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Update for our Progressive Radio Enthusiasts

05/15/2014 Nativegrl77

We’re happy to report that Progressive Radio Northwest (PRNW) recently incorporated as a nonprofit organization and elected our first Board of Directors – important milestones in our mission to:

bring strong-signal progressive talk radio back to the Pacific Northwest, and
promote progressive programming on the free public airwaves and digital technologies.

We can’t do it without you.

Those of you who have signed up on our website, attended Party On with Norman Goldman or one of our free community forums, “liked” us on Facebook, or just sent random thoughts and comments are all an important part of our progressive radio community. You send a strong message to potential advertisers and investors that the greater Seattle area can support progressive talk programming … BIG time!

We’ll be making an announcement soon about some exciting plans for the summer and beyond. As they say, stay tuned….

In the meantime, check out the video from our March 26 Forum on Progressive Media in the Social Media Age: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGRvh4cCr10

Moderated by PRNW Vice President Phil Harrison, the panel featured independent journalist Mark Taylor Canfield (https://www.facebook.com/mtaylorcanfield), online radio host Space Dog of the Seattle-Portland based Space Dog Radio (http://spacedogradio.com/) and Jacob Dean of Portland-based Filter Free Radio (http://filterfreeradio.com/).

If you haven’t already done so, please sign up on the Progressive Radio Northwest website to receive updates and invitations to PRNW events.

www.progressiveradionorthwest.org

“Like” us on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/progressiveradionorthwest

With appreciation,

The PRNW Team

progressiveradionorthwest@gmail.com

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America’s Roads and Bridges Are Crumbling

05/15/2014 Nativegrl77

America’s Roads and Bridges Are Crumbling

The funding to fix our nation’s roads and bridges is quickly running out — and it’s up to Congress to act.

65% of America’s major roads are rated in less than good condition, and 25% of our bridges require significant repair or can’t handle today’s traffic. If Congress doesn’t reauthorize transportation funding, more than 112,000 construction projects and nearly 700,000 jobs will be at risk.

Here’s what’s at stake if Republicans in Congress fail to act:

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What grade would you give your roads?

05/15/2014 Nativegrl77

Washington’s roads, transit rate a D+, engineers say

Posted by Mike Lindblom

Washington state road and transit systems deserves a D+ grade, and overall infrastructure a C, says a report issued Tuesday by the Seattle chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers.The good news is that “Washington state has got a very good track record in safety, in both road and transit systems,” said Shane Binder, one of 15 co-authors. The state’s goal of zero road deaths by 2030 is attainable, he said. Road deaths declined from 633 in 2006 to 424 in 2011, a 28 percent drop, federal statistics show.But the ASCE scored the state low because of its tenuous funding systems. Pierce Transit and Community Transit have cut service, while King County Metro begs for new taxing authority to replace expiring sources and to grow with demand. On the other hand, Sound Transit is moving forward with most of its $18 billion expansion, including three rail lines, which voters approved in 2008.

Laura Ruppert, co-chair of the report-card committee, called the C score mediocre.

The group said Washington state highways are average, but city and rural streets are worse and drag the score down.

Meanwhile, the Legislature is considering a gas-tax hike of up to 10 cents a gallon along with other fees to fuel an $8.4 billion program — mostly highway expansions. Only $900 million is earmarked for maintenance and preservation. The plan has been blasted by retired WashDOT Secretary Doug MacDonald. Among other problems, it puts off a full redecking of Interstate 5 to some future round of tolls or taxes.

The Seattle ASCE’s report suggests gas taxes that keep pace with inflation, along with public-private partnerships that might save money. But the group wouldn’t judge OIympia’s 2013 package, when asked Tuesday. “We’d like to see a good balance between maintenance of projects, and new projects,” said Larry Costich, legislative correspondent for Seattle ASCE.

Washington’s scores by category were: aviation C, bridges C-, dams B, drinking water C-, rail C-, roads D+, schools C, hazardous waste C, and transit D+.

