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Commit to Vote NO on Voter Suppression
Earlier this week, the conservative majority in our state legislature introduced a bill to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2012 that would require eligible voters to present a photo ID with their current address in order to vote.
This amendment is an attack on our democracy by corporations and the 1% who want to permanently cut out whole swaths of the electorate to make sure they stay in power.
Will you join us in committing to VOTE NO on any amendment that requires a photo ID to vote?
A constitutional amendment requiring a photo ID with a current address to vote affects all of us, but it especially creates barriers for those who already face obstacles to public access, including seniors, military veterans, people with disabilities, soldiers on active duty, students, and people of color.
Click here to stand with us in voting no against the voter suppression amendment.
This amendment runs right alongside the attacks we’ve seen on workers' rights in Wisconsin and on ongoing legislative attempts to freeze an unfair tax system in place. The 1% stole our economy, and now they’re trying to steal our democracy.
Don't let corporations and the 1% take away your right to vote. Click here to commit to VOTE NO on any amendment that requires a photo ID to vote.
Super Committee: Thanks, No Thanks
This Monday we learned that the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, otherwise known as the Super Committee, had officially failed to reach to a deal that reduced the deficit by $1.2 trillion before the pre-Thanksgiving deadline. Their inability to come to an agreement leaves us with a lot to be thankful for, and a lot we're not thankful for.
Here's what we're thankful for: Medicare, Medicaid, & Social Security were protected from cuts and are not subject to automatic cuts under sequestration. Millionaires and billionaires did not receive more unneeded tax cuts. Our most urgent economic problem -- a jobs deficit -- was not made worse by further spending cuts.
Here's what we're not thankful for: We missed a great opportunity to raise revenue. Growing wealth inequality means we need increase taxes on corporations and the top 1% -- those who have benefitted the most from our economy.
Tomorrow, when you sit down at the Thanksgiving dinner table with your family, let them know what you are and are not thankful about this year, including our nation's ability to do what's right by its citizens.
While we're thankful for many things at TakeAction Minnesota this Thanksgiving, most of all your dedication to our work together, there's clearly more work ahead of us.
Enjoy the holiday and get some rest.
Call Congress Now -- No Corporate House of Horrors!
This Halloween, we are facing something scarier than any witch or goblin that knocks on your door.
The Congressional Super Committee is getting ready to make recommendations on reducing the deficit. Corporations and big banks are fighting hard to protect their loopholes and tax breaks at the expense of essential programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, donating millions to Super Committee members alone.
Join us in fighting back against this Corporate House of Horrors. Watch our video showing just how spooky corporations' vision for our country is, and then call your member of congress at 1-855-508-6471 today.
Let your congressperson know you want them to talk to members of the Super Committee and tell them raise revenue to protect and expand Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, not cave to corporations’ scary vision of our country.
So call Congress today at 1-855-508-6471 and tell them no Corporate House of Horrors. Then share our video on Facebook and Twitter to make sure this spooky vision doesn't become our reality.
Tell corporate MN - Fair Hiring Now!
Last April, TakeAction Minnesota’s Justice 4 All program launched a Fair Hiring campaign asking the largest employers in the state to stop discriminating against Minnesotans with a criminal record.
Our economy can't recover until we get people back to work. And every study shows that a decent job is the best way to reconnect a person to the community and prevent future crime.
But most employers – as many as 75 percent – conduct background checks on all applicants, and many refuse to hire or even consider those with records, even if the record is years old or unrelated to the job. This hurts our families, our communities, and our state.
Minnesotans know that we are a deeply interconnected people and that we are all worth investment. We all do better when we all do better, and we cannot thrive as a state until all of us have a fair chance at finding a job.
Since April, we have sent letters to some of Minnesota’s largest employers asking them to lead the way by modeling these Fair Hiring practices for dealing with criminal backgrounds. So far they have refused.
Help us ramp up the pressure – sign our petition today.
We are all in this together. Make our communities stronger and safer. Sign the petition now.
Don't shutdown medicaid!
From Minnesota to Washington D.C., legislators today have a clear choice: stand up for what millions of people need during tough economic times -- including Medicaid, Social Security, and Medicare -- or protect the richest Americans from paying a dime more in taxes.
Here in Minnesota we been focused on our state budget, but at the same time conservative legislators in D.C. are putting drastic cuts to Medicaid on the table. And while we are remaining vigilant as the final details of our state budget are negotiated, it is also an urgent time to tell your U.S. Senators and members of Congress that you want them to stand up against these proposals.
