News 30 March 2009

White House questions viability of GM, Chrysler
President Barack Obama is sending a blunt message to Detroit automakers: To survive — and win more government help — they must remake themselves top to bottom. Driving home the point, the White House ousted the General Motors chairman as it rejected GM and Chrysler's restructuring plans.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2009/03/white_house_questions_viability_of_gm_chrysler.php?ref=fp1
Bachmann Blasts Obama's "Economic Marxism," Calls For "Orderly Revolution" To Save Freedom
Wow. Just plain wow. This past Wednesday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) appeared on Sean Hannity's radio show, and sharply reiterated her calls for revolution in America, warning against the imminent dangers of tyranny under Barack Obama: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/03/bachmann-blasts-obamas-economic-marxism-calls-for-revolution-to-save-freedom.php
The Oil Patch Vaudeville Act
There they go again. It was so nice and quiet on the oil front for a short while. Had the price of oil held at $147 we would have been regaled endlessly with all the good reasons why it should go ever higher. Procrastinations came from far and wide and were trumpeted loudly for all to hear. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/raymond-j-learsy/the-oil-patch-vaudeville_b_180595.html
Generations Must Stand United for Employee Free Choice Act
Our nation’s economic crisis is affecting nearly everyone. Unless you are getting one of those big Wall Street bonuses, you are probably struggling to pay your bills, keep your home, or afford to see a doctor or fill a prescription. There is no longer any doubt that the fundamentals of our economy are broken
http://blog.aflcio.org/2009/03/27/generations-must-stand-united-for-employee-free-choice-act/
Pension insurer shifted to stocks
WASHINGTON - Just months before the start of last year's stock market collapse, the federal agency that insures the retirement funds of 44 million Americans departed from its conservative investment strategy and decided to put much of its $64 billion insurance fund into stocks http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/03/30/pension_insurer_shifted_to_stocks/?page=full
Nelson seeks ban on Chinese drywall
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida filed legislation today seeking a temporary ban on Chinese-made drywall believed to be emitting sulfur-based gases in numerous Florida homes built with the product, correspondent Eun Kim reports.
http://www.floridatoday.com/watchdog
- Feeling Too Down to Rise Up
IN Chicago, during the summer of 1992, I watched a rally explode into a riot. Unruly public housing tenants were protesting high prices at local grocery stores. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/opinion/29venkatesh.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th Companies Pretty Up Prices to Win Stimulus Projects
Department stores are marking down their spring collections. Broadway shows are offering discount tickets. Now road work is on sale, as well. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/us/29bids.html?th&emc=th

News for March 28 2009

Economic Blackmail
Corporate opponents of workers’ freedom to form unions repeatedly have shown they are not interested in the welfare of their employees or any of the pseudo-lofty ideals they cite while fighting the Employee Free Choice Act http://blog.aflcio.org/2009/03/27/economic-terrorism/

Bank CEOs voice support for Obama's economic plans
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama won support from top bankers on Friday for his efforts to rid financial institutions of bad debts, but differences remained over broader U.S. plans for the financial industry. http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2651410320090327?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

Pun for the Ages
THE inglorious pun! Dryden called it the "lowest and most groveling kind of wit." To Ambrose Bierce it was a "form of wit to which wise men stoop and fools aspire." Universal experience confirms the adage that puns don’t make us laugh, but groan. It is said that Caligula ordered an actor to be roasted alive for a bad pun. (Some believe he was inclined to extremes.)http://http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/opinion/28Tartakovsky.html?th&emc=th

U.S. Expected to Give More Money to Automakers
DETROIT — The Obama administration will probably extend more short-term aid to General Motors and Chrysler on Monday, but will impose a strict deadline for bondholders and union workers to make concessions that would help the ailing automakers become viable businesses and avert bankruptcy http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/business/economy/28auto.html?th&emc=th

High-Minded Budget Goals Yield to Reality
WASHINGTON — When President Obama unveiled his spending plan last month, he loudly proclaimed a return to honest budgeting and called for elimination of the cute fiscal acrobatics that the government had used for years to avoid facing up to cold truths. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/us/politics/28memo.html?th&emc=th

