We're not broke

We're putting our heads together to choose the best ideas for a plan to create an economy that works for ALL of us—a new "Contract for the American Dream." Today we need as many of us as possible to rate ideas about how to stop corporations and the super-rich from dodging taxes. Click here to get started: Rate Ideas

Dear MoveOn member,

Yesterday I asked for your help choosing the best ideas for the new "Contract for the American Dream," and the response has been amazing!

All told, folks registered more than 1,400,000 ratings on over 6,600 new ideas for creating jobs and fixing our economy.

Today we're looking at how to get the money to pay for all those good ideas. America is the richest country in the history of world. But we can't make the investments we need because giant corporations and the super-rich aren't paying their share.

Will you help craft our plan to solve this problem by helping to choose the best ideas for making sure we ALL pay our share? To inspire your thinking check out this new video from a group of self-made millionaires and billionaires who get it. They have a simple message of responsibility and patriotism that I wish every giant corporation and ultra-wealthy person shared: "Tax me."

Take a look at the video. Then help choose the best ideas here:

Watch the video and rate ideas!

We, the American taxpayers, have put a ton of resources on the table, creating a stable and highly productive environment for businesspeople. If their businesses do poorly, they shouldn't be expected to pay back much in the form of taxes. But if they do well, they SHOULD.

They're benefiting from our public schools, our roads, our courts and so much more that America provides to help them succeed. But they aren't paying us—their real anchor investors—back. Simply put, it's unpatriotic. Those who do well IN America, should do well BY America. That's what made America great, in the first place.

Instead we just keep seeing more tax shelters, tax breaks, and tax loopholes. Now some of these folks are even willing to put our entire country's financial future at risk by using the debt ceiling crisis to push for more cuts to critical government programs—while refusing to consider closing some of those loopholes or raising tax rates on the wealthy.

This has to stop.The question we have to figure out now is how to turn things around. How can we stop tax dodging and make sure all of America's giant corporations and super-rich folks help us invest in a prosperous future for our country?

We can best answer these questions when we put our heads together. So it's up to all of us to take part today. It's easy, and it doesn't take a lot of time. Just click here to visit the new Contract for the American Dream site. Help choose the best ideas:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=210806&id=28628-10220574-w%3DwG_kx&t=4

Thanks for helping make the American Dream a reality.

–Van Jones

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Good jobs now

Contract for the American Dream We're putting our heads together to choose the best ideas for a plan to create an economy that works for ALL of us—a new "Contract for the American Dream." The key to this idea working is simple: get as many people as possible to rate ideas. Click here to join in: Dear MoveOn member, I trust my neighbors more than any Wall Street bank, hedge fund, or oil company. I think we all do. But we keep letting the banks and multinational corporations, and their high-priced lobbyists, call the shots in our economy. You know what? I think they're doing a terrible job. Now it's time for us, the American people, to come up with our own vision. So today we're launching a new effort. And we need your help. Our goal is to help create a "Contract for the American Dream"—a people-powered plan for creating an economy that works for ALL of us. When it is completed, this document will be very special. For one thing: thousands of us will have created it TOGETHER, as a community of friends and neighbors. You are an important part of this community, and you have a key role to play in this effort: helping to choose the best ideas for fixing our economy. It won't take long, and you don't need to be an expert. Just visit our new site and rate which ideas you think will make a real difference. We have some great ideas from progressive leaders. And you can add your own, too. No idea is too big or too small, too tame or too out there. We need your brain engaged on this. To help get started, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich made a short video about how we can invest in creating more good jobs. Check it out, then help rate some proposals! Watch the video and rate ideas! We're building this Contract with a deep belief that folks like us—all across America—have enough wisdom and common sense to come up with workable solutions to our nation's problems. By putting our heads together, and combining our best thinking on a national basis, we believe we can craft a plan that unites our struggles for economic fairness and opportunity. The key to this idea working is simple: we need as many people as possible to participate. We need you to submit ideas and to give feedback. The more people who join in to help craft the Contract, the better it's going to be. This week we're going to focus on four areas. We are starting today with good jobs. Over the coming days, we'll look for solutions to problems in other areas—from education, to labor rights, to taxes. Then, on July 16 and 17, thousands of Americans are going to gather in living rooms, community centers, and church basements across the country. In just ten days, people will discuss and help sort the top ideas we have generated together. Between now and then, it's up to all of us to feed the very best, most creative, most inspiring ideas into the conversations. Can you help right now—by rating ideas and submitting your own? http://www.moveon.org/r?r=210736&id=28601-10220574-0XvEulx&t=4 Thanks for all you do. –Van Jones

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URGENT: Tell Cuomo to keep fracking ban in NY

Below is an email from the Working Families Party of New York, which created a petition at SignOn.org that is getting a lot of attention and may be of interest to people in your area. If you have concerns or feedback about this petition, click here.

