Midge Potts for US Senate 2010

Progressive Party Not to be on Ballot in Missouri; Potts Ends US Senate Campaign

2010-07-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

Progressive Party of Missouri

greenpartymo.org

Contact: Midge Potts

reallygirly@gmail.com

Nicholas Ivan Ladendorf

nilvsdcbs@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 27th, 2010

Progressive Party Candidates Will Not Be on General Election Ballot

Ladendorf Says He Is Still a Candidate/Protest Vote in SW Missouri's Congressional Race

Springfield, MO - On Monday, the Progressive Party of Missouri announced that they were not able to accumulate the ten thousand valid petition signatures necessary for an unrecognized party to get placed on the state's 2010 ballot. The deadline for turning in petitions to the Secretary of State was July 26th. The party had planned to run at least two candidates for federal offices in the November general election.

"It is an uphill battle for any parties that are on the outside of the established political system," said Midge Potts, who stated that she has decided to end the US Senate campaign she began over a year ago in her home town of Springfield. "I feel I was successful in raising awareness about several issues that the mainstream politicians often try to gloss over, including global nuclear disarmament, equality for all Americans regardless of sexual orientation, ending the imperialist wars in the Middle East, legalizing cannabis, and discontinuing bad trade agreements such as NAFTA. I just hope all the remaining candidates in the race to replace Senator Kit Bond are allowed to fully address the issues important to Missourians in fair inclusive debates."

Nicholas (NIL) Ladendorf said he will still be running for US Representative in Missouri's 7th Congressional district as a write-in candidate. "The silver lining in this may be that without emphasis on my party I can run on the issues instead of running against Glen Beck's war on the word Progressive," said Ladendorf, a cartoonist and stay at home dad who lives in Springfield. "I have been in correspondence with the Secretary of State's office to ensure that voters can write in my initials on the ballot since many are familiar with me as NIL. After my official notification of my intention to be a write-in candidate in the general election is received by the state, I expect to be invited to every debate and forum in which my opponents are participating. I am looking forward to challenging the other candidates on their issue positions, especially on the need to legalize marijuana and hemp to stimulate America's ailing economy."

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Cures Not Wars Founder to Conduct Presentation on Ibogaine Drug Addiction Cure in Springfield MO

2010-06-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

Midge Potts for Senate 2010
www.electmidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts
midge@electmidge.com

MEDIA ADVISORY
June 2nd, 2010
5:30 PM
Midtown-Carnegie Library
397 E Central St.
Springfield, MO

Cures Not Wars Founder to Conduct Presentation on Ibogaine
Midge Potts Hosts Dana Beal Talk on Therapy Proven to Cure Opiate Addiction

Springfield, MO - Wednesday June 10th, the founder of the New York City based organization, Cures Not Wars, will be speaking at Springfield's Midown-Carnegie Library about Ibogaine, the only drug addiction treatment proven in numerous clinical studies to regrow dopamine receptors in the brain. Progressive Party candidate for US Senate, Midge Potts, will introduce Dana Beal at 5:30 pm in the basement meeting room. The lecture will include a power point presentation featuring data showing the effectiveness of treating opiate addiction. Mr Beal will also reference testimonies stating that Ibogaine, which is derived from the root of the African Iboga plant, has also been known to treat the physical withdrawal symptoms of other addictive substances including tobacco, alcohol, and methamphetamine. Ibogaine treatments are legal in Canada, Mexico, The Netherlands, Belgium, and many countries around the world; however, the United States classifies the psychoactive substance as a Schedule I drug, claiming that it has no medical use.

"It is atrocious that the US government would intentionally keep a cure for drug addiction from being available to its citizens when most other civilized countries recognize its effectiveness," said Midge Potts of Springfield, "I support Cures Not Wars appeal to make Ibogaine legal in America. If elected to the US Senate, I will submit a bill to Congress to provide funding for an FDA study of Ibogaine's potential in treating physical addiction."

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Senate Candidate Potts Suggests Ban on Off Shore Drilling

2010-04-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

Midge Potts for Senate 2010
www.electmidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts
midge@electmidge.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28th, 2010

Senate Candidate Potts Suggests Ban on Off Shore Drilling

Progressive Party Co-Chair Pushes Renewable Energy

Springfield, MO - Midge Potts, Progressive/Green candidate for US Senate in Missouri announced on Wednesday that if elected she would introduce legislation to repeal sections of the recent energy bill that allow increased drilling off of the coast of Virginia. In her statement, she lambasted President Obama for his part in promoting the new policy.

"President Obama should be ashamed of himself for pushing a policy that moves America backward in our quest for energy independence. Instead of calling for more off shore drilling, he should be demanding a moratorium" said Potts, who has previously been critical of the President's energy policy in regard to nuclear energy. "It is sickly ironic that tens of thousands of gallons of oil are now leaking from a drilling platform into the Gulf of Mexico. Increased drilling would put America's offshore ecosystems at risk, and would further threaten to decimate the industries that depend on those ecosystems to remain vital. I believe we need to divert the tens of billions in tax payer money that goes to subsidize oil exploration into programs for researching transportation solutions based on renewable energy sources." Potts added, "If we were to allow American family farmers to grow hemp, and subsidize efforts to build engines that run on hemp oil, we could start to make the necessary transition necessary to become truly energy independent in the 21st century."

Midge Potts, co-chair of the Progressive Party of Missouri, is the party's candidate for U.S. Senator in 2010. She and other party members are circulating petitions to get Ms. Potts and other Progressive Party candidates on the Missouri ballot this year.

