Edit to add link:
http://ga3.org/campaign/new_americaThe misery we all witnessed in New Orleans broke our hearts. The heroism of first responders and National Guard and volunteers and the perseverance of Gulf Coasters have stirred us again. But the backdrop for all of this is that the people in charge, the people who make the priorities and decide the agenda in the White House and in Congress, have been so callous in the last two weeks. It is troubling, but sadly it is not surprising. The Republican leadership has been disregarding the poor for decades, and the President's slow, indecisive response to this disaster - a disaster that came down hardest on the poorest people of the region - is a reminder of the immeasurable suffering that results from this disregard. It has to stop, and it can.
It can if people like you continue to sign the New America Initiative. So far the response has been tremendous; thank you again for pledging your support. If we can add more signatures to the initiative, President Bush and Republicans in Congress won't be able to turn their backs any longer.
Pledge your support for our New America Initiative.
This disaster can awaken the best in our country. We need to start by acknowledging that thirty-seven million Americans - most of them from working families - live in poverty every day, and we need to empower our nation so that we can do something about it.
Through our New America Initiative, we would not only rebuild the devastated Gulf; we would help the victims of this disaster rebuild their lives. Working together with local organizations, we would do the critical work of rebuilding the Gulf and the region - rebuilding homes, repairing infrastructure, and restoring hope across the region. But instead of doing that work with contractors from outside, we'd do it with the community members who have lost so much. We'd not only give them good jobs with benefits; we'd give them the skills and know-how so they can get better jobs in years to come.
Right now our national community is focused on immediate needs, like food and shelter. And we need to be. But we also need to provide a chance to start over and to make life better than it was before. Our New America Initiative is one way to get that process started.
Pledge your support for our New America Initiative.
We cannot expect that the Republican Congress or White House will come up with a plan that has the interests of all Americans in mind. In both their long-standing policies and their response to this disaster, their disregard and callousness have been painfully evident. Grover Norquist, a seminal thinker among the Republican leadership, has said that he wants government to be so weak that he could "drown it in a bathtub." That image is searing today. And he is wrong; we need a government strong enough to protect our people and to ensure hope and opportunity for all Americans, not just the wealthy.
Pledge your support for our New America Initiative.
The thousands of people living along the Gulf Coast need help in two major ways: they need the opportunity to get back on their feet, and they need funding, training, and assistance so that they can rebuild the communities they've lost. Our New America Initiative takes on both of these challenges at once, and it does so by empowering those Americans who have worked and suffered in the shadows of the American dream for too long.
Thank you again for stepping forward and telling President Bush that you want to see this New America Initiative in action, and thank you for taking this opportunity to encourage your friends to join us. If our nation acts strongly in response to this crisis, the people of the Gulf Coast can show their strength.
- Elizabeth
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