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LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of November 25, 2007

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Updated on a regular basis

Bulletin Board:

The Louisville/Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee meets the 4th Wednesday of every month at 5:00 pm at Democratic Headquarters,
640 Barret Avenue .

VOTERS, YOUR NEXT ASSIGNMENT

DITCH MITCH

Beshear Taps Jennifer Moore To Be KDP Chair, Nathan Smith As Vice-Chair

Governor-elect Steve Beshear today announced his intention to recommend the election of Jennifer Moore, age 33, as Chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party and Nathan Smith, age 36, as Vice-Chair. Moore, who has served since June as the Party's Vice Chair, would replace Jonathan Miller, who is resigning as Chair to assume his duties as Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet in the Beshear Administration.

Governor-elect Beshear will make his recommendation at the next meeting of the Kentucky Democratic Party's State Central Executive Committee which will be scheduled for Saturday, December 1, 2007. Pursuant to the Party's bylaws, Moore will serve as Acting Chair of the party until the State Central Executive Committee votes. Source

First batch of candidates already signed up for '08, - Ryan Alessi

As it usually happens, most of the first bunch of candidates to sign up for the upcoming elections are incumbents who want to keep their seats. But the list of 2008 contenders already includes several challengers.

Here's who has signed up so far, according to the online registry through the Secretary of State's Web site:

U.S. Congress

2nd District: U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis, the Republican incumbent who is seeking his eighth term representing west-central Kentucky district

State Senate

19th District: Sen. Tim Shaughnessy, the Democrat incumbent who has represented that Louisville district since 1989.
25th District: Pete M. Frye, a Democrat from Campton. The seat Frye is seeking covers a heavily Republican area of Clay, Knox, Lee, Magoffin, Morgan, Owsley and Wolfe counties. It is currently represented by Republican Sen. Robert Stivers of Manchester.
35th District: Sen. Denise Harper Angel, the Democrat incumbent who is seeking her second term in the southern Louisville district.

State House

17th District: Rep. C.B. Embry Jr., the Republican incumbent from Morgantown who has served since 2003. The district covers Butler, Grayson and Hardin counties.
30th District: Rep. Tom Burch, the Democratic incumbent from Louisville who was first elected in 1971.
33rd District: Rep. Ron Crimm, the Republican incumbent from Louisville who was first elected in 1996
72nd District: Jim Lovell, a Democrat from Paris. The district, which covers Bath, Bourbon, Nicholas and part of northeastern Fayette counties, has been represented by Democratic Rep. Carolyn Belcher. However, that seat will be vacated soon now that Belcher was elected Bath County judge executive earlier this month.
92nd District: John Sizemore, a Democrat and truck owner and driver from Salyersville. The district, which covers Knott, Letcher and Magoffin counties, is currently represented by Democratic Rep. Ancel Smith of Leburn.
93rd District: Rep. W. Keith Hall, the Democratic incumbent from Phelps who has represented the Pike County district since 2001.

State Supreme Court

4th Supreme Court District: Justice Lisabeth Hughes Abramson of Louisville. This summer, Gov. Ernie Fletcher appointed Abramson, then a state appeals court judge to fill the seat of the late Justice William McAnulty.

The 2008 candidate filing deadline is Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. The clock is ticking ...

National Journal: Road Test in Kentucky

Democrat Steve Beshear's lopsided November 6 victory in the Kentucky governor's race was good news for the AFL-CIO, but not just because he defeated Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher, who had a long history of fighting organized labor.

AFL-CIO leaders are crowing because a whopping 77 percent of the Kentucky voters from union households who went to the polls supported Beshear over Fletcher, who had rescinded an executive order giving state employees collective bargaining rights, tried to repeal the law requiring the state to pay prevailing wages to workers on construction projects, and pushed a bill to let nonunion workers take jobs in union shops.

In the Kentucky contest, the labor federation demonstrated the strength and effectiveness of the political program it plans to run in much of the nation in the 2008 election, union officials say. Mike Podhorzer, the AFL-CIO's deputy political director, says, "Since 2003, we have really tried to make sure that we actually road test our programs where we can in the odd-year elections. We really had a good chance to do that and are really satisfied with what we saw in Kentucky."

The AFL-CIO and its unions have pledged to spend $200 million on their 2008 efforts, and many of the techniques they will use during those races came into play in Kentucky.

Karen Ackerman, the federation's political director, said that the Kentucky campaign used an unusual level of electronic communications and new media both to inspire activists in the state and to inform local unions in other states that will be in play next year.