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Senate Candidate Ends Walk Across Missouri Due to Injury

2010-04-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Midge Potts for Senate 2010
www.electmidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts
midge@electmidge.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19th, 2010

Midge Potts Ends Walk Across Missouri Due to Injury

US Senate Candidate Walked 65 Miles for Nuclear Disarmament Awareness

Columbia, MO - Midge Potts, Progressive/Green Candidate for US Senate, who began walking from Missouri's only nuclear power reactor in Callaway County on April 10th, announced on Monday that she had to end her trek early because of a pulled tendon she suffered during her attempt to reach the Honeywell nuke bomb parts factory in Kansas City. She had intended to conclude her walk on May 1st, the anniversary of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The Springfield native said in a release that she had struggled with a tire on her hand cart that was persistently going flat since the third day out; she apparently pulled a tendon in her right leg on the 5th day, then decided to stop walking on Thursday evening because her tire would no longer hold air and her injury was growing worse with each step. Her walk came to a conclusion about a third of the way to Kansas City, near the spot where I-70 crosses the Missouri River.

Midge Potts said, "I walked 65 miles in 6 days, and I talked to lots of folks in central Missouri about converting the $50 billion America spends annually on maintaining a nuclear weapons arsenal to retool factories for the production of green technologies. From my point of view, this walk was a success; not trying would have been the failure."

Potts is now at home recuperating. She said she plans to continue "walking for senate" throughout her campaign to dramatize many of the issues listed on her website at electmidge.com.

Midge Potts, co-chair of the Progressive Party of Missouri, is the party's candidate for U.S. Senator in 2010. She and other party members are circulating petitions to get Ms. Potts and other Progressive Party candidates on the Missouri ballot this year.

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Potts Holds Press Conference to Kick Off Nuclear Disarmament Walk

2010-04-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

Midge Potts for Senate 2010
www.electmidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts
midge@electmidge.com

Jay Marx
Proposition One Committee
MarxJay@Gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10th, 2010
3:30 PM

Potts @ Press Conference:
"I am a serious candidate for US Senate."

Columbia, MO - Saturday April 10th, Midge Potts, Progressive Party of Missouri candidate for US Senate held a press conference at the Commission Chambers of the Boone County government complex in Columbia Missouri to explain why she is walking for nuclear disarmament, and to announce the details of the route and tentative schedule of her walk that will take her from the Ameren nuclear reactor in Callaway County to the Honeywell nuke bomb parts factory in Kansas City.

"Nobody is more serious than me in seeking to fill Kit Bond's seat in the US Senate," Midge Potts announced on Saturday. "I am walking for global nuclear disarmament so I can dramatize for people that we need to grow beyond our dependence to 20th century antiquated icons, such as nuclear power and nuclear weapons," said Potts, "Nuke bombs actually begin at heavy water nuclear power plants, where Plutonium is created. I am starting my walk near the Ameren nuclear reactor in the Reform Conservation Area in central Missouri, so I can dramatize the point."

Potts announced she is walking to raise awareness about the need for the United States to systematically convert America's nuclear arsenal into windmills and solar panels. She said she wants to divert much of the $50 billion dollars a year the Department of Energy spends to maintain an arsenal of over 6 thousand nuclear warheads into funding for retooling factories. She said the Honeywell facility in Kansas City, where bomb components are made for nuclear weapons, could be converted to build green technologies.

"I feel it is important to raise awareness about nuclear disarmament at this time when the Obama administration is offering the American people rhetoric claiming the US and Russia have reached an agreement to reduce nuclear stockpiles," Said Potts, "The United States has over 4000 excess weapons waiting to be dismantled, in addition to the 2400 nukes on high alert. If President Obama is sincere, I would like to know why the Department of Energy budget for dismantling these weapons is being cut by 38 million dollars, approximately one third of the current budget for this operation. The budget for dismantling America’s massive nuclear stockpile should be increasing in anticipation of the possible reductions being heralded by the White House. To make matters more confusing, the budget for developing nuclear weapons is being increased by 5 billion dollars over the next 5 years."

Potts Added "The money being wasted on America's nuclear arms program should be diverted directly to dismantling these barbaric weapons and to cleaning up the radioactive sites where they have been built and housed. Over half a trillion dollars has been spent in the last ten years on US nukes. I believe this money would be better spent to save lives by providing funds for universal health care for all Americans; this would put us much closer to being able to achieve balanced budgets without raising taxes. If elected to the US Senate, I will introduce the Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act, currently submitted by DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton in the House of Representatives as HR 1653. If enacted, this bill would help nuclear arms production facilities, such as the Honeywell plant in Kansas City, to be retooled in order to make products such as windmills and solar panels in Americas 21st century green economy."

Midge Potts said her walk would begin after the conclusion of the press conference. She announced plans to walk from the Reform Conservation Area to the Katy Trail, then onward into Jefferson City. She said she would walk on highway 50 for the remainder of her trek to Kansas City. She intends to conclude her walk on May 1st, the anniversary of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Potts' walk will coincide with the Proposition One Nuclear Disarmament Walk that the nation's capitol on April 8th and will arrive in New York City on May 1st where there will be a conference renegotiating the NPT this year at the United Nations.

"The journey has begun," said Jay Marx of the Proposition One in 2010 campaign based in Washington DC, "Now is the time for people everywhere to stand up an walk for an end to nuclear weapons. We are thrilled to have Midge walking in solidarity with our movement."

