Tag Archives: black

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

livecheap.com …Today’s Best of the Web


//

Written by livecheap staff

Here’s Today’s best articles on the web:

  • Greenspan Warns of Double Dip Recession
  • Shoe String Travel
  • Corruption at Cheap Eats
  • I’m a Cheapskate – Out and Proud

Greenspan Warns of Double Dip Recession

“At the moment there is no sign of that because the financial system

is broke and you cannot have inflation if the financial system is not working.” Have you ever heard Greenspan say anything more absurd? Tell that to Germans circa 1930 or to Zimbabweans today.

Editor’s Response: Yup, Greenspan has been off the mark before.  Here’s his famous 2004 quote: Indeed, recent research within the Federal Reserve suggests that many homeowners might have saved tens of thousands of dollars had they held adjustable-rate mortgages rather than fixed-rate mortgages during the past decade…. American consumers might benefit if lenders provided greater mortgage product alternatives to the traditional fixed-rate mortgage.

Shoe String Travel

This is right up our alley. Going places everybody can afford.

Corruption at Cheap Eats?

Tell us it ain’t so.

I’m a Cheapskate – Out and Proud

This is a nice little interview with Jeff Yeager the author of “The Cheapskate Next Door”


Like this Best of Web? Get it delivered to you each day along with our feature article and a Cheap Tip a Day.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Environment: Media Access blocked


UNDER THE RADAR

ENVIRONMENT — OIL COMPANY, LAW ENFORCEMENT BLOCK MEDIA ACCESS TO PUBLIC SITES HIT BY MICHIGAN OIL SPILL: Last week, a disastrous leak in one of the world’s largest pipeline systems gushed over 1 million gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River, located in southwest Michigan. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) declared the area a disaster zone, quickly activating the State Emergency Operations Center to ensure all state resources are devoted to oil spill response. The spill has “coated scores of birds and fish in oil” and “led about two dozen people to seek relocation.” The Calhoun County Health Department even advised local residents to evacuate due to “higher than acceptable levels of benzene,” a “highly flammable” organic chemical that can lead to serious health risks. The Michigan Messenger reported Sunday that officials from the pipeline company, Enbridge Inc., and law enforcement are blocking the media from public spill sites. The Messenger reported that its journalists were denied access — again — “to a key oil spill site after attempting to record video of the Kalamazoo River.” An Enbridge security office said “no media was allowed” and rebuffed attempts by a citizen video crew to record the effects of the spill. This is the second time since the pipeline burst “that [the] Messenger has been refused entry to public right of ways to monitor the ongoing clean up operations.” The ACLU of Michigan is currently drafting a letter to express concern about media access issues. Despite a history of oil leaks in Michigan, Enbridge declared last week that “no fresh oil is leaking from the leak site itself,” and Enbridge would reopen the leaking oil pipeline “in a matter of days.” However, “the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has issued a Corrective Action Order directing the company not to reopen the pipeline until a comprehensive safety assessment can be completed.”

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Shop at Target?


Target just gave a huge contribution to a anti-gay, anti-immigrant, anti-progressive candidate for governor in Minnesota. Will you send a message to Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel that you won’t shop at Target unless they stop trying to buy elections? Click here:

Sign the petition


Get this: Target, the retail giant, just became one of the very first companies to take advantage of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision allowing unlimited corporate cash in elections.1

Target has spent over $150,000 in the Minnesota Governor’s race backing state Rep. Tom Emmer, a far-right Republican who supports Arizona’s draconian immigration law, wants to abolish the minimum wage and even gave money to a fringe group that condoned the execution of gay people. 2

Target must think customers won’t care. They’re wrong: We do care, and we need to let them know that we want Target—and all corporations—out of our elections.

Will you send a message to Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel telling him that you’re not going to shop at Target unless they stop trying to buy elections? Click here to add your name to the petition:


Once we get 150,000 signatures, MoveOn members in Minnesota will hand deliver the petition to Target headquarters.

The stakes are much higher than one candidate and one company. Other CEOs are in “wait-and-see” mode following the Citizens United decision, according to a former Federal Trade Commission counsel quoted on NPR.3 If we don’t push back hard, this will just be the tip of the iceberg. Other corporations will learn that they can pour money into elections to buy the outcome they want—without paying a price with their customers or shareholders.

We all knew Citizens United would benefit candidates who stand up for corporate CEOs instead of everyday people. But you wouldn’t expect a company like Target to jump in and try to buy an election so quickly. After all, Target made its name by being thought of as the more progressive store in the wake of numerous WalMart scandals.

