It's been a rough week for progressives. The Massachusetts Senate race goes south, the Supreme Court shifts campaign-finance laws firmly in favor of continuing dollar-fueled oligarchy, Air America goes dark. So if you're like me, you may be looking for something to brighten your day, something that might remind you of our overall progress on the work we've undertaken before and after Election Day 2008.
So, courtesy of the St. Petersburg Times, comes 'The Obameter,' an online feature that's tracking President Obama's progress on his campaign promises.
So according to The Obameter, how's he doing? Very well, as it turns out. By their count, so far President Obama has kept 91 promises so far, with another 275 in the works. By any standard, that's a good count.
Want to see for yourself? Visit the Obameter at http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/. Or, look on the upper-right corner of this Action Blog... we've added it to this website as an automatic feed.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Scenes from today's MLK Day march
More than a dozen V4CF members braved the (forecast) rain and wind to participate in Fresno's Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade, held Jan. 18 in downtown Fresno.
As V4CF marcher Nancy Griesser reported, "We had a great time at the parade! Several who signed up didn't attend but others did so we had a fine complement of V4CF members on board. And, luckily for us, the rain held off."
Here's how it looked, with photos courtesy of Kris Arden and Nancy Griesser. Thanks to all who participated!
As V4CF marcher Nancy Griesser reported, "We had a great time at the parade! Several who signed up didn't attend but others did so we had a fine complement of V4CF members on board. And, luckily for us, the rain held off."
Here's how it looked, with photos courtesy of Kris Arden and Nancy Griesser. Thanks to all who participated!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Get out your marching shoes:
V4CF to participate in MLK Day parade Jan. 18
Want to show your support for equality? Join V4CF as we march in this year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade, scheduled Monday, Jan. 18, in downtown Fresno.
V4CF participants will have the opportunity to carry our 'Volunteers For Change-Fresno' banner and perhaps the 'CHANGE' sign shown on the Fresno Bee's front page after last year's event.
We plan to meet at 9:15 a.m. Monday, Jan. 18, in front of St. John's Cathedral, 2814 Mariposa Ave. in downtown Fresno. While we will not have a more specific meeting place, participants should look for others wearing our new black-and-green 'Volunteers For Change' t-shirts. Please wear your own V4CF t-shirt and dress warmly.
Scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., the march will proceed from the Cathedral to the Veteran's Memorial Auditorium, with a commemorative program honoring Dr. King's legacy to follow immediately at 10:45 a.m.
With the numbers of participants expected, carpooling or taking mass transit to downtown is indeed recommended. We hope to see you there!
V4CF participants will have the opportunity to carry our 'Volunteers For Change-Fresno' banner and perhaps the 'CHANGE' sign shown on the Fresno Bee's front page after last year's event.We plan to meet at 9:15 a.m. Monday, Jan. 18, in front of St. John's Cathedral, 2814 Mariposa Ave. in downtown Fresno. While we will not have a more specific meeting place, participants should look for others wearing our new black-and-green 'Volunteers For Change' t-shirts. Please wear your own V4CF t-shirt and dress warmly.
Scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., the march will proceed from the Cathedral to the Veteran's Memorial Auditorium, with a commemorative program honoring Dr. King's legacy to follow immediately at 10:45 a.m.
With the numbers of participants expected, carpooling or taking mass transit to downtown is indeed recommended. We hope to see you there!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
MLK Day celebrations will include
'Mountain of Food' collection and distribution
In conjunction with Fresno's celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the Community Food Bank (CFB) invites V4CF members to participate in the 'Mountain of Food' collection and distribution.
Want to donate? Instead of bringing canned goods or nonperishables to the MLK celebrations, CFB asks that volunteers consider making a monetary donation. The food bank can achieve a greater distribution through its bulk food purchases than it can through donated food stocks.
To donate or for questions, contact Wendy Negri at (559) 299-5052. Wendy will collect any donations before and during the event, and will give them to the Community Food Bank representative.
Want to donate? Instead of bringing canned goods or nonperishables to the MLK celebrations, CFB asks that volunteers consider making a monetary donation. The food bank can achieve a greater distribution through its bulk food purchases than it can through donated food stocks.
To donate or for questions, contact Wendy Negri at (559) 299-5052. Wendy will collect any donations before and during the event, and will give them to the Community Food Bank representative.
