Category: Citizen action

TRADE TREATIES NEED OPEN DEBATE, NOT FAST TRACK

ABSTRACT: Action in Congress on requiring Fast Track consideration of trade treaties is likely to happen soon. Two broad “trade” agreements are scheduled for Congressional action this year: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with a dozen Pacific Rim countries and the Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) with the European Union (EU). Fast Track authority requires that Congress consider and act on a treaty in a short timeframe with no amendments or changes allowed and with no filibustering.

I urge you to email, call, write, and, if you can, meet with your member of Congress and your Senators and tell them you do not want them to approve Fast Track authority. These “trade” agreements are too important and too far reaching to be approved quickly and quietly.

Business groups are pushing hard for Fast Track consideration in Congress. They are supporters of the treaties, which are widely viewed as very favorable to corporate interests. The growing resistance to Fast Track authority is fueled in large part by:

  • Secrecy on the negotiations and agreement provisions, which breeds suspicion;
  • Concern that they benefit multi-national corporations at the expense of others; and
  • Growing data on the damaging impacts of 20 years with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), on which these treaties are modeled.

The indirect effects of the past and these possible new “trade” agreements on the balance of power in employer-employee relations and in our political system, as well as on economic inequality, may be more significant than the direct effects, such as job losses. The TPP and the TAFTA, based on what is known about them, will likely benefit corporations and investors, while hurting US workers and citizens. Moreover, if approved, these treaties will be very difficult to change, as the consent of all the parties is required. At the least, a full discussion of their provisions, based on full disclosure, is warranted.

FULL POST: Action in Congress on requiring Fast Track consideration of trade treaties is likely to happen soon. President Obama would like to have Fast Track authority, formally known as Trade Promotion Authority, for two broad “trade” agreements that are scheduled for Congressional action this year: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with a dozen Pacific Rim countries and the Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) [1] with the European Union (EU). (I put trade in quotes because these “trade” agreements, like NAFTA, go well beyond trade issues and cover a broad range of legal and regulatory issues. The provisions for reducing trade barriers and increasing trade are only a small part of the agreements.)

Fast Track authority requires that Congress consider and act on a treaty in a short timeframe with no amendments or changes allowed and with no filibustering. Fast Track authority was first used in 1974 and has been used on a number of occasions since then.

I urge you to email, call, write, and, if you can, meet with your member of Congress and your Senators and tell them you do not want them to approve Fast Track authority. [2] These “trade” agreements are too important and too far reaching to be approved quickly and quietly. Full disclosure and debate of the provisions of “trade” agreements is what democracy requires.

The Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Finance Committee, along with the Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, have reportedly reached an agreement on a Fast Track authority bill, although they have not yet released its details. The argument for Fast Track consideration of trade treaties is that it means other countries will be more likely to make concessions and reach agreement on the treaty if they are confident that the US Congress can’t change it.

Business groups, including the US Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable, are pushing hard for Fast Track consideration in Congress. They are supporters of the treaties, which are widely viewed as very favorable to corporate interests, [3] and are presumably worried that debate in Congress and the public on the treaties would reduce their chances for approval.

There is significant opposition to granting Fast Track authority in Congress and outside of it. Nearly 200 members of the US House, mostly Democrats but some Republicans, have signed letters strongly questioning the granting of Fast Track authority for these treaties. [4]

The growing resistance to Fast Track authority for these new “trade” agreements in Congress and the public is fueled in large part by:

  • Secrecy on the negotiations and agreement provisions, which breeds suspicion;
  • Concern that they benefit multi-national corporations at the expense of local businesses, workers and citizens, and national sovereignty; and
  • Growing data on the damaging impacts of 20 years with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), on which these treaties are modeled.

Both treaties are being negotiated in great secrecy. For the TPP, the Obama administration has deemed the negotiations classified information, restricting Congressional access to documents and banning discussion of the negotiations and treaty provisions with the press or the public. [5] In 2013, Senator Elizabeth Warren opposed the confirmation of the US Trade Representative because he refused to share any of TPP’s provisions. She noted the important need for transparency and public debate on the treaty. [6]

These treaties are seen by many advocates for health, labor, safety, environmental, and financial industry standards and regulations as a masquerade for a corporate power grab, designed to weaken regulation and run roughshod over workers’ and citizens’ interests. [7] These “trade” agreements would enable multi-national corporations to operate with weakened oversight by national governments, free of nations’ court systems, and with reduced consumer and citizen protections. Corporations would become supra-national entities and would answer only to a separate system of rules and courts, administered by new international tribunals. In essence, an international system, parallel to the United Nations system of international governance for nations, would be created for international governance of corporations – a United Multi-national Corporations system, if you will. (More on this in a subsequent post.)

The same claims are being made for these two trade treaties that were made for NAFTA: they will promote economic growth, reduce trade deficits or increase trade surpluses, and increase jobs. The actual experience with NAFTA is that it has done none of these things, which is probably the best indicator of the likely effects of these new trade treaties. And the TPP has specifically been described as NAFTA on steroids. (More on this in a subsequent post.)

