Posts in the category Workers' Rights

The Green Party and Community

User from Struthers, OH — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:04:52 EDT

The Green Party and Community

August 28, 2009

Social diversity is the well-spring of community life where old and young, rich and poor, and people of all races and beliefs can interact individually and learn to care for each other, and to understand and cooperate. We emphasize a return to local, face-to-face relationships that humans can understand and care about.
Among Greens, our guiding principle is to think globally and act locally. Community needs recognize a diversity of issues, and local control recognizes a variety of approaches to solving problems, ones that tend to be bottom-up not top-down. Green politics does not place its faith in paternalistic big government. Instead, Greens believe face-to-face interactions are essential to productive and meaningful lives for all citizens.
The Green vision includes building communities that nurture families, generate good jobs and housing, and provide public services; creating cities and towns that educate children, encourage recreation, and preserve natural and cultural resources; building local governments that protect people from environmental hazards and crime; and motivating citizens to participate in making decisions.
The Green vision calls for a global community of communities that recognize our immense diversity, respect our personal worth, and share a global perspective. We call for an approach to politics that acknowledges our endangered planet and habitat. Our politics responds to global crises with a new way of seeing our shared international security.
We will conceive a new era of international cooperation and communication that nurtures cultural diversity, recognizes the interconnectedness between communities, and promotes opportunities for cultural exchange and assistance.

1. We call for increased public transportation, convenient playgrounds and parks for all sections of cities and small towns, and funding to encourage diverse neighborhoods.

2. We support a rich milieu of art, culture, and significant (yet modestly funded) programs such as the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities.
Families and Children

3. We call for social policies to focus on protecting families. The young - our citizens of tomorrow - are increasingly at risk. Programs must ensure that children, who are among the most vulnerable members of society, receive basic nutritional, educational, and medical necessities. The Green Party supports and seeks to expand Head Start and Pre- and neo-natal programs. A Children's Agenda should be put in place to focus attention and concerted action on the future that is our children.

4. A universal, federally funded childcare program for pre-school and young schoolchildren should be developed.

5. Family assistance such as the earned income tax credit, available to working poor families in which the parent supports and lives with the children, should be maintained and increased to offset regressive payroll taxes and growing inequalities in American society.

6. A living family wage is vital to the social health of communities.

7. The actuarial protection of social security is essential to the well-being of our seniors, and maintenance of the system's integrity is an essential part of a healthy community. We oppose privatization of social security, call for the program to remain under the aegis of the Federal Government, and seek to expand its effectiveness.

8. We support the leading-edge work of non-profit public interest groups and those individuals breaking out of "careerism" to pursue non-traditional careers in public service.
Alternative Community Service

9. We must create new opportunities for citizens to serve their communities through non-military community service. Alternative community service to the military should be encouraged.

10. We advocate the formation of a Civilian Conservation Corps, with national leadership and state and local affiliates, to spearhead efforts to work on the tasks of environmental education, restoration of damaged habitats, reforestation, and cleaning up polluted waterways. Providing land and resource management skills will challenge young people while encouraging social responsibility.
WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio's 6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican!

Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Economic Fairness/Quality Education
Clear and Fair Elections with Paper Ballots

Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com

In Denver, Party's Left Pushes for Seat at the Table

Michael Carano — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:02:18 EDT

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121969145343270091.html?mod=hpp_us_inside_today

Party's Left Pushes for a Seat at the TableBy Gerald F. Seib, The Wall Street Journal
August 27, 2008, Denver, CO

Published August 26, 2008, by The Wall Street Journal.

Walk into almost any hotel here this week and you can find an odd sight: Liberal Democrats starting their day by lobbying moderate and conservative Democrats.

The lobbyists are members of the Progressive Democrats of America, an activist group working to keep the party true to liberal priorities, and they have been assigned to every hotel housing Democratic convention delegates.

"At breakfast, where they go to get their talking points [from the national party], we will be there," says Tim Carpenter, a veteran of Democratic campaigns and national director of the PDA.

The fact that Mr. Carpenter and his cohorts feel compelled to buttonhole other Democrats to push a liberal agenda is a sign of a quiet tension lurking within the Democratic Party. That tension is a potential complication for Sen. Barack Obama now, and it is certain to be one for him and his party if he is elected president.

Progressives--the term of art for the party's liberal wing--contend, with some justification, that they have provided much of the fuel that could propel the party to win control of the White House and both houses of Congress for the first time in 16 years. They have contributed and raised large amounts of money, fired up their troops on the Internet, and generally are thrilled at the prospect of a Democratic sweep.

Yet they aren't sure the party they think they are leading to victory is really following them. Sen. Obama has been essentially nonideological in his campaign, has made much of his desire to reach across the ideological spectrum to Republicans, and spent several weeks this summer moving away from the left and toward the center on issues ranging from warrantless wiretaps to abortion to gun control.

More than that, liberals realize that if the party expands its control of the House and Senate, it may do so by electing moderate and conservative Democrats who vanquish sitting Republicans. Thus, while Democratic control in Congress could expand, liberal influence may not.

So the progressive wing of the party has gathered in Denver uncertain whether to celebrate or fight for its due.

"The party doesn't get it," says Mr. Carpenter, who worked on the presidential campaigns of Jesse Jackson, former California Gov. Jerry Brown and former President Bill Clinton. "That's why organizations like the PDA have to organize and energize."

