BP is burning endangered sea turtles alive

July 1, 2010 Energy, The Media and the Environment No Comments

Dear MoveOn member,

News recently emerged from the Gulf Coast that BP is burning endangered sea turtles alive.1

That’s right. BP is using “controlled burns” to contain the oil spill, and any turtles that are not removed from the area before the fire is lit are literally burned alive.

A boat captain who has been leading efforts to rescue the endangered turtles says BP has blocked his crews from entering the areas where the animals are trapped, effectively shutting down the rescue operation.

With BP already facing so much public outrage, we can stop this. Our friends at Credo Mobile launched a petition demanding that BP stop burning turtles alive, and you can add your name by clicking the link below: 

http://pol.moveon.org/seaturtles/?id=21503-9659800-cJkEgqx&t=5

The petition says: “BP: Stop blocking the rescue of endangered sea turtles before you burn them alive in your ‘controlled burns.’”

Then, after you’ve signed, be sure to share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or by forwarding this email.

The way controlled burns work is that shrimp boats create a corral of oil by dragging together fire-resistant booms and then lighting the enclosed “burn box” on fire. Any animals not removed from the burn area are trapped. 

The sea turtle most affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is the Kemp’s Ridley, which is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.2

“They ran us out of there and then they shut us down. They would not let us get back in there,” said turtle rescuer Mike Ellis in an interview with conservation biologist Catherine Craig that was posted on YouTube.3

Environmental groups including the Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network have called on BP to end the practice, but BP has refused, denying that there’s really any problem. Yesterday, these groups filed a lawsuit demanding that BP take action to protect the endangered turtles.4 But the legal system can work very slowly, and the turtles need help now.

Tell BP to allow the rescue boats back in and stop burning endangered sea turtles alive. Click the link below to sign the petition:

http://pol.moveon.org/seaturtles/?id=21503-9659800-cJkEgqx&t=6

Thanks for all you do.

–Steven, Jeff, Duncan, Amy, and the rest of the team

1. “BP ‘burning sea turtles alive,’” The Raw Story, June 20, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89247&id=21503-9659800-cJkEgqx&t=7

2. “Sea Turtles Among Oil Spill Victims,” NPR, June 10, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89248&id=21503-9659800-cJkEgqx&t=8

3. “Venice, Louisiana, Boat Captain, by Catherine Craig,” YouTube, June 13, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89249&id=21503-9659800-cJkEgqx&t=9

4. “Gulf of Mexico sea turtles may be burning with oil, groups plan to sue BP,” Miami Herald, June 30, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89252&id=21503-9659800-cJkEgqx&t=10

Want to support our work? We’re entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

Raise the retirement age to 70?

June 30, 2010 Finance, Politics, War No Comments

Dear MoveOn member,

Yesterday news broke that John Boehner, the Republican Leader in the House of Representatives, believes that Congress should raise the retirement age to 70 and cut Social Security so that we can finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That’s right: Boehner told a reporter that he thinks we should cut Social Security to pay for war.1 And later in the day, several other Republicans came out and agreed with him.2

The scary thing is: The way things are looking, Republicans could actually win enough seats this fall to put them in charge and make that vision a reality.

So we have to send a clear message to representatives in both parties and the media: If they plan on raising the retirement age to 70 next year, we’re going to make sure they’re out of work come November.

And we have a powerful way to do it—using photos. Can you take a moment to print out a sign making clear that you’re against raising the retirement age to 70 and snap a quick photo of yourself with it? We’ll deliver them to Congress and use them in online ads.

Everything you’ll need is at this link:

http://pol.moveon.org/deficitcommission/photo_petition/?id=21483-9659800-.5W.VOx&t=1

Photo of person holding sign

Tax Money Back in Your Pocket

March 29, 2010 Taxes, U.S. Law and Policy No Comments

Good morning,

I’m writing you today to talk about literally putting money back in your pocket.

We’ve launched the Tax Savings Tool at WhiteHouse.gov to make sure as many Americans as possible know about and take advantage of the array of middle class tax refunds passed in the Recovery Act last year. With a few simple questions, the tool generates a printable checklist anyone can use to make sure they don’t miss out on any of the benefits they may be owed.

Get Started

Did you know, for example, that 95% of working families have been getting money in their paychecks in 2009 from the Recovery Act’s $400 to $800 a year Making Work Pay tax credit –- and will continue to in 2010?

