Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Dennis Kucinich: Gaza, reforming the monetary system and a plea for your support



As Congress begins, I have been leading the way towards addressing the humanitarian plight of the people of Gaza whose desperate conditions must be addressed if there is to be any chance for peace in the Middle East. I have also begun a campaign to work on the reform of our monetary system in order to bring about equity, prosperity and environmental sustainability.

I had to spend the resources you provided me with in order to retain my seat in Congress. I need your generous help again to fund our ongoing political operations including media outreach, web communications, office administration and issues campaigning.

I know these are hard times, but your contribution is essential to strengthening our efforts. Please contribute as generously as you can. Your support assures a true independent voice in Congress.

With hope and in peace,

Dennis

Please contribute as generously as you can at: http://www.Kucinich.us/contribute

Dept of Peace in 9th place on important Change.org poll - please vote TODAY!

Congressman Kucinich's idea to create a Department of Peace and Non-Violence is currently in 9th place in an important online poll to determine the Top 10 "Ideas for Change in America" on Change.org.
The voting is currently in the finalist stage, ending this Thursday, January 15 at 5:00 pm.

With your help, the Department of Peace and Non-Violence could win this poll!

Would you please take just a minute to vote for the Department of Peace and Non-Violence at this link:

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/appoint_secretary_of_peace_in_department_of_peace_and_non-violence

(Make sure the BLUE VOTE BUTTON next to the title has turned to a BROWN 'VOTED' BUTTON in order for your vote to be counted.)

Please also forward this message to your friends.

The top 10 ideas will be presented to the Obama administration and a formal nonprofit sponsor will be selected for each idea to help create a nationwide movement to lobby the administration and Congress to turn the idea into policy. In addition, a press event announcing the winners will be held at the National Press Club and the winning ideas will be promoted by MySpace and dozens of other partner organizations, reaching millions of Americans.

This poll has already been reported on by CNN, and the winning ideas will certainly receive a huge momentum boost.

You can learn more about the Department of Peace and Non-Violence by visiting:
http://dop.kucinich.us

Thank you!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

The Fight Americans Can’t Afford to Lose

Everyday Americans are in the fight of their lives. Their jobs, their homes, their pensions, their savings, a modest standard of living - all under assault by rising prices, tightened credit, corporate greed, and a Congress that has bailed out Wall Street financial interests at the expense of taxpayers and to the detriment of struggling homeowners.

The fight is far from over, and the ONE Congressman who has been the leader in defending your interests needs your help to continue being your voice in Washington.



Dennis Kucinich has been sounding the alarm for years. He has led the opposition to these obscene giveaways to corrupt interests that have been gambling with your hard-earned dollars. He's been demanding direct assistance to Americans whose lives and futures are at risk - proposing real economic recovery programs that will create millions of jobs and put money in the pockets of working men and women all across the country.

But, as Dennis continues fighting for the interests of everyday Americans, he's also fighting to hold on to his seat in the House of Representatives against a Republican who's raising money, spending money, and aggressively seeking to put Ohio's 10th Congressional District into GOP hands.

The honest, decent, hard-working families of this country can't afford to lose the fight of their lives. And they can't afford to lose Congressman Dennis Kucinich.



Please contribute as generously as you can - $20, $50, $100 or more - so that we continue to be represented by a man with the courage and the vision to always represent our best interests. His voice is crucial to our future. And your support has never been more important.

Thank You
Re-Elect Congressman Kucinich Committee



Upcoming Events

If you plan to be in the Cleveland area, consider attending one of these upcoming events:

Sunday, Oct 12, join Dennis and Dierdre Hall of 'Days of our Lives' at our Annual Supporter Appreciation Picnic. Free of charge, but please make reservations now.

Oct. 22 - Evening with Melissa Etheridge, Cleveland, Ohio - Reservations required
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Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Happy Birthday to our favorite Congressman

Today, October 8th, is Congressman Dennis Kucinich's birthday, and all of us in the campaign are pausing for just a moment to say "Happy Birthday, Dennis. Thank you for all that you've done over the years and all that you continue to do."

If you'd like to say "Thank You" too, consider supporting his campaign as a way to do that.

There won't be any big, lavish parties today. No champagne corks popping. No fireworks and no glitz. Not his style. Not ours. And most likely, not yours either.

Instead, it’s a day filled with the joy of knowing him, the smiles and laughter that come from sharing priceless stories about his younger years, and the gratitude we have for his service to our nation and his commitment to our people. Plus, a chance to offer our best wishes for MANY more years.

So, on this special occasion, please consider showing your appreciation for Dennis Kucinich and his work in Congress by making a contribution to his campaign so we can keep him right where he belongs - in Washington. D.C. - representing, defending, and fighting for Americans here in Ohio and all across the nation.