The big question, of course, is: Exactly what do progressives want? For many, the short answer is: Quick and unconditional withdrawal from Iraq, no parallel buildup in Afghanistan, a reduction in the military budget, a broad rollback of the Bush tax cuts, an increase in corporate taxes and a shift of those funds to social spending, a huge government drive for alternative energy sources, and a much bigger government role in providing health care.

Sen. Obama doesn't exactly oppose any of those impulses, but he hasn't fully bought into all of them, either. He'd roll back some but not all Bush tax cuts, for instance, and is a long way from backing the kind of government-funded universal health-insurance system many progressives want.

Rob Kall, a radio host and editor of liberal Web site OpEdNews, says flatly, "Liberals and progressives don't see him as liberal. Universally among liberals and leftists, they seem him as a centrist."

That may be fine with the Obama campaign, which likely calculates that victory hinges more on the candidate's ability to win over independents and former supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton than the party's liberal base, which figures to go along for the ride. Still, Mr. Kall says some members of his Web site are drifting toward third-party candidates Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney or questioning how hard they want to work this fall.

The most likely campaign effect, though, is continued pressure on Sen. Obama through the fall to move left on key issues.

Spend & Spin!

Free Fallin — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:33:18 EDT

Payday Lenders Continue to Spend & Spin

The payday lobby seems to think that their opponents are being bankrolled by "special interests," apparently disregarding the fact that they are one big "special interest." In Arizona, the payday lenders have exceeded the $9 million mark in their efforts to overturn a pro-consumer bill in that state.

You can read an Article from the Arizona Star, here: http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/254016. The article suggests that the industry's opponents raise and spend next to nothing in comparison.

In Ohio, the payday lobby is outspending their opponents by incredible margins. The disparity in expenditures is easily evident just by looking at the millions of dollars spent on television ads by the payday lobby versus the unusual technique being utilized by the proponents of payday lending reform: YouTube.com! CNN Money and Forbes Magazine picked up an Associated Press story about the efforts to compete with a multi-million dollar lobby: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/08/26/ap5360144.html.

From the article:

Up against a multimillion dollar ad campaign, defenders of Ohio's tough new payday lending law are turning to YouTube.com.

The Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio has created an online video that warns viewers not to be deceived by the payday lending industry, which is trying to repeal the law.

You can view the YouTube video, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDoeXujagE4

Despite enumerable examples of evidence that the payday lobby is working diligently to deceive voters, the industry continues to throw up smoke and mirrors trying to change the subject. The facts, however, remain the same. Payday lending is a debt trap and 391% interest is too high!

Don't be fooled by the payday lobby! 391% interest is not freedom! If you think 391% interest is too high, VOTE YES ON ISSUE 5!

http://www.voteyesonissue5.org

PDA and Progressive Central in Denver--the place to be!

Michael Carano — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:28:56 EDT

Here is what PDA has planned in Denver to help further the shift left:

PROGRESSIVE CENTRAL at the DNC CONVENTION

Join PDA and The Nation in the heart of Denver at the Central Presbyterian Church, 1660 Sherman St.--a progressive oasis, where like-minded individuals can meet to network, share ideas, learn from the country's foremost progressives, and help build the progressive movement.

Paid parking is located nearby; but we recommend public transportation, visit http://www.denver.com/transport/masstransit.html

Check back frequently for additions or changes to panels. Panelists are still confirming availability.

To volunteer, contact DNCvolunteers@pdamerica.org.

For more information or to make a hardship request, contact Denver@pdamerica.org.

Beijing: America's Athletes Coming Are Coming Home But Thanks To John McCain 2.3 Million American Jobs Aren't

Dave Harding, ProgressOhio — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:35:07 EDT

The AFL-CIO is dropping a new mailer today in OH, MI and PA, criticizing John McCain's position on trade. The piece, which plays on the Olympics, is being sent to union swing voters in 50K homes.

Dennis Philippi, an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers member from North Canton, OH, says on the mailer: “2.3 million jobs outsourced to China? That’s not a world record I would be proud of.”

The lit alludes to the union's position that the Bush administration, with McCain's backing, has allowed China to violate trade rules and its own labor laws to boost the profit margins of large multinational corporations at the expense of workers.

Brunner Plugs in Payday Lobby's Smoke & Mirror Machine

Free Fallin — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:01:03 EDT

Check out the Akron Beacon Journal's editorial, entitled "Deceptive language: Jennifer Brunner helps payday lenders get their way."

http://www.ohio.com/editorial/opinions/27065534.html

I was stunned to learn that the individual chosen by the people of this state to accurately inform voters on ballot abdicated her duty last week. The language adopted by the ballot board is incomplete, confusing and unworthy of an issue as contentious as payday lending.

Payday lenders are required to put 391% APR on their disclosure forms for a two week loan. If it's good enough for payday borrowers, it's good enough for voters. Ms. Brunner redeemed herself, if only slightly, to acknowledge that a YES vote on issue 5 would reduce interest rates from 391% to 28%.

If the language remains, let's hope the Secretary of State helps to strike names off petitions of people around the state who were misled into signing. Even if Ms. Brunner didn't get it right last week, you can still get it right on November 4th. A 'no' vote allows 391% interest to persist while a 'yes' vote will end predatory payday lending in Ohio. I trust Ohio voters will see through the payday lenders' smoke and mirrors -- it's just too bad the Secretary of State had to plug in the machine.

