federal

Two-thirds of voters (67%) say "making the tax system more fair" was a "very" or "fairly important consideration in making [their] voting decisions this year," according to a new poll released today by Hart Research Associates on behalf of Americans for Tax Fairness.

MPA recently released the results of a public opinion survey question commissioned through the Maine People's Resource Center on a proposal to give people credit for work done caring for children and family members with disabilities when calculating their Social Security benefits. 67.5% of those surveyed favored the idea, with 38.7% expressing strong support for the proposal and only 10.6% strongly opposed. The poll of 475 likely voters has a margin of error of 4.5%, 95 times out of 100. 

The Affordable Care Act, sometimes called Obamacare, has done great things for Maine by eliminating some of the very worst practices of private insurance companies. So far in Maine 7,329 young adults have gained insurance coverage on their parent’s plans, 12,865 seniors on Medicare received a $250 rebate check to cover the cost of prescriptions, 187,251 people with Medicare received free preventative services or a free annual wellness visit with their doctor, and 226,000 people with private health insurance gained preventative service coverage with no cost-sharing.

In April the Maine People’s Alliance, in conjunction with groups across the country, educated and trained thousands of people on direct action and the roots of the economic crisis.  The trainings, dubbed the “99% Spring,” sought to train 100,000 people in the span of a week. 

MPA is proud to be a member of the Maine Fair Trade Campaign. This year, MPA is working to protect Maine businesses and workers from the Trans-Pacific Free Trade Agreement (FTA), a massive international trade pact supported by the U.S. government that would work in the favor of transnational corporations at the expense of American workers. If it continues on its current course, the Trans-Pacific FTA will make it easier for corporations to shift jobs to countries where labor and environmental regulations are weakest and most exploited.

Organization Launches Petition Citing Conflict of Interest, History of Voter Intimidation 

"Charlie Summers should resign his position as Secretary of State," said Maine People's Alliance Executive Director Jesse Graham. "Summers should resign not just because of the conflict of interest inherent in overseeing his own election, but because of his history of voter intimidation and suppression." 

President Obama’s recent State of the Union address, again reminded the nation why we need bold investments in the economy to lift millions of Americans out of poverty, out of unemployment and toward a future where all have enough to thrive.

Maine People’s Alliance members are joining with thousands of others across America to confront those who are undermining America's economic recovery and democracy.  As part of an ongoing anti-big bank campaign, they delivered a letter this month to Bank of America (BofA) in Portland to warn the national bank that they will engage in protests at the corporate shareholder meetings of BofA and other unaccountable financial institutions.

Ten years ago, President George W. Bush signed into law a $1.35 trillion tax cut primarily benefiting the wealthiest Americans and plunging our country into massive debt. Bush’s tax cuts have exacerbated the divide between the super-wealthy and the rest of us. Today, 1% of Americans now control 40% of the nation’s wealth. Millionaires and corporations are paying less in taxes than they ever have before.