Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Pristine Croatian Coast (Click photo to enlarge)

Millions of tourists visit the beautiful Adriatic coast of Croatia every year and indeed are the ones to whom Croatian economy, no matter how deeply in tatters, owes much gratitude. However, the current government’s increasing acceleration and rush to get going with offshore drilling looking for oil and gas speaks of the government’s path to destroy one successful industry – tourism – in order to gamble with another: oil and gas production. The Croatian government keeps saying that there could be oil and gas deposits in its part of the Adriatic worth billions of Euro and, if so, these could turn Croatia into a major energy heavyweight country that could be crucial in reducing Europe’s reliance on Russian energy imports.

Few weeks ago the Croatian government awarded 10 licences for hydrocarbon exploration and drilling in the Adriatic to three consortia, which together paid…

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~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Medical marijuana could stop my daughter’s seizures

02/26/2015 Nativegrl77

Petitioning US Drug Enforcement Agency

End my daughter’s suffering

Petition by matthew Graham

Thorsby, Alabama

5,013

Supporters

Sign Matthew’s petition

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

CPAC: Rhetoric vs. Reality

02/26/2015 Nativegrl77

By CAP Action War Room

On Inequality, Republicans’ Rhetoric Doesn’t Match Reality

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) kicks off today. CPAC, organized by the American Conservative Union, gives conservative politicians and pundits a platform to push their extreme agenda. This year, as Republicans are establishing their 2016 messaging and trying to distinguish themselves in the crowded GOP primary field, many expected candidates are feigning concern about the country’s working and middle class.

But the same GOP leaders who are now expressing concern about economic inequality have consistently voted against policies aimed at helping our country’s working and middle class. To kick off CPAC, we took a look at five potential candidates for the 2016 GOP primary and compared the rhetoric to the record.

FORMER GOVERNOR JEB BUSH:

Rhetoric: Speaking in Detroit a few weeks ago, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said, “Tens of millions of Americans no longer see a clear path to rise above their challenges. The opportunity gap is the defining issue of our time.”
Reality: As governor of Florida, Bush opposed an increase in the minimum wage, despite the fact that an overwhelming percent of his constituents – 71 percent – supported it. A decade later, there are still more than 140,000 Floridians who earn less than the minimum wage. Governor Bush also consistently cut taxes for the wealthiest Floridians. Under his leadership, the top 5 percent in the state saw their income increase by 22 percent during his tenure.

GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER:

Rhetoric: When he released his budget earlier this month, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker said he feared the American Dream is growing less attainable. “I worry that too many of our fellow citizens feel that dream has become out of reach for them and their families,” he said.
Reality: Included in the budget that sparked that comment is an increase in employment requirements for food stamps, a move that will likely cut thousands of people out of the program. Walker also opposes the minimum wage and has said he doesn’t think it “serves a purpose” despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

SENATOR TED CRUZ:

Rhetoric: During a recent panel discussion of potential 2016 contenders, Senator Ted Cruz called for policies that would help left up the middle class – “The people who have been hammered for the last six years are working men and women.” He also dismissed any economic gains that have occurred under President Obama’s leadership.
Reality: While there’s much more to do to help working Americans, the U.S. economy is undoubtedly getting stronger. And that is no thanks to politicians like Cruz, who said that programs like food stamps are “trapping millions in long-term dependency.” He also voted against raising the minimum wage despite the fact that over 220,000 Texans earn the federal minimum wage and 177,000 earn less.

SENATOR MARCO RUBIO:

Rhetoric: Last year, in an op-ed on economic inequality, Senator Marco Rubio borrowed language from his progressive colleagues, writing: “Too many Americans believe the American dream is slipping away for them and their children. They see their cost of living rise while their paychecks remain stagnant. They see an economy that benefits stockbrokers but not stock clerks.”
Reality: Rubio’s actions paint a different picture about his concern for working American families. Last year alone, he voted against raising the federal minimum wage and against the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would help close the gender wage gap. Rubio also voted to pass the Ryan budget, which would have cut $1.5 trillion from Medicaid funding and $125 billion from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, funding.

SENATOR RAND PAUL

Rhetoric: In response to Obama’s State of the Union this year, Senator Rand Paul said, “Income inequality has worsened under this administration, and tonight President Obama offers more of the same policies — policies that have allowed the poor to get poorer and the rich to get richer.” And at CPAC last year, Paul said the GOP needs to make it known that “the GOP is the ticket to the middle class.”
Reality: Paul and his Republican peers have proven that the GOP is not the ticket to the middle class. In 2014, Paul voted against raising the minimum wage to $10.10 just months after he claimed that “virtually all” research shows that the minimum wage increases unemployment, despite the fact that more than 600 economists signed a letter saying the exact opposite.