Vote Yes on Issue 5!
http://yesonissue5.org

Privatize Sewers? Not What Democrats Do!

Michael Carano — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:07:04 EDT

Progressive Democrats of America-Ohio, a founding member of Citizens Save Our Sewers, a coalition of unions, citizens, and grassroots groups, is working hard to turn back a privatization "scheme" by Akron Democratic Mayor Don Plusquellic. (PDA-Ohio's Mary Nichols-Rhodes, a rotating chair of SOS meetings, is in the green Citizens SOS t-shirt in the left of the picture).

The mayor is hiding his intentions behind the smokescreen of providing education, but the smoke is a weak haze to those who follow the national movement to privatize local water and sewer infrastructure to multi-national corporations. Being the former head of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (http://www.usmayors.org/), the Akron mayor as well as mayors from across the United States are lobbied hard by these multi-national corps to turn over their public assets to them. The mayor's idea did not come out of a dream in the the middle of the night, though clandestine the way he is working to sell off the city's assets may seem like a night-time job. If anyone looks into the Kalamazoo plan the mayor heralds as an example of succes, he will see that the Mayor's plan is nothing like Kalamazoo's. The mayor is maybe hoping no one will notice.

Well, since the mayor uses a baseball analogy in the following article, we have to say that the mayor is flailing at what our coalition is throwing him. Strike one: we worked and got the petition on the ballot. Strike two: the public is against the transfer, regardless of his smoke and mirrors game.

The voters will throw the third pitch come November. Now our job is to educate the voters as to the truth to our initiative against the confusion the mayor hopes to draw by adding two related initatives of his own on the ballot.

We of PDA thank Progress Ohio from following our work and publicizing it.

See article below:

http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/27120384.html

Opponents of a proposal to lease the Akron sewer system to a private company to raise money for scholarships listen to discussion of the issue at an Akron City Council meeting Monday at the Akron Municipal Building on Monday. (Ken Love/Akron Beacon Journal View more photos >> 2 sewer plans head to ballot Utility tug-of-war

Work Justice Denied

User from Independence, OH — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:51:00 EDT

Contact: Harriet Applegate August 18, 2008
216 881-7200

Worker Justice Denied
Labor Targets Justice O'Connor's Work-Related Rulings

(Cleveland) - Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Connor was accused today by Harriet Applegate, Executive Secretary of the North Shore AFL-CIO, of being harmful to workers in the State of Ohio.

The accusation centers on two recent opinions by Justice O'Connor.

In the first case, (Greer-Burger v. Temesi) Tammy Greer-Burger filed a harassment suit against her employer, who in turn filed a countersuit seeking compensatory and punitive damages. In response, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of Appeals ruled the employer was retaliating. However, writing for the majority of the Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Maureen O'Connor overturned the decision saying an employer could file a suit, unless "it is objectively baseless."

"Even some of Justice O'Connor's fellow Republicans had problems with this," noted Applegate.
"Justice Lanziger, in her dissent, said Ohio law protects an employee from retaliation by an employer and that such a rule is overly generous to the employers, while placing employees at risk for enforcing their rights."

In another opinion, (Shelley Bickers v Western Southern Life) Justice O'Connor sided with employers in a decision that gave them the right to fire workers injured on the job and unable to work through no fault of their own.

"The ruling has fundamentally changed the rights of those receiving workers compensation in Ohio," said Applegate. Based upon these types of opinions, the AFL-CIO strongly opposes the re-election of Justice O'Connor.

The AFL-CIO has endorsed Judge Joseph Russo, her opponent. Judge Russo is currently serving his eighth year on the Cuyahoga Court of Common Pleas. Applegate stated, "Judge Russo has proven that he is a strong advocate of fairness and impartiality." Russo has handled over 7,000 civil and criminal cases and also serves an Adjunct Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve University.

"These cases are just the tip of the iceberg. The Ohio Supreme Court has issued a number of legal decisions which have had a negative impact on the rights and well-being of Ohio's workers and that has to change," said Applegate.

PDA Pushes Single-Payer in Dem Platform and in Denver

Michael Carano — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:03:02 EDT

Victorious On Platform, Progressive Dems Push Single-Payer Bill Thursday, August 14, 2008(From On The Hill : Inside the chambers of the U.S. Congress and the halls of Washington policymaking.) Having won their fight to enshrine a "guaranteed health care for all" statement in the Democratic Party platform, a group of progressive Democrats are now pushing a bill in Congress to move to a single-payer health system.

Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) and other Democratic groups mounted a campaign to get delegates to the upcoming Democratic National Convention to include the guarantee for health care in the draft platform at a platform meeting last week in Pittsburgh.

Language inserted into the platform on healthcare was a "compromise," according to PDA.

PDA says that Bob Remer of Chicago offered a five-point statement, drafted by Norman Solomon, a Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign co-chair, and others.

It reads:

Our nation should enact universal health care that will:

* Guarantee accessible health care for all.
* Create a single standard of high quality, comprehensive, and preventive health care for all.
* Allow freedom of choice of physician, hospital, and other health careproviders.
* Eliminate financial barriers that prevent families and individuals fromobtaining the medically necessary care they need.
* Allow physicians, nurses and other licensed health care providers to makehealth care decisions based on what is best for the health of the patient.

