Progressive Democrats of America Provides National Solutions for our Local Issues

1. Progressive Democrats of America Provides National Solutions for our Local Issues

2. A PDA Chapter recently gave us a list of their local issues.Surprisingly, those issues called for National Solutions. Nearly all were being addressed by our Issue Teams

3. Here are some of them, sorted by Issue Team, along with National Statistics provided by our Teams

4. OUR ISSUE TEAMS: End Wars and Occupations Healthcare is a Human Right Economic and Social Justice End Corporate Rule Election Integrity

5. OUR ISSUE TEAMS (cont’d): Stop Voter Suppression Stop Global Warming/Environmental Issues End Mass Criminalization ERA 3 State Solution

6. End Wars and Occupations – Redirect funding to human needs • The wars aren’t over and local vets have little support • Our government is spying on us • Our infrastructure is falling apart • Social Security is not adequate and faces cuts

7. National Stats – EWO Team • Total US air strikes - Obama Administration = 22,500 Bush Administration = 70,000 • The 2011 US military budget (adjusted for inflation) highest since WWII - $717 billion. Budget just passed (17% reduction), surpassed Cold War and Viet Nam War figures • Base peacetime budget (1955, 1975, 1998) = $350 billion/yr • Current - $600 billion/yr • Difference could fund 5 million good jobs

8. Healthcare for All/Single Payer • Even with ACA, many won’t be covered • Medicare doesn’t cover dental or vision • Mental health care is underfunded • Copays and deductibles are prohibitive • No medical control with HMO’s

9. National Stats - Healthcare Issue Team • Americans with no health insurance = 60 million (est) • Americans with no insurance with full ACA implementation = 30 million (est) • Almost 1 million Americans declare bankruptcy each year because of medical costs – 75% had health insurance • 60,000 preventable deaths occur each year for lack of medical care – with ACA the estimate will still be 30,000

10. Economic and Social Justice •  Unions are being destroyed • Workers are losing real income, as productivity rises and CEOs are making more money • Unemployment/Under Employment is high • Few job opportunities for new graduates • Few job opportunities for older experienced workers • Fees and costs are going up - parking, traffic tickets, Park and Rec. Fees, water and energy bills

11. National Stats – ESJ Issue Team • Oct. 2008 - fewer than 14 million households received Food Stamps – in Dec. 2012, 23 million households did • In the same period, benefits per household have dropped from $295 per month to $274, while food prices have escalated • 5 years growth of disposable personal income hit a high of 25% in 1965 and has plummeted to -5% currently • In 2000, corporate profits were about $500 billion and 66% of the population was engaged in civilian employment • In 2013, corporate profits were nearly $2 trillion and fewer than 59% of the population was engaged in civilian employment • Banks are holding record amounts of cash

12. Economic and Social Justice A new and serious problem! The Trans Pacific Partnership Headed for the Fast Track! (Congress cedes its power to the Executive Branch to do all negotiation for the Trade Deal and the Senate may only vote the whole package up or down)

13. The Trans Pacific Partnership • US cedes its laws – federal, state and local – labor, environmental and others - to an international tribunal of multinational corporate-appointed lawyers to rule • A company or nation can go to this tribunal to stop companies and governmental entities from applying laws which interfere with their business in the US • More on this in a few minutes

14. End Corporate Rule • Citizens United • Lobbyists appear to own legislators • Utilities make ratepayers pay for shutdown of nuclear plant • Print and broadcast media is seriously right-wing; true journalism has suffered • Corporations (even the local hotel industry) are running our governments.  Individual citizens have no voice.

15. End Corporate Rule (cont’d) • Our unregulated banks are gambling with our money (potential real estate bubble II) • 401(k)s - large handling fees are charged to line the pockets of vendors • Families are hit with credit cost increases, including for student loans • Home values are still upside down • Tax breaks are going down except for the rich.

16. National stats – ECR Team • 15 States and 500+ local jurisdictions have called for a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizens United • From 1983 to 2004, due to tax cuts and the defeat of labor unions, distribution of new wealth has gone: • 42% to the top 1% of Americans • 94% to the top 20% of Americans • 6% to the bottom 80% of Americans • If Medicare were allowed to bargain with drug companies, we would save over one half trillion $ in 10 years

17. Stop Global Warming/ Environmental Issues • Utilities make local ratepayers pay for damage the companies cause • Tax breaks and rebates for Solar and Wind have expired – just when we need them the most • Fracking, and more, in our areas

18. National Stats – SGW Team • Carbon dioxide in our atmosphere: We must achieve = 350 parts per million Beginning of industrial revolution = 290 ppm Today = 403 ppm • September Arctic Sea ice is declining at a rate of 11.5% per decade • Studies indicate at current rates ocean levels will rise 4 feet threatening 1400 cities and towns over time • 75% of Americans support a carbon tax

19. Election Integrity • Internet Voting • Touchscreen Voting • Corrupt Registrars in some counties

20. National Stats – EI Team • 30% of eligible Americans are not registered to vote • Over 40% of Americans vote on machines with no paper trail wherein no valid audit can be done • Only 12 of the 50 states have reliable post-election audits

