News for today's 2018

Election Day in SWAC area ... ongoing updates

6:31 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jj4EZIaBRTzmY0S1p6zcxvD-GTkkxhB98dC7CybLP1ChSotCZRvnXlPMPoOWBEA7iiOtSpMZM6rEm6ppGzPXUYk5sToF7tHAokkyiHIde6lELSFZbkNT2IcybM6NwPhxuX9m5vZcREDa/s1600/voting+booth+graphic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jj4EZIaBRTzmY0S1p6zcxvD-GTkkxhB98dC7CybLP1ChSotCZRvnXlPMPoOWBEA7iiOtSpMZM6rEm6ppGzPXUYk5sToF7tHAokkyiHIde6lELSFZbkNT2IcybM6NwPhxuX9m5vZcREDa/s1600/voting+booth+graphic.jpeg" /></a></div> It's Election Day 2013 in Virginia. The polls are open ... voters are voting, candidate supporters are greeting them, and volunteers are sending them out the door with "I Voted" stickers. The weather is good ... a cold, frosty start to the day with temps in the 20s is expected to lead to a high in the 50s under overcast skies. What an odd year it has been with some newspapers <a href="http://www.swacgirl.blogspot.com/2013/11/no-gubernatorial-endorsements-from.html">refusing to endorse anyone for governor while others encouraged write-in votes for Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling</a>. Many are happy to see this election cycle finally come to an end.  For many, it marks the finish of the daily barrage of campaign emails, robocalls, and television ads. Virginia is being considered a bellwether for the country. The tea party and Libertarian wings of the Virginia Republican Party have their dream team of candidates in Ken Cuccinelli, E.W. Jackson, and Mark Obenshain for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Four years after the Republican team led by Bob McDonnell and Bill Bolling swept into office with historic leads, will it happen again? This is a notoriously red area of the Commonwealth so what's going on in the central Shenandoah Valley area that includes Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County? I'll pass along news as I hear it. 10:15 a.m.: Churchville precinct had light but steady turnout. The voting location within Churchville Elementary School had been moved with only one table for check-in as opposed to the usual two. About half a dozen people were in line to sign in; two machines were in use. Interestingly, there was a card table set up with a McAuliffe sign and materials but no presence from the Republicans. 2:00 p.m.: Wilson Precinct. Steady, light turnout continued. 7:10 p.m.: Polls have closed and the wait begins for returns to be posted and announced.

Election Day in SWAC area ... ongoing updates

It's Election Day 2013 in Virginia. The polls are open ... voters are voting, candidate supporters are greeting them, and volunteers are sending them out the door with "I Voted" stickers.The weather is good ... a cold, frosty start to the day with te…

