Clevelands Secret Club Blog

What the Hell is Going On at City Hall?

2012-01-28T12:23:00.000-05:00

Just so you know where we’re coming from:

Ever since a politician decidedto tear his African American opponent(in last year’s mayoral race), to shreds in public (and calling her a criminal),we decided to take our focus off national politics, and zero in on a local politicalscene.

Please do read our headline …part of which says “we’re progressive,political, controversial, provocative, thought-provoking ...” Wealso “connect the dots” when otherfolks won’t.

If you’ve been following usfor years, you know that Clevelands Secret Club members are predominantly AfricanAmerican. It now appears that a localpolitician (and/or his supporters) set his/their sights on finding out just who our members are, and taking close aim at who they think are the members. Italso appears that this politician orpoliticians (and/or their supporters) took aim, and/or are now taking aim at the African American women who wereendorsed by the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, and/or are taking aim at those who stood by his opponent.

The one thing we won’t tolerate is intimidation or being harassed by politicians (elected officials),because (to us) harassment meansthat the politician, and/or politicians (and/or supporters) doing the harassment,have something to hide, and/or are extremely dangerous and vindictive.

Our club has always been critical and weary of politicians, as is mostof the world. These politicians have made the decision to become public servants, and so they’ve opened themselves up (and rightly so) to public scrutiny. If they don’t like the public scrutiny, thenthey probably should leave public office.

Outside sources told us, that an African American former councilwoman had two police officers show up ather home to demand that she give them two keys to city hall (?). Now, correct us if we’re wrong, but webelieve that every council member gets onekey to city hall(?). And why was itnecessary to have police officers show up at her home, when (we were told) shecalled ahead of time, and told them she was going to city hall to drop off herkey. This same former councilwoman’s sonwas beaten before the elections; and then after last year’s elections (sheran for council president) her home wasburglarized.

We don’t know if all thesethings are just coincidental, or related to the elections, and/or herformer position; however, we will bewatching all these public servants very closely. We (their employers) have given them tremendouspower over our lives, and we should be extremely watchful of what they do.

Black Girls Rock

2012-01-22T00:00:00.001-05:00

I'm over 60 years of age, and Ithought I'd seen alot; but (a few days ago) when I witnessed a room full ofBlack (so called) men allow a white man to disrespect two sisters without anyrepercussions, ... I was through. Did you hear what I said? ... I was through...

First, I don't dislike men, ... but what in God's name has happened to Black men? Our voting rights are being rolled back, women's rights (and that includes a "sister's" rights) rolled back, unemployment sky-high in Black communities, poverty rates climbing in Black communities, Black men continuing to be incarcerated in unprecedented numbers, ... and what do (far too many) Black men do? .... Many do nothing; and some of them do worse than nothing (if that's possible). ... Yep, ... they do the "Uncle Tom" or "Stepin Fetchit". Yes sa, Mr. White man, ... go ahead and disparage, disenfranchise, and spit on my mother, my grandmother, my sister, and my aunt.

So why should I be surprised when I see a room full of Black males allow an arrogant, "full of his own self-importance", Caucasian male, disrespect two good sisters and a lot more before that? Why? .. because I'm a sister, ... and what I witnessed made me nauseous, and shocked the hell out of me. I can't help it, but I really do expect so much more from Black men than what I've seen.

Sisters have been fighting the good fight since before slavery, ... Strong Black sisters, who despite all the racism, unspeakable horrors, and disrespect they've had to endure through the centuries by (too many) Black males and (far too many) white males, ... still rock on. ...

They still rock in their community, ... They still rock going to school, and work, and then church on Sunday, ... raising and feeding their family (and sometimes other folks children) ... They rock on.

A couple of weeks ago, I watched a show called "Black Girls Rock" on BET. Hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross (co-star of "Reed Between the Lines") and Regina King (co-star of "Southland") , it was an awesome celebration of Black women, and dedication and tribute to Black women who have amazing accomplishments. If you can, catch it in reruns.

Award recipients:

Grammy award winning legendary gospel singer, Shirley Caesar

Civil rights activist, writer, professor and scholar, Angela Davis

Philanthropist, businesswoman and powerhouse president of the Women's National Basketball Association , Laurel Richie

Academy Award-nominated actress , Taraji P. Henson

Young, Gifted, and Black actress, Tatyana Ali

Imani Walker and Malika Saada Saar

Performers:

Mary J. Blige

Erykah Badu

Jill Scott

Shirley Caesar

Estelle

Mary Mary

Melanie Fiona

Elle Varner

I am so proud of these strong, talented Black women, and many, many more (African American women - athletes, singers, song writers, playwriters, authors, politicians, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, performers, producers, directors, community activists, scientists, physicians, lawyers, teachers, engineers, businesswomen) who did not receive an award that evening.

Everyone of you ... Keep Rocking!

Be sure to catch "The Help" on DVD or Blu ray.

Update:
Just published in the online Washington Post, 1/22/2012 / 9:21pm ..
Survey paints portrait of black women in America

And the Razzle Dazzle Continues in Maple Heights

2012-01-19T02:52:00.002-05:00

Okay, we've got the skinny on last night's Maple Heights City Council Meeting, and lo and behold, the Mayor orchestrated another grand display of "Razzle Dazzle".

[Background]
When "Extreme Makeover" came to town, the mayor robocalled all the residents; but when Richard Taylor, the man who was elected to represent district 5, died before being sworn into office, no one bothered to robocall all the residents in district 5 of that man's passing. No one robocalled residents of district 5 to let them know what course the law director, the mayor, and the council president were considering to fill that council seat or ask for suggestions. [There are still residents in district 5 that don't know Mr. Taylor died.] We were even told that a resident of district 5 called the law director asking for a special election, but the law director asked her was she going to pay for it. So clearly, there were other courses of action that the mayor, the law director, and city council could have taken. They chose the path of disenfranchisement ... and they used the (what some say as ambiguous - open to interpretation) city charter to do it.

Maybe we're wrong, but it appeared to us, that council and others who attended caucus last night, met behind closed doors the previous day to put the finishing touches on a scheme to calm any rustling of dissent from the employers (taxpayers) in district 5 (those who knew of his passing wanted to vote for their council person to replace Mr. Taylor). In addition, it also appeared to us, that council and others wanted to make sure that most of the residents in Maple Heights didn't catch wind of the economic tsunami coming their way.

City council's hand-picked African American councilman for district 5 .. (who we understand may have been asked by the mayor, or someone in his inner circle, or someone on the city council, to apply for the vacant council seat in district 5), was sworn in by his wife, Pamela Crews who is the President of the Maple Heights Board of Education. From what we've gleaned, Mayor Lansky and the council president have a close relationship with the Maple Heights Board of Education.

Next, the mayor bestowed praise and honors on a group of young African American males for coming to the aid of a man who needed help.

Heads of various departments then gave their reports, and then the employers (the constituents/taxpayers) were allowed to speak, and trust us ... district 5 did not bite their tongue. They believe (and we believe) that their civil rights and political rights (yes Mr. Mayor ... there is such a thing as political rights) were violated by the mayor, the law director, and the members of city council when they decided that members of council (who are from different districts) would choose district 5's council person.

What is absolutely astounding is that the mayor, the law director, and council members are pleased with what they've done. They seem pleased that they've disenfranchised their employers. They state they were simply following city charter ... the law. Well, we know what that charter was built upon ... a city that has had many civil rights violations, real estate redlining, segregation, ... / case laws going back to 1924, when African Americans could not own a home in Maple Heights, and racism was rampant in the great state of Ohio. What a fine legacy.

When you glance across that council table, you see a sea of white faces (fire chief, police chief, heads of other departments) ... and now 2 lone African American males who are council members who work for a city (of an est. 23,000) that has about 65-70% African American residents (with unemployment numbers for African Americans around 10-15%). If you haven't read our previous posts regarding Maple Hts, please do so. [Would have been a sign of good faith to the predominantly African American community if the recently retired fire chief had been replaced by an African American fire chief ... but, oh well ... he wasn't.]

Ask the mayor's administration about the people who lost their homes to foreclosure ... We bet most were African American ... and the number of African Americans in Maple Heights who have lost their homes to foreclosure, or are in jeopardy of losing their homes to foreclosure continues. If they receive real help to stop foreclosure ... that help will almost always come from outside Maple Heights.

To continue:
We were told that, despite the fact that petitions (re: district 5's right to choose their own council person) were presented to city council from residents in district 5, the mayor kept nastily harping on one, of several online petitions that were meant to bring social media attention to the issues that residents of district 5 were dealing with. When you bring social media attention to an issue, you don't really care if the signers actually live in the area. The idea is to put pressure on the people who are the source of the problem. Signature goals are chosen by the organizer of the petition, however, the standard goal is 100. Again, district 5 decided to do online petitions (several) and going door to door. They would have continued going door to door; however, at a district 5 meeting attended by Ohio Senator Nina Turner; Senator Turner advised them to not waste their time pursuing their goal to vote for their council person. Senator Turner has ties with the suburban mayors and business community - (she sided with them regarding issue 6, thereby causing a fire storm in the African American Cleveland community who supported issue 5). Interesting note: She used the same wording Lansky used.

This bunch ... city council, mayor, law director, ... are out there selling Maple Heights, ... telling folks that Maple Heights is a wonderful place to live in, do business in, etc. Well, that's one of their jobs. They take credit for whatever good happens in Maple Heights, and can place blame elsewhere for things that go wrong. They won't talk much about burglaries, thefts, unemployment rates, poverty rates, or bad things that happen in Maple Heights.

If you were to call the mayor regarding the concerns of his employers from district 5, we could almost guarantee that this mayor would state that what he, city council and the law director have done is legal, and the people making all the noise about their civil rights are just sore losers and whiners.

"It's unfortunate, but this mayor's behavior (I feel) demeans the office of mayor, because he is disrespectful, and has belittled not only his employers, but also others ... This is the same mayor who chose to smear the character of an African American woman who ran against him in last year's mayoral election. It's bad enough that he belittled African American women senior citizens in council meeting, but he did it when there were Afican American children in the room" [Quote by Maple Hts resident]

Council members probably won't cross him ... **Remember, ... the law director used a 1924 case law to declare the district 5 council seat vacant; stating that the leadership (or a majority of council members) could declare any council seat vacant, for any reason. Seems to fit right in with that whole climate of intimidation.

This dear friends is why blogs like ours are crucial. We give no one a free pass ... not a Democrat or Republican. Our job is not to sugar coat. Our job is to shine a light on what's underneath all that razzle dazzle.

Three more things ...

1. With the city in such dire financial straights, will the mayor take a nice, big ole pay cut?
2. Will council take a pay cut?

3. Is there a conflict of interest with the appointment of Mr. Crews?

a. His association with the UAW which endorsed Mayor Lansky for mayor last year.

b. Married to the President of the Maple Heights Board of Education - teacher's union endorsed Lansky for Mayor last year, and the mayor has a close relationship with the board.

c. Did the mayor or a member of council or both, approach Mr. Crews (or his wife) to ask him to apply for district 5's council position? We understand that around 9 people had applied.

d. Lansky backed Jackie Albers for council president, and we believe she has close ties with the board and/or teacher's union.

e. So is this appointment of Mr. Crews (married, parent, African American, associated with labor and the school board), really all about the mayor and his agenda (which may be about getting himself elected again), and needing someone to rubber stamp whatever the mayor and/or council leadership wants? Remember, the council president rode in on the coat tails of the mayor. Without the mayor, Ms. Albers could very well have lost the election (as council president) to Carolyn Gamble (who spent very little money campaigning, and had some, but no major endorsement).

We predict: Now that Ms. Albers has her ducks in a row, she will instruct her minions to follow a plan to take money meant for residents who abut the railroad in districts 3 and 5.

Just to be very, very clear ... Any politician, or public servant that threatens, intimidates, harasses, or tries to disenfranchise anyone, or take money or land meant for African Americans (even under the guise of legality), ... they will be scrutinized and called to task. We don't tolerate illegal, or unconstitutional, or unethical (especially a pattern of) behavior from any politician. They will be reported to the proper authorities if warranted.

We're going to be digging deeper into this ...

[to be further edited]

**Related post:

Who Does John Montello, Law Director for the City of Maple Heights Really Work For?

Addendum:

While people are getting a nice fuzzy feeling about those 5 new schools that cost residents about $50 million to build, ... and all that publicity around those new schools:

Here's something that's distressing to us. A great number of residents started losing their homes beginning in 2007 while elected officials and the superintendent were pushing to pass a levy for new schools and other bond/levies, even through most of 2008. [Property owners provide a major source of revenue in paying bond interest payments, etc.] Their explanation for the new schools was the schools were becoming too costly too repair, and the state was going to give half of the money for those projects. Why wasn't there talk of reducing the number of schools, and letting private developers come in (with a requirement that they hire residents on projects) to (develop that land) bring new businesses into the city that would create jobs for residents, and help train residents for the jobs of the future? Who really made money in the building of these schools, and just how did Maple Hts residents really fare? How much money did residents really gain from these projects?

A lot of money flew out of Maple Heights resident's pockets into a lot of pockets of people and businesses that did not reside in Maple Heights. A lot of money appears to be still flying out of their pockets to pay bond interest payments, and into (still) a lot of pockets of people that don't live in Maple Hts, and into the pockets of business owners and large businesses that don't reside in Maple Hts.

Hey, if we're wrong ... show us where the money went.

6 schools (which includes those shiny new schools) for about 3,900 students, with a declining city population? It may be good political strategy to build those schools if you want to get elected mayor; however, we don't call that forward thinking.

What American corporatists are getting away with now

2012-01-15T10:53:00.001-05:00

AWESOME JANE STILLWATER

From:
Jane Stillwater's Web Log

After I got my long hair caught in a vacuum cleaner the other day, my first thought was pure terror -- like I had just been attacked by werewolves or vampires with claws! But then my second thought was, "Gee, at least I HAVE a vacuum cleaner".