Seattle ACSE issued the report to mark its 100th anniversary. In March, the national ASCE declared U.S. infrastructure a D+ and in need of $3.6 trillion investment by 2020, to help the U.S. economy stay competitive.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

the Senate CONGRESS 5/15 the House

05/15/2014 Nativegrl77

diversity

The Senate stands adjourned until 9:30am on Thursday, May 15, 2014.

Following any Leader remarks, the time until 11:15am will be equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees.

At 11:15am, there will be up to 5 roll call votes (3 expected) on the following:

Motion to Invoke Cloture on Executive Calendar #667, Rosemary Marquez, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona
Motion to Invoke Cloture on Executive Calendar #668, Douglas L. Rayes, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona
Motion to Invoke Cloture on Executive Calendar #669, James Alan Soto, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona
Confirmation of Executive Calendar #693, Leslie Ragon Caldwell, of New York, to be an Assistant Attorney General (expected voice vote) and
Confirmation of Executive Calendar #541, Helen Meagher La Lime, of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Angola (expected voice vote)

Following disposition of the La Lime nomination, the Senate will recess until 1:45pm.

Notwithstanding the recess, the filing deadline for first degree amendments to the Wyden substitute amendment and H.R.3474, the legislative vehicle for tax extenders is 1:00pm. The filing degree for second degree amendments to the Wyden substitute amendment is 3:00pm.

At 1:45pm, there will be up to 5 roll call votes:

Confirmation of Executive Calendar #667, Rosemary Marquez, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona
Confirmation of Executive Calendar #668, Douglas L. Rayes, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona
Confirmation of Executive Calendar #669, James Alan Soto, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona
Motion to Invoke Cloture on Executive Calendar #732, Gregg Jeffrey Costa, of Texas, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit and
Motion to invoke cloture on the Wyden substitute amendment #3060 to H.R.3474

11:16am The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #667, Rosemary Marquez, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona.

Invoked: 58-35

11:49am The Senate began a 10 minute roll call vote on Executive Calendar #668, Douglas L. Rayes, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona;

Invoked: 59-35

12:07pm The Senate began a 10 minute roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #669, James Alan Soto, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona;

Invoked: 61-35

The Senate confirmed the following nominations by voice vote:

Executive Calendar #693, Leslie Ragon Caldwell, of New York, to be an Assistant Attorney General (expected voice vote); and

Executive Calendar #541, Helen Meagher La Lime, of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Angola

1:48pm The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #667, Rosemary Marquez, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona.

Confirmed: 81-15

2:15pm The Senate began a 10 minute roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #668, Douglas L. Rayes, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona;

Confirmed: 77-19

2:36pm The Senate began a 10 minute roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #669, James Alan Soto, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona.

Confirmed: 93-1

At 2:52pm, the Senate began a 10-minute roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #732, Gregg Jeffrey Costa, of Texas, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit;

Invoked: 58-36

At 3:21pm, the Senate began a 10-minute roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Wyden substitute amendment #3060 (Tax Extenders) to H.R.3474, Hire More Heroes Act of 2014.

Not Invoked: 53-40

3:54pm Cloture was not invoked on the Wyden substitute amendment #3060 (tax extenders) by a vote of 53-40. Senator Reid changed his vote to “no” and entered a motion to reconsider the failed vote at a later time.

There will be no further roll call votes this week. As previously announced, there will be no roll call votes on Monday. The next roll call vote will be at 5:30pm on Tuesday, May 20^th. There will be at least two roll call votes on Tuesday at 5:30pm on the following:

– Confirmation of Executive Calendar #732, Gregg Jeffrey Costa, of Texas, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit and

– Motion to Invoke cloture on Calendar #768, the nomination of Stanley Fischer, of New York, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Additional roll call votes are possible Tuesday evening.

By unanimous consent, cloture on H.R.3474, the Hire More Heroes Act of 2014 (the vehicle for the tax extenders legislation) was withdrawn.
Senator Reid then filed cloture on Executive Calendar #576, David Jeremiah Barron, of Massachusetts, to be United States Circuit Judge for the First Circuit. The cloture vote on the Barron nomination is expected on Wednesday, May 21^st. When the vote is set, a message will be sent.