"Important as that victory was, it's just a step toward answering the key question: 'How can we really implement guaranteed health care for all?' The only realistic answer, a system of publicly funded, privately delivered health care, also known as 'single payer,' exists in legislative form: Rep. John Conyers' bill H.R. 676, which has 90 co-sponsors in the House," PDA says in an email to supporters signed by Solomon.

Conyers, a Michigan Democrat, is a longtime and powerful lawmaker and serves as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

The single-payer health approach is controversial -- rejected by conservatives. That approach was set aside by President Bill Clinton in his unsuccessful health-care reform effort in 1994.

"So, while continuing to encourage Democratic National Convention delegates to become signers of the Guaranteed Health Care for All statement, today PDA is starting a renewed push for the Healthcare NOT Warfare petition--promoting H.R. 676 and serving as an important tool to organize on behalf of single payer nationwide," the PDA email says. "Please sign the petition, and urge all your friends, family and associates to sign as well."

An ABC/Washington Post poll in June asked 1,125 respondents the question, "Which of these do you think is more important: providing health care coverage for all Americans, even if it means raising taxes, OR, holding down taxes, even if it means some Americans do not have health care coverage?"

Some 66 percent said "Coverage for all," but that percentage is down from 79 percent registered in a poll taken in 2003.

With the California Nurses Association / National Nurses Organizing Committee, PDA will be hosting a "Medicare for All" reception Tuesday night, Aug. 26, in support of H.R. 676, at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the email says.

"When I'm on the floor of the convention as an elected [Barack] Obama delegate, I'll be wearing a 'Healthcare NOT Warfare' sticker next to a 'Yes We Can!' button." says Solomon's email. "Bringing about single-payer health care and overcoming the warfare state won't be easy. Just imperative."

http://onthehillblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/victorious-on-platform-progressive-dems.html

Note: Though the list of actions to put an article relating to "healthcare" at the Progress Ohio posting site has one option, namely "Affordable Healthcare," we of PDA believe the word "affordable" relates directly to involvement of the insurance industry in health care delivery. Being for a "single-payer, doctor-patient run, publicly funded and privately run health care system" we seek the elimination of the grip that the insurance industry has over health care and would prefer that "affordable" be taken out of the posting list and replaced with simply the word "healthcare." Just a friendly suggestion for accuracies sake.

BECOMING A PROFICIENT LEARNER

Jane Schiff — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:54:30 EDT

Time for a "Disneyland - centered" learning sequence to get ready for real life skills.

Topics covered could include: Proficiency tests, pleasing your principals and paving your pupils' pathways to Provisional Voting.

- moral of the story - centering on teachers who work through the wee hours of the night.

- work ethics: Only lazy and evil teachers want/need health insurance.

- Word problems for Math utilizing teacher pay stubs.

- Daily living skills: creating a realistic budget for that trip to Disneyland that you're never ever again - going to have the money to take. Maybe your students' great grandparents's children will be able to use that budget and take the trip FOR you.

- Unit on the current world slave trade.

- Unit for "All about the Northern Mariana Islands"

- Unit for state and federal government focusing on Lobbying and Campaign Finance.

- Fun with names: See how many names your students can make out of the name
"Jack Abramoff!"

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/15/disney.protesters.ap/index.html
/US

Cinderella, others arrested in Disneyland labor protestStory Highlights
Thirty-two protesters arrested outside gates of Disneyland

Many of the protesters wore costumes representing famous Disney characters

ANAHEIM, California (AP) -- Cinderella, Snow White, Tinkerbell and other fictional fixtures of modern-day childhood were handcuffed, frisked and loaded into police vans Thursday at the culmination of a labor protest that brought a touch of reality to the Happiest Place on Earth.

"Tinkerbell" and other Disney characters were handcuffed Thursday in a protest outside the gates of Disneyland.

The arrest of the 32 protesters, many of whom wore costumes representing famous Disney characters, came at the end of an hour-long march to Disneyland's gates from one of three Disney-owned hotels at the center of a labor dispute.

Those who were arrested sat in a circle on a busy intersection outside the park holding hands until they were placed in plastic handcuffs and led to two police vans while hundreds of hotel workers cheered and chanted.

The protesters were arrested on a misdemeanor count of failure to obey a police officer and two traffic infractions, said Sgt. Rick Martinez of the Anaheim police. They were cited and released, Sgt. Chris Schneider said.

Bewildered tourists in Disney T-shirts and caps, some pushing strollers, filed past the commotion and gawked at the costumed picketers getting hauled away. The protest shut down a major thoroughfare outside Disneyland and California Adventure for nearly an hour.

"It's changing my opinion of Disneyland," said tourist Amanda Kosato, who was visiting from north of Melbourne, Australia. "Taking away entitlements stinks."

The dispute involves about 2,300 maids, bell hops, cooks and dishwashers at three Disney-owned hotels: the Paradise Pier, the Grand Californian and the Disneyland Hotel.

The workers' contract expired in February and their union says Disney's latest proposal makes health care unaffordable for hundreds of employees and creates an unfair two-tier wage system. The union also says Disney wants to create a new category of part-time employees who would receive greatly reduced benefits.

"The other hotels around the area all have health care that is provided by the boss and have been able to get wage increases," said Ada Briceno, president of Unite Here Local 681, which represents the workers.

"At the other hotels in the same classification, for the same work, the workers get paid $2 to $3 an hour more."