Today's Teamster News 11.03.13

4:23 AM Tukiyooo 0

<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/31/cnrailway-labor-idUSL1N0IL0LV20131031" rel="nofollow">Canada's CN Rail reaches tentative deal with Teamsters union</a>  Reuters   ...Canadian National Railway Co , the country's largest rail operator, agreed to a new labor contract for some 3,300 conductors, trainmen, yardmen and traffic coordinators represented by the Teamsters union, the railway said Thursday... <a href="http://thecabin.net/interact/opinion/columns/2013-11-02/brock-arkansas-best-teamsters-ok-five-year-contract#.UnY0_5TF36k" rel="nofollow">Arkansas Best, teamsters ok five-year contract</a>  Log Cabin Democrat   ... The contract will take effect on Nov. 3, 2013 and run through March 31, 2018... <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/02/nsa-portrait-total-surveillance" rel="nofollow">Portrait of the NSA: no detail too small in quest for total surveillance</a>  The Guardian   ... It is indiscriminate in the information it is collecting. Nothing appears to be too small for the NSA. Nothing too trivial. Rivals, enemies, allies and friends – US citizens and 'non-Americans' – are all scooped up... <a href="http://www.policymic.com/articles/71255/10-corporations-control-almost-everything-you-buy-this-chart-shows-how" rel="nofollow">10 Corporations Control Almost Everything You Buy — This Chart Shows How</a>  PolicyMic   ...It's not just the products you buy and consume, either. In recent decades, the very news and information that you get has bundled together: 90% of the media is now controlled by just six companies... <a href="http://www.policymic.com/articles/70605/one-thing-major-media-hid-from-you-during-the-debate-on-syria" rel="nofollow">One Thing Major Media Hid From You During the Debate on Syria</a>  PolicyMic   ...at least 22 of the commentators and seven of the think tanks that advocated for military action in Syria had ties to companies that would profit from such a strike... <a href="http://angrybearblog.com/2013/11/more-on-secrets-in-trade-tpp.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Hzoh+%28angrybearblog.com%29" rel="nofollow">More on secrets in trade…TPP </a> Angry Bear   ...“This really is a deal that’s being negotiated by corporations for corporations and any benefit it provides to the bulk of the population of this country will be purely incidental.” ... “There would be no reason to keep it so secret if it was in the interest of the public... <a href="http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/11/the-global-corporatocracy-is-almost-fully-operational.html" rel="nofollow">The Global Corporatocracy Is Almost Fully Operational</a>  naked capitalism   ..."...we are witnessing the advancement of a new and unprecedented global project of transatlantic corporate colonization.“... as a recent leak of part of the TPP document has shown, the new rules would limit how governments regulate such public services as utilities, transportation, healthcare and education, including restricting policies meant to ensure broad or universal access to those essential needs... <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/now-time-end-trade-deal-job-growth-lie" rel="nofollow">Now Is Time To End Trade Deal Job Growth Lie</a>  teamster.org   ...The recently implemented U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement was supposed to create 70,000 new jobs, yet in the 18 months it’s been in place it has cost this country 40,000... <a href="http://consumerist.com/2013/11/01/you-can-go-to-jail-for-an-overdue-library-book/" rel="nofollow">You Can Go To Jail For An Overdue Library Book</a>  Consumerist   ...A Texas man was arrested this week for failing to return a GED study guide he simply spent too long studying — three years — and was sent to jail to mull over his actions, or lack thereof... <a href="http://prospect.org/article/daily-meme-congress-hits-americas-poorest-while-theyre-down" rel="nofollow">Daily Meme: Congress Hits America's Poorest While They're Down</a>  American Prospect   ...Nearly 1 million military vets use food stamps and will see cuts... <a href="http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/10/31/3329326/gop-extremist-movement-prompts.html" rel="nofollow">GOP 'extremist movement' prompts NC candidate to switch to Democrat </a> Charlotte Observer   ..."The government shutdown was simply the straw that broke the camels back. I guess being an American just isn’t good enough anymore and I refuse to be part of an extremist movement in the GOP that only appears to thrive on fear and hate mongering of anyone and everyone who doesn’t walk their line.”

ABF corporate power debtors prisons food stamps government shutdown Moral Monday Syria tea party TPP trade veterans Today's Teamster News 11.03.13

Canada's CN Rail reaches tentative deal with Teamsters union Reuters ...Canadian National Railway Co , the country's largest rail operator, agreed to a new labor contract for some 3,300 conductors, trainmen, yardmen and traffic coordinators repres…

Today's Teamster News 10.21.13

