For Immediate Release
December 20, 2006

Contact: Jesse Graham, MPA Associate Director, (207) 990-0672

Groups Launch Change America Now (CAN) Campaign as Part of Major National Effort to Pass 100 Hour Agenda in New Congress

Campaign Calls On Maine’s Congressional Delegation to Support the CAN 100 Hour Agenda, including Raising the Minimum Wage, Making College Affordable, Repealing Big Oil Tax Breaks/Investing in Alternative Energy, and Allowing Medicare to Negotiate
Lower Rx Drug Costs for Seniors

PORTLAND – The Maine People’s Alliance was joined today at Portland City Hall by the Maine Center for Economic Policy, The Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club and the League of Young Voters to launch a new campaign in Maine called Change America Now (CAN).  Change America Now is a massive, national campaign effort being mounted by nearly 40 organizations in 31 states to pass the economic elements of the 100 Hour legislative agenda through Congress as outlined by incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Change America Now is supporting legislation which would increase the minimum wage, lift the prohibition on Medicare negotiating with pharmaceutical companies for lower prescription drug prices as part of the Part D prescription drug plan, cut the interest rate on student loans in half to make college more affordable and end tax breaks for big oil companies and invest the savings in alternative sources of energy. The CAN campaign called on all members of Maine’s Congressional delegation to support CAN’s 100 Hour Agenda.

“All boats should rise with the tide, not just the yachts. Under President Bush and conservative rule in Washington, a reverse Robin Hood effect has dramatically shifted the distribution of wealth and power in America from the poor and the middle class to the wealthiest of Americans and corporate America,” said Jesse Graham, Associate Director of the Maine People’s Alliance.   “In the November election, Americans demanded change. We would like to ask all of our Congressional delegation to be a strong voice for these important initiatives and help return the nation to the type of broad economic prosperity that gave rise to the concept of the ‘American Dream.’”

The CAN 100 Hour Agenda:

• Increasing the Minimum Wage: “Congress has failed to increase the national minimum wage since 1997, the longest span with out an increase since the minimum wage was first implemented. It has dipped to its lowest level in 50 years when adjusted for inflation.  Workers earning only the minimum wage will only make $10,700 over the next year, just $1,055 above the 2004 poverty threshold,” said Ed Cervone of the Maine Center for Economic Policy.  CAN supports legislation that would raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over two years
• Repealing Tax Breaks for Big Oil and Investing in Alternative Energy: “America’s dependence on oil has become a great threat to our nation’s economic and national security. The big oil companies have raked in record profits at a time when half of low-income households could not afford last year’s heating bills. Meanwhile, the cost of regular unleaded gasoline grew by 58 percent from 2000 to 2005. The CAN Campaign supports legislation to roll back the multi-billion dollar subsides to the Big Oil companies and reinvest them into the clean, renewable energy technologies that will reduce oil consumption, improve efficiency and reliability, and make energy environmentally friendly,” said Glen Brand of the Maine Sierra Club.
• Eliminating the Prohibition on Medicare Negotiating with Drug Companies for Lower Prices: “The Bush Part D Rx drug program was written by and for the big drug companies, not for America’s seniors.  Part D was written with a provision that specifically forbids the government from negotiating lower drug prices.  CAN supports legislation that would require Medicare to use its purchasing power to negotiate lower prices, just as the Veterans Administration (VA) has done successfully for years,” Said Jesse Graham from the Maine People’s Alliance.
• Cutting the Interest Rates on Student Loans in Half: Over a decade of conservative rule has resulted in rising tuition costs, decreased financial aid, and higher interest rates on loans.  Tuition costs are rising far faster than inflation while real wages have been stagnant. The average cost of tuition at a public college has increased 42 percent, but median household income has fallen 2 percent. CAN supports legislation to slash interest rates on college loans in half to 3.4% for students and 4.25% for parents—saving the average student borrower $5,600. "A lot can happen in 100 hours.  Over this amount of time my student loans accrue approximately $19 in interest under the current regime.  In the same 100 hours, the incoming Congress can keep their campaign promises and enact Speaker Pelosi's 100 Hour Agenda.  Doing so would slash, in half, the interest rates on my $40,000 of student loans and save me over $18,000 in interest over the lifetime of my loan."   said Brian Hiatt from the  League of Young Voters.

The Change America Now campaign is seeking to pass these priorities with large bipartisan majorities in the House of Representatives in an effort to build momentum for passage in a closely divided U.S. Senate and to apply sufficient pressure on President Bush to sign them into law.  In addition, the Change America Now campaign is uniting progressive voices from across America to champion these issues and pass them into law as a down payment on advancing a broader agenda for American families in a number of areas including jobs and wages, healthcare, the environment and education.  CAN will utilize high intensity ‘grassroots’ campaign tactics to convince Members of Congress to support the 100 Hour Agenda, including: aggressive press events at Members’ offices, town hall meetings, demonstrations, petition drives, phone banking, and Op-Eds/Letters to the Editor in local markets.  All Americans who want change now are invited to visit www.CANCampaign.com where they can participate in the first major grassroots action of this campaign by sending an online ‘CAN Gram’ to their Representative calling on them to support the CAN 100 Hour Agenda.  The CAN Campaign goal is to deliver half a million ‘CAN Grams’ to Members before December 31st.

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