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LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY
DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER
Week of November 28, 2008
The link to this electronic newsletter is being e-mailed to 7,500+
Jefferson County Democrats
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CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT LIST OF EVENTS
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 .
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But as quickly as we plug one leak, another springs forth.
Congress is seeking to avoid deflation by pumping up public confidence and economic demand to encourage consumers who have lost faith and are operating on a psychology of fear. Most immediately and importantly, the credit crunch and consumer withdrawal is affecting the automotive industry. Millions of jobs and thousand of related suppliers are at stake if the auto industry fails, or if Congress fails to act. If this iconic sector collapses it's likely the American people will feel even greater economic pain over a more protracted period of time than is currently anticipated.
The truth is $25 billion may not be enough to save the auto industry. Worse, other troubled economic institutions may soon surface needing help. At some point Congress is going to run out of enough fingers, toes and elbows to plug the holes in our economic dike.
President Barack Obama will soon have to make a judgment to reform the nation's "wall" if he is, as he so often says, to build a more perfect union. The wall I refer to is the U. S. Constitution.
Candidate Obama said he can't bring the change we need on his own. He needs the American people to stay actively involved. At noon on January 20, he will say the following, "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." If Barack Obama is going to be a truly transformative President I suggest he also can't bring the change we need, and he wants, with the Constitution as it is.
The Constitution is the wall that surrounds everything within it. The current wall consists of material from two central sources: a supreme law and the free enterprise system. The Constitution gives direction and authority to Congress, the president, federal agencies and to the states (under the Tenth Amendment). It is this sacred document that also grants the free market, our laissez-faire capitalist system, the legal authority to operate.
The First Amendment illustrates the interaction between these two wall-building materials -- the public and the private sides. That familiar amendment states that Congress shall make no law prohibiting or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press. That's it! The Constitution doesn't say USA Today, New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Defender, AM, FM, Satellite Radio, Newsweek, Time, Channels 2, 5, 7, or 9, PBS or CNN. Nor does it state cell phones, i-phones, the internet, and on-and-on. So, while it's impossible to truly determine the economic impact of the First Amendment, the Constitution clearly has a major impact to our nation's economic vitality.
Because our current economic crisis is forcing us to think outside the box, one topic worthy of renewed discussion is health care. What if the Constitution said: "All citizens shall enjoy the right to health care of equal high quality and the Congress shall have the power to implement this article by appropriate legislation?"
Beyond the obvious benefits of greater and better health care itself, imagine the economic consequences: thousands of doctors and nurses being trained; new medical colleges established and older ones expanded; increased medical research; a massive preventive health care industry springing up; new hospitals in needy urban and rural areas with the private sector, federal, state, county and local governments all working cooperatively under the authority granted by the Constitution and Congress.
The absence of this human right as a health care constitutional amendment has major economic consequences as well. Preventive medicine is almost entirely missing from our current health care system, which costs taxpayers billions.
Of course, even without an amendment, Congress can pass legislation granting universal and comprehensive health care to all Americans. That's possible and candidate Barack Obama promised to do so in his first term in office. However, while high quality health care for all Americans can be established without a constitutional amendment, it can't be sustained without such an amendment. Future presidents and Congresses are under no legal obligation to continue past legislative programs. For the new wall of health care to be built and sustained for as long as the nation exists it must have a constitutional foundation!
How can we afford such a system? Without a constitutional right to health care we already spend nearly twice as much as any other developed nation in the world -- about $2.5 trillion or 16% of our GDP -- yet nearly fifty million Americans are without health insurance and often receive their care in the most expensive manner possible, in the local hospital emergency room.
With a health care constitutional amendment, instead of plugging a hole in the dike, we would be building a wall with a strong and solid foundation. Instead of spending money on more band-aids, a revised Constitution would give direction to a unique American purpose and, over time, solve an historic problem. And with American innovation we could put millions of Americans to work expanding a more balanced economic system on the solid foundation of health care for all. Health care would be a human right protected by the American people in our Constitution.
Congressman Jackson is a seven term Member of Congress serving on the Labor Health and Human Services Appropriations subcommittee. He is the co-author with Frank Watkins of A More Perfect Union, Advancing New American Rights.
Corporate Class War: Pit Worker Against Worker by Tula Connell
Q. Why is handing out hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer funds OK if the recipients are Wall Street corporations but not OK if they are Midwest automakers?
A. Automakers are unionized.
As discussion about the Detroit auto industry’s requests for a bridge loan roils throughout the media, a strikingly class-based argument has emerged by Republican ideologists, Big Business apologists and others who oppose saving America’s automakers.