4:18 AM Tukiyooo 0

<a href="http://aattp.org/tea-party-rep-farenthold-disabled-vets-hurt-gop-shut-make-sacrifices/" rel="nofollow">Tea Party Rep. Farenthold To Disabled Vets Hurt By GOP Shut-Down: ‘You have to Make Sacrifices!’</a>  aatp.org   ...Congressman Blake Farenthold (R- Texas...) told veterans about to lose their disability checks due to the government shutdown, that they would have to make sacrifices... <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/20/democrats-social-security-cuts_n_4132087.html" rel="nofollow">Why Democrats Might Cave On Social Security Cuts</a>  Huffington Post   ...Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Sunday opened the door to Social Security cuts as part of a budget deal with congressional Republicans... <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/176715/farmworkers-hit-nyc-protest-wendys-labor-practices#" rel="nofollow">Farmworkers Hit NYC to Protest Wendy’s Labor Practices</a>  The Nation   ...The members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) had just arrived in the city from Immokalee, Florida, and were gathered to pressure Wendy’s to sign on to CIW’s Fair Food Program (FFP), an initiative that ensures fast-food chains purchase tomatoes from ethical produce suppliers... <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/10/19/how-stores-use-your-phones-wifi-to-track-your-shopping-habits/" rel="nofollow">How stores use your phone’s WiFi to track your shopping habits </a> Washington Post   ...in a retail environment, other in-store equipment can pick up your WiFi card, learn your device's unique ID number and use it to keep tabs on that device over time as you move through the store... <a href="http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-10-20/indirect-slavery-we%E2%80%99re-all-guilty" rel="nofollow">(In)Direct Slavery: We’re All Guilty</a>  Pivotfarm   ...There are 29.8 million slaves in the world. They mostly work in developing and emerging countries producing goods that are destined for the Western world and our own markets... <a href="http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-mexico-cartel-honcho-reportedly-killed-by-clowns-20131019,0,4576466.story" rel="nofollow">Mexico cartel honcho reportedly killed by gunmen dressed as clowns</a>  Los Angeles Times   ...Gunmen dressed as clowns burst into a children’s party and shot to death the eldest brother of one of Mexico’s erstwhile largest and feared drug-trafficking families, Mexican officials and press said Saturday... <a href="http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_20/10/2013_523992" rel="nofollow">In Greece, wisdom of privatizations under question</a>  Ekathimerini   ...Unions have long warned that the planned offloading of stakes in utility and transport companies will impose higher water and gas prices to a population already struggling through a six-year recession. Wages have fallen by over 22 percent since 2010 according to state statistics, and unemployment has soared to over 27 percent of the active workforce... <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/10/19/the_birth_of_fox_news/" rel="nofollow">The birth of Fox News</a>  Salon   ...From day one, Rupert Murdoch's baby was louder and angrier than its competitors. The media has never recovered... <a href="http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/19519-meat-so-cheap-you-could-die" rel="nofollow">Meat So Cheap You Could Die</a>  Other Words   ...The first known salmonella cases from this latest bout of bad chicken occurred in March. They continued through at least late September. That means consumers bought and ate contaminated meat for at least seven months before they learned that something might be amiss. Since it takes a few weeks to report and confirm a new case, it’s likely more people will get sick than the early numbers indicated.... <a href="http://truth-out.org/news/item/19510-the-abject-failure-of-reaganomics" rel="nofollow">The Abject Failure of Reaganomics</a> (opinion)  Consortium News   ...If a large segment of the American public continues to buy into the Tea Party’s fake reality, then it is likely that both the political damage and the economic decline will continue apace, with fewer good-paying jobs, a shrinking middle class and more of the bitter alienation that has fed the Tea Party’s growth in the first place. In other words, the United States will remain in a vicious circle that is also a downward spiral... <a href="http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2011/05/03/ohios-hidden-bob-evans-subsidies?fb_action_ids=10153408293135347&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210153408293135347%22%3A10150171024484651%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210153408293135347%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D" rel="nofollow">Ohio's Hidden Bob Evans Subsidies</a>  CleveScene   ... a just-released study … found that more than one in every eight Bob Evans employees qualifies for Medicaid, food assistance, or cash assistance from the state. The taxpayer cost is pegged at $14 million annually…

