Yesterday was an exciting day for those of us trying to help our fellow Kossacks get their voices and ideas heard by the administration and the general public.
We had our first petition cross the initial 150 signature threshold with our group's effort. It was a petition seeking an end to the death penalty. Within the span of 8 hours of getting past the big 1-5-0, the number of signatures rocketed up to over 400. This shows how critical getting over the 150 signatures is to having a shot at viability.
In a diary announcing that it had crossed that important first hurdle, we found out in the comments that another Kossack petition had already gathered over 3,000 signatures! It was created by our very own nirset and is a call to end taxpayer subsidies for new nuclear reactors. It was actually started before our group was formed (impressive work nirset) but certainly welcome news that our community's ideas are gaining traction.
So as of this morning there are two Kossack initiated petitions now well on their way reaching the critical goal of 5,000 signatures out of a total of 111 public petitions, and there are 17 petitions that have been created by fellow Kossacks which have not yet reached that 150 signature threshold.
Updates on the individual status of each Kossack initiated petition, their summaries, as well as links to read and sign them, can be found below the fold.
Background
The White House created a petition site one week ago called "We the people: Your voice in our government". With this new online tool, anyone 13 or older can create or sign a petition on WhiteHouse.gov asking the administration to address important issues facing our country.
Once a petition gets 150 signatures, it becomes visible so that anyone can sign it. If a petition gets 5,000 signatures within 30 days, it will then be reviewed and the administration will issue an official response to it.
All responses will be posted in this section of the "We the People" section of the White House website, and if you signed the petition that is being responded to, you'll get an email from the White House with the response.
A new group has been created here at Daily Kos to help called, appropriately enough, Kossack Initiated White House Petitions. This group's purpose is to announce, explore, coordinate, develop, publicize, and aid in signature gathering to Kossack initiated petitions. If you'd like to join or edit, please PM me or the group.
Kossack Initiated White House Petitions
Petitions not yet over 150 signatures
The following are Kossack initiated White House petitions which have not yet crossed the 150 signature threshold, which means they are not yet publicly visible on the White House website. They are listed in order of signatures gathered as of the morning of Friday September 30, 2011:
1) Make Social Security solvent without cutting benefits or raising the retirement age.
Summary: Asks that the cap on wages be lifted and that capital gains be subjected to FICA withholdings. This would make Social Security fiscally secure in perpetuity, and make increased benefits to all recipients possible. For more info on this petition, visit this diary.
Signatures: 78 — Over half way there!
2) Stop all military operations and withdraw all combat forces from Afghanistan by October 1, 2012.
Summary: A call to stop the war in Afghanistan and try a different approach.
Signatures: 58
3) Save the Postal Service
Summary: Calls on the President to, "Return the $82 billion in funds the United States Postal Service has been forced to overpay into Civil Service (CSRS) and Federal Employee Retirement (FERS) funds, so they can balance their budget without having to lay off employees, close post offices, cut service, and destroy the best Postal Service in the world." For more info on this petition, visit this diary.
Signatures: 57
4) Abolish the death penalty.
Summary: As stated, and yes, this is a second one — it's bound to happen when the petitions are invisible until the 150 signature threshold is reached. For more info on this petition, visit this diary.
Signatures: 55
5) Demand that Congress identify all legislative text that was drafted by industry lobbyists rather than elected officials.
Summary: Asks the President to insist that congress identify language in bills that was not written by congresspeople, and to identify the actual authors.
Signatures: 49
6) Increase the minimum wage.
Summary: Asks for an increase in the minimum wage to $10.00/hrby 2015 and set a target of $15.00 per hour by 2020.
Signatures: 45
7) Adopt the Progressive Caucus Peoples' Budget
Summary: "The Peoples' Budget creates jobs, pays down the deficit, creates a public option in health care, brings our soldiers home, creates better tax system, safeguards Social Security." For more info on the People's Budget (truly a progressive budget), please visit this website
Signatures: 44
8) Create a Victory Garden 2.0 Initiative to tour the USA and showcase home veggie gardens and community gardens.
Summary: Proposed to help Americans save money, eat more healthfully, live more independently, use space more efficiently, and wisely.
Signatures: 41
9) Listen to educators & parents not billionaires who stand to profit from education "reform"
Summary: As the title implies, it is a call to listen to educators, scholars, and involved parents instead of for profit education "reform" interests.
Signatures: 39
10) Propose and initiate a financial transaction tax
Summary: The tax is proposed to raise revenue as well as make high frequency trading and certain speculative behaviors less attractive.
Signatures: 39
11) Investigate George W. Bush and Dick Cheney for war crimes.
Summary: As the title implies, investigate former president George W. Bush and former vice-president Dick Cheney for war crimes.
Signatures: 35
12) Allow every American Citizen the right to directly purchase Medicare or Medicaid health care coverage as a public option
Summary: As the title implies, it calls for changes to Medicare/Medicaid to allow people to buy into the program early as a public option.
Signatures: 34
13) Issue an Executive Order barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation for federal contractors.
Summary: As stated in the title. This would bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in Federal contracting, by Executive Order (which means the divided Congress would not have to pass anything)
Signatures: 30
14) Get out of Iraq completely
Summary: Calls on the President to, "Completely withdraw all troops AND defense contractors from Iraq. If the Iraqis want US to help them with training, let them pay all expenses for it."
Signatures: 29
15) Use the EPA to crack down on CO2. Utilities will borrow from banks (with $ trillions of QE cash) to create green jobs.
Summary: As the title states.
Signatures: 28
16) Create a program to assume the mortgage debt of homeowners who are underwater, allowing them to sell their homes.
Summary: As stated in the title. This would help homeowners who are underwater in their mortgages due to the housing crisis.
Signatures: 23
17) Ask Congress to increase the age limit to 30 for young adults to stay on their parents' health insurance.
Summary: As stated in the title. This would increase the age at which young adults can stay on their parents insurance, as defined in the healthcare reform act.
Signatures: 15
Let's all do what we can to get our fellow Kossak initiated White House petitions over the 150 signature threshold as quickly as we can. The quicker they are publicly accessible, the more chance they have of garnering the 5,000 signatures in 30 days in order to get addressed by the administration.
Petitions over 150 signatures but under 5,000
The following are Kossack initiated White House petitions which have crossed the 150 signature threshold, and are publicly visible (and searchable) on the White House website.
While they are now publicly viewable they still have a way to go before they cross the 5,000 signature threshold, which will assure that they are considered by the administration with an official response. They are listed in order of signatures gathered as of the morning of Friday September 30, 2011:
1) End taxpayer subsidies for new nuclear reactors
Summary: As stated in the title. This is a request that no additional funds for the Department of Energy's nuclear loan guarantee program, nor for the research and development of new nuclear reactors, be included in the FY 2013 budget and future budgets.
Signatures: 3,085
2) Stop the Death Penalty Now in Memory of Troy Davis
Summary: A call to abolish the death penalty.
Signatures: 508
While these two petitions are over the initial hurdle of 150 signatures, they still need support in order to get them heard and addressed by the administration.
So whether they are under 150 signatures or over, if you could sign our petitions and share their links on Facebook, Twitter and the rest of your social network, that would be a great. Actively reaching out to the people in your social network and getting them to sign our petitions, as well getting them to share the links with their friends and family, can make a real difference.
Thanks in advance if you sign, and help spread the word!