Here’s The Jed Report’s take on one such example, that of Republican Rep. Zack Wamp, who seems to have forgotten that his own health care, retirement benefits and other “legacy” perks are paid for by U.S. taxpayers.
GOP Congressman Zach Wamp (a likely candidate for governor in Tennessee) explains the Republican economic philosophy to Chris Matthews:
1. Low wages are a good thing.
2. The less health care the better.
3. It’s time to let people learn their lessons the hard way.
Wamp didn’t mention one thing: Even though he opposes bridge loans to the blue-collar auto industry, he supported the $700 billion bailout for the white-collar financial industry.
Wamp told Matthews:
Volkswagen just invested in Tennessee, in a right-to-work state, at a low-cost, with less health care. Why should we prop others up, when other companies can compete in this marketplace?…It’s time to let these people learn the lesson the hard way.
“These people,” whom the bridge loan would enable to continue at their jobs, are hard workers who have helped make the United States strong, whose wages and benefits helped form the core of the nation’s vital middle class.
Some pundits are pitting the North against the South in an attempt to stir up animosity between those in right-to-work-for-less states whose auto jobs do not offer health coverage or retirement security and the UAW members whose hard-fought contracts helped create the middle class.
And then there’s Brian Williams over at “NBC Nightly News,” who yesterday waxed eloquent about the efficiency of foreign automakers in the South who “don’t have to pay” health care or retirement for their workers, and therefore are much more competitive than the Big Three.
It’s in the interest of corporate giants like GE-owned NBC to support 21st century peonage by hailing conglomerations that provide bare-bones wages with no health care, retirement or other basics. It’s also in their interest to pit worker against worker, region against region, in their quest for ever-more compliant and low-paid employees.
It’s in the corporate interest to wage class war by setting members of the working and middle class against each other.
We must not let them get away with it.
Statement of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies:
Tickets to the 56th Inaugural Ceremonies will be provided free of charge and distributed through Members of the 111th Congress. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies does not provide tickets to the public. Members of the public interested in attending the Inaugural Ceremonies should contact their Member of Congress or U.S. Senators to request tickets.
Senator Mitch McConnell
502-582-6304
Senator Jim Bunning
502-582.5341
Congressman John Yarmuth
502-582-5129
The public should also be aware that no website or other ticket outlet actually has inaugural swearing-in tickets to sell, regardless of what they may claim. Tickets will not be distributed to Congressional offices until the week before the inauguration and will require in-person pick-up.
"Any website or ticket broker claiming that they have inaugural tickets is simply not telling the truth," said Howard Gantman, Staff Director for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. "Tickets for the swearing-in of President-elect are all provided through members of Congress, and the President-elect and Vice President-elect through the Presidential Inaugural Committee. We urge the public to view any offers of tickets for sale with great skepticism."
SPREAD THE WEALTH, REBUILD AMERICA, Posted by Jim Hightower
When Barack Obama said, "I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody," John McCain and his right-wing chorus blew a gasket and threw a hissy fit. He's a socialist, a Marxist, a "redistributionist" they screeched!
Obviously, they were more upset than the electorate was. Indeed, I think your average working stiffs perked up, high-fived one another, and said, "Oh, yeah – it's time to spread the wealth." After all, for the past three decades, Washington has been busily redistributing our wealth upward to the richest one percent of Americans.
Using everything from tax giveaways to trade scams, they've shoved practically all of the economic gains that everyone helped produce up to those at the top. Now, the top-heavy "tinkle-down" economy they created is crashing, bringing down the housing market, Wall Street banks, and a host of industries.
Of course, Washington reacted by rushing to bailout the bankers and the speculators who caused the crash. That hasn't seemed to benefit anyone but – surprise! – the elites. So, yeah, let's spread the wealth into the grassroots economy, so ordinary workaday folks can lift our country up.
One way to do this is with a massive, nationwide "Rebuild America" program, similar to what Obama has proposed, only bigger and bolder. Let's enlist millions of Americans to repair our deteriorating roads, bridges, schools, parks, etc. – while also developing conservation programs, solar and wind power, plug-in hybrid cars, high-speed trains, and other essentials for a new green economy.
Yes, this will be costly, but – unlike the gabillion dollar giveaway to Wall Street hucksters – this is a sensible investment that'll produce tangible results for every American and restore our nation's economic strength. Think about it: Money is like manure – it only works if you spread it around.
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I want to again thank everyone for their hard work and support of the Kentucky Democratic Party over the past twelve months.
Even though we do not have statewide elections in 2009, this is the time to build our party for the 2010 races. With that in mind, we would appreciate it if you would consider our Pledge to Win program to show your continued support.
Pledge to Win is our monthly giving program; your pledge can be conveniently deducted from your checking or credit card account each month at amounts that are comfortable for you.