farmworkers fast food workers food safety Fox News Greece mexican drug violence slavery spying tea party veterans Today's Teamster News 10.21.13

Tea Party Rep. Farenthold To Disabled Vets Hurt By GOP Shut-Down: ‘You have to Make Sacrifices!’ aatp.org ...Congressman Blake Farenthold (R- Texas...) told veterans about to lose their disability checks due to the government shutdown, that they w…

Austerity: The real winner of the government shutdown

10:39 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCu5-cGsVel-NMCEXXRtxlPbyQriTWDMEjk_uXkXM6XSxV8fHDcUo2EJ5oWRcqaAXqH3tG520wdrl3zVfMsBe6tq9NZcgO6Gc2bj0mrnds_ddqRnBEn5haGfFYrLCcNb6UPW39e_8_TKAx/s1600/austerity_anti_worker_cuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCu5-cGsVel-NMCEXXRtxlPbyQriTWDMEjk_uXkXM6XSxV8fHDcUo2EJ5oWRcqaAXqH3tG520wdrl3zVfMsBe6tq9NZcgO6Gc2bj0mrnds_ddqRnBEn5haGfFYrLCcNb6UPW39e_8_TKAx/s200/austerity_anti_worker_cuts.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>A popular thing to say on Capitol Hill is that there were <a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/10/watch-live-obama-outlines-what-comes-next/70644/" rel="nofollow">no winners in the government shutdown</a> and debt ceiling crisis that ended last night. But once again, savage cuts to social spending have won the day. Sure, the conflict may have been a terrible embarrassment for the GOP, but the Wall Street-backed tea party agenda of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austerity" rel="nofollow">austerity</a> came out unscathed. The <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-austerity-20131016,0,1067125.story" rel="nofollow">Los Angeles Times observed</a>: <blockquote class="tr_bq">As the shadow of the shutdown passes, it's proper to be reminded again that this fight involved spending levels that are materially suppressing economic growth and hampering the recovery.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Specifically, the deal soon to be voted on leaves the sequester in place, at least until Jan. 15….The sequester is merely one manifestation of Congress's love for austerity in the post-recession era. From the inception, recovery programs have never been as large or robust as they needed to be, despite evidence that even harsher austerity regimes kept much of Europe mired in slumps.</blockquote>But the deal that was negotiated yesterday to reopen the government and suspend the debt ceiling didn’t just leave the austerity assault in place. It may end up escalating the assault on workers even more. Richard Eskow at the <a href="http://ourfuture.org/20131016/winning-the-peace-the-post-shutdown-challenge" rel="nofollow">Campaign for America’s Future writes</a>: <blockquote class="tr_bq">This deal will bend the next few months’ deliberations along the same misguided lines that have guided our political discourse for years now. House and Senate members will be encouraged to come up with a “deficit reduction plan” -- in other words, to impose another round of cuts just like those which have already wounded the economy and shredded millions of jobs.</blockquote>Specifically, Congress’s latest deal opens the door to further cuts that will target working Americans by <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304384104579139881517789174.html" rel="nofollow">establishing a bipartisan committee to deal with budget issues</a>. Yeah, another one of those! And you can be sure that this committee will try to hash out a “<a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/10/truth-behind-grand-bargain.html">Grand Bargain</a>,” which is basically Washington-speak for harsher cuts and “entitlement reform” -- “entitlement reform,” by the way, is Washington-speak for gutting Social Security and Medicare. But austerity was the winner even before that part of the deal was conceived. That’s because the goalposts in Congress’s spending debates have already been moved to austerity’s side of the field. Think Progress <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/10/15/2782911/republican-victory-sequestration/" rel="nofollow">reports</a>: <blockquote class="tr_bq">It may seem like ancient history, but <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budget_sequestration_in_2013" rel="nofollow">sequestration</a> was originally designed to be so unpalatable to both parties that the threat of its automatic budget cuts to both defense and non-defense programs alike would be enough to force lawmakers to come to a grand bargain budget agreement. As it first went into effect in March, Republicans tried to pin the blame for any negative consequences on President Obama. But they gradually came out in favor of sequestration’s devastating cuts and have now made it the baseline in the fight over funding the government.</blockquote>According to the <a href="http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/budget/news/2013/09/30/76026/the-senate-continuing-resolution-is-already-a-compromise/" rel="nofollow">Center for American Progress</a>, Obama’s original budget for 2014 was $1.203 trillion. In 2010, Republicans took control of the House and deficit hawk <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2012/08/paul-ryan-premium-wine-for-me-catfood.html">Paul Ryan</a> proposed a 2014 budget of $1.095 trillion -- that's 10 percent more than what Congress just passed to end the shutdown. Outrageously, the justification for all these spending reductions is baseless. The country’s supposedly out-of-control <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/09/deficit-falling-falling-falling" rel="nofollow">debt has been falling significantly over the last two years</a>. But for tea party extremists, austerity was never about getting the deficit under control. It’s about shrinking government in a way that punishes workers and the poor. Even during the shutdown, what was deemed “essential” and “non-essential” gives you an idea of what parts of government right-wing elites think is important. So <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/10/08/2748461/members-only-congressional-gyms-deemed-essential-remain-open-during-shutdown/" rel="nofollow">Congress’s gym – complete with heated pools and a sauna – was essential</a>. Food assistance to low-income mothers and children? Non-essential. Now, the latest agreement sets the stage for another budget and debt limit battle just in time for another round of sequester cuts. As we wrote at <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/joy-over-proposed-budget-deal-should-be-short-lived">Teamster.org</a>: <blockquote class="tr_bq">...our government will be funded at a significantly reduced level than it should be... because of sequester cuts that went into effect last year.</blockquote>For now, we’ve avoided default, reopened the government and hundreds of thousands of locked-out government workers are back to work. That’s definitely a good thing. But now anti-worker zealots in Washington are hoping that sharper austerity measures won't seem so bad compared to the pain caused by the shutdown. Don’t be fooled.

Austerity: The real winner of the government shutdown

anti-worker extremists austerity budget deficit debt ceiling government shutdown grand bargain Sequestration tea party Wall Street Austerity: The real winner of the government shutdown

A popular thing to say on Capitol Hill is that there were no winners in the government shutdown and debt ceiling crisis that ended last night. But once again, savage cuts to social spending have won the day. Sure, the conflict may have been a terribl…

How many Americans does it take to shut down the government?

