Afghanistan. Go or Stay?

US Rep. Alan Grayson’s, the Congressman with Guts, latest email is a plea to the American people to demand that Congress pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq. He’s has growing support. US Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and  US Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) have guests videos in opposition to the war on his web site. Public figures such as Oliver Stone, Michael Moore and Martin Sheen have done likewise.

Lamont Film Crew At Malloy’s House?

What the hell is going on?

And then the campaigns waste time yelping at each other. Would you people fricking grow up! You are running for governor for god’s sake.

This is exactly why we keep losing – message to Lamont and Malloy – this is not some stupid children’s game. You need to stop your campaign people from making you look stupid and focus on winning so you can put this state back on track.

CREDO Action to Congress: Close the Hedge Fund Loophole!

CREDO, along with MoveOn.org and other progressive organizations, has issued a call to action about one of the of the most egregious tax loopholes, the “hedge fund loophole.” This loophole allows for money mangers, some of whom earn more than $1 billion per year, pay just a fraction of the tax rate paid by working people.

Managers of hedge funds get away with this because they convinced an earlier Congress to call their compensation for managing money, known as “carried interest,” to be investment income rather than the equivalent of a salary or wages. And they even avoid Social Security taxes on their huge incomes.

Move Your Money Campaign Heats Up. Should we Wait for Reform or Move our Money Now?

On June 9, MSNBC Business Journal reported that, “According to the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), more than 1.2 million Americans joined a credit union in 2009. … Memberships increased more than one-and-a-half times faster than the growth in the U.S. population,” says CUNA’s CEO Dan Mica, who points out that nearly one in four Americans now belongs to a credit union.”

Last week, Democracy for America launched its Move Your Money campaign encouraging its members to follow suit and move their money from “to big to fail banks.” DFA stated that they have taken this action because even though the administration has enacted a new law to reign in Wall Street, Wall Street banks are still continuing to do business as usual and Americans cannot wait for long-term reform efforts.  Since DFA launched their Move Your Money campaign “6,511 DFA members have pledged to move an estimated $403 million dollars out of the big banks and into local community banks and credit unions this year.”

Medicare Donut Hole Rebate Checks began Arriving June 10th

On June 10, 2010, the Center for Medicare Advocacy released its latest alert, HEALTH REFORM IN ACTION: DONUT HOLE REBATE CHECKS START ARRIVING JUNE 10, 2010.  The alert, which debunks the distortions and lies of opponents still trying to “kill” health reform, explains the $250 one-time rebate check that is part of the Affordable Health Care Act.

Medicare beneficiaries who enter the prescription drug Donut Hole (known as the “Donut Hole”) anytime before the end 2010 should receive a one time $250 rebate check from Medicare. The first checks, for people who hit the Donut Hole by March 31, 2010, should arrive around June 10, according to

HB5207 Unanimously Passes both Houses Only to Feel the Sting of Gov. Rell’s Veto

In today’s climate of “its my party ideology and I’m not budging anymore,” it is a welcome relief to see the Connecticut legislature once again unite behind common ground.  House Bill 5207, Connecticut’s bold legislation to “ban the box,” unanimously passed the House 141-0 and Senate 35-0. One would think that when you have legislation that both parties unanimously agree on, this is a win-win for all. Unfortunately, Governor Rell in her infinite lack of wisdom turned a deaf ear to voice of the people, including her own constituents.

The Details

• In 2006, The Crime and Justice Institute and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety issued a report, “Employment of Ex-Offenders: Employer Perspectives,” stating that gainful employment reduces recidivism and increases public safety by providing income (health insurance via job), societal contribution (contributing to tax base), and has the potential to save the State millions in corrections costs.

Green vs. Ritter: Who’s Got the Beef?

State Rep. Green vs. City Councilman Ritter

Today’s Hartford Courant article, State Rep. Kenneth Green Prepared For Challenge In August Primary, provides an early glimpse into the primary between State Rep. Kenneth Green (D 1st Assembly District) and Hartford City Councilman Matt Ritter (D). The article states that while Green did not get the support at the convention, Green is confident he has the support of his constituents and will prevail in November. Two Hartford residents who are supporting Ritter were also interviewed:

“[Hartford] has been one of the poorest cities in the country. There’s been some improvement, but not enough.”  …  “If you want to be a leader, you have to get out there and show you are a leader. [Ritter's] youth helps with that,” said Frank Barrows, a former Democratic state senator who lives in Hartford.

