DOWNLOADS: (29)

PLAYS: (151)

Embed

Here we go again with former Sen. Alan Simpson slamming his fists on the table, demanding that our politicians agree to make some form of "grand bargain" later this year and berating Republicans for their fear of Grover Norquist coming after them if they aren't loyal to his anti-tax pledge.

As Ross Eisenbrey reminds us this week, Simpson is no hero when it comes to his plans for our social safety nets: Alan Simpson isn’t ‘saving Social Security’:

Alan Simpson is at it again. Launching another off-color attack on people who oppose the Bowles-Simpson plan to bomb Social Security in order to save it, Simpson claims he is saving it for young people who would otherwise be “gutted.” In fact, Simpson’s overarching desire to protect rich Americans from paying their fair share of Social Security taxes (if wealthy earners paid FICA taxes on all of their income, most of Social Security’s solvency problems would be solved) leads him to propose cuts in Social Security almost as large as the automatic benefit reductions that will occur in 2033 under current assumptions.

According to an analysis of the Bowles-Simpson plan by Social Security’s chief actuary, middle-class workers with average earnings over the course of their careers (around $43,084 in 2010) would see a 22 percent cut in benefits by 2080, not significantly different from the 23.5 percent cut in benefits these workers would face if nothing were done to shore up Social Security’s finances. Our children and grandchildren will lose critical benefits under Simpson’s plan, while seniors like him are mostly protected.

Notwithstanding Simpson’s crocodile tears for young people, under the Bowles-Simpson plan, if someone who is born in 2015 retires at age 65 with a middle-class income in 2080, Social Security will replace only 28 percent of their pre-retirement earnings. By contrast, a 65-year old who retired in 1980 replaced 49 percent of pre-retirement earnings. It is Simpson himself who wants to gut the Social Security of coming generations.

That didn't stop CNN's Fareed Zakaria from treating Alan Simpson and his fellow commission head Erskine Bowles as some sort of heroes during his interview with them this Sunday. If they really wanted to make sure Social Security remains solvent, as Ross noted, they'd lift the income cap instead of using the hole they blew in the budget with the Bush tax cuts and two wars they refused to pay for as an excuse to gut our social safety nets.

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: (41)

PLAYS: (467)

Embed

As I wrote about earlier this month, there were protests planned for anti-gay zealot and bigot Pastor Charles Worley after he was recorded preaching this sort of hatred towards lesbians and gay people from the pulpit in his Baptist church in North Carolina: NC Pastor: Put an Electric Fence Around Gays and Lesbians to Make Sure They "Die Out."

Anderson Cooper followed up on those protests on CNN this Monday evening and apparently the pastor isn't quite ready to give interviews to anyone in the media yet, even though he appears to be doubling down with his church members on his prior statements.

I'm glad to see the national media giving this guy some more attention. If he thinks what he said was acceptable and that it's okay to be preaching that type of hatred from the pulpit, he ought to have to answer for his remarks to the press. The fact that he got the standing ovation from his congregation as they reported sickens me, but I guess it should not be too surprising given they have been willing participants in agreeing with or promoting themselves the type of garbage this man has been preaching for who knows how long now.

Given the fact that he was running from the media when CNN showed up outside of his church, I don't expect we'll see the pastor defending his remarks on television any time soon. So basically he's a hate monger and a coward who is not willing to defend what he said once it's put up to public scrutiny.

Here's to the media continuing to stick a camera in this man's face whether it be local or national until he's forced to explain why he thinks it's acceptable to say we should be rounding up gay people and putting them behind electric fences.

Transcript via CNN below the fold.

Continue reading »

The latest stories from the front lines of the labor fight across the country...

DOWNLOADS: (74)

PLAYS: (861)

Embed

In a different country this would be the well deserved fate of George Bush, to be hounded by protesters for his warmongering in Iraq and his complete sellout to corporate interests, in this case JP Morgan but also Rupert Murdoch's enterprise. Alas, this only occurs in Britain and only when security allows it.

Blair was testifying at the Leveson inquiry into the phone hacking scandal of News International, run by one Rupert Murdoch, a man Blair says is "misunderstood", Blair on Rupert Murdoch: "He is not actually a sort of identikit rightwing person … you know, he has bits of him that are very anti-establishment; meritocratic, I would say." Uh huh...But I suppose we shouldn't have expected anything else from the godfather of Murdoch's daughter Grace.

via The Guardian

Is that what life is like these days for Tony Blair? Not when it comes to rain, of course – a tan that assured speaks of an ability to source expensive sun year-round. But as his blacked-out Range Rover drew up at the Royal Courts of Justice on Monday before his appearance at the Leveson inquiry, he was awaited, as he always is these days, by a small gaggle of protesters shouting about Iraq.