BOTTOM LINE: CPAC will give conservative leaders ample opportunity to try to appeal to middle class voters through rhetoric, but their records show clearly that they are less committed to helping create an economy that works for all Americans, and more committed to protecting the interests of the wealthy few.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Progressive Breakfast: A Voice for Workers at the Federal Reserve

02/26/2015 Nativegrl77

MORNING MESSAGE

Robert Borosage

A Voice for Workers at the Federal ReserveThe Federal Reserve’s Chairwoman Janet Yellen is intimating that it might begin to lift interest rates in the middle of this year. If so, its decisions over the next year could well lock millions of Americans out of the workforce, and insure that wages generally continue to stagnate. That is why it is vital that President Obama act now to nominate someone with a clue about the real conditions of working people in this economy … Progressives should be rallying support for the nomination of a leader like Larry Cohen, the dynamic retiring president of the Communications Workers of America…

Pressure On House GOP To Avert DHS Shutdown

Senate could pass bill to fund Homeland Security today, House prospects unclear. W. Post:“…Boehner repeatedly declined to say Wednesday whether he would take up the Senate’s ‘clean’ bill … Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.), a moderate Republican, defended McConnell and laid blame at the feet of House Republicans … Democrats were happy to twist the knife. ‘There’s trouble in paradise. I don’t understand it,’ said a chuckling Sen. Richard J. Durbin…”

“Boehner and his leadership team are mulling several different options” reports Politico:“One is to approve a one- to two-week stopgap funding bill, alongside a request for a formal negotiation between [House and Senate] … Another alternative House leaders are weighing is to tie DHS funding to the outcome of [the] court fight …”

“Disgruntled right wing keeps Boehner coup talk alive” says The Hill:“While there’s not a coordinated effort yet, chatter of another coup attempt has grown louder now that the Senate is moving to pass a funding bill to avert a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without the immigration riders.”

Obama expects to prevail in court on immigration. AP:“‘People should be gathering up their papers, make sure you can show you are a long standing resident of the United States,’ Obama said at a town hall meeting hosted by the Spanish-language TV network Telemundo. He said immigrants should make sure that by the time the legal issues are sorted out, ‘you are ready to go.’”

Warren Intensifies Fight Against TPP

Sen. Elizabeth Warren takes on TPP in W. Post oped:“Who will benefit from the TPP? … One strong hint is buried in the fine print of the closely guarded draft. The provision, an increasingly common feature of trade agreements, is called ‘Investor-State Dispute Settlement,’ or ISDS. The name may sound mild, but don’t be fooled. Agreeing to ISDS in this enormous new treaty would tilt the playing field in the United States further in favor of big multinational corporations. Worse, it would undermine U.S. sovereignty.”

Politico Magazine’s Zachary Karabell frets Germany will “crash the world economy”:“Instead of easing the language and giving the new Greek government some room to claim that it has honored its election pledges to remove the more onerous conditions of the bailout and attend to the needs of the average Greek citizen, the German-led champions of austerity are seizing on the moment to stand on their antiquated principles, even if those principles result in a Greek exit and untold economic damage.”

Walker Closer To Kneecapping Private Sector Unions

Wisconsin closer to passing anti-union law. NYT:“[Gov.] Walker is now preparing to sign a measure … that would bar unions from requiring workers to pay the equivalent of dues … The State Senate passed the bill, 17 to 15, mostly along party lines, Wednesday night after about eight hours of debate … The State Assembly is expected to take up the measure next week. Where Mr. Walker’s earlier high-profile strike against labor cut collective bargaining rights for most public-sector unions, this one is aimed at workers in the private sector.”

Gov. Christie backtracks from claims of a pension deal with the teachers’ union. USA Today:“He blamed the media for butchering his message, though [union] leaders who attended the speech Tuesday blasted the Republican governor for jumping the gun, saying there are negotiations but no deal.”

Progressive movement rallies around Chuy Garcia in Chicago mayoral runoff. Politico:“García’s chances of winning the April 7 run-off are, as even his supporters admit, pretty slim. He got 34 percent to Emanuel’s 45 in a five-way race, and the mayor can now likely consolidate support, money and attention … Even if García doesn’t catch fire in the run-off, some progressive groups are hoping that just having Emanuel go through the next two months of campaigning will be humbling enough to get him to shift more in their direction.”