I'm writing on behalf of the Borgen Project- a seattle based non profit organization working to bring political attention to severe poverty. You can learn more about our organization through theborgenproject.org.

As you will see we have created the Global Poverty Act which has passed in the House and now we're trying to pass in the Senate. The way you can help is severly important and takes only thirty seconds to help pass this act.

We need roughly a dozen people (however the more the merrier) in New Hampshire to call Senator Sununu's office at (603) 647- 7500 and simply tell the staffer on the phone: “I’m a Borgen Project supporter and I would like the Senator to cosponsor the Global Poverty Act.” People can also email his office here:

sununu.senate.gov.

If you and your members can make the call or shoot an email it would greatly help the cause. You can see here (sample call log on right) how political offices tally each call and why it’s so important. Thank you so much for your consideration and let me know if I can answer any questions.
Thank you,

Candice Hays
The Borgen Project
theborgenproject.org

For Immediate Release

Bi-Partisan Legislation Is Aimed at Helping Small Businesses Better Afford Health Insurance For Their Employees

CONCORD - In an effort to help New Hampshire small businesses better afford health insurance for their workers, Gov. John Lynch today urged the Senate Commerce, Labor and Consumer Protection committee to support legislation implementing the New Hampshire HealthFirst initiative.

Gov. Lynch unveiled the proposal, which will help reduce costs by making wellness insurance plans available to small businesses, during his State of the State Address last month.

"With this legislation, we are working to help New Hampshire small businesses better afford health insurance coverage for their workers," Gov. Lynch said. "New Hampshire HealthFirst is aimed at giving small businesses access to the same types of innovations that large employers, including state government, are using as part of their efforts to control the growth in their health care costs, which will help keep workers healthier and keep health insurance in reach of employers."

Dear Friends,

Today I'm announcing with regret my withdrawal from the campaign to represent New Hampshire in the US Senate. I remain committed to the goals of our campaign, but I do not have the financial resources needed to campaign full-time for the next nine months, which is what would be required to beat John Sununu.

I would like to thank all the people who have volunteered their time, money, and energy to support the campaign. I'm proud that our campaign has brought the need for an Apollo Program for Energy to the forefront of the Senate debate here in New Hampshire, and I’m going to continue to work for the issues that have been the foundation of our campaign, including:

• Promoting the awareness that America’s energy policy is crucial to our national security and economy as well as to our environment.
• Keeping our nation a leader in the global economy by investing in education, supporting science and technology research and development, and providing affordable, portable health care for all Americans.
• Eliminating the excessive power of special interests in our political process.

Congresswoman Shea-Porter Votes to Override President’s Veto of Children’s Health Care Bill
Congress Faces Off with President
New Hampshire Denied Funds to Cover More Children

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter voted today to override President Bush’s veto of a bill increasing funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which is known as the Healthy Kids program in New Hampshire. Although a wide majority of the members of the House voted in favor of the bipartisan legislation, supporters were not able to get the two-thirds necessary to override the President’s veto.

Today’s vote was part of an ongoing battle between Congress and the President over spending on children’s health insurance. SCHIP is supported by some of the most conservative members of Congress, by 43 governors, 270 independent organizations and 81% of the American public. Yet, the President has twice vetoed the bipartisan proposals to reform SCHIP.

Come ring in the Iowa caucus vote with progressive political author Glenn Hurowitz.

Glenn will be speaking at RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth, NH on Thursday, Jan. 3rd, 2008 at 7 p.m. His new book, "Fear and Courage in the Democratic Party," challenges Democrats to show more political courage and embrace confrontation.

The first weekend in November, Granite State Independent Living, along with a half dozen sponsors and over two dozen supporting organizations, held a bi-partisan presidential candidate forum in Manchester, New Hampshire. Perhaps because some of the Republican candidates hadn't yet committed themselves, only two were invited and only John McCain actually participated via a conference call. Perhaps Rudolph Giuliani, having struggled to overcome some significant disabilities without, apparently, much success, decided that bragging about things he hadn't actually done would not go over well before such an audience.

Although the Presidential Candidates Forum for some 600 attendees was hosted by Granite State Independent Living and some 28 co-sponsoring organizations on behalf of Americans with "disabilities," the goals of Equality, Opportunity and Access obviously apply to all Americans and, after listening to some of the presentations, it was hard not to conclude that every single one of us has some disability, or lack of talent/competence, which we would not want to limit our full participation in the affairs of our communities and nation.