Tentative Schedule of Potts' Nuclear Disarmament Walk
April 10th - Ameren Nuclear Reactor
April 13th - Jefferson City
April 17th - California, MO
April 21st - Sedalia
April 24th - Warrensburg
April 28th - Lee's Summit
April 29th - Blue Springs
April 30th - Midtown KC
May 1st - Honeywell Factory on Bannister Road

Midge Potts, co-chair of the Progressive Party of Missouri, is the party's candidate for U.S. Senator in 2010. She and other party members are circulating petitions to get Ms. Potts and other Progressive Party candidates on the Missouri ballot this year.

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Health Care Is a Defense Issue, Should Be Paid for by Cutting Military Budget

2010-03-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

Midge Potts for Senate 2010
www.ElectMidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts
midge@electmidge.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18th, 2010

Congress Should Rethink How to Pay for Health Care Reform
Health Care Is Defense Issue, Says US Senate Candidate Midge Potts

Springfield, MO - On Thursday, Missouri's Progressive/Green Candidate for US Senate, Midge Potts, released a statement admonishing Congress for wasting the past year on crafting a health care bill that is bloated and off target. The Co-Chair for Missouri's Progressive Party, who announced in June 2009 that she would seek the US Senate seat being vacated by Kit Bond, says that, since there seems to be no political will for instituting a single-payer not-for-profit system in America, Congress should have used the time spent creating the current comprehensive bill to pass individual bills that target specific reforms necessary for breathing life into America's ailing health care system. Potts also said that the means to pay for ensuring everyone in America has access to adequate health care should come from converting the military-nuclear-industrial complex rather that stealing money from the Medicare trust fund.

"Health care is a defense issue" Said Ms. Potts, "we would save more lives by recruiting an Army of Doctors than have been saved by any army the world has ever seen. Congress has spent over 5 trillion dollars on military spending over the last decade to maintain a modern day imperialism that includes hundreds of bases around the globe; it is obvious to me that we would not have to raise any taxes to pay for health care if we diverted just one-fifth of our military budget on providing health care for all." Potts added, "As the situation stands now, I would like to see Congress pass necessary insurance reforms immediately, then go back to work on how to systematically implement universal health care in a way that is transparent to the American people; it is wrong to pass legislation that contains thousands of pages through means such as 'reconciliation' and 'deem and pass', and I think it would be better to implement incremental changes that could be easily understood by the people whom such a bill proposes to help."

Midge Potts, co-chair of the Progressive Party of Missouri, is the party's candidate for U.S. Senator in 2010. She and other party members are circulating petitions to get Ms. Potts and other Progressive Party candidates on the Missouri ballot this year.

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Reconciliation in Senate Should Not Be Used to Pass a Bad Bill

2010-03-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

Midge Potts for Senate 2010
www.ElectMidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts
midge@electmidge.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3rd, 2010

Reconciliation in Senate Should Not Be Used to Pass a Bad Bill
Progressive Party Candidate, Midge Potts, Demands REAL Universal Health Care

Springfield, MO - The capitol hill newspaper, Politico, reported on Wednesday that Senator Harkin (D-IA) revealed Senate leadership would use the "reconciliation" to pass the health care reform bill that has been hotly debated in America over the past year. Midge Potts, Progressive/Green candidate for US Senate in Missouri, released a statement saying that the Senate should not use the process to pass bad legislation, but should start from scratch to create a bill that would provide consumer protections and affordable access to health care for all Americans.

"It is outrageous that Democrats so desperately want to pass a bill that has been watered down by partisan bickering," Said Ms. Potts, "It is obvious that the millions of dollars spent on lobbying by the insurance, hospital and pharmaceutical industries is paying off." Potts added, "Legislation requiring mandated private insurance is much more dangerous than the often demonized single-payer not-for-profit health care system which would truly cut administrative costs while providing universal health care." Potts has previously suggested that any health reform should be paid for by cutting US military spending and disarming America's antiquated nuclear weapons arsenal rather than by raising taxes. She has also suggested alternative methods for changing the health care paradigm in America by subsidizing college and med school tuition for health care professionals. "If doctors did not have to start their careers with a quarter million dollars or more of debt, we would see a dramatic increase in health care providers while simultaneously lowering the industry's base wage level," remarked Potts, "the current legislation is equivalent to putting a band aid on a gushing wound, and should be scrapped so we can finally get to the root of the problem."

Midge Potts, co-chair of the Progressive Party of Missouri, is the party's candidate for U.S. Senator in 2010. She and other party members are circulating petitions to get Ms. Potts and other Progressive Party candidates on the Missouri ballot this year.

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Potts Recommends Cutting Bloated Military Spending to Balance Budget

2010-03-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Midge Potts for Senate 2010
www.ElectMidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts
midge@electmidge.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3rd, 2010

Potts Recommends Cutting Bloated Military Spending to Balance Budget
US Senate Candidate Says More Is Needed Than Just Discretionary Spending Caps

Springfield, MO - On Wednesday February 3rd, Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama spoke on the Senate floor to argue for his amendment to the Tax, Unemployment, Highways Bill that would cap discretionary spending at 2%. In the State of the Union address, President Obama suggested a temporary freeze on discretionary spending to begin next year, although no legislation has been enacted as of yet to fulfill his promise. In a statement made Wednesday, Midge Potts, 2010 Progressive/Green candidate for US Senate in Missouri, agreed that capping spending is a start, but more proactive measures must be taken if America is ever to get out from under the burdensome debt that has more than doubled, to 12 trillion dollars, in the last decade. Potts suggested that as long American tax payers are forced to waste trillions of dollars to sustain a global imperialist military that includes hundreds of bases on foreign soil, the United States will never be able to rebuild our economy.