You can sign up to contribute $5, $10, $25, or more each month. Small monthly contributions to the Kentucky Democratic Party can make a huge difference for the entire Democratic Party. By joining Pledge to Win, you will help us continue to build on the accomplishments of 2008 and begin preparing for the next elections in 2010.
The first 100 individuals that sign up for Pledge to Win by December 1, 2008 will be honored by having their names placed on a plaque, which will be permanently displayed at headquarters. Several individuals have already signed up this year and by doing so they reserved their spot on the plaque. I would really appreciate your support in this program so that it can become just as successful as our other programs from this year, as well as giving us a head start on the Party's future.
The first 100 slots are filling up fast, so please take part in this important program by signing up today.
Sincerely,
Jennifer A. Moore |
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Activists, or those who want to get active, can contact Kathryn Hargraves if they want to participate in a letter-writing group for our new president. The address is KMHDem@insightbb.com.
President-Elect Obama has asked for our support in bringing change to
America. One way we can support him is by writing letters to the editor.
We've already witnessed the pre-election whisper campaign, and the months to
come may well bring an escalation in the misinformation war.
If you would be interested in working together on supportive letters to the editor (the more of us writing letters, the more likely at least one of them will be published), please contact me at KMHDem@insightbb.com.
In the meantime, be sure to sign up for news about the transition at http://www.change.gov. I look forward to hearing from you!
Home Depot Founder: CEOs Who Don’t Fight Employee Choice ‘Should Be Shot’ by James Parks
In Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, columnist Thomas Frank showed just how far the corporate types will go to stop workers from having the freedom to make their own decision about joining a union and bargaining. Frank quotes Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus as saying CEOs who don’t contribute to Republicans fighting the Employee Free Choice Act “should be shot.”
During an Oct. 17 conference call about allowing workers to choose a union through majority sign-up, Frank reported Marcus as saying:
This is how a civilization disappears. I’m sitting here as an elder statesman, and I’m watching this happen, and I don’t believe it.
If a retailer has not gotten involved with this, if he has not spent money on this election, if he has not sent money to [Minnesota Sen.] Norm Coleman and these other guys [who oppose the Employee Free Choice Act], [they] should be shot; should be thrown out of their goddamn jobs.
By restoring workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain for better wages and benefits, the Employee Free Choice Act will level the playing field that today leaves all the power in the hands of corporations, not workers. Big Business and the front groups set up by corporations are preparing an all-out, $200 million propaganda and lobbying war to block it.
Marcus, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Big Business are out of joint because working families won a strong victory on Nov. 4, electing Barack Obama president and picking a stronger pro-worker majority in Congress. However, winning an election isn’t the end of the fight. Now, our elected leaders need to tackle the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. A big part of economic recovery must be to ensure broadly shared prosperity and to rebuild America’s middle class by enacting the Employee Free Choice Act.
The issue is power, plain and simple, Frank wrote, citing employers’ routine use of forced attendance meetings with workers in preparation for elections, threats to shut down if workers win their union, rewarding anti-union employees and firing union supporters.
(Majority sign-up) is about power. Management has it, workers don’t, and business doesn’t want that to change. Consider the remarks made by Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott at an analyst meeting on Oct. 28, when he was asked about the possible coming of card check:
We like driving the car and we’re not going to give the steering wheel to anybody but us.
Writing on Open Left, Michael Whitney lays out the real deal:
The anti-Free Choice groups say they’re “fighting for worker freedom,” and that they have the interests of America’s working families at heart. But their true intentions are now quite clear.
CEO-types like Home Depot’s Bernie Marcus and Wal-Mart’s Lee Scott have their hands on the steering well, and anyone who fails to heed their battle cry to block attempts by workers to take control of the wheel “should be shot.” It’s too bad that for the last several decades, this cavalier attitude has led these greedy CEOs to drive the car off the economic cliff.
Comments:
DAILY GRILL
"I never felt that Barack Obama was 'unready.'" -- Sen. Joe Lieberman
(I-CT),
11/23/08
VERSUS
"Is...Barack Obama ready to lead? My answer is no." -- Lieberman,
8/3/08
Quotes of the Day
Recent Senate Votes
The Senate is in recess but will hold a number of pro forma sessions through the rest of this year.
Recent House Votes
The House is in recess, subject to the call of the chair.
HUMOR
"I guess
Sarah Palin is back in Alaska, where she
pardoned some turkeys for Thanksgiving. So she pardons them and then
right behind her, someone kills some turkeys, and it was gruesome. I
honestly haven't seen a slaughter like that since November 4." --David
Letterman
"I heard today that the federal government was raising, like, $40 billion to
bail out Citigroup. Honestly, when you think about it, who doesn't really
feel sorry for credit card companies?" --David Letterman
"NASA has developed a urine machine that will convert urine into water.
