Time to hit the phones... to say 'thank you'

From our member Connie Peterson comes this:

Suggestion: I think it is almost as important as all our efforts to move (Rep. Jim) Costa, to now encourage V4CF members to call his office and THANK HIM for his vote in support of Healthcare Reform.

Great idea, Connie! Here are those numbers to call:

Rep. Costa's Fresno office: (559) 495-1620
Rep. Costa's Washington, D.C. office: (202) 225-3341

Of interest: Fresno Bee chides Devin Nunes for his recent rhetoric

Hmmmm... an interesting editorial from today's Fresno Bee:

EDITORIAL: Passion is productive, Nunes' rhetoric is not

Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, has been a passionate advocate of conservative causes, and his votes reflect the majority of his constituents in the 21st District. But as the Democratic-controlled Congress has been successful in pushing its agenda, the rhetoric from Nunes has become increasingly more strident.

In recent days, Nunes said the passage of the health-care bill will cause the "total destruction of the country," compared President Barack Obama with Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and defended protesters who launched epithets at Democrats who supported the reform bill.

As an elected leader, Nunes should be setting an example of how to vigorously debate an issue he doesn't agree with. That's how our democracy is supposed to work. But Nunes' reckless rhetoric is a signal to his supporters that it's just fine to use inappropriate language on your opponents.

This kind of language has contributed to one of the most divisive political times in our history. One not only must disagree with his political opponents, but must also hate them.

For details, read the full editorial on the Bee's website at http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/03/23/1869515/passion-is-productive-nunes-rhetoric.html#ixzz0j7B0emQZ.

Scenes from Sunday's Peace and Justice Festival

The Volunteers For Change-Fresno booth was indeed a busy place at this year's Peace and Justice Festival, held Sunday, March 21, at the Fresno Fairgrounds. More than a thousand people attended the Festival, and many of those attendees either stopped by the V4CF booth or met one of our representatives as they circulated, taking a moment to learn more about our group and to sign the 'Restore Democracy to California' petition.

Many thanks to Kris Arden, Nancy Griesser, Wendy Negri, Ruth Afifi, Erik Nodacker, Linda Traynor and all the others who helped to make the day a great success. Here's how it looked:

President Obama signs healthcare reform into law

From MSNBC.com:

President Barack Obama capped a yearlong political drama Tuesday, signing into law a landmark health care reform bill that had been seen as impossible just two months ago.

The president said the law "will set into motion what a generation of Americans have fought for."

He said he was confident the Senate would make fixes to the legislation "swiftly."

Obama paid tribute to what he called the "historic leadership and uncommon courage" of the members of Congress who pushed ahead with the measure amid the often heated debate. He also hailed the new law, saying it helps lift a "decades-long drag" on the economy.

For details, read the full story on MSNBC.com at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35999823/ns/politics-health_care_reform/

So, what's in the healthcare reform bill?

From our member Ruth Afifi comes this, a most succinct summary of what the healthcare reform bill is designed to do:

• 10 million of the most struggling Americans will be covered by Medicaid
  
  
• We will provide subsidies to help working class Americans afford their insurance
  
  
• Americans with preexisting conditions will immediately have access to insurance through a high risk pool
  
  
• Insurers will be required to spend at least 85% of premiums on care
  
  
• Reform will reduce the federal deficit by $1.3 trillion over the next twenty years
  
  
• There will be tax credits this year to help small businesses give their employees health insurance
  
  
• Health care reform will end denial of coverage because of preexisting conditions, first for children and later for all adults
  
  
• We will prohibit lifetime caps on benefits
  
  
• Insurance companies will be unable to drop you from your coverage because you get sick

Medicare will see multiple improvements:

• We will immediately begin closing the Medicare donut hole
  
  
• We will immediately remove copays for preventative care
  
  
• We require Medicare Advantage plans to spend at least 85% of premiums on care
  
  
• We extended the solvency of Medicare by many years

The summary comes from a larger article on the Daily Kos website written by Rep. Louise Slaughter. For more details, read the full article at http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/3/23/849607/-A-Transparent-Process-to-a-Great-Accomplishment

'This is what change looks like.'

From our friends at Whitehouse.gov:

After a historic vote in the House to send healthcare reform to the President, he speaks to all Americans on the change they will finally see as they are given back control over their own health care.



If the viewscreen above is not visible, President Obama's remarks can be viewed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/03/22/what-change-looks.

The House passes healthcare reform! But it's not quite over yet...

Yes, the U.S. House of Representatives passed President Obama's healthcare-reform bill yesterday, by a vote of 219-210 and after more than a year of constant effort. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden applauded as the House announced the bill's passage.

But there is still much work to be done. CNN.com has a great outline of what comes next. It's not over yet. From CNN:

Washington (CNN) -- Now that the House has passed the Senate's health care reform bill and a package meant to reconcile differences between the House and Senate bills, the next step is for members of the Senate to sign off on those changes. That won't be as easy as it sounds.

Senate Republicans have indicated they will use any and all legislative tactics in order to slow -- even stop -- the reconciliation bill from passing.

For details, read the full story on CNN.com.