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Monthly Archives: September 2014
A Tale of Two Visions
Hillary Clinton Argues For “Inclusive Prosperity,” John Boehner Ignores His Past
The Center for American Progress was honored today to host a dynamic panel of women leaders featuring Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Patty Murray, and Rep. Rosa DeLauro to discuss why women’s economic security matters for everyone. Clinton spoke forcefully about the need for workplace policies that work for women and families: “The number one thing we can do to make our economy grow is to tap into the full potential of women who want to be in the workforce,” she said.
Across town, Speaker John Boehner delivered his own remarks on what he termed “resetting America’s economic foundation.” But for all the talk about setting a new foundation for the future, the Speaker reminded us of somebody who can’t remember the past.
Secretary Clinton and Speaker Boehner outline two very different visions of America’s future: Clinton recognizes our changing society and seeks to expand economic prosperity for all Americans; Boehner offers platitudes while ignoring his long track record of hurting the middle class.
What Clinton Says: “Without equal pay, without flexibility or predictability at work, without access to quality affordable childcare, without the ability to take a day off if your child or aging parent gets sick, without paid family and medical leave, this woman is really on the brink.”
TRUTH. With women increasingly the primary breadwinner or co-breadwinner in their families, the workplace policies that exist today are simply from a bygone era. Clinton recognized that challenge and spoke about how 21st century policies would help women–and men. And this isn’t just about helping those at the top, as Clinton says, this is fundamentally about working-class people: “We talk about the glass ceiling? — These women don’t even have a secure floor under them.”
What Clinton Says: “The failure of our political leadership on the other side of the aisle to recognize the importance of making sure that people who work hard and play by the rules — that old description — have a chance to get into the middle class and certainly a chance to stay in the middle class.”
TRUTH. While incomes at the top continue to go up, working-class and middle-class families are being squeezed by stagnating wages and rising prices. Policies like those Clinton addressed in the panel, such as an increase in the minimum wage and policies for women and families, are a critical step to not only helping all citizens achieve economic security but also to really grow the economy and create jobs for everyone.
What Boehner Says: “Let’s fix the whole tax code. Make it pro-growth and pro-family. Bring down the rates for every American, clear out all the loopholes, allow people to do their taxes on two – yes, two – sheets of paper.”
What Boehner Does: The Speaker does not lay out any details of what kind of tax reform he supports, but a look at his support for the Ryan Budget plan is enough: it would raise taxes on middle class families by an average of $1,358 to pay for a $286,000 tax cut for millionaires. This isn’t just unfair—it’s a recipe for economic stagnation. A tax cut for the rich has no measurable effect on growth while a tax cut for everyone else actually does boost the economy.
What Boehner Says: “We have to solve our spending problem. For 53 of the last 60 years, we’ve spent more money than we’ve brought in…It is stealing from our kids and grandkids, robbing them of benefits they’ll never see and leaving them with burdens that are nearly impossible to repay.”
What Boehner Does: There are two sides to any budget deficit, spending and revenue, a reality Boehner has willfully ignored as Speaker. He famously refused a “Grand Bargain” with President Obama in 2011 that would have cut federal spending by $2.2 trillion because the President asked for $650 billion more in revenue and said in 2013 that the “the talk about raising revenue is over.”
And speaking of robbing kids, it’s worth noting that Boehner has refused bills that would help state and local governments halt teacher layoffs.
What Boehner Says: “We’ve gotten to a point in America where litigation has become a first resort instead of a last. The costs are staggering: Americans are spending more per person on litigation than just about any other country, and it’s not even close. Our liability costs are more than 2.5 times the average level of Eurozone economies. Not something to be proud of.”
What Boehner Does:The Speaker should first take his own advice on frivolous lawsuits before he begins offering policy prescriptions on litigation. After all, he led the charge this summer to win approval of a resolution authorizing him to sue the Obama Administration for waiving the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate. The lawsuit is the definition of frivolous—not only is it likely to lose, but Boehner doesn’t even support the employer mandate he is suing to enforce!
What Clinton Says: “Congress is living in a evidence-free zone.” When it comes to Speaker Boehner, that’s the truth.
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Ten years in prison
Eight Greenpeace activists are each facing almost ten years in prison for participating in a peaceful protest to protect Indonesian rainforest. Sign our statement of support today for the action they took and the right to peaceful protest.
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In just a few weeks, eight Greenpeace activists, who last March participated in a peaceful protest at Procter & Gamble’s Cincinnati headquarters to protect Indonesian rainforest1, will be going on trial. 
They’re each facing two separate felony charges — burglary and vandalism — and if convicted, they could spend almost ten years in prison.
These are crimes they did not commit. The charges in this case are an attempt to intimidate us and prevent more people from taking action — especially when it relates to large corporations like Procter & Gamble. The eight individuals on trial in Cincinnati are prepared to accept the consequences of their actions for a cause they believe in. But they aren’t burglars. And they aren’t vandals. That’s why they’re going to trial.
