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