Attend the Monthly Fiscal and Economic Issues Discussion Group Meeting and be amazed at what you discover.
We will have our standard update of the economy, both jobs and GDP. We will also continue our discussions of the economic recovery and policy issues that affect the recovery. The discussion will be based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics January 2015 report which will be released the first week in February.
Some similar type reviews of economic highlights we discussed last month
based on the December report:
Jobs Recovery – 2.79 million jobs added in last 12 months of 2014; more Americans working than before the recession.
321,000 jobs added in December.
2.8 million in last 12 months
November and October employment revised up by 540,000 jobs
Unemployment rate: nationally at 5.68% in December, down 1.3% in the past year and continues to trend down from its high of 10.1%.
GDP growth: 3.8% Revised to 5.0 % in the 3rd quarter and 4.6% in 2nd quarter, up from minus 2.1% in 1st quarter. It appears that the negative 1st quarter result was just an anomaly, primarily due to the harsh winter in much of the country.Preliminary 4th quarter 2014 data will be released on January 30th.
Budget Deficits – Historical and Projected: 2.8% of GDP in FY 2014, down from a high of 9.8%
New 10 year CBO projections released in January: deficit will stay below 3% of GDP for the next few years, but we still have a problem in the out years as baby boomers retire.
Funding for Department of Homeland Security expires February 27, 2015. Congress needs to act to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Attend the February Discussion and be the most informed on your block or your discussion group!
As always this is a discussion group .. bring your articles and your wits to talk about all sides of the issues.
for LBIG get Covered enrollment event-this weekend
We am reaching out because as we come to the end of the second open enrollment period, we are ending it with a bang and hosting larger enrollment events throughout Chicagoland.
These will be very similar to the Broadway Armory event we had last year. We are expecting 300-400 attendees throughout the day and as we anticipate large crowds, we will have an all hands on deck approach to make sure everyone that attends the events will be able to be seen and get covered.
Would you be able to volunteer a couple hours on the last two days (February 14th and 15th)?
The event details are below:
February 14th
Presence Saint Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center
2233 W. Division Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
8am-last person seen
February 15th
Presence Saint Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center
2233 W. Division Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
8am-last person seen
Please let me know if you have any questions, and if the you would be able to
come down to help out if just for a few hours
Join Get Covered America, NWSOFA and Presence Saint Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center for an enrollment event on the final days of the second open enrollment period! Volunteers are needed for sign-in, sign-out, screening, and ushering consumers coming in to get enrolled!
To RSVP for a Couple Hours just Click on the Links:
Gov’t: 9.9 million already signed up for 2015 coverage under Obama’s health law
Sunday marks the start of the final week of Obamacare open enrollment, Year 2.
Nationwide, about 9.9 million people have signed up for health insurance through federal or state exchanges since open enrollment began Nov. 15, handily beating the federal goal of 9.1 million. Illinois claimed 296,293 of those enrollees through Jan. 30.
Going without coverage carries a penalty. Uninsured consumers will have to pay a fee of $325 or 2 percent of their income come tax season, whichever is greater.
If you sign up by Feb. 15, the last day of open enrollment, you’ll be covered starting March 1. Even though those consumers didn’t have health insurance for two months, they won’t have to pay the fee, according to Enroll America, a Washington-based nonprofit pushing to enroll people in health insurance across the country.
“In such a situation, if a person maintains their coverage for the rest of the year, they won’t be hit with a fine at all,” the group said. “They would be able to claim an exemption on their tax return (called the short coverage gap exemption) for those two months (January and February) that they did not have health coverage.”
February 15, 2015: 2015 Open Enrollment ends.
Enroll by this date and coverage can begin as soon as March 1. After this date, you can enroll in or change plans for 2015 only if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.
Click on the above NWSOFA e-magazine for all the on Comprehensive Immigration Reform from News Sources across the Country
Immigration Reform
(CIR)
in the News
Would you like to get involved with other like minded Progressives and join our Comprehensive Immigration Reform Team then:
Please Call Sara or Bill @ 224-241-2012
Click on the Above Image to see NWSOFA e-magazine Stand With Women.. Timely Articles from the Press
Stand With Women
Gains Momentum
The House GOP Leaders Pull Abortion Bill After Revolt by GOP Women Moderates!
January 21, 2015: Bowing to the wishes of several moderates and women members, House Republican leaders pulled a controversial antiabortion bill from consideration late Wednesday night, a move sure to enrage antiabortion activists, who will descend on Capitol Hill Thursday for their annual March for Life.
The bill will be replaced by the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, a bipartisan bill that passed the House last year and will get another vote on Thursday, the 42nd anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision. The change came after House Republican women and moderates battled against their leaders on the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, exhibiting the deepening rift between centrists and conservatives who are at cross-purposes on which issues the party should be highlighting.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Republican leaders were insistent they would move ahead with legislation banning abortions after 20 weeks, but the Rules Committee announced an emergency meeting Wednesday night and sources said the bill would be pulled in favor of the less controversial alternative.
Joint NWSOFA Chapter Meeting & Move To Amend Movie Night
Present “Movie Night”
“Pay 2 Play”
Schaumburg Library
March 3rd
Like the recent documentary “Citizen Koch,” “Pay 2 Play” aims to stir up outrage over influence peddling. Although billionaire industrialists David and Charles Koch aren’t mentioned until midway through this film, they and their ilk – wealthy conservatives who push their agendas by pouring cash into the coffers of like- minded politicians – are clearly the villains here.
But director John Ennis is interested in doing more than getting people riled up. “How do we get past the pay-to-play system?”