I’ll be there in person in Cincinnati during the trial doing everything I can to support the eight individuals and their case. You have a role to play too.
When I took the job of Executive Director of Greenpeace USA, I didn’t think that this would be how I’d introduce myself to you. But this is a very serious moment, and we need your help.
I’m Annie Leonard. You might know me from my most recent project, the Story of Stuff, but I actually got my start in the environmental movement at Greenpeace over 20 years ago. And I’ve seen firsthand the power that peaceful protest can have.
I’ll be delivering your messages of support personally to the activists. It’s important that they know they’re not alone and that the there is broad support for the action they took. And it’s important that we work together to protect the right to freedom of speech which allowed this action to take place, and which will continue to allow other activists to take direct action in the future.
The right to peaceful protest is one of the single most important tools at our disposal, not only to protect the environment, but to bring about positive social change in a democracy. It should be allowed to be exercised without the fear of unjust legal consequences.
Carmen, I can’t tell you how excited I am to have come home to Greenpeace as its Executive Director. Or how excited I am to work with you in the days, months and years to come to make our world a greener and more peaceful place.
Thanks for all you do. I’ll be sure to keep you updated as we get closer to the trial and the proceedings begin.
Sincerely,
Annie Leonard
Greenpeace USA Executive Director
1. For more information on the protest and why these activists did what they did, check out this blog post.
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Why does Mitch McConnell want to Shutdown the Government ?
Mitch McConnell Promises To Shut Down Government If GOP Takes Over Senate This November
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) just laid out the GOP strategy if it takes over the Senate. In short: if you think conservative obstruction is grinding Congress to a halt right now, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Politico’s Manu Raju reports on McConnell’s plans:
Mitch McConnell has a game plan to confront President Barack Obama with a stark choice next year: Accept bills reining in the administration’s policies or veto them and risk a government shutdown.
In an extensive interview here, the typically reserved McConnell laid out his clearest thinking yet of how he would lead the Senate if Republicans gain control of the chamber. The emerging strategy: Attach riders to spending bills that would limit Obama policies on everything from the environment to health care, consider using an arcane budget tactic to circumvent Democratic filibusters and force the president to “move to the center” if he wants to get any new legislation through Congress.
In short, it’s a recipe for a confrontational end to the Obama presidency.
“We’re going to pass spending bills, and they’re going to have a lot of restrictions on the activities of the bureaucracy,” McConnell said in an interview aboard his campaign bus traveling through Western Kentucky coal country. “That’s something he won’t like, but that will be done. I guarantee it.”
It appears McConnell, who proudly called himself the “guardian of gridlock,” would take things to a whole new level if he takes control of the Senate chamber: use the threat of a shutdown in a proactive effort to undo the progress that we have made when it comes to health care, the environment, and more. There is little else that could be as destructive. Remember what happened last year when conservative opposition led to the first government shutdown in almost 20 years? The results were not pretty:
- The shutdown cost the economy $24 billion.
- Federal employees were furloughed for a combined total of 6.6 million days at taxpayers’ expense. At the peak of the shutdown, about 850,000 individuals per day were furloughed.
- Hundreds of patients including children were prevented from enrolling in clinical trials at the National Institutes of Health.
- The combination of the shutdown and debt limit brinksmanship resulted in 120,000 fewer private sector jobs created.
- National parks were forced to shut down, causing them to lose an estimated $414 million in visitor spending.
The list goes on.
At the same time, a media narrative seems to be forming that during this primary season the GOP’s “establishment” candidates (with the exception of Eric Cantor) are fending off the Tea Party and winning their elections. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Rep. Cory Gardner of Colorado. And last night, Attorney General Dan Sullivan of Alaska. The reality is that “establishment” candidates still push for radical, out-of-touch policies: supporting an amendment to ban abortion and even some common forms of contraception; refusing to acknowledge man-made climate change; opposing marriage equality. And Mitch McConnell’s plan to shut down the government again belongs at the top of the list.
BOTTOM LINE: Mitch McConnell has made the GOP plan if it takes over the Senate clear: force a government shutdown. The last shutdown caused major damage to our economy, but that doesn’t seem to bother McConnell and Republicans. McConnell isn’t in it to help Kentucky or the country; he wants only to block President Obama and progress wherever he can.
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Stand with Jerome Thompson
What gets you fired from Cablevision, using the N-word, or saying the word ‘slavery’? If you’re a union supporter like Jerome, apparently saying the word slavery is the real crime.
Three years ago, Jerome and his co-workers started trying to build a union at Cablevision and voted to join the CWA. Instead of good-faith bargaining, Cablevision have met them with intimidation and harassment and the illegal firing of 22 workers. Now, Cablevision has fired Jerome for saying that just like slavery is a stain on America, Cablevision’s unfair treatment of the Brooklyn workers and union-busting is a stain on their new brand.
Join Working Families, CWA and the Black Institute to pressure Cablevision to hire Jerome back and bargain fairly for a fair contract!
Be a Seed for Change 
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