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Board Meeting of Decatur Committee on Church Cooperation Open To the Public

October 14, 2011 by Left in Alabama

The Committee on Church Cooperation (CCC) in Decatur, Alabama made news this week for going above and beyond the mandates of Alabama's harsh Immigration Law and requiring those seeking assistance to provide proof of citizenship on every single visit. 

"We thoroughly check everybody out," Monk said. "We've even got wind that a lot of them have illegal Social Security cards. So I've tried to educate my staff on what to look for."

...

"It used to be about 10 percent (Hispanics) that we served," Monk said. "Since cracking down, I haven't seen anybody, especially in the last month.

The CCC did not welcome the publicity about its citizenship requirement, fearing it would dissuade contributors (many of them churches) from supporting the organization.   That's a valid concern since the original Decatur Daily article quoted several church officials who were surprised and disappointed to find the CCC made proof of citizenship a requirement for assistance. 

Immigrant Jobs: A Journalist Goes To The Tomato Field

October 14, 2011 by Left in Alabama

More of this, please ...

I met up Wednesday with four men desperate enough to take on hard, low-paying jobs that, for decades, have been reserved for Mexican migrants.

...

"It's OK. It's just work," laid-off electrician Jeb Stuart Lessley said. "But I don't want to do it forever."

...

Because our agricultural system, which keeps food prices low, has exploited immigrant labor because it could. ...  Our dirty little secret -- that we keep our grocery prices low only by failing to pay a living wage -- is out.

Farm work is hard work, really hard labor.  In the real world it is dangerous, dirty and uncomfortable ... anything but a romantic, pastoral occupation.  Pay is incredibly low and the physical wear and tear on bodies mean few people can make a career of it.  Chicken plants are just as bad and construction is not much better.

Citizens can help keep concealed weapons out of public places; Here's how

October 14, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Uppity Wisconsin's picture
Original Author: 
xoff

Concealed carry of weapons becomes legal in Wisconsin on Nov. 1, and local governments across the state are deciding whether to allow weapons in public buildings. Most communities are saying no.

It is also a decision business owners face. The law allows them to forbid their employees from bringing guns to work, and allows them to ban weapons on their property simply by posting a sign at the entrance.

Rather than sit back and watch, Wisconsin citizens, individually or in an organized way, can help them make that decision.

Every day, as you spend money in businesses you normally patronize -- the coffee shop, hair salon, grocery store, gas station, restaurant -- ask them to post a sign keeping weapons out. The Wisconsin Anti- Violence Effort has produced some small cards you can give to businesses, asking them to post a sign and giving them some reasons it makes sense to do so. (For example, workers at businesses that allow guns are 5 to 7 times more likely to be murdered, and 80% of all businesses in the country prohibit guns.)

CGS closes its doors

October 14, 2011 by Calitics

Calitics's picture
Original Author: 
Brian Leubitz
Government reform organization runs out of funding

By Brian Leubitz

Hey, the economy sucks, and all sorts of businesses are going under, and that is certainly true in the non-for-profit good government area.  The Center for Governmental Studies has been around for about theory years, but that doesn't mean it isn't vulnerable to the same economic forces as the rest of us.

The nonprofit Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles is shutting down after 28 years of researching and recommending improvements to political and government processes in California and other states.

Over the years, the center has helped develop reforms of campaign finance laws, state budgeting, ballot measures and higher education, often advising local and state agencies on improvements. (LA Times)

I certainly had my differences with CGS, but they were a valuable resource on any number of government reform issues. As many of the California government nerds said on Twitter last night, we are better off with more people watching our government.

Terri Sewell On The Colombia Free Trade Agreement

October 14, 2011 by Left in Alabama

Congress approved the Colombia Free Trade Agreement a couple of days ago.  Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D, AL-07) voted against the agreement and issued a very strong statement in opposition to this deal.  (Emphasis mine)

Alabama #1 Again - Least Competitive Health Insurance Market

October 14, 2011 by Left in Alabama

Alabama is at the top of yet another undesireable statistic pile -- our health insurance market is the least competitive in the United States.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama sells 86 percent of the policies in the individual market, and 96 percent of the policies in the small group market.

While the report found that individual insurers dominate insurance markets in 45 states, Alabama’s numbers for individual and group plans were far above the national median rates of 54 percent and 51 percent, respectively.

Predictably, Blue Cross Blue Shield says their dominance is reflective of how satisfied their customers are.  And truly, BCBS consumers in Alabama might as well resign themselves to being satisfied with whatever they get at whatever price they have to pay ... because BCBS is literally the only game in town the state.  Ditto with doctors, hospitals and clinics -- if you don't agree to the BCBS payment schedule, you won't have many patients left.