Disney spokeswoman Lisa Haines said Disney and the union are in negotiations and nothing has been finalized. She said workers have protested 14 times but sat down to negotiate only 11 times in the past six months.

"Clearly we're disappointed that Unite Here Local 681 has spent more time protesting," she said. "Publicity stunts are not productive and are extremely disruptive to the resort district."

Before the arrests, the picketers marched and chanted outside Paradise Pier, holding signs that read, "Disney is unfaithful," and "Mickey, shame on you." They were joined by community activists and religious leaders from local churches.

Luz Vasquez, who works in the bakery at Disneyland Hotel, said she can't afford to lose many of her benefits. She said it's already hard to care for her three grandchildren and aging mother while earning $14.32 an hour.

"Disneyland is being unfair with us because we're fighting for our health care and they're trying to take it away," said Vasquez, 45. "They're trying to cut our hours and take away our seniority."

Co-worker Diane Dominguez, 50, said she was worried about losing health care because of the heavy labor involved in lifting mattresses, moving furniture and making dozens of beds a day. She also said rising prices and the cost of gas were eating into her salary of $11.11 an hour.

"The most important is health care. We need that and they want to take it away," she said.

At the heart of the issue is a free health care plan that has been provided to Disney hotel workers through a trust fund that Disney and other unionized hotels in the area pay into.

Briceno said that in exchange for the free medical plan, union members agreed in previous contracts to a lower wage for hotel workers in the first three years of their employment.

But Disney now wants to eliminate the free health plan for new hires and wants to create a new class of workers who put in less than 30 hours a week, said Briceno. Those part-time workers would receive no sick or vacation pay and not be given holidays, she said.

The company also wants to increase the number of hours full-time employees must work before qualifying for the health plan, she said.

"At the end of the day what it means is that workers are going to be priced out of health care," she said.

Haines said the majority of other employees at Disneyland pay for a share of their health plan, even though the resort shoulders about 75 percent of the overall cost. She said it's important to negotiate a contract that's fair to those other unions, too.

"We do remain hopeful that we can reach an agreement that's both fair and equitable, providing that union leadership is reasonable and realistic in its approach," Haines said.

Who supports universal health care?

Michael Carano — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:23:51 EDT

http://www.ohio.com/editorial/commentary/26899979.html

Who supports universal health care? Published on Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 By Marie Cocco

WASHINGTON: Before the energy-price crisis, before the mortgage crisis, before the credit crisis and the banking crisis, there was the crisis in health insurance that is in reality a crisis in care. This crisis has deepened in recent years as the number of uninsured has climbed and out-of-pocket costs for those still with insurance have soared. It has become common knowledge that a serious illness — even among those with insurance — can plunge families into bankruptcy.

Though ''problems paying for gas'' topped the financial challenges people listed in the most recent Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll, ''problems paying for health care and health insurance'' ranked third — just behind job concerns but well ahead of paying for food, dealing with credit card debt and paying the mortgage.

So it is downright shocking that there was a tussle over what the 2008 Democratic platform would say about the party's generations-long, bedrock commitment to health care for all Americans. In short, presumptive nominee Barack Obama did not draft a statement keeping that pledge. He presented instead his plan as one that would provide ''access to'' affordable and comprehensive health care.

A coalition of liberal activists and Hillary Clinton supporters managed to negotiate a change so that the platform says the party is ''united behind a commitment that every American man, woman and child be guaranteed to have affordable, comprehensive health care.'' Inclusion of the word ''guaranteed'' was the crucial point.

On the surface, this may look like a victory for Clinton supporters or even for the far larger group — that is, millions of Democrats — who have long believed that the promise of guaranteed, universal health care is a fundamental principle of their party.

I am less certain, and it's not because I know that politicians can discard party platforms faster than they rid themselves of scandal-tainted donors.

It is because Obama did not campaign during the primaries on a plan that would achieve universal coverage, and indeed, excoriated Clinton for her proposal to mandate that everyone have it.

In fact, even some of those involved in achieving the small health-care victory take little solace from it. ''I'm not sure that Obama will actually pursue the same kind of idea that we had inserted in the platform,'' says Donna Smith, who lobbied the platform panel as a member of Progressive Democrats of America. ''I think we will have to pursue our congressional representatives to bring legislation forward.''

Smith is not a Clinton delegate, or even a convention delegate. She and her husband, Larry, were featured in the Michael Moore film Sicko because they were forced into bankruptcy and lost their home trying to pay the out-of-pocket costs stemming from her treatment for uterine cancer and his for heart disease. '

'Our purpose was not to attack the party,'' says Smith, who says she wants Obama to be elected and describes herself and her husband as ''good and loyal Democrats.'' But certain lines have to be drawn.

''To say you're going to provide affordable coverage to people is not the same as giving them health care,'' she says. ''Just because you have insurance coverage does not guarantee you access to the care that you and your doctor decide you need. And people with insurance understand that.''

Most Democrats do, too.

In 1992, the party's platform said everyone should have ''universal'' access to health care ''not as a privilege, but as a right.'' In 1996, a party chastened after the collapse of President Bill Clinton's health care initiative nonetheless committed itself to ''ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, high-quality health care.'' In 2000, the platform noted that ''for 50 years, the Democratic Party has been engaged in a battle to provide the kind of health care a great nation owes its people.'' In 2004, the platform said this: ''We believe that health care is a right and not a privilege.''

