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You are most likely already aware of this unfortunate labor truth: The union election system in this country has failed, time and again, to protect the free choice of too many Americans who want to have a voice at work.
Happily, a new NLRB rule has gone into effect today (April 30th) that helps reform and streamline the election process; increase transparency and end incentives for supercilious challenges brought into the fold simply to delay the opportunity for workers to cast their votes.
Republicans in the U.S. Senate last week attempted to block this new rule. But thanks to SEIU members, we placed calls to our U.S. Senators in Minnesota and nationwide urging them to beat back this right-wing, GOP and corporate attempt to tread on worker’s rights. And they did.
This rule will now make it harder for corporations and their lawyers to manufacture frivolous litigation and drag out the election process for months, and sometimes years, hoping the workers will give up and never get to vote on whether they want a union. We’ve seen over and over again that anti-worker Republicans are intent on overturning the foundation of our nation’s labor laws – both at the federal and state level. Without reason, they seek to vilify public workers, restrict or eliminate collective bargaining rights for both private and public sector workers and move anti-worker legislation that would take away workers’ voices on the job.
SEIU’s Local 284 Executive Director Carol Nieters said, “In an era of unprecedented income inequality, Minnesotans want their congressional leaders, as well as Minnesota lawmakers, to focus on building a real economic recovery for the 99 percent, not attacking hard working families seeking to better their lives and communities. We should be working together – unions, government and the private sector – to continue rebuilding our economy and creating good jobs that can support a family, instead of trying to undermine workers’ fundamental right to organize a union if they choose to.”
Nieters commended actions congressional leaders took in standing with workers on this issue. “It is unfortunate the same courage and wisdom shown in the U.S. Senate did not prevail here at home in the Minnesota Legislature when lawmakers passed a bill that would have limited union dues from being deducted from state child-care subsidy payments. Thankfully, we have a governor courageous enough to use his veto pen on unnecessary bills like this because Republicans already blocked in-home child care providers from even voting on whether or not they wish to organize for representation.”
The other anti-worker effort spearheaded by Minnesota Republicans—and funded by corporate and conservative interests outside of the state—was the battle against allowing in-home child care providers who receive payments from parents qualified for child care assistance to vote on whether or not they wish to organize a union. A governor’s executive order allowing for a vote was struck down by a court.
The real motive behind these attacks is to create a country without unions–where nobody is left to stand up for workers when Wall Street executives outsource jobs or cut workers’ wages and benefits in search of higher profits.
Karen Louise Boothe SEIU MN State Council Communications Director klboothe@seiumn.org 651-203-0401 x 15 (office) 612-423-4615 (mobile)
Visit us at, www.seiumn.org Follow us on Twitter “Like Us” on Facebook
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Karen Louise Boothe
April 2, 2012
Communications Director
SEIU MN State Council
Ph: 651-203-0401 Mobile: 612-423-4615
KLBoothe@seiumn.org, www.seiumn.org
SEIU MN Local 26 Sponsors Writer and Photojournalist David Bacon
For Untold Stories Labor History Series
St. Paul, MN— The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Minnesota Local 26 is a proud sponsor of writer and photojournalist David Bacon’s upcoming appearance in Minnesota.
Bacon’s speech, “Illegal People” is scheduled for Thursday April 12 at 7:00 p.m. at Macalaster College, Weyerhauser Chapel located at 1600 Grand Ave. St.Paul, MN.
Bacon returns to the “Untold Stories Labor History Series,” presented by Friends of the St. Paul Public Library. Bacon will talk about his new book, “Illegal People: How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants.” Bacon also is a renowned photojournalist and has documented the labor movement in the U.S. for many years.
Bacon says he is pleased to participate in the series thanks to SEIU Minnesota Local 26’s invitation. “Minnesota has been a place of many labor battles throughout history,” he says. “Another reason I am excited to be in Minnesota is so that I can meet with and talk to many of workers involved in these struggles—especially those involved in recent events involving the workers who were fired from their jobs at Chipotle stores.” He says such events are linked to broader trends seen around the country.