"We used e-mails and other Internet techniques, [such as] filming local union leadership and activist members and putting the video up on YouTube and getting the word out as a way to build support and as a way to highlight the issues that mattered," she said.

Bill Londrigan, president of the Kentucky AFL-CIO, said that the organization mobilized an unprecedented number of volunteers -- 2,000 in the final four days of the campaign -- and extended organized labor's political reach into rural areas, where union voters may be more conservative on social issues. "In many of the places we walked, there had never been a door-to-door effort," he said. "Working America, the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO, walked every day in Louisville since July."

Ackerman said that the labor federation has always tried to reach rural union voters at their work sites, but it has been increasingly successful in canvassing areas with lower union density by using micro targeting data from Catalyst that has been enhanced by records of union activists' conversations with their colleagues. "We know that 80 percent of those that we targeted were the right voters to target," Ackerman said.

Podhorzer said that the AFL-CIO used micro targeting data in Kentucky not only to design precinct walks but also to help prepare union activists for one-on-one conversations.

"We can communicate [relevant information] to the steward in those workers' workplace," he said. "We can say, 'These are the five people who support Beshear but don't normally vote in governor's races.' ...

We can say, 'Probably the people in your supermarket who are on the fence right now are Fred, Mary, and James, so that's your job to convince them why Beshear is the candidate to vote for.' "

The micro targeting in Kentucky also helped foster a partnership between the AFL-CIO and the National Education Association. "We sat down early and talked about their members and our members and how they're the same, how they're different, how we might want to approach them," said Karen White, the NEA's director of campaigns and elections. "Their mail was different than our mail, but we were able to use the data set to [create both mailings]."

White said that the NEA used the AFL-CIO's Catalyst data to target Kentucky educators with specific mailings, county meetings, and handwritten postcards from activists to people they knew personally.

Across the country in Utah, the groups collaborated in helping to pass a ballot initiative that ended a statewide school voucher program. White and Ackerman said the partnership will continue next year.

One goal of large off-year efforts, Podhorzer said, is to create new activists, such as Faye Liebermann, a retired Communications Workers of America employee. She volunteered during the Kentucky governor's race.

"I've recruited retiree volunteers," she said. "My grandkids help me assemble and put out yard signs; they help me with [pamphlet] drops.

And I certainly look forward to ditching Mitch McConnell in 2008."

Comments to the Editor:

Folks,

We have a pair of very good candidates who are featured in "draft" websites on the Internet, and your signature on the site might encourage them to run against Mitch.

Andrew Horne http://drafthorne.org

You may remember that Lt. Col. Andrew Horne ran in 2006 in an effort to defeat Anne Northup, after no other prominent Democrat chose to enter the race. On the last filing day, John Yarmuth ended up getting in the race and won the primary, going on to defeat Anne Northup (and currently doing an amazing job in office.) Many Democrats took note of the surprising strength of political newcomer Horne's primary campaign, and many also approved of his post-primary call for unity in support of John Yarmuth. Several of Horne's supporters have created this "Draft Horne" website to encourage him to take on McConnell.

You can learn more about Andrew Horne and his continuing political activism work with VoteVets.org at this website: http://andrewhorne.info If you like what you see, remember to sign the petition at http://drafthorne.org

Crit Luallen http://www.draftcrit.com/

KY State Auditor Crit Luallen has done an excellent job as Auditor, and was just re-elected by a wide margin in early November. Her name is frequently batted about as the top-tier candidate to challenge Mitch, and in recent polling Crit was only 5 points behind Mitch in a theoretical matchup. Crit's family is currently distracted by some medical issues, but if she receives enough support on the "draft" site, she might be encouraged to run against Mitch.

I strongly encourage all people who are concerned about Mitch McConnell's obstructionist tactics and corporate sponsorship to begin prompting these fine Democratic candidates to get into the race. And be prepared to back up your urging with some monetary support or volunteer time. If we want them to fight for us, we need to fight for them.

Mike Bailey, co-organizer, Change for Kentucky

DAILY GRILL

"Troop withdrawals have already begun [in Iraq]. It's happening." -- Fox News anchor Brit Hume, 11/18/07

VERSUS

"You're making the case that troop withdrawals are starting now, but they're troop withdrawals given that a surge was put in place this year that took troop levels to a new high. So it's not really much of a withdrawal at all." -- NPR senior correspondent Juan Williams, 11/18/07

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"[W]e know that al Qaeda views these periods as being a particularly vulnerable period." -- White House Homeland Security Adviser Fran Townsend, 11/20/07, on U.S. elections

VERSUS

"Well, it's not that we know that there's a specific threat. ... We don't have any specific information." -- Townsend, 11/20/07

Quotes of the Day

Nothing this week

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Editor's Note: The Senate is in pro forma sessions until Monday, December 3. The House is in recess until Tuesday, December 4.

