Women want the CHOICE which makes their clear choice for President Barak Obama!!!

As baby showers go, the party Mary Russell attended to celebrate her niece’s first child was sweet, with about a dozen women offering congratulations over ice cream and cake. 

But somewhere between the baby name game and the gifts, what had been light conversation took a sharp turn toward the personal and political — specifically, the battle over access to birth control and other women’s health issues that have sprung to life on the Republican campaign trail in recent weeks. 

“We all agreed that this seemed like a throwback to 40 years ago,” said Ms. Russell, 57, a retired teacher from Iowa City who describes herself as an evangelical Christian and “old school” Republican of the moderate mold. 

Until the baby shower, just two weeks ago, she had favored Mitt Romney for president. 

Not anymore. She said she might vote for President Obama now. “I didn’t realize I had a strong viewpoint on this until these conversations,” Ms. Russell said. As for the Republican presidential candidates, she added: “If they’re going to decide on women’s reproductive issues, I’m not going to vote for any of them. Women’s reproduction is our own business.”

Judicial Nominations at critical decision point; act now to ensure our Democracy works with three strong branches of government!!!

It is clear from recent cases that no matter the issue—health care, immigration, environment, marriage equality, consumer protections, ethics—the judiciary will continue to play an increasingly important role in the lives of hardworking Americans as well as in the success of the progressive legislative agenda. Every issue progressives fight for ends up in the courts. If you’re a progressive and you care about any progressive issue, who is on the courts matters to you.  

Current Nominations Battle
More than half of the U.S. population currently lives in a community with a courtroom vacancy. Today there are 20 judicial nominees who are awaiting a simple up-or-down vote in the U.S. Senate.  Unfortunately, most of these nominees have been waiting months for a vote, with the judicial work of the American people going undone. These 20 nominees:

Enjoy broad Democratic and Republican support:

• 13 were approved unanimously by Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee
• 5 received with just one “no” vote
• 2 were approved on party line votes

Would fill court vacancies in communities across the entire country:

• 10 of the 20 would fill a “judicial emergency
• 10 are represented by states with at least one Republican Senator

Are diverse:

• 9 are women
• 10 are minorities (2 Hispanic, 4 African American, 3 Asian American, 1 gay)

Have been waiting far longer for a vote than any previous nominees:

• At this point in George W. Bush’s term, Circuit Court nominees waited an average of 28 days from Committee approval to Senate vote. President Obama’s nominees have waited an average of 139 days.
• At this point in George W. Bush’s term, District Court nominees waited an average of 22 days from Committee approval to Senate vote. President Obama’s nominees have waited an average of 100 days.

Key Message Points:
Americans must have equal access to a fair hearing in court, and obstruction by Republicans is preventing that from happening.

• Unprecedented republican obstruction in Washington has left us with over 80 vacancies on the federal courts, leading to a backlog of cases that undermines our system of justice and makes it impossible for most Americans to have their case heard in a timely manner.
• The Senate is failing in its Constitutional duty to advice and consent to nominees to fill the nation’s courtrooms.
• It is time to put aside the partisan bickering, get rid of the anonymous ‘holds’ that Senators can place on a judicial appointment, and fill these critical vacancies so Americans can have their voice heard in court.

Americans want a system (including the judiciary) that works fairly for everyone and not just the already privileged few.

• Americans don’t like a system (especially a court system) where corporations and the wealthy have better access and a different set of rules to play by than everybody else. Instead they want a system where everyone can get a fair shake.
• Americans – across the political spectrum and across the income spectrum – consistently say that “having the laws apply equally to everyone” is the most important right included in the Constitution, and the right that’s most at risk today.

For more information and materials on Judicial Nominations - please feel free to visit the websites below.

Alliance for Justice | Judicial Selection Project

Center for American Progress | Legal Progress

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights | Judicial Nominations

People for the American Way | Fair and Just Courts

National Council of Jewish Women | BenchMark Judicial Nominations Campaign

The American Frozen Food Institute, National Meat Association, International Dairy Foods Association and United Fresh Produce Association would like to cause $77.7 bln in food borne illnesses v having safer processing standards....

An Obama administration plan to raise $220 million for food-safety programs through fees on processing plants, warehouses and other facilities. 

The fees are minimal compared with the cost of foodborne illness, which the act seeks to reduce, Doug Karas, a spokesman for the FDA, said in an e-mail. Such illnesses cost $77.7 billion a year, according to a 2012 study cited in the agency’s proposal. That includes medical costs, time off work and the cost of premature death. 

 The Republican Congress rejected including a similar proposal in the Food and Drug Administration’s budget request last year and also ruled out the idea when debating a food-safety law that President Barack Obama signed last year.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and are sorry you are hungry...Facts of Child Hunger in America that Rick Perry should study if he wants to be President

•Nearly 14 million children are estimated to be served by Feeding America, over 3 million of which are ages 5 and under.

•According to the USDA, over 16 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low food security) households in 2010.

•20% or more of the child population in 40 states and D.C. lived in food insecure households in 2009. The District of Columbia (32.3%) and Oregon (29.2%) had the highest rates of children in households without consistent access to food.

•In 2009, the top five states with the highest rate of food insecure children under 18 are the District of Columbia, Oregon, Arizona, Arkansas, & Texas. iii

•In 2009, the top five states with the lowest rate of food insecure children under 18 are North Dakota, New Hampshire, Virginia, Maryland, & Massachusetts. iii

•Proper nutrition is vital to the growth and development of children. 62 percent of client households with children under the age of 18 reported participating in the National School Lunch Program, but only 14 percent reported having a child participate in a summer feeding program that provides free food when school is out.i

•54 percent of client households with children under the age of 3 participated in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).i

•32 percent of pantries, 42 percent of kitchens, and 18 percent of shelters in the Feeding America network reported "many more children in the summer" being served by their programs.i

•In 2010, 16.4 million or approximately 22 percent of children in the U.S. lived in poverty.

•Research indicates that hungry children have do more poorly in school and have lower academic achievement because they are not well prepared for school and cannot concentrate.

•In fiscal year 2009, 48 percent of all SNAP participants were children

•During the 2010 federal fiscal year, 20.6 million low-income children received free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program. Unfortunately, just 2.3 million of these same income-eligible children participated in the Summer Food Service Program that same year.