Despite the recent huge economic downturn, most Americans are still relatively well-off right now, even me. Sure, our infrastructure sucks eggs and we mostly have run-down schools and hospitals, but at least we still have them. Old and run down. But still functioning at least.

But wait! Perhaps help for our hospitals is finally on the way! Is it really true that American corporatists have recently decided to spend over nine billion dollars to build at least 20 brand new state-of-the-art hospitals in Georgia? According to RT News, yes indeed this is true.

The only problem here, however, is that the corporatists who currently own our country are now in the process of building these 20 wonderful new hospitals in the former Soviet-bloc state of Georgia -- not in the American state with the same name that's famous for peaches and Braves. http://rt.com/politics/us-georgia-iran-war-441/

How bizarre is that news?

And now I've just read where American corporatists have recently sent in the U.S. Coast Guard to break up a strike by American longshoremen. That's even more bizarre than getting one's hair sucked into a vacuum cleaner -- and even more painful. One can always just cut one's hair off, but forcing America's military to act like low-life strike-breaking scabs? That's a cut to our democracy that may never heal.

ILWU members had been promised jobs in Longview as a priority condition for allowing corporatists to receive massive federal subsidies to build a new terminal at the Washington state port. But after the terminal was safely built, greedy corporatist slugs then fired the longshoremen's union members point-blank -- and not only got away with it but used the U.S. military as their own personal enforcers and thugs. http://www.longshoreshippingnews.com/2011/10/san-francisco-unions-support-ilwu-local-21-at-egt/.

Am I the only one that finds this news a bit bizarre?

American coproratists seem to be getting away with EVERYTHING these days. Cheating on elections, throwing people out of their homes, never paying taxes, robbing our treasury blind, fighting undeclared wars for fun and profit on our dime, beating protesting citizens with clubs, buying off Congress, etc. But almost nobody in America seems to want to stop them.

Here's more bizarre news -- Stephen Cobert's video explaining how corporatist superPACs steal our elections: http://www.colbertsuperpac.com/

Had enough yet? Or do you want to read some even more bizarre news about what corporatists are getting away with now? Yes? Then take a long look at this: The unassailable New York Times, the esteemed Gray Lady herself, recently reported that the IAEA had accused Iran of using its nuclear program to develop military weapons. But guess what? The IAEA had said no such thing. Now the esteemed Gray Lady has lied to us (again) in order to get us into a useless and unnecessary war (again) that would only benefit corporatists. http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/times-errors-irans-nukes-sfs-voting/

Very deja vu. Very bizarre.

But -- to me (but apparently to nobody else) -- this is the absolute most bizarre news of all: Perry, Santorum, Obama, Romney and even Newt Gingrich and JEB Bush are all running on a platform of being good Christians. Huh? What?

NO ONE who either calls for the bombing women and children in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and America -- or is actually out doing it -- can EVER call himself or herself a good Christian. Ever. These people are no more good Christians than was Attila the Hun.

Send drones to kill babies? Where in the Bible does it say that Jesus did that?

Leaving the meek of the earth to starve to death and the peacemakers of the world to be jailed? Jesus is down with that too? Not!

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," said Jesus. Beating down non-violent OWS protesters with pepper spray, tear gas and truncheons? NOT CHRISTIAN. Not Christian at all.

Yet no one seems to be calling these monsters out on their uber-hypocracy. No one calls them out at all. That's bizarre.

And it's also rather bizarre that all these corporatist presidential candidates are happily telling us that they are in favor of "Democracy". There is NOTHING less democratic than a corporation. Face it, CEOs are tyrants. Corporatists worship the dictatorship model. To tell us that they want America to remain a democracy is absurd.

Corporatists by definition are top-down kinds of guys, "Do what I say or else you will lose all." Corporatists by definition are bullying-type authoritarians who spit on America's treasured democratic principles -- and don't you ever forget it!

Now let's turn to the comic-page section of the news.

The average American today seems to more and more resemble that Peanuts cartoon character Charlie Brown -- always trusting that somehow Lucy will let him finally kick the football. But guess what? No matter how many times you vote for the party of Bush-Obama-Romney-Santorum-Clinton-Paul or believe mainstream media reports or trust corporatists to finally hold the ball upright, you are still gonna get tricked every time. And you're still gonna land flat on your face while corporatist secretly laugh at you as you lie there in the mud. And it's still gonna hurt.

How's that for bizarre news?

by Jane Stillwater

Who Does John Montello, Law Director for the City of Maple Heights Really Work For?

2011-12-29T16:46:00.001-05:00

It's beginning to be a mystery to us as to who John Montello (Maple Heights Law Director) actually works for; considering that the taxpayers of Maple Heights (his employer) pay his salary. He recently put out a legal opinion regarding what he deems a vacancy in city council with the death of Richard Taylor, who just recently won the seat of council person in district 5. Mr. Taylor who had been ill for quite awhile, never was sworn into office.

District 5 residents are now becoming aware of Mr. Taylor's passing, and where that leaves them in regards to representation.

NEWS FLASH ... according to the law director, it appears the residents of Maple Heights (district 5) will have literally nothing to say about who will represent them for the next .. what?.. 2 years?.

This is the same law director who helped negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with the police union, where we learned that police officers in Maple Heights would still only be paying $20 individual/ $40 family for their monthly health insurance premiums (dental and vision care are included in that small premium they are paying).

In case you forgot what Maple Heights residents are dealing with economically and racially, see our other posts regarding Maple Heights.

Will the law director try to confuse or intimidate the residents of district 5 with legal minutia and legal language (Well, ... in our "non-legal" opinion, haven't his actions already done that)?

Regardless of what the law director puts out, it's just his legal opinion (emphasis on "opinion"). Only district 5 residents matter here. They have to live with the consequences of his actions, and the actions of the Mayor of Maple Heights and Maple Heights City Council.

What's important is... are the actions [of Maple Heights City Council, and the city law director] ... unconstitutional? Do their actions violate district 5 residents civil and political rights (constitutional rights) regardless of what's in the city charter?

Come to think of it, .... are sections of Maple Heights City Charter unconstitutional; or is the whole charter unconstitutional?

What's definitely not funny in any way, shape, or form ... is that this law director, and this city council appear to be using Maple Heights resident's money (yes, that includes the residents of district 5), to disenfranchise them. We'll say it again, ... use his employer's money to disenfranchise his employers. Unbelievable!

Bear with us (cause we just thought of this) ... Did this law director go looking (digging) for (1924) case law ... that (in effect) resulted in the residents of district 5 (his employers) being stripped of their right to vote for their own representative in council?
-

The employees of Maple Heights government need to tread lightly ... cause their employers (the residents of district 5) are getting very upset.

Let's look at three wiki articles regarding voting rights:

Under Jurisdictional Differences/United States, paragraph 2

(note paragraph 5, in Montello's legal opinion - appears to be targeting one individual in particular

         (but also targets 1 particular group) in that paragraph - this opens up a "whole can of worms".
   Interesting what Ron Paul says about our military and court system (and he's not wrong about that,
   though we don't like his views about the Civil Rights Act of 1964)

    15th Amendment

    Voting Rights Act of 1965


    Interesting Wiki article (1) Interesting Wiki article regarding segregation in Ohio (2)

[The leadership (where the power rests) in Maple Heights is predominantly white - actually, the heads of every department may be white - most or all (call to see if all) high salaried positions are held by whites (who may or may not live in Maple Heights); Maple Heights District 5 is predominantly African American, and 70+% of Maple Heights population are non-white]

History of Maple Heights (population, etc)

Addendum: The use of the 1924 case law by this law director, could be construed by members of council, as an act of intimidation ... that if they do not go along with the leadership and majority rule, they could find their seats declared vacant too.

THE LEGAL OPINION (CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO VIEW):

CLEVELANDS SECRET CLUB WISHES YOU A FANTASTIC HOLIDAY 2011

2011-12-22T19:36:00.001-05:00

WISHING YOU A FANTASTIC HOLIDAY 2011

Confronting Stereotypes of the African American Woman

2011-12-21T02:45:00.000-05:00

Poor People Are Just Shiftless ... At Least That's What Newt Gingrich Believes

2011-12-06T00:59:00.001-05:00

I'll give it to conservatives. They don't bite their tongue. They just come out and say exactly what they think of minorities, women, poor people, and especially poor children.

These people cannot wait to bask in the shade of an Orwellian society. Well, actually it's pretty dark in that kind of society; .. but they must think existing in an Orwellian society will be fantastic. Personally, I don't get it.

Now we all know how they hate minimum wage laws and child labor laws; and how they love outsourcing to countries that have cheap labor. They totally embrace and "tap dance for" the 1%ers and we know that too. ... So how in the hell do they think they'll get elected? Here's the reason ... they believe most of us have short memories, and most of us are just plain dumb. ... And judging by the results of the 2010 elections, they must be right.

Comedian George Carlin on the 1%and politicians

Remember what George Carlin said about Republicans?

Why are there so many conservative lunatics among us? Anyone have an answer?

Let's listen:

On "The Ed Show"

The Rachel Maddow Show

National Day of Action, Thursday, November 17, 2011

2011-11-15T18:20:00.001-05:00

Break out your tennis shoes. Thursday will be a "National Day of Action" ... and the "We are the 99% " will be peacefully gathering at events all over the country.

In Chicago: Occupy Chicago

In Portland: Occupy the Banks

Facebook: Out of the Park and into the streets

Events Near You

More

Daily Kos

Undaunted by Crackdown, Occupy Wall Street and New York Activists Plan Massive Day of Action | | AlterNet by Sarah Jaffe, November 16, 2011

On the international front, people all over the world (Belgium, Germany, Madrid, etc.) will take part in the two month anniversary of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement (#OWS).

Twitter: #N17

Thursday's Day Of Action - A Big Deal | OurFuture.org by Dave Johnson, November 15, 2011

The Evictions Won't Stand: Make Nov. 17 A Day Of National Occupation | OurFuture.org (Isaiah J Poole), 11/15/2011

The Boys Are Back in Maple Heights

2011-11-09T04:59:00.005-05:00

While the nation has woken up with a fighting spirit, saying "hell no" to a host of efforts to strip them of their civil liberties, women's rights, worker's rights and consumer rights, ... Maple Heights voted back almost the same old crew of years ago.

Nasty (stinking) politics, arrogance, intimidation, and money rocked Maple Heights, and we don't think the place will ever be the same.

Folks are leaving Maple Heights, ... fed up with home foreclosures, negative job growth, and high unemployment (pretty much what the nation is fed up with); and fed up with burglaries, rising taxes (and receiving less for their money), less than desirable student academic performance (2) and racial disparities.

Malaise permeates the city of Maple Heights.

What is and is not funny about what just happened in Maple Heights, is that for all the mayor's focus on county corruption, his city would not have the homeowner face lift its received, without county money loaned to homeowners to fix up their properties.

What is and is not funny about what just happened in Maple Heights, is that for all the mayor's focus on issues surrounding issue 6 (and his love of issue 6), progressive Democrats, and not the business community, were responsible for most of the large projects in his city.

What's depressing, is that a lot of that money, flowed to people (businesses) who largely did not live in Maple Heights, and who hired little to no minorities from Maple Heights.

We see the mayor of Maple Heights doing what (we think) he does best ... suing people (we aren't saying always successfully) who oppose him. Perhaps he's delivering a message, ... if you criticize him, ... if you oppose him, you may just get sued or perhaps investigated. Will someone please give Ciaravino a phone call?

What will remain (we feel), unless the minority community and all residents of Maple Heights wake up, ... is high unemployment, poor job growth rate, home foreclosures, increasing taxes, continued decline in population and less than desirable student academic performance.

What will remain (we feel), is residents (especially property owners) who will be faced with paying a lot of salaries and benefits to a large majority of people who work in Maple Heights government, but don't live in Maple Heights.

Remember:
[Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2009: 13.2%(8.7% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 15.7% for Black residents, 13.3% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 0.0% for American Indian residents, 0.0% for other race residents, 24.1% for two or more races residents)]

What Maple Heights residents must not forget, is that the people they just rehired (people who have worked for them before), ... do in fact, work for them and not the other way around; and that, they better pay very close attention to the finances, legislation, and projects ... very close attention. These are not financial wizards the residents just rehired. Most of them have no clue with regards to innovation, social media, and new technologies; and sorely lack vision for this 21st century. Most of them are stuck in the past, and most are the same ones who were around when the decline started.

*And you folks near the railroad ... make sure no one messes with your money that is in a special fund.

And will someone tell us who bought Southgate USA? Wouldn't it be funny if .......

Cuyahoga County Election Results

Update 11/21/2011:
'Income Achievement Gap' Almost Double Black-White Performance Gap, Report Shows
by Louis Freedberg

What Role for Labor in the Progressive Uprising? A Conversation With Labor Strategist Stephen Lerner | | AlterNet by Amy Dean

We love our unions, but damn, ....

Did this portion of a collective bargaining agreement go through?:

[collective bargaining agreement regarding health insurance premiums - yep, it says that this group of gov't employees will pay only $20 (individual) / $40 (family) a month - if Maple Heights residents want to see the entire bargaining agreement, ... call Maple Hts City Hall]

December 12, 2011 UPDATE: When last we heard, Maple Heights approved this bargaining agreement.

[Seems after some Maple Heights residents became aware of this bargaining agreement, the next day Maple Heights City Council held a special meeting and approved the bargaining agreement.]

Interesting:
December 21, 2011 [Politifact Ohio]
Governor's health benefits claim a favorite from 2011

2010 (Wikipedia) Population, etc. data

Don't Forget Bank Transfer Day November 5th

2011-10-31T10:06:00.001-04:00

Don't forget!! Saturday is "Bank Transfer Day".

