Rock the Vote would like to send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Brittany Murphy who tragically passed away yesterday at the age of 32.
Ben Lyons over at Global Grind does a great job eulogizing this talented actress and long time Rock the Vote supporter. Our sentiments exactly.
She will be missed.
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Mary Bio: @Rockthevote Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com |
I’m feeling sorta bloggy today, so I wanted to throw some links your way. First, some serious.
Paul Krugman in the New York Times about why the health care bill should pass: Pass the Bill.
And to be fair and balanced, here’s Howard Dean’s view of the Senate bill: Health-care bill wouldn’t bring real reform.
Two liberals debating each other isn’t exactly fair and balanced, but you get the point. Of course, the Senate bill isn’t the final bill, so plenty of time to make things better. Right? Tell us what you think. I know you will.
In case you missed it, here is the latest video from Funny or Die on how young people can get involved in the health care debate. It is getting a, um, passionate response:
OK, how about some Seattle-related fun. (I just got back to the great NW from the other Washington.) First, check out this ridiculously amazing backwards video from the students at Shoreline High School:
And, then, I don’t know if this is true or not, but this emoticon – \mm/ – stands for “too much rock for one hand.” It apparently was invented by the big brains at the Sightline Institute in Seattle. (They also invented the term “green-collar jobs,” so there.) Here is the biggest brain of all demonstrating the emoticon in real life:
(HT for both Seattle items: the Washington Bus.)
Snap. Happy Friday.
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Thomas Bates Bio: Thomas is Rock the Vote's Vice President of Civic Engagement. @BatesThomas Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com |
The health care debate is not over and it’s time to send a clear message that we need health care now. Our friends Eva Amurri from Californication and Zach Gilford from Friday Night Lights helped us out. Enjoy and then tell us what YOU would do to rock the vote on health care.
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Mary Bio: @Rockthevote Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com |
The Senate continues to work out the details of its health care plan. Their biggest obstacle right now: math. The Senate needs 60 votes to pass anything and if even one Senator changes his or her mind about a provision in the bill then it is back to the drawing board.
Joe Lieberman, the Democrat turned Independent (turned Republican?) changes his mind . . . a lot. As a result, there will not be a public option in the Senate bill. There will not be the public option alternative that Senator Lieberman said he wanted and then said he didn’t (a provision allowing 55 year olds to buy into the Medicare system, which is currently available to people 65 and older). Lots of people are upset about this.
The bill will still have some good things in it, like really important insurance reforms (ending the practice of letting insurance companies discriminate against you for pre-existing conditions or because you’re a woman, for example), caps on the amount of money you have to pay out-of-pocket, and a provision that would allow you to stay on your parents insurance plan until the age of 26. We continue to worry about the affordability of insurance generally – and the inclusion of catastrophic plans that are really insurance in name only – and are fighting to make sure young people get a fair shake in this deal.
The first big cloture vote – remember, the Senate needs 60 votes to stop debating the bill and move to a final vote – could take place on Friday or Saturday. That will be the next big test. After/if the bill is passed by the Senate, the House and Senate will need to reconcile the differences between their two bills and submit a “conference report” to both chambers of Congress for final approval. That won’t happen until January 2011 at the earliest. We’ll continue to fight for the good stuff.
So, lot’s of uncertainty. One thing is for certain: Joe Lieberman is a pain in the a**.
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Thomas Bates Bio: Thomas is Rock the Vote's Vice President of Civic Engagement. @BatesThomas Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com |
[Editor's note: Exciting news with more to come!]
Qvisory is integrating its content, tools and services with two leading organizations – LifeTuner and Rock the Vote – to carry on its vision of economic security for young Americans. We recently sat down with the leaders of each organization to discuss the many ways that Qvisory users and all young adults will benefit from this announcement.
Question: How did this come to be? Why did the three of you decide to work together?
Gina Glanz, President, Qvisory: Qvisory’s commitment to providing young workers with resources to reach their financial, health and career goals generated a loyal group of followers. However, to meet the organization’s goals, Qvisory leadership understood the audience would need to grow bigger and faster – especially in light of the research data that showed the extraordinary impact of the economic recession on the lives of young people. Through past experience and discussions, Qvisory knew where it needed to go for leverage — LifeTuner (sponsored by AARP) and Rock the Vote. These two organizations represent the most forward looking and imaginative approaches to supporting young adults. We are delighted they will carry the Qvisory mission forward.
Heather Smith, Executive Director, Rock the Vote: Qvisory shares our belief that education and positive reinforcement are the best ways to encourage and inspire advocacy. Young adults have an incredible opportunity to increase their share of voice in the political process but often lack the support and tools to take action. We look forward to expanding Rock the Vote’s presence and impact through the incorporation of Qvisory’s tools into our site.
Diane Ty, Senior Vice President, AARP: LifeTuner and Qvisory have had multiple conversations about how we might work together because of our common mission: to inspire and empower young adults to achieve financial independence and take a more proactive approach towards building their futures. Qvisory has built an impressive knowledge library that will fit very well with existing LifeTuner resources.
Question: What will this transition mean for the existing Qvisory community?
Gina: LifeTuner is absorbing most of Qvisory’s content into its site (posted as blogs in the community section of LifeTuner.org), and offers robust tools and forums with expert participation to help increase user’s confidence in managing their money. The Rock the Vote audience will have a newly inspired advocacy agenda and, next year, will be able to access new products and services that meet their everyday life needs.
Heather: We’re extremely excited to welcome the Qvisory community to Rock the Vote and hope they’ll contribute as passionately as they have on Qvisory.
Diane: LifeTuner.org was designed for an audience that is similar to Qvisory’s. The Qvisory community will find a number of welcoming similarities between our sites. The tools and resources are very comparable and should help make the change pretty simple.
Question: How will this change help young people overcome the current challenges they face?
Gina: Our goal was to help young people take control of their personal finances as well as make change by influencing those who make decisions that impact their lives – corporate and government leaders. With a more robust set of tools on LifeTuner.org and the powerful voice of Rock the Vote, the Qvisory community gains valuable personal resources and collective strength.
Heather: There are many complicated political issues facing this country and every one of them impacts young people on a daily if not hourly basis. How will new healthcare policies affect us? Are our leaders doing enough to support green energy? Most importantly, what can we all do ourselves to effect change? Our goal is to help the 45 million young adults in this country speak as one voice; adding Qvisory’s community will strengthen that goal.
Diane: LifeTuner connects young people with financial experts who offer completely free and unbiased financial insight and tips in an ad-free environment. That’s extremely rare in today’s financial landscape. We know that individuals respond to different messages and want access to resources and tools. The more breadth we offer and the more young people we reach, the more lives we’ll be able to positively impact. Adding Qvisory’s content to our own widens LifeTuner’s reach.
Question: Will there be any linkages between LifeTuner and Rock the Vote now?
Heather: There’s an enormous amount of confluence between our missions and LifeTuner will be an important organization for us moving forward and vice versa.
Diane: We’ll remain separate entities with our own focuses, Rock the Vote on political education and advocacy, and LifeTuner on financial literacy and independence, but given that we share the mission of educating young adults in an unbiased way, we’re definitely looking at opportunities to work together on future projects.
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Thomas Bates Bio: Thomas is Rock the Vote's Vice President of Civic Engagement. @BatesThomas Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com |
