Moms Rising helps you "welcome" Paul Ryan to the House Speakership by telling him to prioritize keeping the Earned Income Tax Credit (or EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (or CTC) strong. That means keeping them both at the levels set by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (i.e., "the stimulus"). Rep. Ryan is on the record as a supporter of the EITC and CTC -- why, he has even used the word "ownership" in expressing his support for these tax credits! -- so a "change of heart" in this matter would make him seem (more!) like just another politician who talks a good game but plays his paymasters' game. And as Speaker of the House, he now has a lot more power to decide what legislation gets a vote and what legislation languishes in committee purgatory. Since over 60 million families depend on the EITC and the CTC -- including one of every four current or former military families -- he may want to give this matter the appropriate amount of urgency. Hopefully he will not follow the lead of some Republicans who want to extend the EITC and the CTC to wealthier families who don't really need it.
Meanwhile, some agricultural concerns are still using wastewater from fracking operations to irrigate their crops, including food you might eat. Someone thought this was their only option to get through a drought, and I can't entirely blame them. But someone else thought this was a terrific way to make money off of wastewater, and I can blame them. The USDA has not, apparently, ruled on whether organic farmers can still call their food organic if they're using this crap on their crops, so the Sierra Club helps you tell the USDA to revise organic food standards to exclude oil-based wastewater. Organic food already must be devoid of conventional pesticides and fertilizers based on oil and sewage sludge, so your organic food shouldn't be treated with oil-based wastewater, either. Even well-meaning folks will no doubt tell me that we have to let organic farmers do this or they'll die out. Unfortunately, that's a hostage situation, and I don't do hostage situations, particularly where your food is concerned. Moreover, we have other policy choices available to us -- like not letting big agricultural corporations get "too big to fail."
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