Blair may have stepped down as prime minister five years ago and no longer has the smallest influence over whether troops leave Afghanistan urgently, as several of those present demanded. And yet the devotion of his placard-wielding critics, trailing like a cloud in his wake, never wavers.

This may be the reason why, when one of their number burst into the courtroom during Blair's testimony and, after an initial "Excuse me", bellowed that the former prime minister was a war criminal, the former PM scarcely flinched. Lord Justice Leveson leapt to his feet and was visibly shaken by the intrusion; Blair, by contrast, rested his chin on a hand and waited for the man to be bundled out by his close protection officers. Another day, another call for extradition to The Hague.
...
As he was driven away from court, his Range Rover was pelted with eggs by a protester. Well, of course it was.

These occasional annoyances aside, it's all a small price to pay for the millions of Euros made and the continued Rock Star lifestyle now available to Tony Blair. So what if a small group of malcontents will forever despise him for what he did and what he represents. Right, Tony?

On Monday, President Obama commemorated Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery, declaring “Today we come together as Americans to pray, to reflect and to remember these heroes.” But across the country in San Diego, his GOP rival Mitt Romney joined John McCain at a gathering of veterans to instead deliver a not-so-thinly-veiled attack on the President. But if his message that the U.S. must not “shrink our military smaller and smaller to pay for our social needs” sounds familiar, it should. After all, back in 2000 George W. Bush deployed the same “hollow military” myth to win the battle for the White House.

On Monday morning, PBS Newshour announced, “Presidential Campaigns Pause to Honor Veterans on Memorial Day.” Unfortunately, that story was published before Mitt Romney addressed the audience at the Memorial Day Center Museum in San Diego. As ABC reported, Romney did not pause for a cease-fire (around the 11:00 mark in the video above):

“We have two courses we can follow,” said Romney. “One is to follow the pathway of Europe. To shrink our military smaller and smaller to pay for our social needs. And they of course rely on the strength of America and they hope for the best. Were we to follow that kind of course, there would be no one that could stand to protect us.”

“The other is to commit to preserve America as the strongest military in the world, second to none, with no comparable power anywhere in the world,” he said. “We choose that course. We choose that course for America not just so that we can win wars, but so we can prevent wars. Because a strong America is the best deterrent to war that ever has been invented.”

As the chart below the fold shows, core U.S. defense spending (that is, outside of Iraq and Afghanistan war funding in red) has risen during every year of the Obama administration. Nevertheless, Mitt Romney announced last fall, "I will reverse President Obama's massive defense cuts." Then during last week's NATO summit in Chicago, Romney penned an op-ed to charge:

"The United States [is] on a path to a hollow military."

If that sound bite rings a bell, it should. That's because the same slander was a centerpiece of Texas Governor George W. Bush's successful campaign 12 years ago.

Continue reading »

Dozens of electrical workers and members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers are providing essential services in the war zone in Afghanistan and Americans know very little about the conditions they live and work in. The primary job the electricians perform is to make military bases in Afghanistan safer for U.S. and allied troops. In performing their job, they ride along with troops and face many of the same dangers that troops face. Housing conditions are very basic and far from living at home in the U.S. and violence is a constant fear. Like the soldiers fighting in combat, the electricians often forge close friendships over months and years with people lost in combat or who face severe injury and disability. With little to no training on dealing with the conditions of war, they work on a daily basis to make sure the troops can do their job in as safe an environment as possible, which they say is the most rewarding aspect of the job. And the troops are much more appreciative of the work that they do that people back home are, since things as simple as lighting in the dark are much more important in a war zone.

IBEW chronicles some of these stories on their website:

When the Air Force needs large construction work done quickly in and around combat zones, the men and women of RED HORSE ride in.

Members of the construction squad formally called "Rapid Engineers Deployable: Heavy Operations Repair Squadron Engineers" handle upgrades on airfields, drill wells, and complete large projects involving demolition and construction—all to ensure that U.S. troops have the infrastructure to do their jobs in Iraq, Afghanistan and surrounding countries.

Allentown, Pa., Local 375 member Bruce Snyder served as superintendent of the 1st Expeditionary RED HORSE's electrical division in Afghanistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. There, he and fellow IBEW members joined other skilled trades workers to construct and electrify medical stations, communications centers and other structures.

