ECONOMY — WHILE TEXAS CAN’T AFFORD TO BUY NEW FAR-RIGHT TEXTBOOKS, RICK PERRY STILL RESISTS FEDERAL AID: For the past year, far-right members of the Texas Board of Education have been overhauling the state’s textbook standards. The changes include “pushing for inclusion of more…Confederate glorification,” renaming the Atlantic slave trade the “Atlantic Triangle Trade,” and raising doubt about climate change. However, the Texas Observer now reports that, with the state facing “a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion in 2011,” the “money isn’t going to be there” for the state to buy the new books. The books with the new science standards “would have cost $400 million, and the Legislature is already expecting a bill of $888 million for textbooks already ordered.” To ensure that students can still be exposed to “proof, supposedly, of evolution’s fallibility,” the Board is trying to secure funding for special “supplements for science classes from fifth grade through high school.” Ironically, though, the legislature’s biggest obstacle to securing the revisionist textbooks is right-wing Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), whose constant compulsion has been to oppose federal funding. At the beginning of June, he refused to let Texas compete for Race to the Top funding for education reform because he falsely claimed the program would weaken the state’s school standards, an allegation refuted by fellow Republican governor Sonny Perdue of Georgia. The Houston Chronicle earlier this week lamented Perry’s stubborn “grandstanding” despite the clear need for education support in the state. Texas now faces a daunting $18 billion shortfall for the next two-year budget cycle, amounting to 20 percent of the total budget, but Perry misguidedly insists he can find enough spending cuts to create balance. He is even blustering about rejecting supplementary Medicaid funding from Congress that would greatly help address the state’s fiscal woes. Last year, he tried to reject the stimulus money that proved key to balancing Texas’ budget, insisting, “We can take care of ourselves,” before the legislature intervened and secured relief.
Tag Archives: civil rights
Official Vote: Choose your favorite planks
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It’s now or never. In the wake of the BP spill and the Wall Street meltdown, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rescue our democracy from the corporate corruption that led to these disasters.
It’s time for elected officials in Washington to choose sides: Will they do the bidding of corporations and their lobbyists or stand with the Other 98% of us to make government work again? Together we’re creating a tool to put them on the record on this critical question—but we need your help.
The “Stand for Democracy” project has already generated hundreds of ideas that have been rated over 1.3 million times. Now, we’ve got the top tier of ideas, and we a really tough decision to make together. Which ideas should make it into our final platform?
Click here to help choose the winning ideas so we can construct our pledge against corporate corruption in our democracy. Voting ends Monday night at midnight PST.
http://pol.moveon.org/sfd/slate/signup.html?id=21231-9640874-.zBcRQx&t=5
Once the pledge is formed, we’ll ask candidates to endorse it and work with us to take our country back from giant corporations and their lobbyists.
In the face of the ongoing economic crisis and the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, we simply can’t sit back and wait for change. We need to be clear on what we’re asking, fight for candidates who are with us, and oppose those who would rather do the corporations’ bidding. That’s just what we’re doing with the Stand for Democracy project.
We’re figuring out how to re-wire American politics to work for regular people again, instead of the 11,000 corporate lobbyists who have taken over Washington, D.C. This grassroots project has absolutely taken off in the last week, with hundreds of ideas receiving over a million votes.
Now, we need your vote so we can package the winning ideas into this high-profile pledge. It needs to reflect your vision for how to take back our country from the forces that have worked to block real reform at every step. Please take a moment to vote on the final slate of ideas for our pledge to combat corporate corruption:
http://pol.moveon.org/sfd/slate/signup.html?id=21231-9640874-.zBcRQx&t=6
Thanks for all you do.
–Ilyse, Milan, Anna, Tim, and the rest of the team
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Monday’s Telethon: A Two-Screen Experience
Tune in and log on this Monday, June 21, for a special LARRY KING LIVE telethon focusing on what you can do to help the Gulf Coast. “Disaster in the Gulf: How You Can Help,” which airs on CNN between 8 – 10 PM ET, is going to be a great two-screen experience, so pull out your laptop!
During the telethon, Larry will check in with Ryan Seacrest, who will be hosting a special “Social Suite” with celebrities such as Alyssa Milano, Pete Wentz, Deepak Chopra, Chelsea Handler, Jenny McCarthy, Tyson Ritter and Edward James Olmos.
Before and during the broadcast, we are encouraging people to participate on their favorite social media platform to help spread the word, have conversations and share ideas about how you can help.
Here is how you can participate
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Spill baby Spill
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what’s going on in Congress …
The Senate Convenes: 2:00pET June 21, 2010
| Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to a period of morning business until 5:15pm with senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each and with no motions in order.At 5:15pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive session and debate concurrently until 6pm, with the time equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Sessions or their designees. At 6pm, the Senate will proceed to vote on confirmation of the below listed nominations: – Calendar #777, Mark Goldsmith, of Michigan, to be US District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan; |
| Votes: 195: Confirmation of Calendar #777, Mark Goldsmith, of Michigan, to be US District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan; Confirmed: 89-0 196: Confirmation of Calendar #778, Marc Treadwell, of Georgia, to be US District Judge for the Middle District of Georgia; Calendar #779, Josephine Tucker, of California, to be US District Judge for the Central District of California; |
| Unanimous Consent: Adopted S.Res.560, a resolution recognizing the immeasurable contributions of fathers in the healthy development of children, supporting responsible fatherhood, and encouraging greater involvement of fathers in the lives of their families, especially on Father’s Day.Adopted S.Res.561, a resolution designating June 25th, 2010 as National Huntington’s Disease Awareness Day. |
The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 11:00amET on June 21, 2010
CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF JUNE 21, 2010
111TH CONGRESS – SECOND SESSION
- 11:03 A.M. –
- The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on June 22, 2010.
- 11:01 A.M. –
- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.
- 11:00 A.M. –
- Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Doug Tanner, Faith & Politics Institute The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
Be a Seed for Change 
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