Well, guess what? It's on the blink. And you thought the coffee was bad
where you work." --David Letterman
"And down in Washington, D.C., the Capitol Hill Christmas tree arrived. And
there is no surprise here. You know, they've got to decorate the tree. So
the contract to decorate the tree, a $10 billion ornament contract, went to
Halliburton." --David Letterman
"Hillary Clinton is going to be secretary of State in the Obama
Administration. Well, political insiders are now saying that Barack and
Hillary actually have a good working relationship, but they don't have a
close personal relationship. No, wait a minute, that's Hill and Bill."
--David Letterman
"In political news, it looks like
Hillary Clinton accepted
Barack
Obama's offer to be secretary of state. Very exciting. She accepted
after Barack Obama's vetting process could not find any link between her and
Bill Clinton." --Jay Leno
"Another good day for the stock market. Up almost 400 points today. Yeah,
listen to this. If this keeps up every day for the next three years, we'll
almost be even again." --Jay Leno
"It looks like the government is going to bail out CitiGroup, yet they don't
want to bail out the auto companies. See, I don't think this is fair. I
mean, blue collar guys who make our cars, they don't get the bailout. But
the white collar guys on Wall Street, they get the bailout. You know what I
think we should do? I think they should work together. I think the guys in
Detroit should keep making the cars, and the guys on Wall Street should be
making the license plates. See what I'm saying?" --Jay Leno
"And the car companies don't like the word 'bailout.' They prefer to call it
a '24-hour bail-a-thon! Come on down! Everything must go!'" --Jay Leno
"Hey, do you believe how much the price of gas has dropped? It's
unbelievable. Given today how far it's gone down, I saw somebody driving a
Prius today without a smug look on their face." --Jay Leno
"General Motors announced that they are ending their endorsement deal with
Tiger Woods. When asked why, a spokesperson for General Motors said, 'Tiger
Woods is successful, competitive, and popular. And that's just not us.'"
--Conan O'Brien
"President-elect Barack Obama gave a press conference today. He says he is
united with
President Bush's administration on doing everything they can to fix the
economy. When asked about it, President Bush replied, 'Uh, what he said,'
and then went back to packing." --Conan O'Brien
"Now, during the press conference, Obama told reporters that the economy is
likely to get worse. After hearing this,
John McCain said, 'That's funny. He didn't mention that during the
campaign.'" --Conan O'Brien
"Astronauts on board the International Space Station are trying to fix the
machine that turns urine into drinking water. Well, actually, the urine
converter was fixed days ago, but the astronauts keep saying, 'You try it.
No, you try it.'" --Conan O'Brien
"Today Barack Obama announced his economic team. President Bush is working
closely with them. Obama said his team has many obstacles to overcome, the
biggest one being maybe that President Bush is working closely with them."
--Craig Ferguson
"Joe
Biden's replacement in the Senate has been picked. I don't know who it
is yet, but that's a hell of a job. That’s a very big mouth to fill."
--Craig Ferguson
"The astronauts were very busy up in the space station today, installing a
machine that converts their urine into drinking water. I'm thinking,
astronauts drinking their urine? America’s astronauts. Is the economy that
bad? Remind me to never go to Buzz Aldrin's house for drinks again." --Craig
Ferguson
David Letterman's Top 10 Sarah Palin Excuses For the Turkey Slaughter
10. I can see Russia, but I can't see what's going on 5 feet behind me
9. Not thinking straight after spending all night reading every newspaper
and magazine
8. Damn "gotcha" media got me again!
7. My Remington shotgun says I don't need an excuse
6. Those were Al Qaeda turkeys 5. I thought they were just toruting the
little guy
4. I mean, doggonit, you know, like we have to lower taxes, and like, it all
falls under job security, and we need to drill, you know?
3. Uh, stomach flu?
2. I'll get right back to ya! I'm still adorable, America
1. Don't blame me! Blame Joe the Turkey Slaughterer
ETHICS -- REP. ACKERMAN: AUTO EXECS' PRIVATE
JET TRAVEL IS LIKE SOMEONE 'AT THE SOUP KITCHEN IN HIGH HAT AND TUXEDO':
Yesterday, the CEOs of the Detroit Big Three
returned to Capitol Hill to continue asking for
$25 billion in loans. Testifying before the House Financial Services
Committee, General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner insisted, "We're all slashing
back" on non-essential expenses, promising, "We're going to be
dramatically leaner." The other executives echoed Wagoner's pledge.