12:26 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2tmrkdAXSMRcjGnEicOB6MrY5qLgU58cpyofvKlqDBol91iZWuZ7jlFlIX84G6HmkyDexcI6q-pTc-ze5C8-POqyVD0vV2kaWOPlp9IZ5qBbYcm77iuSe476NWjydZlQGJyA6JFd2Y2y/s1600/jobsnotcuts.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2tmrkdAXSMRcjGnEicOB6MrY5qLgU58cpyofvKlqDBol91iZWuZ7jlFlIX84G6HmkyDexcI6q-pTc-ze5C8-POqyVD0vV2kaWOPlp9IZ5qBbYcm77iuSe476NWjydZlQGJyA6JFd2Y2y/s200/jobsnotcuts.png" width="200" /></a></div>Extremist Republicans claim shutting down the government over their opposition to a law passed three years ago is what the American people want. That's an interesting theory considering less than 5 percent of the population actually voted for these hostage-takers. Business Insider <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-government-shutdown-is-the-will-of-a-pathetic-43-of-the-population-2013-10">reports</a>: <blockquote class="tr_bq">Let's look at the element of the House GOP that supports tying the continuing resolution to fund the government to an un-passable defunding of the Affordable Care Act. Judging by the number of people who signed  <a href="http://meadows.house.gov/uploads/Meadows_DefundLetter.pdf" sl-processed="1">freshman Rep. Mark Meadow's (R-N.C.)</a> letter,  <a href="http://www.freedomworks.org/blog/jwithrow/does-your-senator-stand-with-mike-lee-against-obam" sl-processed="1">81 members</a> of the 233 GOP caucus support this hardcore strategy. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Adding them up, we see that only 13.8 million Americans actually voted for the suicide caucus. That's only 11.7% of the people who voted in a congressional election in 2012, and an absolutely pathetic 4.3% of the U.S. population.</blockquote>How can such a small percentage of people stack Congress with enough sociopaths to shut down the government? The answer is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering" rel="nofollow">gerrymandering</a> -- self-serving congressional redistricting that allowed Republicans to get 33 more seats than Democrats in the last election despite getting fewer votes. And <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/10/02/2716421/how-gerrymandering-makes-a-speedy-shutdown-end-unlikely/">Think Progress reports</a> that Republican gerrymandering makes a quick resolution to the shutdown even more unlikely: <blockquote class="tr_bq">Obama garnered 48.8 percent of the vote or more in just 13 of the 218 other Congressional Districts currently represented by a Republican -- and even if the general public wants the government reopened, there is little political pressure in heavily GOP districts for Republican members to side with President Obama and the Democrats.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">With a gerrymandered majority consisting of districts that do not represent the majority of Americans’ viewpoints, House Republicans can keep the government in a shutdown highly insulated from the anger and blame they are receiving.</blockquote>So when you hear the fanatics in Washington say they're carrying out the will of the American people, remember they're more likely carrying out the will of their heavily gerrymandered districts. They aren't satisfied with the <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/02/sequester-is-anti-growth-and-anti.html" rel="nofollow">anti-worker sequester cuts</a> they got this year. To them, it's great to tear at the social safety net. But it's better to rip it to pieces and even better to make it look like your opponents are to blame for the crisis. When that doesn't work the extremists are busy downplaying the crisis altogether. But <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/01/the-nine-most-painful-consequences-of-a-government-shutdown/" rel="nofollow">the shutdown is much more than a few shuttered parks</a>. It's an attack on federal workers, veterans' benefits, vaccine programs, food safety inspections, food assistance for women and children, disability benefits, Head Start programs, financing for small businesses, and tourism. And it's all thanks to the shrill minority spawned from gerrymandered voting districts -- democracy (and the economy) be damned.

gerrymandering government shutdown health care reform Sequestration tea party How many Americans does it take to shut down the government?

Extremist Republicans claim shutting down the government over their opposition to a law passed three years ago is what the American people want.That's an interesting theory considering less than 5 percent of the population actually voted for these ho…

