California led the nation in requiring all electronic voting machines to print Voter-Verified Paper Records (VVPRs), allowing you to verify your vote is recorded correctly before leaving the voting booth. But Secretary of State Bruce McPherson is trying to gut the law by allowing county election officials to ignore VVPRs in audits and recounts.

The California state legislature has passed a bill insisting verified votes be used in audits and recounts. Now the governor is deciding whether to sign the bill into law or veto it. A veto would undermine public trust in our elections. But his own secretary of state is pushing him to veto S.B. 370, so he needs to hear from the public today.

Can you call the governor and ask him to support S.B. 370 to keep our elections reliable?

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
(916) 445-2841
governor@governor.ca.gov

It's important that we track our impact. Please let us know you're calling, at:

http://www.moveonpac.org/call/?cp_id=94&tg=21&id=5980-2089656-5pkxFb.pn.Xp98QqJ8gBZg&t=1

S.B. 370 would strip verified voting of its teeth by allowing unverified ballots to be used in audits and recounts. Unverified recounts might be easier and quicker, but the whole point is to safeguard against software glitches or fraud, particularly in close races.

The governor can ensure fair elections by signing S.B. 370. Call him today at:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
(916) 445-2841
governor@governor.ca.gov

Thank you for all you do,

–Noah, James, Matt, Tanya and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
  Monday, September 12th, 2005

P.S. The San Jose Mercury News endorsed S.B. 370 in a recent editorial:

http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php

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On August 1, the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia announced with great sadness the death of our beloved leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud following a prolonged illness. King Fahd played a significant role in bringing Saudi Arabia to the forefront of the modern world. Throughout his 23-year rule, King Fahd reformed the education system, diversified the economy, and built a world-renowned infrastructure. Internationally, King Fahd played a critical role in forging alliances between Saudi Arabia and the global community, including strengthening the relationship between the Kingdom and the United States. In his capacity as a head of state, King Fahd worked with numerous presidents and prime ministers to prevent the spread of communism and to fight the scourge of terrorism. He also worked tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.

In accordance with Article 5 of the Saudi Basic Law of Governance, Crown Prince Abdullah was declared King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia immediately following the passing of King Fahd. The new Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques then issued a royal order confirming his choice of Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister: Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector-General Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz. 

King Abdullah is celebrated for his integrity, his wisdom, and his commitment. Through his leadership, Saudi Arabia has made great strides in the war against terrorism. King Abdullah initiated a campaign against extremism that has resulted in the killing of about 90 militants and capturing over 800. King Abdullah also led the Kingdom’s reform efforts by initiating municipal elections, encouraging economic development through privatization, and fostering dialogue on important issues facing the Kingdom. He is well-respected both by the nations of the Arab world and by the United States.

King Fahd’s funeral was held today, August 2, at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh and was attended by many international leaders, presidents and delegations from across the world. Vice President Cheney will lead the American delegation to Riyadh this week to express condolences to King Abdullah and the people of Saudi Arabia.
 

Sincerely,
AboutSaudiArabia.net
 

RELATED DOCUMENTS: 
*Embassy News: King Fahd 1923-2005
*Embassy News: King Abdullah’s Biography
*Embassy News: Prince Sultan's Biography
*Statement by Washington Embassy at press conference on King Fahd's death
*SaudiEmbassy.net: Press Conference Webcast
*ArabNews: King Fahd Passes Away
 

Dear MoveOn member,

A great majority of the families that declared bankruptcy last year did so because of a major life crisis—huge medical bills or layoffs—that threw them into a spiral of debt. Now, after a multi-year, multi-million dollar lobbying effort by credit card companies, Congress is poised Wednesday to approve a sweeping change in bankruptcy law that would make it impossible for folks who have been dealt a bad hand to get a clean start. The law actually gives credit card companies new ways to seize your home and car if you get into financial trouble.

After accepting more than $620,000 from the lending industry to his various PACs, Republican Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay has scheduled the vote for Wednesday. The change in bankruptcy laws is a clear example of whose interests the Republicans in Congress are serving. But, in a betrayal of middle class families, as many as 90 Democrats may also vote the wrong way. Both Republicans and Democrats need to know that millions of us oppose this bonanza for corporate contributors that hurts families who are the victims of circumstances beyond their control.