However, as ABC news reported, all three executives
flew private jets to Washington, D.C., for the hearings. Wagoner's trip
"cost his ailing company an
estimated $20,000." Minutes after Wagoner claimed to be
"slashing back" on expenses, Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) said, "There's a
delicious irony of seeing private luxury jets flying into D.C., and
people coming off of them with tin cups in their hands.
It's almost like seeing a guy show up at
the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo." Later in the hearing,
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) asked if any of the executives planned to sell
their private jets;
none raised his hand.
ECONOMY -- HOME DEPOT FOUNDER: RETAILERS WHO ARE NOT FIGHTING THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT 'SHOULD BE SHOT': In the Wall Street Journal yesterday, Thomas Frank wrote that in light of the new progressive mandate "it is likely that we really do want universal health care and some measure of wealth-spreading, and even would like to see it become easier to organize a union in the workplace." Making the case for the Employee Free Choice Act, Frank highlighted one of the more virulent reactions to the proposed legislation, which would enable workers to form a union by signing cards of consent. "This is the demise of a civilization," said Home Depot founder and former CEO Bernie Marcus in October. Marcus allegedly added that if "a retailer has not gotten involved with this, if he has not spent money on this election, if he has not sent money to Norm Coleman and these other guys," who oppose the Free Choice Act, then the retailers "should be shot; should be thrown out of their goddamn jobs." But easing the path toward unionization is hardly the end of civilization, unless Marcus deems increased wages along with better health and pension benefits for America's workers to be civilization's death knell.
ETHICS -- CONGRESS GIVES CONVICTED FELON
STEVENS STANDING OVATION: In
violation of the Senate's rule against "demonstrations of approval," the
Senate paid tribute to convicted felon Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) with a
60-second
standing ovation, followed by
hours of tribute speeches on the floor. In his last speech before the
chamber, Stevens -- who was voted out of office -- said that he looked
forward to "the day when I can remove the cloud that currently surrounds
me." There were few other mentions of Stevens' criminal convictions for
making false statements and failing to disclose $250,000 worth of free gifts
he received. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) praised his
"distinguished colleague," and said that public service has been Stevens'
"life calling." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who had
previously called for Stevens' resignation, touted Stevens' "extraordinary
accomplishments." Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) may have been the most effusive:
"I have found Ted Stevens to be
the most straightforward, honest senator that I have ever dealt with."
Bunning said Stevens had given him "the principles" by which he "and every
one of us here on the the Senate floor should demonstrate daily." Center for
American Progress Action Fund Senior Editor Matthew Yglesias called the
spectacle "shocking," and said it would "be nice to see one of these guys
show some concern for, say, a
non-violent drug offender sitting in jail somewhere."
ADMINISTRATION -- WOODWARD: BUSH 'DOESN'T
LIKE HOMEWORK' SUCH AS 'READING,' 'GETTING BRIEFED,' OR 'HAVING A DEBATE': On
the Chris Matthews Show yesterday, Matthews argued that one of the major
differences between President Bush and President-elect Barack Obama is the
fact that Obama is intellectually curious. Matthews played a 2004 clip of
Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward saying on CBS's 60 Minutes that Bush "is
not an intellectual" or what "would be called a deep thinker." After the
clip, Matthews asked Woodward to explain why Bush "shows little intellectual
curiosity," Woodward said it was essentially because Bush "doesn't
like homework," adding, "And homework means reading or getting briefed
or having a debate." Woodward, who has written
four books on the Bush White House, has reported multiple instances in
which Bush has put his distaste for homework on display. In 2004, Woodward
told PBS's Frontline that Bush describes himself as "a gut player" who
doesn't "play
by the book." In his most recent book, Woodward reported that Bush
actually bragged about not attending meetings where key decisions about the
surge were made, telling Woodward, "I'm
not in these meetings, you'll be happy to hear, because I got other
things to do." Woodward has said that in his opinion, Bush has "often
displayed impatience and a lack of interest in open debate."
CONGRESS -- BOEHNER DISMISSES EMPLOYEE
INTIMIDATION, CLAIMS UNIONIZATION ELECTIONS ALREADY ARE 'ALMOST...AUTOMATIC:
Yesterday on Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace echoed
right-wing talking points to ask Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) a loaded
question about the
Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). "Why is a secret ballot okay and
desirable for Congress, but you want to take it away for workers?" asked
Wallace. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) dismissed Hoyer's
explanation that EFCA is needed to help workers who face employer
intimidation form unions, claiming that "there's
almost an automatic election" if enough employees support unionization.
