It's not a horror movie. It's not a terrible dream. And it's not the punch line of an awful joke.

This is real.

And it's important. The 2014 national budget that Representative Paul Ryan just proposed, which the U.S. House is expected to vote on this week, is all cuts and no revenues. That's not sound fiscal policy. And it's certainly not a balanced approach to creating a healthy national economy.

To be blunt, the proposed Ryan budget is so bad for women and families that it seems like the plot of a horror movie or a very bad joke.

Tell Congress: Our national economy is nothing to joke around with! Vote "NO" on the Ryan budget, and instead move forward a smart, balanced approach for our economy.

Here's some of the bad news to start: 66 percent of the cuts in the proposed Ryan budget come from programs targeted at low- or moderate-income people, most of whom are women, in a time when a quarter of young families are already living in poverty. Increasing poverty is no way to get our economy, which is based on consumer spending, back on track. In fact, when people don't have funds to spend then businesses and our whole economy suffer.

The news doesn't get any better: Ryan's proposed budget also repeals the Affordable Care Act, which would leave millions of women uninsured, allow insurance companies to keep discriminating against women, and increase the cost of important healthcare services like mammograms, pap smears, colonoscopies, and contraception.

Further, Medicaid, which 1 out of 3 kids rely on for their healthcare, is also cut by $756 billion (yes that's with a "b") in the proposed Ryan budget -- and Medicare also takes a big hit.

Food stamps, access to child care and college, and more are all on Ryan's chopping block.

It's ridiculous. And it's what many are calling a "Reverse Robin-Hood" budget, taking from the poor to give to the rich. In fact, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities notes that: "Estimates from the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center show the tax cuts in the proposed Ryan budget would cost the federal government nearly $6 trillion (yes that's with a "t") over the next decade, which exceeds the Ryan budget’s total spending cuts, exclusive of its interest savings. These tax cuts would provide extremely large new tax cuts to wealthy Americans, even as Chairman Ryan’s spending cuts would fall disproportionately on the most vulnerable individuals and families."

Which is a long way of saying the proposed Ryan budget virtually grabs fistfuls of money from the public coffers, money needed for the services millions of families rely on to get by, in order to shower it on the wealthy.

Tell Congress: Vote "NO" on the Ryan budget, and instead move forward a smart, balanced approach for our economy.

And please also take a moment to use those social media sharing buttons and share this petition with friends and family so everyone can weigh in and tell their member of Congress to vote NO and to get back on track with fixing our national economy in a constructive way.

Together, we're a powerful force for women and families. Thank you!