The event is free and open to all. To read more about SEIU MN you can visit: www.seiumn.org
This information was shared with me this morning. Please share this information via Facebook, Tweet about it, and talk about it. FYI, The Service Employees International Union is concerned about health care, economic fairness, and the dignity and worth of workers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Karen Louise Boothe
MN GOP Legislators Dismantling Affordable Health Care Access At the same time, 1 in 3 Americans struggling with medical bills St. Paul, MN— The next ten days are critically important for the national health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. March 23 marks the second-year anniversary of the law’s passage, and on March 26 to 28 the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in cases challenging the law.
Minnesota GOP legislators are continuing to publicly discredit the Affordable Care Act. At the same time, while 1 in 3 still lack access to affordable health care or struggle to pay the bills they have, Republicans are quietly moving forward several key pieces of legislation that would dismantle Minnesotans’ access to affordable health care.
These bills, as a whole, would create a health care framework that:
Lacks any consumer representation on decision-making bodies; Funnels huge public and private resources into private health industry brokers, with almost no oversight or transparency of the use of those funds; Puts the Health Exchange into the hands of the private market health insurance industry; Would benefit corporations and insurance companies rather than consumers. “SEIU Healthcare Minnesota members played a critical role in the passage of the Affordable Care Act and now, two years later, we’re celebrating that Americans of all ages and backgrounds now have greater access to affordable health coverage,” said SEIU HCMN President Julie K. Schnell. “Today, tens of thousands of healthcare jobs in Minnesota have been saved, or created, young adults can stay on their parents’ plans up to age 26, seniors are receiving discounts on prescriptions, and insurance companies can’t deny coverage to kids with pre-existing conditions.”
“As a healthcare worker, and working in admissions, I used to see so many people, many of them children using urgent care as their primary care because they can’t afford anything else,” said Mindy Tomfohrde, SEIU HCMN Executive Board member who works in Admissions at Olmsted Medical Center. “Like all of us, they’re working harder every day to make ends meet. Either they made too much to qualify for Medicaid or the place they worked doesn’t offer insurance, or there’s insurance but they can’t afford to pay the premiums. It’s scary seeing all those kids using Urgent Care as their primary care because that’s all they can afford. That is why I fought so hard to make sure Congress passed the Affordable Care Act that allowed Minnesota to get Federal funds to cover more people in our state Medicaid program.”
2011 Minnesota Statistics
Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/CDC:
· Number of Minnesotans with Medicare who saved money on prescription drugs thanks to health care reform: 57, 610. Savings: $33,963,871
· Number of Minnesotans with Medicare that Received Preventative Services thanks to health care reform: 424,007
· Number of Minnesotans who now no longer have a lifetime limit on their health care insurance due to reforms: 3,547,000
· Number of Minnesota young adults (to age 26) have gained health care insurance under their parents’ plans: 32,189
· How many Minnesotans gained coverage in 2011 under the pre-existing coverage protection under the new reform? 789
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Karen Louise Boothe March, 21 2012 Communications Director SEIU MN State Council Ph: 651-203-0401 KLBoothe@SEIUMN.org, www.seiumn.org Women and Minorities Disproportionately Affected by Lowered Wages and Job Losses in so-called, “Right to Work” States.
St. Paul, MN— Equal rights and equal pay for women doesn’t exist in Right-to-Work Sates. Research by the Washington DC-based nonpartisan think tank, Economic Policy Institute shows a gender gap in which women’s wages are penalized further than the wage of an “average” worker. The same holds true nonwhites.
“Basically, what it means is that money is taken from the pockets of women and people of color to an even greater extent,” says Javier Morillo-Alicea, president of SEIU Minnesota Local 26. “Additionally, the public sector is the single most important source of employment for African-Americans (21% employed in this sector according to 2010 statistics) than others,” he adds.
“Women also bear the brunt of the negative effects of Right to Work Laws for the same reason—a majority of public sector jobs are held by women, especially in the fields of health care and education,” adds Carol Nieters, executive director of SEIU Minnesota Local 284. In fact, 71% of Local 284’s members are female.
According to the Economic Policy Institute:
· Women’s wages are penalized further (4.4%) in RTW states than men’s (1.7%).
· The wage penalty exists across all categories of educational attainment and racial/ethnic groups; however, it is higher among nonwhites, with the RTW penalty being 4.8% for blacks and 4.4% for Hispanics.