Higher Education Gone Wrong: Universities Are Turning into Corporate Drone Factories
Unless we take hold of the reigns we will be cursed with a more ruthless form of corporate power wielded through naked repression. http://www.alternet.org/workplace/133446/higher_education_gone_wrong%3A_universities_are_turning_into_corporate_drone_factories/

100 Historians Sign On to Support Employee Free Choice Act
Some of the nation’s top historians have signed a petition asking Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act and protect the freedom to form unions and bargain. http://blog.aflcio.org/2009/03/24/100-historians-sign-on-to-support-employee-free-choice-act/

Taxing Health Care Benefits: An All-Around Bad Idea
There’s noise now in Washington that policy makers are considering paying for health care reform, in part, by taxing health care benefits workers receive through employer-provided health coverage. Such an ill-conceived plan not only represents a big a tax hike for workers and their employers, but carries serious and hidden costs, according to a new study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). http://blog.aflcio.org/2009/03/24/taxing-health-care-benefits-an-all-around-bad-idea/

Obama's Prime Time Pitch
Some exaggerations and misstatements from his evening news conference. Summary President Obama sometimes strayed from the facts or made dubious claims during his hour-long evening news conference March 24
http://www.factcheck.org/politics/obamas_prime_time_pitch.html

News 24 March 2009

Reading Test Dummies
IN his recent education speech, President Obama asked the states to raise their standards and develop “assessments that don’t simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/opinion/23hirsch.html?em

Dutch FinMin targets bonuses; ING in staff appeal
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch Finance Ministry will seek to curtail bonuses among senior management at financial companies receiving government support, while ING (ING.AS) is asking some staff to give back their 2008 bonuses. http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE52M13420090323?feedType=nl&feedName=usbusinessearly

The State of the Music Business
Over the last few years, we have all witnessed the decline of the music business, highlighted by finger-pointing and blame directed against record companies, artists, internet file sharing and any other theories for which a case could be made. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-mellencamp/on-my-mind-the-state-of-t_b_177836.html

Call to Action! Resistance & Recovery Week of Action
Momentum is growing to create an economy that works for everyone, and the Employee Free Choice Act is an important part of building that better future for ALL workers. In that spirit, Jobs with Justice is organizing a "Resistance and Recovery" Week of Action March 27 to April 4 in conjunction with the 10th Annual Student-Labor Week of Action to "Resist and Reclaim our Future". See Orlando section at http://www.jwj.org/recovery/03-09grid.html


Robert Reich's Blog: Is Obamanomics Conservative or Revolutionary?
The first, much preferred by the White House, is as a set of initiatives so modest as to hardly merit a raised eyebrow. Yes, steps must be taken to deal with the current economic crisis. http://robertreich.blogspot.com/2009/03/is-obamanomics-conservative-or.html


What Would the Man Who Got Us Out of the Last Depression Do About Wall Street's Greed?
What would FDR do if he were around to see AIG's bonus bozos spit in the face of the American taxpayer? http://www.alternet.org/story/132353

Florida Democrats Petition against McCollum
Attorney General Bill McCollum spent more than $1.4 million in public funds to pay his campaign consultant to create an ad- starring Bill McCollum. That money came out of the same funds needed to catch and prosecute cyber criminals, but instead, it went to fund Bill McCollum's political future. It's disgusting. https://secure.fladems.com/page/petition/McCollum

“Obama Bin Lyin’ IMPEACH NOW”:
After accepting illegal and unethical behavior for years from President Bush, the right wing has finally come around to advocating for the impeachment of a President. On Sat. March 21, more than 4,000 people gathered in Orlando for a “tea party” protest to denounce what they called “wasteful Washington spending.” The Orlando Sentinel quoted one attendee saying, “They need to shove that bum out,” referring to Obama. The signs that were distributed said “Obama Bin Lyin’ IMPEACH NOW”: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/23/impeach-protest-obama/

