Good news for people who want to do good: Day 300

Make sure your kids know: Our President Was Called Barack

President Barack Obama will be a singularly historic figure for many reasons. Generations to come will surely read about him and his accomplishments in their school’s history books.

But there’s another book you can gift to a young person in your life who may not have their own memories of the “skinny kid with a funny name.”

“Our President Was Called Barack” is a new children’s book from Obama 2012 campaign staffer Laura Olin, which seeks to impart “a positive example of what it means to be a leader” to children across the country.

And people are eager to tell that story: when the book was posted on Kickstarter, it was fully funded within 33 hours, and is still going strong.

https://twitter.com/lauraolin/status/930476388796325894

“The book will underline for kids what President Obama talked about in his farewell address: that the most important role anyone can have in American politics is the role of citizen,” Olin noted in a press release.

The book tells Obama’s story from childhood through his community organizing days and the beginnings of his political career. And it will delve into his eight years in the White House and the remarkable list of achievements from his administration.

If that sounds like something you want a child in your life to read — and of course you do! — you can get your own copy by heading to the Kickstarter page and making a pledge of at least $25 before the campaign ends on Dec. 7.

New York AG is on the side of students against predatory lenders

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman knows how important a college education can be in today’s competitive economy and job market. And he also understands that predatory lenders take advantage of young people who are just starting out on their own and are eager to obtain a degree that will help them stand out.

Unscrupulous lenders and duplicitous for-profit colleges have led to a rise in student loan debt, estimated to be an average of $30,100 across the nation.

And the Trump administration is decidedly uninterested in helping students win out over lenders and for-profit colleges.

But Schneiderman won’t let that deter him from listening to those who need help, and using his power to fight back on their behalf.

ACTION ALERT: Add your name to defend special counsel Robert Mueller!

Trump has made it crystal clear that the rule of law means nothing to him, and it is looking more and more likely that he may try to save his own hide by firing special counsel Robert Mueller.

That simply cannot be allowed to happen — and you can add your voice to the growing chorus of Americans speaking out in defense of Mueller and his crucial work.

As Americans Defending Mueller notes, “The foundation of our country, our democracy, is at risk.”

Add your name to the list of patriotic citizens demanding that Mueller be protected from Trump’s petulant fits of rage.

Indivisible Washington has the facts — and some laughs — on the #TrumpTaxScam

The tax scam being pushed by Trump and the GOP is no laughing matter. But that doesn’t mean a little dry wit can’t help get the point across.

Indivisible Washington’s 8th District has a lot of information for you about the damage the scheme would do to average Americans, all in the name of more money for corporations and billionaires.

And they had a little fun with it, too.

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown slams tax scam for encouraging outsourcing

During a hearing on the GOP’s tax scheme at the Senate Finance Committee, Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown made a crucial point, confirmed by an expert witness.

Instead of helping middle-class families keep a little more of their hard-earned money, the tax scam actually encourages corporations to outsource jobs and keep their profits overseas.

So not only will working Americans be slammed with a tax hike, they may even lose their jobs, as well. Heckuva scheme you got there, Republicans.

Expert tax witness confirms – instead of putting money in the pockets of the middle class, the Senate Republican tax bill actually encourages corporations to outsource their jobs and keep their profits overseas. pic.twitter.com/HePve3YnYl

— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) November 14, 2017

California schools will be the first to use LGBTQ-inclusive history textbooks

As California Democratic Attorney General Xavier Becerra likes to say, “As goes California, so goes the nation.”

And once again, California is leading the way on issues of social justice and equality.

The California State Board of Education recently approved 10 new textbooks for elementary and middle schools that are inclusive of LGBTQ history and cover the contributions to society made by members of those communities.

As Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California, noted, this was a “long-fought victory,” stemming from the state’s 2011 FAIR Education Act, which requires that “K-12 schools provide Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful representations of people with disabilities and people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender in history and social studies curriculum.”

LGBTQ people may not always have been able to be out and proud throughout much of history, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist, and it certainly doesn’t discount the achievements and contributions they made.

And now California students — some of whom may see themselves in these historical figures — will know the whole truth of their history.

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