· Latino union members earn, on average, $45 dollars more each week than nonunion Latinos, while unionized African Americans earn 30% more each week, on average, than those not in a union.
· Women in labor unions earn $149 each week more than their nonunion counterparts.
· “Right-to-work” laws undo the major gains unions have made in closing the gap between men’s and women’s pay. While the overall gender gap is 32% it is only 5% among men and women who are in a union.
It is best to understand the consistent volunteer. Not to manipulate, but to encourage. I like finding similar values and seeing where we can go, together.
Recently I met with a high-schooler who has been making waves in a nearby political district. He is valiant, noble, and going places. He idealistically wants local, similar organizations to sync into a common schedule of events. Personally, I’ve found local organizations don’t want to share volunteers, which I gently mentioned as I suggested contacting organizations to explain his idea (before he spent money on a site with RSS, put effort into social media which is associated with said calendar, and etc.). We realized he wanted to make it easier for volunteers to find events. That is something I would like to do, too, and so I hope it is going well for him.
This same kid and I talked a while, and he has been attending Occupy movements. He balked at the very idea of talking Obama. He said not to get him wrong, he supports Obama, but many of the Occupy protesters are Paulites (content disconcerting).
It does seem true that Ron Paul is connected to the Occupy movement, especially when Occupy movements post Facebook images of Ron Paul’s crowds and talk about the media ignoring what seems to be fact, that Ron Paul is drawing large, young, active crowds. (Facebook post scrubbed, or I would use a link to the actual Facebook article).
Ron Paul’s “end the fed” needs to be dealt with. And not in terms of ending the Federal Reserve, but in terms of how this is being interpreted on the streets. In actuality, (assumption mine) the 99% is really concerned about opportunity, putting food on the table, and getting to work. A large percent is probably also concerned about education and tomorrow’s workforce. Some see an end to the system, even our government system, as a way to alleviate pain and fix problems, and the rest of us need to talk about how we “get there” in our current system. No longer can we allow risk management undo what is good. We need to be a step ahead in regulation, and we need lawmakers who understand that it is essential to protect the middle class.
We are very close to having what we used to have. Let’s take another look at Amendment 14. Let’s decide corporations aren’t people. Let’s close loopholes, address PAC influence, and spread real information. And then let’s tell Occupy what we have done and how their efforts have been important in the call for true, Representative, Democracy.
Occupy Wall Street continues to define itself in each press memo:
Occupy Wall Street is part of an international people powered movement fighting for economic justice in the face of neoliberal economic practices, the crimes of Wall Street, and a government controlled by monied interests. #OWS is the 99% organizing to end the tyranny of the 1%. For more info www.occupywallst.org and Occupy Wall Street is part of an international people powered movement fighting for economic justice in the face of neoliberal economic practices, the crimes of Wall Street, and a government controlled by monied interests. #OWS is the 99% organizing to end the tyranny of the 1%. For more info www.occupywallst.org and nycga.net.
I’m hopeful Democracy prevails, both in the Arab Spring and here. And I ‘m anxiously watching the Occupy movement across America (that is a combined RSS feed you can also watch), hoping it has similar concerns to my own. Yesterday this press release talks and explains ALEC, which should be everyone’s concern. Go Occupy Wall Street!
70 Cities Nationwide Stand up to Corporate Greed and ALEC
National Day of Action to Resist the Selling Out of the 99%
On February 29th, concerned citizens, students, and occupiers in over seventy cities across the nation, including Occupy Wall Street (NYC), are standing up to the corporations and legislators involved in American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The biggest corporations in America, including ExxonMobil, Bank of America, BP, Monsanto, Pfizer, and Wal-Mart use ALEC to buy off legislators and craft legislation that puts corporate profit over the well-being of ordinary people. Responding to a national call from Occupy Portland, this will be the Occupy Movement’s largest coordinated action this year and will confront ALEC corporations in the cities in which they do business throughout the nation.
“ALEC, a registered nonprofit with a board of trustees that reads like a Fortune 500 list, allows corporate lobbyists to push legislation representing corporate interests,” said Dana Balicki of Occupy Wall Street.“Essentially, this is legislation laundering.”