After Years Of Lies, WSJ Concedes That Employee Free Choice Act ‘Doesn’t Remove The Secret-Ballot Option’
In a stunning reversal, the anti-labor Wall Street Journal editorial page admitted today that one of the key messages in Big Business’s fight against the Employee Free Choice Act is false. “The bill doesn’t remove the secret-ballot option from the National Labor Relations Act,” wrote the WSJ editors today. http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/20/wsj-secret-ballot/

News 17 March 2009

How many of the uninsured are U.S. citizens?
A:The vast majority of the uninsured are citizens from working families. http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/how_many_of_the_uninsured_are_us.html

Will 300,000 illegal immigrants get construction jobs through the stimulus package?
A: There's no way of knowing how many illegal immigrants may or may not end up with a job from stimulus funds. But this inflated estimate comes from conservative groups concerned about the absence of employee verification requirements in the final bill. http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/will_300000_illegal_immigrants_get_construction_jobs.html
Railroad Bailout May Offer a Model for Detroit
As General Motors and Chrysler struggle to remain solvent, the railroad bailout of a generation ago could offer a template to the Obama administration — one in which the federal government would run the auto companies until they are back on their feet. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/business/16rail.html?th&emc=th

Massachusetts Faces Costs of Big Health Care Plan
BOSTON — Three years ago, Massachusetts enacted perhaps the boldest state health care experiment in American history, bringing near-universal coverage to the commonwealth with Paul Revere speed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/health/policy/16mass.html?th&emc=th

Irish Premier’s U.S. Trip Has Dark Tone
With the formerly highflying Irish economy now in an even deeper tailspin than the American one, the Irish prime minister’s annual St. Patrick’s Day visit to the United States has an unusually somber feel about it. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/world/europe/16irish.html?th&emc=th

Bracing for a Backlash Over Wall Street Bailouts
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is increasingly concerned about a populist backlash against banks and Wall Street, worried that anger at financial institutions could also end up being directed at Congress and the White House and could complicate President Obama’s agenda.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/us/politics/16assess.html?th&emc=th

Bernanke sees U.S. recovery beginning in 2010
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke suggested in a taped interview on Sunday that the U.S. recession could last most of the year and said the biggest risk was that the political will needed to fix the fractured financial system could be lacking. http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE52E22520090316?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly

Left out from Obama's health care summit
BARACK OBAMA promised to put fixing America's broken health care system at the top of his agenda as president. But supporters of the one solution that could actually work were at the bottom of his White House invitation list.
http://socialistworker.org/2009/03/16/obama-health-care-summit

Axis of Weasels: The Men Who Ruined the Economy
Axis of Weasels: The Men Who Ruined the Economy Pictures http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/photofeatures/2009/03/villains-of-the-economic-crisis.php?img=1

Americans Are Raring for a Fight Against Corporate Power
Last October, Home Depot cofounder Bernie Marcus blew a gasket, spewing outrage in all directions. "This is the demise of civilization," he exploded. "This is how a civilization disappears. I'm watching this happen and I don't believe it!" http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/131456/americans_are_raring_for_a_fight_against_corporate_power/

News 16 March 2009

**Special 2009 Session Primer**
To watch the Florida Legislature in action, one would think that the 2008 elections never happened. On November 4, 2008, voters across the country and here in Florida sent a blazingly clear message… that they were tired of the failed economic policies of the past decade. http://www.flaflcio.org/page_files/11_February_09.pdf

Posey: Future presidential candidates should show their birth certificates; won’t say whether he believes Obama is a US citizen by Mark Matthews
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Indialantic, has stirred up the hornet’s nest by filing legislation that would make it mandatory for future presidential candidates to include copies of their birth certificate when filing to run for the White House. http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2009/03/posey-future-presidential-candidates-should-show-their-birth-certificates-wont-say-whether-he-believ.html


Getting lost in Amazon? Obama banters with Lula
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Foreign leaders hoping to have good chemistry with U.S. President Barack Obama may want to take a lesson from Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE52D23N20090314?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

