Category: Vote with your Dollars

Support Minority Candidates for Congressional Internships
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Support Minority Candidates for Congressional Internships

otycd

Support minority candidates for Congressional internships.

 

Do you remember this infamous #SpeakerSelfie photo taken by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, of him and his Capitol Hill interns?

 

If not, click through to this Time magazine piece to see it (you’ll have to scroll down a little):

http://time.com/4410815/paul-ryan-intern-selfie/

 

Thousands of people instantly spotted what was wrong with this picture. Virtually everyone in it is white.

 

At least a few Democrats have managed to pick a more diverse group of Congressional interns, as shown in rebuttal photos by House Rep Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Democrat from Texas, and House Rep Xavier Becerra, Democrat of California.

Click this CNN link and scroll down to see the rebuttal photos:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/21/politics/dc-intern-selfie/index.html

 

…but the #SpeakerSelfie controversy sheds light on a bigger, thornier problem.

 

If you want a career in politics, you need a Congressional internship. But these internships, by their nature, tend to shut out anyone who’s working class or poor.

 

The positions are paid in academic credit–not dollars. Interns are responsible for wrangling their own lodgings, business attire, transportation, and food.

 

Together, these costs, which can easily run into the four-figure or even the low five-figure range, pose a formidable barrier to entry to candidates from low-income families. And as you well know, many low-income families happen to be non-white as well.

 

A lack of money closes the avenues to the halls of power, which in turn stops talented working-class and poor people from rising through the political ranks.

 

You can do something about that.

 

First, check the web sites of your MoCs. Do their sites say anything about how they choose their interns? If so, do the pages on interns include an explicit statement that commits the MoCs to selecting a diverse group of candidates?

 

If your MoCs’ websites say nothing about diversity among their interns, or say nothing about interns at all, call their offices and ask how they handle this issue. If they don’t give you a satisfactory answer, call and write periodically until they finally do.

 

Another option is to donate to Congressional intern scholarship programs.

 

Congressional Interns chosen by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CFBC) receive a stipend worth $3,000 as well as local dorm housing. Read more about the program at the link below:

http://www.cbcfinc.org/internships/

 

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute gives its Congressional interns a stipend ($3,750 for spring and fall, and $2,500 for summer), all-expenses-paid housing, domestic round-trip transportation to Washington, D.C., and other benefits. Read more about the program at the link below:

http://chci.org/programs/internships/Eligibility_and_Program_Details/

 

 

Donate to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and specify that the funds are for its Congressional internship program:

http://www.cbcfinc.org/donation-form/

 

 

Donate to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and specify that the funds are for its Congressional internship program:

https://chci.org/donate/

 

 

Read more about what Congressional interns face:

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/opinion-here-s-why-there-s-little-diversity-among-congressional-n611731

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/how-congress-gets-away-not-paying-its-interns/329629/

 

 

Read about the #SpeakerSelfie controversy and responses to it:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/18/paul-ryan-intern-selfie-capitol-hill-diversity

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/07/20/the-story-behind-congresss-dueling-intern-selfies/?utm_term=.1c1861452221

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/21/politics/dc-intern-selfie/

 

 

Subscribe to One Thing You Can Do by clicking the button on the upper right of the page. And tell your friends about the blog!

 

 

Follow the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation on Twitter:

@CBCFInc

 

 

Like the CBCF page on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CBCFInc

 

 

Follow the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute on Twitter:

@CHCI

 

 

Like the CHCI page on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CHCIDC?ref=mf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Believe It: You Matter.
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Believe It: You Matter.

otycd

This OTYCD entry originally posted in April 2017. As we head into 2020, and the fight that it promises, it’s time to repost some classics. This is the first of what became a series of posts under the heading, “Believe It: You Matter”.

 

Never forget: You matter, and your actions matter, even when it feels like they aren’t adding up to much. You. Matter. Never give up the fight.

 

Waking up on November 9, 2016 was tough.

 

Trump will go, eventually, but you should not. Your work doesn’t end when his term does. You need to carry on and help reshape America so this sort of crazy nonsense can’t happen again.

 

One of the most insidious things about Putin’s attack on the 2016 election was just that–the attack on democracy itself. Never forget: Putin gains when he can destabilize liberal democracies and make them look broken and dysfunctional.