The indirect effects of the past and these possible new “trade” agreements on the balance of power in employer-employee relations and in our political system, as well as on economic inequality, may be more significant than the direct effects, such as job losses. The corporations and investors who have been the winners in this globalization of trade and commerce can invest their winnings (i.e., profits) in campaign contributions, lobbying, and political strategies that ensure they are the victors in next round of “trade” agreements. [8]

Although President Obama recently described growing economic inequality in the US as a major issue, NAFTA has increased inequality and the new trade treaties are likely to as well. NAFTA and other recent “trade” agreements have provided benefits to corporations and investors globally, while hurting workers and the middle class in the US, and sometimes hurting workers in other countries. The TPP and the TAFTA, based on what is known about them, will similarly benefit corporations and investors, while hurting US workers and citizens. Moreover, if approved, these treaties will be very difficult to change, as the consent of all the parties is required. At the least, a full discussion of their provisions, based on full disclosure, is warranted.

 

[1]       Also known as the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

[2]       You can find contact information for your US Representative at http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[3]       For more information see my previous posts, “Trade” Agreement Supersizes Corporate Power, 9/10/13, (https://lippittpolicyandpolitics.org/2013/09/10/trade-agreement-supersizes-corporate-power/) and “Trade” Agreements & Corporate Power, 9/13/13 (https://lippittpolicyandpolitics.org/2013/09/13/trade-agreements-corporate-power/).

[4]       Politi, J., 12/13/13, “US Senate deal sets up fierce trade battle,” Financial Times

[5]       Carter, Z., 12/8/13, , “Obama faces backlash over new corporate powers in secret trade deal,” The Huffington Post

[6]       Loth, R., 12/21/13, “Take trade agreement off fast track,” The Boston Globe

[7]       Todhunter, C., 10/4/13, “The US-EU Transatlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA): Big business corporate power grab,” Global Research (http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-us-eu-transatlantic-free-trade-agreement-tafta-big-business-corporate-power-grab/5352885)

[8]       Folbre, N., 8/5/13, “The free-trade blues,” The New York Times

GOOD NEWS FROM THE GRASSROOTS

ABSTRACT: The dysfunction in Washington is discouraging. However, there is good news from the grassroots. Every day people are standing up and taking action when government policies and corporate practices are favoring special interests over the interests of the average citizen and worker.

Workers at Wal-Mart and in the fast food industry are taking action to improve their wages and working conditions. On the day after Thanksgiving, protest rallies were held at roughly 1,500 Wal-Mart stores around the country, about a third of their stores. On December 5th, fast food workers went on strike for a day and were joined by supporters at rallies in roughly 200 cities across the country. They are asking for more full-time jobs, more regular schedules, better pay and benefits, and to stop retaliating against workers who speak out or participate in strikes. They want to ensure they do not have to rely on government assistance to make ends meet.

Efforts to increase the minimum wage are occurring at the federal, state, and local levels, driven by strong grassroots support and activity. In 13 states, the minimum wage increased on January 1, 2014. A number of jurisdictions passed laws in 2013 mandating current or future increases. A push is underway to increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to perhaps $10.10, as President Obama has proposed. Analyses indicate that this could lift about 5 million people out of poverty. It would grow the economy by $22 billion and 85,000 jobs because the increased income would be spent in the local economy. Polls show that over 70% of the public, including a strong majority of Republicans, support increasing the minimum wage.

FULL POST: As we enter the New Year, the dysfunction in Washington is discouraging. However, there is good news from the grassroots. Every day people are standing up and taking action when government policies and corporate practices are favoring special interests over the interests of the average citizen and worker. Examples include the following:

  • Workers at Wal-Mart and in the fast food industry are taking action to improve their wages and working conditions. (See below for more information.)
  • Efforts to increase the minimum wage are occurring at the federal, state, and local levels, driven by strong grassroots support and activity. (See below for more information.)
  • State efforts to require the labeling of food containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are gaining traction.
  • State and local efforts in opposition to fracking are gaining momentum.
  • In North Carolina, grassroots protests are occurring every week at the capitol, known as Moral Mondays protests, to oppose policies that hurt the middle and working class.
  • Teachers, parents, and other supporters of public education are protesting the top-down, corporate-style “reform” and privatization of our schools.
  • Communities are supporting home owners and fighting back against foreclosures with eminent domain takings of homes that financial corporations are trying to foreclose on.

Wal-Mart workers: On the day after Thanksgiving, so-called “Black Friday,” protest rallies were held at roughly 1,500 Wal-Mart stores around the country, about a third of their stores. The protesters were striking Wal-Mart employees and their supporters, who have been organizing under the banner of OUR Walmart (Organization United for Respect at Walmart). The first strike occurred in Los Angeles in October 2012 and the movement has been growing ever since. OUR Walmart is asking the corporation for more full-time jobs, more regular schedules, better pay and benefits, and to stop retaliating against workers who speak out or participate in strikes. [1] Ultimately, their goal is to ensure that Walmart associates do not have to rely on government assistance, such as food stamps and subsidized health insurance, to support their families. Multiple studies have found that the average Wal-Mart employee receives $2,000 – $3,000 per year in government assistance. Nationwide, that means taxpayers are supporting Wal-Mart employees to the tune of $3 – $4 billion annually. [2] (In 2012, Wal-Mart had $444 billion in revenue and profits of $26.6 billion.)

