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Take Action to Stop the Department of the Interior Records Destruction!

11/12/2018

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Stop the Massive Destruction of Department of Interior Records by Secretary Ryan Zinke
**Comment Period Ends: Friday, November 23rd 5:00 pm**

Environmental Forum
The National Archives and Records Administration

The Department of the Interior has sent National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) a massive "Request for Records Disposition Authority," (i.e. permission to destroy old records.)

Interior’s request involves documents about oil and gas leases, mining, dams, wells, timber sales, marine conservation, fishing, endangered species, non-endangered species, critical habitats, land acquisition, and more.

The request covers these categories of documents from every agency within the Interior Department, including the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Geological Survey, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and others.

The request covers already-existing documents going back more than 50 years and consisting of thousands of cubic feet of paper documents and gigabytes of digital documents. Besides existing documents, as usual, the proposed schedule will also apply to all future documents created in these categories (whether on paper or born digital).  Source: altgov2.org/doi-records-destruction/

Action:

Email request.schedule@nara.gov with a Public Comment. Deadline: November 23, 2018.

Sample Script:     
"I am writing about action DAA-0048-2015-0003. I am against this massive destruction of records. This content would normally be kept and preserved by the U.S. Department of Interior. I am asking National Archives to deny Secretary Zinke's request so that these records are kept as they should be." [Sign with your name]

Call your representatives.  Here is a suggested call Script:
"My name is __________. I am a constituent, and my zip code is _______. I am a member of Progression Action for the Common Good in the Quad Cities.

"Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has asked the National Archives for a massive destruction of records that normally are kept for historical purposes. This is an unusual and troubling request. I am asking you to investigate this request and to stop the destruction of important and valuable records. The National Archives ID number is DAA-0048-2015-0003."

ILLINOIS

Senator Dick Durbin (D) 202-224-2152 or 309-786-5173

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D) 202-224-2854 or 312- 886-3506

US Representative Cheri Bustos (D) 202-225-5905 or 309-786-3406

IOWA

Senator Chuck Grassley (R) 202-224-3744 or 563-322-433

Senator Joni Ernst (R) 202-224-3254 or 563-322-0677

Representative Dave Loebsack (D) 202 225-6576 or 563-323-5988

We need to act now!!

Susan Leuthauser
swleuthauser@gmail.com
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Nobody is Above the Law - Rapid Response for Jeff Sessions Firing

11/8/2018

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Attend the Nobody is Above the Law Rally TODAY at 5:00 pm 
Davenport - LeClaire Park  400 West Beiderbecke DR (map) 
Rock Island - US County Clerk 211 19th ST (map)

With the firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions yesterday, Donald Trump is demonstrating his intention to put himself above the law. We won’t allow it.

Trump is compromising the Special Counsel investigation and will create a constitutional crisis if he fires special counsel Robert Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller.

Our response is imperative now! We must show Members of Congress that they need to stand up to Trump or allow him to move our democracy toward authoritarianism.

From the MoveOn rally organizers: "Donald Trump has installed a crony to oversee the special counsel's Trump-Russia investigation, crossing a red line set to protect the investigation. By replacing Rod Rosenstein with just-named Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker as special counsel Robert Mueller's boss on the investigation, Trump has undercut the independence of the investigation. Whitaker has publicly outlined strategies to stifle the investigation and cannot be allowed to remain in charge of it. The Nobody Is Above the Law network demands that Whitaker immediately commit not to assume supervision of the investigation. Our hundreds of response events are being launched to demonstrate the public demand for action to correct this injustice. We will update this page as the situation develops."

MoveOn is holding emergency “Nobody is Above the Law” rallies around the country TODAY at 5:00 pm local time. There are over 900 of these demonstrations planned, in every state, with 350,000 RSVPs to date!

RSVP to attend the rallies today.  Nobody is Above the Law – Mueller Firing Rapid Response rallies here:

For Davenport RSVP here.

For Rock Island RSVP here.

Alta Price
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What You Can Do Now in Illinois - VOTE & Dine with Friends October 24th!

