Occupy the Polls on November 8!

Don’t forget every year is an election year in Virginia. Wall Street and the big banks have their allies in Washington but they also spend a lot of time lobbying members of the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond. Be sure that the state Senators and Delegates representing you in Richmond are looking out for Main Street and not Wall Street.

What happens in Richmond matters!  Be sure to vote on November 8 and remind your family and friends to cast their ballots. Visit www.sbe.virginia.gov for more about where and how you vote. Visit the Virginia Public Access Project  to learn more about the candidates and who is contributing to their coffers.

Fed up with the big banks? Divest!

Wall Street and the big banks crashed our economy, destroyed jobs, caused millions to lose their homes, bankrupted city and state budgets and refused to pay their fair share of what it will take to rebuild our economy. So, why should we continue to give them our money? We can vote with our feet on this one. It’s time to ante up.

Virginia Organizing kicked off a statewide “Take it Back” big bank divestment campaign on October 14 in Charlottesville and we’re encouraging everyone to close their big bank accounts and move their money to smaller banks and credit unions. The Virginia Organizing Staunton/Augusta/Waynesboro Chapter has already held two divestment actions and actions are scheduled for Virginia Beach (Nov. 18) and Norfolk (Nov. 4).

In the coming months, Virginia Organizing will join the New Bottom Line, a coalition of organizations nationwide, to take our money out of the big banks—Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo.

Join us in telling the big banks: No more profiting off of millions of illegal foreclosures.  No more billions of dollars in taxpayer funded bailouts. No more hoarding over a trillion dollars while our communities crumble and good jobs disappear.  No more stealing our democracy with corporate money in politics. No more funding predatory lenders. Take the divestment pledge today.

See our website www.virginia-organizing.org for more details on how to divest your money, or call 434-984-4655 X222.

Cantor: Scared Speechless

You probably already heard about Representative Eric Cantor canceling his speech is Philadelphia. Rep. Cantor rarely holds public meetings in his district, so on October 21 Virginia Organizing members drove 300 miles to Philadelphia to attend a protest outside where Rep. Cantor was speaking at the at the University of Pennsylvania (UPENN).
 
After getting word that he would be greeted with 500 protesters, Rep. Cantor abruptly canceled the speech at the last minute. Rep. Cantor refused to speak at the event because the audience was not hand picked and he would have to deal with people he previously deemed “a mob.” He skirted his obligation to deal with all Americans, not just the ones who agree with him. And then he lied about his reasons for canceling the event.

 
Rep. Cantor claimed that UPENN changed the attendance policy of the event and opened it to the public at the last minute. This is simply not true. UPENN spokesperson Ron Ozio said in a statement that Wharton’s speaker series is “typically open to the general public, and that is how the event with Majority Leader Cantor was billed. We very much regret if there was any misunderstanding with the Majority Leader’s office on the staging of his presentation.”
 
Regardless of Rep. Cantor’s reasoning for canceling his speech, it’s clear he is avoiding the other 99 percent.
 
Please take action by supporting the President’s American Jobs Act, which will put thousands of Virginians back to work while strengthening our infrastructure. Click here to contact your members of Congress.

Health Care Law Implementation Update

As part of the Affordable Care Act, states have the option to set up a Health Benefits Exchange (HBE) in order to provide more affordable care for their citizens, or they can rely on the federal government to set one up for them. Virginia has decided to set up its own HBE and must have the legislation approved during the next legislative session.

The Commerce and Labor committees of both houses will meet November 15 for a joint briefing on the HBE. Virginia Organizing members will be meeting with members of the General Assembly to urge that our HBE reflects consumer interests.

We believe:

*No one with a financial interest in the insurance industry should be a voting member of the Exchange Board.

* The Exchange Board should be structured as a quasi-governmental agency with members appointed by the Governor.

*Active Purchasing is vital so that the Exchange will be able to negotiate the lowest rates and best plans within the market.  

*The rules and offerings should be the same inside and outside of the Exchange to prevent adverse selection and maintain fairness for health care consumers.

For more details about the HBE in Virginia,click here see the Commonwealth Institute's article.