Indivisible Jax Riverside - Home of the Riverside Resistance

June 5, 2017

FEDERAL DAILY ACTION Monday, June 5

PROTECT DISABILITY BENEFITS (SSDI) FROM TRUMP BUDGET CUTS

During his campaign, Trump made repeated promises to preserve Social Security benefits. Despite these promises, his 2018 budget proposal recommends cutting Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments to disabled workers by $72 billion over the next 10 years.

Trump’s administration argues that SSDI budget cuts will address wasteful and fraudulent access to these benefits. However, SSDI applicants must meet a host of eligibilty criteria to qualify for benefits. They must have worked a set number of years, have accumulated Social Security credits, and be under the age of 65. SSDI benefits are not overly generous (the US places 30th out of 34 peer countries for this type of benefit), nor are they easy to access – 60% of applications are denied. Despite these hurdles, there are nearly 9 million disabled workers currently receiving benefits; for 80% of beneficiaries, SSDI is their sole source of income.

These proposed SSDI cuts, particularly if combined with a repeal of the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare and budget cuts to Medicaid, would devastate millions of Americans who are already struggling to stay afloat in the face of health issues and economic insecurity.

The House and Senate Budget Committees will use Trump’s budget proposal as guidance when finalizing their own budget recommendations.

CALL Senator Rubio and Senator Nelson and make it clear to them that SSDI and other social safety net programs represent our core values of supporting those most in need, and must not be eliminated in order to provide tax breaks to corporations and the most wealthy Americans.

MARCO RUBIO DC : 202 224 3041
Jacksonville: (904) 354-4300

BILL NELSON: DC: 202-224-5274
Jacksonville: 904-346-4500

Your script:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from _____, Florida.

I’m calling today because I’m strongly opposed to the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) cuts proposed by Trump – millions of Americans benefit from this important program. I ask that Senator _____strongly oppose cutting the SSDI budget and continue to support this and other critical social safety net programs.

OPTIONAL: Share story of how you or someone you know benefited from SSDI

Thank you for your hard work answering the phones.

[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]

http://www.sanantonioemploymentlawblog.com/…/trump-budget-…

June 2, 2017

FEDERAL DAILY ACTION – Friday, June 2

Photo by Clive Camm (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Your call: Express your outrage over withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord

Find your representative:
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/…/Repre…/myrepresentative.aspx
Senator Rubio (202) 224-3041, (904) 398-8586;
Senator Nelson (202) 224-5274, (904) 346-4500

President Trump has made the decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord despite overwhelming opposition from nearly every direction: a majority of American voters support the agreement and nearly every country in the world—195 in total—have signed the landmark accord; Elon Musk has resigned as advisor to Trump’s business council; even shareholders at Exxon Mobil have called for greater and focus on the costs of climate change, signaling that investors want fossil fuel companies to move toward a low-carbon economy.

Withdrawing from the agreement will at best damage U.S. competitiveness as other countries take the lead in the global transition to clean energy. It will also do serious damage to U.S. strategic interests around the world by alienating U.S. allies and undermining U.S. policy priorities. And all of that isn’t even touching on the impact that pulling out of the deal will have on climate change.

Your script:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from __________.

I’m calling to express outrage that President Trump has chosen to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. For the sake of our economy, health, and national security, the United States must continue to lead the global fight against climate change. I expect [SEN/REP NAME] to publically denounce Trump’s decision.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]

May 22, 2017March 26, 2018

Rubio Empty Suit Town Hall

We invited Senator Marco Rubio to attend our Town Hall. He declined — so we are holding it without him! The Town Hall will be in question and answer format.

Audience members will ask questions and Senator Rubio’s suit will respond with genuine answers from Senator Rubio. It will be informative and fun!

Special Guest from the Indivisible Guide!