10/22/2018

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VOTE at the Moline Public Library, (3210 41st St, Moline) (map)
Dine at the Quad Cities USA Family Restaurant 4910 22nd Ave, Moline (map )
Date: Wednesday, October 24th
Time: Noon to 6 pm to VOTE, 6:15 pm to dine

If you are registered to vote in Illinois, and have not voted or sent in your Absentee Ballot, VOTE with your progressive friends at the Moline Public Library between noon and 6 pm on Wednesday, October 24.

If you have an Absentee Ballot, bring it along and ask the people at the polls what to do with it. They will either have you vote using the Absentee Ballot or have you surrender the Absentee Ballot and give you a new ballot to use.

No matter how or when you're voting, join your progressive friends for dinner at the Quad Cities USA Family Restaurant in Moline (behind Arby’s).  We will be dining between 6:15 and 8:00 pm.

PACG board members won't be at the library all afternoon, but we'll get there by late afternoon & head over to the restaurant at 6. Feel free to meet us at the restaurant or travel with us from the library.

Check out our Illinois: VOTE & Eat Facebook event page!

Linnea Crowther
linneacrowther@gmail.com
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A Message On Healthcare

7/23/2018

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Healthcare Forum

​As progressives we have plenty of issues to protest about these days.  Let us not forget to keep reminding our legislators of the importance of health care issues.  This administration has weakened the Affordable Care Act by repealing the individual mandate and thereby causing insurance premiums to rise.  It has shortened the enrollment period, cut the budget for advertising and outreach, and reduced the funding for ACA Navigators to 16% of 2016 levels.  Moreover, the administration has stopped requiring profitable insurance companies to help struggling insurers who have many more sick patients, and it is now threatening to allow cheap (and inadequate) insurance policies that do not cover pre-existing conditions and other important benefits to enter the fray.

As you contact your legislators, keep reminding them that adequate, accessible, affordable, health care should be available to all Americans.  Share your convictions on health care issues with your families, friends and neighbors.  Ask legislative candidates about their commitment to the Affordable Care Act and other health care issues, and express your commitment when you vote in November.  Elections do matter!

Thank you!

Frank Samuelson
cfsam22@gmail.com
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What You Can Do Now: Local Actions to Reunite Families

6/22/2018

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What You Can Do Now: Local Actions to Reunite Families

​Despite Trump’s executive order, our country is still locking up children on our southern border, hopefully without separating them from their parents. Families seeking asylum can be locked up indefinitely under this executive order. There is NO plan to reunite the kidnapped children with their parents, some of whom are in the process of being deported.
 
Read this information from the ACLU: Fact-Checking Family Separation
 
The way we treat refugees seeking asylum violates international law and treaties we have signed, as discussed in this diary at Daily Kos: The Immigration Law No One is Talking About.
 
Actions you can take:
 
Attend a Rally or Prayer Vigil.
 
Defending the Children Rally
            When: Saturday, June 23 at 1 pm
            Where: Faye’s Field, near the Bettendorf Public Library, 18th and Spruce Hills Drive
            Music by Laura Rodriguez. Bring signs (Where Are the Children?, etc.)
 
Prayer Vigil and Letter Writing Action Event
            When: Saturday, June 23 at 7 pm
            Where: First Presbyterian Church, 1702 Iowa St, Davenport
            Contact: styrt@fpcdavenport.org to read/lead
 
Keep Families Together Rally: Madres Unidas/Mothers United
            When: Saturday, June 30 at 11 am
            Where: Vander Veer Park, Davenport
            Register to attend here.
           
            We are collecting new or gently used children’s shoes to use during our action.
            We will then donate them. Through noon on Friday June 29 you can bring the shoes
            to Metropolitan Community Church, 2930 Locust St, Davenport. Please drop off
            during business hours.
 
Keep Families Together Rally
            When: Monday, July 2 at 5 pm
            Where: In front of Davenport offices of Senators Ernst and Grassley
            Hosted by: Quad Cities Interfaith
 
            We will be delivering a cage with stuffed animals to their offices, calling
            on them to take a stand and release the 2,000 children in detention.
 
