A provision in the Senate’s defense authorization bill (S 2943) would limit the information the Pentagon is required to report about its use of private contractors. [1] If the Senate's provision were passed, the Pentagon's reported figures for the number of private contractors it is using would be so underestimated as to be useless. A House-Senate conference committee is now writing a final version of the bill. Whatever emerges from that conference will almost surely become law. An unaccountable army of private Pentagon contractors doesn't just waste taxpayers' money - that's bad enough. According to one estimate, the Pentagon could save more than $20 billion per year just by reducing its contractor work force by 15%. [2] But just as privatized prisons establish an unnecessary financial incentive for creating more prisoners, privatized Pentagon services establish an unnecessary financial incentive for wars of choice - like the current U.S. participation in the civil wars in Yemen and Syria. Urge your Senators and Representative to oppose any provision in the defense authorization bill that would reduce the transparency and accountability of the Pentagon's use of private contractors by signing our petition. References: 1. "Pentagon Reports Sharp Drop in Use of Contractors," John M. Donnelly, CQ Roll Call, Oct. 4, 2016 2. http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2015/10/08/pentagon-needs-to-cut-shadow-contractor-work-force

At Emerge America, we’re fighting to elect more Democratic women to stand up for the change we need to move America forward. Our board member and Moms Demand Action founder, Shannon Watts, knows exactly why we need more women in office: “It’s proven that women are more likely than men to support the kinds of legislation that Moms Demand Action promotes, such as stricter laws governing gun sales.” Where should we start? We start by closing the loopholes that allow stalkers, abusive ex-dating partners and people with emergency restraining orders to legally buy and own guns. It’s common sense.

We had a big win in June. The Supreme Court ruled against a law that was aiming to shut down abortion clinics in Texas. This landmark decision affirms that imposing undue burdens on women seeking abortions is wrong. It confirms that women have a right to access a safe and legal abortion. What does that mean for Arizona? It calls into question practices like forcing women to travel hundreds of miles to access reproductive health care, enduring 24-hour waiting periods, and preventing Medicaid from covering abortions. It’s time we follow the Supreme Court’s lead and take action.

Everyone's voice should be heard in our democracy – but that’s not happening right now. The Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision was a terrible mistake. It's allowing big corporate donors to drown out the voice of everyday voters. Like you, I'm sick and tired of these billionaires running roughshod in our elections. But what can we do about it? Here's what: Oregon can lead the way. As Secretary of State, I’ll fight to reform Oregon’s campaign finance system. We can pass tough campaign finance limits that directly challenge Citizens United. Time and again, Oregon has led the nation in a progressive direction -- women's suffrage, popular election of Senators, public beaches, the bottle bill, and more. It's time to do it again. Let’s take a stand in Oregon: Corporations are not people and money is not speech!

Every year, taxpayers are subsidizing giant bonuses to CEOs. That’s because corporations can deduct unlimited amounts of executive compensation from their taxable income — as long as the pay is “performance-based.” Under the leadership of CEO John Stumpf, Wells Fargo created 2 million accounts that customers never asked for. But in the years while this was happening, taxpayers were effectively subsidizing the fraud, as Wells Fargo cashed in on $54 million in tax subsidies for Stumpf’s “performance-based” compensation! This egregious loophole costs taxpayers more than $5 billion dollars a year. Thankfully, there is already a bill in the Senate to close it, S. 1127, introduced by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). But we need as many Senators as possible to co-sponsor this bill, so that companies like Wells Fargo no longer get to turn big CEO bonuses into big tax breaks. Learn more: The Institute for Policy Studies, Executive Excess 2016: The Wall Street CEO Bonus Loophole, ips-dc.org/executive-excess-2016-wall-street-ceo-bonus-loophole-2/ Senator Reed Urges Congress to Responsibly Offset Tax Cuts by Closing Tax Loopholes, reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-urges-congress-to-responsibly-offset-tax-cuts-by-closing-tax-loopholes/

Every school day, my neighborhood is filled with kids walking to and from David Douglas High School, and every day I worry about their safety. Why? There have been at least 30 traffic deaths in Portland this year. Among those was a teenage boy that was struck and killed crossing the street in Northeast Portland in August. Just a week earlier, a teenage girl was killed by a speeding motorist while crossing SE Hawthorne. It’s important to talk to our children about awareness and safety – but it’s also time for real action to make our streets safe for all. The City of Portland adopted Vision Zero, which aims to move our transportation system toward zero traffic-related fatalities and injuries over the next ten years. However, East Portland still has considerably fewer sidewalks and bike lanes than the rest of the city. We need to do more than talk about safe streets – we need to invest in accessible, safe pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. We can save lives.

Let's think ahead about the common good.

Making derogatory comments about a group of people is not responsible journalism. Giving accurate information to help the people in Haiti through the storm should be a priority and not the time to make racist and demeaning comments.

Medicare Should Include Dental Care Whether or not you're a senior citizen, hopefully, you will be someday. When that happens, you're going to want complete health care. One of the most important, and least covered healthcare costs for seniors is dental care. And yet, dental care is not included in most post-retirement insurance plans, including Medicare. In other plans, it's a very expensive option. Medical research has linked poor dental health to the most serious health hazards including Heart Disease, Diabetes, and many other age-related diseases, including a weakened immune system, which gives rise to Pneumonia, Influenza and other infectious conditions. Improved dental care could help reduce and delay the onset of these serious diseases in this vulnerable segment of our society. If we could reduce the incidence of these diseases, we could significantly reduce illness, reduce the case load on our medical and hospital systems, and promote better, more efficient health care for yourself and your family. Providing dental benefits will improve the overall health of seniors. It will also result in a healthier Medicare and medical insurance system. Sooner or later, that will benefit everyone.

If something "probably" causes cancer, it's time to stop using it. The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer has identified the herbicide glyphosate, commonly sold as Roundup, as a “probable human carcinogen." Americans are being regularly exposed to glyphosate through their air, water, and food – and that’s not right. It's time for the EPA to suspend the use of glyphosate until a meaningful evaluation of the herbicide's carcinogenicity is done. The FDA should also begin monitoring and enforcing tolerance levels for glyphosate residues immediately. Sign the petition to urge EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to protect public health and end the use of Roundup!

Bayer and Monsanto are already giant corporations. If allowed to merge, they would control enormous market share in GMO seeds and related pesticides. This is the latest in a series of big agriculture company mergers — leaving just a few companies with control over the building blocks of our food system. This consolidated market leaves farmers with fewer options and higher prices, and it results in fewer real options for everyone at the grocery store. Monsanto and Bayer already exert outsize influence to downplay the negative consequences of their products, including neonicotinoid pesticides, which harm bees and monarch butterflies, and glyphosate, a probable human carcinogen. Federal regulators should block this merger to prevent further corporate control of our food supply. Sign the petition to the Department of Justice to reject this mega-merger!

There are no rules or laws protecting birds in the food industry; yet 98% of the animals living in factory farms are poultry. The Humane Slaughter Act actually excludes poultry along with other species of animals. That is wrong. All animals need protection.