 

Putin is trying to teach his people that it’s fruitless to resist autocratic leaders like him. And that’s why it should give you pause when you consider that as of early April, Trump has yet to criticize Putin in any way whatsoever. [As of early 2020, that’s still true.]

 

When you feel like what you’re doing to push back against Trump isn’t working, remember this:

 

Vladimir Putin doesn’t want you to vote.

 

Robert Mugabe doesn’t want you to vote.

 

Recep Tayyip Erdogan doesn’t want you to vote.

 

Kim Jong-un doesn’t want you to vote.

 

Bashar al-Assad doesn’t want you to vote.

 

When you vote, or protest, or contact your members of Congress, or run for office yourself–when you pick up an oar and row the endless longboat of American democracy,  you are yelling a big, loud “fuck you” at those who are trying to scare their own people into submission.

 

You matter.

 

You are one among many, but you matter.

 

Never forget. Never despair. You matter.

 

Subscribe to One Thing You Can Do by clicking the blue button on the upper right or checking the About & Subscribe page. And tell your friends about the blog!

Start a 2020 Fund
Action Alerts · Community Activism · Vote with your Dollars

Start a 2020 Fund

otycd

This OTYCD entry originally posted in January 2017, as ‘Start a 2018 Fund’.

 

Start saving two dollars a week to fund political actions that will shape the 2020 election.

 

It doesn’t have to be two dollars. You can save more if you want. If you’re struggling, find a sum you can comfortably set aside, even if it’s just a quarter.

 

If you start saving two dollars per week now, you should have about one hundred set aside when the 2020 primaries crest the horizon.

 

The point is to develop the habit of squirreling away something every week to support your political efforts. You can define ‘political efforts’ as broadly as you wish. You can draw on your stash to donate to Congressional candidates. You can give to Planned Parenthood, Emily’s List, the Sierra Club, the Southern Poverty Law Center, or dozens of other worthy organizations that matter to you. Or you can use it as seed money for your own run for local office.

 

Budget for politics just as you’d budget for Christmas, or tithes, or a down payment on a house. Think long-term. Put away something every week, no matter how small.

 

 

Subscribe to One Thing You Can Do by clicking the button on the upper right of the page. And tell your friends about the blog!

Headsup: The FEC Q4 Deadline Is TODAY. Please Donate to Democrats Before Midnight
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Headsup: The FEC Q4 Deadline Is TODAY. Please Donate to Democrats Before Midnight

otycd

Headsup: The Federal Election Commission’s donation deadline for the fourth quarter of 2019 is in one week. 

 

If you have money to spare–and we know it’s the holidays, and we know every charity has been nudging you to give before the calendar year ends–now is the time to give to sitting Democratic members of Congress, Democrats who have declared their intent to run against Republicans in 2020, and Democratic candidates for president.

 

Fairly or not, quarterly fundraising numbers are considered a sign of a candidate’s strength. Giving money to a candidate or a Congressperson who’s up for re-election in 2020 before a quarterly FEC deadline is a way to cast a vote for that candidate with dollars instead of a ballot.

 

In addition to giving to members of your Congressional delegation who are up in 2020, you can donate to Democrats who are taking heat from Republicans on the regular, to show tangible support for them.

 

It’s equally wise to cast a “vote” for Congressional Democrats who are quietly getting things done but not drawing any media attention.

 

Because they are critical to candidates’ success, we’ll keep doing quarterly reminders about FEC deadlines in perpetuity.

 

Subscribe to One Thing You Can Do by clicking the blue button on the upper right or checking the About & Subscribe page. And tell your friends about the blog!

 

Ready Your Wallet: The FEC Q4 Deadline Is In One Week
Candidates · Elections · Vote with your Dollars

Ready Your Wallet: The FEC Q4 Deadline Is In One Week

otycd

Headsup: The Federal Election Commission’s donation deadline for the fourth quarter of 2019 is in one week. 

 

If you have money to spare–and we realize the holidays can be tight, but deadlines are deadlines–now is the time to give to sitting Democratic members of Congress, Democrats who have declared their intent to run against Republicans in 2020, and Democratic candidates for president.

 

Fairly or not, quarterly fundraising numbers are considered a sign of a candidate’s strength. Giving money to a candidate or a Congressperson who’s up for re-election in 2020 before a quarterly FEC deadline is a way to cast a vote for that candidate with dollars instead of a ballot.