Fast food workers: On December 5th, fast food workers went on strike for a day and were joined by supporters at rallies in roughly 200 cities across the country. These protests for better wages, targeting $15 per hour, began about a year ago and have been gaining momentum. They target McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Yum Brands (which owns Kentucky Fried Chicken [KFC], Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut), and others. [3] (See my previous post, Pay for Workers in the Fast-Food Industry, 9/8/13, https://lippittpolicyandpolitics.org/2013/09/08/updates-on-posts-on-low-pay-for-fast-food-workers-pesticides-and-bees-detroit/ for more information on the affordability of worker pay raises.) Low wage fast food workers are estimated to receive $7 billion a year in government assistance to help them make ends meet.

The minimum wage: These efforts to improve wages and working conditions for low wage workers are also reflected in efforts to increase the minimum wage. In 13 states, the minimum wage increased on January 1, 2014. A number of jurisdictions passed laws in 2013 mandating current or future increases, including California ($9/hour), Connecticut ($8.70), New Jersey ($8.25/hour), New York ($8/hour), Rhode Island ($8/hour), two counties in Maryland ($11.50/hour), the city of Seatac in Washington state ($15/hour), and the District of Columbia ($11.50/hour). [4] A push is underway to increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to perhaps $10.10, as President Obama has proposed. Analyses indicate that this could lift about 5 million people out of poverty. It would grow the economy by $22 billion and 85,000 jobs because the increased income would be spent in the local economy. [5] Numerous other efforts to raise the minimum wage are underway in states and communities across the country. Polls show that over 70% of the public, including a strong majority of Republicans, support increasing the minimum wage. (If the minimum wage had kept up with inflation since 1968, it would be $10.50 not $7.25. If it had kept up with productivity gains, it would be over $15 and perhaps close to $22.) (See my previous posts, Lack of Good Jobs is Our Most Urgent Problem, 10/30/13, https://lippittpolicyandpolitics.org/2013/10/29/lack-of-good-jobs-is-our-most-urgent-problem/, and Labor Day and the Middle Class, 9/2/13, https://lippittpolicyandpolitics.org/2013/09/02/labor-day-and-the-middle-class/, for more information.)

There is also a growing effort to institute a “living wage” of $15 per hour. The fast food workers and low wage retail workers, and the unions supporting them, are the core of this effort, along with Kshama Sawant, a Seattle City Council member. The 15Now Campaign (http://15now.org) is also supported by newly elected Seattle mayor, Ed Murray. [6]

I’ll provide more information on these and other promising grassroots activity in future posts.

[1]       Berfield, S., 11/29/13, “On Black Friday, strikes and counter strikes at Wal-Mart’s stores,” Bloomberg Businessweek

[2]       Mitchell, S., 6/7/13, “New data show how big chains free ride on taxpayers at the expense of responsible small businesses,” Institute for Local Self-Reliance (http://www.ilsr.org/chains-walmart-foods-free-ride-taxpayers-expense-responsible-small-businesses/)

[3]       Choi, C., & Hananel, S., 12/6/13, “Fast-food workers, advocates rally in US cities for more pay,” The Boston Globe from the Associated Press

[4]       Davidson, P., 12/30/13, “13 states raising pay for minimum-wage workers,” USA Today

[5]       Berman, J., 1/2/14, “A $10.10 minimum wage could lift 5 million out of poverty,” The Huffington Post

[6]       Queally, J., 1/3/14, “The fight for $15: Campaign for Living Wage readies national push,” Common Dreams (http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/01/03)

ENDING THE CORRUPTION OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

ABSTRACT: Whatever your politics – Democratic, Republican or independent; conservative, moderate, or progressive – most people are frustrated that issues they believe are important aren’t being addressed by Congress. The fuel that is really driving this paralysis is Big Money in our political campaigns. It is distorting the operation of government and corrupting our democracy. This corruption is the result of concentrated wealth and power in corporations and wealthy individuals who use their money to buy influence over our government and its politics and policies. Many members of the House and Senate spend more time meeting with lobbyists and special interest groups and fundraising for their next campaign than they do on legislation and representing the people who voted to send them to Washington.

The most immediate action we can take is to push for passage of a carefully designed law that reduces and exposes the flow of political money and influence without violating the Supreme Court’s rulings on freedom of speech. The American Anti-Corruption Act (AACA) is a bold, comprehensive law that does this. I urge you to support it by learning more about it (see below for a summary) and becoming a citizen co-sponsor at http://anticorruptionact.org.