If you didn’t know that, you may not know about all of the other tax cuts that may be available to you as a result of the Recovery Act — refunds relating to everything from college tuition to new cars to new houses to using more renewable energy. The reason the President fought for all of these tax cuts as part of the Recovery Act was to give middle class families a little extra break in what continues to be a tough economic time — and also to help give the economy itself a boost.

For families across the country, maybe including yours, these tax cuts have provided the incentive they need to make energy-saving improvements to their homes, finally get a new car, or buy a home for the first time. All of that is helping to jumpstart the economy and provide more clean energy, manufacturing and construction jobs for working families, contributing to the 2 million jobs the Recovery Act has created or saved since it passed.

So take a look at the tool and make sure you’re getting everything you can out of your tax return -– you may be pleasantly surprised.

Sincerely,

Joe Biden
Vice President

Health Care : Letter from the White House

March 23, 2010 Health Care, Politics, U.S. Law and Policy No Comments

The White House, Washington

Good afternoon,

Since the House of Representatives voted to pass health reform legislation on Sunday night, the legislative process and its political impact have been the focus of all the newspapers and cable TV pundits.

Outside of DC, however, many Americans are trying to cut through the chatter and get to the substance of reform with a simple question: “What does health insurance reform actually mean for me?” To help, we’ve put together some of the key benefits from health insurance reform.

Let’s start with how health insurance reform will expand and strengthen coverage:

  • This year, children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance coverage. Once the new health insurance exchanges begin in the coming years, pre-existing condition discrimination will become a thing of the past for everyone.
  • This year, health care plans will allow young people to remain on their parents’ insurance policy up until their 26th birthday.
  • This year, insurance companies will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, and they will be banned from implementing lifetime caps on coverage. This year, restrictive annual limits on coverage will be banned for certain plans. Under health insurance reform, Americans will be ensured access to the care they need.
  • This year, adults who are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions will have access to affordable insurance through a temporary subsidized high-risk pool.
  • In the next fiscal year, the bill increases funding for community health centers, so they can treat nearly double the number of patients over the next five years.
  • This year, we’ll also establish an independent commission to advise on how best to build the health care workforce and increase the number of nurses, doctors and other professionals to meet our country’s needs.  Going forward, we will provide $1.5 billion in funding to support the next generation of doctors, nurses and other primary care practitioners — on top of a $500 million investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Health insurance reform will also curb some of the worst insurance industry practices and strengthen consumer protections:

  • This year, this bill creates a new, independent appeals process that ensures consumers in new private plans have access to an effective process to appeal decisions made by their insurer.
  • This year, discrimination based on salary will be outlawed. New group health plans will be prohibited from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that discriminate in favor of higher-wage employees.
  • Beginning this fiscal year, this bill provides funding to states to help establish offices of health insurance consumer assistance in order to help individuals in the process of filing complaints or appeals against insurance companies.
  • Starting January 1, 2011, insurers in the individual and small group market will be required to spend 80 percent of their premium dollars on medical services. Insurers in the large group market will be required to spend 85 percent of their premium dollars on medical services. Any insurers who don’t meet those thresholds will be required to provide rebates to their policyholders.
  • Starting in 2011, this bill helps states require insurance companies to submit justification for requested premium increases. Any company with excessive or unjustified premium increases may not be able to participate in the new health insurance exchanges.

Reform immediately begins to lower health care costs for American families and small businesses:

  • This year, small businesses that choose to offer coverage will begin to receive tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums to help make employee coverage more affordable.
  • This year, new private plans will be required to provide free preventive care: no co-payments and no deductibles for preventive services. And beginning January 1, 2011, Medicare will do the same.
  • This year, this bill will provide help for early retirees by creating a temporary re-insurance program to help offset the costs of expensive premiums for employers and retirees age 55-64.
  • This year, this bill starts to close the Medicare Part D ‘donut hole’ by providing a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the gap in prescription drug coverage. And beginning in 2011, the bill institutes a 50% discount on prescription drugs in the ‘donut hole.’