Recent Senate Votes

Improving Head Start Act - Vote Agreed to (95-0, 5 Not Voting)

The Senate unanimously passed this bill boosting funding for the Head Start program.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted YES
Sen. Jim Bunning voted YES

Motion to Invoke Cloture: Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act, FY2008 - Vote Rejected (53-45, 2 Not Voting)

Before embarking on its Thanksgiving recess, the Senate failed to invoke cloture on this bill that would provide $50 billion of funding for the War in Iraq while setting a troop withdrawal plan.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted NO
Sen. Jim Bunning voted NO

Recent House Votes

Improving Head Start Act - Vote Passed (381-36, 15 Not Voting)

This House bill boosts funding for the Head Start program.

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

Conference Report on Transportation/HUD Appropriations, FY2008 - Vote Passed (270-147, 15 Not Voting)

On Wednesday the House passed this $51.2 billion bill to fund the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development for the 2008 fiscal year.

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act, FY2008 - Vote Passed (218-203, 1 Present, 11 Not Voting)

The House approved legislation to grant the Department of Defense four months’ worth of emergency funding for the War in Iraq, under the condition that troop redeployment begins 30 days following the bill’s enactment.

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act - Vote Passed (291-127, 14 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill that would reform consumer mortgage practices.

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

Responsible Electronic Surveillance That is Overseen, Reviewed, and Effective (RESTORE) Act - Vote Passed (227-189, 16 Not Voting)

This House bill would update the intelligence surveillance bill passed earlier this year.

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

Overriding the Veto of the Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations Act, FY2008 - Vote Failed (277-141, 15 Not Voting)

The House failed to override the veto of this $150.7 billion bill that would fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education.

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

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HUMOR

Note: With the late-night shows on hiatus due to the writers' strike, there is nothing this week.

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MEDIA -- O'REILLY RUNS AD FOR 'VILE' MOVIE THAT HE CLAIMS HELPS 'THE TERRORISTS': For two months, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly has criticized Brian De Palma's controversial new film, Redacted, which was financed by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. The film centers around a fictionalized portrayal of "the true story of a group of U.S. soldiers who raped and killed a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and murdered members of her family." O'Reilly kicked off his campaign against the film with a column in September, saying the filmmakers "should be ashamed" because "they are hurting their own country." He sharpened his attacks last week, calling for a boycott of the "vile," "anti-American" film during multiple segments on his show. In a second column, O'Reilly compared Cuban and DePalma to Charles Manson. Cuban responded to O'Reilly's criticism by claiming that the Fox News star is mischaracterizing the film and attacking it without having seen it. Last week, Cuban bought ad time for the film during The O'Reilly Factor. The ad ran during the Nov. 15 edition of the show. Cuban says the point of the ad buy was to see if the issue "really was important to Mr. O'Reilly, or whether" he "would say whatever he needed to say to get more people to watch." Cuban said he had no problem whatsoever obtaining the time. Watch a compilation of O'Reilly's attacks on Cuban and the ad he aired.

ETHICS -- NOVAK ATTACKS BUFFET AS A 'HYPOCRITE' WITH 'PHONY MESSAGE': Last week, billionaire investor Warren Buffett urged Congress "to maintain the estate tax, saying that plans to repeal the tax would benefit a handful of the richest American families and widen income disparity in the United States." Fewer than one percent of the nation's super-rich pay the estate tax. "For this year, individual estates valued at more than $2 million are taxed at a top rate of 45 percent." In the last 20 years, tax laws have allowed the "superrich" to become richer, according to Buffet. Buffet -- who pays the estate tax -- argued, "A progressive and meaningful estate tax is needed to curb the movement of a democracy toward plutocracy." This weekend on Bloomberg Television, right-wing pundit Bob Novak fumed over Buffett's altruistic testimony, attacking him as a hypocrite who "should be ashamed of himself for putting out that phony message." Bloomberg's Al Hunt responded, "Bob, there's only two differences between you and Warren Buffett: $40 billion and a conscience."

NEED COMPUTER ASSISTANCE??

