Dear Friend:
 
This past week, I testified before the Ways and Means Committee in support of my growth proposal to build upon our progress here in the Commonwealth, and I hope you will take a few minutes to read it, because I need your help.
 
We know that our best strategy to grow opportunity is to invest in education, innovation, and infrastructure -- that strategy works.

By an overwhelming vote of our sustaining members, PDM has endorsed Rep. Ed Markey for the Senate seat. Now we need to roll up our sleeves to help elect him, and ensure that another proven progressive joins Elizabeth Warren representing us in the Senate.

There are two things you can do right away:

First, use this link to go to PDM's ActBlue page, where you can make a contribution to the Markey campaign.

Second, you can help collect nomination signatures.  Markey is planning to gather 20,000 signatures by the Feb. 20 deadline.

Earlier this month, the Campaign for Our Communities, a coalition of which PDM is an active member, announced the filing of legislation to reform the state's tax system to generate needed new revenues and to make our taxes fairer.  The next day, Governor Patrick, in his State of the Commonwealth address, similarly announced a broad proposal to generate new revenues for needed new investments in education and transportation infrastructure, in a package that would similarly make our tax system fairer.

These back-to-back announcements have placed major revenue reform at the center of the agenda

A key progressive issue that PDM believes will be developing in 2013 in the Commonwealth and beyond is raising the state minimum wage (currently $8) to $10.  This effort affects almost 20% of the work force who are either presently paid less than $10/hour or whose wages are only slightly higher and would likely be boosted by an increased baseline.  This is not to be confused with a living wage for families--that would be considerably higher--but it represents a real beginning.