobbying, warping our government's priorities. But, today, we're taking some important steps to fight back. Important legislation was introduced in Congress this week that would help again make our democracy accountable to we the people.

This week, Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD) introduced the Government By the People Act -- a vital first step supported by diverse voices ranging from those of us at the Sierra Club to the National Education Association to the Communications Workers of America to our friends at the NAACP. At a time when the story of our political system is about who has the most money, this bill would help refocus the debate on who has the most support from everyday Americans.

This bill closes the floodgates on the big money flowing into our government and changes the focus not to the demands of the wealthiest few, but back to the voices of the American people.

We need that now more than ever. Millions from the Koch Brothers and the likes of Art Pope in North Carolina are trying to destroy the notion of accountability that is so crucial to our democratic system. More and more money is coming in from fewer and fewer people. And what's worse? A huge proportion of this cash is coming from the massive bank accounts of a few big polluters.

Look at the facts. In the last two months of the 2012 election cycle, polluter-backed groups spent $270 million on political ads. The Koch Brothers, who have made their fortune from oil, pumped over $400 million into campaigns in 2012 alone. That's more than the John McCain campaign spent in all of the 2008 presidential cycle coming from just two people.

That means if you are a Sierra Club volunteer and you want to fight to get rid of the dirty coal giving your kid asthma, you have to compete with that. If you want to fight back against the oil company that dumped thousands of gallons of toxic tar sands oil in your front yard when a pipeline exploded, you have to compete with that. And if you want to end the billions in tax subsidies that big oil gets every year and instead invest in clean energy, you have to compete with that.

Like the rest of the country, we're sick and tired of a government that responds only to big money. And we're sick of paying the costs of those warped priorities in the form of sick children and toxic fossil fuel policies that contaminate our air, our water and our climate.

The Government By The People Act will help change that by lifting up the voices of everyday Americans and taking a step toward a democracy that is -- as the bill's title suggests -- of, by and for the people.

This legislation encourages the use of small dollar contributions and contributions from $1 to $150 from everyday Americans like you or I will be matched on a six to one basis by the "Freedom from Influence Fund," that works only to protect the voices from everyday people, not big money donors. Plus, the first $25 that people donate will be eligible for a "My Voice" refundable tax credit. And, campaign finance laws will be strictly enforced to ensure that the source of all contributions is publicly disclosed.

The Sierra Club is proud to stand with our labor, civil rights and good government allies in support of the important efforts of Congressman Sarbanes. We know that when we create a more level playing field, we're empowering those in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color who have been dealing with toxic dirty fuel contamination for decades. We know that when we lift up the voices of all Americans -- and not just the 1 percent -- we lift up the voices of more champions for clean air, clean water and clean energy. And we know that by curbing the influence of big money campaign donors, we'll be able to restore accountability to Congress and our government.

Citizens United and a series of other Supreme Court decisions have given big polluters the power to buy a bullhorn that drowns out the speech of everyday Americans. It's time to turn their volume down. Let's get started by passing the Government By The People Act into law now.

TO DO: Disability Rights/American Girl Doll
Source: Melissa & YingYing Shang/change.org

http://www.change.org/petitions/american-girl-release-an-american-girl-with-a-disability

• Petitioning Jean McKenzie 

American Girl: Release an American Girl with a disability

1. 1. 
    
   2. Petition by
      Melissa & YingYing Shang
      Paoli, PA

As a girl with a disability, I’ve had to overcome obstacles since I was born.

I’m ten years old, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve had Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a form of muscular dystrophy. When I was seven, like most of my classmates, I fell in love with American Girl dolls—historical and modern girls with stories about overcoming obstacles. I’ve read all of the books, seen all of the movies, and even visited the American Girl Place in New York City. For the past three years, I’ve asked for an American Girl doll for Christmas.

Of all the American Girl dolls, my favorites are the Girl of the Years. Every year, American Girl introduces a brand-new character with a story about finding success in the face of challenges today. Girls of the Year come from all different places, from Hawaii to New Mexico, and they help girls learn what it’s like to be someone else. Through Saige, I learned what it’s like to be an artist and horseback rider. Through McKenna, I learned what it’s like to be a gymnast. Girls of the Year have helped me understand how it feels to be someone else.

However, none of the American Girl Girls of the Year are like me. None of them have a disability.

Being a disabled girl is hard. Muscular Dystrophy prevents me from activities like running and ice-skating, and all the stuff that other girls take for granted. For once, I don’t want to be invisible or a side character that the main American Girl has to help: I want other girls to know what it’s like to be me, through a disabled American Girl’s story.

Disabled girls might be different from normal kids on the outside. They might sit in a wheelchair like I do, or have some other difficulty that other kids don’t have. However, we are the same as other girls on the inside, with the same thoughts and feelings. American Girls are supposed to represent all the girls that make up American history, past and present. That includes disabled girls.

Please join me and my sister YingYing in asking American Girl to release a disabled Girl of the Year. Please, sign this petition to convince American Girl tell my story, and the story of disabled youth. Will you join me and see my dream come true?

Sign this petition

(see petition letter below) 140,764 supporters

150,000 NEEDED

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To:
Jean McKenzie, President of American Girl and Executive Vice President of Mattel
American Girl, Mattel Inc. 

Every year, American Girl releases a Girl of the Year, who comes with a story and teaches girls about overcoming obstacles in today’s world. The biggest obstacle of all is being born with a disability. Please, American Girl, release a Girl of the Year for 2015 who is in a wheelchair, so that all girls can learn about the difficulty of being born with a disability. Disabled girls are American girls too. They have the same thoughts and feelings, and deserve to have their stories told. Thank you so much for telling the stories of so many girls throughout American history—and thank you in advance for telling this one.

Sincerely,
[Your name]