Some "free" market.

 


How Ugly Can It Get? Edited version :)

October 14, 2011 by Left in Alabama

NYC Mayor Bloomberg, undoubtedly [NOT] channeling the ghost of Richard Daley (see above), has decided NOT to evict Occupy Wall Street from Zuccotti Park. This is  was scheduled to occur at 7 a.m. tomorrow, coincidentally (?) the Global Day of Protest.

MoveOn is was collecting signatures. They are were 99% of the way to 300,000. Please consider adding your name to Defend Occupy Wall Street.

The Mayor, echoing Scott Walker when he threw the protesters out of the Wisconsin State Capitol, says said the park 'needs to be cleaned'. Like the Wisconsin protesters, the OWS crew have a sanitation group making sure things stay tidy. SOMETHING in New York needs to be cleaned up alright, but I'm not sure I would start in Zuccotti Park!

Guest Blog: Out with the Good, In with the Bad? Don't Let ABQ City Councilors Scrap 2009 Energy-Saving Building Code!

October 14, 2011 by Democracy for N...

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Original Author: 
Democracy for New Mexico

Heading 1

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Corporate Job Creation Claims Exaggerated

October 13, 2011 by Left in Alabama

PT Barnum said there's a sucker born every minute.  Unfortunately, a lot of them seem to end up in government where they are easy pickings for smooth talking corporate types ... give us tax breaks and we'll create jobs; don't regulate us and we'll create jobs; let us consolidate and we'll create jobs.  It's sad that so many politicians fall for this crap, to the public detriment.

... a central element in the economic plans of other Republican presidential candidates, such as Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, is to roll back “job-killing” regulations to spur hiring.

“It’s really hard if you’re against regulation to let a good crisis go to waste, and right now we have high unemployment,” said Roger Noll, an economics professor at Stanford University and co-director of the school’s program on regulatory policy. “You can use the current economic condition as a Trojan horse.”

Everybody else hates it, but Paul Ryan loves Herman Cain's goofy 9-9-9 plan

October 13, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Uppity Wisconsin's picture
Original Author: 
xoff

The Chief, an Oshkosh blogger who deserves a wider readership, asks:

If Paul Ryan takes Herman Cain's 9-9-9 Plan Seriously, should we keep taking Paul Ryan Seriously?

It's entirely possibly that there has never been a more ridiculed and completely dismissed domestic policy proposal than Herman Cain's 9-9-9 Tax Plan. Democrats hate it. Conservatives hate it. Even Grover Norquist hates it. Bruce Bartlett says of the plan:
 
Even allowing for the poorly thought through promises routinely made on the campaign trail, Mr. Cain’s tax plan stands out as exceptionally ill conceived.

LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: Why I'm Endorsing Marty Chavez for Congress

October 13, 2011 by Democracy for N...

Democracy for New Mexico's picture
Original Author: 
Democracy for New Mexico

220px-Antonio_Villaraigosa_portraitThis is a guest blog by Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat serving as Mayor of Los Angeles, California, the third Mexican American to have ever held office in the city of Los Angeles and the first in over 130 years. He is also the current president of the United States Conference of Mayors. He was first elected mayor on May 17, 2005, and is currently serving his second term.

Raising His Voice

For real change to happen, bold and innovative leaders must step forward to lead. As a former labor organizer, a progressive activist, and Mayor of the great city of Los Angeles, I know what it takes to step forward at critical times to make the tough choices -– and because of that I can spot a leader who gets results when I see one.

Blue Shield admits to overcharging California customers by about half a billion since 2010

October 13, 2011 by Calitics

Calitics's picture
Original Author: 
Consumer Watchdog
It is a masterful spin by the self-described not-for-profit Blue Shield of California to announce that it is returning all but two percent of its profits to its customers, as though this were some act of humble generosity.  It’s a little like a supermarket announcing that from now on it’s going to give back (almost) all of your change.  (It’s actually worse than that, as I’ll explain.)
It is a masterful spin by the self-described not-for-profit Blue Shield of California to announce that it is returning all but two percent of its profits to its customers, as though this were some act of humble generosity.  It’s a little like a supermarket announcing that from now on it’s going to give back (almost) all of your change.  (It’s actually worse than that, as I’ll explain.)

Occupy Wall Street - Way More Popular Than The Tea Party

October 13, 2011 by Left in Alabama

A new Time Magazine poll (October 9-10, 2011) shows Americans have a much more favorable view of Occupy Wall Street than they do of the Tea Party.  How much more favorable?  The Tea Party's fav/unfav ratio is 27/33 vs. 54/23 for Occupy Wall Street.  That's twice as many people with a favorable view of the 99%ers ... which makes an odd kind of sense since most of us ARE 99%ers. 