Call Congress to tell them:
  • You want the kidnapped children returned to their parents.
  • End the zero-tolerance policy that would lock up families indefinitely.
  • Bring back the Family Case Management Program that Trump ended in June 2017 which allowed families to be placed into a program, together, that connected them with a case manager and legal orientation that ensured they understood how to apply for asylum and attend immigration court proceedings. The program had a 99.6 percent appearance rate at immigration court hearings for those enrolled in the program.
 
Iowa:
 
  • Senator Chuck Grassley (202) 224-3744
  • Senator Joni Ernst (202) 224-3254
  • Rep. Dave Loebsack (202) 225-6576

Illinois:
 
  • Senator Tammy Duckworth (202) 224-2854
  • Senator Dick Durbin (202) 224-2152
  • Rep. Cheri Bustos (202) 225-5905

​Alta Price, PACG Board President

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What You Can Do Now - Rally at Grassley's Davenport Office to Keep Families Together

5/13/2018

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Rally at Senator Grassley's Davenport Office to Keep Families Together!

Join Quad Cities Interfaith (QCI) and allies at a peaceful demonstration at Grassley’s office to tell the Senator to take action to:  “Keep Families Together!”
 
Monday, May 14th, 5:00 p.m., Senator Chuck Grassley’s Davenport office, 201 W 2nd St, Davenport, Iowa (we will rally out front of the building)

  • This week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced policy that the U.S. government would separate families detained at the U.S./Mexico border.
  • On Wednesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) collaborated with local police in a raid that led to the detention of 32 workers at a concrete factory in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.  Children of those detained are being cared for by neighbors; 32 families are without their primary bread winner.  The raid has spread fear among our immigrant neighbors throughout the state, who fear their town could be next.
 
*This rally is held in solidarity with our friends at the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa, at Grassley’s Cedar Rapids office, also May 14 at 5:00.  Cedar Rapids is also the location of ICE’s local detention center.  Please join us either in Cedar Rapids or Davenport. 
 
Call QCI Organizer Aaron Wagner at 641-990-4594 with questions.

El tiempo por justicia es ahora (The time for justice is now)
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What You Can Do Now - Call Congress to Lower Prescription Drug Prices

3/25/2018

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What You Can Do Now - Call Your Members of Congress to Lower Prescription Drug Prices

The escalating costs of prescription drugs are a major driver in the increasing cost of health care, including insurance premiums.  The pharmaceutical industry has developed effective methods for blocking or delaying the introduction of lower cost generic alternative medications which contribute to this problem.
 
The good news is that bills have been introduced in this congress to help alleviate the problem and encourage the timely approval and production of generic drugs. This “CREATES Act” has
​bi-partisan support in both houses.  Senate Bill 974 is co-sponsored by Senators Grassley, Durbin, Leahy and 17 others.  HR 2212 has 15 co-sponsors so far.
 
Now is the time to contact Senators Grassley and Durbin and thank them for their support of this legislation and encourage them to work for its passage.  It is also crucial to contact Senators Ernst and Duckworth and ask them to co-sponsor and support the Senate bill -- and to ask Representatives Bustos and Loebsack to co-sponsor and support the House bill.
 
Senators Grassley and Leahy have published an excellent description of the issue and the major provisions of the CREATES Act.  You can read about the CREATES Act here.
 
Don’t delay. Contact your Senators and Representative today!
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Grassley, Leahy: It's time to empower generic drug makers to bring down prices

3/23/2018

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Grassley, Leahy: It’s time to empower generic drug makers to bring down prices

U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Patrick Leahy in STAT News

In Vermont, Iowa, and every other state across the country, people are fed up with the high cost of prescription drugs. Prices continue to skyrocket as companies making brand-name drugs restrict competition by refusing to share samples of their drugs with companies aiming to make generic versions or refusing to negotiate a shared safety protocol. This is an abuse of government regulations that are intended to protect patients and ensure drug safety.
 
These practices punish patients and worsen illnesses. Families, businesses, government programs, and other payers in the health care system must bear the added, unnecessary costs that accrue when a generic is shut out.
 
