Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Supreme Court: The Chamber’s Genie


Ever since Chief Justice Roberts joined the Supreme Court, corporate America has treated his Court as its personal genie, and Roberts has been eager to grant even many of their most outlandish wishes. As soon as Roberts and his fellow conservative Justice Alito joined the high Court, the Chamber of Commerce’s win rate before the justices spiked eight percentage points above its already very high levels under his conservative predecessor William Rehnquist. Nor is Roberts alone in his willingness to go the extra mile for wealthy corporations. A recent study found that every single justice is more likely to side with the Chamber than the just ice who held the seat 25 years ago. As one of the Chamber’s top Supreme Court litigators bragged, “except for the solicitor general representing the United States, no single entity has more influence on what cases the Supreme Court decides and how it decides them than the National Chamber Litigation Center.” This week, corporate America made three especially large wishes to the justices, and the Court’s conservatives once again appear eager to grant them.

ELECTIONS FOR SALE: The best way for big business to push its agenda is to ensure that elected officials throughout the country owe wealthy corporations their jobs — and the Supreme Court took a big step towards making this vision a reality with its infamous Citizens United decision. In the wake of Citizens United, the Chamber pledged to spend a massive $75 million to elect corporate-aligned conservatives, and the Chamber’s right-wing allies kicked in hundreds of millions of dollars more. Yet Citizens United is merely one part of a much larger campaign to cement big money’s control over American elections. On Monday, the justices moved on to the next stage of this effort. Public financing laws provide one of the strongest defenses against the corrupting influence of big money in politics, but public financing schemes only work if they allow candidates who opt into them to remain competitive. To defend against this problem, Arizona developed a two-tiered public financing system. Candidates receive additional funds if their opponent or corporate interest groups overwhelm them with attack ads, and thus candidates who are determined not to be tainted by the corrupting influence of major donors are n ot left defenseless . Yet, in a case called McComish v. Bennett, the Court’s five conservatives appear poised to strike this two-tiered system down. If they do so, it could be the death knell for public financing, since no candidate is safe from massive infusions of corporate money after Citizens United.

SLAMMING COURTHOUSE DOORS: Many of the Court’s most corporate-friendly decisions create complicated and arcane procedural barriers to Americans seeking justice. The Court’s discredited Ledbetter decision didn’t literally take away women’s right to equal work for equal pay. It just created a procedural rule that made it impossible for women to vindicate their rights if they didn’t learn that they were paid less than their male colleagues until a short time after the discrimination began. In Wal-Mart v. Dukes, the Supreme Court will decide whether to shut off another opportunity f or women in the workplace to seek relief — class actions. Class action lawsuits are brought by groups of plaintiffs who share a common injury with each other. These suits are essential to allow ordinary Americans, who often lack the resources to hire lawyers capable of taking on a major corporation on their own, to pool their resources in order to hire counsel that are capable of facing off against someone like Wal-Mart. There is substantial evidence that women who work for Wal-Mart stores shared the same experience of systematic pay and promotion discrimination and thus should be able to bring a class action. If the Supreme Court denies them this right — which it seems likely to do — many of them will be left powerless before Wal-Mart’s legal team.

IMMUNITY TO THE LAW: Procedural victories are all well and good, but there’s nothing corporate America loves more than actual immunity from the law. Past Supreme Court decisions gave sweeping legal immunity to medical device manufacturers and health insurers, and even gave the thumbs up to a biased system of corporate-owned courts that overwhelmingly rule against consumers and employees. In a case called PLIVA, Inc. v. Mensing, the justices will now decide whether to give sweeping im munity to the makers of generic prescription drugs. If the Court sides with the drug makers in this case, two women could be left with no recourse after a prescription drug caused them to develop a horrific neurological disorder resulting in “grotesque involuntary movements of the mouth, tongue, lips, and extremities, involuntary chewing movements, and a general sense of agitation.” And thousands of other Americans could be left similarly defenseless against the powerful pharmaceutical industry.

Recall! …from BoldProgressives.org


Today, we’re turning up the heat in Wisconsin — with a powerful new TV ad that captures the magic of the campaign to “Recall the Republicans.”

This ad shows people of all ages coming together to reject the Republican war on the middle class. We loved the energy in Wisconsin while we were filming the ad. We think you’ll love it too!

http://act.boldprogressives.org/go/3501?akid=3667.392150.erQS24&t=1

Our first Wisconsin ad got rave reviews. When we were filming this new ad in Wisconsin last week, people stopped us on the street and said “Thank you!” for giving voice to what so many people are thinking.

We’re working with our friends at Democracy for America on this ad and other tactics that will defeat Republicans and hold them accountable for their war on the middle class.

Click below to check out the new ad — and if you like it, please donate $3 to put it on Wisconsin TV.

http://act.boldprogressives.org/go/3501?akid=3667.392150.erQS24&t=3

Then, please pass this email to others! Thanks for being a bold progressive.