Vote “Yes” for West Hartford’s Budget Referendum

The other day, the the Kipplinger Report rated the Town of West Hartford as number nine in its 10 Best Cities for the Next Decade.  The article talked about Blue Back Square, West Hartford Center, and our public school system being among the top in our state.

On June 15th, there will be a budget referendum and many of us are asking folks to support by voting “Yes.” We’ve got the best schools, town services and more.  Here’s what Mayor Scott Slifka had to say about the budget referendum:

Give Tony Howard His Life Back Right after BP Pays 100% for the Oil Disaster

“I want my life back.” That’s what BP CEO Tony Hayward said recently about his company’s oil disaster.

This kind of reckless, selfish greed has led to millions of gallons of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. Entire cultures and lifestyles have been killed by this oil spill. Industries that relied on the wildlife and the waterways along this coastal area are now lost. Fishermen who have lived and worked in the Gulf Coast area for generations are wondering how they will now live.No doubt they want their lives back as well.

Enough. We need to make it clear that BP should pay for every dime of its massive oil disaster – not just the cleanup, but the lifelong damage done to fishermen and coastal communities that live and die by the ocean. Anything less is just a BP bailout.

Sign Firedoglake’s petition to the Senate demanding BP be held financially responsible for 100% of damages from the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

http://action.firedoglake.com/bpbailout

After you sign Firedoglake’s petition, check out the rather interesting chart based on a Rasmussen poll citing 22% of americans view BP favorably.  Guess who.

Then head over to OpenSecrets.org and check out some other interesting oil facts:

Big Oil’s Six-Figure Love for Congressional Candidates, Sarah Palin’s Snub and More in Capital Eye Opener: June 3

Profile of oil and gas industry’s 2010 cycle contributions

Public Will Get Faster Look at BP Political Action Committee’s Finances

BP’s ‘Heavy Hitter’ profile

BP’s federal lobbying profile

OpenSecrets Blog: Sen. Mary Landrieu Has ‘No Plans’ to Return BP Campaign Contributions

OpenSecrets Blog: The Politics of Oil

Jim Crow has a New Taste to Chase — Brown Instead of Black

Phoenix AZ 5/29/10, Photo by Karen Shell

Nearly one and half years after the new administration took office, we still have in Congress an entire political party doing all it can to do absolutely nothing in an effort to discredit the President.

The GOP stalled on health care reform, on financial reform and they continue to do all that they can to stop immigration reform.  Write Congress and tell them to stop the stall and pass immigration reform even if it means leaving out the PONs (Party of No). The Party of No’s efforts are causing local PON lawmakers to take measures that are as equally misguided and amount to nothing more than grandstanding for the sake of re-election. Meanwhile, the citizens they promised to represent stand to loose the most from their actions.

Seventeen states [Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Utah] thus far are either attempting to implement legislation comparable to Arizona’s racial

Captive Constituents. A story of Prison-Based Gerrymandering

On June 1st, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund released a report, “Captive Constituents,” that clearly demonstrates that the constitutional requirement of equally proportioned voting districts to ensure the implementation of “one person, one vote” is being grossly violated; especially for communities of color.

Prisoners should be counted in the district of their residence at the time of incarceration, namely the place where they have family and/or ties to the community.  Instead, they are being counted in the place where the prison is located.

The report states that:

Prison-based gerrymandering results in stark racial disparities as well. African Americans are nearly 13% of the general population, but are 41.3% of the federal and state prison population. But incarcerated persons are often held in areas that are far removed, both geographically and demographically, from their home communities. Thus, prison-based gerrymandering not only weakens the political strength of communities of color, it is also eerily reminiscent of the infamous “three-fifths compromise,” which enabled Southern states to amplify their political power by counting enslaved and disfranchised African Americans as amongst their constituents.