Today's Teamster News 09.03.13

2:30 AM Tukiyooo 0

<a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/labor/318795-five-reasons-for-optimism-about-unions-this-labor-day#ixzz2dDzjgGWO" rel="nofollow">Five reasons for optimism about unions this Labor Day</a> (opinion) The Hill   ...most Americans hold favorable views of unions. According to a June 2013 poll by the Pew Research Center, 51 percent of Americans hold favorable views of labor unions, a 10 percent increase from the number in the same poll conducted two years earlier... <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/02/workers-are-better-off-now-than-in-1894_n_3829698.html" rel="nofollow">9 Ways We're Better Off Now Than We Were On The First Labor Day (And 5 Ways We're Not)</a>  Huffington Post   ...The federal minimum wage, <a href="http://www.dol.gov/whd/minimumwage.htm">which currently stands at 7.25 an hour</a>, is <a href="http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/cepr-blog/raising-minimum-wage-to-9-not-enough-to-ensure-that-families-with-fulltime-workers-live-above-poverty-line">not enough to keep American families out of poverty</a>, according to the Center For Economic And Policy Research... <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-elk/union-busting-ended-my-lo_b_217015.html" rel="nofollow">Union Busting Ended My Love Affair with a Beer</a>  Huffington Post   ...Yuengling had illegally busted their union... <a href="http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/guest-commentary/guest-commentary-labor-day-message-we-can-fix-this/article_407f64db-5bfd-5d60-b78d-e0d8ddb8f0a2.html" rel="nofollow">Labor Day message: We can fix this</a> (opinion)  NWI   ...We must embrace the new worker activism we see popping up at places like fast-food chains and retail establishments whose workers merely hope to raise their families on a livable wage... <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-a-mccartin/labor-day-2013-religion-workers-rights_b_3854319.html" rel="nofollow">"What's Outrageous? Poverty Wages!" The Role of Religious Leaders in Worker Justice </a> Huffington Post   ...The faith leaders now rallying to support fast food workers' demands for a living wage are reviving one of America's oldest and most powerful arguments for social justice, one deeply rooted in religious ideals... <a href="http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2013/09/gdp-drag-from-state-and-local.html" rel="nofollow">GDP drag from State and Local Governments</a>  Calculated Risk   ...However state and local government spending has made a negative contribution for 13 of the last 14 quarters... <a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=10631" rel="nofollow">Wall Street Eager to See Larry Summers Nominated Fed Chair </a> Real News   ...if you had to trace the collapse of the 2007-2009 financial crisis on one person--and, of course, you can't really trace it to one person--but if you did, I think you could make a fair argument that Larry Summers is more to blame for the financial crisis that we experienced than any other person... <div><a href="http://www.nationalmemo.com/making-too-big-to-fail-banks-help-poor-borrowers/" rel="nofollow">Making ‘Too Big To Fail’ Banks Help Poor Borrowers</a> (opinion)  The National Memo   ...Predatory lenders are folding fast in New York State, thanks to a savvy banking regulator who takes his duty to protect the public as seriously as his duties to the financial industry — and knows how to use the law to get quick action... <div><a href="http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/09/01/director-of-dia-selling-art-tantamount-to-closing-museum/" rel="nofollow">DIA Director: Selling Art Tantamount To Closing Museum</a>  CBS Detroit   ...Detroit’s Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr has stated that the some of the art could be sold as part of the city’s bankruptcy deal Beal says the art being considered as “assets” are those that were bought by Detroit between 1922 and 1931– that’s about 3,300 pieces... <a href="http://www.plunderbund.com/2013/08/23/ohio-gop-grassroots-lead-to-billionaire/" rel="nofollow">Ohio GOP grassroots lead to billionaire</a>  Plunderbund   ...Americans for Prosperity. … That’s the right-wing outfit whose work is fashioned  by billionaire David Koch... </div></div>

banks Detroit bankruptcy Kochs Labor Day minimum wage tea party union-busting wages Today's Teamster News 09.03.13

Five reasons for optimism about unions this Labor Day (opinion) The Hill ...most Americans hold favorable views of unions. According to a June 2013 poll by the Pew Research Center, 51 percent of Americans hold favorable views of labor unions, a 10 …

U.S. House schedule for Thursday, July 18, 2013

4:00 AM Tukiyooo 0

From Majority Leader Eric Cantor's office.... <div style="text-align: center;">THURSDAY, JULY 18TH On Thursday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business. First votes expected: 1:45 - 2:30 p.m. Last votes expected: 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div>One Minute Speeches Begin Consideration of <a href="http://republicanleaderforms.house.gov/Components/Redirect/r.aspx?ID=348778-6846703" target="_blank">H.R. 5</a> - Student Success Act, Rules Committee Print (Structured Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. John Kline / Education and the Workforce Committee) <blockquote> The rule provides for one hour of general debate and makes in order the following amendments: </blockquote><blockquote><blockquote> Rep. Kline / Rokita Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Reps. Young (AK) / Gabbard / Hanabusa / McCollum Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Tony Cardenas Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee Amendment #5 (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Kerry Bentivolio Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Reps. Reed / McKinley / Owens Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Dan Benishek Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Joe Heck Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Reps. Schock / Meehan Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Reps. Scalise / Bishop Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Reps. Moore / Wilson (FL) Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Rob Bishop Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Paul Tonko Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Reps. Brooks / Polis Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Reps. Polis / Petri Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Nydia Velazquez Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Markwayne Mullin Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Scott Garrett Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Paul Broun Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. John Culberson Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Reps. Fitzpatrick / Meehan Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee Amendment #24 (10 minutes of debate) Reps. Cantor / Bishop Amendment (10 minutes of debate) Rep. George Miller Amendment (10 minutes of debate) </blockquote></blockquote>Special Order Speeches <div style="text-align: center;">COMMITTEE ACTIVITY OF THE DAY Oversight & Government Reform Committee hearing on “<a href="http://republicanleaderforms.house.gov/Components/Redirect/r.aspx?ID=348779-6846703" target="_blank">The IRS’ Systematic Delay and Scrutiny of Tea Party Applications</a>” (Thursday, July 18th, at 11:00 a.m.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><a href="http://republicanleaderforms.house.gov/Components/Redirect/r.aspx?ID=348780-6846703" target="_blank">Printable PDF</a>

Congress Eric Cantor IRS tea party U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House schedule for Thursday, July 18, 2013

