Protect Health Insurance Incentives for Employers Petition

President Bush is considering eliminating the business tax deduction for employer-provided health insurance. Why would the President take away this important tax incentive for health insurance for working people? Unfortunately, it’s so that he can pay for more tax breaks for the wealthy. The tax code probably could use some cleaning-up. but it is short-sighted and wrong to eliminate a major tax incentive for workers’ health insurance simply to give the wealthy more tax breaks. ALL Americans deserve quality, affordable health care! There are 45 million uninsured people in America – 8.5 million of the uninsured are children.

Protest Bush Administration’s Misuse of Science

What do 60 of the world’s most influential scientists, including 20 Nobel laureates, 19 recipients of the National Medal of Science and two former Republican presidential advisors, have in common?
They all agree that the Bush administration has systematically distorted scientific fact to meet its political goals on issues ranging from military intelligence to health to the environment and more. According to these scientists, President Bush and his administration have

1) deliberately stacked advisory panels with political appointees
2) censored and disregarded government scientists and reports when they conflict with the administration’s political goals
3) disbanded scientific panels whose advice conflicted with Bush administration policies.

Even worse, a recent Pentagon report leaked to the British press predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. Thus far, the President has skirted all global attempts to curb the phenomenon and until recently denied that global warming was real. Help maintain public trust in sound science and its implementation in public policy. Urge your representatives to insist that congressional science committees investigate.

It’s time for a real debate on “moral values”

Post-election conventional wisdom is telling us the “moral values” issues of gay marriage and abortion won the election for President Bush. But progressive Christians and moderate Americans have moral values too – not everyone defines their faith by divisive wedge issues like gay marriage and abortion.

A post-election poll conducted by Zogby International confirmed that American voters have a far broader definition of “moral values” than the far-right would like us to believe. When asked which “moral issue most influenced your vote,” 42% of respondents chose the war in Iraq, while only 13% said abortion and 9% said same-sex marriage.

Clearly, the American people realize that issues such as poverty, war, and social justice are moral values. Why doesn’t the leadership of our two major parties recognize this too? Sign this petition to tell the Republican and Democratic parties that we want leadership that shares our full range of “moral values.” America needs real moral leadership on the critical faith issues of war and peace, poverty, and social justice.