FULL POST: Whatever your politics – Democratic, Republican or independent; conservative, moderate, or progressive – most people are frustrated that issues they believe are important aren’t being addressed by Congress. For some it’s fracking or climate change. For others it’s the federal debt, income inequality, gun violence, immigration, health care, regulation of the financial industry (or other corporations), military spending, trade treaties, or something else. Each is an important issue that can evoke strong debate and real passion.

All of these issues deserve a full and open debate, require compromise, and should receive votes on meaningful pieces of legislation. None is receiving it. The system is broken. The pundits and the media say this dysfunction and gridlock in Congress reflect the deep partisan divide in the U.S. However, the fuel that is really driving this paralysis is Big Money in our political campaigns. It is distorting the operation of government and corrupting our democracy.

This corruption is the result of concentrated wealth and power in corporations and wealthy individuals who use their money to buy influence over our government and its politics and policies. We cannot expect action on important issues until we end this corruption, which is deep and pernicious, and threatens the heart of our democratic system. Today, many members of the House and Senate spend more time meeting with lobbyists and special interest groups and fundraising for their next campaign than they do on legislation and representing the people who voted to send them to Washington.

The most immediate action we can take is to push for passage of a carefully designed law that reduces and exposes the flow of political money and influence without violating the Supreme Court’s rulings on freedom of speech. The American Anti-Corruption Act (AACA) is a bold, comprehensive law that does this. The campaign to promote it has been launched nationally by a nonpartisan group, Represent.Us (https://represent.us).

Here is what the American Anti-Corruption Act would do:

1)  Prohibit members of Congress from a) receiving contributions from the interests they oversee, and b) fundraising during congressional working hours;

2)  Build the influence of small contributors by creating a $100 tax rebate that registered voters can use to contribute to federal candidates;

3)  Require candidates to disclose the names of individuals (known as “bundlers”) who gather and package together multiple contributions, thereby presenting large sums of money to candidates;

4)  Limit the amount that lobbyists and their clients can contribute to federal candidates, political parties, and political committees to $500 per year;

5)  Limit political action committees’ contributions and their coordination with political campaigns and parties;

6)  Mandate full, timely reporting of all spending of $10,000 or more on political activities;

7)  Expand the legal definition of a lobbyist so anyone trying to influence our lawmakers has to play by the lobbying rules;

8)  Close the “revolving door” through which former elected officials and their staffs capitalize on their connections and influence in high-paying lobbying jobs when they leave office; and

9)  Strengthen enforcement of campaign finance laws.

I urge you to support the American Anti-Corruption Act by learning more about it and becoming a citizen co-sponsor at http://anticorruptionact.org.

REPUBLICAN SABOTAGE

ABSTRACT: Republicans are sabotaging democracy and the United States of America. Republicans in both the US House and Senate have used obstructionist tactics to block progress on a budget to keep the government operating and on an increase in the debt ceiling to avoid a financial default. In efforts to get policy changes that they don’t have the votes to pass in Congress and didn’t convince the American public to support in the last 3 elections, they have shut down the government and are on the verge of causing an unprecedented financial default.

Republicans in the US House of Representatives have blocked a vote on a simple, straight-forward bill extending the budget, which passed in the Senate, and would keep the government operating. In the Senate, a bill to increase the debt ceiling received a favorable majority vote but the Republicans filibustered, blocking progress.

An extremist minority has taken over the Republican Party because the rest of the Republicans refuse to stand up to them and say, “No.” These extremists have escalated their demands every time President Obama and the Democrats have compromised with them. For example, the extremists are demanding more budget cuts, even though the deficit has shrunk to half its size of 4 years ago.

Every compromise put forth on the budget or debt ceiling that has any chance of passage is torpedoed by the extremists, often with new demands. The track record makes it clear that these extremists won’t be satisfied with any concessions they get. In fact, anything they get will just embolden them to create another crisis so they can demand more.

It is frustrating to see a minority in Congress and in the country creating such hardship and inconvenience for so many in their pursuit of political goals that have been rejected repeatedly by the majority in Congress and multiple times by the voters. It’s past time to raise our voices and demand that our democratic principles be honored by the extremist minority and their Republican enablers in Congress. I urge you to contact your Representative and your Senators to tell them to reopen our government and raise the debt ceiling so our government can pay its bills.

FULL POST: Republicans are sabotaging democracy and the United States of America. Republicans in both the US House and Senate have used obstructionist tactics to block progress on a budget to keep the government operating and on an increase in the debt ceiling to avoid a financial default. In efforts to get policy changes that they don’t have the votes to pass in Congress and didn’t convince the American public to support in the last 3 elections, they have shut down the government and are on the verge of causing an unprecedented financial default. [1]

Republicans in the US House of Representatives have blocked a vote on a simple, straight-forward bill extending the budget, which passed in the Senate, and would keep the government operating. They used an unprecedented parliamentary procedure to block any chance that the bill would get voted on in the House. They did so by making a very specific change in the normal rules of operation of the House. Under normal procedure, any House member would have been able to request that the Senate bill be voted on. On the night of September 30, the eve of the shutdown, Republicans changed the normal rule to say that any request to vote on the Senate bill would have to be made by the Republican majority Leader or with his approval. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before,” said Norm Ornstein, resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. As a result, efforts by Democratic House members to bring the Senate bill up for a vote and keep the government operating, were blocked. If the bill had been voted on it almost certainly would have passed because at least 28 House Republicans have publicly said they would support such a bill if it were brought to a vote, which, when combined with Democratic votes, would be a majority. [2][3]