Can't stand big ole blood sucking banks? Well, you've got a chance to take part in the "Occupy Wall Street" movement, even if you can't physically be at an #OWS event. If your bank has horrendous fees, is getting on your last nerve, and you just can't take it anymore ... move your money. The official national "Bank Transfer Day" is Saturday, November 5th.

["Bank Transfer Day" is not affiliated with "Occupy Wall Street"]

Bold Progressives "Banxodus" website

4 Simple Steps for Taking Your Money Out of the Vampire Banks | | AlterNet, by Lynn Parramore, October 30, 2011

Move Your Money Project

Bank of America Campaign on Change.org

Maple Heights Town Hall Meeting Reveals Shocking News

2011-10-21T09:32:00.000-04:00

While Southgate in Maple Heights quietly slipped from receivership (2009) into foreclosure a few days ago (potentially taking a major source of revenue from Maple Heights), allegations of voter suppression, voter intimidation, and [perhaps] financial nonfeasance were revealed.

The Town Hall Meeting at the Maple Heights Library last night (held by the endorsed Democrats in Maple Hts) revealed such shocking news, that even we were not fully aware of, but had sensed for some time (check previous posts).

So that there is little guess work ... the targets of the voter suppression and voter intimidation are Mrs. Mitchell's supporters. There have also been allegations that white males in camouflage attire have been following the endorsed Democratic female African American candidates; and Mrs. Mitchell has complained that quite a few of the (vote for Neomia Mitchell) yard signs have been removed by people driving around in trucks (she also states that when she ran against the mayor previously, a lot of her yard signs were missing). Mrs. Mitchell has also complained that there were voter registration applications she turned in to the Board of Elections that could not be found at the Board of Elections. The stuff we've heard about or seen for our very own eyes is shocking.

Here is something interesting:
In an early piece of campaign literature put out by the mayor, it shows a picture of a bunch of Mrs. Mitchell's yard signs in a big heap in front of former Mayor Ciaravino's yard signs. Where did he get that picture? Better still ... how was he able to get a picture of Mrs. Mitchell's yard signs conveniently placed in a pile in front of a pile of Ciaravino's yard signs?

The Democratic Party (given the problems that confronted them in Cuyahoga County) we believe, would not endorse a candidate that they felt had any real and substantial and highly incriminating evidence linking her to any crimes or scandal. That's why, we think, they chose Mrs. Mitchell. It seems the mayor wants people to think otherwise (maybe trying to have her investigated). We feel this is unbecoming of a mayor of any city (see Mayor Lansky's pictorial characterization of his African American female opponent) .

We also learned that some of the salary raises that were given over the last few years, may not have gone thru city council as they should have (correct us if we're wrong). Why the council president did not take a stand when it happened, is a mystery to us.

Please remember (Maple Hts statistics):
[Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2009: 13.2%(8.7% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 15.7% for Black residents, 13.3% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 0.0% for American Indian residents, 0.0% for other race residents, 24.1% for two or more races residents)]

The job growth rate in Maple Heights is in the negative figures (around -10%). Most of the people who work in Maple Heights (esp. those who draw high salaries with fantastic benefits), do not live in Maple Heights.

Where has television and print media been in investigating what appears to have been going on in Maple Heights? Where are they now?

While the scandal unfolds, we expect public officials to continue to deflect attention away from them unto what they'll state as "politics as usual" (and we think the nasty smear campaign against Mrs. Mitchell will continue ... and probably will get worse); however, this is not "politics as usual" and the people who are suffering, and will continue to suffer (esp. from the repercussions of all this), are the residents (esp. property owners) of Maple Heights.

We'll update .. as we gather more information.

Information on the Maple Heights financial state audit that was recently completed (which includes information on the 2009, 9.95 million dollar note (debt) which now puts Maple Heights over 18 million in debt) ... www.auditor.state.oh.us

[By the way, Mrs. Mitchell, the mayor's opponent, was not a member of council in 2009. We also just learned that Maple Heights general fund may be in the red. Bond interest payments, (and salaries if we're correct) come from the general fund.]

What Role for Labor in the Progressive Uprising? A Conversation With Labor Strategist Stephen Lerner | | AlterNet by Amy Dean

Several residents complained that a "Re-Elect Lansky" yard sign was placed on their lawn without their permission and the letter below was left at their house (we have permission from them to post it). We leave it up to you if you consider this "voter intimidation". (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

That Damn Tax Levy and Those Pesky Municipal Bonds

2011-10-16T09:13:00.001-04:00

City government administrations and city council ask residents to approve levies every now and then (usually dealing with schools and safety departments); and they will also take out loans (for big projects) by issuing bonds.

Did You Know?

"A levy gives a local government a claim on a specific property; and if the taxpayer does not repay the levy, the government can foreclose on the taxpayer's house and sell it to pay off the levy. If the taxpayer sells his house, the new home owner will have to make the future levy payments. Existing levies can make properties in an area more difficult to sell."(1)

Scary ... right?

There can be sound reasons for levies and sound reasons for issuing bonds; however, I ask you ... why do they always come to the property owner for help in times of fiscal trouble? And further, how do you justify asking property owners and other tax payers to fix past mistakes, or fund things, when residents are losing their homes and their jobs, sometimes because of those past mistakes?

What to think about before issuing a bond: What's the bond for? Is the community stable? Can the project wait til the community is financially stable before issuing a bond? What kind of bond will it be? Is the bond insured (if it is, by whom, and who is responsible for the insurance payments?) Who will be the bondholders? With what are the bonds secured? What happens if your city defaults? (Think back to 2008)

Note: "GO bonds are secured by the full faith and credit of the issuer, meaning that the borrower is committing to raise taxes and other revenues sufficient to cover the amount owed".

If you're going to say "yes" on some tax levy your city administration and school system ask for, ask them (mayor/city council/school superintendent/ whoever is asking) to take a cut in salary and/or benefits first.(2)

Also consider:
Are property values stable? Is the community stable, and the population and number of homes stable and growing? What are the projections for property values?

Whatever the city administration and city council (or superintendent of a school via mayor) ask you (tax payers) to do, ... as stated before, ... those levies will usually be paid on the backs of property owners. And with bonds, tax payers will pay the interest until the bond matures. When it does mature, and if you can't pay, you may be able to refund; however, you can't refinance the loan forever.

(1)Bonds and Levies

(2)MHSD

(2)Superintendent Keenan in 2011

This post is not meant to give investment advice, it just points out risks to bond issuers.

Mayor of Maple Heights Does the Razzle Dazzle

2011-10-14T02:41:00.001-04:00

UPDATE: 10/17/2011

Okay everyone, ... let me back up with a rewrite because folks have been calling, ... and have said in classic Ricky Ricardo style, ... "Lucy, you've got some splaining to do".

So the explanation:

A friend of mine called to tell me that there was a huge piece of campaign literature from the Maple Heights mayor, stuffed in her mailbox. Like so many of you who saw it, ... she was almost speechless. Anyway, she gave it to me, and I was also, ... at first, speechless. Me, ... speechless ... but not for long.

Well, those who know me, know I always do my research. After my eyes got adjusted to all that gloss and ego, I focused on the resume portion of his campaign brochure. While there was quite a bit of stuff there, I jumped to his "education" .. He says he is a graduate of Maple Heights High School ... great, .. then he hit me with the "WOW"

I was beginning to give the mayor his propers about the "Graduate of Cleveland State University", but dag gum it, my eyes caught the words, "Leadership Academy" ... see, most people just saw the words graduate of "Cleveland State", but not that Leadership Academy part. What they don't know is that the Academy holds leadership training, (up to) 2 week courses that cost a pretty penny; but there's no pass or fail test at the end. Right? I then saw "Graduate of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Leadership in the 21st century". Harvard U's Leadership for the 21st century program is a 5 to 10 day program (depending on the topic). The program requires participants to be actively engaged in the classroom, in small groups, and in individual reflection. One does have to apply; however, there is no formal educational requirement. Even though the mayor didn't actually graduate from Cleveland State or Harvard University with a Bachelors or Masters Degree, I totally give him his props for wanting to improve his leadership skills. And, the David C. Sweet Award in 2002 .. you have to be an alumni of the Cleveland State U Leadership Academy (which he says he was) to receive the award (and I'm not sure of the nomination process).

By the way, Mrs. Mitchell, the mayor's opponent (who doesn't boast about her credentials, memberships, associations, etc) is a college graduate.

The mayor also lists "memberships" and "community service". I saw "Founding Sponsor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C." See, I'm also a "Founding Sponsor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial ..." How did I become a Founding Sponsor? I donated money a couple of days ago:. ... and that "Wall of Tolerance Honoree in Montgomery, Al with recognition from Rosa Parks (click here).

Like I said, I always do my research; and I always ask questions (esp. of politicians) ... like ...what do you have to do to become an honoree or a sponsor? Did you get an invitation in the mail (etc.) to become a member, sponsor or honoree, and does that designation get secured by sending money?

The other thing I want to see are dates ... did this event/honor/service/etc. happen before you started campaigning or after you started campaigning? .....Actually, that question is sort of ridiculous, since politicians are always in campaign mode. Anyway, you can do the rest of the research about the mayor's resume, on your own.

This is what get's me about politicians (they throw things out there, and they know you probably won't dig deeper), and this current mayor said it himself ... he's a pro when it comes to campaigning ... and this man is a career politician.

The professional, expensive, glossy brochure (with items referenced above) is a step up from those negative campaign pieces he had previously; however, WOW, this piece was enough to dazzle any number of African American residents in the (predominantly African American) Maple Heights. But I'm sure he knew that ... that's probably why the photos, glossy, American flag background, resume, and sports center spread.

And, ... Oh Lord, ... that "photo op" front page?, ... with people who black folk love, ... Right?

Maple Heights:
[Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2009: 13.2%(8.7% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 15.7% for Black residents, 13.3% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 0.0% for American Indian residents, 0.0% for other race residents, 24.1% for two or more races residents)]

And the final razzle dazzle ... endorsement from (not the Democratic Party), but lo and behold .. the mostly conservative editorial department of the Plain Dealer - Plain Dealer Publishing Co. (member of the mighty and self interested Chamber of Commerce via the Greater Cleveland Partnership).

I think the mayor has definitely learned some valuable lessons from those leadership workshops/seminars, and advice from others. One lesson he's learned? The man does make connections, and he does network. Well done! If he had to switch parties to do it, he did it. Nothing illegal about that.

God love ya Maple Heights residents ... but you damn better "wake up and smell the coffee", and start asking some important questions about your city finances and those salaries and benefits that may be sucking you dry. Take a look at those salaries and compare them with other similar size cities with the same economic conditions (residents, .. if need be, use the Ohio Public Records Law to get information on city finances and salaries; or ask your council person for them).

Maple Hts population / Cleveland population / Cleveland Mayor's salary / Shaker Hts population / Shaker Heights Mayor's salary

The mayor is probably a likeable guy in public (definitely not if you oppose him), and he does do some good things; however, the major criticism is, ... not opening the financial books up (esp. the audit) for every resident to see ... and what Maple Heights residents (the mayor's boss) should be laser focused on; ... If you're in deep (decided to take out the word we previously used) debt (personal, as well as city debt), and residents are paying these higher (compared with ..) salaries with benefits (especially higher than average salaries and benefits to a lot of folks that don't live in Maple Heights) ... and residents are not paying attention (at all) to the legislation, those projects, the revenue losses that are going to shock them, and those smaller dollars that add up, ... and if the council president is just a "yes" man/woman to the mayor (and we're not saying that's what's happening, but Maple Heights residents need to be vigilant), ... at some point, the shit's going to hit the fan, ... and no amount of razzle dazzle is going to shift the focus then.

[While property owners started losing their homes in great numbers to foreclosure starting around the end of 2007, read what Mayor Lansky, along with Superintendent Keenan, were celebrating. Interest payments on some of those bonds comes due in 2012. Just learned that the general fund is in the red. Interest payments on the bond come from the general fund. One would think that with all these new schools, Maple Heights students would do better. Wonder whose taxes are going to go up?]

A suggestion: Maple Heights residents, you need to form a watch dog committee of representatives from every district, who will not "rubber stamp" everything the mayor or council does. Please attend caucus (before council) meetings and ask questions. Go over legislation, go over every line, every expenditure ... have them justify the expense, and justify the projections. Take an interest in what your police do? Examine, Examine, Examine, ......Question, question, question ... Make suggestions. Make sure you have someone on the committee that understands finance; and if you have to call your elected officials on the carpet, do it ...
You are their boss, but you gave them, and other government employees, the power to change your life considerably (for the better or the worse). Share the power or take it back.

What are these candidates plans going forward? What are they going to do to make Maple Heights a better place for all the residents?

Addendum:
Let me make something clear. ... salaries are paid from the general fund .. which is tax dollars. If people are jobless (which many are), and there isn't enough money in the general fund, those in the administration will try to come up with creative ways to get the money. Municipalities almost always look to pass levies for a host of things (school and safety expenditures). The people who usually pay for these levies are property owners.

Now Maple Hts was one of the worst hit by home foreclosures ... so who bears the burden of these levies? Well if these politicians can't get money from property owners, they may dip into money set aside for other things, .. but if they can't legally dip into other funds or those funds are not there, they'll either raise taxes some other way or borrow (and when you borrow you must pay it back with interest).

Whatever the mayor's administration and city council (or superintendent of a school via mayor) ask you (tax payers) to do, ... as stated before, ... those levies will usually be paid on the backs of property owners. And with bonds, tax payers will pay the interest until the bond matures. When it does mature, and, if you can't pay, you may be able to refund; however, you can't refinance the loan forever. You see where I'm going here? Think end of 2007 into mid to late 2009 ... businesses closing, people losing their homes and their jobs in the hundreds of thousands.