Lawmakers across the political spectrum, including President Trump, agree that Congress needs to act to rein in spiraling prescription drug prices. We can start by cracking down on abuses by companies making brand-name drugs that engage in tactics to artificially delay the development of generic alternatives. These stifle competition and keep prices artificially high. It is no wonder that hardworking Americans feel like the system is rigged against them by corporations that are seizing any opportunity unfairly restrict competition and reap monopoly profits long after patents expire.
 
Some — not all — companies that make brand-name drugs limit release of their products to prevent access to samples as a way to delay the development of generic versions. These tactics block more-affordable FDA-approved generics that save patients — and taxpayers — money at the pharmacy counter. When a generic manufacturer is not able to buy drug samples, it is impossible to do the careful testing that’s needed to ask the Food and Drug Administration to approve the medication. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has rightly called these tactics “unfair and exploitative” and “in direct conflict to our broader public health goals.”
 
Cancer patient David Mitchell testified before Congress about one company’s efforts to deny a generic company’s access to samples of Revlimid, a lifesaving cancer treatment. Access to samples of the drug has been at issue since 2009. If it were not for this ongoing abuse of the FDA’s safety programs, a generic alternative could be available to David and other patients as early as next year.
 
Because there is no generic alternative, the cost of Revlimid has remained artificially high and has actually risen fourteen times since this abuse began, from $9,853 in 2010 to its current price of $18,546 for a 28-count bottle. This is just one example out of more than 150 complaints that the FDA has received from generic manufacturers.
 
To end these anti-competitive tactics, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers — including Republican Sens. Mike Lee (Utah), Ted Cruz (Texas), Rand Paul (Ky.), and Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), and Dick Durbin (Ill.), have joined us to introduce the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act. This bill is supported by a broad and politically diverse coalition of 68 organizations representing hospitals, physicians, patients, employers, and unions. AARP, Families USA, Freedom Works, and Heritage, to name just a few, have endorsed this common-sense legislation. The public also agrees: Recent polls show that 84 percent of Americans support the CREATES Act.
 
Our bipartisan bill targets anti-competitive behavior that keeps prices artificially high, such as when companies withhold drug samples from generic manufacturers or refuse to negotiate a shared safety protocol. Both steps undermine the FDA approval process and block potential generic competitors from creating less-expensive alternatives.
 
Companies making brand-name drugs that stand in the way of the CREATES Act wrongly claim the legislation will lead to frivolous lawsuits. This is a red herring. Our bill is narrowly tailored and would only allow eligible product developers seeking to develop a medicine to sue, only after receiving FDA authorization. Trial lawyers will have no standing to sue under our plan.
 
Another baseless argument we have heard is that counterfeit product developers who do not intend to develop a drug will take advantage of the CREATES Act in order to seeks damages from a brand-name company. Wrong again. Under the CREATES Act, court challenges are only allowed based on continued delays after the FDA has certified the safety and the brand has refused to release samples. The significant costs to submit protocols to the FDA also discourages this behavior. These arguments do not hold up against the clear and limited remedies available under the CREATES Act.
 
Conservatives who support the CREATES Act appreciate that it lowers drug costs by quickly bringing parties to the negotiation table under the threat of litigation instead of a drawn-out regulatory action. The act is not a drastic measure, but allows the generic development process to proceed as intended by Congress under the Hatch-Waxman Act. Companies making brand-name pharmaceuticals need only to negotiate in good faith and provide the samples for testing on market terms to avoid a lawsuit.
 
This bill offers Congress an opportunity to take meaningful action to lower the cost of prescription drugs. It would save $3.8 billion in federal spending over the next 10 years and many billions more in costs to consumers.
 
The CREATES Act is a sensible, efficient, market-based way for generic drug manufacturers to address the delays in developing generics without jeopardizing patient safety or creating lengthy battles in the courts. There is no question that pharmaceutical companies should be compensated for their important work developing lifesaving treatments. But they should not be allowed to use predatory practices to cling to their patents and delay the development of generics at the expense of their customers.
 
Congress has a straightforward and fully bipartisan chance to actually do something to wind down the upward spiral of drug prices. Enough talk. It’s time for real action.
 
