Sierra Club Florida News: Sierra Club Florida releases 2018 Legislative priorities

Sierra Club Florida News: Sierra Club Florida releases 2018 Legislative priorities

A KIND GENTLER WEEK OF ACTIONS

These are all the things we're doing while getting ready for the holidays, travel and family time. This list reminds us to take care of ourselves despite what we know have been some recent "dark nights of the soul".
Please check it out, try a few (all links are active and quick) and most of all, take care of yourself. We have a long way to go.

Here you go:

Americans of Conscience Action Checklist

HERE'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO RE: FCC VOTE AND THE TAX SCAM BILL. IT'S NOT OVER

On the disastrous yet expected FCC vote yesterday to deregulate and turn over our internet to greedy service providers:

Congress can write legislation regulating the internet. Use the contact information on the right of our main page to call, email, resistbot, write, or fax ALL your MoCs.

On the Tax scam:

Cracks are appearing, Rubio is one. Work him. Rutherford and DeSantis are still worth bombarding with calls, emails, resistbots, letters, faxes. They have to be getting nervous about 2018. Make them more nervous.

 Also, ANYONE can write a letter to the editor. It's important our views are in the public paper of record. Send to: jim.sutton@staugustine.com

TODAY WE HAVE WORK TO DO TO STOP THIS TAX SCAM BILL! JUST PICK A COUPLE AND CALL!

The conference to reconcile both the House and Senate Tax Scam Bill was scheduled to start work today with one public hearing at approximately 1030 AM. We tried their email links, many require your personal information to ascertain if you are a constituent, in which case, Indivisible Nation advises us you will just be ignored. So, we’ve included their DC office numbers. We know this is a big ASK but if you just take a couple (preferably from the Republican conferees) and call to express your opposition, we feel you’ll have a better chance of either being heard or tying up their lines in protest. Please! Do what you can today to slow this flawed process down and ultimately KILL THE BILL.  This passes, they’re coming after Medicare and Social Security next.

TAX SCAM BILL CONFEREES

REPUBLICAN

REPRESENTATIVES

Rep. Kevin Brady (R., Texas), 202-225-4901 will chair the conference.

Peter Roskam (R., Ill.)  (202) 225-4561

Devin Nunes (R., Calif.), (202) 225-2523

Diane Black (R., Tenn.) 202 225 4231

Kristi Noem (R., S.D.) (202) 225-2801

Rob Bishop (R., Utah) (202)-225-0453

Don Young (R., Alaska), (202) 225-5765

Greg Walden (R., Ore. (202) 225-6730

John Shimkus (R., Ill.).  (202) 225-5271

SENATORS

Orrin Hatch (202) 224-5251

Mike Enzi of Wyoming, (202) 224-3424

Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, (202) 224-6665

John Cornyn (202) 224-2934

John Thune (202) 224-2321

Rob Portman (202) 224-3353

Tim Scott (202) 224-6121

Pat Toomey (202) 224-4254

DEMOCRAT

REPRESENTATIVES (give them a push and some love)

Richard Neal (D., Mass). (202) 225-5601

Rep. Sander Levin (D., Mich.), (202) 225-4961

Lloyd Doggett (D., Texas), (202) 225-4865

Raul Grijalva (D., Ariz.) (202) 225-2435

Kathy Castor (D., Fla.). (202) 225-3376

SENATORS

Ron Wyden of Oregon, (202) 224-5244

Bernard Sanders of Vermont, (202) 224-5141

Maria Cantwell of Washington, (202) 224-3441

Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, (202) 224-4822

Robert Menendez of New Jersey (202) 224-4744

Tom Carper of Delaware (202) 224-2441

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington (202) 224-2621

TODAY WE BREAK THE INTERNET! You have a job to do as well.

Indivisible St Johns is joining in the Twitter storm today along with websites, blogs and Facebook accounts to make it known we stand for net neutrality. Today is also a great time to email the members of the FCC who will be voting on this issue on Thursday 12/14. Demand they vote against deregulation and keep the current standards in place. The internet was conceived and built with our taxpayer dollars. It should be treated as a common carrier as it belongs to all of us. Do you really love your service provider? As much as you love Comcast or Verizon? Ok, you know what you need to say. Here are the people who will vote:
Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov
Mike.O'Rielly@fcc.gov
Brendan.Carr@fcc.gov
Jessica.Rosenworcel@fcc.gov
Mignon.Clyburn@fcc.gov

ALSO, you can contact your MoCs and tell them how much you hate this idea! Congress theoretically has the power to reverse this by legislation.See our resources on the right side of the blog page for their contact information.

Let's get this done. We have a tax scam to fight tomorrow.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT! MEETING MINUTES FROM INDIVISIBLE ST JOHNS 12/7/17

INDIVISIBLE ST JOHNS

GENERAL MEETING MINUTES

DECEMBER 7, 2017

Deb Willis opened the meeting at 703 by welcoming everyone and stating our two principles:

                Donald Trump’s agenda will take America backwards and must be stopped.