In a prior press release issued January 26th, Ms. Potts said ending deficit spending is one of her top priorities, and that she would never vote to increase the debt ceiling if elected to serve in the United States Senate; she also said she would continually support legislation, such as that introduced by Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Jeff Sessions (R-AL) which would end wasteful earmarks by requiring all appropriations to be properly vetted through congressional committees.

"Although ending earmarks and reasonably capping spending are necessary measures to reel in the federal budget deficit, nothing is as important as realizing that the hundreds of billions of dollars we spend each year to support our military infrastructure abroad is wasteful and unnecessary," Said Midge Potts, "We are going to be driven into bankruptcy by the same bloated military spending that led to the fall of the Soviet Union two short decades ago. America's current military budget is more than 5 times that of the combined military spending Russia, China, Britain and France, and focuses on maintaining a global empire rather providing for the defense of the United States." Potts added, "Both Democrat and Republican legislators need to realize that the People of the United States do not want to maintain a global American empire that keeps us in perpetual debt and prevents us from moving forward on measures that would truly provide for domestic defense such as universal health care."

Midge Potts, co-chair of the Progressive Party of Missouri, is the party's candidate for U.S. Senator in 2010. She and other party members are circulating petitions to get Ms. Potts and other Progressive Party candidates on the Missouri ballot this year.

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Progressive/Green Candidate Plans to Walk Across MO in US Senate Campaign

2010-03-01T16:08:00.000-08:00

Midge Potts for US Senate 2010

www.electmidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts

midge@electmidge.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 23rd, 2010

Green Candidate, Midge Potts, Says She Will Walk for US Senate

Progressive Party Co-Chair Intends to Walk Throughout Missouri During Campaign

Springfield, MO - Tuesday was the first day for Missouri political hopefuls to register to run for office in the August primary election. While the recognized parties will hold primaries, the Progressive Party of Missouri will circulate petitions to gather 10,000 verified signatures in order to gain ballot access. Midge Potts, the Co-Chair of the Progressive Party of Missouri, as well as a delegate to the Green Party of the United States Coordinating Committee, announced in June 2009 that she would seek the US Senate seat being vacated by Kit Bond. Tuesday she released a statement proclaiming that she intends to run a non-traditional campaign by walking the state in order to discuss issues of concern to Missourians in their own communities.

.. ..

"In 1976, Joe Teasdale, a then unknown entity in the Missouri political arena, walked the state on his way to winning the governor's race against Republican incumbent, Kit Bond," Said Ms. Potts, "I intend on replicating the feat of 'Walking Joe' by winning the hearts and minds of Missouri voters in a series of walks and bike rides that will highlight a number of issues leading up to the November 2nd general election." Potts added, "The only way an alternative party candidate can compete against the special interest money spent by career politicians such as Roy Blunt and Robin Carnahan, is to bi-pass traditional campaign outreach through directly engaging people with innovative ideas and raw creativity."

In her statement, Potts described plans for her first walk which will begin on April 10th at the Ameren Nuclear Power plant near Fulton, and will end on May 1st, the anniversary of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, with a rally at the Honeywell nuke bomb parts factory in Kansas City.

"I want to highlight the need for the Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act which has been introduced into Congress by Washington DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton," remarked Potts. "Now is the time to divert the more than fifty billion dollars American taxpayers spend each year on maintaining the US nuclear arsenal into retooling facilities, such as the KC Honeywell plant, to build green technologies." She announced that she will hold a press conference in Columbia on April 10th before traveling 30 miles to Calloway county where she will begin her walk.

Midge Potts, co-chair of the Progressive Party of Missouri, is the party's candidate for U.S. Senator in 2010. She and other party members are circulating petitions to get Ms. Potts and other Progressive Party candidates on the Missouri ballot this year.

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President Obama Is Mistaken With "Safe, Clean Nuclear Power" Statement

2010-03-01T16:07:00.000-08:00

Midge Potts for Senate 2010
www.electmidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts
midge@electmidge.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1st, 2010

Nuclear Power Is Too Expensive, Bad For Planet, Dangerous For America

President Should Fully Fund REAL Clean Energy: Community Solar Panels & Windmills

Springfield, MO - On Friday, President Obama announced plans to triple federal loan guarantees for constructing new nuclear power plants in America to 54 billion dollars, and to form a "blue ribbon" panel which would try to figure out what to do with the massive amounts of radioactive waste that would be produced. No announcement has been made regarding similarly large investments in the production of electricity from wind, solar or other known cleaner energy sources. Defending the thirty plus new nuke facilities that are currently planned for construction in the United States, the president talked about nuclear power as if it were "safe" and "clean" in his January 27th State of the Union address.

"If America transferred the tens of billions of dollars Congress spends on subsidizing the oil, coal, and nuclear industries each year on creating a national infrastructure for producing electricity through wind and solar power, we would move much faster toward the clean renewable promise of the 21st century," said Midge Potts, 2010 Progressive-Green candidate for US Senate in Missouri, "Nuclear is the most expensive form of energy production in terms of both construction cost and depletion of fresh water resources, not to mention the extreme dangers of transporting and storing radioactive waste; In addition, despite rhetoric to the contrary, nuclear energy has a substantial carbon foot print due mostly to the extracting and processing of raw uranium." Ms Potts added, "Our tax dollars would be better spent on installing solar panels on every home in America, and on building low impact community windmills, so that people could produce energy right in their own neighborhoods rather than needing to buy it from large scale power generation facilities."