The answer to Ennis’s question, which he provides himself, is not just to get mad, but to get active. He advocates doing whatever one can to protest the status quo, whether it’s as an individual street artist or blogger or as part of a larger collective such as the Occupy movement. Ennis is an optimist at heart, and his belief that one person can make a difference is infectious, if naive.
You Can Make a Difference in Undeserved Communities
Organizing for Action has a strong commitment to providing easy points of entry for
everyday Americans who want to have their voices heard and make a difference in their communities.
Historically, we have found that the tools and tactics employed to help in these efforts skew toward
volunteers who have access to reliable transportation, can afford financially to give hours, and have
ready access to the internet. That, in turn, means that volunteers who gravitate toward OFA tend to be people who are retired, have financial means, and/or live in the suburbs. In order to ensure that OFA remains true to our mission of providing easy access, we have developed the Fulfilling the Promise Program aimed to address these concerns and ensure we are organizing in all communities.
PURPOSE: To ensure that Organizing for Action is providing training, leadership development, team building, and issue advocacy opportunities to communities and people who do not have ready access to the internet, reliable transportation, etc. We will focus specifically in communities of color and historically underserved areas, which tend to have less financial means. The Fulfilling the Promise program will ensure that our organization and the progressive community at large is comprised of a diverse group of talented organizers who are representative of all of the communities that make up our country.
If This Outreach resonates with you, Please Call Sara or Bill @ 224-241-2012
University & College Outreach Sets Organizing Call
New Initiative for 2015 Announced by OFA
Feeling the call to work with the young adults at college and University levels to engage them in Progressive Issue Engagement.. Then Contact us:
If This Outreach resonates with you, Please Call Sara or Bill @ 224-241-2012
Other News in the Burbs
Renewable Energy and
Energy Efficiency Forum
Hosted by State Representative Ann Williams and State Representative Sara Feigenholtz
Audubon Elementary, 3500 N. Hoyne 60618
Saturday, February 21 from 10AM to noon.
Program begins at 10:30AM
State legislators will be making important decisions about the energy future of Illinois this year. The USEPA just released just proposed important rules for reducing carbon pollution throughout the nation.
Come learn about how Illinois can meet the goals of this plan and create jobs using renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Speakers will give information on proposed policies for Illinois and give tips for becoming more energy efficient or using renewables in your home! There will be tables with information before and after the program.
Really, they do. Because not only do they work in a complex field and undertake the daunting task of getting the public up to speed on climate change, but they also face intimidation and attacks from climate deniers.
Many scientists take on this difficult work without recognition –
but Valentine’s Day offers us an opportunity to change that.
NWSOFA is a whole, diverse wonderful family of people who want to do more than talk about the social issues. We explore and dig deep on the facts and decide what actions we can take that can have an impact locally and nationally. NWSOFA members not only “talk the talk”, but we “walk the walk”.
All our teams have numerous events that will enlighten and inspire you and yes, challenge you to make the effort to make a difference.
To leave a message or Sign up for an Issue Team .. just click the Info button below and fill out the NWSOFA Comment log. We will be in touch with you shortly.
About NWSOFA
In January 2013 we started as a gathering of friends and neighbors from the NW Suburbs who wanted to continue to have impact on the progressive issues we voted for in 2012.This grassroots, bottom up movement spread across the country and sparked the creation of Organizing for Action, OFA National which now has Chapters all over the country. This is a non-partisan, volunteer organization that focuses on progressive issues we are committed to taking Action on to make a difference locally, statewide and nationally.
NWSOFA’s 1st Issue Team was right after the tragedy at Sandy Hook. The Gun Violence Prevention (GVP) team felt we needed accurate information and facts, events to teach others and actions we could take to make a difference on pushing for common sense gun violence prevention. That has been our basic format as new issues arose and team developed. We now have the GVP, ACA/Obamacare, Climate Change,Fiscal Issues and Stand with Women Issue Teams.Check out their individual pages to see all the events they have scheduled and to join the teams you want to make a difference with. Other teams are developing such as for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
OFA National coordinates “Days of Action” that Chapters across the country will all do on the same day. Each team also has local events and may work with affiliate organizations i.e. Sierra Club, Al Gore Reality Project, etc. to combine like-minded groups on a local, state or national event.
In this type of organization there are numerous ways you can be involved with the teams and in other roles.We were looking for ways to get our events out and now have a Twitter Master, Kathy,and Press Lead, Kym.
Two new initiatives were introduced in January 2015 from OFA. The first one is to get more young people involved in progressives issues. We prioritized working with colleges to reach out to them. One of the major benefits of joining us is learning to be a community organizer. These skills can be beneficial for a lifetime. The second initiative is working with under served populations that traditionally have not a voice on issues that are crucial for them. If either of these sound like something you would be interested in helping to develop, please let us know.
Maybe you have a special skill we haven’t even thought about give us a call we’re always open to new ideas and teams.
Thanks for stopping and hope you’ll stay and join us.
Notice:
This is a public meeting / events.
NWSOFA is a 501(c)4,
non-partisan
organization.
All opinions are solely those of NWSOFA
It’s time to Act .. It Is Time To Get Involved
Over the years the American Citizens have lost their voices, believing that we can not make a difference. We have been beat down by the constant droning noise of the conservative right. This onslaught has made us like sheep .. afraid to express our views. Not anymore! OFA gives us back our voices and by working together we are making change one issue at a time. Together we can and will make a difference.
Thank You to our NWSOFA Issue Leads in 2013 !!
Just Click on the Photo to link the NWSOFA e-magazines daily & archived articles
