America In Solidarity is a Tacoma-based non-profit that serves working families in the political arena and works on issues such as affordable health care, living wages, fair trade and workers’ rights. We are seeking interns who are looking for experience in the political arena, community organizing and elections and share a passion for our issues. Responsibilities will include: ·         Communicate with elected officials and lobby on behalf of America In Solidarity on issues we care about

 After five years of American involvement in Iraq, working families are saddled with:

• Official War Costs of $512 billion ($275 million a day)
• Actual costs (with interest) of $1.3 trillion (with some estimates of $3 trillion)
•  Over 4,000 American troops have been killed in Iraq
• Nearly 30,000 American troops wounded
• Estimates of 500,000 to over 1 million Iraqi deaths since the invasion

But there is hope for a way out. On March 17th, America In Solidarity pledge signer Darcy Burner, a candidate for Congress in Washington's 8th Congressional District, presented at the "Take Back America Conference" a plan to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end. The plan was designed by leading military experts, policy analysts, national security experts, and a group of top-tier Congressional candidates and elected officials including AIS pledge signer Rep. Larry Seaquist (a former Navy Commander) and retired General Paul Eaton (in photo) who addressed our Progressive Convention in November.

Some 4,000 registered nurses began a 10-day walkout Friday at 10  Bay Area  hospitals operated by the Sutter Health chain in a dramatic protest over patient care conditions. More than 95 percent of the RNs struck the hospitals. Guaranteeing safe RN staffing at all times -- especially ensuring that Sutter RNs are able to take rest breaks and meals -- is one of several key patient safety issues that is at the center of the dispute.See the California Nurses Association site for more details. 

March 19th marks the fifth anniversary of America's war/occupation in Iraq. We were told that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (a lie) and had something to do with the terrorists who masterminded 9/11 (also a lie). Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator John McCain told us we would be greeted as liberators. We were misled and deceived by the Bush Administration and too many in Congress had either the wool pulled over their eyes or conspired to allow this awful thing to happen and then continue. The numbers alone are telling:

"Fired-up and feisty, Gilda entered political life in 2007 to make a powerful difference in the lives of senior citizens, children, working men and women and small business owners."There are few bright spots in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. Gilda Reed is one of them. Dr. Reed, a professor at UNO, is running on getting our troops out of Iraq, universal health care and protecting America's unions and working families (read her stance on the issues). Reed is running for Louisiana's First Congressional District and recently won the Democratic primary with over 70% support.

Jerry Northington, a great progressive candidate for Delaware's lone seat in the House of Representatives, recently signed America In Solidarity's pledge to support working families. Northington wants us out of Iraq, affordable health care for all, and living wages. He also states that we need to restructure our current trade deals that have cost millions of American jobs, not to mention worsening conditions for workers abroad.See Northington's answers to our questionaire here.

President Bush is threatening to bypass law-making procedures to force a vote on the FTA without approval from Congressional leadership -- once again disrupting the checks and balances of our system. Call your members of Congress while they are home for Presidents’ Day recess and ask them to oppose this move by taking a public position against the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Our collective energy has stopped the FTA for a year. This is a victory that could be dashed by the powerful all-out campaign launched by the Administrations of U.S. President George Bush and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. With six official U.S. Congressional delegations already sent to Colombia to experience carefully staged tours highlighting the efforts supposedly undertaken to end the systematic assassination of Colombia labor leaders, five more are scheduled.

America In Solidarity volunteers participated in our "Lobby Day" where we engaged with pledge signers and other elected officials during the current session of the Washington State Legislature. We lobbied on issues like affordable health care, public financing of elections and worker's rights. Volunteers met with State Representatives, Tami Green, Troy Kelley, Dawn Morrell, Dennis Flannigan, Mark  Miloscia and Larry Seaquist and State Senator Derek Kilmer and dropped off our concerns letter to dozens more. Participating in the day were Mike Jagielski, David Johnson, Gail Ross, Todd Iverson, Jeff and Brianna Richardson and Mike and Cathy Collier.

President Bush released his FY 2009 budget that totaled over $3.1 trillion, $400 billion of that will be borrowed from the future. Within its details are the makings of a disaster for working families:

• His budget would make his tax cuts permanent -- at the cost of $2.4 trillion over the next 10 years, with millionaires pocketing tax breaks of about $150,000 a year.
• Removes 200,000 low income children from child care support, and does nothing to bring college within reach of working families.
• Freeze payments to doctors and hospitals under Medicare, and stunningly, cut support for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, even as a global economy puts us at greater risk of importing global pandemics.
• Continues to cut domestic investment across the board, even reducing federal support for "first responders" -- police, fire and public health officials by 45% percent.
• Slashes housing vouchers, eliminating rental support for an estimated 100,000 low income families.
• And perhaps worse of all, when universal health care is in the conversation, the budget proposal cuts Medicare by $178 Billion (yes with a "b") over the next five years.

It's time for radical change in Washington. Bush's final budget is merely the punctuation mark.

The Prescription Privacy bill (HB 2664) is likely to come up for a vote in the Washington State House this Monday (February 4th). We now need to make phone calls and send emails and faxes to our House Representatives asking them to vote in favor of this bill.These phone calls, emails and faxes should begin today and take place throughout the weekend or early on Monday morning. Big Pharma and the pharmaceutical and bio-tech companies are strongly mobilizing against this bill. Therefore, we need as much response as possible in support of HB 2664.Call Now! 1 (800) 562-6000 (toll-free)(Hours: 8:00am-8:00pm M-F; 9:00am-1:00pm Sat.; closed Sunday)Message: Support HB 2664 to prohibit the sale and use of prescriber-identifiable prescription data for marketing or promotional purposes.This Prescription Privacy bill would stop pharmaceutical companies from using the prescribing histories of physicians for marketing purposes. Protect the privacy of the patient-physician relationship. Get doctors' prescription pads out of drug reps' sights and marketing efforts. Pharmaceutical companies spend $3 billion annually to purchase prescribing histories of physicians strictly for marketing purposes. This practice, called Data Mining, is usually done without physicians' knowledge or consent and is overwhelmingly opposed by physicians. Data Mining erodes patient-doctor privacy, leads to inappropriate prescribing, underminespatient safety and drives up costs.

In January, the Washington State House voted 56-38 in favor of HB 1551 that would allow local jurisdictions to create their own programs of public financing for campaigns for local office. A companion Senate bill, SB 5278, is being considered currently. The bill is NOT a mandate - only permission. No state funds are involved. And, any local program must be approved in a referendum to local voters. America In Solidarity is in favor of election reform and embraces this concept as a way of reducing the corporate, big money influence upon our democracy and elections. We encourage Washington State residents to contact your Senators either by email or by calling 1-800-562-6000 and tell them to support SB 5278. Ranked Choice Voting Bill also on docket SB 6000 (and House Companion bill 2202) would allow cities and local taxing districts to use ranked choice voting in counties where it is allowed. America In Solidarity supported Pierce County's passing of ranked choice voting in 2006. Ranked choice is commonly known as instant runoff voting.