Meanwhile in the Senate, a bill to increase the debt ceiling was brought to a vote. A majority voted in favor of it but the Republicans filibustered, making a 60 vote super-majority necessary to move forward. [4]

An extremist minority has taken over the Republican Party because the rest of the Republicans refuse to stand up to them and say, “No.” These extremists have escalated their demands every time President Obama and the Democrats have compromised with them. In 2010, they wanted the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy extended through 2012 so they could make their case for the tax cuts to voters. They made their case and lost the election. Did they then let the tax cuts expire? No. As part of the fiscal cliff negotiations they demanded they be extended permanently. The President and the Democrats compromised and extended them permanently for incomes up to $400,000. And now the Republicans are back demanding tax cuts for the wealthy.

On spending cuts, they demanded large spending cuts and held the financial credibility of the country hostage to their demand in the summer of 2011. When the President and the Democrats compromised and made significant cuts, they demanded more. So a Super Committee was created to find ways to reduce the deficit but the extremists refused any compromise. They presented their case for budget cuts to the voters in 2012 and lost. Nonetheless, the extremists refused to compromise and the automatic, across the board cuts that the Super Committee was supposed to find a way to avoid went into effect in March. But the extremists are demanding more budget cuts, even though the deficit has shrunk to half its size of 4 years ago and is continuing to shrink.

The extremists have also demanded that the Affordable Care Act, which they have dubbed Obama Care, be repealed, even though it would provide health insurance to tens of millions of Americans who don’t have it now. Having campaigned on this issue in 2012 and lost, and without the votes to repeal it in Congress, they are now holding our democracy hostage to their demand to stop it.

Every compromise put forth on the budget or debt ceiling that has any chance of passage is torpedoed by the extremists. Often, they put forward new demands such as restrictions on health insurance coverage of women’s reproductive health or shifting the sequester’s budget cuts to cut social programs rather than the military.

The track record makes it clear that these extremists won’t be satisfied with any concessions they get. In fact, anything they get will just embolden them to create another crisis so they can demand more. Hopefully, the country, President Obama, the Democrats, and perhaps even the majority of Republicans have learned that extortionists’ demands escalate if you give in to them. Furthermore, keeping the government running and paying the nation’s bills should never have been negotiable in our democracy in the first place. [5] This is sabotage of the democratic process and the democratic principle of majority rule.

It is frustrating to see a minority in Congress and in the country creating such hardship and inconvenience for so many in their pursuit of political goals that have been rejected repeatedly by the majority in Congress and multiple times by the voters. It’s particularly frustrating to see Congress people getting paid (although some have committed to donate their salaries to charity), keeping their staffs on at full pay in some cases, keeping their gym and pool open, and even keeping their special little subway running between the House and Senate office buildings, while so many others are harmed or inconvenienced. Meanwhile, among other things, toxic waste clean-ups have stopped, accepting new patients into clinical trials at the National Institutes of Health has stopped, access to National Parks is blocked (except where states are paying to keep them open), contractors and programs that depend on federal government funding are shutting down, people who depend on, need, or expect government services or information are having to go without, and, of course, hundreds of thousands of government employees are not getting paid, creating real hardships for many families. [6]

It’s past time to raise our voices and demand that our democratic principles be honored by the extremist minority and their Republican enablers in Congress. I urge you to contact your Representative and your Senators to tell them to reopen our government and raise the debt ceiling so our government can pay its bills.

 

[1]       Moyers, B., 10/4/13, “On the sabotage of democracy,” http://billmoyers.com/segment/bill-moyers-essay-shutdown-showdown/

[2]       McCarter, J., 10/10/13, “How House Republicans guaranteed a shutdown: by changing the rules, “ Daily Kos

[3]       Alman, A., 10/13/13, “House Republicans changed the rules so a majority vote couldn’t stop the government shutdown,” The Huffington Post

[4]       Laing, K., 10/12/13, “White House slams Senate Republicans,” The Hill

[5]     Reich, R., 10/12/13, “Why giving Republican bullies a bloody nose isn’t enough,” The Huffington Post

[6]       Terkel, A., 10/9/13, “Congressional perks deemed essential during government shutdown while public sacrifices,” The Huffington Post

EFFECTS OF THE SEQUESTER Part 2

ABSTRACT: The $85 billion across the board budget cuts that went into effect on March 1, known as the sequester, are significantly affecting individuals, families, children, and public sector functions. The following list of some of the sequester’s effects is a continuation of my post of 9/16/13 and is drawn from the Coalition on Human Needs extensive compilation of reports from on-the-ground, front-line service providers and other sources.