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Dear New York MoveOn member,

Yesterday, government bureaucrats gave the go-ahead for Gov. Cuomo to lift the statewide ban on hydrofracking. They want him to keep it banned in some places, like New York City's watershed, but not in others.

We need to keep the ban in place everywhere. If fracking isn't safe enough for New York City, then it shouldn't be safe enough anywhere else in New York either.

(Hydrofracking is a dangerous technique used to extract natural gas from rock formations and is associated with chemical and carcinogenic contamination of drinking water.)

So we created a petition to Governor Andrew Cuomo on SignOn.org that says:

"Governor Cuomo, please do everything in your power to ban hydraulic fracturing throughout New York State. There is no part of the state that should be eligible for fracking. The risks are too great."

Will you sign the petition? Click here to add your name, and then pass it along to your friends:

http://signon.org/sign/ban-hydrofracking-in?source=mo&id=28518-10220574-HpPEkvx&t=2

Thanks!

–Working Families Party of New York

The text above was written by the Working Families Party of New York, not by MoveOn staff, and MoveOn is not responsible for the content. This email was sent through MoveOn's secure system, and your information has been kept private.

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I need help in Jamaica

On July 16 and 17 people in neighborhoods across the country are gathering to share our stories, express our hopes, hone our best ideas, and craft a plan for working together to fix our broken economy. There's a meeting in Jamaica. Can you make it? Attend a Meeting

Dear MoveOn member,

I'm Van Jones, and last week, I joined with MoveOn to launch Rebuild the Dream. This big new project is dedicated to creating an economy that works for ALL of us—and to stopping the attacks on the middle class and working Americans.

Since we launched last week, the question folks keep asking me is: "Why are you talking about the American Dream? Didn't we all give up on that a long time ago?"

Sadly, they're right. Too many of us have stopped talking about our dreams—stopped thinking in terms of what we're really capable of achieving in this country. I believe that's actually part of the problem.

That's why I am so excited to invite you to take part in the next step in building the American Dream movement. On July 16 and 17 people in neighborhoods across the country are gathering at more than 900 American Dream house meetings to share our stories, express our hopes, hone our best ideas, and craft a plan for working together to fix our broken economy.

There's a meeting in Jamaica on Sunday, Jul. 17, 2011, at 6:30 PM. Can you join in?

Yes, I want to RSVP!

I promise it'll inspire you.

For me, the American Dream is something my dad instilled in me. He climbed out of poverty up the ladder of opportunity—then he put my sister and me through college.

As I've traveled around the country talking to thousands of people over the past year, it's become clear that we, as a country, are letting that ladder fall down. People have told me over and over that the American Dream is slipping further and further away for them and their families.

We need to stop reckless greed at the top from killing our dreams. That's the inspiration behind Rebuild the Dream.

Because the American Dream used to mean something in this country. That if you put in a hard day's work, you could expect good American wages, benefits, a dignified retirement, and a better life for your kids. Everyone wasn't in the middle class, but everyone believed that—given a fair shot—they could make it there. That's the American Dream I'm fighting for.

Our shared path to the American Dream begins with a conversation among concerned friends and neighbors at hundreds of American Dream house meetings on July 16 and 17. These simple house meetings will launch a grassroots agenda-creation process that we'll use to drive the American Dream movement forward.

Can you make it in Jamaica on Sunday, Jul. 17, 2011, at 6:30 PM?

Yes, I'll be there!

Thanks for all you do.

–Van Jones 

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It's not enough

Dear MoveOn member,

Last week, President Obama announced his plan for Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, it means even more years of war. Even after the 33,000 "surge" troops come home by next summer, nearly 68,000 will remain—twice as many as when Obama took office.¹ The full combat drawdown won't be complete until 2014.²

We simply can't afford to spend upwards of $100 billion a year fighting in Afghanistan³ while so many suffer here at home.

As House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi stated clearly: "It has been the hope of many in Congress and across the country that the full drawdown of U.S. forces would happen sooner than the president laid out—and we will continue to press for a better outcome."⁴ 

If you agree, then the President needs to hear your voice, along with those in Congress, pressing him to do more. Please call the White House and urge the president to bring all of our troops home by the end of next year.

The White House: (202) 456-1111

Then, click here to let us know what they said.