Securing that right is as important now as it was four, or even 50, years ago. When gas prices recede, when the housing market stabilizes and fears of imminent job losses ebb, there will still be an unconscionable gap between the glory of American medical science and the ability of millions of people to get the most basic care.

Obama avoided an intra-party brawl over the health platform. The unanswerable question is whether he will be as determined, as president, to take on the much larger — and excruciatingly harder — health-care fight.

Cocco writes for the Washington Post Writers Group. She can be e-mailed at

mariecocco@washpost.com.

URGENT

Jane Schiff — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:27:30 EDT

The Ohio SOS publication both in hard copy from the Web as well as the hard copy brochure - both entitled:

"WHEN YOU VOTE BRING I.D." is encountering a critical obstruction in distributing this to the public. The fly in the ointment involves:

OHIO SOS ADVISORY 2008 - 12 DATED JULY 23, 2008.

Corrections to the "When You Vote Bring ID" hasn't been incorporated into the publication. The corrections that need to be made concern Amended House Bill 562 .
The Hamilton County, Ohio BOE (namely Sally Krisel, the Director of the Hamilton County Ohio BOE and Diane Goldsmith, Voter Registration Department Administrator) said they couldn't give out incorrect "When You Vote Bring I.D." brochures. They handed me the above Advisory. I pointed out the Advisory doesn't forbid distribution although the Advisory states "In a forthcoming directive, your office will receive more detailed information about military identification cards and other acceptable forms of identification." They were consulting with eachother back and forth. Diane Goldsmith directed another employee to: blot out with a black marker part of the 5th item on page 2 of the above brochure so that it read:

"A MILITARY IDENTIFICATION THAT SHOWS THE VOTER'S NAME OR"

5th item of page 2 of the publication "When You Vote Bring ID"

The employee performed Diane Goldsmith's instructions and I was permitted to leave the Hamilton County Ohio BOE with 50 of the hard shiny brochures as per above which the employee had to personally change.

However, as of the time of this email, the problem hasn't been attended to for the online brochures neither in the printable form of the brochures nor in the shiny hard brochures. The order form is still accessible.

The brochure itself is coded SOS 2212 (03/08). That code is located on the 2nd page lower left of the publication "When You Vote Bring ID" directly above the logo of the VOTING RIGHTS INSTITUTE."

I now understand why I ordered 50 hard shiny copies of "When You Vote Bring ID" on or about August 4, 2008 and they never arrived.

On Monday, August 11, 2008 I received in the U.S. mail a PUBLICATION NOTICE without a date and without a signature. I paraphrase this item on the letterhead of Jennifer Brunner, Ohio Secretary of State:

Please note we were unable to fill your entire request of the following publication(s):

Voting Rights Institute Bring ID Cards
Due to the Following reasons:

Publication being revised/updated

Exact quote for the following: "Your mailing information will remain in our database and your request(s) will be mailed to you when this publication becomes available. The publication you are requesting may be available to download as a PDF document from the Secretary of State's Web site at www.sos.state.oh.us.

If you have any question regarding this notice or need additional assistance with publications printed by the Secretary of State's office please call our publications request line at 614 - 466 - 3613 or send an email to Prequest@sos.state.oh.us."

Payday Lending Industry Front Group Website Goes Live

Free Fallin — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:47:26 EDT

Industry Front Group Website Goes Live

The Community Financial Services Association's campaign to overturn House Bill 545 went live with a new website yesterday. Their website, Ohioans4financialfreedom, displays how out of touch they are with real Ohioans.

First, they say: "Protect 6,000 good-paying jobs that could be lost."

This is not accurate. House Bill 545 says absolutely nothing about closing any businesses or preventing the dispersion of payday loans. House Bill 545 simply caps interest rates and fees at 28% APR, protecting Ohio's consumers from predatory 391% APR interest. Payday lending stores have already started applying for licenses to continue operating under the new law from the Ohio Department of Commerce. If any stores close, it's because they choose to, not because they have to.

Second, they say: "Protect your financial freedom and private financial choices."

Payday lenders target low-income neighborhoods where it is easier for them to encourage people to walk through the door. Neon signs with "Get cash in minutes!" and "Easy cash quick," etc. Once a borrower is trapped in a cycle of payday loans, it becomes necessary for the consumer to keep taking out loans. This is not a choice! Usurious payday loans at 391% are bad for Ohioans and bad for the Ohio economy. Usury is not freedom!

Third, they say: "Protect your right to privacy about your personal finances."

This is a nice catch phrase that appeals to just about everyone! House Bill 545 includes a provision calling for the creation of a database that will let lenders know how many loans a person has taken out at a given time. This allows lenders to lend according to borrowers ability to repay - something neither predatory mortgage lenders nor payday lenders seem to care about.

And finally, once again, the industry uses their lame argument for why their referendum should be on the ballot: "Ohioans have a right to repeal bad laws."

Well, it bears repeating that House Bill 545 is one of the best consumer protection laws in the country and will help hundreds of thousands of Ohioans escape the debt trap. Ohioans do have a right to overturn bad laws, but this referendum effort is not being mounted by Ohioans, but by industry lobbyists and attorneys flown in on their corporate jets. Where are the citizens working on this referendum? Where are the consumers calling for 391% interest? They are nowhere to be found. Instead, the industry lobby CFSA is the sole donor to the effort to repeal House Bill 545. This is right in line with what they are doing in other states like Arizona where they've spent $8.7 million to overturn a consumer law and in Virginia where they succeeded in buying higher interest rates for a low, low price of $20 million.