 

In addition to giving to members of your Congressional delegation who are up in 2020, you can donate to Democrats who are taking heat from Republicans on the regular, to show tangible support for them.

 

It’s equally wise to cast a “vote” for Congressional Democrats who are quietly getting things done but not drawing any media attention.

 

We’re putting this post up one week before the actual deadline, to give you time to sort out your finances and see what you can do. We’ll put up another reminder on the day, and we’ll keep doing quarterly reminders about FEC deadlines in perpetuity.

 

Subscribe to One Thing You Can Do by clicking the blue button on the upper right or checking the About & Subscribe page. And tell your friends about the blog!

 

Headsup: The FEC Deadline for Q4 Is at the End of December
Candidates · Elections · Vote with your Dollars

Headsup: The FEC Deadline for Q4 Is at the End of December

otycd

Headsup: The Federal Election Commission’s donation deadline for the fourth quarter of 2019 is at the end of the month. 

 

We’re giving you an extra, early headsup about the FEC Q4 deadline because it falls on December 31, 2019–a time of year when many of us have to plan extra-carefully, between buying gifts for the holidays and sorting out donations to other charities before the calendar year ends.

 

If you have money to spare, now is the time to give to sitting Democratic members of Congress, Democrats who have declared their intent to run against Republicans in 2020, and Democratic candidates for president.

 

Fairly or not, quarterly fundraising numbers are considered a sign of a candidate’s strength. Giving money to a candidate or a Congressperson who’s up for re-election in 2020 before a quarterly FEC deadline is a way to cast a vote for that candidate with dollars instead of a ballot.

 

In addition to giving to members of your Congressional delegation who are up in 2020, you can donate to Democrats who are taking heat from Republicans on the regular, to show tangible support for them.

 

It’s equally wise to cast a “vote” for Congressional Democrats who are quietly getting things done but not drawing any media attention.

 

We’re putting this post up one month before the actual deadline, to give you extra time to sort out your finances and see what you can do. We’ll put up another reminder one week ahead of the deadline as well as on the day, and we’ll keep doing quarterly reminders about FEC deadlines in perpetuity.

 

Subscribe to One Thing You Can Do by clicking the blue button on the upper right or checking the About & Subscribe page. And tell your friends about the blog!

 

Ready Your Wallets: The FEC Q3 Deadline Is In One Week
Candidates · Elections · Vote with your Dollars

Ready Your Wallets: The FEC Q3 Deadline Is In One Week

otycd

Headsup: The Federal Election Commission’s donation deadline for the third quarter of 2019 is in one week. 

 

If you have money to spare, now is the time to give to sitting Democratic members of Congress, Democrats who have declared their intent to run against Republicans in 2020, and Democratic candidates for president.

 

Fairly or not, quarterly fundraising numbers are considered a sign of a candidate’s strength. Giving money to a candidate or a Congressperson who’s up for re-election in 2020 before a quarterly FEC deadline is a way to cast a vote for that candidate with dollars instead of a ballot.

 

In addition to giving to members of your Congressional delegation who are up in 2020, you can donate to Democrats who are taking heat from Republicans on the regular, to show tangible support for them.

 

It’s equally wise to cast a “vote” for Congressional Democrats who are quietly getting things done but not drawing any media attention.

 

We’re putting this post up one week before the actual deadline, to give you time to sort out your finances and see what you can do. We’ll put up another reminder on the day, and we’ll keep doing quarterly reminders about FEC deadlines in perpetuity.

 

Subscribe to One Thing You Can Do by clicking the blue button on the upper right or checking the About & Subscribe page. And tell your friends about the blog!

 

Support Miry’s List, Which Assists Refugee Families Who Settle in Southern California
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Support Miry’s List, Which Assists Refugee Families Who Settle in Southern California

otycd

This OTYCD entry originally posted in July 2017.

 

Want to help refugee families who have just arrived in America? Check out Miry’s List, which provides new arrivals to southern California with basic needs.

 

Miry Whitehill-Ben Atar launched Miry’s List in July 2016 after encountering a Syrian refugee family of five, with five-year-old twins and a five-month-old, who had just come to California and needed baby gear and groceries. After getting them set, she realized that she had unwittingly found a gaping hole in the social safety net, and created Miry’s List to fill it.