Maple Heights residents, the shit is about to hit the fan sooner than you think. ... You're losing revenue faster than a train crossing the country.

In addition: Keep in mind, a majority of the salaries and benefits you are paying are going to people who don't live in Maple Heights; and many of the businesses who are reaping the rewards of doing projects in Maple Heights (like building schools), probably don't live in Maple Heights either.

Maple Heights 2007

Maple Heights 2008

Maple Heights 2010 - Charter Amendment

Maple Heights 2011

Superintendent Keenan in 2011

What Role for Labor in the Progressive Uprising? A Conversation With Labor Strategist Stephen Lerner | | AlterNet by Amy Dean

Update 11/21/2011:
'Income Achievement Gap' Almost Double Black-White Performance Gap, Report Shows
by Louis Freedberg

Maple Heights:

Job Growth (2000 - 2011):	-10.8%
Unemployment Rate:	10.3%

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We do not comment on comments. We also suggest you do not give any information out about how to support one candidate over another candidate.

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"The Help" vs Meet Today s Help

2011-08-14T10:12:00.007-04:00

MAPLE HEIGHTS, THE MAPLE HEIGHTS MAYOR, AND THAT DAMN OFFENSIVE EMAIL

2011-06-15T16:02:00.047-04:00

May 21st, a person by the name of Marcus B sent a not so nice email to Mayor Jeffrey Lansky (or Maple Hts City Council) about the mayor's salary [which, when last we looked, was around $100,000 a year; ... according to Payscale.com, as of 2011, the average yearly salary for a mayor ranged from $35,000 to $83,000, with some mayors in small cities earning less than $1,000 per month].

Maple Hts population / Cleveland population / Cleveland Mayor's salary / Shaker Hts population / Shaker Heights Mayor's salary

The mayor got down and (you fill in the word) with his reply to that email, deflecting any criticism of him onto an upcoming mayoral race, dragging his opponent into the mix and also implying his opponent is corrupt (so everyone who works for, or worked for Cuyahoga County is corrupt?), and either a criminal or someone who palls around with criminals (does this sound familiar? -2008 BO was accused of palling around w criminals/ or the big "T" word). Just so happens the mayor is Caucasian and his mayoral opponent is African American. What's interesting is, this Mayor was said to have endorsed County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones (in 2008) who county prosecutors say "traded votes for campaign contributions". To be fair, as far as we know, Jones has not been charged.

About the "double dipping" ... It's not against the law to retire (with a pension) from one employer, and then go to work for another employer (public or private). In addition, there are public employees who work in Maple Heights government, who have retired from another public job. The mayor chose to single out his opponent.

As hard as his opponent works as a councilwoman for district 7 (in addition to calls she responds to, from residents all over Maple Heights), that little salary she gets from Maple Heights, doesn't begin to compensate her fairly. [Another thing we like about her ... she's not a "kiss ass" ... probably one of the reasons why the mayor has a problem with her]

There's more to this story than meets the eye.

Mayor Jeffrey Lansky is also a former Republican. We call conservative Democrats and former Republicans who move to the Democratic Party , New Democrats; and these New Democrats seem to be popping up all over Cleveland area suburbs. [Note: Issue 6 pushed by business leaders]

In a city of about 70% minority residents (68%+ African American), it's deplorable that there's never been any African American fire-fighters in Maple Hts. Cleveland has an abundance of African American fire-fighters and police officers (even chiefs), so the "they can't pass the test" used to justify no African American fire-fighters in Maple Hts, doesn't fly. [I'm guessing their test may be different than other cities .. and if it is, WHY?]. The Maple Heights police department's diversity record (of hiring real police officers, not auxiliary) is almost as dismal.

[Percentage of Maple Heights residents living in poverty in 2009: 13.2%(8.7% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 15.7% for Black residents, 13.3% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 0.0% for American Indian residents, 0.0% for other race residents, 24.1% for two or more races residents)]

Check out the road crews ... if you see any African Americans, please give a shout out cause we've never seen one. As far as we can see, the other 30% (Caucasian) of the population appears to be seemingly catered to in various areas (ever go to one of their summer concerts?), and Caucasian Maple Hts government employees, some who don't even live in alleged financially strapped Maple Hts, seem to be drawing pretty decent to high salaries. In essence, the 30% runs the city. Got something to say about all this ... council meeting at the Maple Hts Senior Center, June 15th at 7pm.

[Maple Heights residents ... I'd be checking into those Maple Heights government employee salaries (particularly benefits), since you're paying these employees. Remember, they work for you!]

What Role for Labor in the Progressive Uprising? A Conversation With Labor Strategist Stephen Lerner | | AlterNet by Amy Dean

Is there a pattern that keeps coming up time and time again?
[This mayor himself acknowledges he's sued around 12 and counting. What's up with that?]

Update 11/21/2011:
'Income Achievement Gap' Almost Double Black-White Performance Gap, Report Shows
by Louis Freedberg

GAME, SET, MATCH

2011-05-24T19:50:00.020-04:00

I really don't know where to begin. It's all such a big mess; and now the cast of villains widens. Probably should change "cast of villains" to self-interested and self-indulged entities.

I watched what was one of my favorite news channels "MSNBC" turn into propaganda theater today. Shouldn't have been surprised ... with Keith O leaving. The writing was on the wall with that damn Comcast merger. (Too liberal? Don't think so) There remains a few hosts to give the appearance of sanity ... but real substance? ... well, it's now in short supply.

The rest of MSM is corrupted and has been for a very long time.

And so, George Orwell's "1984" is here. Not quite so stark yet .. but give it time.

While China spreads its wings and swoops down shedding US dollars, picking up everything that isn't nailed down, & Russia does what it can, the U.S. with Israel's instructions, goes about the business of distraction so its citizens aren't (freaking out) alarmed by just how bad things are, and soon will get worse.

The House of Saud continues to do its dirty work with the rest of the Middle Eastern dictators ... slaughtering their own people.

Mineral and [what's left of] oil rich Africa has always been up for grabs ... and the number of countries grabbing is ... well, ... you guess.

Most of our progressive heroes have either died, retired, taken to the talk circuit or grown weary. And while Americans tread water the tide rises.

There will be a parade of scapegoats across your HDTV screens and investigative journalists will be rounded up and terrorized both here and abroad. Too many have, and will continue to give their lives for truth. In "1984" truth is a dirty word, and punishable by death.

People are waking up to the political/corporate/military/media/environmental/energy nightmare; however, it may be too late. Can't tell.

TO BE CONTINUED

UPDATE:

Lifting the Veil from S DN on Vimeo.

And the Secrets Continue June 7, 2011
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Tomgram: Michael Klare, How to Wreck a Planet 101 | TomDispatch June 5, 2011
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Tomgram: Engelhardt, Welcome to Post-Legal America | TomDispatch May 30, 2011
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ZEITGEIST: MOVING FORWARD /2011 (THIS IS A VIDEO YOU MUST WATCH - THEN YOU MUST CHANGE COURSE)
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POLITICAL CORRUPTION AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

2011-05-20T09:04:00.005-04:00

You must see this:

Trump is now the Chump

2011-05-01T02:39:00.017-04:00

I caught this video on The New Yorker site ["Best Wishes, Donald" by Mark Singer, April 29, 2011] I loved it.

After I read Mark's post, my assumptions "all things Trump" were confirmed.

Oh yeah, do catch the president's 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner speech. Trump it appears, was amusing fodder for last night's festivities; however, Trump, pouting those little birdie lips, is clearly not amused. Come on Donald, what do you expect when you wave your insanity all over the place.

William Bennett's Radical Dreams Become a Reality - Thom Hartmann: FLorida Public schools

2011-04-30T01:59:00.028-04:00

In November 2008, right after the election of Barack Obama, the Republican Governors' Association Annual Conference met in Florida. I watched panels of Republican governors and their friends for 2 days on C-SPAN. What's shocking is that most of the governors sounded reasonable, until I heard William Bennett (former education secretary under Reagan) speak. You wouldn't know it to look at him; but, Bill Bennett is a very scary man with radical views regarding education.

With Bennett on one of the panels, discussions turned to how to change the culture/values/ideology/etc. to reflect right-wing values/culture/ideology. The most important, according to Bennett, is to indoctrinate children (using the: internet, media, classroom and text books) with conservative, right wing values, [with a right wing slant/re-write/whitewash].

Now we've found out, Bill Bennett and his Republican cohorts' dreams are about to come true.

Thom Hartmann: FL Public schools - the Wall of Separation is about to Crumble | Thom Hartmann - News & info from the #1 progressive radio show April 29, 2011

Texas Conservatives Win Vote on Textbook Standards - NYTimes.com March 12, 2010

2008 Election Cycle - C-SPAN Video Library November 12, 2008 (listen to William Bennett - about 52 minutes in)
I understood back then, that Republicans had found a way to regain power. They had to claim the majority of state governor seats. [and thanks to ill-informed citizens, they did it]

The Corporate State Will Continue its Inexorable Advance Until We're Locked into a Permanent Underclass | | AlterNet by Chris Hedges, April 29, 2011

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THOM HARTMANN - 4/26/11. "THE PEOPLE'S BUDGET"

2011-04-27T22:47:00.012-04:00

PLEASE WATCH THE ENTIRE THOM HARTMANN SHOW

April 27, 2011

30,000 ARE FASTING IN PROTEST OF IMMORAL BUDGET CUTS

2011-04-13T10:27:00.010-04:00

Join us at hungerfast.org

MoveOn.org

THE LATEST FACES OF REPUBLICAN INSANITY AND CALLOUSNESS

2011-04-10T17:07:00.016-04:00

THE CENTRAL FIGURE IN REPUBLICAN INSANITY

April 4, 2011 - Please listen to Greenstein.

Media Briefing: The Ryan Budget’s Radical Priorities — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities this was back in March 2010

Rachel Maddow Tears Into Beltway Media For Paul Ryan Budget Coverage (VIDEO) 4/7/2011

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CRAZY AND CALLOUS

Eric Cantor

ThinkProgress » Cantor Sees Current Medicare and Medicaid Programs As A ‘Safety Net’ For ‘People Who Frankly Don’t Need One’ 4/10/2011

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HE LIES

Tom Graves - The Last Word - 4/7/2011

Debunking Graves lies:

Under Obama Taxes Reach Lowest Level Since Truman - Robert Schlesinger (usnews.com) Feb 8, 2011

Daily Kos: Zombie Lie: That Dems "Failed" to Pass Budget - NO, GOP Senators BLOCKED IT 4/7/2011

Ezra Klein - Was Simpson-Bowles really so great? Ezra Klein, 2/16/2011

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THE FACE OF REPUBLICAN INSANITY - TOM GRAVES

2011-04-09T15:13:00.015-04:00

Proof that the GOP has lost its mind. The Last Word - 4/7/2011

Debunking Graves lies:

Under Obama Taxes Reach Lowest Level Since Truman - Robert Schlesinger (usnews.com) Feb 8, 2011

Daily Kos: Zombie Lie: That Dems "Failed" to Pass Budget - NO, GOP Senators BLOCKED IT 4/7/2011

Ezra Klein - Was Simpson-Bowles really so great? Ezra Klein, 2/16/2011

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MORE REPUBLICAN LUNACY

April 4, 2011 - Please listen to Greenstein.

Media Briefing: The Ryan Budget’s Radical Priorities — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities this was back in March 2010

Rachel Maddow Tears Into Beltway Media For Paul Ryan Budget Coverage (VIDEO) 4/7/2011

ThinkProgress » Cantor Sees Current Medicare and Medicaid Programs As A ‘Safety Net’ For ‘People Who Frankly Don’t Need One’ 4/10/2011

OHIO RALLY AT THE STATEHOUSE SATURDAY APRIL 9TH

2011-04-07T12:28:00.006-04:00

JUST PASSING THIS ON:

This  Saturday, thousands will rally at the Statehouse to say "we are Ohio"  and voice their opposition to SB 5 and Gov. Kasich's anti-working family  agenda.                                                                     

WHAT: We Are Ohio Campaign Kick-Off Rally

WHEN: Saturday, April 9 starting at noon

WHERE: West Lawn of the Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus

Interested in helping to get SB 5 on the ballot to allow Ohioans to cast a citizen's veto of the bill? Email killthebillohio@gmail.com to become a volunteer petition circulator.

"Last week, Gov. Kasich and his allies in the Ohio General Assembly pushed through the first in what will be many attacks on local communities, working families and services Ohioans rely on everyday. With the passage of Senate Bill 5, lawmakers have shown they are more interested in pursuing a political agenda to destroy good jobs and weaken our communities than focusing on real solutions to job creation and our budget deficit.

As poll after poll shows, this agenda doesn’t represent the will of Ohioans. That is why this Saturday thousands of Ohioans from across the state will rally at the Statehouse to say “We are Ohio.”

Will you stand with other Ohioans this Saturday to protect workers’ rights and work to allow the voices of voters to be heard on this important issue?"

From Tim Burga
Ohio AFL-CIO President

GOP INSANITY AND PAUL RYAN'S DEATH PANELS

2011-04-05T00:27:00.056-04:00

Has the GOP gone completely insane?!!

Ever since Barack Obama was elected in 2008, Republicans have literally lost whatever sanity they had left [which wasn't much] after [with the help of corporate Democrats] gutting a world's economy and contributing to millions of jobs disappearing in a matter of a few months.

This is going to be very difficult for me to articulate, because what we are witnessing in the chambers/halls of Congress and across this nation, leaves one almost speechless ... I did say almost.

Everyone with any ounce of sense knows that the folks on Wall Street [aided by conservative politicians] gutted this economy; and with utter horror and reluctance, tax payers were forced to bail out the gutter trash.