The Ohio government should be PROTECTING consumers from predatory business practices that rely on borrowers getting trapped in a cycle of debt! Payday lending is bad for Ohio!

Sleight of Hand - Thank Heavens!

Jane Schiff — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:16:03 EDT

Jennifer Brunner has performed a really fine public service in plain sight - PLEASE read this carefully and consider distributing this to as many people as possible that need voter advocacy help:

http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/publications/electVoterPubs/bringid/order_bringIDcards.aspx

Phone: (614)-466-3613
Toll Free: (877)-767-6446
Order Now: Bring ID Cards
Please fill out your mailing information below along with a way for us to contact you in case we have any additional questions about your order (either phone number or e-mail address).

Note: Please use a street address instead of a P.O. Box in case your order is too large for regular mail.

If you are requesting a quantity greater than 50, please call our publication request line (614-466-3613) to make special arrangements. Thank you.

Wal-Mart Pressures Employees on How to Vote - and It's Not for Obama

Michael O'Brien — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:36:00 EDT

For decades, some corporations have attempted to sway the vote of their employees. In some subtle and not so subtle ways, some corporations threaten, cajole and induce employees to vote against their own economic interest.

During my years working for a major aerospace company, it was common for managers to drop off donation cards. The expectation was that employees would gladly pony up to the company's political action committee. Not donating could mean finding your name on the next list of lay-offs. No one ever came to me directly and said the words "donate or else" but the message was crystal clear.

Forcing employees to make a choice that may run counter to their ethics or economic benefit is a power that employers have used with relative impunity. Allegations of pressure by employers are hard - if not impossible- to prove. Workers feel powerless, especially in this time of economic uncertainty.

In the latest attempt at corporate coercion, Wal Mart is herding managers and supervisors into mandatory meetings. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the message at these meetings is clear - vote for Democrats in November and unionization is sure to follow.

The company claims that the meetings are not an attempt to sway the how managers vote. Some managers and supervisors are not buying that line. In the WSJ report, one Wal-Mart customer-service supervisor from Missouri knew better, saying "I am not a stupid person. They were telling me how to vote".

Let's hope that other Wal Mart managers - and workers in similar situations - see these tactics for what they are - intimidation on a grand scale.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121755649066303381.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news

Copyright 2008 Michael O'Brien All rights Reserved

Wal-Mart Super Sez: "I am not a stupid person. They were telling me how to vote"

Bret Thompson, ProgressOhio — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:54:55 EDT

From today's WSJ:

The Wal-Mart human-resources managers who run the meetings don't specifically tell attendees how to vote in November's election, but make it clear that voting for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama would be tantamount to inviting unions in.

Could You Afford to Be Poor?

Bret Thompson, ProgressOhio — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:53:37 EDT

WSJ runs an excerpt from Barbara Ehrenreich's latest book. Check out the article for more stats about the poor tax.

I chastised a coworker for living in a motel room when it would be so much cheaper to rent an apartment. Her response: Where would she get the first month's rent and security deposit it takes to pin down an apartment? The lack of that amount of capital—probably well over $1,000—condemned her to paying $40 a night at the Day's Inn. [...]
I had gone into the project imagining myself preparing vast quantities of cheap, nutritious soups and stews, which I would freeze and heat for dinner each day. But surprise: I didn't have the proverbial pot to pee in, not to mention spices or Tupperware. A scouting trip to Kmart established that it would take about a $40 capital investment to get my kitchenette up to speed for the low-wage way of life.

Oakland Builds Green Job Corps, Ohio Builds Prisons

User from Struthers, OH — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 07:34:48 EDT

Oakland Builds Green Job Corps, Ohio Build Prisons

July 28,2008

Last week the Ella Baker Center of Oakland, California announced a major report.
After more than a year of anticipation, the Oakland Green Jobs Corps has cleared the last hurdle to begin operations this September.

On Tuesday, July 22, the City of Oakland green lighted $250,000 for an exciting partnership that unites some of the best education and training programs in Oakland. This partnership includes:
· Laney College -- one of the region's premier community colleges, providing green vocational education
· Cypress Mandela Construction Training Program -- a renowned pre-apprenticeship program that serves young adults with barriers to employment, and that has strong connections to the building trades unions
· Growth Sector -- a workforce intermediary that connects employers, government and community agencies
This is a powerful partnership that will provide disadvantaged Oakland residents with world-class training and education, and then connect them to quality jobs with solar companies and green construction contractors.

BACKGROUND

In June 2007, the Oakland Apollo Alliance, co-convened by our Green-Collar Jobs Campaign, convinced City Council to provide $250,000 in seed funding for the Oakland Green Jobs Corps. A model for the training program, based upon best practices in workforce development and the research of professor Raquel Pinderhughes at San Francisco State University.

The city held a competitive "Request for Proposals (RFP)" process to identify the most qualified partnership to run the program and carry out the model. Mayor Dellums appointed an expert and neutral RFP Selection Committee to review applications and pick a winner.

This lengthy and careful process is finally complete!

