December, 05 2019, 11:00pm EDT
House Vote to Restore Voting Rights Will Send Strong Message to U.S. Senators
Note: The U.S. House of Representatives today passed H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, to address some of the more blatant ballot access attacks voters have seen recently in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Arizona and Texas. Voters in these states and others have faced increased nationwide voting discrimination since 2013's abysmal Shelby v. Holder U.S. Supreme Court decision which released states with a history of discrimination from seeking pre-approval from the U.S. Justice Department before making changes to voting rules.
WASHINGTON
Note: The U.S. House of Representatives today passed H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, to address some of the more blatant ballot access attacks voters have seen recently in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Arizona and Texas. Voters in these states and others have faced increased nationwide voting discrimination since 2013's abysmal Shelby v. Holder U.S. Supreme Court decision which released states with a history of discrimination from seeking pre-approval from the U.S. Justice Department before making changes to voting rules.
"Passage of H.R. 4 is a critical step. It sends the long-sought signal that lawmakers intend to do something about immoral voting rights attacks against Americans. Over the past six years, numerous state legislatures have undertaken targeted and deliberate steps to limit or impede the right to vote for communities of color, students, the elderly and people with disabilities.
"Americans who are eligible to vote but are denied that right due to fabricated or illegal barriers are being deprived of the full privilege of our democracy. Voting in elections is at the core of our democracy, and today's House vote is a message to the U.S. Senate and Leader McConnell that the people's right to franchise will no longer yield to voter suppression."
--Lisa Gilbert, vice president of Legislative Affairs, Public Citizen
"It is utterly unconscionable that our nation has backtracked on the voting rights progress achieved after passage of the Voting Rights Act. That's why it is so consequential that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 4, in order to undo the damage done by the U.S. Supreme Court in its shameful Shelby County decision, and to deliver on the basic 'one person, one vote' promise of our democracy."
--Robert Weissman, president, Public Citizen
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest in the halls of power. We defend democracy, resist corporate power and work to ensure that government works for the people - not for big corporations. Founded in 1971, we now have 500,000 members and supporters throughout the country.
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"My friends, you don’t have to be a PhD in political science to understand that this is not democracy. This is not one person, one vote. This is not all of us coming together to decide our future. This is oligarchy."
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Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is escalating his fight against the U.S. oligarchy with a new campaign directed at the nation's wealthiest individuals—including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg—who he says are key culprits in a global race to the bottom that is stripping people worldwide of political agency while impoverishing billions so that the rich can amass increasingly obscene levels of wealth.
Announcing a new series that will detail how "billionaire oligarchs" in the U.S. "manipulate the global economy, purchase our elections, avoid paying taxes, and increasingly control our government," Sanders said in a Friday night video address that it makes him laugh when mainstream pundits talk openly about the nefarious oligarchic structures in other places, but refuse to acknowledge the issue in domestic terms.
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Bernie Sanders talks about the oligarchy
While rarely discussed in the corporate press or by most elected officials, argues Sanders, the reality is that a "small number of incredibly wealthy billionaires own and control much of the global economy. Period. End of discussion. And increasingly they own and control our government through a corrupt campaign finance system."
Since the the victory of President-elect Donald Trump in November, Sanders has been increasingly outspoken about his frustrations over the failure of the Democratic Party to adequately confront the contradictions presented by a party that purports to represent the interests of the working class yet remains so beholden to corporate interests and the wealthy that lavish it with campaign contributions.
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According to the newspaper:
Mr. Siri is also representing ICAN in petitioning the FDA to "pause distribution" of 13 other vaccines, including combination products that cover tetanus, diphtheria, polio, and hepatitis A, until their makers disclose details about aluminum, an ingredient researchers have associated with a small increase in asthma cases.
Mr. Siri declined to be interviewed, but said all of his petitions were filed on behalf of clients. Katie Miller, a spokeswoman for Mr. Kennedy, said Mr. Siri has been advising Mr. Kennedy but has not discussed his petitions with any of the health nominees. She added, "Mr. Kennedy has long said that he wants transparency in vaccines and to give people choice."
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Ryan Cooper, managing editor at The American Prospect, warned that "they want your kids dead."
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Multiple critics altered Trump's campaign slogan to "Make Polio Great Again."
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Sandy Fonzo, whose son killed himself after being sentenced to juvenile detention, said in a statement: "I am shocked and I am hurt. Conahan's actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son's death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power."
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