FRIDAY, AUGUST 11 - Inconvenient Sequel in La Crosse

This just in! The very important new film, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, is now showing up on the Marcus Theater (Ward Ave., La Crosse) schedule for Friday, August 11 [UPDATE: it is OPENING August 11 and runs through the week.]. It's possible it will be shown on other days, but for now, if you can attend on August 11 (and take your neighbors, family members, and friends), please do. 

Show times and tickets (Fridays before 5, seniors pay $5) can be had at their website:
http://www.marcustheatres.com/theatre-locations/la-crosse-cinema-la-crosse

Citizen Action deserves our support

Just a note that Citizen Action of Wisconsin is still looking for a couple dozen Wisconsin citizens to kick in $20 per month (more or less depending upon your circumstances) in order to fund a full time HEALTHCARE FOR ALL co-op organizer who will work across the state to push for better, accessible, affordable, equitable health care. More details here. Their deadline is AUGUST 15 (not the 20th as previously stated).

And, if you want proof that Citizen Action ("heroes of the week," according to the Shepherd Express) is on top of the important issues in our state and not afraid to speak out, check out this testimony by Dr. Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin, before the Wisconsin State Assembly during the special session to consider whether or not to hand over $3 BILLION to a Foxconn, a Chinese based tech giant (that still hasn't met its 2013 pledge to create lots of jobs in Pennsylvania), so 13,000 people (probably, many from Illinois) can make electronic display panels.

"If you look at metrics for spending $3 BILLION, you should be producing a lot more jobs. ,,, For example, according to a University of Massachusetts study, if you made a  $3 BILLION investment in education, because education is labor intensive, you would produce 87,300 jobs. That dwarfs the highest estimates we're hearing for this, for Foxconn. If you did it in healthcare, it'd be 58,800 jobs. Again, healthcare is labor intensive and we all need healthcare. ... And then as far as clean energy, you would produce 56,300 jobs - clean energy and renewable energy. So, we could make these investments now. We could have made them years ago."

Dem Party of WI Progressive Caucus update

DPW Progressive Caucus Update

First and foremost I want to thank all of you for having so much patience. All of us want to get to work as soon as possible but the caucus is currently in a holding pattern until the DPW Executive Committee schedules a meeting to approve caucus strategic plans. As soon as we know when this will take place we will let you know. The DPW has been going through many staff changes since the Convention which I'm sure is slowing things down. I would also like to point out that although we are in a holding pattern there is no reason why each and everyone of us cant stay engaged with the political revolution. Congress is enjoying August recess right now and spending time in their home districts to engage with constituents and friends. Now is the perfect time to seek out your democratic members of congress and discuss the #peoplesplatform. The peoples platform is a collection of strong progressive bills that need the support of all Democrats to move this country forward. Below you will find a link that will bring you to more information regarding summer of progress and the People's Platform.

Take Action!

Health Care updates

This is from Citizen Action of Wisconsin. They are still seeking a few dozen people to commit to donating $20 per month (more or less if you wish) to hire a full time, state Healthcare for All organizer. Anyone in Wisconsin may join this statewide co-op. If they don't meet their goal of 280 members by August 20, no one will be charged anything. Find out more at their Healthcare for All co-op website.

In the meantime, they are not just sitting around waiting for that goal to be met! Here's the latest:

We can't wait one more minute to give Wisconsinites the option to choose BadgerCare as their health insurance. 

Molina Healthcare just announced that they will no longer sell individual health insurance plans in Wisconsin following Trump's sabotage, leaving one county completely without an individual health insurance option. Several other counties have only one or two options, with sky-rocketing premiums.

We have the solution: Allow any Wisconsinite to pick BadgerCare as their individual health insurance plan.They would pay a premium just like regular health insurance. The infrastructure is already there, no taxes would need to be raised.

Right this very minute, Rep. Genrich (one of our organizing co-op members) has a bill at the state capitol that would do this, but corporate lobbyists will kill it if we don't organize and fight back. 

Huge, corporate insurance companies shouldn't have a monopoly on the market. This bill has been called a 'pragmatic' solution to the problem. Let's make this happen. Sign this petition today and join our Healthcare for All Organizing Co-Op to fight for big ideas like this!

ADD YOUR NAME: Time for a Wisconsin Public Option!

Katie Dunn, Organizer 

Healthcare for All Organizing Co-op

Click here for more info and to join!

Founded by Citizen Action of Wisconsin and

Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals

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Meanwhile on the national stage, HR 676 Medicare for All now has 116 co-sponsors (still no Ron Kind). And in the Senate, Bernie Sanders is crafting a similar bill, as this August 2 Guardian (UK) article reports:

The Vermont senator will spend the next several weeks leading a campaign to build support for his plan before unveiling the bill next month. On Wednesday, he launched a six-figure digital advertising campaign on Facebook and Google that encourages supporters to become “citizen co-sponsors” of his plan, which he calls “Medicare for All”, according to Sanders spokesman Josh Miller-Lewis, a reference to the public healthcare program for older Americans.

Monday's Commoner Call highlighted several excellent articles about healthcare including
* It's Time for the Compassionate Adults in This Nation to Talk Seriously About Medicare for All
by Dr. Carol Paris (Common Dreams)
* While the Uninsured Suffer and Die: 70 Top Healthcare CEOs Raked in $9.8 Billion Since 2010 by Jake Johnson (Common Dreams)
* Al Gore Breaks With Democratic Party Leadership to Support Single -Payer Healthcare by Eleanor Sheehan (Fusion)

In addition, The Sanders Institute and National Nurses United delivered a paper to every member of Congress last week. Medicare For All vs All the Healthcare Each Can Afford analyzes our current fragmented healthcare system and suggests a system of healthcare reflecting the nurses' values of caring, compassion and community. You can read it at the link.

Why Single-Payer Health Care Saves Money by Robert H. Frank (NY Times) looks at the numbers and concludes that single-payer is the way to go.

And, we've heard that a screening of the new film, Now is the Time - Healthcare for Everybody, is in the works for this fall.

 

Mike McCabe's Book: Free PDF version

Here is a link to the free PDF version of Mike McCabe's book, Blue Jeans In High Places. It is a pretty quick read and very interesting and insightful. It contains some quality history on Wisconsin politics, both good and bad, and some great ideas on how we can change our state and country for the better. It's a worthwhile resource for any Wisconsin progressive as well as a window into McCabe's perspective and values. My guess is it'll leave you excited about his campaign for governor. Making this book free is a great example of how Mike walks the walk of a commoner and leads with integrity.