21. STOP VOTER SUPPRESSION • 10% of the voting population has no photo ID which will be required by new restrictive state laws • Some states force voters to wait in long lines for hours • More than 5 million Americans have lost their right to vote due to a past felony conviction • Laws regarding voting rights for people with past felony conviction vary widely.  Instates: Virginia, Kentucky, Florida and Iowa, ex-felons lose their right to vote for a lifetime unless individually restored by the Governor, while  Maine and Vermont prisoners vote from prison (This group communicates on Blogtalk Radio)

22. End Mass Criminalization • Prisons are springing up all around us • People are arrested and imprisoned for non-violent infringements • Then they lose their vote

23. National Stats – EMCTeam • The US has 5% of the world’s population, but 23% of the world’s prisoners • The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with 2.3 million prisoners, while China has 1.6 million • For profit prisons have risen 37%  between 2002 and 2009. In 2011, Corrections Corporation of America recorded $1.7 billion in total revenue and the Geo Group recorded $1.6 billion. These companies spent more than $19.6 million in lobbying over 10 years. • African-Americans account for 13% of marijuana use but make up 80% of the prison population incarcerated for marijuana use • There are more African-Americans in prison, on probation or on parole than were enslaved in 1850

24. ERA – 3 State Strategy • Women are underemployed • Women’s rights are under attack • Women’s health solutions are under attack

25. National Stats – ERA Team • In 1972 = women earned .76 cents to a man's dollar. • Today = women earn .77 cents to a man's dollar African-American women earn .65 and Hispanic women earn .55 • Only 7 countries have not signed onto the CEDAW International Women's Treaty (Committee for the Elimination of All Discrimination Against Women); the US is one because our Constitution does not prohibit discrimination on account of sex • The US insisted that all countries drafting constitutions after World War II include a statement that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; the US Constitution has no such clause

26. OK, but what is PDA doing about it? Let’s take a look at 2012 Barbara Lee speaks to PDA California Leadership Dec. 8 PDA a real “player on Capitol Hill”

27. And that was before THE EXPLOSION! January 19, 2013 • PDA hosts Progressive Central – the People’s Inaugural, with • Panels on the issues

28. iMatter kids – global warming

29. Labor Panel

30. More on Labor from Bobby Score, IATSE Local 1

31. John Nichols, Congress and Friends

32. Lori Wallach, on the Trans Pacific Partnership • Here are a few few minutes with Lori Wallach, PublicCitizen’s Global Trade Watch, on one panel • Hear Lori on our ESJ call Feb. 2 in depth on the TPP here • And our March call was also on the TPP here. Special guest Arthur Stamoulis, the Executive Director of the Citizens Trade Campaign will discuss the urgent proximate issue in Congress of Fast Track legislation. • Did we mention July? More here on the TPP.

33. Donna Smith and Medea Benjamin

34. Jesse Jackson stopped in

35. Progressive Round Table Beginning in January, 2013, PDA meets with CPC members and staff, monthly in conference on Capitol Hill

36. Progressive Round Table • Our Issue Team Leaders and coalition partners attend these sessions • See a few photos here • Rep. Keith Ellison at the Round Table in May on Single Payer Health Care

37. PDA Fundraisers in LA

38. A Taste of the Event John Nichols and the Challenge June 1, 2013

39. The Farm Bill • On May 8, Tim Carpenter told us on the California Kitchen Cabinet call that Rep. Jim McGovern needed help. • There were $20.5 billion in cuts to Food Stamps in the House Farm Bill.

40. The Farm Bill And the Democratic leadership was saying NOTHING about it. McGovern organized the SNAP challenge

41. The Farm Bill • He called this A Defining Moment • He needed our help. Fast.

42. The Farm Bill PDA organized Emergency Actionsin front of the offices of: • Sen. Dianne Feinstein • Rep. Nancy Pelosi • Rep. Henry Waxman • Sen. Dick Durban • Rep. Richard Neal • Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz

43. The Farm Bill • PDA got the Leadership to work and whip the vote! • Jim McGovern’s amendment to gut the cuts to Food Stamps got 188 votes

44. The Farm Bill WAS DEFEATED! We had known we were having an impact, but this was dramatic proof that PDA is a “real player on the Hill”, as Barbara Lee had said.

45. The Farm Bill • A new farm bill was passed, cutting SNAP entirely out of the legislation • At the July Progressive Round Table, Rep. McGovern reports on new work on the Farm Bill • PDA will be at work once more

46. How is PDA setting records around the nation? • June 19, 2013 • 226letters dropped in district offices • 72 offices on Capitol hill visited • 22,054 email messages sent to 527 members of the House and Senate • hundreds of phone calls since this battle began. 

47. We do this each month- The Progressive Round Table, coupled with these actions:

49. We also do this each month! • Issue Teams have monthly national conference call • Guests include expert, Member of Congress or staff • Discuss issue/legislation • Decide on legislation we will support • Letter Drop/Hill visits highlight this legislation (Issue Teams are the engine of the change we seek)

50. Blog Talk Radio Find PDA Blog Talk Radio on pdacommunity.org under “PDA radio” See the shows we have done, and are planned here.