How does the GOP repay the good people, the regular folk for their act of forced kindness? ... They line up to kick and stomp the ordinary folk who were forced to rescue the gutter trash, and at the same time, the GOP rewards that trash with tax breaks, tax cuts, and the ability to do whatever the hell it wants to do. Insane!!

Look, here's the GOP in one fragment and one sentence:

Deregulate whole industries, ... gut child labor laws, ... gut the unions so workers have no say in their wages, their working conditions, their retirement and health care, ... eliminate the minimum wage, ... allow corporations to continue to outsource jobs with no penalties, ... allow corporations to pollute the water and the environment with impunity, ... start war all over Africa, the Middle East, etc (well, I guess we're doing that now).

In a nutshell, they will hasten our already downward spiral into a third world economy/ country, ... an Orwellian society, where the majority of Americans will be poor, or just above poor, .... and the rich will be richer than ever.

Watch all 4 videos, and enjoy the last one.

Theater of the absurd - the Last Word - Robert Greenstein - President of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 4, 2011

Blow up the World Economy ... AGAIN! - the Last Word, April 4, 2011

Wendell Potter - Kill Medicare - Death Panels, April 4, 2011

Who is to Blame if Gas Prices Rise -April 4, 2011

To End on a Hysterically Funny Note - Lawrence O'Donnell - The Last Word - Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, and Donal Trump - April 4, 2011

HEAVEN SAVE US FROM A CENTRIST

2011-04-03T13:03:00.064-04:00

There are a number of so-called centrist organizations (ex. "No Label") or centrist entities popping up all over the place. These centrists say they are simply people who are sensible, who don't want to yell and scream, who just want to work things out, who are willing to compromise.

Don't confuse "centrist" with "independent".

Right now (in my opinion) we don't need a centrist ... because the one thing you don't need when your house is on fire, is for someone to politely try to work out a solution to put the fire out. Yes, be rational, ... but hell, your house is on fire!! Muster all the people, money and other resources on heaven and earth and put the damn thing out now!

I don't want someone who is watching their family being murdered and raped, say "you can rape and kill him and/or her, but leave what's left of my family alone". I want them to move heaven and earth, and do whatever they can, and find whoever they can, to stop their entire family from being slaughtered and raped.

See centrists (again, my opinion) are status quo people. These are the folks who would leave the poor and disabled to fend for themselves in order to arrive at some kind of "compromise", or because they need certain folks money to campaign and win elections. They never think to stand on street corners, go house to house, and walk from city to city, state to state with a message, ... that in America (with my family) some things are worth fighting for.

Centrists were the ones who politely compromised on health care reform while women who had breast cancer were dying (are dying) because they couldn't (can't) afford treatment.

Some things you simply don't compromise on. For example: It is a woman (not you or me or the state) who decides what to do with her life and her body (and no one should put barriers up or should stand in her way) ... non negotiable. For example: Our children deserve to be (and because they can't do it all by themselves) protected, fed, clothed, sheltered now, to have health care now ... non negotiable.

No one can see far into the future. What we do know is ... that people are unemployed, and people are dying in America because they can't afford food, proper shelter, and affordable and proper health care. What we do know is ... that there is no prosperity for all when there is no Middle Class. What we do know is ... All workers have a right to collectively bargain and be treated fairly; and one of the reasons why, is because that organization/entity cannot survive without them. What we do know is ... trickle down economics doesn't work.

What we do know is .... that the entities, [that caused the collapse of a world's economy, and the destruction of many persons/families livelihoods], and the people who reaped benefits from the collapse of a world's economy, must pay monetary restitution. The world's economy (and the people whose lives they destroyed, and the families that were destroyed) must be made whole. There is no compromise ... it is non negotiable.

There is another word for a centrist ... when the shoe fits ... that word is "coward" ... and/or a person who is not willing to take a strong stand for what is right, ethical, moral (and let's not get into the pro choice/anti choice fight), and good. I've already stated what is non negotiable.

Right now, in this place, at this time, ... I need, we need .... people who are willing to take a strong stand. To fight back against the insanity that is taking place in the "peoples chamber" in Washington and across this nation. I want fighters, not peace keepers, to say, "you will not destroy any more lives, ... that there are some things that are non negotiable and worth fighting for, ... and I will not you hear me, ... will not back down". I want them to take an unshakable stand, place the blame where it should be, ... demand that those responsible for the destruction, the carnage, and those who reaped the benefits from it, to make us whole.

In other words, ... I want a progressive. (1)

ISRAEL, THE 800 POUND GORILLA IN THE ROOM

2011-03-30T00:05:00.023-04:00

While the military industrial [congressional] complex go about the business of war and selling their mission in the Middle East to United States citizens and the rest of the world, the one thing they won't talk about, but is ever present in their minds and strategy, is the 800 pound gorilla in the room ... Israel.

Right now, the Iranian regime (who hates Israel) is aiding the Syrian regime to crush Syria's opposition (which may consist of Al Qaeda and other rebels that don't like the United States or Israel). You've also got rebel forces (who Joe Lieberman and others like to call "freedom fighters") of all kinds of groups in Libya (some who may or may not like the United States or Israel).

And then there's Afghanistan which remains unresolved, and Iraq, where people still suffer, and India and Pakistan, and Palestine [and of course, other areas of unrest in the Middle East].

No matter what happens with this present Middle East crisis, the 800 pound gorilla will still be in the room.

And whether you are on the side of Israel, or not on the side of Israel, what's occurring in the Middle East will probably not end well for anyone. It's just a matter of when that happens.

3 Myths About Israel Promoted by the Right-Wing Pro-Israel Lobby | World | AlterNet by Ira Chernus, April 17, 2011

There Is a Method to Israel's Madness | | AlterNet June 10, 2010, by Pepe Escobar

WHAT DOES JOE LIEBERMAN REALLY CARE ABOUT?

2011-03-29T08:12:00.063-04:00

Let's get one thing straight first. The government is us, the majority of whom are average ordinary citizens. (1) Politicians, it has been proven, are mostly representatives of Wall Street. (2)They do their bidding.

The Joe Lieberman who stands before us has decided to leave office in a blaze of shame; and he reeks of neo libeal, the "state", the destruction of Wikileaks (truth), of military contractors, of multinational corporations (especially bankers) and insurance companies. He reeks of what President Eisenhower warned against ... the military, industrial, [congressional] complex.

/**(1)

Joe Lieberman who supported the president's decision on the "no fly zone" against Libya is now calling for a "no fly zone" against Syria (saying there is an American appetite to back freedom fighters outside Libya .... [Where did he get that idea?].

This is the same man who said he would vote against the public option, and the extension of Medicare to Americans between 55 and 65 (because he said it would lead to single payer). Lieberman was also against the drug reimportation amendment.

This is also the same man who remains silent about multinational corporations outsourcing jobs to poor countries paying workers less than 50 cents and hour, and doing nothing about their working conditions, health care, or standard of living. If we're wrong about this, please tell us.

[TO BE EDITED FURTHER]

**Update

Joe Lieberman (from Wikipedia):

On Free Trade:

for free trade economics

On Israel:

outspoken supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship

On Wikileaks:

an integral part in attempting to stop WikiLeaks

On Republicans and Foreign and Defense Policy:

opposed filibustering Republican judicial appointments

supports Republicans on foreign and defense policy

About Lieberman's campaign contributors:

"Since 1989, Lieberman has received more than $31.4 million in campaign donations from specific industries and sectors. His largest donors have represented the securities and investment ($3.7 million), legal ($3.6 million), real estate ($3.1 million) and health professional ($1.1 million) industries."

On Oil and Iraq:

"Mr. Lieberman also reiterated his belief that the war against terrorists could drag on for several years, and that pulling troops out of Iraq would allow the Iranian government to move in and would increase the price of oil.

''If we walk away, then the Iranians will -- as sure as I am talking to you -- surge into Iraq, certainly take over the south and the oil that's there,'' he said. ''We'll be paying six or seven bucks a gallon."

(3)

On Muslims:

US Congress holds anti-Muslim hearing by Patrick Martin, March 11, 2011

(4)

How Members of Congress Are Advancing Anti-Muslim Hysteria to Push a Radical Legal Agenda | Civil Liberties | AlterNet by Liliana Segura, January 28, 2010

On Sweatshops in Bangladesh and anywhere:

If Joe Lieberman has ever spoken out about sweatshops in Bangladesh or anywhere, please let us know.

On the Bailout / Wall Street / Deregulation:

ThinkProgress » Lieberman: We Need To Pass The Bailout Because ‘It Will Be Good For John McCain’ by Matt Corley, October 2, 2008

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (watchdog.net)

Rumor Mill News Reading Room Forum McCain, Lieberman And Financial Deregulation

supported deregulation of the telecommunications industry

deregulation of the energy industry

Other related:

Orwellian Society

"4 Scenarios for the Coming Collapse of the American Empire" | | AlterNet

by Alfred W. McCoy

Drone industry a boost to Southland's aerospace industry | Technology | Los Angeles Times 9/13/2010

CORPORATE SHAME

2011-03-25T16:29:00.030-04:00

Keeping up with the good, the bad (especially the bad), and the ugly, is a full time job. You end up pulling your hair out and cursing wildly.

Below are all the websites I checked out recently, and I almost ended up throwing my computer monitor across the room after reading about all the corporate fraud, corruption, corporate crimes, and absurdly, excessively ridiculous CEO pay.

The level of corruption seems insurmountable and you ask yourself time and time again "How do we get rid of this?" ... "What can we do to stop it?"

Well, luckily, at the "Inside Job" documentary website, there is a link to their Facebook page, where you can find out what you can do.

There's also an Institute for Policy Studies webpage where you can take action about company layoffs.

Inside Job - Movie Website for the Documentary Film

Daily Show Highlights: GE Pays No Tax, So...Give Em a Tax Break | Rolling Stone Politics | RS Politics Daily | Rolling Stone Writers and Editors on Political News March 29, 2011

**100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire March 25, 2011, Democracy Now

**Labor Rights Legacy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire: Garment Unions Marched Out of this Fire and Produced the New Unionism March 25, 2011, Democracy Now

**100 Years After Triangle Fire, Tragedy in Bangladesh and Anti-Union Bill in Wisconsin Highlight Workers' Enduring Struggles March 25, 2011, Democracy Now

Executive Excess 2010: CEO Pay and the Great Recession - IPS By Sarah Anderson, Chuck Collins, Sam Pizzigati, Kevin Shih

Today's Plutocracy Post: GE Doesn't Pay Taxes -- Taxpayers Pay GE | OurFuture.org by Dave Johnson, March 25, 2011

Crime and Punishment on Wall Street

Institute for Policy Studies: Campaign | Stop Executive Excess

CEO Report: Top 50 layoff companies

LIBYA- THE PROGRESSIVE BUZZ

2011-03-23T07:33:00.091-04:00

What's buzzing around progressive circles is that Howard Dean (former Governor of Vermont, and former chairman of the DNC), who is sticking up for the president on his Libya stance, was somehow corralled by the president to support him. For whatever reason, Howard knows that a challenge to President Obama in the Democratic primaries, might just cause the Democrats to lose the White House in 2012.

New/corporate/Third Way/conservative Democrats will be tip toeing around the "why Libya? ", and "is there a military solution?" questions.

[Update 3/23 (pm): Wow, this president moves pretty damn fast rallying support...]

While Susan Rice and Samantha Power probably had good intentions (wanting to protect the Libyan people and "watch video"), this "no fly zone" that the president agreed to, reeks of, 1. *neo liberal, *2. military contractors, 3. *France - oil, 4. *privatization, and 5. the interests of a certain "state" [and especially if you look at the geography and understand what is truly happening with *North Africa, and the unrest in the Middle East .]

There also seems to be a rather disturbing trend by the Obama administration to either ignore, or shift focus away from our corrupt corporations, Afghanistan, budget cuts, the Economy, the destruction of the Middle Class, what's going on with workers, the unions and collective bargaining, and the Republicans mad dash to privatize every thing they can get their hands on.

As to Republicans bickering about Libya. They absolutely, without question, want to invade Libya for purely selfish reasons; but, they also want to destroy President Obama. Are they being disingenuous? YOU BETCHA! (By the way, we're absolutely not a Sarah Palin fan ... not by any stretch of the imagination.)

Where does mainstream media (MSM), who are controlled by the 1%ers, stand when it comes to reporting on Libya? Will they walk that fine line? Why bother with them at all? Why not go straight to AJ English or Democracy Now?

As to why the president is in Brazil? The progressive buzz ... Brazil (1), (2) abstained from the vote on the "no fly zone" resolution. So ... (conclusions anyone?)

Since India also abstained from the vote on a "no fly zone" in Libya ... will the president be going to India next, or just making a few phone calls?

Anyone doing any research on just how WWII started? (3)

Libya crisis – live updates | World news | guardian.co.uk

*Updates

**Read Pepe Escobar articles and posts

Is Obama About to Turn NATO into a Global Robocop? | | AlterNet 11/19/2010, Pepe Escobar

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Unrest in the Middle East:

2011-03-24 Does Gaddafi Have Chemical Weapons to Use? (What WikiLeaks Cables Reveal) | WL Central March 23, 2011

US presses NATO to lead; Gadhafi still on attack - World news - Mideast/N. Africa - msnbc.com March 23, 2011

Syrian police shoot nine people dead in attack on area sheltering protesters | World news | The Guardian March 23, 2011

BBC News - EU envoy defends Bahrain police amid unrest March 23, 2011

France24 - Israel kills 8 Gazans as border violence spirals March 23, 2011

Israel's Knesset: Critics say Knesset laws discriminate against Israeli Arabs - latimes.com Edmund Sanders, March 23, 2011

Libya and Congress.: Libya decision leaves some in Congress feeling shut out - latimes.com March 22, 2011, James Oliphant

Canada conducts first mission over Libya by Mark Iype, March 21, 2011

Hamas fires dozens of rockets at Israel - The Denver Post by Ian Dietch, March 19, 2011

Libya No-Fly Zone Approved By U.N. Security Council by Edith Lederer, March 17, 2011

Libya uprising - Wednesday 2 March as it happened: part 2 | World news | guardian.co.uk

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Special Comment: Libya, Obama and the Five-Second Rule

--------------------------------------------------------------------

THIS IS JUST PLAIN DAMN INTERESTING - LOOK WHOSE CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK

AND "WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT (THE WIZARD OF WALL STREET) SANDY WEILL'S ROLE IN THE FINANCIAL MELTDOWN?
/ AND READ (4) /AND (5) /AND (6) / AND (7) /

AND THE LAST MAN STANDING AFTER THE ENRON SCANDAL IS ...