"It may get delayed but it's
pretty hard to stop an election," he said. Boehner is simply
wrong when he says elections are automatic. "Many
employers hire expensive lawyers and anti-union consultants to delay any
union election, sometimes for years," the California Labor Federation
explains. Ninety-two percent of employers whose workers try to organize
force workers to
attend anti-union meetings, and 25 percent of employers
actually
fire at least one worker for supporting the union, even though
it is against the law.
ECONOMY -- BAILED-OUT COMPANIES HAVE NO PLANS TO CANCEL PRICEY SPORTS SPONSORSHIPS: Despite receiving billions of dollars in taxpayer bailout money, AIG, Citibank, and other financial institutions "have no plans to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in sports team sponsorships," ABC News reported. Citigroup -- who on Sunday received a $20 billion bailout that Nobel-Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman called "an outrage" and "a lousy deal for the taxpayers" -- is continuing its 20-year contract to pay the New York Mets $400 million to name the team's new stadium "Citi Field." Similarly, AIG "is paying the British soccer team Manchester United $125 million for the privilege of having its logo appear on Man U's uniforms. That, despite the fact the firm is standing largely thanks to a $150 billion lifeline from the U.S. Treasury." Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense joked that Manchester United should put "U.S. Treasury" on the front of their uniforms instead. When asked about the sponsorships yesterday, White House spokesman Tony Fratto admitted he had not heard of the deals but said that "certainly marketing is important for any business." Meanwhile, yesterday, General Motors announced it was canceling its $8 million sponsorship deal with Tiger Woods
Think Fast
A Texas judge has set a Friday arraignment for Vice President Dick Cheney, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and others named in indictments accusing them of responsibility for prisoner abuse in a South Texas federal detention center. "Presiding Judge Manuel Banales said Wednesday he will allow them to waive arraignment or have their attorneys present rather than appear in person at the hearing."
In the past week, the Bush administration "has adopted several hot-button regulatory changes long sought by business groups." The changes include "new rules that open the way for commercial development of oil shale on federal land, allow truckers to drive for longer periods, and add certain restrictions on employee time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act."
Relations between Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Harry Reid (D-NV) are "in tatters," Roll call reports. Republicans say that the "sudden deterioration in relations...is a direct result of what they view as an overly aggressive Democratic effort to unseat McConnell." More »
Yesterday, the Hill asked Senate Democrats their thoughts on the outgoing Vice President Cheney. Sen. Carl Levin said that he is "colder, more aloof" than previous vice presidents. Sen. Harry Reid noted his disagreements with Cheney: "I'm trying to think of something I agree with; I haven't found it yet." Asked about his relationship with Cheney four years after the vice president infamously told him to "go f--k yourself," Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said, "I love him." He later clarified: "That's a joke."
President-elect Obama will reportedly nominate Hillary Clinton
as his secretary of state
after Thanksgiving and may
tap ret. Gen. Jim Jones as his National Security Adviser. Obama is
“getting foreign policy advice from an unlikely source:
Republican Brent Scowcroft, who was national security adviser in the
first Bush administration.”
This week, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) took part in the political tradition of pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey. Palin then gave a press conference at Triple D Farms in Wasilla. However, as she spoke, "just a few feet behind her, one of the men working on the farm proceeded to feed a turkey into a bucket. The man stops periodically to watch the state's governor speak, all the while the poor turkey jerks around as the machine does it's gruesome work." Watch it here.
Hailing President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet selections,
ABC's George Stephanopoulos added, "We have not seen this kind of
combination of
star power, brain power, and political muscle this early in a cabinet in
our lifetimes." NBC's Andrea Mitchell added that Obama's "all-star
cabinet" is comprised of the "smartest people he can find."
In an interview with a Japanese television network, President Bush said
he believes the Iraq war was a success and is "very
pleased" with what is happening there. "People have been able to take their
troops out of Iraq because
Iraq is becoming successful," he added.
A "little-noticed regulation change in March" narrowed the
military's definition of combat-related disabilities, "costing some
injured veterans
thousands of dollars in lost benefits." The Pentagon said the change
preserves the "special distinction for those who incur disabilities while
participating in the risk of combat"; the Disabled American Veterans called
the policy a "shocking level of disrespect for those who stood in harm's
way."
INTERESTING
Since Barack Obama’s election, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other pro-gun groups have been warning that the new president will take away their second amendment rights. This multi-million dollar campaign is already having effects. Not only is the NRA trying to profit off this fear-mongering by increasing its membership, many gun sellers are holding “Obama Sales.”
On Friday, ThinkProgress visited The Nation’s Gun Show in Chantilly, VA, where 1,000 vendors took over a building the size of two football fields. The NRA’s fear-mongering was all over the event. An ad in the Washington Post read, “GET YOUR GUNS WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!!” While we waited in a long line in the cold, visitors willing to begin or renew their NRA membership were able to get in free and skip the line.
