“I believe candidates with strong, sound stances deserve our support, and this is a race where your dollars can make the difference. Please make a contribution to this critical cause.”

Sound familiar? If you have any experience with our fundraising pages you will have seen this (and perhaps fallen asleep to it) a few too many times. It is the default text for ActBlue’s fundraising pages. ActBlue’s customizable fundraising pages allow progressive activists to raise money for the best Democratic candidates out there easily and effectively, and the fifty state blog network has taken advantage of this feature to support state and national candidates with customized, targeted pages. But while the original blurb did help Democrats use our pages, we’re in year 5 of ActBlue, and this is definitely year 3-4 material. We’ll be working with thousands of new fundraisers this cycle, and we want to make sure they have the best language. And, well, this isn’t it.

So, we need ideas.

We know you’re best equipped to know what language will appeal to your friends and neighbors, so we wanted to give all of you an opportunity to create the next fundraising page blurb. If we pick yours, it will show up automatically on almost every fundraising page created on ActBlue. To show our appreciation, we’ll send the winner and two runners-up an ActBlue Ice Cream Scoop! (No, we’re not kidding. And trust us, it’s a high quality scoop – The Original Zeroll.)

Okay, here are the guidelines:

1. The blurb must be fewer than 50 words.
2. It has to be fairly generic (no specific issues or names), but still get across the basic reason for the fundraising page. This is something our current text does fairly well, if you are looking for an example.
3. If you can make it apply to pages for candidates and/or committees, all the better. If not, at least make it appeal to people looking to donate to candidates.
4. We are Democrats, and our pages are for Democrats. If your message would appeal to Democrats, that would probably earn points.
5. Humor is a big plus, but only that universal humor that works for everyone.
6. Effective fundraising is personal. Think about what kind of language would help you be a better fundraiser, and think about why your friends and family might feel compelled to give.
7. All entries must be received by 3/25.

Fill out your entry form right here! Thank you for your participation!

ActBlue is active in all 50 states, helping Democrats raise money for their chosen candidate from the comfort of their living rooms and offices. We believe that your voice should be heard everywhere from your state capitol to the Senate floor, and we’re working to make sure it is. Please support our work with a $15 recurring contribution today!

Per Vermont Public Radio:

The Vermont Senate voted 26-to-four on Monday to approve a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage.

Supporters said the legislation is needed to provide same-sex couples with all the legal rights and privileges that heterosexual couples have.

If the bill becomes law, Vermont would become the first state in the country to adopt same-sex marriage without a court ordering it.

Wow.  Twenty-six to four.

Eighty-Seven percent.

Wow.

A very fundamental misunderstanding concerning the heat balance of Planet Earth needs attention. It concerns solar power.

Increasing the energy captured from the sun heats the earth. To maintain a relatively even temperature, it is necessary that the earth radiate an equal amount of energy, to the universe. The temperature of the earth is rising because chemicals released by the production of energy and released into the atmosphere are interfering with this radiation to space. For practical purposes, the sun has provided all but a relatively insignificant portion of the energy received and stored.

Petroleum, hydro, nuclear, wind, tidal, and wave energy are forms of energy received from the past and stored that are available for use without heating the earth provided that what is released is returned to storage. Otherwise, the energy released must be radiated to space to prevent heating of the earth and a diminishment of the earth’s stored energy. This applies to all of the energy released to produce devices needed to capture more of the suns energy,

Perry Cooper

2159 Witchcat Road

Enosburg Falls, Vermont 05450

To Senators Leahy, Sanders and Representative Welch

It is time to establish that the people of this democracy run the United States, not rich families and their bankers and corporations.

This letter lobbies you. It is not secret and you have the right to use its information and to inform others of my opinions. No business should have the right to influence the government off the public record.

This letter is written at the expense of my time, assets and materials. I receive no tax deduction for expressing my opinions. Why should any business enterprise be allowed a tax deduction as a business expense for lobbying? Why should a wealthy person be allowed any office expense that is not afforded to the average citizen? Lobbying should be a personal expense, after taxes, for everyone.

Why should lobbying by business organizations be presumed to represent the opinions of their owners? First of all, other business interests own most business interests. These interests maintain managements that reflect what is best for the wealthy who manage them. It is a political “Ponzi” scheme.

The United States is confronted with a seminal choice at the present time. Is this nation to fulfill its promise of democracy or is to succumb to the interests of would be royalists.

This confrontation is to be decided by you as a representative of the people. If you fail to do so, sooner or later, the citizens of this country will do so by anarchy.

It is my opinion that drastic changes must be made to the privileges accorded to businesses. While greed is a necessary human attribute when survival is at stake, it must be restrained in a society.

Business leaders must accept that “we the people” run this nation. I believe the efforts of President Obama have minimized the consequences of the current financial meltdown. They have not and will not produce the necessary reforms of business greed. This is born out by the fact that this recession and probable depression has been caused by descendents of the same wealthy families that caused the last depression.

Respectfully,

Perry Cooper

2159 Witchcat Road

Enosburg Falls, Vermont 05450

Cc: Green Mountain Daily