From Majority Leader Eric Cantor's office....THURSDAY, JULY 18TH On Thursday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business. First votes expected: 1:45 - 2:30 p.m. Last vot…

How the media hyped an IRS non-scandal

11:03 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IgE093zCTqKecELX0hymaBd5w4CDEfcvN03o12bzobdAbpT3qDrXL_I4qkWsV0J3bKAsLvoeL1u9dWeQx28a0iQuhxhfEwCDN0U1k38tr44S6zDNJIXjxd1DblwL-jVIK5YcoiaK90Uf/s1600/anderson+cooper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IgE093zCTqKecELX0hymaBd5w4CDEfcvN03o12bzobdAbpT3qDrXL_I4qkWsV0J3bKAsLvoeL1u9dWeQx28a0iQuhxhfEwCDN0U1k38tr44S6zDNJIXjxd1DblwL-jVIK5YcoiaK90Uf/s200/anderson+cooper.jpg" width="200" /></a>The mainstream news media misses some of the biggest stories in North America today. You know, <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/26/mexicans-turn-to-social-media-to-report-on-drug-war/">drug war in Mexico</a>. Or the <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/04/30/the-failure-to-prosecute-corporate-crime-undermines-u-s-justice/">criminal bankers who don't go to prison</a>. Or the impoverishment of the working class.  R.J. Eskow writes in "<a href="http://blog.ourfuture.org/20130709/where-the-hell-is-the-outrage">Where the Hell Is the Outrage</a>?" <blockquote class="tr_bq">Conditions continue to become objectively worse for the great majority of Americans. But these ongoing changes — in actual wages, in employment, in social mobility and wealth equity — have received very little media attention or meaningful political debate.</blockquote>Eskow explains why that's a bad thing:  <blockquote class="tr_bq">It’s not that things aren’t changing. It’s that people don’t know they’re changing. And without that knowledge the public becomes a canary in a coalmine, only aware of its declining oxygen supply when it keels over and dies.  </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">It’s an almost classic state of alienation, in which people may be acutely aware of their own increasing difficulties (although sometimes they can be numb to that as well) but experience them in a state of isolation. That turns the anger inward, leading to crippling reactions like guilt and despair. And repeated individual failures — failures made increasingly likely in a skewed system — lead to a sense of learned helplessness. </blockquote>If mainstream media reporters don't miss a story, they may well get it wrong. Like the IRS "scandal," where supposedly "liberal" IRS employees investigated "conservative" Tea Party groups. Only, it didn't happen. (And, by the way, even if it did, there's plenty of evidence that radical billionaires like the <strike style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16.89583396911621px;"><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2011/10/bombshell-kochs-sold-oil-equipment-to.html" style="color: #336699;">Benedict Arnold</a></strike> Koch brothers are (a) <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/right-wing-billionaires-behind-mitt-romney-20120524">not disclosing their political contributions</a> and (b) funneling money to phony Tea Party groups like <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/lauriebennett/2012/03/31/tracking-koch-money-and-americans-for-prosperity/">Americans for Prosperity</a>.) Alex Seitz-Wald in <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/07/08/how_the_media_outrageously_blew_the_irs_scandal_a_full_accounting/">Salon</a> blows the whistle on how the mainstream media "outrageously blew the IRS scandal." <blockquote class="tr_bq">...we know that in fact the IRS targeted lots of different kinds of groups, not just conservative ones; that the only organizations whose tax-exempt statuses were actually denied were progressive ones; that many of the targeted conservative groups legitimately crossed the line; that the IG’s report was limited to only Tea Party groups at congressional Republicans’ request; and that the White House was in no way involved in the targeting and didn’t even know about it until shortly before the public did. </blockquote>As a result of the media's misreporting, half of the American people wrongly thought the White House ordered the IRS to target Tea Party groups, Seitz-Wald writes. Have reporters corrected the record?  We think you know the answer.

campaign finance Koch tea party How the media hyped an IRS non-scandal

The mainstream news media misses some of the biggest stories in North America today. You know, drug war in Mexico. Or the criminal bankers who don't go to prison. Or the impoverishment of the working class. R.J. Eskow writes in "Where the Hell Is the…