Democrat Activist Mike Bailey is now providing “Professional Computer Support.” He can be contacted at 502-558-4026, or mikebailey2000@usa.net.

Think Fast

"Senate Democrats appear ready to omit Iraq withdrawal timelines from a supplemental spending bill in hopes of clearing in December funds for the troops -- but House leaders have no intentions of following suit." Two powerful voices in the Senate -- Carl Levin (D-MI) and Daniel Inouye (D-HI) -- both suggested Democrats would strip withdrawal language in December.

Speaking to the National Bank of Kuwait yesterday, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said that "Iran is far from acquiring a nuclear weapon" and that he believes it is "unlikely" that the United States will strike the Islamic Republic militarily.

"The number of economists forecasting the U.S. will slip into recession almost doubled over the last two months, according to a survey by the National Association for Business Economics."

The U.S. dollar has fallen to historic lows against both the euro and the yen as worries about the strength of the U.S. economy continue. The drop has been precipitated by the U.S. credit crisis, which has caused foreign investors to "pull some of their investments out of U.S. markets and put them in other countries."

"US contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan more than doubled from 2004 to 2006 to over 25 billion dollars but government oversight of the firms involved has slackened," reports the Center for Public Integrity. Former Halliburton subsidiary KBR topped the list with more than $16 billion in U.S. contracts.

"Apparel retailer Gap is canceling half of its orders with a vendor in India and promises to donate $200,000 to improve working conditions there. The move comes after revelations that some of its clothes were made by children as young as 10."

"Robert Novak is a prince, all right, and every member of royalty needs a chariot befitting his title. That must be why the right-leaning columnist and author of 'Prince of Darkness' was spotted pulling up to the Capitol on Friday in his sleek (and slightly menacing-looking) black Corvette convertible."

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INTERESTING

Wounded soldiers asked to return signing bonuses

When Jordan Fox was serving in Iraq, his mother helped organize Operation Pittsburgh Pride, which sends thousands of care packages to U.S. troops from his hometown, which prompted a personal “thank you” from the White House. When Fox was seriously injured in Iraq, the president sent what appeared to be personal note, expressing his concerns to the Fox family.

But more recently, Fox received a different piece of correspondence from the Bush administration.

The U.S. Military is demanding that thousands of wounded service personnel give back signing bonuses because they are unable to serve out their commitments.

To get people to sign up, the military gives enlistment bonuses up to $30,000 in some cases.

Now men and women who have lost arms, legs, eyesight, hearing and can no longer serve are being ordered to pay some of that money back.

I watched the report from the CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh, and I kept thinking, “This can’t be right.” Apparently, it is.

In Jordan Fox’s case, he was seriously injured when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle, causing back injuries and blindness in his right eye. He was sent home, unable to complete the final three months of his military commitment.

Last week, the Pentagon sent him a bill: Fox owed the government nearly $3,000 of his signing bonus.

“I tried to do my best and serve my country. I was unfortunately hurt in the process. Now they’re telling me they want their money back,” Fox said.

Look, if a soldier signed a contract, collected a signing bonus, and then quit, I can understand the military asking for the signing bonus back.

But we’re talking about troops who volunteered, served, and were seriously injured. It’s not their fault they got hurt. How on earth is the Pentagon justified in asking for a refund?

In Jordan Fox’s case, he doesn’t have $3,000 lying around to give the government, and his injuries are such that he had to give up on his goal of becoming a police officer.

For what it’s worth, Fox’s congressman, Democrat Jason Altmire, has introduced a bill to prohibit the Bush administration from asking the troops for refunds.

Mr. Altmire, D-McCandless, held a news conference yesterday at the Ross municipal building with Spc. Kaminski and other veterans to tout legislation he has authored to aid wounded soldiers.

At the forefront was a bill introduced last week and sent to committee that targets a Defense Department policy preventing eligible soldiers from receiving their full bonuses if discharged early because of combat-related injuries.

“Hard as it may be to believe, the Department of Defense has been denying injured servicemen and women the bonuses that they qualified for,” Mr. Altmire said.

He said he drafted the legislation after hearing “outrageous” examples of bonuses being denied…. Mr. Altmire’s legislation, the Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act, would require the Defense Department to pay bonuses in full within 30 days to veterans discharged because of combat-related wounds.

Seems like a no-brainer. Source

Kentucky Court of Justice warning citizens about potential jury-duty scam for identity theft

FRANKFORT, Ky., Nov. 15, 2007 -- The Kentucky Court of Justice is asking citizens to be on alert about a jury-duty scam intended to result in identity theft of its targets.