AND JUST WHO DOES THAT "SON OF A BITCH" JAMIE DIMON THINK HE IS? / (10) , (11) /(12), /(13) / (14)/ (15)

AND FINALLY, JUST HOW DISGRACED IS CHARLES PRINCE?
(8), (9)

REMEMBER THE DOCUMENTARY "INSIDE JOB"?

LIBYA - THIS IS THE LAST STRAW MR. PRESIDENT

2011-03-20T18:08:00.042-04:00

I don't know if I've been patient or not,... but hell, ... *LIBYA?, this is the last straw. Every Republican, conservative/Third Way/NEW/corporate Democrat needs to go. I SAID GO! That includes our current president.

These people cannot be re-elected. If anything, they should be impeached; and some prosecuted for all kinds of crimes, corruption, treason/fraud against the majority of the American people, international crimes, etc., etc., etc. George Bush and Dick Cheney you come to the front of the line.

First, ... everyone needs to watch "Inside Job", and go to the movie website (please do enter the website and read about all the corporations that have been engaged in criminal behavior, and learn what you can do to stop it). If watching that film, and learning about all the corruption/fraud and greed doesn't get you hopping mad, I don't know what will.

Union friends, you don't have a clue what you are up against. Watch the Max Keiser Report below.

This is a wake up call. I'm so sick of this bullshit.

UPDATE 5/12/2011
Asia Times Online :: Bin Laden out, Gaddafi next by Pepe Escobar

The Last Word - March 24, 2011

**Read Pepe Escobar articles and posts

*Libya: Another Unnecessary War Of Choice - Doug Bandow - The Politics of Plunder - Forbes March 14, 2011

Is Obama About to Turn NATO into a Global Robocop? | | AlterNet 11/19/2010, Pepe Escobar

Obama's Women of War | | AlterNet March 20, 2010

"4 Scenarios for the Coming Collapse of the American Empire"
by Alfred W. McCoy

"Blowback, The Costs and Consequences of American Empire" by (the late) Chalmers A. Johnson (read more about Chalmers at Alternet)

March 17, 2011

Michael Betancourt

Max Keiser

United States antitrust law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(It's time we demand that anti-trust laws be enforced)

This "People and Power" Max Keiser video was May 20, 2007

Meltdown Timeline [The "Inside Job" documentary does an even better job putting the timeline together]

[TO BE EDITED FURTHER]

(We don't endorse any financial investment advice)

ST PATRICK'S DAY - KEGS AND EGGS 2011

2011-03-17T11:18:00.006-04:00

This is not a pretty sight. Unfortunately, Albany has had to deal with this for quite awhile.

MICHIGAN MAIN STREET PROTESTS

2011-03-16T17:05:00.008-04:00

March 16, 2011 | Rally March 16, 2011
Lansing Rally Photos

Update:ThinkProgress » Michigan Governor’s Anti-Union Power Grab Is Unconstitutional by Ian Millhiser, March 16, 2011 1:52pm

Photo Credit: Brave New Films

From Michael Moore

Live Feed Today

Friends and neighbors,

"The call has gone out and I'm asking everyone who can to take Wednesday off and head to the State Capitol in Lansing to protest the cruel and downright frightening legislation currently being jammed down our throats.

What is most shocking to many is that the new governor, who ran against the Tea Party and defeated the right wing of his party in the primaries -- and then ran in the general election as "just a nerd from Ann Arbor" who was a moderate, not an ideologue -- has pulled off one of the biggest Jekyll and Hyde ruses I've ever seen in electoral politics.

Governor Snyder, once elected, yanked off his nice-guy mask to reveal that he is in fact a multi-millionaire hell-bent on destroying our state and turning it over to his buddies from Wall Street.

In just 8 short weeks he has:

* Gotten the House and Senate to pass bills giving him "Emergency Management" powers such as the ability to appoint a corporation or a CEO who could literally dissolve town governments or school boards, fire the elected officials, nullify any local law and run your local governmental entity. That company then would have the power to immediately declare all collective bargaining contracts null and void.

* Proposed giving business a whopping 86% tax cut while raising everyone's personal taxes by 31%! And much of that tax hike he believes should be shouldered by -- I kid you not -- senior citizens and the poor! He says these two groups have not been "sharing the sacrifice" the rest of us have been burdened with. So his budget proposes a $1.8 billion tax CUT for business and a $1.75 billion tax INCREASE for the rest of us, much of it from the poor, seniors and working people -- even though the top 1% in Michigan ALREADY pay a lower state tax rate than everyone else does!

* Together with the legislature, introduced over 40 anti-labor bills in just the first two months of this session! They have wasted no time and have caught most people off guard. Much of this is being rushed through right now before you have a chance to raise your voice in objection.

These actions are breathtaking when you realize they will drive our already battered state straight into the ground. What we needed right now was an inspiring leader to help us reinvent Michigan and to find creative ways to create new jobs and lift us out of our economic depression. The rest of the country may call what they're experiencing the "Great Recession," but few argue that Michigan is suffering a "one-state Depression."

I know many of you are filled with a great sense of despair and a justifiable loss of hope these days in Michigan. But you must not let things get even worse. You must stand up against these Draconian measures and this outrageous attempt to rip our democratic rights from us by turning our state over to well-paid hacks from Wall Street and corporate America. They see our state as one big fire sale -- and they are licking their chops to get their hands on what is still a state rich in natural resources and industrial infrastructure.

Please show up at noon on Wednesday for our first mega-rally against this insanity. Hundreds of groups are already organizing car pools and buses. You can right now just declare yourself an organizer and get your friends and neighbors committed to being in Lansing. If ever there were a day to call in sick, Wednesday is it (because this IS sick). Students, if ever there were a day to cut class and become a participant in your democracy, Wednesday is it. This event needs to be HUGE -- and I believe it will be if you will simply be there and take a stand."

Read the rest at:

http://www.alternet.org/story/150264/michael_moore%3A_michigan_governor_pushing_unbelievable_anti-democracy_measures_--_join_the_fight_wednesday?page=entire

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Naomi Klein on Snyder's law: http://www.democracynow.org/20...

MICHAEL MOORE CALLS FOR MICHIGAN PROTEST WEDNESDAY NOON MARCH 16, 2011

2011-03-16T09:28:00.013-04:00

March 16, 2011 | Rally March 16, 2011
Lansing Rally Photos

Update:
ThinkProgress » Michigan Governor’s Anti-Union Power Grab Is Unconstitutional by Ian Millhiser, March 16, 2011 1:52pm

Photo Credit: Brave New Films

From Michael Moore

Live Feed Today

Friends and neighbors,

Read the rest at:

http://www.alternet.org/story/150264/michael_moore%3A_michigan_governor_pushing_unbelievable_anti-democracy_measures_--_join_the_fight_wednesday?page=entire

DENNIS KUCINICH ELECTRIFIES WORKER'S RIGHTS RALLY IN WISCONSIN

2011-03-16T01:37:00.032-04:00

Saturday, March 12, 2011, I happened to catch our Ohio (10th District) Congressman Dennis Kucinich speaking at a Worker's Rally in Wisconsin. He electrified the audience. It was awesome.

I wrote down some of his speech (and you can hear Congressman Kucinich speech in my March 12th post); however, today I discovered that magnificent speech on YouTube (below).

Highlights from Congressman Kucinich's speech:

"We are at the beginning of a New Civil Rights movement."

"We fight back for our Democracy
We fight back for our Constitution
We fight back for freedom of speech,
for the right to assemble,
for the right to freedom of association,
We fight back for due process"

"Corporations want to steal what they feel is theirs to begin with. They don't believe in such a thing as government of the people. What they believe in is government of the corporations, by the corporations, for the corporations. That might work on Wall Street; but it's not going to work in Wisconsin, and it's not going to work in Ohio, and it's not going to work in Michigan."

"We will fight back."

"We are for workers everywhere ... to have a right to join a union, to have a right to collective bargaining, to have a right to strike, to have a right to decent wages and benefits, and a right to a secure retirement, to have a right to a safe work place, to have a right to participate in the political process, to have a right to reclaim their government."

"What we understand is that an economic democracy is a pre-condition to a political democracy."

"Government belongs not to the private sector, but to the public sector."

Support H. Con. Res. 28

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Rep. Kucinich Fires Up Madison Workers’ Rights Rally | The UpTake
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The UpTake | Archive | Ohio
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Congressman Kucinich Sees an Ascendant Labor Movement in Madison | The UpTake /March 13, 2011

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FIND A DEFEND THE DREAM RALLY NEAR YOU

2011-03-14T13:25:00.008-04:00

March 16, 2011 | Rally March 16, 2011

Photo Credit: Brave New Films

From Michael Moore

Friends and neighbors,

The call has gone out and I'm asking everyone who can to take Wednesday off and head to the State Capitol in Lansing to protest the cruel and downright frightening legislation currently being jammed down our throats.

Read the rest at:

http://www.alternet.org/story/150264/michael_moore%3A_michigan_governor_pushing_unbelievable_anti-democracy_measures_--_join_the_fight_wednesday?page=entire

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rally - March 15, 2011

[From Robert Borosage & Roger Hickey -Campaign for America's Future]

"Over the weekend, people power exploded in Madison, Wisconsin, with 100,000 taking to the streets to oppose the Governor's attacks on unions and handouts to corporations.

To support them, and to oppose similar conservative attacks across the country, we're joining MoveOn and a broad coalition of progressive organizations to launch a huge "Defend the Dream" day of action on Tuesday.

Click here to find a "Defend The Dream" Tuesday rally near you, or host your own.

At state capitols, parks, schools, libraries, and other public institutions that face huge funding cuts in the U.S. House Republican budget, we'll gather to hear from people who will be most affected, like teachers and firefighters, and show our solidarity against these devastating cuts and attacks on workers' rights.

Republicans in Idaho and Ohio have already voted for similar anti-worker bills like the one in Wisconsin. And nationally, the Republican budget would gut health care, environmental protections, housing assistance, food aid, and more.

This goes far beyond Wisconsin. This is a direct assault on every Main Street in the country. We need to rally across America to Defend The Dream.

Click here to find a "Defend The Dream" Tuesday rally near you, or host your own.

We need to take our cues from the brave people in Madison and stand up Tuesday to say "No More!" Join us."

[FROM Robert L. Borosage & Roger Hickey, Co-directors
Campaign for America's Future]

Time For The People To Tell The Story [VIDEO] | OurFuture.org by Robert Borosage, March 15, 2011

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WATCH RALLY IN WISCONSIN MARCH 12, 2011

2011-03-12T15:38:00.042-05:00

PS: Our wonderful Congressman Dennis Kucinich rocked the house in Wisconsin. Wow, talk about passionate ... Click above link to watch his speech, or watch Dennis in the Rally for Workers. Hightower video below. He starts speaking about 1 hour 6 or 7 minutes into the video.

Watch live streaming video from theuptake at livestream.com

Watch videos of Wisconsin March 12, 2011 Rally on YouTube.

Tony Shalhoub speaking at the March 12, 2011 Rally

***Another great link to see videos and photos of the March 12, 2011 rally in Wisconsin.

Photos of March 12, 2011 Wisconsin Rally

ThinkProgress » Madison Rally Bigger Than Biggest Tea Party Rally

Wisconsin Capital Square on March 12, 2011

Awesome!

U.S. LABOR PROTESTS

MOVE ON.ORG

LABOUR MOVEMENT

LABOR HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES

LABOR UNIONS

LABOR UNIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

TIPS ON PUMPING AND SAVING GAS

2011-03-12T00:27:00.005-05:00

A friend sent the following to us. We're passing it on to you.

"Tips on Pumping Gas:
-
Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. -
-

A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps. -
-

When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money. -
-

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this is the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount. -
-

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up; most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. -
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GasBuddy.com - Find Low Gas Prices in the USA and Canada

TUCKER CARLSON'S BALD FACED LIES

2011-03-11T09:38:00.017-05:00

Now I don't watch the right wing propaganda "FOX NEWS CHANNEL" ... but I do watch The Ed Show. [Ed, your show is getting better and better my friend.]

Anyway, last night I'm watching The Ed Show, and I hear Tucker Carlson speak a bunch of bald faced lies. If you read my last post, I said one of conservatives biggest concerns in regards to education, is to make sure you don't have access to good and truthful information. Well, Tucker, old buddy, you proved my point. [WATCH THE VIDEO]

If you want to watch right-wing propaganda lies on FOX, no one is stopping you; but here's some information for you.

Study Confirms That Fox News Makes You Stupid | | AlterNet by Mark Howard, December 15, 2010

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY - DESTROYERS OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

2011-03-10T10:40:00.041-05:00

I don't know why anyone is surprised by what Republicans are doing across this nation. [Destroying what's left of the Middle Class.] The Republicans have never been about job creation. They always side with deregulation and big business (who outsource jobs, and want to cut labor costs, while making sure their CEOs and top executives have great compensation packages).