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley represents the state of Iowa. Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy represents the state of Vermont.
​
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DACA Ends March 5th - Call to Protect the Dreamers!

2/11/2018

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Urgent Action Needed to Protect the Dreamers - Call or Visit Your Members of Congress Every Week Until They Restore DACA or Pass the Dream Act


​Call Members of Congress and tell them to pass the Dream Act of 2017 (S.1615/H.R.3440) or come up with a plan to restore DACA protections by March 5th. After that point, DACA will end. We also want them to work toward larger legislative reform of our immigration system in a humane and common-sense manner. However, that process may take longer than the few weeks remaining before DACA ends.
​
Background information: The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was rescinded by President Trump on Sept. 5th. On March 5th, DACA will end. Depending on when the DACA recipient last renewed their DACA status, they will lose their legal protections on the anniversary of their renewal. At that point they may lose their ability to work, attend college or graduate school, or drive a car (dependent upon any protections provided by their state).

We need to flood our Members of Congress with phone calls and meet with their offices. We need our U.S. Representatives and Senators to hear that we support our immigrant neighbors and vow to protect DACA! 

For short talking points on DACA click here.
For detailed information on DACA click here.

Iowa: 
Senator Chuck Grassley (202) 224-3744
Senator Joni Ernst (202) 224-3254
Representative Dave Loebsack (202) 225-6576
Illinois:
Senator Tammy Duckworth (202) 224-2854
Senator Dick Durbin (202) 224-2152
Representative Cheri Bustos (202) 225-5905
 
Sample Script: I’m [your name], your constituent from [City, State]. I stand in solidarity with undocumented youth, and support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA has provided the opportunity for nearly 800,000 young people to pursue their dreams They are contributing members of our country. I urge you to support the Dream Act of 2017 (S.1615/H.R.3440) and work toward larger legislative reform of our immigration system in a humane and common-sense manner. Thank you for passing the message along to my Senator/Representative.
 
Extra Credit – Ways to Do More to Protect the Dreamers:
  • Ask your friends/family to call their Members of Congress about DACA.
  • Come to the next PACG Civil Rights Forum meeting: Check our calendar or Weekly Email Update for next meeting date/time/place.
  • Visit the local office of your Senator or Representative. Call the local office to make sure someone will be there. Appearing in person to advocate for a cause is powerful. It is even better if you bring friends along. Make the visit short, respectful, and to the point. See the call to visit Senator Grassley's office to ask him to end his silence and to live up to Iowa values as an example.
  • Write a letter to the editor about DACA.
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What You Can Do Now - Ask Senator Grassley to End His Silence

1/25/2018

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What You Can Do Now - Ask Senator Grassley to End His Silence ​

PACG asks Senator Chuck Grassley to live up to our Iowa values and condemn Trump’s hateful comments about countries with mostly people of color. Here are three different ways you can ask Senator Grassley to end his silence:
​
1. Call Senator Grassley’s office:  Davenport office: 563-322-4331 or Washington office: 202-224-3744

2. Submit a comment to Senator Grassley online.

3. Visit Senator Grassley’s Davenport office (131 W 3rd St, Davenport, IA) when it is convenient for you. Call first (563-322-4331) to make sure someone is at the office. Magnify your impact by by bringing friends with you.  

Use your own words. A powerful example of a statement to Senator Grassley follows:

Trump’s comments are racist and do not reflect Iowa Values. What do you think of them? By not officially separating yourself from Trump's comments, you associate yourself with them. As Chair of the Judiciary Committee, you have greater responsibility to maintain decency and justice in all public affairs. Your passive approach to the Russia Investigation, itself, is increasingly becoming an obstruction of justice. As a US Senator from Iowa and Chair of the Committee, your statements should reflect Iowa Values of justice and decency. We need to hear from You!

We request that you disassociate yourself from Trump's "s____hole" comments, condemn them as racist, and announce your support for the reinstatement of DACA. Trump's comments clearly reveal his state of mind on this issue. It is time you stand up for Iowa Values and break your Silence on Trump's hatred and racism.

With a grateful heart,

Rev. Jay Wolin

Alta Price
altaprice@gmail.com
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