The sequester’s budget cuts are having the following effects (among others): 1) the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services is cutting its reimbursements to community cancer clinics for cancer treatment drugs below the actual cost of the drugs; 2) civilian medical staff at military medical facilities are losing significant income because of sequestration furloughs and therefore are quitting; 3) many school districts will be increasing class sizes, reducing instructional and non-instructional staff, reducing professional development and academic programs, and/or deferring textbook purchases; 4) 57,000 fewer children will participate in Head Start and Early Head Start, services will be reduced by 1.3 million days, and 18,000 staff will either be laid off or face reduced pay or hours; 5) the federal court system’s budget has been cut by $350 million leading to layoffs of public defenders, delays in trials, and cuts in mental health treatment, drug treatment and testing, and offender monitoring; 6) hundreds of thousands of low income mothers and their young children have lost nutrition benefits; 7) roughly 300,000 students with disabilities will receive reduced services; 8) Meals on Wheels has delivered hundreds of thousands fewer meals for tens of thousands of seniors; and 9) housing assistance has been cut or denied for tens of thousands of families.

FULL POST: The $85 billion across the board budget cuts that went into effect on March 1, known as the sequester, are significantly affecting individuals, families, children, and public sector functions. The following list of some of the sequester’s effects is a continuation of my post of 9/16/13. The Coalition on Human Needs has been compiling reports of the sequester’s effects from on-the-ground, front-line service providers, as well as from national reports and sources. Here are some “highlights” from their extensive compilation: [1]

  • The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services is cutting its reimbursements to community cancer clinics for cancer treatment drugs below the actual cost of the drugs. As a result, the clinics have two choices: they can send Medicare patients to the hospital for treatment or they can continue to serve patients but take a loss on drug costs. Given tight budgets, many clinics are sending their patients to hospitals where taxpayers pay $6,500 more each year for cancer care and seniors pay $650 more in co-pays than they would at community cancer clinics.
  • Civilian medical staff at military medical facilities are losing significant income because of sequestration furloughs and therefore are quitting. The Army and Air Force combined have lost 3,300 doctors, nurses and other medical staff, about 6 percent of their total. Medical facilities’ hours of operation have been reduced and certain non-emergency medical procedures delayed.
  • The sequester’s cuts will affect many school districts this fall. In a survey of 541 school districts in 48 states done by the School Superintendents Association, 86% indicated they would be implementing cuts, including: increasing class sizes (48%), reducing instructional staff (53%), cutting non-instructional staff (47%), reducing professional development (59%), reducing academic programs (33%), and deferring textbook purchases (33%).
  • Due to the sequester’s cuts, 57,000 fewer children will participate in Head Start and Early Head Start this fall, the early education programs designed to close the school readiness gap for disadvantaged children. In addition, services will be reduced by 1.3 million days at Head Start centers and 18,000 staff will either be laid off or face reduced pay or hours. Programs also closed early at the end of the last school year, canceled summer programs, shortened daily hours of operation, and/or reduced services such as transportation. The concentration of Head Start services in poorer states and cities means that very poor communities and their children will be hit hard by these cuts, which will likely have life-long impacts on them and increase the challenges facing their schools.
  • The federal court system’s budget has been cut by $350 million by the sequester. This has resulted in layoffs of public defenders and furloughs of up to twenty days without pay. There have been delays in trials, reductions in lawyer training, and less funding for research, investigation and expert help. Several courts are not holding trials on Fridays to adapt to the reductions. If cases cannot be processed in accordance with the Speedy Trial Act, they may have to be dismissed. The number of federal probation officers has declined 7 percent since 2011, to approximately 6,000, despite an increase in the number of offenders in the probation system. In 2012, 187,000 offenders were supervised by these probation officers, and the number is expected to rise to a record 191,000 by 2014. Probation and pretrial services, including mental health treatment, drug treatment and testing, and offender monitoring, have all been cut.
  • The sequester’s cuts to food programs have meant that hundreds of thousands of low income mothers and their young children have lost nutrition benefits, which could do long-term harm to the health and school readiness of the children.
  • Hundreds of millions of dollars of sequester cuts mean that roughly 300,000 students with disabilities will receive reduced services.
  • Because of sequester cuts, Meals on Wheels has delivered hundreds of thousands fewer meals for tens of thousands of seniors. Transportation and other services for seniors have been cut.
  • Housing assistance has been cut or denied for tens of thousands of families due to the sequester. Some families have lost their housing assistance, some are being asked to pay more, and already long waiting lists and times (measured in years in many places) have grown. Maintenance of public housing and staff at housing agencies have been reduced.

I strongly urge you to call your US Senators and your Representative to tell them that the sequester’s budget cuts are harmful and unwise. Tell them that there are smarter and fairer ways to reduce the federal budget’s deficit.

(You can find out who your Congress people are and get their contact information at: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm for your Senators and http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ for your Representative.)

 

[1]       The Coalition on Human Needs’ extensive compilation of the sequester’s effects is available at: http://www.chn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/completesetofsequesterreports.pdf.