As far as small business is concerned ... How can you be in the pockets of big business and support small business at the same time. YOU CAN'T! Big Business will swallow small business whole, and spit out what's left of small business, leaving them with a decimated Middle Class, and a low wage population to do business with.

Hey, you voted for them, or you just didn't show up to vote at all. Now, this is your punishment ... unfortunately, you've sucked the rest of us into your misery.

The majority of Republicans (and many conservatives) have shown they care very little about students/public education/teachers, older people, health care, women and women's rights; and they care very, very little about the working class, the Middle Class and the poor.

Conservatives tanked the economy, they've never addressed or wanted to address the decline or stagnation in wages; and one of their biggest concerns in regards to education, is to make sure people don't have access to good and truthful information. Hell, why would they want a free an open Internet where people can find out what their goons are up to?

Conservatives love to rewrite history, and they are perfectly happy with making Americans fear Muslims, while they march us into the incinerator of an Orwellian society (where there are essentially only 2 [I said "essentially"] classes of people - those that have [a very small group], and those that don't have [the larger group]).

Who are they banking on to get them into the White House in 2012? Well, ... it's not women, students, the poor, minorities, or the 50-60% of the population that has some modicum of intelligence.

Oh yeah ... union members, please don't strike and give these annihilators any ammunition to speed up their agenda to privatize every freaking thing they can get away with. Remember, Republicans know full well that if you privatize and strip workers of their collective bargaining rights, the average worker will have absolutely no one with any kind of power to go to bat for them. AND I DO MEAN NO ONE! Then watch out, ... "George Orwell's 1984" will be here faster than anyone can predict. We're already about half way there (for some, they're already there).

[TO BE EDITED FURTHER]

Did anyone see [kiss the Heritage Foundation] Mark Tapscott on Dylan Ratigan today (March 10, 2011)?

He smirked and mocked hard working Americans ...
After his remarks, there was no question that this guy marches in lock step with his party. You know, ... the party that is out to destroy what's left of the Middle Class.

What happened to your journalistic integrity ... huh Mark? Guess you lost your mind along with your fellow brethren at the Heritage Foundation.
[Couldn't help notice that the Examiner happened to stroll over to this post to see what I had to say about one of their own]

War on the Middle Class: Americans Turning on Themselves | AlterNet by digby, March 10, 2011

Chomsky: Why the Fate of Democracy Is at Stake in Madison | | AlterNet , March 9, 2011

NATIONWIDE BOYCOTT OF KOCH 'S GEORGIA PACIFIC PRODUCTS

2011-02-28T09:30:00.014-05:00

The following is the headline that appeared in Bloomberg in 2005:

US: Koch Buys Georgia-Pacific
Bloomberg.com
November 14th, 2005

Here's recent headlines about the Koch brothers:
Rupert Murdoch and David Koch Collude Against Wisconsin Workers | News & Politics | AlterNet

Yesterday on Alternet, Stephen Webster wrote:
Billionaire Koch Brothers Next Target of "Anonymous" Hacker Group | Tea Party and the Right | AlterNet

Starting today, there is a natiowide boycott of Georgia Pacific products. Those products are:
en motion
Sparkle
Angel Soft
Vanity Fair paper products
Zee
Quilted Northern
Brawny
Mardi Gras
Dixie.

CLICK: ALL KOCH INDUSTRIES AND PRODUCTS. [This is the "Boycott and Defeat Koch Industries Facebook page]

For Europe, they are Demak'Up, Kitten Soft, Lotus / Lotus Soft, Tenderly, Nouvelle Soft, Okay Kitchen Towels, Colhogar, Delica, Inversoft and Tutto.

SAVE THE AMERICAN DREAM RALLY PHOTOS 2011

2011-02-26T17:23:00.019-05:00

UPDATE FROM MICHAEL MOORE:
Michael Moore: We Face a Global War on the Middle Class | | AlterNet

MOVE ON.ORG RALLY PHOTOS

MOVE ON.ORG DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

UNION VOICES/ FEBRUARY 25, 2011/WATCH MORE

LIVE REPORTING FROM THE WISCONSIN PROTESTS

Rupert Murdoch and David Koch Collude Against Wisconsin Workers | News & Politics | AlterNet by Adele M. Stan, February 25, 2011

Rally for the American Dream: Huge Gatherings Nationwide in Solidarity with Wisconsin Democratic Uprising | | AlterNet

10 Ways Scott Walker Is Selling Out His Constituents to Corporations | | AlterNet by Kevin Donohoe, February 27, 2011

GO TO:
SUM OF CHANGE.COM

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AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

SECRETS

2011-02-26T12:09:00.017-05:00

It's Saturday ... and that means you get to view our recommended videos and articles this week.

First:

The Colbert Report
Tags: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

NEXT:
FLASHBACK: Gov. Walker Promised To End Late-Night Votes Because ‘Nothing Good Happens After Midnight’ | AlterNet by Pat Garafolo, February 25, 2011

Excerpt:

"Early this morning, Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly approved legislation stripping public employees of their collective bargaining rights, in the face of ongoing protests that have gripped Madison for well over a week. The bill passed at 1:17 a.m., and Republicans only held the vote open for “seconds.” The vote was called while many Democrats were outside the Assembly chamber, preventing them from casting no votes. Only 13 of the Assembly’s 38 Democratic members got their votes in on time.

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) praised the Assembly’s action in a statement. However, the Assembly Republicans’ late-night procedural shenanigans fly directly in the face of commitments Walker made on the campaign trail, where he promised to end late-night votes because “nothing good happens after midnight”:

He promised to sign legislation if elected governor that prohibits the Legislature from voting after 10 p.m. or before 9 a.m.
“I have two teenagers and I tell them that nothing good happens after midnight. That’s even more true in politics,” he said in a statement. “The people of Wisconsin deserve to know what their elected leaders are voting on.”

A campaign spokesperson said at the time that Walker believes 10 p.m. is the appropriate hour to end floor work. “Scott’s been there and he’s seen it,” she said, referring to late-night work that allows lobbyists undue influence over legislation. Of course, this supposed commitment to transparency didn’t stop Walker, when he was a member of the Assembly himself, from “join[ing] with the Republican majority in January 1997 to eliminate a rule that required lawmakers to finish their floor sessions at 8 p.m.”"

VIEW REST OF ARTICLE AT: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/485843/flashback%3A_gov._walker_promised_to_end_late-night_votes_because_%E2%80%98nothing_good_happens_after_midnight%E2%80%99/

AND GOING BACK TO THE PREVIOUS WEEK:

Koch Brothers Behind Wisconsin Effort To Kill Public Unions - Rick Ungar - The Policy Page - Forbes by Rick Ungar, February 18, 2011

Will Media Follow Up On Report That U.S. Chamber Is Behind Dirty Tricks Campaign? | Media Matters for America by Ned Resnikoff, February 11, 2011

WATCH WISCONSIN PROTESTS

LADIES GUESS WHAT? YOU'RE BEING LAID-OFF, AND YOUR RIGHTS ARE BEING TAKEN AWAY

2011-02-25T16:57:00.052-05:00

Wouldn't you know it. Women are suffering the most under conservative's budget cuts and social agenda (in federal and state legislatures). Is this what you voted for?

From the Columbus Dispatch:

"Women left far behind as new jobs arrive; analysts say recession had hit men harder

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 02:50 AM

By Tony Pugh

McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

WASHINGTON - The early stages of the economic recovery have taken on a decidedly masculine tone.

It was job gains by men that fueled January's steep decline in the national unemployment rate from 9.4 percent to 9 percent.

In fact, men have gained 438,000 jobs since the Great Recession officially ended in June 2009, while women have lost 366,000 over the same period, according to Labor Department figures.

And the 984,000 jobs created from January 2010 to January 2011? Only 47,000 went to women.

That's less than 1 of every 20 new job openings.

These numbers would barely draw a second look in the aftermath of past recessions, when women made up a much smaller share of the labor force. But women now account for nearly half of all U.S. workers, so the great disparity is all the more startling.

The trend has given a new gender-specific meaning to the phrase jobless recovery and is further proof that the hiring rebound isn't reaching all groups.

"The improvements in the overall employment picture obscure what's happening to women. In fact, women have lost ground since the recovery began," said a recent statement by Nancy Duff Campbell, co-president of the National Women's Law Center.

However, some observers say the one-sided jobs picture is more about economic justice than gender bias.

The Great Recession has been called the "mancession" because men absorbed 7 of 10 job losses during the downturn.

Male-dominated industries such as manufacturing, transportation and wholesale trade lost millions of jobs. Even in fields in which men weren't a majority of workers, they still got hit harder, said Heather Boushey, senior economist at the Center for American Progress, a liberal research group.

So as these and other industries slowly rebound, Boushey said it's hardly a surprise that men have landed more than 95 percent of new jobs in the recovery - or "mancovery," as it's playing out.

"If I get hit harder than you do, it does make sense that my recovery should be more dramatic. That's just logical," Boushey said. "The way this recession played out, there was this gendered impact across a wide variety of industries, and I think that's what you're seeing coming back."

After largely avoiding much of the job jeopardy that men faced, women are now enduring some belated suffering.

Education, health care and state and local government fueled women's job opportunities during the recession. But because women make up nearly 60 percent of government workers, they've felt the brunt of recent layoffs at the state and local level.

During the past year, women lost 202,000 government jobs, or 4 out of 5 that were eliminated nationwide.

"A lot of teachers were laid off," Boushey said. "A lot of child-care workers were laid off. A lot of local-administrator types were laid off. Those are disproportionately women's jobs."

As protests over state budget cuts continue in Wisconsin, other states such as Iowa and Ohio are pondering similar measures that could affect mostly women.

"If states and localities are forced to make additional cuts in critical public services, women may fall even further behind," said Campbell, of the National Women's Law Center."

Recovery helping men more | The Columbus Dispatch by Tony Pugh, February 22, 2011

The Dylan Ratigan Show, March 24, 2011

"Why Should You Care about Planned Parenthood?

How defunding Planned Parenthood could affect you:

4.7 million Americans may lose access to reproductive and family planning care, particularly middle- and low-income women.

If you don’t have insurance, you may have to pay for a doctor’s visit to receive a prescription for birth control and pay full price at the pharmacy for it.

Be careful! Without easily available screenings, counseling and treatment, the transmission of STDs and HIV may rise.

Your daughter, niece, or younger cousin (and her boyfriend) may lose their safe, confidential, and free place to receive counseling, birth control, and testing.

If you are low income and/or without insurance, you may have to pay the full price of STD screenings, which can cost $85 to $220 for each type. That doesn’t include the cost of the doctor’s visit, which can be another $200.

You will have to visit a private practice for prenatal health care and, if you don’t have insurance, pay full price.

Depending on the location, you may lose access to free or reduced cost general services like anemia testing, cholesterol screening, diabetes screening, physical exams, flu vaccines, help with quitting smoking, high blood pressure screening, tetanus vaccines, and thyroid screening.

If you are an OB/GYN, your number of patients may increase."

[ABOVE INFORMATION IS FROM LEARNVEST]

Call, email, fax your senator today to say "no" to defunding Parenthood and Title X programs.

MoveOn.org Political Action: Top 10 Shocking Attacks from the GOP's War on Women

Response to Miscarriage Investigation Bill: "I Submit My Used Tampon as Evidence" | AlterNet by Jill Filipovic, February 25, 2011

Excerpt from "Response ....:
There’s a new bill in Georgia sponsored by Rep. Bobby Franklin that would require women to file police reports when they miscarry, since fetuses are Georgia citizens and their deaths are potential crimes. I’m going to write more about the bill later — it’s actually really horrific and scary and basically turns all women into potential criminal."

Daily Kos: Now Republicans want to repeal child labor laws February 14, 2011

Conservative Legislators Attack Abortion Rights - Legal Momentum Briefing Room Women's Legal Defense Fund, January 27, 2011

GA Legislator Wants to Create The Uterus Police to Investigate Miscarriages | AlterNet (Feb 2011)

GOP Attacks Women : Weiner Responds | Video Cafe by Heather, February 25, 2011

Rep. Jackie Speier: "Abortion" Fuels Intolerant Thinking

House Votes to Defund Planned Parenthood February 18, 2011

How Conservative Attacks on Health Care Reform Will Affect You by Tony Carrk, January 5, 2011

Ezra Klein - Health-care reform and women [But wait a minute, the GOP wants to repeal the health reform legislation]

Women’s Health and Rights in Jeopardy as Representatives Look to Eliminate International Family Planning

THE CONSERVATIVE AGENDA

2011-02-24T15:28:00.036-05:00

"At the risk of sounding disagreeable, it's hard to find an "honest difference of opinion" on ideology that explains a paragraph like this one in Gov. Walker's new bill, spotted by my eagle-eyed pal Mike Konczal: "... the department may sell any state−owned heating, cooling, and power plant or may contract with a private entity for the operation of any such plant, with or without solicitation of bids, for any amount ... no approval or certification of the public service commission is necessary for a public utility to purchase, or contract for the operation of, such a plant ..."

This allows the governor to bypass regulators and legislators and sell the state's power plants, built with millions in taxpayer money to anybody he likes. This paragraph goes on to say that " any such purchase is considered to be in the public interest and to comply with the criteria for certification of a project." The governor can give these plants away if he wants, and nobody can stop him.

Cui bono? Who could possibly benefit from giving the governor the ability to sell the state's "heating, cooling, and power plants" (there are 32 of them), or "contract with a private entity" to operate them, without a bid process or any regulatory oversight?

Let's see now: Wisconsin has nearly one million natural gas customers, so it would presumably be a company that "provides consulting, engineering, design, procurement, fabrication and construction services for the natural gas and gas processing industries worldwide" and has "been the general contractor on some of the largest natural gas plants built in the U.S." And since there are a number of coal-fired plants on the state's list, our corporation would need to be a "leading supplier of coal and related products typically used in industrial applications or to generate electricity."