ALEC is comprised of state and federal government legislators and many of America’s biggest corporations. In ALEC task-forces and committees, lobbyists work directly with legislators to draft and advance cookie-cutter “model” bills that serve the interests of the corporations rather than people. ALEC is responsible for some of the most anti-democratic, repressive, and discriminatory legislation to pass through the halls of government. Wisconsin Act 10, attacking public employee unions, mirrors ALEC’s anti-union agenda and was introduced by Governor Scott Walker, an ALEC member from 1993-2002. Arizona’s widely criticized Racial Profiling bill (SB1070) also has roots in ALEC model legislation.
“The public is never informed that a group representing the most privileged people in America are drafting the legislation that disempowers the most vulnerable. The decisions affecting our communities should be made democratically, not through a corrupt system that hides the influence of the very corporations that benefit at our expense. ALEC is representative of a failed system in which profit and greed are dominant over everything else,” said David Osborn of Occupy Portland.
Actions in several of the cities responding to Occupy Portland’s call to Shut Down ALEC Corporations are listed below. For a full list visit http://bit.ly/alecactions:
Coordinated Southern California Action – (LA, Long Beach, Orange County and Riverside)
Actions will target one of the largest Wal-Mart distribution centers in the country in support of non-union warehouse workers.
Occupy Wall Street
Pop-up Occupation at Bryant-Park starting at 9am with teach-in with Matt Taibbi; March leaving Bryant Park at noon with creative actions targeting Bank of America, Pfizer, and Koch Brothers
Occupy Salt Lake City
Actions focusing on private prisons, racism, and anti-union aspects of ALEC including a Utah replica of Arizona’s SB 1070; Actions will include a Debutant ball in the capitol.
Coordinated Connecticut Action – (New Haven, Hartford, Darien, New London, Shoreline, Danbury and Willimantic)
Creative actions to target Pfizer and draw attention to the way in which it serves the interests of the 1% while ignoring the health and well-being of people, animals and the earth itself.
Occupy Portland
Rally at SW Ankeny and Waterfront at 11:30; March leaving at 1:00 with creative direct actions targeting ALEC corporations throughout the city.
Occupy Phoenix
There will be a rally at State Capitol focusing on union-busting and anti-immigrant bills then a march on Freeport McMoRam and “museum” style tour of ALEC corporations.
Stay up to the minute on twitter using #F29 and follow @F29pdx and see liveblogging from around the nation at shutdownthecorporations.org
I’m joining with another person to provide these, and more, non-partisan services:
weblog creation and usage
quick response code generation and instruction
android phone application creation,
iTunes publication,
Strategic messaging/ marketing
RSS feed creation and usage
Twitter best practice
Facebook best practice
More information will follow. If you need something now, let me know.
MEDIA ADVISORY FOR Dec. 24-25
Contact: press@occupywallst.org 347.292.1444
For this action only: Sebastian OWS, 503.954.4229
OWS INTERFAITH CELEBRATION IN LIBERTY SQUARE
24 Hour “Occupy Christmas” Prayer Vigil, Sharing of Food, Poetry, Music
Occupy Wall Street is hosting an interfaith gathering in barricaded “Zuccotti Park,”
inviting people of all cultures and religious beliefs to come and celebrate
together.
December 25 marks the 100th day of Occupy Wall Street.
“We are taught to close our doors and retract into the nuclear family, into our
faith groups, into our nationalism, “ said Atiq Zabinski of OWS. “Lets do something
truly revolutionary and celebrate, meditate, pray, play, and eat together!"
SCHEDULE: December 25th starting at 12 AM-- a midnight service led by a minister
from Judson Church will lead into a prayer vigil beginning at 2 AM, with breakfast
served at 9 AM, followed by performances. At noon, Martin Luther King’s seminal
“Beyond Vietnam” speech will be read – a radically anti-war speech broadening his
message from civil rights. Following more music, a 3 PM holiday ‘potluck’ holiday
meal from donations will be shared. At 4 PM, Ecclesia Ministry will offer communion,
followed at 5 PM by poetry, storytelling and music until midnight Christmas night.
On behalf of Occupy Faith and Occupy Dignity, the New York Civil Liberties Union
hand-delivered letters on Monday to the NYPD and Brookfield Properties alerting them
to the plans.