“TRADE” AGREEMENTS & CORPORATE POWER

ABSTRACT: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) “trade” treaty that is currently being negotiated (see post of 9/10) would give corporations the right to sue governments if their laws, regulations, or actions negatively affect current or expected future profits. Under existing trade agreements, over $380 million has already been paid to corporations by governments. Furthermore, there are 18 pending suits by corporations against governments for $14 billion. Corporations will use or set up foreign subsidiaries to file suits under investor-state dispute resolution provisions of trade treaties (corporations are referred to as “investors”), thereby avoiding a country’s legal system and relying instead on the international tribunals (i.e., courts) created by the treaties.

The TPP would require countries to allow corporations to compete for the delivery of public services. The result could well be that some people cannot afford a corporation’s fees for basic, formerly universal, public services (such as water).

If ratified, the Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty would enhance the power and rights of corporations while weakening US sovereignty. Given its unlimited term and the virtual impossibility of making changes (which require the unanimous consent of the parties), it amounts to a Constitutional change that gives foreign corporations equal (if not greater) legal status and power than the US and other governments. Furthermore, it would foster a race to the bottom for public health, the environment, and workers, especially well-paid blue and white collar workers, as jobs continue to move overseas and compensation and safety are attacked as limiting profits.

The secrecy and potency of the TPP make it feel like a conspiracy among our corporate and political elite to give corporations the ultimate power in our society. I strongly urge you to call your US Senators, and your Representative as well, to ask them to oppose “fast-track” rules for consideration of the Trans-Pacific Partnership “Trade” Treaty and to demand full disclosure and discussion of its provisions in Congress and with the public.

FULL POST: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) “trade” treaty that is currently being negotiated (see post of 9/10) would give corporations the right to sue governments if their laws, regulations, or actions negatively affect current or expected future profits. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the US, Canada, and Mexico and other treaties that are already in place give corporations similar rights. Under existing trade agreements, over $380 million has already been paid to corporations by governments. Furthermore, there are 18 pending suits by corporations against governments for $14 billion. [1] For example, Chevron is suing Ecuador over its environmental laws, Eli Lilly is suing Canada over its patent laws, and European investment firms are suing Egypt over its minimum wage laws. [2]

Philip Morris is suing Australia over its cigarette labeling laws. However, because the US – Australia trade agreement doesn’t include investor-state dispute resolution provisions (corporations are referred to as “investors”) that allow such suits, Philip Morris is using other trade treaties and its Swiss and Hong Kong subsidiaries to file its suits. [3] Corporations will use or set up foreign subsidiaries to file suits under investor-state dispute resolution provisions of trade treaties, thereby avoiding a country’s legal system and relying instead on the international tribunals created by the treaties.

Other examples of corporations suing governments include:

  • Under NAFTA, a US corporation sued and received $13 million from Canada, which then reversed its ban on a gasoline additive that contains a known human neurotoxin.
  • Another US corporation has filed a $250 million investor-state suit against Canada under NAFTA because of its ban on fracking.
  • A French and a US company have succeeded in separate suits totaling close to $300 million against Argentina because its federal government failed to override 2 provinces’ limits on water rate increases after water systems were privatized in a period of economic distress, even though it would have been an unconstitutional intervention in provincial affairs for the federal government to do so. [4]
  • (There are many more examples and much more information on the TPP at www.citizen.org/TPP.)

The TPP language would require countries to allow corporations to compete for the delivery of public services, such as water and sewer, electricity, education, and transportation services. The result could well be, as has occurred in Argentina and other South American countries, that some people cannot afford a corporation’s fees for basic, formerly universal, public services (such as water), or that a distinctly two-tiered system emerges with high quality services for those who can afford to pay and poorer quality services for those who can’t. [5]

If the TPP is ratified by the US, it would, for example, undermine efforts to make the giant international mining corporation Rio Tinto abide by the Clean Air Act at its massive copper mine west of Salt Lake City. [6] Under the TPP, US and local regulations could be nullified or forced to change in areas such as:

  • Worker safety and the minimum wage
  • Importation of food and food labeling
  • Fracking for and exportation of natural gas
  • The length of patent protection on drugs (which could raise drug prices by delaying availability of generic versions of drugs)
  • The separation of banking from financial speculation that has been proposed as part of the answer to the 2008 financial collapse (i.e., reinstating Glass-Steagall provisions). Furthermore, TPP would prohibit a transaction tax on the buying and selling of securities, derivatives, and other financial instruments (as has been proposed in the US and as is being implemented in Europe).

If ratified, the Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty would enhance the power and rights of corporations while weakening US sovereignty. Given its unlimited term and the virtual impossibility of making changes (which require the unanimous consent of the parties), it amounts to a Constitutional change that gives foreign corporations equal (if not greater) legal status and power than the US and other governments. This is in total contradiction to the design of US democracy where there is a balance of power, checks and balances, elections every two years, and law making that can change policies and the course of the country on a regular basis.

Furthermore, it would foster a race to the bottom for public health and the environment by giving corporations the right to challenge health and environmental laws and regulations in pursuit of ever higher profits. Similarly, it would foster a race to the bottom for workers, especially well-paid blue and white collar workers, as jobs continue to move overseas (as they have done under NAFTA), and compensation and safety are attacked as limiting profits.

