“The American Way of Poverty: How the Other Half Still Lives”
Sasha Abramsky
About the Program
Sasha Abramsky talks about chronically poor and the working poor in America and discusses how their lives have changed since 2008. He says that the level of inequality in the U.S. today hasn’t been seen since the 1920s. During this event host by the Open Society Foundations in New York City, Mr. Abramsky is in conversation with former New York Times columnist Bob Herbert.
About the Authors
Sasha Abramsky
Sasha Abramsky is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Nation, New York magazine, and Rolling Stone. His books include “Inside Obama’s Brain” and “Breadline USA.” For more, visit: sashaabramsky.com.
Republicans then filibustered the nomination of Patricia Millett for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, despite her sterling credentials as one of the most well-respected members of the Supreme Court bar, previous experience in both Democratic and Republican administrations, and the support of conservative legal luminaries like Ken Starr and Ted Olson.
The D.C. Circuit is second only to the Supreme Court in importance. It hears cases involving key national security issues and federal regulations like environmental and labor rules. During the Bush administration, all 11 seats on the court were happily filled by Republicans. But now that three vacancies have opened up, they are refusing to allow votes on President Obama’s nominees.
It’s no secret why — conservatives currently have a stranglehold on this important court and Republicans want to keep it that way. Of the eight current judges, four were appointed by Republicans and four were appointed by Democrats; however, five of six semi-retired senior judges who still hear cases were appointed by Republicans.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) indicated that Obama’s nominees will be voted on again and not-so-subtly threatened to change the filibuster rules if Republicans continue their blockade.
Why Courts Matter
The last 24 hours have provided important reminders about why the courts — and federal appeals courts in particular — matter.
Both of these vital cases will likely head to the Supreme Court, which also continues to be controlled by Republican-appointed justices, where they will face an uncertain fate.
BOTTOM LINE: The courts matter and it’s important that President Obama be allowed to exercise his constitutional duty to fill vacancies on the D.C. Circuit, other federal appeals courts, and district courts. Unless more progressive judges make it on to the bench, radical judges appointed by Bush and other Republicans will continue to try and drag the country backward and undermine hard won progressive victories.
Had enough? Click HERE to tell your senators that enough is enough and it’s time to allow a vote on the president’s nominees.
America is an inspiration to those who yearn to be free and have the ability and the dignity to determine their own destiny.
Whenever the agenda of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to institute a new governing agenda and set a different course.
These first principles were proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, enshrined in the Constitution, and have endured through hard sacrifice and commitment by generations of Americans.
In a self-governing society, the only bulwark against the power of the state is the consent of the governed, and regarding the policies of the current government, the governed do not consent.
An unchecked executive, a compliant legislature, and an overreaching judiciary have combined to thwart the will of the people and overturn their votes and their values, striking down longstanding laws and institutions and scorning the deepest beliefs of the American people.
An arrogant and out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites makes decisions, issues mandates, and enacts laws without accepting or requesting the input of the many.
Rising joblessness, crushing debt, and a polarizing political environment are fraying the bonds among our people and blurring our sense of national purpose.
Like free peoples of the past, our citizens refuse to accommodate a government that believes it can replace the will of the people with its own. The American people are speaking out, demanding that we realign our country’s compass with its founding principles and apply those principles to solve our common problems for the common good.
The need for urgent action to repair our economy and reclaim our government for the people cannot be overstated.
With this document, we pledge to dedicate ourselves to the task of reconnecting our highest aspirations to the permanent truths of our founding by keeping faith with the values our nation was founded on, the principles we stand for, and the priorities of our people. This is our Pledge to America.
We pledge to honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent of those precepts that have been consistently ignored – particularly the Tenth Amendment, which grants that all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
We pledge to advance policies that promote greater liberty, wider opportunity, a robust defense, and national economic prosperity.
We pledge to honor families, traditional marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form the core of our American values.
We pledge to make government more transparent in its actions, careful in its stewardship, and honest in its dealings.
We pledge to uphold the purpose and promise of a better America, knowing that to whom much is given, much is expected and that the blessings of our liberty buoy the hopes of mankind.
We make this pledge bearing true faith and allegiance to the people we represent, and we invite fellow citizens and patriots to join us in forming a new governing agenda for America.
Election Day is this Tuesday. Around the country, people will be casting their ballots for important gubernatorial and local elections. But there will undoubtedly be some in Texas and Virginia who aren’t able to exercise their democratic right to vote—all because of a set of laws designed to discriminate and suppress.
Voter suppression tactics are happening all around the country, denying us the fair and free elections that make America great. It’s up to us to expose these dirty tactics, on Election Day and every day. But we can’t do it alone. Tonight is our deadline, we only have $2,000 left to raise. Help us reach our goal.
We’ll be reporting on what happens on the ground on Tuesday, tracking down cases of voter suppression wherever they might occur. And as we gear up for the even bigger elections of 2014, we’ll be making sure that politicians are held accountable when they seek to make our elections less free.
No one should be denied a chance to vote. Pitch in and help us reach our goal of $15,000 so we can keep tracking voter suppression.
Democracy doesn’t happen when one person stands up and speaks. It happens when we all work together to ensure a representative democracy. Donate now.
Thank you,
Neera Tanden Counselor to the Center for American Progress Action Fund
You may have heard that Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson is now up for re-election. His office was gracious enough to allow our team to present facts from Kirstin Blaise Lobato’s case in hopes that the Innocence Project would be allowed to pay for DNA testing and retesting of 13 pieces of currently untested evidence.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that all of the DNA from the crime scene that has been tested was proven to be from an unidentified man, Wolfson’s team continues to believe that Kirstin is guilty and does not believe DNA testing is necessary.
Will you reach out to DA Wolfson and his office and share your thoughts? We want to make sure it is understood that the opportunity for discussion was deeply appreciated, but justice has not been done in this case.
Please be respectful in your correspondence and send us a copy of your letter or a transcript of your call to justice4kirstin@gmail.com.
Contact DA Wolfson’s re-election campaign to express your concern about the lack of DNA testing in the Kirstin Blaise Lobato case.
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