A scammer posing as a state or federal court official has been calling individuals to tell them that a warrant is out for their arrest because they failed to report for jury duty. When a citizen says that he or she did not receive a jury-duty notice, the scammer asks for a Social Security number and date of birth to verify the citizen’s claim so they may cancel the warrant. The scammer may also ask for a credit card number after offering to clear up the problem by charging a fine to the card.

“If you get a call from someone with this story or one like it, you should immediately end the call without providing any personal information,” said Cindra Walker, general counsel for the Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort . “ Kentucky court officials send jury summons information by U.S. mail and will not ask for your confidential information by phone. We encourage people to never provide their Social Security number, date of birth or other personal information to anyone over the phone. These scammers are using the an alleged connection to the court system to scare people into providing their private information, which they can then use to access bank accounts, apply for credit cards and cause other damage.”

This jury-duty scam isn’t new, but there has apparently been a resurgence of it as of late. Officials in several states have recently issued public warnings through the media about the scam after receiving reports that citizens in their area have gotten calls. At least a dozen states have reported instances of the scam in the past few years, according to the FBI.

Most, and often all, communication between state courts and prospective jurors is conducted through the U.S. mail. If there is phone contact, legitimate court officials will not ask for Social Security numbers, credit card numbers or other sensitive information.

Citizens should contact their local law enforcement agency if they receive a phone call they believe could be related to this scam. For information about a jury duty summons, citizens should contact the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in the county in which they reside. Contact information can be found on the Kentucky Court of Justice Web site at www.courts.ky.gov under Counties on the left-hand menu.

The Administrative Office of the Courts supports the activities of more than 3,500 Kentucky Court of Justice employees, including the elected offices of justices, judges and circuit court clerks, and executes the Judicial Branch budget

"Rep. Dennis Horlander (left) and Sen. Perry Clark (right), paid a recent visit to the Shively Pinochle Club, where they presented members with a cake and a personal donation to help the group purchase new card tables. Pictured at center is John Crawford, Horlander's LD chair, who acted as a liaison between the club and the lawmakers and helped to secure the money to replace the group's wobbly old tables. City Hall says the new tables are already in place, and that players are thrilled."

Toxic Toothpaste, Toys…And Now Medication?, by Tula Connell

Tip o’ the hat to the Alliance for Retired Americans for the following.

Last week, Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) sent a letter to the CEOs of the 10 largest pharmaceutical firms, requesting information on the extent to which those firms are outsourcing drug manufacturing to suppliers in foreign nations, as well as the level of safety oversight over that production.

The pharmaceutical industry has opposed bipartisan drug-importation legislation by claiming that consumers would be placed at risk by such imports, despite the abundant evidence to the contrary.

Yet, according to a report in The Washington Post, more than 40 percent of the active ingredients in pharmaceutical products sold in the United States now originate in China and India—countries with inadequate regulatory agencies to ensure these ingredients are of high quality and produced under the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practice requirements.

The lawmakers sent the letter after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported recently that only 7 percent of foreign plants are inspected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) annually.

The GAO also determined that the FDA does not know how many foreign facilities are actually making products for the U.S. market. The two senators asked for information, including which countries produce the companies’ drugs or ingredients for use in this nation and the most recent date on which each of the facilities in those countries was inspected.

International Day of Action Shines Light on Abuses by Big-Box Retailers, by James Parks

Everywhere you look these days a new supermarket or big-box retailer is putting up a huge building and promising to create jobs. But the reality is that big-box stores such as Wal-Mart do more harm than good.

Hundreds of thousands of union, human rights and community activists on Nov. 17 will protest abuses by big-box retailers. The International Day of Action Against Supermarkets and Big-Box Retailers is being sponsored by a global coalition of groups, including United Students Against Sweatshops and the workers’ rights group, STITCH.

Across the globe, people will demand that large corporations respect human rights, workers’ rights, communities and the environment and that governments introduce new rules to curb supermarket power. Click here to learn more about the Day of Action.

There are many reasons to protest the growth of big-box retailers and supercenters such as Wal-Mart. Recent reports show big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Tesco and others transform family-supporting, middle-class retail jobs into lower-paying jobs that often leave workers unable to pay bills.

The difference in overall compensation, including wages and benefits, can be ”as much as $8 an hour,” according to an October 2003 report prepared for the city of Los Angeles.

In fact, for every $1 wage cut, the local economy loses a total $2.08 as less money circulates through the local economy.