WRAP UP

Roll Call Votes

Motion to Invoke Cloture on Executive Calendar #667, Rosemary Marquez, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona; Invoked: 58-35
Motion to Invoke Cloture on Executive Calendar #668, Douglas L. Rayes, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona; Invoked: 59-35
Motion to Invoke Cloture on Executive Calendar #669, James Alan Soto, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona; Invoked: 61-35
Confirmation of Executive Calendar #667, Rosemary Marquez, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona; Confirmed: 81-15
Confirmation of Executive Calendar #668, Douglas L. Rayes, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona; Confirmed: 77-19
Confirmation of Executive Calendar #669, James Alan Soto, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona; Confirmed: 93-1
Motion to Invoke Cloture on Executive Calendar #732, Gregg Jeffrey Costa, of Texas, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit; Invoked: 58-36
Motion to invoke cloture on the Wyden substitute amendment #3060 (tax extenders) to H.R.3474, the Hire More Heroes Act of 2014; Not Invoked: 53-40

Additional Legislative items

Adopted S.Res.446, Recognizing the 50^th anniversary of the Congressional declaration of bourbon whiskey as a distinctive product of the United States.

Adopted S.Res.449, Commemorating and honoring the dedication and sacrifice of the Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers who have been killed or injured in the line of duty.

Adopted S.Res.450, Designating May 17, 2014, as “Kids to Parks Day”.

Additional Executive items

Confirmed the following by voice vote:

– Executive Calendar #693, Leslie Ragon Caldwell, of New York, to be an Assistant Attorney General and

– Executive Calendar #541, Helen Meagher La Lime, of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Angola

===========================================================

Last Floor Action:
2:04:15 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to section 2(b) of H. Res. 576. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on May 19, 2014 for Morning-Hour Debate.

Last Floor Action: 5/13
1:02:51 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to section 2(b) of H. Res. 576.

The next meeting is scheduled. for 2:00 p.m. on May 15, 2014.

2:00:17 P.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
2:00:22 P.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable Thomas E. Petri to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
2:00:49 P.M.		Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Edward Fassett, S.J., Jesuit Conference of the United States Washington, DC
2:02:29 P.M.		The Chair announced that pursuant to section 2(a) of H. Res. 576, the Journal of the last day’s proceedings was approved.
2:02:37 P.M.		PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Shuster to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
2:02:57 P.M.	H.R. 3080	Conference report H. Rept. 113-449 filed.
2:03:27 P.M.		The House received a communication from the Honorable Vern G. Buchanan. Pursuant to Rule VIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, Mr. Buchanan notified the House that he had been served with a subpoena, issued by the Twelfth Judicial Circuit in and for Sarasota County, State of Florida, for documents in a civil case and that after consultation with the Office of General Counsel, he had determined that compliance with the subpoena was consistent with the precedents and privileges of the House.
2:03:49 P.M.		The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received a message from the Secretary of the Senate on May 14, 2014, at 9:59 a.m., stating that that body had agreed to S. Res. 444.
2:04:15 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to section 2(b) of H. Res. 576. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on May 19, 2014 for Morning-Hour Debate.

========================================================

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The 2014 WA state legislative session

05/14/2014 Nativegrl77

First posted in March 2014 …

While progressives earned a couple of important wins this legislative
session, Rodney Tom and his Senate Republicans put greedy corporations
first and obstructed progress every step of the way. Fuse members stood
up to hold them accountable online, on the ground and in person. Here’s a
rundown of some of our biggest accomplishments during the 2014
legislative session and what we need to do next to build a more
progressive Washington.

The Good News:

The Dream Act
The clear highlight from this legislative session was the passage of the Dream Act. The Washington Dream Act allows all of our brightest students to apply for the state need grant, regardless of their immigration status. Our friends at OneAmerica, the Washington Student Association, the Washington Bus, and many others worked for years to build grassroots support for this legislation. More than 1,500 Fuse members joined them by urging legislators to support the Dream Act this year. Thanks to this unwavering pressure, the Senate finally passed The Dream Act.