"We take pride in being able to build anything the Air Force needs here," said Snyder, who joined the National Guard after four years of active duty in 1986. "IBEW members are a valuable part of this effort, and we don't take our responsibilities lightly."

Fellow RED HORSE member Gavin Fisher, a reservist and meter reader with Reading, Pa., Local 777, worked with Snyder as part of a convoy team to deliver bulldozers and heavy equipment to construction sites in the Kandahar province of southern Afghanistan.

"It was tough work, and you always had to keep your eyes open," said Fisher, 27, who is looking to become a lineman with Metropolitan Edison Co.

A typical RED HORSE squadron is made up of more than 400 servicemen and women, including members of the carpenters, masons, sheet metal workers, plumbers and various other trades. Squad members stay on the move, often connecting with other RED HORSE groups at various sites.

"I met many of my fellow members from around the nation doing similar work," said Snyder, who returned home last spring. "It was always a thrill to get to a new place and ask around if anyone was IBEW."

At a time when politicians in both parties send signals that they favor extending the George W. Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy, more than 30 progressive groups have launched 'Americans for Tax Fairness', a group dedicated to ending the Bush tax cuts on the upper 2 percent of Americans, those making more than a $250,000 annually.

“We established Americans for Tax Fairness to help make the economy work for all,” said Americans for Tax Fairness Campaign Manager Frank Clemente. “To achieve this goal, we need adequate levels of investment in critical areas like education and rebuilding infrastructure that create and sustain jobs. We also need a balanced and equitable approach to the federal budget challenges we face, which includes protecting critical services for the middle class and the most vulnerable. This requires that we all pay our fair share of taxes, especially big corporations and the richest 2 percent making more than a quarter of a million dollars a year.”

Despite Nancy Pelosi's suggestion that $1 million is a better number, it appears that more than 40 percent of the savings generated by letting the tax cuts expire would be eliminated at the higher number, with half of that savings benefiting millionaires. David Dayen and others argue this situation is a mess and that Pelosi's comments don't help resolve the situation much.

Americans for Tax Fairness announced their principles (via press release):

1. America needs an economy that grows jobs and works for all. Our nation has urgent needs, including creating sufficient jobs, investing in education and making college affordable, rebuilding our deteriorating infrastructure, shoring up Social Security and Medicare for the long term, reducing poverty and protecting the most vulnerable, and reducing the federal deficit in a balanced way as the economy recovers.

2. Everyone must pay their fair share. We need to reform our tax code so it raises adequate revenues to meet critical needs in a fiscally responsible manner — starting with wealthy Americans paying their fair share. This includes ending the Bush tax breaks for the richest 2 percent of Americans.

3. Put American jobs first by closing corporate tax loopholes. We also need to eliminate tax breaks and subsidies that allow some corporations to pay very limited amounts of taxes, or avoid paying taxes altogether, while encouraging multinational corporations to ship jobs overseas. Corporations’ share of federal taxes has declined dramatically over the years; therefore, any corporate tax reform should require the corporate sector to contribute more in federal income-tax revenue than it does now, not less.

The members of the new coalition include:

AFL-CIO
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Alliance for a Just Society
American Federation of Government Employees
American Sustainable Business Council
Brandon and Associates
Business for Shared Prosperity
Campaign for America’s Future
Center for American Progress
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Citizens for Tax Justice
Coalition on Human Needs
Economic Policy Institute
Financial Accountability & Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition
Leadership Center for the Common Good
Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights
MoveOn.org
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
National Council of La Raza
National Education Association
National People’s Action
National Women’s Law Center
OMB Watch
PICO National Network
Service Employees International Union
The Arc
United for a Fair Economy
USAction
Working America

Wetlands are a vital part of the ecosystem, and there are all sorts of shenanigans that go on with the state mitigation programs - Florida being infamous for all kinds of backchannel practices:

Florida's top state wetlands expert has been suspended after she refused to issue a permit on a controversial project — one that she said her boss was willing to bend the rules to approve.

The project: turning a North Florida pine plantation into a business that attempts to make up for wetlands that are wiped out by new roads and development. At stake: millions of dollars in wetland "credits" that can be sold to government and developers.

The problem, according to a May 9 memo from Department of Environmental Protection wetlands expert Connie Bersok, is that the owners want the DEP to give them lots of wetland credits for land that isn't wet.

After being told by Deputy Secretary Jeff Littlejohn to ignore the rules she had followed on other permits, Bersok wrote, "I hereby state my objection to the intended agency action and refusal to recommend this permit for issuance."

