ACT BY OCT 26, 2005 - Stop Right Wing Assault on Non-Profit Groups' Voter Registration Drives!

Action Alert, DailyKos, 10-25-05

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote this week on a Draconian attack on our right to register and vote.

HR 1461 "reforms" Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It includes a section called the Affordable Housing Fund, a very creative measure that gives 5 percent of the profits from these companies in grants to nonprofit and other organizations for the purpose of building or preserving affordable housing. This proposal has bipartisan support, and thousands of community groups have rallied to support it.

Right-wing conservatives have been trying to kill the Affordable Housing Fund since it was proposed. They attached a provision to HR 1461 prohibiting organizations that conduct nonpartisan voter registration drives from receiving any of the Fund's grants.

The bill moves to the House floor for debate on Wednesday (10/26). Amendments will be considered by the Rules Committee starting 4 pm Tuesday.

Contact your Representative TODAY and demand that they oppose this assault on our right to register and vote.

The provision in HR 1461 restricting voter registration was proposed by the Republican Study Committee, an ultra-conservative group of House members. ("Key Democrat calls GSE provision unacceptable," Washington Post, October 19, 2005)

The provision would even cover organizations that helped to register voters during the past year, plus groups that affiliate with organizations that do voter registration. Worse, the proposal extends beyond a simple ban on using Affordable Housing Fund money for voter registration. It bars organizations from using their own funds for voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities.

In other words, if a non-profit community group wants to participate in the Affordable Housing Fund, it cannot get involved in voter registration, even transport voters to the polls. Many housing organizations help residents update their voter registration when they move in. Housing management offices often have registration materials available as a service they provide to their residents.

We should go out of our way to encourage and welcome new voters, especially the poor, elderly and people with disabilities, those who benefit from affordable housing. It's an outrage that some of our leaders would punish nonpartisan nonprofits that register voters, instead of applauding this important work.

Rev. Willie Gable, Executive Vice President of the National Baptist Convention, has called this provision the "Non-Voting Rights Act of 2005." ("Housing Bill Contains A Catch," Minneapolis Star-Tribune, October 21, 2005).

Gable is among leaders of 62 faith-based, housing and other organizations who sent a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) last week urging him to remove the voter registration restrictions before this bill comes to the floor.

You can take action today against this assault on our right to register and vote. Contact your Representative, asking them to oppose this provision. Just follow the below directions.

1. To voice your concerns on this issue via phone, you can call the Capitol Operator toll free at 1-866-864-6483 and ask to be connected with your Representative.

2. Below is a sample form letter. Copy (Ctrl+C) this text into your clipboard.

3. Click here to open a form to send e-mail to your US Representative:

http://www.house.gov/writerep/

4. Paste (Crtl+V) the sample text into the "your message" field on the form.

5. Include your name and address in the requested fields on the form.

SAMPLE FORM LETTER:

Dear Representative ___,

I support the establishment of the Affordable Housing Fund in the GSE legislation, but language that will restrict an organization's right to engage in voter registration/education may be included in H.R. 1461 when it goes to the floor for a vote.

I oppose any language that restricts voter registration and freedom of affiliation by non-profit and public organizations when using their own funds. This language will prevent housing organizations who provide affordable housing for seniors, people with disabilities and low income persons with onsite non-partisan voter registration/education services and the opportunity to engage in the public process. As we are fighting for the opportunity for the citizens in Iraq to participate in a democratic society including the right to vote in their country, our government should not be preventing its own citizens from fully engaging in its own democracy.

I urge you as my Representative to tell House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) to reject these restrictions in the managers amendment and bring the bill to the floor for a vote without this language. If H.R. 1461 is brought to the floor with these restrictions on voter registration intact, please vote no on the bill. You must preserve our right to fully participate in our democracy.

Sincerely,

Name
Address
City, State, Zip

ACT BY SEPT 27, 2005 - Stop Bush's Largest Corporate Donor MBNA from Merging with Bank of America!

Action Alert, DailyKos, 9-22-05

MBNA and Bank of America (BofA) have announced plans to merge. The $35 billion deal would create a combined financial giant with 20% of the U.S. credit card market. In 2004, MBNA surpassed Enron as the single largest donor to George W. Bush. MBNA gave 70% to 80% of its contributions to GOP causes. MBNA took a leading role lobbying for bankruptcy "reform" - recent legislation that will make it much harder for consumers to file for bankruptcy.

Next Tuesday, September 27, the Delaware State Bank Commissioner will hold a public hearing in Wilmington, Delaware on the proposed merger. You can take action today to speak out against this concentration of economic power by two huge financial corporations who use profits earned on the backs of consumers to advance their predatory political agendas.

Send a letter via e-mail asking the Bank Commissioner to oppose this merger, by clicking this link:

http://www.cra-nc.org/bofa_mbna_merger.htm

Let the Bank Commissioner know this merger is bad for consumers and harmful to the democratic and economic health of our country!

The two companies and their employees have given federal candidates and parties nearly $22 million over the past 15 years - making a merged BofA-MBNA America's top corporate contributor (Charlotte Observer, July 7, 2005)

MBNA showered millions on federal candidates (more than 1.5 million in 2004 alone) as it took a leading role lobbying for bankruptcy "reform" - legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Bush on April 20, 2005 that will make it much harder for consumers to file for bankruptcy.

A merged Bank of America-MBNA's credit card division would become the largest in the nation, with 40 million active cardholders and $143.2 billion in outstanding balances - a market share over 20% according to The New York Times, July 2, 2005. If this merger is approved, the top ten credit card issuers would control over 80% of the market. Already, credit card pricing is anything but competitive. While the prime rate fell by 4.5% (from 8.75% in February 2000 to 4.25% in November 2002), the average credit card interest rates fell by only 1.52% during this period (from 14.3% to 12.78%).

BofA's lending record shows disparate treatment of minorities. In Delaware, during 2004 BofA denied applications of African Americans 2.99 times more frequently than whites and Hispanics 3.31 times more frequently than whites. In its home state of North Carolina, BofA in 2004 denied the applications of African Americans 2.11 times more frequently than whites and was 3.19 times more likely to confine African Americans to higher cost / rate spread loans than whites. Nationwide in 2004, for home purchase loans BofA denied applications from Hispanics 2.104 times more frequently than from whites, and non-Hispanic Blacks 2.063 times more frequently than non-Hispanic whites. In 2004, MBNA's rejection rate on refinance loan applications for white borrowers was 35%. For African American borrowers it was 54%. For Hispanic borrowers it was 82%. Over 48% of MBNA's loans to African-Americans in 2004 were high cost loans.

Bank of America is extensively involved in subprime lending. It controls a majority stake in the subprime lender OwnIt Mortgage. It securitizes high interest rate loans through Banc of America Securities, LLC, Banc of America Mortgage Capital Corporation and its 100%-owned (but generically-named) subsidiary Asset Backed Funding Corporation - a Delaware corporation. It purchases loans of subprime lender Ameriquest - which just settled predatory lending charges with multiple states. Finally, BofA arranged a syndicated credit line for Advance America - the largest U.S. payday lender, with 2,208 stores in 34 states. Bank of America has assets of $736 billion at Advance America as of end of 2003.

TAKE ACTION TODAY to help stop this OUTRAGEOUS MERGER!

http://www.cra-nc.org/bofa_mbna_merger.htm