— Stephanie Taylor, Adam Green, Jason Rosenbaum, Michael Snook, Amanda Johnson, and the PCCC team

Make your check payable to the nuclear power industry … GreenPeaceUSA.org


On Monday, I was one of the thousands of people at over 200 vigils across the country who were standing shoulder to shoulder with friends and neighbors to show support for Japan and to imagine a world free of nuclear disasters.

The Obama administration isn’t backing down from nuclear energy giveaways, and neither will we. Tell the President and Congress that the key to a stable energy future is clean, renewable energy and NOT nuclear power.

Unfortunately, while you were planning your vigils, the president and some members of Congress have been planning to take more of YOUR tax dollars and give them to the nuclear industry to build more plants here in the United States.

Just days after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan crippled not one but THREE nuclear reactors at Fukushima Daiichi to the point of meltdown, the Obama Administration announced that it would move forward with even more giveaways to the nuclear industry in the budget. And they could take the issue up in Congress any day now.

www.greenpeaceusa.org

It’s time for some common sense. Tell the President and Congress that there is no place for taxpayer giveaways to the nuclear industry in the budget and that now is the time to invest in technology that uses clean and unlimited energy sources like the sun and wind.

Every day a new, startling report from Japan makes the headlines: Babies in Tokyo can’t drink the water, radiation levels near the disaster site are dangerously high, plutonium has been reported in the water around Fukushima…. Meanwhile, the president is asking for $36 billion dollars for loan guarantees to subsidize the nuclear industry on top of the already $18.5 billion set aside. It’s crazy.

Lobbyists for the nuclear industry want you to believe that nuclear power is safe. That what is happening in Japan somehow couldn’t happen here even though we have 23 of the exact same reactors on line in this country. Don’t be fooled.

There is no place for nuclear power in our clean energy future. And there is no place for taxpayer giveaways to the nuclear industry in the budget. Send a message today and make sure that your members of Congress and the President know that you’re paying attention to how they’re spending your money.

www.greenpeaceusa.org

A recent poll found that 75% of Americans oppose taxpayer-backed loans for nuclear power and favor increasing emphasis on renewable energy. But the industry won’t go away quietly. Lobbyists are undoubtedly knocking on the doors of every member of Congress trying to convince them nuclear energy is still the way to go. We can’t let them win. Send your letter today!

Thanks for all you do,

Jim Riccio,

Greenpeace Nuclear Policy Analyst

Breathtaking photography (via The Slowvelder)


Breathtaking photography There is one area of my life where I get so frustrated with my attempts at getting things right – and that is my photography.  I am living in one of the most amazing places in the world with photo opportunities around every corner.  Although I have a decent “happy snappy” digital camera I am so limited with what I can do.  Chances are that I will never get a fancy camera with lenses to play around with as my great money earning days are behind me … Read More

via The Slowvelder

Wal-Mart Manager Madness – Vote Now on the Sexist 16 Statements


Sex discrimination. In the workplace. It’s madness — right? Imagine hearing things like this at work:

If you would wear lower-cut shirts, you would probably get more pay. http://action.nwlc.org/site/R?i=HvaOesls0-FHTQ3cfXQKxA..   

The way I see it, a whore for a quarter is a whore for a quarter. http://action.nwlc.org/site/R?i=01ZMZ7SCfGr09L3YK77-jg..

Men are here to make a career and women aren’t. Retail is for housewives who just need to earn extra money. http://action.nwlc.org/site/R?i=ArxJU8ZkMvfNjVt3bse_ZQ..

Women working at Wal-Mart report that these were just a few of the absurd statements made by Wal-Mart managers. They are part of the record in the largest class-action fair pay case in history: Wal-Mart v. Dukes, which is being heard today in the U.S. Supreme Court. Reports like these from more than 100 women employees at Wal-Mart describe egregious stereotyping that may have resulted in lower pay and fewer promotions. It IS madness — in fact, it’s Manager Madness. http://action.nwlc.org/site/R?i=Kmy1ba182tFpC33GZDh_AQ..

Which sexist statement will reign supreme? We’ve seeded our own special March Madness bracket, and you get to determine the results. It’s up to you to decide — we’re pitting “Low Cut Shirts” manager against “Whore for a Quarter” manager — and more. Wal-Mart Manager Madness: The Sexist 16 is now open for voting! http://action.nwlc.org/site/R?i=vYGICmWgSg2Fp81UNOFQJg..

Voting opens today for the first round! Round 1 will have 16 of the “best” — er, “worst,” sexist statements available for your outraged perusal. Vote today — and every day, until we vote for our Sexist Slam-Dunk Final on Equal Pay Day (April 12th)!

It’s not every day that a case of such importance to working women goes before the Supreme Court! Today happens to be that day — oral arguments are happening right now in front of the country’s highest court, and we need to make sure these outrageous statements get the attention they deserve. Vote today! http://action.nwlc.org/site/R?i=bCiJsgUtkMRj1f-t0Srs2g..

Sincerely,

Fatima Goss Graves

Vice President for Education and Employment

National Women’s Law Center

P.S. As you’re voting, honor the brave women of Wal-Mart today by taking action to ask your Member of Congress to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act.