"A Climate of Fear in Alabama" Highlights from America's Voice Blogger Conference Call

October 13, 2011 by Left in Alabama

On Tuesday, I participated in a blogger conference call organized by America's Voice.  Various speakers from Alabama and from other coalitions spoke.  Since I'm in Alabama and have followed this issue pretty closely, I suspect it was far more valuable for folks outside the state.

Here are some of the highlights:

Reverend Angela Wright of Greater Birmingham Ministries praised the organizational efforts of various coalitions working on the issue and noted:

"The Legislature had absolutely no idea how strong the outcry would be.  There's a group of unlikely bedfellows coming together against the law."

She did share some anecdotal stories about families selling their entire home and contents for very little because they're desperate to leave.  Parents are giving guardianship to others in case they get deported. "There's a lot of fear and desperation."

  • America's Voice
  • Greater Birmingham Ministries
  • hb-56
  • Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama

Occupy Los Angeles - The Beginning Is Near

October 13, 2011 by Calitics

Calitics's picture
Original Author: 
Marta Evry

Occupy Los Angeles - The Beginning Is Near from Marta Evry on Vimeo.

Suggestions for Local “Occupy” Groups

October 13, 2011 by Kenneth

Kenneth's picture
Original Author: 
Kenneth Quinnell

I’ve been doing a little bit of work with the Occupy Tallahassee group and have been covering Occupy Wall Street for Crooks and Liars and I thought I’d share a few suggestions based on what I’ve observed. These protests present an historic moment for people who think the system is broken and who want to really make a change. The protests have brought in thousands of new people across the country who don’t like the way things are going and want to do something about it. But the other side has more money and more power and has faced opposition before. In order to avoid losing to them once again, there are some things that local groups need to pay attention to…

1. It’s all about attracting more and more people. The way we make change is by gathering together so many people that they can’t ignore us.

2. Get information about everyone who shows up. We have to be able to contact people for future events and actions.

3. Give people something to do. Protests and rallies are nice. They get people fired up and they can get some media attention. But they aren’t enough. We have to take those people who show up to the rallies and give them something concrete to do that will make a difference.

Two approaches to Amazon tax

October 13, 2011 by Calitics

Calitics's picture
Original Author: 
Brian Leubitz
Rep. Speier takes a different tack from Senate legislation.

by Brian Leubitz

Sen. Durbin has already introduced the "Main Street Fairness Act" in the Senate to create something of a national sales tax, but Rep. Jackie Speier is looking for another way.  She's looking to simply authorize states to collect the taxes.

n July, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced a Main Street Fairness Act with support from trade organizations such as the National Retail Federation and the Retail Industry Leaders Association; both groups voiced support for the Womack-Speier bill, as well.
But Speier said her bill is "dramatically different" from Durbin's in that his creates a national sales tax covering all states, while hers authorizes states to collect their own.

Quote, unquote

October 13, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Uppity Wisconsin's picture
Original Author: 
xoff

“Sometimes you don’t get what you prefer in politics and in that case I would have to think about it.”-- Dave Obey, saying he might have to run for governor if Herb  Kohl or Tom Barrett doesn't.  

Talk about not getting what you prefer in politics.   That would be it for sure.


The Oklahoman, Ogle Mock Occupy OKC

October 13, 2011 by Blue Oklahoma

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Original Author: 
DocHoc
Image of Occupy OKC sign

If they want to know what they're up against locally, the Occupy OKC protesters need to look no further than a recent scathing editorial in The Oklahoman that labeled them "idiots."

Of course, you can also read the editorial as a collective expression of deep fear among the local, corporate oligarchy, and in that sense it serves as a form of flattery, showing the protests are working on some level. The rhetorical attack, coming from one of the most conservative newspapers in the country, indicates the entire "Occupy" movement has the throughout the world unnerved.

In a Wednesday editorial ("Occupy Wall Street movement: Raging against what exactly?," Oct. 12, 2011), The Oklahoman plays on the term "useful idiots" in describing the protesters here and across the nation and then makes these mocking, outlandish claims:

Baldwin's campaign shows savvy, to set up in Milwaukee

October 13, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Uppity Wisconsin's picture
Original Author: 
xoff

Tammy Baldwin has hired an experienced campaign manager with good national connections.

The best news in the Roll Call story may be this:

Karin Johanson is taking leave from her position as a principal at the Dewey Square Group and is headed to Milwaukee as soon as she lines up office space in the area.

That's a smart decision. Statewide campaigns based in Milwaukee have a different feel and different view of the state. For Democrats, it is where the votes and money are. For Madison-based Baldwin, setting up shop in the city is a good first step.

I ain't Art Kumbalek, but I told you so.

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