Those quotes were taken from the website of Koch Industries, the company whose owners are bankrolling a little-known group that's behind initiatives like Walker's budget proposal.

Of course, the winning candidate doesn't have to be Koch Industries. Kris Broughton at BigThink ThinkEnergy says it "eliminates the waste of energy and money in facilities through a blend of Supply-Side and Demand-Side energy management measures," and they've placed a hiring ad that reads "Energy client is looking for experienced Plant Managers for multiple power plants located in Wisconsin." found anothe candidate.

The real issue isn't whether Koch Industries gets the deal to operate Wisconsin's power plants. Somebody will - and the assets built by Wisconsin taxpayers (including the public employees now under assault) will undoubtedly be given to the private sector at very favorable rates. It will be one more step in the Great American Giveaway -- the seizure of public resources by the private sector."

The above is an excerpt from "The War Against the Republic: The Battle of Madison" by Richard Eskow.

I believe what Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker wants to do is, or should be illegal. Certainly it is unethical.

If you're reading this post, please, please, please wake up! Wake your neighbors up! You cannot allow these politicians who are bought and paid for by the 1-10% of the population (who control the majority of the wealth and income in this nation) to destroy the American Dream for the rest of us.

In Ohio, Governor Kasich is trying to push Ohio Senate bill 5; however, all the Republican governors' agendas are the same - bust the unions.

Call or fax or write or email your representatives and tell them you are against their anti-union bills.

Please be aware that when you're talking about teacher's unions .. you are talking about women who are the majority of teachers. The Republican agenda is very much anti-woman and *anti-women's rights. (update: the House did indeed vote to defund Planned Parenthood, and attack Title X. The battle against a woman's rights now rages in the U.S. Senate, and in conservative legislatures across the Unite States)

RALLY TO SAVE THE AMERICAN DREAM:

http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=238&?rc=tw

Click to contact:

Your Ohio state representative

Your representative in Congress

Read:

*Blog for Choice | Ohio Bill Would Eliminate a Woman's Right to Choose Before She Even Knows She's Pregnant

SCROOGE AND MARLEY INC. - THE TRUE CONSERVATIVE AGENDA by Thom Hartmann

AVERAGE AMERICANS ARE TIRED OF PAYING FOR THE MISTAKES AND GREED OF THE WEALTHY

Koch Brothers Behind Wisconsin Effort To Kill Public Unions - Rick Ungar - The Policy Page - Forbes (February 18, 2011

WALKER PUNKED BY KOCH IMPERSONATOR

Anti-Abortion Georgia Lawmaker Proposes Law That Would Criminalize Miscarriages by Jason Linkins, February 23, 2011

AVERAGE AMERICANS ARE TIRED OF PAYING FOR THE MISTAKES AND GREED OF THE WEALTHY

2011-02-24T07:13:00.054-05:00

I get so angry when average Americans look for scapegoats instead of focusing on the real problem/s, and trying to come up with real solutions that address the "inequities" in our capitalistic system. This inequity is destroying the middle class, and allowing the wealth and income to be concentrated at the top 1% of the population. We are becoming a George Orwell "1984" society.

Right now, conservatives are in "divide and conquer mode" trying to pit unions against non-union employees, public against private sector employees, middle class against poor, firefighters and police against teachers, etc.

Scott Walker and every conservative governor, ... heck, every conservative period, is trying to pit one group against the other group. They've done it for years ... and they are usually successful in "pulling the wool over our eyes".

Luckily the firefighters and police are siding with their brothers and sisters in the unions.

If you have a 5 day work week, an 8 hour job, paid sick days, paid holidays, vacation time, over time pay ... you owe that largely to unions. Unions are responsible for the labor laws we have. Why do you think we celebrate labor day? Every worker in the world owes what benefits they have to unions.

The unions are the only organization that will fight for your/our rights as a worker, and they consistently try to make things better for the worker/us. We owe them our loyalty and support.

We need to recognize where the problems at the state and federal level are coming from (where our economic problems are coming from).

The Top 1% owns more than 90% of us combined; and the top 1-10% of the population have rigged and corrupted our financial and political systems. [Please read MyBudget360 daily]

Instead of workers fighting among themselves, we need to get the EFCA on a national ballot; and after the EFCA is passed nationally, then let the worker decide if they want to join or form a union. We all should recognize what's at stake here and not allow ourselves to be frightened by union busting rhetoric. We need a unified, powerful voice to go up against the 1-10% (CEOs and management of multinational corporations, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Koch brothers*, right wing organizations fueled with corporate dollars, wealthy members of right-wing think tanks, the super wealthy professionals, heads of media conglomerates and the talking heads and hosts of their media outlets.

We need for every worker to be part of an organization that will collectively bargain for them. There I've said it ... and once the top 1-10% get a whiff of any mass collective bargaining movement, they will move heaven and earth to try to stop it. You're already seeing this played out (on a smaller scale) in conservatively governed state legislatures across the nation.

Stop these people!! Don't allow them to take away anyone's collective bargaining rights.

We also need to tune out Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, FOX news and most right-wing radio hosts. These people are mouth pieces for the 1-10% where the wealth and income are concentrated (and that 1-10% will lie, cheat, and steal to keep their wealth and their income - the rest of us be damned).

I recommend going to MyBudget360 daily, Free Speech TV, Democracy Now, Firedog Lake, Alternet, Huffington Post, visiting the blogs on our blog list (right lower hand side of this blog), watching the Rachel Maddow show, The Ed Show, The Last Word, The Dylan Ratigan Show, Cenk Uygur (on MSNBC at 6pm est), and HERE for world news from world prize winning investigative journalists.

David Sirota: The Significance of the Submerged State - Noozhawk.com February 21, 2011

*Koch Brothers Behind Wisconsin Effort To Kill Public Unions - Rick Ungar - The Policy Page - Forbes

"Why Germany Has it so Good -- and Why America is Going Down the Drain" by Terrence McNally [October 14, 2010].

Scrooge & Marley, Inc. -- The True Conservative Agenda by Thom Hartmann

WISCONSIN, THINK TWICE BEFORE MAKING CONCESSIONS

WALKER PUNKED BY KOCH IMPERSONATOR

2011-02-23T13:31:00.015-05:00

Scott Walker, thinking he was talking to one of the billionaire Koch brothers, talks freely and and gets extremely cozy [with Koch impersonator] about his agenda.

Part 2

Considering that the unions already made concessions on everything except collective bargaining, we know this is about union busting.

See these posts for more information about what's going on in Wisconsin.

The Real Story Behind the Battle in Wisconsin by Carl Mumm and Kristine Mattis, Feb. 20, 2011

Koch Brothers Behind Wisconsin Effort To Kill Public Unions - Rick Ungar - The Policy Page - Forbes by Rick Ungar, 2/18/2011

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: Funded by the Koch Bros. | Mother Jones by Andy Kroll, 2/18/2011

Scott Walker Gets Punked By Journalist Pretending To Be David Koch by Jason Linkins, 2/23/2011

Scrooge & Marley, Inc. -- The True Conservative Agenda by Thom Hartmann

WISCONSIN, THINK TWICE BEFORE MAKING CONCESSIONS

PLEASE SIGN THE AFL-CIO PETITION IN SUPPORT OF WORKER'S RIGHTS

2011-02-22T20:51:00.010-05:00

Thousands are rallying in Wisconsin and across the nation to oppose conservative governors who are attacking the collective bargaining rights of our civil servants. And the people in the streets are not just public sector union members.

Why? Why are so many who are not part of a union so committed to protecting the role of organized workers in our government and our economy?

1. Weak Economies Need More Demand: Our economy is struggling and our state budgets are distressed because increased unemployment and falling home prices have reduced economic demand. Weakening the ability of any workers to negotiate fair pay and secure retirements will only weaken demand further, hurting the overall economy.

2. Strong Standards Strengthen The Middle Class. When public sector workers can negotiate for fair pay, healthy workplaces and secure retirements, that puts pressure on private sector CEOs to do the same, or else they risk losing talent to the public sector. Making public sector work less inviting does nothing to make private sector jobs pay better. We need to raise the bar, not lower it.

3. Decent Government Pay Means Decent Government: Most everyone wants our federal, state and local governments to function effectively. That means being able to attract skilled, productive workers with fair pay, healthy workplaces and secure retirements, all of which will be lost if public workers can no longer bargain for their compensation packages.

4. Public Employees Are Not The Problem: Study after study shows the public employees do not receive extravagant compensation, and that the problems with state public pension systems are largely overblown. State budgets are reeling from an economic recession caused by reckless Wall Street speculators, top end tax cuts and corporate tax avoidance. The projected shortfalls in public retirement benefits derive mostly from skyrocketing health care costs thanks to private insurers, and poorly performing pension investments thanks to deregulated Wall Street firms.

Furthermore, civil servants in Wisconsin and elsewhere have repeatedly said they are willing to make concessions regarding pay and benefits. Unlike conservative corporate executives, they have proven their willingness to share the sacrifices. What we can't negotiate is their right to negotiate.

5. Scapegoating Lets The Culprits Get Away: Right-wing billionaires like the Koch brothers are pumping millions into a nationwide effort to break the public employee unions. Why would they bother? Because if they can get most people to blame public employees for the nation's economic ills, they won't hold irresponsible corporations accountable and force the ultra-rich to make any sacrifices, such as higher taxes and tougher regulations.

Now that you know why the assault on public employee unions affects us all, what can we do about it?

Sign The Petition: The AFL-CIO has a petition supporting fair pay and worker rights, to be delivered to all 50 state legislatures.

Attend A Rally: SEIU and Justice With Janitors both have compiled lists of rallies taking place all across the country this week.

READ: Wisconsin Workers' Rights Battle Goes National at Pivotal Time for Labor - Bloomberg

WISCONSIN, THINK TWICE BEFORE MAKING CONCESSIONS

2011-02-19T14:08:00.049-05:00

Video recorded February 15, 2011:

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Saturdays are my favorite post days. I get to recommend articles I think deserve reading. In light of the ongoing fight across the country in regards to public employees, I think E.S. Browning's Wall Street Journal article is relevant. Some concessions made by public employees may (probably will) hurt them in the long term. That's a good reason not to give up your bargaining rights.

"Retiring Boomers Find 401(k) Plans Fall Short" February 19, 2011

An excerpt:
"The 401(k) generation is beginning to retire, and it isn't a pretty sight.

The retirement savings plans that many baby boomers thought would see them through old age are falling short in many cases.

The median household headed by a person aged 60 to 62 with a 401(k) account has less than one-quarter of what is needed in that account to maintain its standard of living in retirement, according to data compiled by the Federal Reserve and analyzed by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College for The Wall Street Journal. Even counting Social Security and any pensions or other savings, most 401(k) participants appear to have insufficient savings. Data from other sources also show big gaps between savings and what people need, and the financial crisis has made things worse.

This analysis uses estimates of 401(k) balances from the end of 2010 and of salaries from 2009. It assumes people need 85% of their working income after they retire in order to maintain their standard of living, a common yardstick.

Facing shortfalls, many people are postponing retirement, moving to cheaper housing, buying less-expensive food, cutting back on travel, taking bigger risks with their investments and making other sacrifices they never imagined. ..."

Please read the entire article at:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703959604576152792748707356.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsTop

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No matter how you feel about public employees, their pensions still fall short. And remember, it was the Republicans (who voters and non voters put back in power) who authored and pushed legislation (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) to deregulate the financial services industry. It was conservatives (Republicans, corporate/conservative Democrats and Libertarians) whose actions were responsible for the loss of millions of jobs and the destruction of a world economy (and that included millions of dollars lost in pension funds). If forced to bow to conservatives who have no problem with the inequities in a system that rewards the richest among us (who do very little to stimulate the economy), while the average American barely makes ends meet, public employees will curse the day they yielded to liars and thieves.

Click this link to:
Fact Check on Public Employees' Pensions

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The Ed Show- March 1, 2011

rebelpleb: The Real Story Behind the Battle in Wisconsin by Carl Mumm and Kristine Mattis, Feb. 20, 2011 [Love this post]

Robert Kuttner: Wisconsin's Tunisia Moment by Robert Kuttner, February 20, 2011

ALL YOU GOVERNORS WHO WANT TO PRIVATIZE NEED TO CLICK THIS LINK. EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD CLICK ON IT TO:
Privatization Doesn't Pay! (UE's Information for Workers)

12 Things You Need to Know About the Uprising in Wisconsin | AlterNet by Joshua Holland, February 19, 2011

10 Developments in the Huge Story of Wisconsin's Uprising | | AlterNet by Joshua Holland, February 21, 2011

Exposing the Republicans' 3-Part Strategy to Tear the Middle Class Apart -- Let's Stop Them in Wisconsin | | AlterNet by Robert Reich, February 20, 2011

Budget Cuts Don't Bring Prosperity by David Leonhardt, February 22, 2011

Re: Leonhardt's comments on malpractice reform: read "Tort Reform Unlikely to Cut Health Care Costs" | The Washington Independent by Daphne Eviatar, 8/19/2009

Robert Reich: The Shameful Attack on Public Employees January 5, 2011

Walker denies favoring police, fire unions - JSOnline February 13, 2011

****Please also read:
AlterNet: Right-Wingers Using Public Employees as 21st-Century Welfare Queens by Joshua Holland,
and
Scrooge & Marley, Inc. -- The True Conservative Agenda by Thom Hartmann

Undoing the Great Risk Shift, or, Saving Capitalism from Itself, Again September 17, 2004

Madison Protests Hit Largest Numbers On Saturday AP/HuffPo

This is required viewing by everyone:
FRONTLINE: meltdown - financial crisis timeline | PBS

ThinkProgress » FLASHBACK: Abraham Lincoln Wrote Playbook For Wisconsin Dems Who Fled State February 20, 2011
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