That’s why MoveOn members are following up on actions of groups like Human Rights Campaign and the Alliance for a Better Minnesota by telling Target that we won’t shop there unless they stop trying to buy elections. Please add your voice now:


Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Robin, Anna, Mari, and the rest of the team

Uncategorized

The Senate in Session -what’s going on …


The  Senate Covnenes: 9:30amET August 3, 2010

The Senate will convene at 9:30am and immediately proceed to Executive Session to consider the nomination of Elena Kagan to by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The Senate will recess from 12:30 until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.

Debate time on the Kagan nomination will be controlled as follows:

– Chairman Leahy –first 30 minutes

– Ranking Member Sessions—next 30 minutes

– 10:30 until 11am equally divided and controlled between the Leaders, or their designees

– 11-12:30pm equally divided and controlled, with the Majority controlling the first 45 minutes;

– 2:15pm-8:15pm divided in one hour alternating blocks, with the Majority controlling the first block

– 8:15pmET and beyond continuing to be divided in one hour alternating blocks of time.

There will be no roll call votes today.

Unanimous Consent:
Passed S.3397, the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act.

Adopted S.Res.555, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of “National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month”.

Adopted S.Res.596, a resolution to designate September 25, 2010, as “National Estuaries Day:.

Adopted S.Res.605, a resolution designating September 13, 2010, as “National Celiac Disease Awareness Day”.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 2:00pmET on September 14,2010

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Top 5 Social Security Myths


Social Security is under attack and we need to fight back against the lies.

Have you heard that Social Security is going bankrupt? Driving up the deficit? In crisis?

Well none of that is true. These are all myths that opponents of Social Security have been spreading to scare people into accepting benefit cuts this fall. But the myths are taking hold—so we have to fight back with the facts.

So we’ve put together a list of the top five myths about Social Security, along with the real story. Can you check out the list and then share it with your friends, family, and coworkers?

Share the list by going to http://pol.moveon.org/ssmyths?id=22234-9640874-V4M3Hcx&t=1 If you’re on Facebook, share it by clicking here. If you’re on Twitter, tweet it here.


Myth #1: Social Security is going broke.

Reality: There is no Social Security crisis. By 2023, Social Security will have a $4.6 trillion surplus (yes, trillion with a ‘T’).  It can pay out all scheduled benefits for the next quarter-century with no changes whatsoever.1 After 2037, it’ll still be able to pay out 75% of scheduled benefits—and again, that’s without any changes. The program started preparing for the Baby Boomers’ retirement decades ago.2 Anyone who insists Social Security is broke probably wants to break it themselves.

Myth #2: We have to raise the retirement age because people are living longer.

Reality: This is a red-herring to trick you into agreeing to benefit cuts. Retirees are living about the same amount of time as they were in the 1930s. The reason average life expectancy is higher is mostly because many fewer people die as children than they did 70 years ago.3 What’s more, what gains there have been are distributed very unevenly—since 1972, life expectancy increased by 6.5 years for workers in the top half of the income brackets, but by less than 2 years for those in the bottom half.4 But those intent on cutting Social Security love this argument because raising the retirement age is the same as an across-the-board benefit cut.

Myth #3: Benefit cuts are the only way to fix Social Security.

Reality: Social Security doesn’t need to be fixed. But if we want to strengthen it, here’s a better way: Make the rich pay their fair share.  If the very rich paid taxes on all of their income, Social Security would be sustainable for decades to come.5 Right now, high earners only pay Social Security taxes on the first $106,000 of their income.6 But conservatives insist benefit cuts are the only way because they want to protect the super-rich from paying their fair share.

Myth #4: The Social Security Trust Fund has been raided and is full of IOUs

Reality: Not even close to true. The Social Security Trust Fund isn’t full of IOUs, it’s full of U.S. Treasury Bonds. And those bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.7 The reason Social Security holds only treasury bonds is the same reason many Americans do: The federal government has never missed a single interest payment on its debts. President Bush wanted to put Social Security funds in the stock market—which would have been disastrous—but luckily, he failed. So the trillions of dollars in the Social Security Trust Fund, which are separate from the regular budget, are as safe as can be.

Myth #5: Social Security adds to the deficit

Reality: It’s not just wrong—it’s impossible! By law, Social Security’s funds are separate from the budget, and it must pay its own way. That means that Social Security can’t add one penny to the deficit.8

Defeating these myths is the first step to stopping Social Security cuts.  Can you share this list now?

Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Duncan, Daniel, Kat, and the rest of the team