                In order to work together to achieve this goal, we must model the values of inclusion, respect and fairness.

Joan McGinnis brought us up to date on the Trump Tax scam, noting it was time to turn anger into action despite the votes. Bill is in conference committee to be reconciled before a final vote in both houses. Joan will generate a list we will post of all the conference members and their contact information so we can address our concerns directly to them. Currently, CHIP (children’s insurance) is not included. The bills are very unpopular with the public and now is the time to really press calls, emails, letters, letters to the editor, and resistbot. It was noted Sen Grassley’s Facebook is not locked down at this time and tweets are able to be sent directly in response to other MoCs. She urged everyone to stay focused on the tax bill despite all the chaos Trump creates everyday. We only need to turn 23 in the house, 3 in the senate, to KILL THE BILL. Members then took time to use resistbot or 5 calls to immediately contact their MoCs. Useful sites: Resistbot.io, notonepenny.org, 5calls and trumptaxscam.org.

Jim Henry presented the Runaway Inequality program which Indivisible St Johns will be offering for free as a 4-5 hr workshop on January 13 at the SE Library in St Augustine. The program, as Jim carefully took us through, shows in graphic form how we got here, what the trends are and what the dangers are in regards to the current tax bill under consideration. He asked for participants to sign up since once you’ve taken the training, you’re able to pass this crucial information to others. The workshop is free, refreshments will be provided as well as workbooks. A sign up sheet was passed around. Space for the first workshop is limited to the first 20 people who sign up.

Lynn Willis, former IT specialist with the school district and experienced in the internet from its genesis, explained the dangers of Agit Pai’s (Chairman of the FCC and former Verizon lawyer) move to roll back net neutrality rules put in place during the Obama administration. He noted that ISPs (your data provider) will be able to throttle back speeds on content, discriminate on content you receive over their systems and basically control the internet. Mr Pai seems to think these ISPs will do the right thing. Big content/service providers like Amazon and Google do not support this. One of our members, a librarian here, noted all librarians are also against this roll back. She noted the hundred of clients they deal with everyday in the public library system who do not have internet access elsewhere. We must continue to call, write, email, resistbot our MoCs and tell them we do not want this. Members did a resistbot on the spot on this issue to their MoCs.

 Also, contact information for the FCC commissioners is here:

Agit.pai@fcc.gov

Mike.O’Rielly@fcc.gov

Brendan.Carr@fcc.gov

Jessica.Rosenworcel@fcc.gov

Mignon.Clyburn@fcc.gov

Fight for the Future was also recommended as a good resource website. Members participated earlier in the day at a nationwide Verizon/Save the Internet protest of which Fight for the Future is a part:

OUR VERIZON PROTEST 11-1215 PM on 12/7

Deb ran down our upcoming and ongoing events:

                Bi weekly protests at US 1 and King Street. Visible, safe venue. Request ideas from members

                Monthly socials will be the SECOND FRIDAY of every month at DOS on San Marco, north of town

                Inequality Workshop January 13, 2018 from 10-3PM. Sign ups will be taken through Indivisible.st.johns@gmail.com. The first 20 will be accepted for this initial workshop.

                Monthly general meetings will be the FIRST THURSDAY of every month, starting February 2.

                Rapid response if Mueller is fired is still ON. If he’s fired before 2 PM, rally in the Plaza in St Augustine at 5-?. If it occurs after 2 PM, we are in the same place at noon the next day til ?

                The Postcard group is doing a remarkable job of putting out hundreds of postcards a week on selected topics (or your own). They meet at DOS every Thursday at 2 PM

                Visits to both Rubio’s and Rutherford’s occur every week on an alternating basis. The details are always on our weekly action calendar and who to contact for carpooling.

Members suggested adding advocacy for our national parks and monuments which are under attack by the Trump administration.

Mary Lawrence gave a brief rundown of the SE Indivisible Leadership Institute in Atlanta 11/18-11/19. Attendees came from VA, NC, SC, TN, GA and FL. One group is currently building a website to monitor state legislation which all indivisibles in Florida can access. The whole SE region is building and verifying all progressive groups in the state so we can reach out for larger support on actions. It’s exciting things are coming together so quickly.

Meeting adjourned at 9 PM.

INDIVISIBLE ST JOHNS MEMBERSHIP MEETING THURSDAY 12/7...AGENDA

This is a meeting for all members to get up to speed on the following issues AND we need to hear from YOU on what you care about!

THE TRUMP TAX SCAM: Where it stands and what to do next.

RUNAWAY INEQUALITY: How we got here and how to reverse it.Sign up for 1/13 FREE workshop. Space is limited.

SAVING THE OPEN INTERNET: What is net neutrality, why is it important and what we can do to keep it.

RAPID RESPONSE PLANS IN CASE TRUMP FIRES MUELLER: Where to go, when to be there, what to do.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Regular meetings and socials schedules, standing appointments with Rutherford and Rubio offices, bi-weekly protests, discussion of an Impeachment March in solidarity with national actions and YOUR comments and suggestions.