The endless stream of horrible nominees never seems to stop. It’s almost as if the Golfer-in-Chief wasn’t serious about “draining the swamp” in DC. Whoda thunk it?

Oppose Jay Clayton for Securities & Exchange Commission

Wall Street lawyer Jay Clayton and the banks he represented played a leading role in the 2008 financial crisis. When greedy Wall Street banks nearly tanked the economy and cost Americans more than $16 trillion, Jay Clayton defended the banks. Not only did he help them avoid accountability for causing the crisis, he helped them maximize their share of the government’s bailout money. As the nominee for SEC Chair, he could allow them to do it all over again.

Trump’s Wall Street cop is a big defender of Wall Street

Script:

I am a constituent calling from (zip code) ________ and I am calling to urge Senator _________ to oppose the confirmation of Jay Clayton for head of the SEC. Putting a Wall St. lawyer, who has defended several large corporations in court, in charge of the SEC is exactly the opposite of draining the swamp as the President promised during the campaign.  I urge the Senator to reject this nominee.

 

Support an independent investigation

We need to keep pressure on our Congresspersons to support an independent commission to investigate Trump’s ties to and possible collusion with Russia during the campaign.

Script: Hi. I’m a constituent from ZIP code _______ calling because I am angry about the appearance of corruption of the president and his team. Will Sen. ____________ co-sign Sen Cardin’s bill 27 for an independent commission to investigate Russia’s takeover of our elections? (If no or waffle-y:) This is not a partisan issue. Our democracy depends on truth and transparency. As a voter, this is a top issue for me. 

STATE:

HB 251 (Senate version S 204):

This bill would allow students to bring concealed weapons onto all of the state’s public universities and community colleges. This bill follows the misguided logic that more weapons make us safer, and that tragedies like the VIrginia Tech shooting could have been prevented if only the students have been armed. In fact, banning assault rifles, and requiring extensive background checks so that mentally unstable people never have access to deadly weapons is a much more logical choice. Not surprisingly, campus carry laws have been heavily promoted by the NRA.

Here is a relevant study:
http://www.jhsph.edu/…/johns-hopkins…/_pdfs/GunsOnCampus.pdf

SCRIPT:

I am a constituent in zip code __________ and I am calling Rep./Senator _________ to register my opposition to HB 251 (S204). Independent research has found that campus carry laws lead to more violence not less. Students should not have to wonder whether their classmates are armed.

 

NC Senate Tax Bill:

The GOP in the North Carolina Senate is proposing what they call a “Billion Dollar Middle Class Tax Cut.” Sponsored by Randolph’s own Senator Jerry Tillman, this bill is just a huge tax break for millionaires with no real benefits for the middle-class and poor workers who really need the help. It also guts our state budget at a time when we need more funding for pressing issues like schools, highways, and Hurricane Matthew recovery. According to Progressive Pulse, a millionaire in North Carolina will have received an average annual tax cut of $20,000, while only a third of taxpayers who earn less than $20,000 would get anything. More crucially, these income tax policies do not address the reality that many low-income taxpayers contribute through sales tax and do not have sufficient income to benefit from increasing the standard deduction or a Child Tax Credit that is not refundable.

Four big problems with the NC Senate’s latest tax cut proposal

Script – tailored for Tillman’s district:
Hello, I am a constituent from Randolph County and I am calling to urge Sen. Tillman to withdraw the so-called “Billion Dollar Middle Class Tax Cut” bill. This bill is a thinly disguised attempt to give tax breaks to the wealthiest taxpayers, while doing nothing to relieve the tax burden on North Carolina residents earning less than $20,000 a year. It will also contribute to underfunding needed public services such as health care, education, and Hurricane Matthew recovery. Please tell Sen. Tillman to stop trying to pilfer NC’s coffers with this “Billion Dollar Middle Class Tax Cut.”

Script:
Hello, I am a constituent from ___________ and I am calling to urge Sen. ______________ to oppose the so-called “Billion Dollar Middle Class Tax Cut” bill. This bill is a thinly disguised attempt to give tax breaks to the wealthiest taxpayers, while doing nothing to relieve the tax burden on North Carolina residents earning less than $20,000 a year. It will also contribute to underfunding needed public services such as health care, education, and Hurricane Matthew recovery. Please tell Sen. ____________ to vote against “The Billion Dollar Middle Class Tax Cut.”

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Randolph County Democratic Convention – April 8, 2017 at Randolph County Courthouse. If you are a delegate or an officer in your precinct, please join us to elect new officers, vote on resolutions, and help set the course for our party for the next elections season.

Lunch with Lawmakers – April 21, 2017 Archdale Trinity Chamber of Commerce is having a forum to make Reps. Pat Hurley and Allen McNeill  and Senator Jerry Tillman available to answer questions from constituents. See the link for the official flyer from the Chamber.