Proposals on the table would slash federal Medicaid funding, directly or indirectly, through spending caps or by changing the federal payment rate. These proposals would shift costs to states, making it more likely that states would cut their Medicaid programs, meaning more visits to emergency rooms, sicker people, and overall higher costs for everyone, not savings.
Join us to fight back -- click here to tell members of Congress not to cut Medicaid!
TakeAction Minnesota fought with our allies to win one of the first early Medicaid expansions in the country, thanks to the new Affordable Care Act. These damaging proposals would put health care at risk once again for thousands of low-income adults who are covered by Medical Assistance for the first time this year in MN.
Contact your members of Congress and make sure this doesn't happen.
Call Senator Koch & Speaker Zellers now!
Thursday afternoon, we delivered our petition to Speaker Zellers and Senator Koch asking them to stop shielding the richest 2% and compromise with Governor Dayton on a budget that protects our families and communities by asking the rich to pay a little more in taxes.
By delivery time we had over 5,600 signatures!
With the largest state government shutdown in Minnesota history less than 36 hours away, conservative legislators are starting to feel pressure to back down from their devastating all-cuts budget.
Help us keep the momentum going by calling conservative leaders - in these final hours they need to hear from YOU! Dial (651)296-5981 to talk to Senator Koch or (651)296-5502 to talk to Speaker Zellers and tell them you want them to compromise for fair revenue NOW!
Here is a suggested message for your conversation or voicemail:
"Enough is enough. The largest state government shutdown is looming at the end of the week. Compromise with Governor Dayton on a budget that protects our families and communities from the devastation of your all-cuts budget by asking the richest 2% to pay a little more in taxes."
Thank you for calling your legislator. Together, we will make sure that our state budget invests in Minnesota's future, protects everyone in our state (not just the richest 2%), and our quality of life.
SIGN OUR PETITION & TELL THE CONSERVATIVE LEADERS: COMPROMISE FOR FAIR REVENUE NOW!
We are down to the final days before what could be the largest shutdown in Minnesota state history.
But the conservative majority continues to insist on devastating cuts in order to shield the richest 2% from paying their fair share in taxes.
Now is the time to ramp up pressure on conservatives to agree to a budget that protects everyone in our state, not just the richest 2%.
The shutdown will have a real and terrible effect on Minnesotans all over the state – from the 40,000+ public employees and other workers who will be out of a job, to the construction workers who will be forced to abandon road projects, to Minnesota families whose annual state park vacation will be cancelled.
But it doesn't have to be this way. We can still avoid a shutdown, and the hurt it will cause the people of Minnesota, if conservative leaders allow the richest 2% to pay their fair share.
Sign our petition now and ramp up the pressure!
Tell Gov. Dayton to veto voter suppression bill
On Saturday, May 21, legislation requiring Minnesotans to show one of only three state-issued IDs before voting passed through the House and the Senate. We can still stop this harmful bill which would undermine the constitutional right to vote of eligible Minnesota voters with a veto from Governor Dayton. But for that to happen he needs to hear from you!
Contact Governor Dayton today and ask him to veto S.F. 509, the Voter Suppression Bill.
While passing the conservative-controlled legislature, the Voter Suppression Bill failed the bi-partisan test of elections legislation required by former Governors Carlson and Pawlenty.
It is time for Governor Dayton to veto this gigantic structural change to Minnesota’s elections system – a change designed by national conservative leadership to permanently suppress eligible voter turnout in order to manufacture long-term, electoral victories for the right-wing.
Contact Governor Dayton today and ask him to veto S.F. 509, the Voter Suppression Bill.
Eligible Minnesota voters shouldn’t have their constitutional right to vote taken away by a partisan power grab. Make sure this doesn't happen in our state.
Contact Governor Dayton today.
For our full statement on today’s passage of S.F. 509, the Voter Suppression Bill, click here.
Tell your rep to keep hate off the ballot!
The conservative-controlled legislature refuses to introduce a budget that solves our revenue crisis, but they continue to waste precious hours on a bill to put the rights of LGBT Minnesotans on the ballot in 2012.
The only thing keeping this hateful amendment from the ballot is a full House vote that could come as soon as today. This vote will be close, but we have the power to stop it. If all Democrats and only three more Republicans vote no we will kill this bill- every legislator needs to hear from us.
Contact your representative today and tell them to oppose putting LGBT Minnesotans' rights on the ballot by dialing 1-855-508-6473] or by clicking here.
Conservatives in the legislature introduced this amendment to appease their base and distract us from the fact that their ‘all-cuts’ budget proposals protect the richest 2% while devastating the very parts of Minnesota we hold dearest.