Midge Potts, co-chair of the Progressive Party of Missouri, is the party's candidate for U.S. Senator in 2010. She and other party members are circulating petitions to get Ms. Potts and other Progressive Party candidates on the Missouri ballot this year.

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President's Discretionary Spending Freeze Is Off Target

2010-03-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

Midge Potts for Senate 2010

www.electmidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts

midge@electmidge.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 26th, 2010

President's Discretionary Spending Freeze Is Off Target

Comprehensive Restructuring Of US Budget Proposed By Progressive Senate Candidate

Springfield, MO - As the US Congress is furiously working to pass a bill that would increase the federal debt limit to over 13 trillion dollars, the White House announced on Tuesday that President Obama would suggest a three year spending freeze on programs labeled as 'discretionary' in the US budget. Exemptions to the proposal would include all funding for military and foreign aid, as well as appropriations for Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, VA and Homeland Security. Freezing non-discretionary spending at the fiscal 2010 level of 447 billion will save an estimated fifteen billion dollars per year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.....

.. ..

"The American people do not want a limited 'freeze', they want proactive solutions that will end deficit spending so that Congress can consistently produce a balanced federal budget; spending money we don't have is economic suicide," said Midge Potts, Progressive-Green candidate for US Senate in 2010, "if elected to serve as Missouri's next senator, I will NEVER vote to raise the debt ceiling, and I will attempt to end 'pork barrel' earmarks by proposing legislation that would require all appropriations to be properly vetted through the proper congressional committees." Ms Potts added, "With more than 150 American military bases scattered across the globe, the appropriate first step in reducing appropriations, in addition to withdrawing troops from ..Iraq.. and ..Afghanistan.., would be to systematically put an end to ....US.... imperialism, and to end the foreign aid that is directly tied to appeasing those countries where we maintain military forces."....

.. ..

President Obama's Financial Fix Is Too Little Too Late

2010-03-01T16:04:00.000-08:00

Midge Potts US Senate 2010

www.ElectMidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts
MidgePotts@electmidge.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22nd, 2010

President's Financial Fix Is Too Little Too Late

Springfield, MO – President Obama announced on Thursday that he would pursue legislation to fix America's broken financial system. Progressive-Green candidate for US Senate in Missouri, Midge Potts, released a statement on Friday questioning why the President and Congress have waited so long to introduce a plan that would prevent another global financial collapse.

"It is a shame that the bailout which was rushed through Congress in early 2009 did not include provisions to begin breaking up financial giants deemed 'too big to fail', " Said Potts. "It is obvious that the President's sudden announcement on Thursday was a political reaction to the US Senate race in Massachusetts, and not a sincere attempt to rectify the circumstances which have catapulted the United States of America into our second 'great depression'." She added, "The President's proposed solution, while restricting the size of big financial corporations, would do very little to scale down those institutions that caused the crisis in the first place. Teddy Roosevelt, known as a 'trust buster' for dismantling monopolistic companies in the early 20th century, would certainly roll over in his grave if he could hear the rhetoric currently coming out of the White House."

Midge Potts, co-chair of the Progressive Party of Missouri, is the party's candidate for U.S. Senator in 2010. She and other party members are circulating petitions to get Ms. Potts and other Progressive Party candidates on the Missouri ballot this year.

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Senate Candidate says Supreme Court decision on corporate contributions appalling

2010-03-01T16:02:00.000-08:00

Midge Potts US Senate 2010

www.ElectMidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts
MidgePotts@electmidge.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21st, 2010

US Senate Candidate Says Supreme Court Decision is Appalling
Constitutional Amendment Needed to Repeal Corporate Personhood

Springfield, MO – On Thursday January 21st, the Supreme Court of the United States decided to strike down an Iowa statute that made it illegal for corporations to donate money to politcal campaigns within the state. Midge Potts, Progressive-Green candidate for US Senate in Missouri, said that she was appalled, but not surprised by the decision.

"For over a century, the Supreme Court has operated under the assumption that corporations have the same rights as individuals," Said Potts, "Despite court precedent, any reasonable person can see that such an assumption is false, and that a corporation, made up of numerous stock holders, should not be equated to individual people." She added, "If elected to represent the people of Missouri in the US Senate, I will offer an Amendment to the Constitution that would exclude corporations from being defined as individuals who have equal rights to US Citizens."

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Third Element of Economic Transformation Plan Revealed By Senate Candidate

2010-03-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

Midge Potts for Congress
ElectMidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts

Midge@ElectMidge.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 25th, 2009

Third Element of Economic Transformation Plan Revealed By Senate Candidate

Potts Says She Would Submit Bill in US Senate to Allow Farmers to Grow Cannabis

Springfield, MO -- On Monday November 16th, Midge Potts revealed that the third element of her Economic Transformation Plan would be to repeal any and all federal statutes that outlaw growing hemp and marijuana in the United States. While appearing as a guest on the conservative talk radio Super Dave Show, airing daily on KFBL 1060am in Springfield Missouri, Dave agreed with Midge that marijuana should be made legal.

"If American farmers could grow cannabis, it would be an incredible jump start for our economy," Said Ms. Potts, "Besides the tax revenue we will gain from recreational use, the United States will also benefit by utilizing hemp's industrial uses as a replacement for petroleum products such as plastic, soap, rope, canvass and many other everyday items in the new Green Economy."

In her June 2009 campaign announcement, Ms Potts spoke of the Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act as the first element of a five tier Economic Transformation Plan. The second element calls for a massive tax restructuring in the United States to include an amendment to the Constitution dismantling the Internal Revenue Service.