Another report shows Wal-Mart stores contribute to higher local poverty rates by driving independent retailers out of business and lowering wages for workers.

We’ve noted that the sourcing policies of companies like Wal-Mart bear a lot of the responsibility for the problems in China’s toy factories.

At Labor Is Not a Commodity, Tim Newman of the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) writes that retailers such as Wal-Mart put so much pressure on suppliers to produce cheap goods that health, environmental and labor protections get brushed aside.

Wal-Mart is the nation’s top importer of Chinese-made products. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) reports the giant retailer’s reliance on cheap goods made in China has cost this country nearly 200,000 jobs since 2001.

The U.S. trade deficit with China reached a whopping $233 billion last year, and imports for Wal-Mart alone accounted for $27 billion—11 percent of the growth in the U.S. trade deficit with China since 2001.

In several cities in California, workers will hand out handbills showing the link between Wal-Mart and the recently recalled toys from China. Click here to find out about activities in your community for the Day of Action.

In Atlanta, Memphis, Tenn., and Seattle, hundreds of activists will deliver letters to Wal-Mart stores also demanding justice for workers at the TOS Dominicana factory in the Dominican Republic. Wal-Mart is the largest customer for the factory, which is owned by Hanes Brands Inc..

The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) reports that workers in the factory have been verbally harassed, forced to work overtime (often without pay) and denied the freedom to form a union. Click here to read the full WRC report.

Is Thomas Really ‘Toxic’ the Tank Engine?. by Mike Hall

Leeann Anderson says she never thought her five-year-old son Evan’s favorite, hardly-ever-out-of-reach Thomas the Tank Engine might some day poison him. That was before more than 1.5 million of the toys were recalled this summer because they were coated with lead paint.

It made me sick to my stomach to think that from the time he was a year-and-a-half, he had his Thomas the Tank Engine in his mouth and could have lead in his system.

Anderson, a member of the United Steelworkers (USW) Women of Steel, packed away Thomas the Tank Engine but decided she needed to do more than shove the problem aside. That’s why she and hundreds of other USW activists are taking part in the Protect Our Kids: Stop Toxic Imports.

That safe toy initiative not only provides parents with the tools and information to test their kid’s toys for lead but also mobilizes concerned moms and dads to join the fight against the failed trade policies and inadequate regulatory protections that allow dangerous products to threaten families and jobs.

With the holiday season upon us and recent headlines about the tens of millions of imported toxic toys, toy safety is a major worry for parents. Says USW President Leo Gerard:

Until our failed trade policies are remedied, our families are going to remain endangered. How many more toxic toys are going to end up on our store shelves and in the hands of kids before our government stops protecting big business and does something about this crisis.

That’s why parents like Anderson are taking matters into their own hands. She hosted one of the campaign’s first “Safe Home Sessions” last month. There have been several since and about 20 more are set for around the country later this month.

Ten Women of Steel members and other neighbors brought along dozens of suspect of toys. Armed with lead-testing kits supplied by the Stop Toxic Imports campaign, they began the testing, including Evan’s Thomas the Tank Engine. Anderson and her husband had hoped the toy was lead-free and had been made before the recalled products were manufactured. It wasn’t.

I had to look twice. I felt a feeling of disbelief and guilt as a parent. These things shouldn’t be in your home.

But the guilt shouldn’t fall on parents who have no way of knowing if the toys and clothes they buy from reputable retailers and made by companies with familiar names—have been manufactured in toxic conditions in foreign countries, then allowed to be sold in the United States. Anderson says if the nation’s trade policies were working and regulatory agencies were doing their jobs:

There’s no reason on God’s green earth this stuff should be in anybody’s home.

After the Safe Home Sessions, participants are encouraged to go into the community and have toys at day care centers, kindergartens and other places tested and properly disposed of if contaminated.

In an odd twist of fate, the Anderson’s adopted daughter, Maia, was born in China, where lead contamination is high, and as part of the adoption process had to undergo tests for lead levels in her system. Now Anderson and her husband, are awaiting results from tests this week that will show if Evan has elevated lead in his system.

VIDEOS

Nothing this week

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Publication of
Louisville/Jefferson County Democratic Party
Tim Longmeyer, Chairman
Ray Crider, Editor
640 Barret Ave
Louisville, Ky 40202
502-582-1999

Paid for by the
Louisville/Jefferson Co Democratic Party
Charlie Horton, Treasurer
Produced & Printed In-House

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