We are thrilled to announce that Kunoor Ojha, the Organizing Manager from the Indivisible Guide, will be live streaming into the town hall and having a Q&A session with us. If you have a question for her, please email us at info@indivisibleneflorida.com

About Kunoor Ojha

Kunoor is political organizer who was born and raised in Illinois. She has a background in candidate and issue-campaigns at the state and federal level. Kunoor most recently worked on the Hillary Clinton campaign during the general election, acting a guide to Youth Vote Directors in 13 battleground states, assisting in planning, creating resources for national distribution, and acting as a resource and advocate for state teams. She worked in a similar capacity for Bernie Sanders during the primaries, writing statewide voter registration plans and student organizing plans for primary and caucuses nationwide after creating the Bernie 2016 New Hampshire Campus Program. Her work in the 2016 election cycle took her to 15 different states. Previously she led field efforts on a congressional campaign in NJ and worked on an anti-gerrymandering ballot initiative in Illinois. She cut her teeth in organizing as a grassroots feminist organizer at a majority-male university, eventually going on to organize for Obama for America 2012. In her spare time Kunoor is an activist, having participated in the No DAPL movement from November through February. She has participated in civil disobedience and direct action planning in several states. Early in April, Kunoor joined the team at Indivisible as an Organizing Manager, where she will manage organizers covering most of the West, Midwest, and the South.

WHEN

May 31, 2017 at 7pm – 9pm

WHERE

IBEW Local 177
966 N Liberty St
Jacksonville, FL 32206
United States
Google map and directions

RSVP

Indivisible NE Florida web site
Facebook

May 10, 2017March 26, 2018

Community Die-In for Rep. John Rutherford

Representative John Rutherford (FL-4) voted to take away healthcare from more than 24 million Americans, including tens of thousands of his own constituents. Americans of every stripe — neighbors and friends, old and new, from all over Jacksonville and nearby communities — came together for a die-in highlighting the very real human cost of his vote in favor of Trumpcare.

In case you missed the event, be sure to contact Rep. Rutherford directly to let him know that his votes have consequences, and that voting against the health and well-being of his constituents is never okay.

Americans of every stripe — neighbors and friends, old and new, from all over Jacksonville and nearby communities — came together for a die-in highlighting the very real human cost of Congressman Rutherford’s vote in favor of Trumpcare.

Representative John Rutherford (among those at the arched window) literally turns his back on dozens of constituents protesting his vote for AHCA that takes away health insurance from 24 million Americans.

When a Joseph Stalin quote accurately reflects the idea behind a policy (even a subconscious one), there might be a problem. Americans of every stripe — neighbors and friends, old and new, from all over Jacksonville and nearby communities — came together for a die-in highlighting the very real human cost of Congressman Rutherford’s vote in favor of Trumpcare.

This is what democracy looks like. Americans of every stripe — neighbors and friends, old and new, from all over Jacksonville and nearby communities — came together for a die-in highlighting the very real human cost of Congressman Rutherford’s vote in favor of Trumpcare.

May 4, 2017May 10, 2017

Call Representative Rutherford before breakfast!

Tell Rutherford No!

This new bill offers $8 billion to states supposedly to cover funding for pre-existing conditions.

States would need $330 billion to cover all folks with pre-existing conditions.
States are not required to use this money for high risk pools.
Money would be available to states that waive pre-existing conditions forcing more states to leave millions of people vulnerable.
Funding ends in 2026
84% of people aged 50-64 have pre-existing conditions
Better than 50% of Americans have pre-existing conditions
$8 billion is less that 1% of the total cuts that this bill would make to the current ACA funding.

This bill also threatens Medicaid home and community based services for people with disabilities. It ends Medicaid expansion which now includes people with mental health disorders and drug abuse disorders.

It also allows for the return of annual and lifetime limits which affect not only people with ACA but folks with employer provided plans.

May 3, 2017March 26, 2018

Shy People and Introverts, Call Your Reps!

The idea of calling members of Congress and other government representatives can be a little intimidating. I know I have to take a deep breath (or three) before calling. Every single time.

As the proposed repeal of Obamacare gets pushed through Congress yet again, it’s a good time for a reminder that calling doesn’t have to be as bad as it sounds. On busy legislative days, you might not even have to talk to a human at all — just be ready to leave a voicemail. Either way, it’s much easier when you know what to expect.

Indivisible has a useful general guide to calling, but I found the post below a while back and it’s perfectly targeted for those of us who are less than comfortable with the process.

Enjoy the read, pass this post along to your shy friends, then make some calls!

https://actionfriday.tumblr.com/post/153358069831/shy-persons-guide-to-calling-representatives

April 22, 2017March 26, 2018

March for Science – Jacksonville

Indivisible Jax marched with hundreds of scientists, educators, and others on Earth Day, April 22. We joined the thousands of people around the world participating in the grassroots-led March for Science, calling for support of good science unfettered by the political ideology, superstition, and cynicism threatening to unravel America’s crucial science infrastructure.