If elected to the US Senate in 2010, Midge Potts says she also intends to submit a bill to Congress that would allow growing cannabis on a person's own private property, and allow people to use their harvest as they deem appropriate in their own home just like any other common herb.

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Senate Leadership Made a Bad Decision in Delaying 'Climate Change' Debate

2010-03-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

Midge Potts for US Senate 2010

ElectMidge.com

　
Contact: Midge Potts
Midge@electmidge.com
　
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13th, 2009

Climate Change Bill Needs to be Expedited In Congress

Springfield, MO – According to a November 18th article in the Wall Street Journal, Senate leaders announced they will delay the debate on the climate change bill until Spring.

Midge Potts, the Co-Chair of the Progressive Party of Missouri and candidate for US Senate, commented on the decision, "I don't feel that the emissions reductions in this bill are strong enough to have the intended effect of substantially reducing green house gasses. According to the Nobel Prize-winning International Panel on Climate Change, the world must reduce emissions far more aggressively -- 25-40% by 2020 -- to have a 50/50 chance of avoiding runaway climate change." Potts added, "However, I feel the Democrat leadership's announcement that they will put off floor debate for several months diminishes the appearance that this is an important issue. Except for 'nuclear disarmament', there is no more important issue on the planet right now than 'global climate change'."

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Greens Oppose “Insurance Industry Life Support” Bill

2010-03-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

Green Party of the United States

GPUS.org

Greens Oppose “Insurance Industry Life Support” Bill

November 11th, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC — In the wake of a US House vote passing a Democratic health care bill (HR 3962), Green Party leaders and health care activists are calling for a defeat of the bill, calling it little more than a program to subsidize the insurance industry.

Greens are urging supporters of real universal health care to intensify efforts to win Capitol Hill support for Single-Payer/Medicare For All national health care.

“Democrats from President Obama on down know that Single-Payer is the best solution. They’ve said so. But instead of eliminating the waste and inefficiency of for-profit health insurance, the Democrats’ ‘insurance industry life-support’ plan would increase insurance company profits by forcing every American to purchase their inferior products. Many Democrats who previously supported Single-Payer have turned their backs, abandoning real universal health care out of loyalty to the President and their party,” said Midge Potts, Missouri Green candidate for the US Senate (MySpace.com/Midge_Potts_US_Senate).

The Green Party supports Single-Payer, which would guarantee quality health care for every American, allow patients to choose their health care providers, cut paperwork for physicians and hospitals, and reduce health care costs by a third by eliminating the for-profit insurance industry ‘middle man’ (http://www.gp.org/campaigns/health/single-payer). Greens advocate a Single-Payer system run by a not-for-profit trust of health care providers, health care advocates, and taxpayers, rather than by the federal government. The Democratic bill accomplishes none of these goals.

“Democrats want phony health care reform, Republicans want zero reform. Greens seek real reform by making health care a right instead of a privilege, just as we’ve made Social Security, education, and the protections we enjoy from fire and police departments a right for everyone,” added Ms. Potts, one of nine peaceful protesters arrested on November 5 at the Capitol Hill office of Sen. Joseph Lieberman until the senator agreed to stop taking campaign contributions from the insurance industry (video clip: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=59896394&blogId=517420995).

Greens strongly criticized congressional Democrats like Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), who withdrew his Single-Payer bill last week to support HR 3962. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had promised a vote after August on Single-Payer legislation, which sponsors of the latter have decided to withdraw.

When Rep. Pelosi, after vocal protests from Single-Payer supporters (including a sit-in at her Capitol Hill office) finally agreed to the vote but allowed only 20 minutes for debate, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) issued a public statement opposing the vote on the grounds that Single-Payer had not received an adequate hearing.

“Reps. Conyers and Kucinich argued that a quick vote and perfunctory defeat of Single-Payer would damage hopes for Single-Payer (http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/11/06-8). Tabling this vote made passage of the Democratic House bill possible, with yea votes from those who previously favored Single-Payer — making progressive Democrats as responsible as Blue Dogs and Republicans for killing real health care reform. The point of a vote on Single-Payer, regardless of its chances of passage right now, was to focus attention on Single-Payer and build momentum and public support,” said Holly Hart, secretary of the Green Party of the United States.

Like Midge Potts, several Green Party candidates and activists have participated in protests and civil disobedience to draw attention to the demand for Single-Payer. Howie Hawkins, who placed second on November 3 in Syracuse, New York city council race, was arrested on November 4 in downtown Syracuse during a non-violent demonstration outside the office of National Government Services, a Medicare claims processing operation owned by Wellpoint Inc., a major health insurer (video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PH76jQKzaA).

Mobilization for Health Care For All (http://mobilizeforhealthcare.org), which is organizing the protests, was founded by Kevin Zeese, Maryland Green candidate for the US Senate in 2006.

“No heath care reform bill should be enacted that doesn’t allow individual states to enact Single-Payer,” added Matt Reichel, Green candidate for Congress in Illinois’s 5th District (http://www.mattreichel.us), referring to the Kucinich amendment. “Rep. Pelosi stripped the provision for state-based Single-Payer from the House bill and Democrats weakened the public option to satisfy the insurance lobby. These betrayals justify a ‘voters revolt’ against Democrats in 2010, if they offer a health care bill that wastes taxpayers’ money and favors the insurance industry over Americans who need medical care.” (Article by Mr. Reichel on health care reform: http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/11/shut-down-this-murderous-racket-change-we-need-and-crave/)

The Green Party listed reasons to reject the Senate version of HR 3962:

• The ‘public option’ in the bill would enroll only 2% of the population by 2019. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the public option “would cost more than private plans” since it would enroll primarily the poorest and sickest members of society. Insurance companies will probably end up administering the public option plan. (Single-Payer ends the provision of health coverage by insurance companies, which raise health costs by nearly a third to cover overhead, administrative costs, CEO salaries, and profits for shareholders.)