Either click hereor dial 1-855-508-6473 to contact your representative and tell them to focus on a budget that invests in Minnesota’s future, not on putting discrimination into our constitution.
lmao? tell kdwb racism isn't funny
On Monday KDWB’s Morning Show laughed about a song mocking the Hmong people and promoting racial stereotypes. Today, the station issued a weak apology that accepts no real responsibility and offers no indication that it will stop using racism as a way to entertain its audience. Send a message that KDWB need to change its ways.
Listen to the offensive song here.Then TakeAction!
By finding humor in mocking the Hmong people and culture, Morning Show host Dave Ryan and his sidekick Steve LaTart (Steve-O) reinforce the racism that divides Minnesotans from each other while making it harder for people of color to prosper. The song that was performed on Monday’s program was not the first time that these two morning personalities used racism to entertain. It was simply the most offensive effort to date.
Tell KDWB to stop using racism to entertain. Specifically, ask KDWB to:
- Fire Steve LaTart – the author and performer of the offensive song
- Hold an on air conversation with Hmong community leaders during the Morning Show to discuss racial stereotypes, racial disparities, and the harm caused by Morning Show personalities
- Meet with leaders of the Hmong community to discuss these demands within the next two weeks
To send this message to KDWB, leave a comment on the the KDWB Facebook page, call KDWB Program Manager Rob Morris at 952-417-3000, or take the Pioneer Press poll to let KDWB know that saying "we're sorry if anyone was offended" is not enough.
Call your legislator today to tell them this cuts-only budget is outrageous!
Last week, the Minnesota House and Senate unveiled their plan to tackle our state’s $5 billion revenue shortfall. While many of the details are sketchy, the overall vision is clear: the wealthy are held harmless while everyone else is expected to sacrifice.
Last month, Governor Mark Dayton proposed asking the wealthiest 5% of Minnesotans to pay a higher income tax. The Legislature has responded by asking the other 95% to pay through cuts.
Do you believe Minnesota’s future is a shared responsibility or just your responsibility?
You should let our legislators know what you think by doing these two things:
1) CALL YOUR LEGISLATOR!
Take a moment to call your legislator and let them know that you think a cuts-only budget is outrageous. Click here to find legislators phone numbers, suggested messages and talking points, and make the call.
2) JOIN US TONIGHT, MARCH 28, TO PHONEBANK:
We need your help tonight making calls to those who are affected by the Cuts-Only approach. Training, pizza, and refreshments will be provided.
Please join us from 6pm-8pm tonight, March 28, by RSVPing here.
Tell Your Legislator: Vote NO on Voter ID
Legislation is moving in the Minnesota legislature that would take away the right to vote from tens of thousands of Minnesotans by requiring registered voters to present a photo ID in order to cast their ballot. These bills recently cleared another hurdle in the Senate - and we need your help to stop them.
Click here to send a message telling your state legislators to vote against Voter ID legislation.
Voter ID laws are harmful, costly, and unnecessary – voting is a basic right that no one should have taken away because they do not have a piece of plastic.
Under these bills, anyone without an authorized photo ID – including people who move in October or registered voters who simply forget their ID – would have no way to cast a ballot that counts on Election Day. Some voters face even greater hurdles. Many people with disabilities, students, people without stable housing, and elderly voters will have a difficult or impossible time coming up with the right combination of documents to even get an ID.
And for what? Back-to-back statewide recounts have proven that our elections are sound and that our system should make all Minnesotans proud.
Voter ID will take away the rights of tens of thousands of eligible voters to solve no actual problem, while costing the state as much as $30 million in the middle of a budget crisis. We can stop these harmful bills by calling on our legislators to oppose them, and by telling Governor Dayton to veto any Voter ID bill that comes across his desk.
For more information, check out our website. And if you haven't done so already, please also take a minute to sign our petition opposing Voter ID.
Fight for real HMO Reform - Send a Letter-to-the-editor!
Governor Dayton announced that UCare will be giving $30 million of our public money back to the State of Minnesota. He has also asked other health plans, including Medica, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and HealthPartners to follow suit. Both the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press ran front-page articles on UCare’s “donation.”
Governor Dayton is right to request this money back for our state, and UCare is right to give it. But we can’t leave it up to the HMOs themselves to decide whether, and how much, of their surplus is returned to the state. Together, these four largest recipients of state dollars for low-income health care programs have over $1.2 BILLION in reserves! That is almost $900 million more than the solvency levels recommended by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Minnesota needs a permanent solution, not a one-time payoff. The HMOs aren’t doing us any favors by returning excessive reserves. The state should require a cap on the amount of financial reserves the HMOs are allowed to retain so that public health care dollars are spent on health care, not squirreled away for private gain.
$30 Million . . . Or Real HMO Reform?