If you would like to wish him well in person and you plan to be in the Cleveland area, consider attending one of these upcoming events:

Sunday, Oct 12, join us at Dennis' Annual Supporter Appreciation Picnic with Deidre Hall. Free of charge, but please make reservations now.

Wednesday, Oct. 22, "An Evening with Melissa Etheridge." Reservations required.

We'd love to see you, and so would Dennis and Elizabeth!


The entire campaign staff.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The Bailout and What's Next

Dear Friend,

Yesterday marked a day that will go down in history, when Congressional Democrats and Republicans alike took on full responsibility to protect the interests of taxpaying Americans, and defeated the deceptive bail out bill, defying the dictates of the Administration, the House Majority Leadership, the House Minority Leadership and the special interests on Wall Street.

Obviously Congress must consider quickly another course. There are immediate issues which demand attention and responsible action by the Congress so that the taxpayers, their assets, and their futures are protected.

We MUST do something to protect millions of Americans whose homes, bank deposits, investments, and pensions are at risk in a financial system that has become seriously corrupted. We are told that we must stabilize markets in order for the people to be protected. I think we need to protect peoples' homes, bank deposits, investments, and pensions, to order to stabilize the market.

We cannot delay taking action. But the action must benefit all Americans, not just a privileged few. Otherwise, more plans will fail, and the financial security of everyone will be at risk.

The $700 billion bailout would have added to our existing unbearable load of national debt, trade deficits, and the cost of paying for the war. It would have been a disaster for the American public and the government for decades and maybe even centuries to come.

To be sure, there are many different reasons why people voted against the bailout. The legislation did not regard in any meaningful way the plight of millions of Americans who are about to lose their homes. It did nothing to strengthen existing regulatory structures or impose new ones at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Reserve in order to protect investors. There were no direct protections for bank depositors. There was nothing to stop further speculation, which is what brought us into this mess in the first place.

This was a bailout for some firms (and investors) on Wall Street, with the idea that in doing so there would be certain, unspecified, general benefits to the economy.

This is a perfect time to open a broader discussion about our financial system, especially our monetary system. Such a discussion is like searching for a needle in a haystack, and then, upon finding it, discussing its qualities at great length. Let me briefly describe the haystack instead.

Here is a very quick explanation of the $700 billion bailout within the context of the mechanics of our monetary and banking system:

The taxpayers loan money to the banks. But the taxpayers do not have the money. So we have to borrow it from the banks to give it back to the banks. But the banks do not have the money to loan to the government. So they create it into existence (through a mechanism called fractional reserve) and then loan it to us, at interest, so we can then give it back to them.

Confused?

This is the system. This is the standard mechanism used to expand the money supply on a daily basis not a special one designed only for the "$700 billion" transaction. People will explain this to you in many different ways, but this is what it comes down to.

The banks needed Congress' approval. Of course in this topsy turvy world, it is the banks which set the terms of the money they are borrowing from the taxpayers. And what do we get for this transaction? Long term debt enslavement of our country. We get to pay back to the banks trillions of dollars ($700 billion with compounded interest) and the banks give us their bad debt which they cull from everywhere in the world.

Who could turn down a deal like this? I did.

The globalization of the debt puts the United States in the position that in order to repay the money that we borrow from the banks (for the banks) we could be forced to accept International Monetary Fund dictates which involve cutting health, social security benefits and all other social spending in addition to reducing wages and exploiting our natural resources. This inevitably leads to a loss of economic, social and political freedom.

Under the failed $700 billion bailout plan, Wall Street's profits are Wall Street's profits and Wall Street's losses are the taxpayers' losses. Profits are capitalized. Losses are socialized.

We are at a teachable moment on matters of money and finance. In the coming days and weeks, I will share with you thoughts about what can be done to take us not just in a new direction, but in a new direction which is just.

Thank you,


Dennis
www.Kucinich.us
216-252-9000 877-933-6647

PS Watch the 47 minute 'Money as Debt' animated documentary in http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9050474362583451279. This is a useful, though by no means definitive, introduction to the topic of debt and the monetary system. Let me know what you think.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Economic Recovery Plan being rushed with no alternatives

Congressman Dennis Kucinich says the massive bailout for Wall Street is being rushed by Congressional leaders with no opportunity to discuss alternatives that would help homeowners facing foreclosure and no adequate oversight or regulations.

Make Wall Street pay for its own mistakes

Congressman Kucinich tells "Democracy Now" anchor Amy Goodman, "We need to find a way to help Wall Street pay for its own problems ...stock transfer tax, cancellation of dividends...make the shareholders and the investors have to pay for the funny business that was going on Wall Street. Why make the taxpayers pay?''

Read more: DemocracyNow.org