Volunteers needed for two food distributions, scheduled in February in Firebaugh
Join Volunteers for Change-Fresno as we work with the Community Food Bank to distribute food in Firebaugh. Volunteers are needed for two sessions:
The distributions will take place in Firebaugh's Maldonado Park, located at 1601 Thomas Conboy Road. The coordinator will provide more details & contact each person who signs up closer to the date of the event.
Did you know that you can get a free ticket to Disneyland for helping out with this opportunity? For more information, visit http://www.disneyparks.com.
- Tuesday, Feb. 9- Coordinator: Wendy Negri (559-299-5052)
- Tuesday, Feb. 23- Coordinator: Kris Arden (559-978-1736 or kkarden@yahoo.com)
The distributions will take place in Firebaugh's Maldonado Park, located at 1601 Thomas Conboy Road. The coordinator will provide more details & contact each person who signs up closer to the date of the event.
Did you know that you can get a free ticket to Disneyland for helping out with this opportunity? For more information, visit http://www.disneyparks.com.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Homelessness in Fresno, water to be the topics
at next V4CF General Meeting Jan. 12
Save the date, V4CFers! With the holiday season relegated to memory, it'll soon be time to get together again, to continue the work we began more than a year ago.
With that in mind, Volunteers For Change-Fresno invites all members and interested folk to attend our next General Meeting, scheduled 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, in the large meeting room of the Fig Garden Library, 3071 W. Bullard Ave., in Fresno. The library is on the southwest corner of Bullard and Marks, in the shopping center.
The evening will include:
With that in mind, Volunteers For Change-Fresno invites all members and interested folk to attend our next General Meeting, scheduled 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, in the large meeting room of the Fig Garden Library, 3071 W. Bullard Ave., in Fresno. The library is on the southwest corner of Bullard and Marks, in the shopping center.
The evening will include:
- A presentation by Gregory Barfield, Homelessness Prevention Manager for the City of Fresno. Mr. Barfield will spend 15 minutes briefing us about what Fresno is currently doing for the homeless in our area, and will also address what is being planned for the future.
- An update from V4CF Water Issue Team leader Bob Merrill, who will provide some information for the group about this important issue.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Next up in healthcare reform:
Resolving the differences
So what's next in the fight for healthcare reform? The House and Senate need to resolve the differences between their two bills before a final version can be sent to President Obama for consideration. From the L. A. Times:
Reporting from Washington - As the Senate lumbers toward passage of its healthcare bill, Democrats are looking ahead to the potentially difficult process of reconciling its substantial differences with the more-liberal House version -- the last major obstacle before President Obama can sign landmark legislation into law.
The final Senate vote on the healthcare bill was set for 8 a.m. Thursday, Christmas Eve, as Republicans held the floor today to criticize the measure and delay its enactment. Democrats are hopeful that the momentum generated by the long-awaited Senate vote -- and the high political stakes involved in finishing the job -- will grease the wheels of negotiations with the House.
"Each side knows we cannot fail," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). "Each side knows they have to give."
But after lawmakers enjoy what is left of the holiday season in their home states, they will return to wide and deeply held differences between the House and Senate bills on federal funding for abortion and the liberals' dream of establishing a "public option" -- a government plan that would compete with private insurers -- to guarantee access to affordable insurance.
The full article is available on the L. A. Times website. Bottom line: Much work remains to be done, much dealmaking is likely to occur, but little of it is likely to happen this week. Stay tuned to the V4CF Action Blog... we'll keep you posted on developments.
Reporting from Washington - As the Senate lumbers toward passage of its healthcare bill, Democrats are looking ahead to the potentially difficult process of reconciling its substantial differences with the more-liberal House version -- the last major obstacle before President Obama can sign landmark legislation into law.
The final Senate vote on the healthcare bill was set for 8 a.m. Thursday, Christmas Eve, as Republicans held the floor today to criticize the measure and delay its enactment. Democrats are hopeful that the momentum generated by the long-awaited Senate vote -- and the high political stakes involved in finishing the job -- will grease the wheels of negotiations with the House.
"Each side knows we cannot fail," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). "Each side knows they have to give."
But after lawmakers enjoy what is left of the holiday season in their home states, they will return to wide and deeply held differences between the House and Senate bills on federal funding for abortion and the liberals' dream of establishing a "public option" -- a government plan that would compete with private insurers -- to guarantee access to affordable insurance.
The full article is available on the L. A. Times website. Bottom line: Much work remains to be done, much dealmaking is likely to occur, but little of it is likely to happen this week. Stay tuned to the V4CF Action Blog... we'll keep you posted on developments.
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