“This event is aimed at bringing all people -- Christian, Jew, Muslim, Sikh,
Theosophist, Marxist, Capitalist, Atheist, Agnostic -- together to learn about each
other and to see that essentially we are different faces of the same being, existing
in light and love, and that the time where we had to remain separate and suspicious
of our subtle differences is over, said Zabinski.
“We invite congregations and leaders from faiths and Churches throughout the city to
design the way in which they would like to come together with the Occupy community,
by creating a service that reflects the unique beauty of their own community,” said
Sebastian of OWS. “Bring yourselves, your congregations, your families, your
choirs, your teachers, and above all, your love.”
Occupy Wall Street is part of an international people powered movement fighting for
economic justice in the face of neoliberal economic practices, the crimes of Wall
Street, and a government controlled by monied interests. #OWS is the 99% organizing
to end the tyranny of the 1%. For more info www.occupywallst.org
# # #
Message sent by: Occupy WallStreet, Liberty Square, New York, 10006, United States
The Department of Health and Human Services recently overruled the Food and Drug Administration by refusing to relax Morning After pill restrictions. If you are under 18, you still need a prescription to obtain Plan B. If you are over 18, you can get the package behind many drug store counters.
About ten percent of girls are physically capable of bearing children by 11.1 years of age. It is common knowledge that there are significant cognitive and behavioral differences between older adolescent girls and the youngest girls of reproductive age, which I believe are relevant to making this determination as to non-prescription availability of this product for all ages. Although the average age of the onset of menses for girls in the United States is 12.4 years of age, about ten percent of girls reach menarche by 11.1 years of age. If the application is approved, the product would be available without a prescription or other point-of-sale restrictions, even to the youngest girls of reproductive age.
Plan B One-Step is a single-dose pill (1.5 mg levonorgestrel tablet) which is effective in decreasing the chance of pregnancy if taken within 3 days after unprotected sexual intercourse. The product contains higher levels of a hormone found in some types of daily use oral hormonal contraceptive pills and works in a similar way to birth control pills.
These two women are not talking about the abortion pill. The Morning After pill prevents conception, and is post-coital contraception. In her statement, Sebelius insinuates potential harm. Hamburg stops short of saying the pill is absolutely safe and reminds us it is the same medication as found in birth control pills. In fact, Plan B medication may just amount to the doubling of your already in use, daily birth control pill. Hamburg and the FDA are advocating for a non-prescription, over-the-counter form of contraception which is twice as strong as regular birth control pills.
In her capacity, Sebelius cannot argue “what if”. What if girls took Plan B after each sexual encounter, instead of taking small doses of the same medication each day. What if drug companies argued for the relaxing of the restrictions on birth control pills.
Advocates for women’s rights might be better of lauding Sebelius’ efforts while continuing to ask for adequate sex education and greater access to medical care. Doctors might consider handing out a prescription for Plan B every time they provide a prescription for traditional birth control. Researchers should continue their work regarding women’s sexuality and the prevention of contraception. Who knows, they could even find it is better to take post-coital contraception rather than a smaller, daily dose.
Earlier, state Sen. Dave Thompson, R-Lakeville, wrote a letter about 23 percent unemployment among Minnesota’s military veterans. A portion of President Obama’s jobs act was passed and signed into law this week, and it will encourage small businesses to hire veterans. Hopefully this will finally help our vets. But why can’t our current Minnesota legislators get things done? Thompson’s response is typical of our local “I wish I could do something” Republicans. Twenty-three percent unemployment rate for vets. Wow.
Hardworking Minnesotans should be able to rely on full partnership with legislators in helping us pull out of our difficult economic times. I’m tired of charades from those who pretend to save us money while they keep giving special breaks for the wealthy. I want programs that work, fair taxation, affordable and quality education, and safe roads. Legislators, taxpayers and citizens need to pull together with our governor for the good of our state, not play legislative games for those who are better off.
The Minnesota police force is traditionally known for its reasonable enforcement. I’ve seen excellent officers getting to know kids, it seems hard to land a police job, and there’s been times I’ve been very glad to see the force.
Eviction of Occupy Wall Street at Liberty Square Underway Liberty Square (Zuccotti Park), home of Occupy Wall Street for the past two months and birthplace of the 99% movement that has spread across the country and around the world, is presently being evicted by a large police force.
