Don't Let Massachusetts Act Like Arizona

[Ian David]

Don't Let Massachusetts Act Like Arizona

Want to express your opposition to the Massachusetts Senate's budget
amendment -- that ill-advised, unfair "get tough on immigrants" measure that would put costly new burdens on individual citizens and
non-citizens alike, as well as on private businesses and government operations?

Please contact your state Representative and ask that she or he sign on
to the letter to the Speaker of the House opposing the Senate amendment
and asking that the amendment NOT be part of the final budget
legislation.

A telephone call is most effective. Here's what to do:

1. If you don't know who your representative is, look it up at wheredoivotema.com;

2. Get your Representative's direct contact information;

3. Ask your Representative to sign the letter to the Speaker of the House opposing the harmful, anti-immigrant proposals in Senate Amendment number 172.1. If you'd like, use the outline below;

4. Your representative can sign on to that letter by contacting Mark Kennedy (617-722-2210), [e-mail], in Rep. Denise Provost’s office.

* Hello, my name is _____. I am calling about immigrant issues in the state budget.

* I am a constituent from ______.

* I am calling to ask Rep. ______ to sign on to a letter to the Speaker of the House opposing the senate budget amendment package that would waste money, unfairly target immigrants, and harm citizens, too.
o The amendment would require that all businesses verify work authorization using a system that has been shown to have a lot mistakes. Businesses in 123 cities and towns that lack high speed internet access wouldn’t be able to use the system and would be subject to penalties and barred from all contracts with the state.
o The amendment would require the attorney general to investigate every report, no matter how unreliable, that a person is working without work authorization—a huge waste of the attorney general's resources.
o The amendment would require citizens to provide paper proof of citizenship for unemployment benefits. This means that the state would no longer be able to process claims on the telephone and state costs would go up.

* Please contact Mark Kennedy (617-722-2210), [e-mail], in Rep. Denise Provost’s office.

Please call your Representative now! The House and Senate are
negotiating over the next few days about the terms of the budget. Then, email us to let us know that you took action.

The House should stand up for fairness and reject the Senate provisions.

More:
http://www.aclum.org/action/imm10.php

[Kat45]

1. My Senator voted against it.

I was just reading his email update. He said the amendment was rushed, with nobody having adequate time to even read it.

[cleveramerican]

2. thanks for the info... but

in my experience, a letter has more impact than a phone call.

typewritten with a return address from their district always gets your point across best.

[No Elephants]

5. Sadly, most voters can't be arsed to do more than email, if that. I think, if anyone

hears from enough of us, hopefully with anything more than an online petition, we're lucky.

[Arkana]

3. My Senator is Steve Brewer, and his constituency is liberal enough

that I don't think he'd even consider it.

My rep is this short, fiery little lesbian named Anne Gobi--I've met her a few times and she's awesome. If she votes for it I'll convert to Islam.

[No Elephants]

6. I would never risk silence if I cared about an issue. Hell, I wrote Kennedy about health care

reform, even though he called it "the cause of my life" and wrote a bill.

You have to show them the loudmouths on the right are not the majority of their constituents.

No matter how liberal politicians may be, they ALL seem to convince themselves that the state (or town or nation or world), not to mention their own affairs, will be much better off if they are re-elected--and most seem to allow that belief to guide their votes more than any other belief.

[polmaven]

4. Join Wednesday's march on the State House

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=158x16101

We would love to have you!