Two days later, Bersok was suspended pending an investigation, her personnel file shows. She declined to comment for this article without DEP permission. DEP officials would not allow a reporter to speak with her. A spokeswoman would not discuss her case.

"It smells really bad to me," said Aliki Moncrief, a former DEP attorney who is now executive director of Environment Florida, an activist group.

The application that led to Bersok's suspension came from the Highlands Ranch Mitigation Bank, which has repeatedly tussled with permitting officials.

"They're scrappy, these guys," said Glenn Lowe, who lost his job with the St. Johns River Water Management District after he refused to give Highlands Ranch what its owners wanted. Former water district executive director Kirby Green said Lowe and other employees lost their jobs because Gov. Rick Scott's pro-business administration didn't like the way they treated Highlands Ranch.

enlarge

Next Tuesday, June 5th, is primary day in several states, including three where we have critical contests pitting progressive, dynamic leaders against, at best, garden variety Democrats. In California, two races stand out above and beyond all others: the CA-2 primary to replace retiring Lynn Woolsey and the first shot in twenty years for the Democrats to replace corrupt reactionary curmudgeon Buck McKeon. Our candidates, respectively, are Norman Solomon and Lee Rogers. Also here in the West, there is a primary for Montana's one at-large House seat and there is one outstanding candidate, state Rep. Franke Wilmer. Similar story in New Mexico, where the Albuquerque district has a corrupt conservative and a well-funded careerist being challenged by one of the most important progressive leaders running anywhere in America, state Sen. Eric Griego. These are 4 of the most outstanding candidates for office running anywhere and it's crucial to elect each of them-- and polling in all 4 races looks good.

Blue America would like to appeal to you to help us hit the ground running for these candidates for the general election. We want to get right into action against House Armed Services Committee chairman/bigot Buck McKeon in northeastern L.A. County and against extremist crackpots Janice Arnold-Jones in New Mexico and Steve Daines in Montana. And, because California's strange new "jungle primary" is likely to force Norman Solomon to face off against a corporate garden variety type Democrat, Jared Huffman, we need to help explain to voters why Norman is the exceptional candidate worth their trust and support. A lot of work. And we're asking for your help again.

Here on our Blue America ActBlue page, it's easy to contribute to all of our candidates or any one or two or more of them. And we love you for doing it. We'd also like to ask you to think about contributing to the Blue America PAC this week as well, a fund we use for one thing: communicating to targeted voters. We've been using TV, Internet and radio spots, mailers and billboards. There is no such thing as a contribution being too small. So whatever you can do, we'd be really grateful.

Last week Dennis Kucinich sent a note out to his own northern California supporters-- as did Alan Grayson and Raúl Grijalva. (By the way, Raúl has also endorsed Lee Rogers, Franke Wilmer and Eric Griego.) This is what Dennis told his folks why he's so enthusiastic about Norman, who he referred to as "one of the top peace candidates for Congress anywhere in the country":

Norman and I have been friends for almost 15 years. He is a powerful intellectual, a gifted writer and an activist who is willing to put himself on the line for the principled causes of peace, justice and the environment.

He will be one unique member of Congress...

Norman is a true progressive. He is an independent thinker. Too many Democrats go along with outrageous military spending, deadly wars and Wall Street greed, all of which demoralize our nation, drain our federal treasury and cause resentment around the world. Norm Solomon is unafraid to stand up and speak out when others are silent.

Norman will stand up to the Wall Streeters who continue their high-stakes gambling at public expense. He refuses to take corporate PAC money or lobbyist donations. That puts him at a disadvantage in this primary battle.

As you know, I will not be returning to Congress next year. We need Norman in Congress so that he can share his insight with all members. Because of his fierce dedication to the public interest, Norman will be an instant leader in Congress-- on war, on bloated military spending, on Wall Street, on threats to Social Security and Medicare (from either party).

Norman Solomon was an advocate for the 99%-- challenging the 1%-- before there was an Occupy Wall Street movement. Every supporter of mine should be a natural supporter of Norman. Help him carry on the legacy of strong peace and justice advocacy in the U.S. Congress.