A BIT MORE ON THE PROGRAM

40 low-income Oakland residents will participate in an 8-month program that includes construction training; life skills; academic, environmental, and financial literacy; solar panel installation; energy efficiency; and 3 months on the job with green employers. After graduation, participants will be connected to opportunities in the solar industry and construction trades.
While Oakland officials understand Green Job Corps are the way of the future, we sit around the Mahoning Valley building "alternative" schools that are merely one step away from sending inner city youth to jail.

It's time we invest in Green Job Corp programs for our poor, working, and middle class.

As Write-In Green Party Candidate for Congress, This is my Goal!

Dennis Spisak

Campaign Site: Http://votespisak.opg/electspisak.tripod.com

Check out the Green For All Job Corp Program on our web site under programs and links

Another Waste-to Ethanol Plant going up, But not in Ohio

July 25, 2008

Reno, Nevada is the latest American city in the process of building a waste-to ethanol plant. The plant will be built by Fulcrum BioEnergy and is expected to begin operating in 2010.

Taking municipal sold waste and converting it to ethanol, the Sierra BioFuels plant will produce approximately 10.5 million gallons of biofuel per year, from 90,000 tons of material that otherwise would have been disposed of in landfills. The plant, located ten miles east of Reno, will cost $120 million to build, with construction starting later this year.

Touting the project, Fulcrum President and CEO E. James Macias said,

Converting garbage waste into a clean, renewable fuel for cars has profound social and environmental benefits. It will help mitigate our dependence on imported oil, lower the price of gasoline, reduce the amount of waste landfilled, lower greenhouse gases and create a new industry of jobs and economic growth. Unlike conventional ethanol technology, which uses corn and other agricultural feedstock, our plant will utilize processed municipal solid waste that will not affect the cost or availability of our nation's food supply.

As the Independent Green Party Write-In Candidate for Congress for Ohio's 6th District, I again ask Incumbent Congressman Charlie Wilson and myself why is this type of technology being built in the closed up factories along the Ohio River Valley?

When will Ohio join the 21st Century when it comes to Renewable Energy Sources and new blue-collar jobs for our valley's poor, working, and middle class?

Dennis Spisak- Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com

Visit our links page to progressive Green Jobs Programs for the Ohio Valley

Push for pay equity for women

Average Jane — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:16:16 EDT

MomsRising.org concludes women -- especially moms and minorities -- are disproportionately underpaid:

Earlier this week the headline on the front page of the New York Times declared, "Women Are Now Equal as Victims of Poor Economy." "Equal"? Really?

While it's true that both men and women are suffering in this economic downturn, women still bear the lion's share of the burden. Women in the U.S. are still paid only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men -- mothers only 73 cents, and single mothers about 60 cents.

For women of color, the numbers are even worse -- African-American women earn 63 cents and Latina women earn 52 cents for every dollar paid to white men. With numbers like these, it's easy to see why protection from wage and other job discrimination is a critical component of economic security for women and families, especially in times of economic downturn.

Tell your Senators to support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act now! http://www.momsrising.org/FairPay_Yes

This Act, which provides job discrimination protections, has already passed the U.S. House, nearly passed the U.S. Senate--but is currently stalled. Your voice is needed to get the bill moving forward again and to remind the Senate that the women of America are waiting for their vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and that this is the only bill that would fully restore women's civil rights.

Forward this email to your friends and family so they can contact their U.S. Senators too. The more people the Senators hear from, the more likely they are to pass this bill in the Senate.

More About the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act: Lilly Ledbetter, a manager at Goodyear Tires, endured pay discrimination (and thus the loss of significant wages) during her 19 years of employment--just for being a woman. She won a substantial settlement in a lower court and then the the Supreme Court ruled against Ledbetter, saying that pay discrimination claims must be made within 180 days after the pay is initially set. This effectively guts the ability to hold employers accountable when they pay women less than men--even if the discrimination continues for years.

Most people don't know how much their coworkers make, and so would have no way of discovering pay discrimination in time to meet this new requirement. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act would fix this Supreme Court decision and restore the right of women and minorities to recover lost wages due to discrimination, as originally protected by the Civil Rights Act.

US inflation rises at fastest rate in 26 years

User from Struthers, OH — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:29:49 EDT

US inflation rises at fastest rate in 26 years

July 22, 2008

The Times Online reported last week that US inflation soared at its fastest rate in 26 years during June, placing more pressure on American households already struggling with record food and fuel costs.

The cost of living rose by 1.1 per cent, the biggest increase in inflation since 1982, while core inflation which excludes food and fuel costs rose by 0.3 per cent - above analysts' expectations.

Ben Bernanke, chairman at the US Federal Reserve, said inflation risks had "intensified" and posed a "significant challenge" for policymakers. Mr Bernanke is due before the US House Financial Services Committee for a second day of testimony on the economy.
Annual inflation rose 5 per cent in the 12 months to June, the largest increase since 1991, pushed up by rising fuel costs after the price of oil recently reached a new record of over $146 per barrel.

As the Write-In Green Party Candidate for Congress in Ohio's 6th District, I believe we must begin work as soon as possible in making the Ohiio River Valley the new Renewable Energy Manufacturing Giant to help lower fuel costs and food costs.

Charlie Wilson has failed to deliver since being sent to Washington, it's time we sent a representativbe to Congress who will get the closed factories along the Ohio River humming again making blue-collar products for solar, wind, and geothermal energy sources.

Dennis Spisak-Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com

Visit our links to Progressive Work Programs