The Culture Warriors Get Laid Off
SOMEDAY we’ll learn the whole story of why George W. Bush brushed off that intelligence briefing of Aug. 6, 2001, “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/opinion/15rich.html?th&emc=th

Harnessing the Sun, With Help From Cities
PALM DESERT, Calif. — Rick Clark’s garage is loaded with fast toys for playing in the sun. He has a buggy for racing on sand dunes, two sleek power boats for pulling water skiers, and a new favorite: 48 solar panels that send his energy meter whirring backward. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/science/earth/15solar.html?th&emc=th

Administration Is Open to Taxing Health Benefits
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is signaling to Congress that the president could support taxing some employee health benefits, as several influential lawmakers and many economists favor, to help pay for overhauling the health system. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/us/politics/15health.html?th&emc=th

A.I.G. Planning Huge Bonuses After $170 Billion Bailout
WASHINGTON — The American International Group, which has received more than $170 billion in taxpayer bailout money from the Treasury and Federal Reserve, plans to pay about $165 million in bonuses by Sunday to executives in the same business unit that brought the company to the brink of collapse last year. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/business/15AIG.html?th&emc=th

Florida sales tax breaks aren't likely to be dumped
TALLAHASSEE -- For the first time in more than two decades, the Florida Legislature is taking a serious look at eliminating some sales tax exemptions that have been embedded in the state tax code at the request of special interests. http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/945610.html

A Tsunami of Excuses
IT’S been a year since Bear Stearns collapsed, kicking off Wall Street’s meltdown, and it’s more than time to debunk the myths that many Wall Street executives have perpetrated about what has happened and why.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/opinion/12cohan.html?th&emc=th

News 12 March 2009

Florida sales tax breaks aren't likely to be dumped
TALLAHASSEE -- For the first time in more than two decades, the Florida Legislature is taking a serious look at eliminating some sales tax exemptions that have been embedded in the state tax code at the request of special interests. http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/945610.html

Op-Ed Contributor - A Tsunami of Excuses - NYTimes.com
IT’S been a year since Bear Stearns collapsed, kicking off Wall Street’s meltdown, and it’s more than time to debunk the myths that many Wall Street executives have perpetrated about what has happened and why.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/opinion/12cohan.html?th&emc=th

Engineers find way to build a better battery
CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. engineers have found a way to make lithium batteries that are smaller, lighter, longer lasting and capable of recharging in seconds. The researchers believe the quick-charging batteries could open up new applications, including better batteries for electric cars.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE52A6P420090312?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

Centrist Dems dodge labor bill - Patrick O'Connor and Manu Raju - POLITICO.com
Rep. G.K. Butterfield and Sen. Kent Conrad cosponsored the Employee Free Choice Act when it was introduced in the last Congress. This year? They both seem to have ... other things to do. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19918.html

Citigroup Enters Union Fray With Anti-EFCA Call
Embattled financial giant Citigroup Inc., which has received at least $50 billion in federal bailout funds, hosted a private conference call on Wednesday to build opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/12/citigroup-enters-union-fr_n_174106.html

DemocracyForAmerica.com » DFA Birthday Party
Celebrate Democracy for America's fifth birthday with DFA Members in your neighborhood and across the country -- Wednesday, March 25!
http://democracyforamerica.com/activities/136-dfa-birthday-party

MoveOn.org Political Action: Stop subsidies for Big Oil
Think oil companies should pay their fair share of taxes? So does President Obama. In his budget, the President has proposed cutting billions of dollars in special subsidies and tax loopholes for oil and gas companies.
http://pol.moveon.org/stopbigoil/?id=15729-7766386-HnUhuzx&t=3

AFL-CIO NOW BLOG Setting Standards for Green and Good Jobs
If the nation’s economy is to truly recover, the funds from President Obama’s economic recovery package—the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—must be spent in ways that keep working families’ needs in mind and create a foundation for their future. http://blog.aflcio.org/2009/03/11/setting-standards-for-green-and-good-jobs/

