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/