“Democrats and their allies like Health Care for America NOW (HCAN) are trying to pull the wool over our eyes, pretending that this is a fight for a robust public option and universal health care. Democrats killed the public option a month ago in everything but name. They turned the public option into fig leaf for the corporate option their plan embraces. The real winners will be the insurance companies, since the Democrats are using the insurance mandate to gift-wrap 50 million new customers for them,” said Mr. Hawkins.

• Access to health insurance will still primarily be tied to employment. An employee who loses his or her job will still lose coverage. Employers, not employees, will choose their workers’ insurance company and their health care provider. (Single-Payer relieves businesses of the burden of providing health insurance benefits and allows Americans to choose their physician or hospital.)

• The House bill further increases health care spending. The US already spends nearly double ($7,200 per capita) what other industrial countries spend for their citizens. To reduce the increase in costs to the federal government, the Democrats’ plan would push more and more of the financial burden for health care onto state governments and consumers, while reducing subsidies to consumers. (Past studies by the GAO and CBO confirm that Single-Payer would save hundreds of billions of dollars annually in total health care spending.)

• The House bill denies health care for all immigrants, a restriction that would ultimately cost the US more in money and lives, since denial of treatment to anyone encourages the spread of disease among everyone, regardless of health coverage. (Single-Payer’s financial savings would fully offset the cost of health care for immigrants and improve the quality of health care for all.)

• Tens of millions of Americans will either not be required to purchase insurance or will choose to pay a penalty rather than do so. Those who buy subsidized plans, mostly the working poor, will find that many services are not covered and that they will lack the funds to pay the deductibles and co-pays needed for medical treatment, since the plans are designed to only cover 70% of costs. (Single-Payer will offer comprehensive health care for everyone.)

• Even though most Americans who presently lack health insurance are the working poor (75%) and those working for small employers, small employers are exempted from the requirement to provide health insurance. (Single-Payer covers everyone regardless of employment, ability to pay, age, or prior medical condition.)

• The AMA endorsed the Democratic bill, but only 17% of physicians (out of 800,000 in the US) are AMA members. 59% of physicians and a majority of the public support Single-Payer/Medicare For All. (Sources: http://www.pnhp.org/news/2008/march/most_doctors_support.php / http://www.healthcare-now.org/another-poll-shows-majority-support-for-single-payer / http://www.wpasinglepayer.org/PollResults.html)

“The destructive role of insurance companies is the biggest problem with the American health care system,” said Sanda Everette, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States. “It’s why we spend so much money and yet suffer a health care delivery system consistently ranked the worst among industrial countries, even though we have some of the best doctors, nurses, hospitals, and medical technology. We can save hundreds of billions of dollars annually by eliminating private for-profit insurance and using these funds to give every American access to quality health care. Instead, Democrats are offering a bill that would tighten the stranglehold of the insurance companies. This is not the change Americans were promised last November.”

Energy Bill Should Not Consider Nuclear & Coal as 'Clean' Resources

2010-03-01T15:54:00.000-08:00

Midge Potts for US Senate 2010
ElectMidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts
midgepotts4congress@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13th, 2009

Energy Bill Should Not Consider Nuclear & Coal as 'Clean' Resources

Springfield, MO - Last week the so called Kerry-Boxer Energy Bill passed out of the Environment & Public Works committee markup hearing. The Republicans made it something of a drama by refusing to attend the hearing. Progressive Party candidate for US Senate in Missouri, Midge Potts, believes the 'drama' was just that, a smoke and mirrors tactic to slip a dirty bill past progressive voters.

"There is no such thing as 'clean coal'," said Potts. "Congress should stop pretending that the entire process of utilizing coal for energy, from 'mountatin top removal' to 'carbon sequestration', is anything but harmful to our ecosystem and our communities."

Ms. Potts, who has made 'nuclear disarmament and economic conversion' the centerpiece of her US Senate campaign, added that she believes nuclear power is too expensive and dangerous to be a viable long term energy solution in the United States. "Nuclear reactors produce radioactive wastes and other toxic chemicals that are very difficult to store safely for any length of time. It would be much wiser for the United States to abandon nuclear and coal power completely, and to embrace truly renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hemp biomass.

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Progressive Candidate to Make Campaign Finance Reform a Top Issue

2010-03-01T15:53:00.000-08:00

Midge Potts for US Senate 2010
ElectMidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts
midgepotts4congress@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13th, 2009

Progressive Candidate to Make Campaign Finance Reform a Top Issue

Springfield, MO - Midge Potts, who is running for US Senate in 2010 as Missouri's Progressive Party candidate, has announced that she plans to seek an aggressive voting reform agenda in Congress when she is elected to office.

"I have made a personal promise to never take campaign contributions from any political action committee," said Ms Potts. "In addition, I would submit legislation into the US Senate that would begin the process of creating a Constitutional amendment replacing the current system with a publicly funded election campaign process. I would also submit a bill to insist the FCC require a certain amount of free and equal time for ALL candidates on the airwaves that belong to the American citizens."

Potts has often criticized the ease with which Congressman Blunt has accepted PAC money over the years; however, she says he has never adequately responded to her concerns. She said that she is looking forward to confronting Blunt about his corporate contributors in future debates after primary season is over.