We need to show Congress that we're watching. Today we're asking you to make a pledge to contribute for radio ads in the hometowns of representatives, both Republicans and Democrats, who vote wrong on this bill. We'll announce the amount of the pledge fund TOMORROW, before the vote on Wednesday, so that members of Congress know there are consequences for their votes.

Please click below to check out the script of the radio ad and make your pledge today:

http://www.moveonpac.org/radiopledge?id=5343-2089656-MDipBEdAIHp_.7FyqjorIw

By making a pledge now, we can show representatives who are on the fence that there are serious consequences for hurting Americans in order to help the nation's credit card companies. The radio ads will play an important deterrent to future corporate grabs—the text reveals how much the member of Congress received from the lending industry and how the bill hurts middle class families.

What's wrong with the bankruptcy legislation? A lot. More than 1.5 million families had to declare bankruptcy last year—half because of unexpected and extraordinary medical expenses. Millions more totter on the edge of bankruptcy. The large numbers of bankruptcies is a clear sign about the tenuous state of the economy—millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules could be pushed at any time to financial ruin by job loss, business failure or major medical expenses. The pressure valve for these families has historically been bankruptcy but now Congress is making things tougher for these hard-working folks in order to secure billions in profits for creditors.

The legislation Congress will vote on is more than 500 pages long, all in highly technical language. But the Republican leadership and corporate lobbyists are in such a rush to push it through that the text is full of misspellings and repeated phrases. Representatives might not even be allowed to make amendments. But the overall thrust is pretty clear:

• Make families pay more to creditors, both in bankruptcy and after bankruptcy, so that instead of offering a clean start, a bankruptcy filing will leave families burdened by credit card debt, car loans, and continued payments to banks or to payday lenders.
  
   
• Make it more expensive to file for bankruptcy by driving up fees so that the people in the most trouble can't afford to file.
  
   
• Make it trickier to get through a bankruptcy so that more people will get pushed out of bankruptcy with no debt relief.
  
   
• Make it harder to repay debts by increasing the minimum payments in repayment plans.
  
   
• Preserve at all costs the millionaires' loopholes—special privileges that allow the super-rich to escape their debts by hiding their money in special exemptions and trusts.

Banking and credit card companies have fought for such legislation since 1997 but repeatedly failed to win congressional approval. Like pigs at the trough, the banks and credit card companies are feasting now that the Bush administration has a second term. This legislation has sailed through Congress this year with only a whiff of opposition.

That isn't surprising: According to the Center for Responsive Politics, MBNA, Credit Suisse First Boston, Bank of America and Wachovia were among the top contributors to Bush's two campaigns in 2000 and 2004, giving more than $300,000 in total donations. MBNA also was one of the top contributors to Republican candidates and committees in the 2004 elections with some $7.3 million in political donations. And now they're poised to reap rewards from their investment.

Huge corporate bankruptcies, like Enron and WorldCom, have cost thousands of people their jobs. But instead of addressing corporations run amok, Congress is helping these companies run rough-shod over Americans.

Congress needs to know that a vote for this bill will be an embarrassing vote siding with credit card companies over America's families. Please click below to make your pledge:

http://www.moveonpac.org/radiopledge?id=5343-2089656-MDipBEdAIHp_.7FyqjorIw

The changes in bankruptcy laws are just the start. This week the radical Republican leadership, like Rep. Tom DeLay, have declared a war on ordinary Americans with a corporate trifecta: bankruptcy law changes, a permanent repeal of the estate tax (which only affects the super-rich), and a budget that cuts health care and explodes the debt.

Ultimately, we need to change who runs Congress to stop the assault on America's middle class. Every action we take now is one step in that direction. Please act today.

Thanks for all you do.

–Tom Matzzie and the MoveOn PAC Team
  Monday, April 11th, 2005

P.S. Here are some good resoures about the bankruptcy legislation.

"The Debt-Peonage Society," Paul Krugman, The New York Times, March 8, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/08/opinion/08krugman.html

"The Growing Threat to Middle Class Families," Prof. Elizabeth Warren, Harvard Law School
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=690&id=5343-2089656-MDipBEdAIHp_.7FyqjorIw 

Public Campaign Action Fund on the connections to Tom DeLay
http://www.pcactionfund.org/withoutdelay/bankruptcy/

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Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.