Susan G. Komen has received a huge backlash from the public and, in an amazing show of support, Planned Parenthood has received over $400,000 in donations since the news broke. Last year, Komen’s grant to Planned Parenthood totaled $680,000 (none of New York City’s Planned Parenthood locations received Komen funding). Several Komen state  affiliates have condemned Komen’s decision and in the Daily News, a Denver affiliate said they “are working hard on a local level to make sure this partnership stays intact, because we know how important these services are to the medically underserved women.”

In New York City, Council Speaker Christine Quinn said:
“Planned Parenthood helps tens of thousands of women nationwide identify breast cancer early when there is the best chance of successful treatment … Komen has been a trusted leader in the fight against breast cancer for many years. I’m disappointed that an organization which has done so much good for women and their health has capitulated to anti-choice ideologues and made a terribly damaging decision.”

Komen has sacrificed women’s health for politics. What can you do to help?

Sign this petition in support of Planned Parenthood.

If you have the means, donate to Planned Parenthood.

Get the word out! My Facebook and Twitter feeds are full of people voicing their support for Planned Parenthood. Join the discussion!

Interested in women’s issues? Join the MYD Women’s Issues Committee! Our next meeting is February 13th at 7 p.m. at our favorite Starbucks (Park Avenue at 29th Street). Email women@gomyd.com.

The Manhattan Young Democrats have been vocal in our opposition to this practice for years.  Click HERE to read the MYD Environmental Committee’s 2009 policy paper on the issue.

While it is heartening to see so many New Yorkers voice their opposition to hydrofracking, we still have a long way to go:

…barring an abrupt change of heart by Cuomo, it’s expected the DEC will move to finalize regulations and could begin issuing permits for hydrofracking sometime next year.

To get involved in MYD’s campaign against hydrofracking, join the Environmental and Animal Welfare Committee.

Many Voices, One Goal: Supporting a Living Wage in NYC

When: Tonight November 21st

Where: Riverside Church (490 Riverside Drive – take the 1 train to 125th Street)

Time: Doors open at 5:30pm, Program starts at 6pm

Contact: Ahmed – vp@gomyd.com

In 2008-2009, when the downturn began to show how truly in trouble we were, our elected officials decided on a course of action that infused our economy with tax-payer money to prop up the financial market, stem the collapse of the auto industry (and thousands of its connected vendors) and pay to keep teachers behind desks and police officers on the street. Personally I supported these stimulus measures because I understood this was a necessary investment by the federal government of public dollars to reduce the pain the crash was inflicting on American communities nationwide.

Viewing local public subsidies in the same light is why I support the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act or otherwise known as the Living Wage Bill. The legislation would require any developer who takes over $1 million in tax payer subsidies to create jobs that paid no less than $10 an hour with benefits or $11.50 without benefits. It’s important to be clear about one point – if a developer doesn’t ask the public to invest a critical stake in their project then this law does not apply and they are free to make decisions on equitable wages as they wish. But millions of dollars that are distributed each year in subsidies with the intention of being used for economic development is the public’s money and should be subject to our input. If that is true then we have to ask ourselves if supporting job creation where people are working 40 hour weeks and still living below the poverty line is actually a wise investment in the long-term.

The public has decided in many instances that poverty-wage jobs are a waste of tax-payer dollars and proof that it works can be found across the country. In 2007, there were approximately 140 living wage ordinances in place throughout the United States. Additionally, as a result of ballot initiatives, twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia, representing nearly 70 percent of the total U.S. population, maintain minimum wage standards above those set by the federal minimum wage (taken from: A Measure of Fairness: The Economics of Living Wages and Minimum Wages in the United States – Jan 2008) According to Labor scholar Stephanie Luce the bill has led to increased, though modest, improvements while resulting in “higher worker morale and more productive employees.”

Its also important to note that the current bill involved ideas from workers and business as the drafters listened to the concerns of small businesses and local industry when they included protections like excluding manufacturing firms, companies with less than $5 million in annual revenue and those that receive less than $1 million in city subsidies. In addition the requirement would only be the first 10 years after they receive any subsidies. All parties these provisions answer many of the oppositions issues with the bill and still allows it to focus on reversing the most egregious cases of wasted public investment.

If this is something that makes sense to you, tonight hundreds are gathering at Riverside Church starting at 6:30pm to send a clear message to our elected officials as to how important passing this bill is for all of us. As a coalition for change we are saying that in this time of austerity and dwindling resources we may not have much we can use to fight inequality but the tools we do have as tax-payers, like the terms we dictate for giving out our money, should be used to create good jobs that pay a decent wage.

Hope to see you tonight !

Hollaback!, a movement dedicated to ending street harassment using mobile technology, chronicles many women’s stories of being harassed in New York City on its website. By collecting these stories and pictures, Hollaback! has created a crowd-sourced initiative to end the silence and combat street harassment.