Gun safety and domestic violence prevention
The House and Senate also unanimously approved a bill to expand gun violence protections for survivors of domestic violence. This legislation allows judges to require people under a restraining order to surrender their guns while the order is in effect. Even the NRA supported it, and in a functioning Senate it wouldn’t be controversial. Sadly, it took more than a year for Sen. Rodney Tom to allow a vote. Our friends at the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility deserve much credit for organizing support for this bill.

Why we need change:

In their second year in power, Sen. Rodney Tom and his Republican caucus were even more partisan and dysfunctional than 2013. They spent much of the legislative session congratulating themselves and repeating their tired sound bites, rather than working together to pass major legislation. Here are a few key bills that failed in 2014:

Closing tax loopholes and funding education
There are more than 650 tax loopholes on the books that cost our state billions of dollars every year. Closing some of the unnecessary or inefficient tax loopholes is critical to funding education. The House made modest progress by voting to close four tax loopholes to save $200 million in the budget for education. Yet Sen. Andy Hill of Redmond, the Senate’s budget writer, balked at this responsible solution to our state’s education funding crisis. Instead, he actually created or extended 18 other loopholes that will cost taxpayers $87 million. It’s sad to say, but Sen. Hill’s budget prioritizes every one of these 650 tax loopholes over our kids’ future.

Transportation and transit funding
The House passed a comprehensive transportation package in 2013 while the Senate Republicans spoke at length about the need for a transportation package. Yet nearly a year later – huge transit cuts looming across the state –– the Senate Republicans still have yet to approve any solutions to fix our bridges and roads or improve public transit.

Reproductive Parity Act
The Reproductive Parity Act (RPA) would require health insurance companies to cover all of a woman’s legal pregnancy options, ensuring every woman has the freedom and privacy to make her own pregnancy decisions. The House passed the RPA and a majority of Senators have signed a letter in support, yet Sen. Tom refused to allow a vote yet again this year. His hand–picked anti–women’s health committee chair, Sen. Randi Becker, refused to allow a vote on the critical bill. More than 2,600 Fuse members called on Senators Tom and Becker to allow a vote before the deadline. With a change in leadership, the RPA could pass the Senate in a matter of minutes.

“[Senator Jan] Angel was playing insider politics at its worst, with no concern about punishing homeless children and families.”

-The Olympian, March 9, 2014 ³

Homeless Housing
One of the biggest controversies in 2014 was over funding for homeless housing. A strong bipartisan coalition worked to extend the fee that funds a huge portion of the state’s budget for housing assistance for low–income and homeless families. Unfortunately, Rodney Tom’s committee chair, Republican Sen. Jan Angel, abruptly ended a committee hearing without voting on the bill just before the legislative deadline. According to Sen. Steve Hobbs, one of the bill’s champions, Sen. Tom told Sen. Angel to kill the bill. Only after a flurry of outraged press coverage¹ and editorials² did Tom and Angel back down and agree to extend the funding in the final moments of session.

Raising the minimum wage
Fuse members sent more than 7,500 messages to legislators in support of raising the statewide minimum wage to $12 per hour. This important legislation would help ensure that no one who works full time lives in poverty. Unfortunately, we came up several votes short in the House while the Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Michael Baumgartner of Spokane, tried to cut the minimum wage for thousands of Washington workers.

Fuse Senior Organizer Alex Epstein preps volunteers to meet with legislators about the Big Oil tax loophole

Holding the Senate accountable:

Fuse members were there every step of the way to put grassroots pressure on the Senate Republicans and educate the public about their far–right agenda. We organized canvasses, phonebanks and constituent meetings with swing Senators. We also provided rapid–response communications and social media to spread the word and ensure the media and our members online also held the Senators accountable.

More than anything else, the 2014 legislative session showed how much we need a change in the Senate. Tom and his Republican caucus continue to be an obstacle to progress, which means our hopes of passing meaningful progressive reforms depend on retaking the Senate this fall. That’s where you come in.

It’s going to take a, long–term campaign to both retake the Senate and build grassroots support for change on the issues that matter, from commonsense gun laws to raising the minimum wage.

Will you give us the long–term funding we need to win by donating $10 per month as part of the Fuse PowerSource team?

and since this post we found out that Rodney Tom will not run for reelection ! So, that happened