You Can End Gun Violence

113th Congress

Photo credit to Google Free Images

These are the people who represent you; you are the people who need to voice your opinion. Congress is out of session for the next two weeks, and when they return they will be voting on gun legislation.

Each day more people die. If you want to know how many people have died in the United States since the tragedy at Newtown, Slate.com is keeping a current Gun-Death count.

Now is the time to fight for universal background checks. Now is the time to reduce high capacity gun clips. Now is the time to stop the sale of assault weapons. Now is the time to make your voice heard. Join the fight to end gun violence by signing the petition put forth by Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Contact your elected officials, and have your voice heard.

Usually, I end my posts with a quote. Today, I also ask you to take the time to hear the voices of family members speaking about the loss of their loved ones to gun violence. I hope it will inspire you to act now.

“I would not have bought a gun for Eric and Dylan if I had had to give any personal information or submit to any kind of check at all.” -Robyn Anderson, friend who bought guns at a local gun show for the Columbine shooters.

“Five brave UltraViolet members came to Washington, DC to talk about family members they’ve lost to gun violence, and they have an important message for Congress: it’s time to end gun violence.” -Ultraviolet Action

There is Still Time to Rise Up Against Income Inequality

Income in America Out of Balance

“A Harvard business prof and a behavioral economist recently asked more than 5,000 Americans how they thought wealth is distributed in the United States. Most thought that it’s more balanced than it actually is. Asked to choose their ideal distribution of wealth, 92% picked one that was even more equitable.” -Mother Jones Article: It’s the Inequality, Stupid

Obviously, our system is broken, but there is still time to fix it by rising up against income equality. It’s important to take the time to contact your elected officials, speak with your neighbors, and advocate with and for our communities. Together we can fight against the rising income equality in our country, and a way to start is by speaking up in support of living wage initiatives, and signing petitions such as the “Time for a Raise” Petition.

Once upon a time, the benefits of American life were bountiful, but our unions are being trounced upon by corporate interests. Full-time workers are living in poverty while corporations are getting subsidies, and taxpayers are picking up the tab for all of it.

So, please start your own raise awareness campaign:
-Support living wage initiatitives
-Invest in products made in the USA
-Support unions, local businesses, and artisans
-Contact your elected officials, and speak about the lack of job investments

Lastly, I want to thank you for your activism; it’s important that we all do what we can to extinguish apathetic tendencies, and promote opposition to income inequality in order to have equal opportunity for us all.

“There can be no peace as long as there is grinding poverty, social injustice, inequality, oppression, environmental degradation, and as long as the weak and small continue to be trodden by the mighty and powerful.”
-Tenzin Gyatso, The 14th Dalai Lama quotes (Dalai Lama, b.1935)