Press should get to the park immediately. More information to follow.
New York, NY — A massive police force is presently evicting Liberty Square, home of Occupy Wall Street for the past two months and birthplace of the 99% movement that has spread across the country and around the world
The raid started just after 1:00am. Supporters and allies are mobilizing throughout the city, presently converging at Foley Square. Supporters are also planning public actions for the coming days, including occupation actions.
You can’t evict an idea whose time has come.
Two months ago a few hundred New Yorkers set up an encampment at the doorstep of Wall Street. Since then, Occupy Wall Street has become a national and even international symbol — with similarly styled occupations popping up in cities and towns across America and around the world. A growing popular movement has significantly altered the national narrative about our economy, our democracy, and our future.
Americans are talking about the consolidation of wealth and power in our society, and the stranglehold that the top 1% have over our political system. More and more Americans are seeing the crises of our economy and our democracy as systemic problems, that require collective action to remedy. More and more Americans are identifying as part of the 99%, and saying “enough!”
This burgeoning movement is more than a protest, more than an occupation, and more than any tactic. The “us” in the movement is far broader than those who are able to participate in physical occupation. The movement is everyone who sends supplies, everyone who talks to their friends and families about the underlying issues, everyone who takes some form of action to get involved in this civic process.
This moment is nothing short of America rediscovering the strength we hold when we come together as citizens to take action to address crises that impact us all.
Such a movement cannot be evicted. Some politicians may physically remove us from public spaces — our spaces — and, physically, they may succeed. But we are engaged in a battle over ideas. Our idea is that our political structures should serve us, the people — all of us, not just those who have amassed great wealth and power. We believe that is a highly popular idea, and that is why so many people have come so quickly to identify with Occupy Wall Street and the 99% movement.
You cannot evict an idea whose time has come.
At 7:50 a.m. I heard this, mentioning billionaire Bloomberg, beatings, pepper spray, and confiscation:
A Call to Occupy #OccupyWallStreet Convening 9 a.m. Sixth Avenue and Canal Street.
New York, NY — We are a global movement that is reclaiming our humanity and our future. We have stepped into a revitalizing civic process, realizing that we cannot fix our crises isolated from one another. We need collective action, and we need civic space. We are creating that civic space.
To occupy is to embody the spirit of liberation that we wish to manifest in our society. It is to exercise our freedom to assemble. We are creating space for community, values, ideas, and a level of meaningful dialogue that is absent in the present discourse.
Liberated space is breaking free of isolation, breaking down the walls that literally and figuratively separate us from one another. It is a new focus on community, trust, love and hope. We occupy to create a vision of equality, liberty and social justice onto the blank paving stones of public parks, in the silent hallways of abandoned schools, banks, and beyond.
Public space plays a crucial role in this civic process and encourages open, transparent organizing in our movement. As we have seen in Liberty Square, outdoor space invites people to listen, speak, share, learn, and act.
Last night, billionaire Michael Bloomberg sent a massive police force to evict members of the public from Liberty Square—home of Occupy Wall Street for the past two months. People who were part of a dynamic civic process were beaten and pepper-sprayed, their personal property destroyed.
Supporters of this rapidly growing movement were mobilized in the middle of the night, making phone calls, taking the streets en masse, and planning next steps. Americans and people around the world are appalled at Bloomberg’s treatment of people who peacefully assemble. We are appalled, but not deterred. Liberty Square was dispersed, but its spirit not defeated. Today we are stronger than we were yesterday. Tomorrow we will be stronger still. We are breaking free of the fear that constricts and confines us. We occupy to liberate.
We move forward in the grand tradition of the transformative social movements that have defined American history. We stand on the shoulders of those who have struggled before us, and we pick up where others have left off. We are creating a better society for us all.
Occupy Wall Street has renewed a sense of hope. It has revived a belief in community and awakened a revolutionary spirit too long silenced.
Join us as we liberate space and build a movement. 9 a.m. Tuesday morning at Sixth Avenue and Canal we continue.
Read How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the OWS Protests, and perhaps you’ll notice there’s no end in sight. So with all due respect, I’ll offer this as a way to get our youth, foreclosure victims, and activists home before the winter.
