First watch the video … 

Now go check out this webpage …

http://edlabor.house.gov/college/

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The American Prospect has a great article about the saliency of economic issues with young voters, particularly around debt.

No one our age needs a magazine article to tell us that debt is a huge issue for folks our age.  But this article really sums everything up from a great political perspective.

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Tomorrow, join MTV and MySpace for their groundbreaking online presidential forums.  The first hour-long forum features Senator John Edwards.  Viewers can tune in to MTV, MTVu, MTV.com, or MySpaceTV. 

Check out MTV's website to learn more and find out how you can submit a question!

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The Youth Policy Action Center/Democracy 2.0/Mobilize.org are hosting a conference December 29-31 with one youth rep per congressional district to create a youth agenda.

Learn more and apply here.

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Yesterday by a vote of 265-159 the House passed H.R. 976, a bill to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by $35 billion over the next five years.

Yet again – your vote for Democrats in 2006 is making a difference as this bill will "bring health coverage to approximately ten million children in need – preserving coverage for all 6.6 million children currently covered by CHIP, and reaching millions more low-income, uninsured American children in the next five years." Read more about the bill on the Speaker's page and watch her floor speech supporting the legislation below.

The problem is President Bush has promised to veto this legislation and there aren't enough Republicans supporting the bill to override his veto.

Take a look at who voted and which way, if your member voted no give them a ring by callilng (866) 340-9281.

The roll broken down by state from the AP over the jump … click on read more to see it.

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I just got word from our College Affordability Coalition that President Bush will be signing H.R. 2669 into law tomorrow.

The signing ceremony will take place at the White House at 11:30 am eastern time. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), chairman of the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions committee, and Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and the author of the bill, will be in attendance.

I'm looking for news articles etc to verfiy this … though of course the source is very good.  Will post when I find them.

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The Young Democrats of Arizona (the chapter I come from) just rolled out their new blog! Go and check it out at www.ydaz.org/blog to see a charming little picture of our ED Alexandra Acker during her recent visit.

So take a look … on the left hand side of www.yda.org/blog we have a listing of blogs that are either about youth democrats, are written by young democrats, or are the blogs of young democrat organizations.

We recently deleted dead blogs and are in desperate need of adding some new ones.

If you want YOUR blog listed – all you have to do is send an email to blogroll@yda.org with your URL and a little info about where you are from and what your blog is about.

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Your responses to the "thank you card" have been great. Already, several hundred young dems (and a few old ones) have signed the card – and there has been a wide array of personalized comments which we will deliver to Dem leaders next week.

The vast majority of the comments reflect appreciation for the college affordability victory, efforts to fight climate change, and the increase in the minimum wage (to name a few).

There are also a bunch of comments that express thanks to the Dems – but urge Congress to get more aggressive on the war, especially in light of yesterday's defeat of the Reid-Feingold legislation to cut off Iraq funding.

Here are a few:

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Thank you for all of your hard work, but please don't stop fighting to end this unjust war. It may be impossible with our current administration, but that you fought at all maybe the only solace to be found when we reflect on this enormous tragedy in the future.- Jillian (NY)

Thank you for fulfilling your promises to make America a more equitable place! But you aren't done–I appreciate your efforts thus far, but I'm paying attention. You must fulfill your promises completely. The students of this country are paying attention. – Hayley (CA)

As the youngest person on the ballot for Congress last November, I wish I was there with you right now. Certainly, progress is being made and we have much to be thankful for. We must be tougher on Bush. We must not allow Republicans to block legislation so easily, with only the *threat* of a filibuster. I wish I could be there fighting with you now, but my path leads in a different direction, as I work with many young people around Florida to take back our state legislature and build a solid Democratic majority. Again, thank you for your hard work and please, keep fighting. - Michael (FL)

Better than the Republicans, but PLEASE get a backbone and STOP FUNDING THE WAR!!!! – Sarah (AZ)

I thoroughly and genuinely appreciate everything you have done that will benefit all Americans, including today's youth (tomorrow's leaders and innovators). Your work to make college more affordable and thus available to more people, to expand stem cell research for important medical breakthroughs, to increase minimum wage for thousands of blue-collar workers, to take actions against global warming, etc. are all actions that will improve the lives of millions of people not only in the nation, but across the globe. Knowing this, I would like to once again thank you for all you have done and hope to see continued positive actions in the future. - Peggy (MD)

It is a relief to me, as a young Democrat, that finally progress is being made after 6 years of regression. It is especially reassuring that congress recognizes the importance of federal aid in paying for college and also the impact that a college education has on future success. If it were not for Federal Pell grants I would not be able to attend college. Thank you, thank you, thank you! - Jennifer (TX)

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Get your friends to sign the "thank you card" at www.yda.org/thankyou and use the "personal note" to deliver a message to Congress about how you think they have been doing.

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If you are on our email list, are friends with me on facebook, or obsessively follow what we are doing from our webpage – you will have noticed that the Speaker's office released a report on their progress with youth issues.

This is actually a VERY COOL development. The fact that our leaders are acknowledging how important we are to this country AND doing something about it can only be a good thing. No longer are we stuck with a Congress that only cares about the wealthy, corporations, seniors, and has no problem giving us a bunch of lip service.

We think it is important for young people to realize exactly how much the Dems have done for them this year – and the progress report is a great way to show them.

So – go check out the progress report … and then help us thank the Dems for all they've done for us!

We have a virtual "thank you card" that we are collecting sigs on – check it out at www.yda.org/thankyou. You'll see pics on the blog soon when we deliver the thank yous (with your personal notes) to the Democratic leadership next week.

Also – we have a facebook group doing the same thing – go check it out too.

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Reflecting the impact young voters have had on recent elections, the Democratic leaders in Congress unveiled a report on their progress in addressing the issues young voters care most about.

After years of neglect at the hands of the Republican Party it is clear young voters' voices have been heard and that our leaders in Congress are committed to providing a new direction for young Americans.

Decisive actions have been taken by our Democratic Congress to improve our lives and the lives of all Americans.

The progress report shows significant achievements in the following areas:

• Making College More Affordable
• Ensuring Better Pay, Better Jobs
• Reducing Global Warming
• Taking a Nation at War in a New Direction
• Protecting America from Terrorism
• Improving Health Care

Let the leaders of our party know that their efforts are not going unnoticed! Sign our online thank you card – then send a letter to the editor of your local paper letting them know how much of an impact the Democratic Congress has had in issues you care about.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION TODAY

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