Remember when we said there were a lot of state health care dollars sitting around in private HMO bank accounts, earning interest for them instead of providing needed care to Minnesotans?
One of those HMOs, UCare, admitted as much. Governor Dayton announced that UCare will contribute $30 million dollars to the state treasury, and he directed Commissioner of Human Services Lucinda Jesson to ask other health plans to make a similar commitment!
This is a victory won by the thousands of people around the state who have raised their voices calling for an end to private profits off of public health care programs. But it's up to us to make sure that this is just a first step - Click here to email Governor Dayton now to ask for meaningful, long-term reforms to HMOs that go beyond one-time paybacks.
Medica, Blue Plus, Health Partners, and UCare, the four largest recipients of state funds for low income health care programs, have over $1.2 billion dollars squirreled away in "reserves." That's 376% more than the minimum reserves level recommended by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
We can't let UCare's "donation" distract us or our public officials from crafting a long-term solution: so long as private HMOs are given state dollars and claim not-for-profit status, we should cap their reserves at a reasonable level and make them pay the rest back.
Please take a moment now to tell Governor Dayton to fight for a long-term solution to HMO profiteering on public health care programs.
Click here to email Governor Dayton now. Then, call him at 651-201-3400 or 1-800-657-3717. When you call, tell him:
"Your budget proposal asks everyone in Minnesota to contribute to our future together.Thank you. UCare's voluntary contribution of $30 million dollars is an important step in that direction. But we need a permanent solution to HMO profiteering on public health care programs. Please support reinstating a reasonable cap on reserves for non-profit HMOs, clawback the excess paid to HMOs through state health care programs over the past 17 years, and move swiftly to create a new system for public health care that does not rely on unnecessary HMO middlemen."
When you are done, please click here to let us know you called.
Defend your voting rights: oppose photo id laws!
Only two months in and 2011 has already been an incredible year for democracy around the world. From the Middle East to the Midwest, ordinary people are putting their lives on the line for the right to have a say in the decisions that affect their lives.
Unfortunately in Minnesota, some state legislators are trying to take us in the opposite direction – by taking away the right to vote of tens of thousands of Minnesotans.
We need you to stand together to protect our democracy and our right to vote. Click here to sign our petition opposing any bill requiring voters to show a photo ID to vote.
The basic right to vote should not depend on a piece of plastic. For too many Minnesotans, showing a photo ID is difficult or impossible:
- Mary Lou Hill was born in 1916, four years before women finally won the right to vote. She has been voting for 70 years. But she no longer drives, and she relies on her daughters to help her live independently. For Mary Lou and many other seniors, getting an ID is no small hurdle.
- Simone Hall and her young son live in a supportive housing unit at one of Minnesota’s largest family homeless shelters. Due to crisis, Simone has been forced to move more than 20 times in her life, preventing her from maintaining a permanent residence for an ID. Minnesotans like Simone shouldn’t be prevented from voting as a result.
Thousands of Minnesotans like Mary Lou and Simone will have their right to vote taken away if photo ID becomes law. As our recent blog post attests, studies show that 10 percent of all citizens lack a current, government-issued ID. Requiring one to vote would take our election system backwards, reminding us of the days when women or people without property were not allowed to vote.
If one of these bills passes, Minnesota would have the most restrictive voter ID law in the country. Making our right to vote depend on a photo ID is harmful to voters, unneeded, and expensive.
Click here to sign our petition telling legislators and Governor Dayton to oppose photo ID legislation.
Thank you for protecting our constitutional right to vote!
Keep the pressure on in Wisconsin
The unprecedented threat to workers' rights in Wisconsin has drawn an unprecedented response: thousands have rallied here in Minnesota, and hundreds of thousands across the nation, in solidarity with our union brothers and sisters in Wisconsin.
But despite firm public support for collective bargaining rights, Scott Walker and Wisconsin Republicans (and their corporate backers) aren't giving in.
That's why we need you to help keep the pressure on.
Sign up to hear about actions (rallies, buses to Madison, etc) as they come up. When you sign up, we'll be sure to let you know about any opportunities to help as soon as we hear about them
Want to know more? Check out our TakeAction Minnesota blog, where staff and leaders are writing about the issue. Our latest post, from one of our founding TakeAction board members Doug Williams, calls out Scott Walker for his corporate-backed attack on the middle class. Want to share your experience? Contact our Communications Director Greta Bergstrom about writing a blog post or other ways you can help spread the word.
Have solidarity events you want to tell us about? Please email us the details.
This fight won't end until collective bargaining is saved in Wisconsin and across the country. Please sign up today to hear about how you can keep the pressure on.