All our voices calling for an end to the war are making a difference. More and more Americans are against the war. And, in making this decision, the president defied the Pentagon, who wanted an even slower drawdown.⁵

But we need to keep the pressure on. President Obama needs to hear, on the heels of his national address to his fellow Americans, that he has to bring this war to a quicker end for the good of America.

MoveOn members had White House phones ringing off the hook on Thursday and Friday last week, right after the president's announcement. But we want the president to know that the pressure isn't going to let up after a few days. That's why we're asking a different group of members to call each day this week. Now, it's your turn to make the call.

Can you make the call and urge the president to bring all of our troops home by the end of next year?

Please call the White House: (202) 456-1111

Then, click here to let us know what they said.

The president said on Wednesday night that "it is time to focus on nation building here at home."⁶ He's right.

Thanks for all you do,

–Justin, Milan, Adam Q., Lenore, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Obama to Announce Plans for Afghan Surge Pullout", The New York Times, June 20, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=209552&id=28397-10220574-6OxFarx&t=3

2. "Remarks by the President on the Way Forward in Afghanistan," The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, June 22, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=209602&id=28397-10220574-6OxFarx&t=4

3. "The War In Afghanistan: How Much Are You Paying?" The Huffington Post, April 18, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=209611&id=28397-10220574-6OxFarx&t=5

4. "Obama's Afghanistan Plan," San Francisco Chronicle, June 23, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=209612&id=28397-10220574-6OxFarx&t=6

5. "Obama Will Speed Pullout From War in Afghanistan," The New York Times, June 22, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=209615&id=28397-10220574-6OxFarx&t=7

6. "Remarks by the President on the Way Forward in Afghanistan," The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, June 22, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=209602&id=28397-10220574-6OxFarx&t=8

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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PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on June 27, 2011. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

"Amazing and inspirational"

Last night, the launch of Rebuild the Dream shook up New York. If you missed it—this is your chance to catch all the highlights. If you saw it, this is your chance to send this "amazing and inspirational" video "across America" by sharing it with everyone you know.  Watch It Now

Dear MoveOn member,

"Amazing and inspirational."

"Van Jones makes sense. Stand up, stand up, America."

"This has GOT to be recorded and re-played across America on the internet...MOVING! MOTIVATING...INSPIRING!!!!"

That's what just a few people had to say about the spectacular launch event for Rebuild the Dream last night—an organization dedicated to the campaign to create an economy that works for ALL of us.

We were so excited about the reaction that staff worked all night so we could send you this highlights video—and "replay it across America." But we need your help for that last part.

If you watched last night, you know the impact this video can have. If you missed it, now's your chance to catch the highlights. Either way, can you do your part to "replay it across America?" Just click on the image below to watch and share!

Or click here to watch the video.

Visionary leader Van Jones led the launch, which was equal parts tent revival and gripping story of where we are as a nation and how we turn things around.

It was just an amazing kickoff to Rebuild the Dream and a fantastic show of support for the American Dream Movement. So, what is the Movement? 

It will be what you and hundreds of thousands of Americans make of it. As you watch the video, you'll have the chance to sign up to host a house meeting in July—to help shape the Contract for the American Dream.

That Contract will hold the principles and values that bind us together as progressives, and as neighbors and friends. So, get inspired by this video and then inspire others to action by sharing the story of the American Dream Movement online and in your homes.

Click here to be inspired by the exciting video highlights of the Rebuild the Dream launch and sign up to host an event in your home.

Thanks for all you do.

–Justin, Adam Q., Carrie, Eli, and the rest of the team

P.S. Some of the biggest organizations in the labor movement are joining the fight to rebuild the American Dream. Click here to watch a special message from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka about why they're joining the American Dream Movement.

 

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Inspired

Dear MoveOn member,

If you were able to watch tonight's Rebuild the Dream launch, then I imagine you're as inspired as I am right now.

If so, will you chip in $5 to help make this all happen?

Already there's been an incredible response from people around the country!

But knitting all of us together into a successful, visible movement to rebuild the American Dream takes money—for organizers to help spread the message locally, for programmers to build the infrastructure we can all use to share ideas and organize, and for staff to work with thousands of groups across the country.

We're on the cusp of something really big. This what we've been waiting for. 

But we can only do it if everyone gives whatever they can to make it happen. Will you chip in $5 to help rebuild the American Dream?

https://civic.moveon.org/donatec4/rebuild_donate.html?bg_id=hpc5&id=28312-10220574-Gpunvtx&t=2

Thanks for all you do.

–Justin, Eli, Stephen, Julia, and the rest of the team 

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