Join the discussion on Monday, December 5th at 7 p.m. at Hunter College: “Talking Back: Facing Gender Violence on NYC Transit” will feature a panel discussion including Jerin Afria, Chair of the National Organization for Women (NOW) Young Feminist Task Force;  Emily May, Co-founder and Executive Director of Hollaback!; and Susan Moesker, Coordinator of Community Violence Prevention at the Center for Anti-Violence Education. City Councilmember Jessica Lappin (Manhattan District 5) has also been invited. John Jay College sociology professor Gail Garfield will moderate the discussion.

The title says it all but you can read more about here. If one or both of your Senators are among the 6, call and thank them. If they are not; call and lambaste them. Phone numbers are here.

The YCP is dedicated to reducing hunger while promoting dignity and self-sufficiency.  YCP champions the cause of the hungry through food pantry and meal distribution programs, nutrition education, basic hygiene services, homeless support, and related services. YCP’s community based programs focus on East Harlem and other underserved communities throughout New York City.

Under H.R. 358, dubbed the “Protect Life Act” and sponsored by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), hospitals that don’t want to provide abortions could refuse to do so, even for a pregnant woman with a life-threatening complication that requires a doctor terminate her pregnancy.

Oh, but it doesn’t end there.

In addition to changing the rules for hospitals, H.R. 358 would deny federal funding to any health care plan that includes abortion coverage, something that might cause insurance providers to stop covering abortions.

This bill will never be signed into law.  It is nothing more political posturing; red meat for the extreme Right.  While millions of people are unemployed, the GOP is wasting time attacking women’s health yet again!

So what can you do?  First, call 202-730-9001 — you’ll be prepped with talking points and patched through to your Rep’s office.   Then join me this Sunday for a great event in support of Planned Parenthood hosted by the Queens County Young Democrats.

Nearly forty young people gathered to listen as Mr. Berg and YCP’s Executive Director Stephen Grimaldi explained how today over 1 million New Yorkers do not get enough to eat.  That statistic is especially appalling when you consider that New York is home to 62 billionaires with a net worth of over $200 billion!

So what can we do?  As Democrats we need to begin by urging Governor Cuomo to restore funding for social programs that address the problem of hunger in our city and state.  To send a letter directly to the Governor, simply click HERE and fill out your information.  It’s an easy yet effective way to make your voice heard on the issue.

For more information on hunger and food insecurity, you can visit the NYCCAH website.  To make a donation directly to the YCP, click HERE.

In mid- 2010 when State Republicans were not sure how the power pendulum would swing in New York State’s upper house the Senate GOP, lead by Dean Skelos, gave their support for the immediate creation of an independent redistricting commission and progressives saw a huge victory for government reform within reach. However after capturing the majority, those same politicians that cried for transparency proved that their words were as fragile as the paper the pledges they made were printed on and slowly back peddled away after realizing how heavily gerrymandered their districts had to be drawn to get in the position they were. They were further dissuaded to follow through once realizing that their majority was only possible by altering lines to reflect inflated population totals created by counting prisoners in upstate counties where they are incarcerated instead of in the communities where they came from and will most likely return to (an error thankfully corrected with a law eliminating prison gerrymandering in 2010). Some analysts suggested that they could lose up to seven seats if the lines were drawn to reflect this new reality.  So after months of stalling the GOP surprised no one and instead moved along with the same old legislative road show we’ve seen over and over again.

Despite the set backs and energized by Governor Cuomo’s promise to veto any partisan maps that are put on his desk , advocates have refused to be defeated and instead have taken the debate to LATFOR by organizing people to show up to public hearings being held by the legislative taskforce all across the state. They are asking people to give testimonies in their own words stating why they believe “one man, one vote” shouldn’t be manipulated for any elected official’s political gain. The taskforce has already had hearings in Queens and the Bronx with Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island being scheduled for next week.

Manhattan Young Democrats will be participating and are asking anyone who is interested and available to come to the Manhattan hearing on Wednesday September 21st @ 250 Broadway, 9:30am. Please email vp@gomyd.com so you can receive information about where to meet that morning. (Its recommended that you call 212-618-1101 ahead of time to reserve a speaking spot).

Testimonies do not have to be long or elaborate (though preparing something on paper for yourself is always a good thing) – you can simply just say why you believe your neighborhood, your borough, your city or your state deserves a process that isn’t warped by individual ambitions or the casting aside of your community’s geographical, socioeconomic or cultural integrity to meet electoral probability targets.  Redistricting should be about providing fair representation to the people they affect. No more, no less.

If you have any questions or would like to get more information on the work being done to make fair maps a reality in New York visit the ReShape NY coalition at www.reshapeny.org or the Senate Democrat’s site at www.passthepledge.com

If for some reason the link does not work, you can email us directly at secretary@gomyd.com.  We will send you information on where to meet up and when.

After the event you are invited to come to Battery Park and place a message or memento on The WALL OF REMEMBRANCE.