Thank you,

Nancy-Ann DeParle
Director, White House Office of Health Reform

Five Critical Flaws in the Senate Health Care Bill

December 23, 2009 Health Care, Politics, U.S. Law and Policy No Comments

Dear MoveOn member,

Tomorrow morning, the Senate will vote on its health care bill, and then House and Senate leaders and the White House will meet to negotiate the final bill.

While the House bill is quite strong, the Senate health care bill is seriously flawed. And with negotiations about to begin, we have one last chance to fight for key fixes in the final bill.

Here are five key problems with the Senate bill that must be fixed. Please check this out, then pass it on! Click here to post on Facebook, or here to post on Twitter.

Five Critical Flaws in the Senate Health Care Bill

The Senate bill would:

#1—Deny Americans the choice of a public option. In contrast, the House bill contains a national public option, the key to real competition, greater choice, and lower costs.1

#2—Leave insurance unaffordable for some lower income and working people. Both bills require virtually all Americans to buy insurance. But even with the subsidies provided, some families could have to pay up to 20% of their income on health care expenses.2

#3—Impose dangerous restrictions on women’s reproductive health care. Unfortunately, both bills do this and the House provision is worse. Both versions would be a dangerous step and neither should be in the final bill.3

#4—Tax American workers’ health coverage to pay for reform. The Senate would pay for part of reform by taxing the hard-won benefits packages of some working Americans. The House, on the other hand, pays for reform with a small surcharge on only the wealthiest Americans—a far better approach.4 

#5—Allow insurance companies to remain exempt from anti-trust laws. Under current law, insurance companies are actually exempt from laws designed to prevent monopolies and price-gouging. The House bill would fix this, but the Senate bill leaves it in place.5

Of course, these aren’t the only problems with the bill. Most glaringly, both the Senate and House bill would leave millions uninsured,6 a far cry from the vision of universal coverage so many of us have fought for. That remains a long-term goal.

But these five things need to be fixed immediately—and we need to spread the word to make sure House and Senate leadership and the White House get the message we’re counting on them to craft a final bill with these key fixes.

Can you spread the word? Forward this email, and click here to post on Facebook, or here to post on Twitter.

Thanks for all you do.

–Kat, Carrie, Michael, Joan, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. “Comparing the House and the Senate Health Care Proposals: Public Plan,” The New York Times, December 19, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85859&id=18404-9659800-Af6zIRx&t=5

“The House Bill and the Senate Bill,” The Now! Blog, December 21, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85861&id=18404-9659800-Af6zIRx&t=6

“Why We Need a Public Health-Care Plan,” The Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124580516633344953.html

“Why a public health insurance option is key to saving costs,” Economic Policy Institute, June 25, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85866&id=18404-9659800-Af6zIRx&t=7

2. “Assessment of Affordability Provisions in the Exchange in House (H.R. 3962) and Senate (H.R. 3590) Health Reform Bills,” Health Care for America Now
http://hcfan.3cdn.net/46590729111c307ccc_lom6b3a6r.pdf

“Finishing Reform Right: Fixing affordability before the President signs a health care bill,” The Now! Blog, December 22, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85867&id=18404-9659800-Af6zIRx&t=8

“Comparing the House and the Senate Health Care Proposals: Individual Mandate,” The New York Times, December 19, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85860&id=18404-9659800-Af6zIRx&t=9

“The House Bill and the Senate Bill,” The Now! Blog, December 21, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85861&id=18404-9659800-Af6zIRx&t=10

“Senate health bill is launch pad,” Jacob Hacker, December 22, 2009
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30871.html

3. “Comparing the House and the Senate Health Care Proposals: Abortion,” The New York Times, December 19, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85862&id=18404-9659800-Af6zIRx&t=11

4. “Comparing the House and the Senate Health Care Proposals: Paying for the Proposals,” The New York Times, December 19, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85863&id=18404-9659800-Af6zIRx&t=12

5. “Comparing the House and the Senate Health Care Proposals: Insurance Regulations,” The New York Times, December 19, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85736&id=18404-9659800-Af6zIRx&t=13

6. “H.R. 3962, Affordable Health Care for America Act,” Congressional Budget Office, November 20, 2009
http://cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=10741

“Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” Congressional Budget Office, November 18, 2009
http://cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=10731

“REPORT: How the Senate Bill Compares to Other Reform Legislation,” Think Progress, November 19, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85670&id=18404-9659800-Af6zIRx&t=14

Want to support our work? We’re entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

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