My fellow Americans…

The state of our union is strong, but it could be so much stronger. Over the past year, we’ve continued to see how our politicians are bought off by Big Oil tycoons, Wall Street billionaires, and giant transnational corporations. And that’s the first challenge facing America right now.

If you haven’t already seen Selma, the new movie about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the fight for voting rights, do it tonight or tomorrow. It’s a great film - one of the best I’ve seen in a long time - and it does a great job of showing why all successful social movements start from the bottom up. But what’s really amazing about Selma is how relevant it is.

Democratic lawmakers may have finally heard our voices. For the first time in a long time, party leaders in the House of Representatives have put forth a progressive tax plan that would tax Wall Street to give Main Street a little relief. This week, Representative Chris Van Hollen announced the Democratic plan to create “the kind of economy where the pie is growing and everyone is getting a better slice.”