Social Issues

Supreme Court Hears Medi-Cal

October 3, 2011 by Calitics

by Brian Leubitz

The United States Supreme Court opened up its 2011-2012 term, and oh yeah, they're talking California:

The Supreme Court began a new term Monday by refereeing a major healthcare dispute to decide whether cash-strapped states like California can cut their Medicaid payments to doctors and hospitals who serve low-income patients.
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Lawyers for California and the Obama administration urged the court to rule that Medicaid is a "voluntary" effort to provide medical care for the poor and that disputes over funding should be resolved by healthcare officials in Sacramento and Washington, not by federal judges in San Francisco.
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Guest Blog: 2012 Presents A Real Opportunity for Democrats To Propose Plausible, Progressive Economic Alternatives

October 3, 2011 by Democracy for N...

This is a guest blog by Alexander J. Cotoia, a paralegal with Holt Mynatt Martinez, P.C. in Las Cruces and a member of the Democratic Party State Central Committee from Dona Ana County. He previously sought the Democratic nomination for the District 7 seat on the Public Education Commission.

As a member of the Democratic Party State Central Committee, I’m often asked to defend the actions, or increasingly, inactions of my Democratic compatriots. My answer to critics is that I’m a progressive first and a Democrat second.  

Day 2 of Occupy Burque: Activities Continue

October 2, 2011 by Democracy for N...

Camp out area at UNM, Occupy Burque

The occupations continue. According to by Lora Lucero on Facebook, about a dozen young people spent the night of October 1 camped out near the corner of Central and University Avenue in Albuquerque after the day's demonstrations. Taking turns, they plan to occupy the space for the foreseeable future.

Going Down, Down, Down . . .

October 2, 2011 by Blue Oklahoma

The Oklahoman published a disingenuous, unsigned editorial Friday about taxes that deserves a response because of a misleading statement that reflects right-wing, clich?d dogma but simply isn't true.

The editorial ("Searching for ways to make tax policy more fair," Sept. 30, 2011) makes some superficial observations about the issue of fairness in the country's taxation system, citing, among other items, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe's proposal to grant tax incentives for people who install storm shelters and President Barack Obama's recent statements about taxes and wealthy people. It eventually makes the anticlimactic point that it's just about impossible to figure out what is fair or not fair when it comes to taxes.