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Midge Potts Arrested for Universal Health Care

2010-03-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

Midge Potts US Senate 2010
electmidge.com

Contact: Midge Potts
Midge@elect Midge.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5th, 2009

US Senate Candidate Arrested in Health Care for All Sit-In Inside Senator Lieberman's DC Office

Washington DC - Thursday morning in the Dirksen Senate office building, nine peaceful protesters refused to leave Joseph Lieberman's office until the senator agreed that he would stop taking campaign contributions from the insurance industry. Among those arrested was Midge Potts, Green/Progressive Party candidate for US Senate in Missouri in 2010. The demonstration was organized by Mobilization for Health Care for All, a nonviolent campaign to end private health insurance abuse.

"A US Senator should not be taking campaign donations from corporations over which he or she has legislative/regulatory authority," said Midge Potts of Springfield Missouri. "Senator Lieberman's willingness to prioritize profits over people makes me sick, so I felt moved to demonstrate to him that the American people demand Universal not-for-profit heath care for all, now!"

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/11/protesters-arrested-at-liebermans-office.html

http://www.connpost.com/ci_13723300

http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2009/11/nine-protesters-arrested-at-liebermans-office.html

http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2009/11/uconn-student-among-those-arre.html

http://rawstory.com/2009/11/protesters-lieberman-office/

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Potts Admonishes House Passage of Faux Food Safety Bill

2010-03-01T15:43:00.000-08:00

Midge Potts for U.S. Senate 2010

July 31st, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Potts Admonishes House Passage of Faux Food Safety Bill

HR 2749 Aids Big Agri-Business and Will Be Unfair to Small Family Owned Farms

SPRINGFIELD, MO – On Thursday July 30th, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009.

"The so called 'food saftey' bill that was passed on Thursday in the House is not what its proponents have made it out to be," said Midge Potts who announced in June that she intends to run for Missouri's US Senate seat in 2010. "This bill is another assault on family farmers by agri-business giants including Monsanto and Kraft. It will ultmiately create a larger bureaucracy to oversee all aspects of food in America by stripping food safety duties from the FDA."

If enacted, HR 2749 will require a $500 registration fee of all operators in all steps of the food production chain, however it allows a limit on the fee for large scale agricultural conglomerates; similar discrepancies throughout the bill are detrmimental to the small family owned farms that are already struggling to survive . It also empowers the Department of Health and Human Services to micro-manage the raising and harvesting of crops, and would essentially allow for warantless searches of farms.

"The sponsors of HR 2749 preyed on Americans' fears in order to pass a bill that is more of a gift to agri-business lobbyists than anything else it has been portrayed to be," Potts added. "For the record, the sources of recent food contamination scares were large corporate processing plants. This bill basically protects the guilty while punishing innocent hard working family farmers, and it will ultimately reduce competition creating higher food prices in an already ailing economy."

Midge Potts is state co-chair of the Progressive Party of Missouri and is a delegate on the coordinating committee of the Green Party of the United States.

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Peace Activist Officially Announces Candidacy for Missouri's US Senate Seat

2010-03-01T15:40:00.000-08:00

Midge Potts for U.S. Senate 2010

ElectMidge.com

June 27th, 2009....

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Midge Potts

midge@electmidge.com

Peace Activist Officially Announces Candidacy for Missouri's US Senate Seat

Converting America's Nuclear Arsenal into Economic Growth will be major priority of Progressive Party Candidate

SPRINGFIELD, MO – Midge Potts, who previously ran against Representative Roy Blunt in Missouri's 7th Congressional district 2006 Republican Primary, made an official announcement on Thursday June 25th that she intends on entering the race to fill Missouri's US Senate seat currently held by Senator Kit Bond who is retiring. Ms. Potts, who is the state co-chair of the Progressive Party of Missouri, said she made the announcement in conjunction with the Proposition One Nuclear Disarmament Tour so that she could highlight Nuclear Disarmament as the center piece of her campaign platform. The announcement, made in front of a substantial crowd of supporters, took place at a local coffee house across from Missouri State University Campus in Potts' hometown of Springfield, MO.

"I fully support the Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act that was first introduced into the House of Representatives by Washington DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton." said Midge Potts, If elected, I intend on introducing a version of the bill in the US Senate." The bill would essentially dismantle the nuclear arsenal kept by the United States in proportion to the weapons maintained by other countries with nuclear capability, and would convert the money spent on maintaining America's nuclear missel program on health care and other essential social programs. According to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists the United States currently has over 5,000 nuclear weapons.

"As a fiscal conservative, I would also like to see a significant portion of the money saved by disarming American nukes used to pay down our 10 trillion dollar debt." Potts said, "Other issues that will play an integral part of my platform include cancelling America's participation in NAFTA and the World Trade Organization, withdrawing all US troops from the Middle East, balancing the federal budget, abolishing the IRS and the Federal Reserve, as well as making it legal for American farmers to grow hemp and marijuana. I will also be talking about not-for-profit health care as a defense issue that could save countless lives in the United States."

Midge Potts, who has twice run for the House of Representatives, is best known for the 2007 protest in which she was standing behind former CIA operative Valerie Plame in a House Government Oversight Committee hearing with an Impeach Bush Now t-shirt. Other protests with signs behind Bush administration officials, including Alberto Gonzales, Condoleeza Rice, and Robert Gates, have landed photos of Potts in the New York Times, USA Today and other major news publications.

The Progressive Party of Missouri, affiliated with the Green Party of the United States, currently does not have ballot status in Missouri. PPMO will have to gather 10,000 verified signatures statewide to put Potts on the ballot in 2010.

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