 

As of February 2017, Miry’s List had completely taken care of the needs of 60 refugee families in southern California. It is in the process of becoming a 501(3)c organization.

 

 

Join Miry’s List:

https://www.miryslist.org/give

 

 

See the current Miry’s List roster of families needing help:

https://www.miryslist.org/lists

 

 

Donate to Miry’s List:

https://www.miryslist.org/donations

 

 

Subscribe to One Thing You Can Do by clicking the blue button on the upper right or checking the About & Subscribe page. And tell your friends about the blog!

 

 

Like Miry’s List on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/miryslist

 

 

Follow Miry’s List on Twitter:

@miryslist

Follow Mike Stuchbery on Twitter
Fighting Bigotry, Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, Transphobia... · Read, Educate Yourself, Prepare · Vote with your Dollars

Follow Mike Stuchbery on Twitter

otycd

This OTYCD entry originally posted in September 2017.

Follow Mike Stuchbery, an Australian-born historian in Britain, on Twitter and other venues.

Stuchbery made waves in late July by brutally schooling the editor of Infowars on the ethnic makeup of Roman Britain (Infowars guy assumed it wasn’t; Stuchbery showed him just how diverse it was).

Stuchbery has since gone on to destroy alt-right nitwits on the regular. He does not suffer fools gladly. Indeed, he’s got a talent for making fools suffer. His comments on history are worth reading regardless. Check him out.

 

Follow Mike Stuchbery on Twitter:

@MikeStuchbery_

 

Read and subscribe to his blogs:

https://mikestuchberydotnet.wordpress.com

http://mike-stuchbery.org

 

Contribute to his Patreon (Stuchbery promises, “I will not just take the first month’s payment and buy a pet lizard. I will tell right-wing dickheads to get fucked at every opportunity.” As of mid-September, he’s $103 shy of his $500/month goal):

https://www.patreon.com/mikestuchbery_

 

Read about how he schooled that twerp from Infowars:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/27/alt-right-commentator-gets-schooled-historian-diversity-roman/

http://www.teenvogue.com/story/british-historian-gives-alt-right-commentator-a-history-lesson

 

If you need more proof that he’s a good guy, read about how he was pushing back against school bullying in 2014:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-30222229

Join a Credit Union
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Join a Credit Union

otycd

This OTYCD article originally appeared in February 2018.

 

Join a credit union and leave traditional for-profit banks behind.

 

Are you sick of banks? We at OTYCD don’t blame you, and we’d like to suggest an alternative: a credit union.

 

A credit union is a non-profit member-owned cooperative. It exists to help people manage their money instead of making a profit off of them.

 

Fees tend to be lower and customer service far better than at traditional banks. Credit unions generally offer free checking accounts and do not charge you if your balance falls below a specified amount.

 

Credit unions are often more community-oriented as well, and concerned with helping, supporting, and building the local community in a wide variety of ways–offering small business loans, providing financial education, sponsoring local events, and even offering scholarships.

 

There are drawbacks to credit unions. They generally offer fewer financial products than banks do. Their ATM networks aren’t as broad as those of traditional banks, which means you might pay fees to use machines that don’t belong to the credit union (but ask about this–many credit unions reimburse a certain number of withdrawals per month). Credit unions aren’t as abundant as banks, and you might have trouble finding one near you that you can join.

 

Regardless, it’s an option worth exploring, especially if you’re fed up with the banking system and fed up with being treated like a cash cow.

 

 

Read these articles about credit unions and their pros and cons:

https://www.bankrate.com/banking/credit-unions/the-benefits-of-a-credit-union-vs-a-bank/

https://www.moneytalksnews.com/9-reasons-why-credit-union-better-than-big-bank/

Credit Unions vs. Banks: How to Decide

 

 

See MyCreditUnion.gov’s explanation of credit unions:

https://www.mycreditunion.gov/about-credit-unions/Pages/How-is-a-Credit-Union-Different-than-a-Bank.aspx

 

 

See Wikipedia’s list of credit unions in the United States and find one near you:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_credit_unions_in_the_United_States

 

 

Subscribe to One Thing You Can Do by clicking the button on the upper right of the page. And tell your friends about the blog!