Bolling's Va Mainstream Project PAC taps 6 candidates for HoD support

10:19 AM Tukiyooo 0

In the second wave of flexing his political muscle, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling's <a href="http://www.billbolling.com/2013/05/15/bolling-announces-formation-of-the-virginia-mainstream-project/">"Virginia Mainstream Project"</a> (VMP) has made six more political endorsements backed with financial support and radio campaign ads leading into contested primaries on June 11. With the goal of electing mainstream, conservative Republicans to public office, VMP announced it had endorsed the following candidates for their Virginia House of Delegates races, some who are being challenged by tea party or Ron Paul candidates and are in particularly contentious contests: <blockquote>- House District 15 – <a href="http://www.delegatetoddgilbert.com/">Delegate Todd Gilbert</a> - House District 28 – <a href="http://www.williamjhowell.org/">Speaker Bill Howell</a> - House District 29 – <a href="http://www.beverlysherwood.com/">Delegate Beverly Sherwood</a> - House District 33 – <a href="http://www.joetmay.com/">Delegate Joe May</a> - House District 54 – <a href="http://bobbyorrock.net/">Delegate Bobby Orrock</a> - House District 85 – <a href="http://www.scotttaylorva.com/">Mr. Scott Taylor</a></blockquote>In addition to financial support, 60-second radio ads have been purchased and are airing for <a href="http://www.billbolling.com/2013/06/05/radio-ad-for-delegate-bobby-orrock/">Orrock</a> and <a href="http://www.billbolling.com/2013/06/05/radio-ad-for-delegate-beverly-sherwood/">Sherwood</a>. This is on the heels of VMP's endorsement and financial support to <a href="http://johncosgrove.org/">Delegate John Cosgrove</a> who was successful in his May 9 firehouse primary seeking the Republican nomination for the 14th Senate District. Bolling has stepped to the plate with his PAC, his experience, his reputation, and his willingness to endorse candidates interested in effective, common sense governing. That includes a pro-business attitude, fiscal responsibility, and a willingness to work toward searching for bi-partisan, pragmatic solutions. Reinforcing that commitment, Bolling noted: <blockquote>"If we are going to win elections in Virginia, we must nominate candidates who will appeal to Republicans and Independents and attract new people to our party.  I believe these candidates will help us accomplish that goal, but they need your help to win."</blockquote>The two-term lieutenant governor, who had been very involved and inviting with the grassroots of the party and conservative bloggers during his years in Richmond, unexpectedly found himself in his new leadership role as senior statesman after stepping away from the 2013 gubernatorial race. A series of maneuverings within RPV led to the takeover of the state central committee by the tea party and Libertarian activists who then reversed an earlier vote for a 2013 primary to a much more controlled convention, the one that recently took place in Richmond. Because of that change, Bolling briefly flirted with the idea of running as an independent but decided against it in March, prompting the <a href="http://www.newsadvance.com/opinion/editorials/article_39056fa4-8ce7-11e2-af11-001a4bcf6878.html">Lynchburg News and Advance</a> to editorialize: <blockquote>Bill Bolling is no tax-and-spend liberal, no R(epublican) I(n) N(ame) O(nly) as uber-conservative activists have tried to portray him. He’s a traditional Virginia conservative, a public servant who labored for his constituents as a Hanover County supervisor, then state senator and finally lieutenant governor for almost eight years. But the type of public servant Bolling is just isn’t what’s in fashion with the Republicans right today. An elected official who actually believes government has a role in society but who wants it to operate efficiently, leanly and unobtrusively is not the politician the tea party loves who sees government as a beast to be starved.</blockquote>In May, Bolling reflected on his new role in Virginia Republican politics with reporter Errin Whack at the <a href="http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-05-15/local/39270093_1_bill-bolling-pac-bob-holsworth">Washington Post</a>: <blockquote>“I found myself in a position of being the voice of a lot of mainstream Republicans across the state who were trying to call our party back to a more mainstream approach to politics and policy,” Bolling said in an interview. “It’s not a role I envisioned playing, but it’s a role I was thrust into because of the way things have evolved, and it’s a role I’m comfortable playing.”</blockquote>It all led to the <a href="http://www.billbolling.com/2013/05/30/virginia-mainstream-project-seeks-a-wider-gop-current-which-would-benefit-us-all/">Virginia Mainstream Project</a>. As the News and Advance wrote in the conclusion of their editorial: <blockquote>In announcing his decision earlier this week, Bolling lamented what he — and we — see as the “Washingtonization” of Virginia politics. Political battles, achieving the label of most ideologically pure, hyper-partisanship and just plain meanspiritedness seem to be oozing their way into the halls of the state Capitol. That’s not Bill Bolling’s way of leading. That’s not “The Virginia Way” of governing, or at least it hasn’t been.</blockquote>

Bolling's Va Mainstream Project PAC taps 6 candidates for HoD support

Bill Bolling House of Delegates Lieutenant Governor Lynchburg News and Advance radio campaign ads Ron Paul Libertarians tea party Virginia Mainstream Project Washington Post Bolling's Va Mainstream Project PAC taps 6 candidates for HoD support

In the second wave of flexing his political muscle, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling's "Virginia Mainstream Project" (VMP) has made six more political endorsements backed with financial support and radio campaign ads leading into contested primaries …

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