We spoke with an NRA coordinator at the event who confirmed that the organization had seen a dramatic increase in membership after Obama’s election and noted that the turnout at this gun show was much higher than at one two months ago. When we asked whether Obama would revoke gun owners’ rights, she strayed from the official line and admitted that with important issues like the economy, he may not go after it right away.
One vendor with Liberty Firearms was wearing a button with Obama’s name crossed out and warned a couple, “Get ready for the Obamanation.” He told us that he was actually having trouble restocking and ordering new wares because suppliers were canceling orders and getting ready to dramatically increase prices to take advantage of the hype, as they did in 1994. The man selling the “NObama” shirts said that his business was also way up. “People are afraid,” he said.
Despite the NRA’s best efforts, many individual gun owners recognize the campaign as nothing but hype. ThinkProgress spoke with Gary Foster of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, who said that while he could not speak for his organization, his personal opinion was that many media stories about a rush on guns are overblown:
As FactCheck.org has explained, much of the NRA’s information is completely inaccurate: “Obama has spoken in favor of government registration of handguns, for example, but has not called for registration of all ‘firearms’ including hunting rifles and shotguns. [Many of NRA] TV spots and fliers also make claims that are directly contrary to what Obama actually says about guns.” Obama has also reassured voters that he has no intention or desire to take away their guns.
CNN Ordered to Rehire 110 Workers Fired for Belonging to a Union, by James Parks
This report likely won’t be on CNN’s “Headline News,” but after five years, former workers at CNN have finally gained justice. In a decision made public today, an administrative law judge ordered the network to rehire 110 workers who were fired because they were union members. CNN also was ordered to recognize the workers’ unions, National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA (NABET-CWA) locals 31 and 11.
Judge
Arthur Amchan found that CNN violated the rights of more than 250 employees
at the network’s bureaus in Washington, D.C., and New York City when it
ended its subcontract with Team Video Services (TVS), whose employees were
represented by NABET-CWA. He also ruled that CNN discriminated against TVS
employees who wanted to continue working at CNN’s bureaus to avoid having to
recognize and bargain with the union.
Ed McEwan, president of Local 11, said the decision
is a victory for workers, but one that took far too long to achieve because of our broken labor laws. Everyone in America should know that the network management we rely on to bring us the news are not above the illegal practices that they headline on a regular basis. From the very beginning we promised our members that “we will not forget.” We didn’t, and we’re keeping up the fight until fairness is fully won.
For more than 20 years, CNN subcontracted the technical work of broadcasting news and programming from its Washington, D.C., and New York bureaus to a series of subcontractors. The employees of these subcontractors, who were always represented by NABET-CWA, provided the video and sound for many of CNN’s most recognized programs, including “Larry King Live” and “Lou Dobbs Tonight.” But in 2003 and 2004, CNN terminated its deal with the last subcontractor, TVS, and announced that the network would hire its own employees to provide these services.
In his 169-page decision, Judge Amchan found that CNN and TVS were joint employers of the subcontractor’s employees and were obligated to recognize and bargain with NABET-CWA over the decision to terminate the subcontract, as well as the decision to hire new employees.
CNN’s new hiring scheme was a sham, Amchan ruled, one the network used to discriminate against TVS employees who belonged to NABET-CWA. He ordered the network to reinstate with full back pay more than 110 employees, to train those rehired, if necessary, and to recognize the unions in New York and Washington, D.C.
Local 31 President Carl Mayers says the workers deserve the credit for this victory:
It is a great victory for all union workers and would not have been possible without the hard work and courage of the members that were terminated by CNN as well as those that remained and never gave up hope.
Buy American Mention of the Week, By Roger Simmermaker
The present and potential future price of depending on foreign producers
With the still recent rise of gas prices to $4.00 per gallon forever ingrained (hopefully) into the memory of American consumers, many of us have realized the real danger of dependence on foreign oil. But this present day reality check shouldn’t stop there as it can be used to bring realizations of the dangers of foreign dependence in other areas of the economy as well.
In my opinion, we shouldn’t allow Detroit automakers to sink into oblivion, thereby transferring our hopeful newfound independence from foreign oil for a newfound dependence on foreign automakers, but that’s a subject for another article on another day. However some of my thoughts on this issue are evident in my recent interview on Fox Business Network on Wednesday, November 12, 2008. To view my interview with Alexis Glick and on the other side of the fence from John Tamny of RealClearMarkets.com, simply go to www.foxbusiness.com, click on the video/video archives tab, and do a search on “Simmermaker.” As Alexis Glick noted at the close of the interview, you’ll find it to be a “healthy and lively discussion.”