Barack Obama Change We Need Host a Pledge Project Canvass
Host a Pledge Project Canvass Opening our doors and talking to our neighbors is the only way we'll make President Obama's economic plan a reality. Take the next step now by hosting a Pledge Project Canvass in a national day of action on Saturday, March 21st. http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/pledgeprojectcanvass/

Bernard Madoff pleads guilty; South Florida investors cheer
Herald Staff and Wire Reports Saying he was 'deeply sorry and ashamed,' Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty Thursday in New York to pulling off perhaps the biggest swindle in Wall Street history and was immediately led off to jail in handcuffs to the delight of his seething victims, many of whom live in South Florida.
http://www.miamiherald.com/1374/story/946526.html

News 10 March 2009

Wal-Mart May Win Democrats Unions Need on Card-Check
March 10 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas defied her state’s largest private employer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., in 2007 by voting to make it easier for workers to join unions. This year, she may spurn organized labor.
Big Business Lobby Goes to War With Grassroots Workers Over Pro-Union Bill Today
The biggest battle between corporate power and workers' rights in over 50 years starts today with the official introduction of the Employee Free Choice Act by leading Democrats in the House and Senate.
Conspicuous Consumption, a Casualty of Recession
ATLANTA — It is a sign of the times when Sacha Taylor, a fixture on the charity circuit in this gala-happy city, digs out a 10-year-old dress to wear to a recent society party.
No need to worry; rich won't starve
Amid pleas to spare the rich, the right is accusing the Obama administration of waging vile class warfare. They envision wooden carts carrying the wealthiest 2 percent to the guillotine. Are the critics right? Only in the tumbrels of their mind.
Obama plan sees extra pay for top teachers, may anger union
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed lengthening the school year and paying top teachers more as part of an effort to help U.S. students regain an edge in the competitive world economy.

The Marxist view of the state
The Marxist view of the state A common anarchist misconception about Marxism is that socialists are "pro-state."

Check Out Workers Memorial Day Via Facebook
Workers Memorial Day is April 28 and as part of the preparation for the events and ceremonies to honor workers who have been killed or injured on the job—and to demand improved workplace safety—the AFL-CIO has set up a special Workers Memorial Day Facebook page.

Next shoe to drop for U.S. job seekers: lower wages
NEW YORK (Reuters) - With "no end in sight" for U.S. job losses amid a recession that could stretch into 2010, American workers will soon have to contend with another blow to their confidence: stagnant, or even falling wages.

Obama's proposed budget increases workplace safety funding - WASHINGTON -- Asserting that mounting workloads and dwindling staff have hindered the government's ability to protect workers, President Barack Obama is pledging to increase the enforcement of workplace safety.

Biden to AFL-CIO: Employee Free Choice Act Key to Rebuilding Middle Class
Vice President Joe Biden told the AFL-CIO Executive Council today that returning our economy to health means restoring the basic right to join a union and bargain collectively. And the way to do that is by passing the Employee Free Choice Act

News March 02 2009

State workers face crisis

TALLAHASSEE -- With nearly 175,000 people on the job, state government is Florida's largest employer But, in terms of per-capita size and cost, the state work force is both smallest and cheapest in the nation. And it's likely to shrink in the next two months. Read more

Why bail out Merritt Paulson?

MERRITT PAULSON has a dilemma.
His father, former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, may be one of the most despised men in America after he engineered the $700 billion economic bailout that stuck taxpayers with the bill for Wall Street's losses.Read more http://socialistworker.org/2009/03/02/why-bail-out-paulson



Obama Pick Gets a 2nd Chance on Health Care
TOPEKA, Kan. — In Kansas, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is known as a Democrat who can deal with Republicans, a necessity in a state where the opposition party dominates both houses of the Legislature Read more http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/02/us/politics/02sebelius.html?th&emc=th



Revenge of the Glut


Remember the good old days, when we used to talk about the "subprime crisis" — and some even thought that this crisis could be "contained"? Oh, the nostalgia! Read more http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/02/opinion/02krugman.html?th&emc=th