ACORN

ACORN, Clean Water for North Carolina, NCPIRG, and NCWARN joined by AARP and others to announce and support an energy and money saving alternative.

What: As families struggle to pay escalating energy bills, they need real ways to save energy and save money. Utility-led proposals are leaving them with few options. Join us as we present an update on the Duke Energy Save-a-Watt hearing, point out who is getting left behind and why it matters, and announce a new action taken at the Utilities Commission.

When: Monday, August 18, 12:15 p.m.

Where: In front of the Archdale Building trellis, off 512 Salisbury Street, facing Halifax Mall and the General Assembly

This past week, a coalition of progressive groups gathered in Columbus, Ohio to make the people's voices heard on the subject of affordable Healthcare.

This group included
SEIU,ACORN,Progress Ohio,UHCAN (Universal Health Care Action Network),SPAN (Single Payer Action Network),Justice for Janitors, and Gamaliel affiliates AMOS and NOAH

Speakers:
Bruce Colburn, SEIU
Brian Rothenberg, ProgressOhio.org
Stephanie Beck Borden, Gamaliel/AMOS
Cathy Levine and Christine Conroy UHCAN Ohio.

Hattip to Lorraine Bieber of Progress Ohio

At the same time, the insurance industry's spokes people were placing the blame on the providers and the people were not buying it.

AHIP (American's Health Insurance Plan) finally met with some frustrated citizens who have seen too many denials to healthcare claims.

Keep reading, unless you have had been supported by government paid healthcare.

North Carolina needs a state earned income tax credit. Our low income working families bear a larger local tax burden as a percentage of income than our wealthy residents. A state earned income tax credit would help ease this burden and return money to our working families that they in turn would put back into our economy. A rally Saturday in Charlotte kicked off an effort by ACORN and Working Families Win to fight for a state earned income tax credit.

According to a BTC Brief by the NC Justice Center:

Low-income North Carolina workers pay a greater share of their income in state and local taxes than any other group. In 2003, after adjusting for the federal offset, the bottom 20 percent of North Carolina taxpayers paid 10.9 percent of their incomes in state and local taxes while the top 1 percent of taxpayers paid only 6.3 percent.

Please follow below the fold....

Working Families Win and ACORN held a kick-off rally Saturday, April 14, for their campaign to promote the implementation of an earned income tax credit in the state of North Carolina. Several elected officials were there to speak and between 20 and 30 enthusiastic supporters cheered them on.

Many of those supporters were at the Police Athletic League to take advantage of another service offered through ACORN. PAL had been chosen as a free tax preparation site by ACORN. Benita Little, the Executive Director of PAL was gracious in her welcome and thanked ACORN for choosing PAL as a site for the tax prep service. According to Little, the families that had taken advantage of the free tax service at PAL had collectively received almost $150,000 back through the federal EITC.

Find out more below the fold....