Dependence on foreign companies and products can not only cost us our independence as a nation in the long term, but it can also cost us our hard-earned dollars in the near term. It has recently become evident that millions of American consumers have been paying more than they should have for computers, TVs, cell phones among other electronic gadgets.
Japan-based Sharp Corp., South Korean-based LG Display Co, Ltd., and Taiwan-based Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. were recently found guilty of “conspiring to drive up the price of LCD panels” forcing consumers “to pay more for these products” according to the Justice Department. LG Display agreed to pay a $400 million fine, Sharp agree to fork over $120 million and Chunhwa consented to a $65 million fine for fixing prices to gain prominence in the $70 billion worldwide LCD screen market.
But how does buying American enter into the picture since most of the electronic devices that use LCD screens are made outside of the United States anyway? The answer is that we can still buy American by supporting U.S.-based companies even when their products are sourced from overseas.
Why does this matter? For one, American companies typically pay twice the amount in taxes to the U.S. Treasury than foreign-owned companies. So supporting American companies allows the U.S. Treasury to collect more tax revenue not by us paying higher taxes but accumulating more tax revenue from the money that we’re already spending anyway.
Of course the U.S. Treasury isn’t too popular these days in light of the recent financial crisis, but we have to keep in mind it is funds from this same treasury that are used to build highways, roads and bridges, fund American schools and libraries, keep our police and fire departments well equipped, and ensure that if you should ever need to dial 911, there’s a paid professional on the other end of the phone to assist you. And additional funding has been used to extend this service to calls placed from cell phones as well as land-based phones so people in emergency situations can have their location pinpointed.
But if we want to stay away from price-fixing foreign companies and patronize American companies when you’re looking for a new TV, for instance, how do you do that when no TVs are made in the USA? My advice would be to look into a Plasma HDTV or LCD HDTV from California-based Vizio, Inc.
Vizio TVs are’nt made in the USA, but no other company makes TVs here either. However, if you call their toll-free technical support number, you’ll reach either California or Texas instead of Calcutta or Taiwan. And the technical support is for free and for life.
Another reason to support Vizio instead of one of the many foreign-based competitors has to do with the independence issue I brought up at the beginning of this article. Independence equals control, and control equals independence. We simply cannot remain an independent nation by having our wants and needs supplied by foreign-based companies regardless of where their manufacturing takes place.
Foreign companies that build plants here can close them and move them just as quickly. And if we continue to send our money to companies like Sony and Samsung and the American-based competition doesn’t survive, foreign companies can fix prices to whatever level they want and the don’t have to collude to do it. Why? Because there isn’t any American competition left to offer any resistance and prevent such a scenario.
Back when Charley Reese conducted a book review of the first edition of How Americans Can Buy American in 1996, he said it’s easier to convince American companies to bring jobs back to America than it is to convince foreign companies to keep jobs here. He’s right. I continue to hold out hope that one day we as consumers will use our leverage through an emphasis on corporate responsibility to convince American companies to move more production back to the United States. One thing that’s for sure is we could never use such corporate responsibility leverage with foreign companies since they aren’t based here and owe no allegiance to the United States.
I can tell you that I do not own a Vizio TV. My old American-made General Electric 27 inch tube type TV is still doing just fine. But what I am suggesting is to do what I would do if I needed a new TV realizing they don’t make them in the U.S. anymore and compare their picture quality to other brands. I can also tell you that I have heard good comments about Vizio TVs from friends who have bought one, and apparently Vizio’s prices are very competitive and can even be cheaper than the foreign-based alternatives.
So if your in the market for a new TV and want to keep as much of your money in the U.S. as possible or if you’re just outraged over the latest foreign price-fixing scandal, you might check want to check out Vizio.
*************************************************************************
Roger Simmermaker is the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism and writes "Buy American Mention of the Week" articles for WorldNetDaily.com and his website www.howtobuyamerican.com. Roger is a member of the Machinists Union and National Writers Union, has been a frequent guest on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC, and has been quoted in the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Business Week among many other publications.
GOOD NEWS
"Amid another huge increase in U.S. jobless claims," the White House has changed its position and agreed to suppport an extension of unemployment benefits.
Despite his initial opposition, President Bush signed into law today a "bill that Congress approved to keep unemployment checks flowing to jobless Americans through the holiday season."
VIDEOS
If you have 8 1/2 minutes and are willing to spend them listening to a congressman from MI explain why the automobile industry should be bailed out (through a bridge loan), this guy makes a lot of sense.
Need to watch. Great info on the bridge loan.
Pass it on……
Steven
M Stone
UAW Building Chairperson
Local 862/LAP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7YBjjLKLd0
Top 10 Sarah Palin Excuses For Turkey Slaughter (VIDEO)
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