First and foremost, we need good government that serves the people. To maintain a strong middle class and keep our democracy, we demand:
1. AMENDMENT 28, voted on by the people
Corporations are not people, and should not be treated as people. (Vote yes so huge money doesn’t leave the 99% behind, and control our political realm to the point we’re no longer a democracy).
As soon as we hear this is on the 2012 ballot, and as soon as other key demands are met, occupy wall streeters can go home to further participate in democracy (Attend meetings, be informed, vote, volunteer, donate, and other things, instead of occupying our cities).
2. Fair taxation means the rich pay a fair share. The rich shall at least pay the same percent of earnings as the middle class.
As soon as we hear the specifics have passed through Congress and have been approved by the POTUS, and as soon as other key demands are met, occupy wall streeters can go home to further participate in democracy (Attend meetings, be informed, vote, volunteer, donate, and other things, instead of occupying our cities).
3. Tuition to major universities will not exceed a certain percentage of the GDP. A new commission should be created to conduct a study on the quality education and which programs to encourage in our global economy.
As soon as we hear this has passed through Congress and has been approved by the POTUS, and as soon as other key demands are met, occupy wall streeters can go home to further participate in democracy (Attend meetings, be informed, vote, volunteer, donate, and other things, instead of occupying our cities).
4. Ok, perhaps this if we’re smart…. AMENDMENT 29
Separation of church and state shall further be clarified. The church shall be able to decide who it will marry. All marriages, and civil unions, between two people who enter into such an agreement, will be seen as in a “civil union” before the state.
On November 2nd, 2011, I contacted Occupy Wall Street about using combined rss feeds and phone apps (probably to no avail). I wanted them to do their own combined feed, use advertising in their feed, and lead as a worldly example. the primary goal? To get the word out!
While we wait for Occupy Wall Street to put together a feed telling us what is happening across America, here’s one:
A youngster and I were talking about Herman Cain, and she asked, “You mean that guy’s running for President, again?” She thought Herman Cain had run for POTUS in 2008. I can see why she made that mistake, as Republicans keepraising a Cain of sorts.
I find the name Cain rather ominous, synonymous with brother killer:
9 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
Rather than being his brother’s keeper, Cain caused harm and was deceitful.
” … far too many Americans have shifted their expectations from government assistance to entitlement. …[let's] get the federal government out of the way. This will allow states, cities, churches, charities and businesses to offer a helping hand instead of a handout where they live. People closest to the problems are the best ones to solve the problems effectively.”
With a name like that, and what he’s done, I can’t understand why this guy continues to poll well. That link is a November 4th, 2011, WaPo article titled,”Cain rises in Post-ABC poll despite scandal; most Republicans dismiss allegations.” Perhaps scandal is good for name recognition here in America.
(INSTRUCTIONS: install and run the application. This application will even produce a listing of all your friends’ rss feeds!)
To find a Facebook group’s rss feed (groups are better than pages since you can invite friends to the group — go to the member list, click on “invite” thereby enhancing the group much more rapidly than “sharing” would for a page), you need to first find the group’s number. Go to the group and look for it in the url bar, for example here’s a groups url:
(INSTRUCTIONS: put in the group number, run the pipe, and look for the new pipe’s rss feed)
To find the rss feed of a Facebook page, look in the sidebar. There’s a link provided by FB to “get updates via rss feed”.
What can you do with these feeds? You can use Yahoo pipes to combine all these feeds into just one by creating yet another pipe. Go to Yahoo pipes and add the correct modules (I suggest fetch feed, union, sort, filter, and then output). IMPORTANT! After creating your combined feed, you now can ask other blogs or websites if they want to list your feed on their site. When your feed updates, it will show on those sites that list your feed. This is better than simply having other blogs list a link because it can show the latest post titles. Showing post titles quickly share information and encourages people to come to your site to get your valuable information.
Are you on your phone and trying to follow the mnpoliticalroundtable fan page rss feed? Here it is: http://www.facebook.com/feeds/page.php?id=113292482022532&format=rss20 or login to your Facebook account and find where it says “get updates via rss feed”. Note: we have no Facebook group, even though I think it’s better to have a group.
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