Jim Wallis tells NH audiences: Creating change requires more than your vote

Progressive Evangelical leader calls on NH voters to create a political movement to address poverty, AIDS, global warming

DURHAM – (Oct. 16, 2007) The Rev. Jim Wallis last night challenged people of all faiths, as well as those who consider themselves “spiritual, but not religious,” to create a movement to address the major global issues of our time, including poverty, AIDS, genocide and global warming.

Wallis told a crowd of about 200 people in Dartmouth College's Rollins Chapel Monday night that “people of faith should be the ultimate swing voters,” who use their moral compasses to evaluate candidates. But he also cautioned that regardless of where the next U.S. President stands on these issues, he or she will not be able to solve them without “a social movement pushing them from the outside to make it happen.”

“Power concedes nothing without a demand,” he said, quoting abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 18, 2007

State Children’s Health Insurance Program offers hope to millions of children who wouldn’t otherwise have access to quality care

(Concord, NH) – New Hampshire Citizens Alliance, a USAction affiliate, applauded Reps. Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes for their votes Thursday to override President Bush’s veto of a bill to renew and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. The House missed its chance to override the veto, even though the plan would have guaranteed 10 million children access to quality, affordable health care. The vote was just 13 short of the number needed for an override.

“Reps. Shea-Porter’s and Hodes’s votes for SCHIP are votes in favor of quality, affordable health care for all children in America,” said Jerry Sorlucco, member of the board of directors of New Hampshire Citizens Alliance. “We applaud Representatives Shea-Porter and Hodes for standing with their constituents for this investment in America’s future.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"There is a huge difference between what the President values and what the American people value"

WASHINGTON, DC- New Hampshire's Second District Congressman Paul Hodes released the following statement today on Congress's failure to override President Bush's veto of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Act:

"The tally of today's vote is incredibly disappointing, but it makes three things clear.

1) There is a huge difference between what the President values and what the American people value. To the President and his allies in Congress, $190 billion this year for the war in Iraq is a necessity, but $35 billion to provide health care to uninsured children is an extravagance.

2) President Bush may be dismally unpopular with most Americans, but he is still revered by his supporters in Congress. Today they chose to carry out his will instead of the 81% of Americans who support SCHIP. They chose to carry out his will instead of helping uninsured children get to the doctor. If there was any question where their loyalties lie, they've made it clear today.

For Immediate Release

CONCORD - Gov. John Lynch today issued the following statement regarding the U.S. House's failure to override President Bush's veto of reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program:

"Ensuring children have access to quality, affordable health care is the smart thing to do and the moral thing to do. I am deeply disappointed in the failure to override the President's veto of the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, despite the broad bipartisan support for this program.

"No parent in New Hampshire should have to worry about being able to afford to take a sick child to the doctor. No sick child should go without health care. And no child should go without preventative health care. That is why in this state budget, we made it a priority to make it possible to enroll another 10,000 children in our Healthy Kids' Children's Health Insurance Program over the next three years.

"I am going to keep fighting for the thousands of children currently enrolled in our Healthy Kids Children's Health Insurance Program, and for all the New Hampshire children who need access to quality health insurance," Gov. Lynch said.

While hospitals increasingly focus on being "consumer" friendly, they seem to be hosting some particularly unfriendly critters.

Deadly Bacteria Found to Be More Common

SOURCE--NYTimes

By KEVIN SACK Published: October 17, 2007

ATLANTA, Oct. 16 — Nearly 19,000 people died in the United States in 2005 after being infected with virulent drug-resistant bacteria that have spread rampantly through hospitals and nursing homes, according to the most thorough study of the disease’s prevalence ever conducted.

This weekend during John Edwards’ trip to New Hampshire he spoke with voters and answered questions on a wide range of topics – everything from the recent vote on Iran to his detailed plans on how to overhaul No Child Left Behind. There was one topic, however, that really stood out. With the threat of President Bush's veto of the recently passed S-CHIP legislation hanging in the air, health care was a hot topic. Over and over again voters asked the question: Why, do we, the richest country in the world, not have the universal health care we need? This weekend at New Hampshire town halls and house parties across the state John addressed this issue and explained exactly why so many American's are still without health care - because Bush and his GOP cronies sold Americans' health care to drug company and health insurance lobbyists.

Dr. Jay Buckey, candidate for the United States Senate from New Hampshire knows about health care. He's a doctor, after all. But, he says "single payer," the terminology, not the idea, is mistaken. Because, as he, I think correctly, points out, we all pay for health care, whether through taxes, insurance, co-pays or out-of-pocket, and that's not really going to change. What we want to do is make sure everybody gets health care and the administration of the payments is more efficient. What we want is for the money to go to health care; not paperwork or middlemen.