And that is what Blue America has sought out in all of our candidates and it's what these four candidates all have in common-- proven leaders who will be advocates for the 99% and will not buy into the abysmal bipartisan corrupt ways of Washington. Unless you live in Montana you've probably never heard of Timm Twardowski. He runs AFSCME in that state and knows Rep. Wilmer well. "There is no doubt that Franke is the only candidate that understands what it means to do the 'work' for Montana in Washington, he told us. Which is why AFSCME endorsed Franke. "Franke's Montana experiences have shaped her deep commitment to the issues that affect us here at home and I know she will bring that message and hard work to Washington. Franke understands the unique nature and challenges of America's working families and will work to protect the middle class and restore the American Dream. It’s not about politics; it’s about doing the 'right thing' and putting our trust into someone who has walked in our shoes. Franke understands the work that needs to be accomplished in Washington and will always defend our beliefs."

This year Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, is working harder than I've ever seen progressives work to help elect more progressive candidates to Congress. Raúl has endorsed all 4 of these candidates. Here's what he had to say about Eric Griego in the state next door, New Mexico:

Eric Griego believes that "the last thing we need to send to Washington is a Democrat who's a kinder, gentler version of the Republicans." I agree. Democrats must fight for a government that works for all people, not just those with deep pockets and fancy titles.

Eric fought to get corporate money out of politics as an Albuquerque City Councilor, where he passed one of the strongest local campaign finance reforms in the nation. As State Senator, he took on the Big Oil companies and put middle-class workers first by passing a green jobs bill into law.

Eric is supported by leading progressive groups and major labor unions-- and he is the only candidate in the race to have a lifetime 100% rating from Conservation Voters New Mexico.

I need Eric Griego fighting by my side in Congress.

Alan Grayson also wants one of our candidates fighting on his side when he's back in Congress next year. Last year Alan sat down with Lee Rogers at a medical convention in Orlando and got to know him and to give him some of the helpful advice that is helping Lee beat the Buck McKeon machine. Here's the endorsement of Lee Rogers that Alan Grayson sent us yesterday:

I'm happy that Dr. Lee Rogers, candidate in CA-25, is a solid progressive. I'm happy that a Rogers victory means the defeat of Buck McKeon, who has been called the most corrupt Member of Congress. But I'm especially happy that Dr. Rogers knows something about something-- a
quality that Congress sorely needs.

When I was a lawyer, I had a client with a severe case of diabetes. I watched his health deteriorate over the years. The circulation in his legs weakened to the point where a foot was amputated.

It was terrible.

Dr. Rogers is a podiatrist and medical researcher. He pioneered a new protocol for such cases that reduced amputations by 72%.

Dr. Rogers runs the Amputation Prevention Center in Los Angeles. He teaches medicine. He has received awards for his research.

Healthcare is now one-sixth of the US economy. Imagine how good it would be to have someone in Congress who knows it so well.

Let's face it; many Members of Congress are good at only two things: getting elected, and getting re-elected. Whether Dr. Rogers is good at either of those things remains to be seen. But for the good of
Congress, and our health, I'd like to see it happen.

All the Blue America candidates are on the same page. And they all will need the help to go all the way in November. And the race to keep an eye on for today? Progressive insurgent Beto O'Rourke is challenging corrupt El Paso incumbent Silvestre Reyes in Texas' 16th CD. This could be another blow against the DC Establishment Machine and polls show Beto winning handily among early voters.

DOWNLOADS: (93)

PLAYS: (1338)

Embed

A senior adviser to presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said refcently that an old joke about firing a hotel chambermaid proved that the candidate wasn't as stiff as he seems.

At a Washington Post event, chief correspondent Dan Balz asked senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom what was the "most fun moment" he had ever had with Romney?

"I tell you, he's a closet prankster," Fehrnstrom explained. "I remember a trip he took as governor [of Massachusetts], one of the troopers who was assigned to his protection detail short-sheeted his bed."

So-called short-sheeting is a prank where bed sheets are folded in such a way that a person's legs can not extend to full length.

"The governor -- in order to turn the tables on this trooper -- sat down an composed a letter as if it had been written by the hotel manager, addressed it to himself as governor the the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, apologized for the bad housekeeping and the short-sheeting of his bed, and informed him that we have taken action to fire the chambermaid responsible," Fehrnstrom recalled.

"The governor showed that to the trooper that had short-sheeted the bed and of course his face went white," he added. "He was aghast that something like that had happened."

But instead of proving that the former governor has a sense of humor, the senior aide's recollection could actually reinforce the impression that Romney is insensitive about the struggles of working Americans.

At an event in January, the former Bain Capital executive declared that he liked “to be able to fire people.” He has also said that he found a story about his father closing a factory and laying off workers in Michigan to be "humorous."

"The biggest misperception is that he’s stiff," Fehrnstrom said on Saturday. "He’s got a great sense of humor."