I’m not one who generally buys conspiracy theories, but the secrecy and potency of the TPP make it feel like a conspiracy among our corporate and political elite to give corporations, which are totally focused on maximizing profits, the ultimate power in our society. Therefore, corporations, not our governments or other civic organizations, would determine our well-being as individuals, communities, and nations, as well as, ultimately, the well-being of our planet. I strongly urge you to call your US Senators, and your Representative as well, to ask them to oppose “fast-track” rules for consideration of the Trans-Pacific Partnership “Trade” Treaty and to demand full disclosure and discussion of its provisions in Congress and with the public.

(You can find out who your Congress people are and get their contact information at: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm for your Senators and http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ for your Representative.)

[1]       Public Citizen, retrieved 9/9/13, “TPP’s investment rules harm public access to essential services,” www.citizen.org/TPP

[2]       Hightower, J., August 2013, “The Trans-Pacific Partnership is not about free trade. It’s a corporate coup d’état – against us!” The Hightower Lowdown

[3]       Public Citizen, retrieved 9/9/13, “TPP’s investment rules harm public health,” www.citizen.org/TPP

[4]       Public Citizen, retrieved 9/9/13, “TPP’s investment rules harm the environment,” www.citizen.org/TPP

[5]       Hightower, J., August 2013, “The Trans-Pacific Partnership is not about free trade. It’s a corporate coup d’état – against us!” The Hightower Lowdown

[6]       Moench, B., 6/25/12, “America: A fire sale to foreign corporations,” Common Dreams (http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/06/25-0)

“TRADE” AGREEMENT SUPERSIZES CORPORATE POWER

ABSTRACT: The US is currently negotiating a trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The negotiations have been so secretive that most members of Congress have never seen a draft of the treaty and the public is mostly unaware of its existence. The mainstream (corporate) media have hardly mentioned the TPP, despite its target date for completion of December 2013.

Much of the TPP has nothing to do with trade; its focus is largely on providing legal rights to multi-national corporations so they can make profits without interference from government laws, regulations, or sovereignty. Foreign corporations would have the right to sue national or local governments if their laws, regulations, or actions negatively affected current or expected future profits. These suits would be resolved by an Investor-State Dispute Resolution system using an international tribunal (i.e., court).

Interestingly, conservatives have generally objected to the use of international precedents and tribunals that might impinge on US sovereignty and initiatives. However, they are generally supportive of the rights and power given to foreign corporations and international tribunals by the TPP.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty puts corporate interests ahead of American interests. I strongly urge you to call your US Senators to ask them to oppose “fast-track” rules for consideration of the Trans-Pacific Partnership “Trade” Treaty and to demand full disclosure and discussion of its provisions in Congress and with the public.

FULL POST: The US is currently negotiating a trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The negotiations have been so secretive that most members of Congress have never seen a draft of the treaty and the public is mostly unaware of its existence. Yet, Congress is going to be asked soon to vote on considering the treaty under “fast-track” rules that mean it would get a yes or no vote in Congress with limited debate and no amendments allowed. And once the treaty is approved, it has no expiration date and changes can only be made with the unanimous agreement of the participating countries. [1]

The mainstream (corporate) media have hardly mentioned the TPP, despite the fact that it includes 40% of the global economy, involves 12 (and potentially more) countries [2], has had 18 negotiating sessions, and has a target date for completion of December 2013.

Given that the tariffs among the participating countries are already low and that the US already has trade agreements with many of them (Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Australia, and Singapore), there would seem to be little need for the TPP. However, much of the TPP has nothing to do with trade – only 5 of its 29 sections actually deal with trade. Its focus is largely on providing legal rights to multi-national corporations so they can make profits without interference from government laws, regulations, or sovereignty. It has been described as the most business-friendly “trade” agreement in history and as NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico) on steroids. (Most people view NAFTA as having been good for US corporations but as not having lived up to the promise that it would create jobs in the US, let alone good jobs with good wages.)

The only people with access to the negotiations and draft treaty language have been members of the US Trade Representative’s official Trade Advisory Committees. These individuals are sworn to secrecy, as are the negotiators for the other countries. Of the roughly 700 US advisory committee members, about 600 represent the business community, about 20 represent workers, and none represent citizens’ or civic groups.

The TPP benefits corporations, particularly foreign corporations, by

  • Strengthening patent, copyright, and intellectual property rights
  • Banning government contracting rules that favor domestic businesses (e.g., Buy America incentives)
  • Allowing government regulations to be challenged and overridden if they reduce a foreign corporation’s profits, including, for example, regulations of food safety, environmental impact, the financial system, public utilities and services, and working conditions (including minimum wage, overtime, safety, and child labor laws)
  • Giving special international tribunals (i.e., courts) the ability to overrule domestic laws and regulations if they would hurt foreign corporations profits
  • Creating a special visa program for highly-paid, white-collar professionals that bypasses all other immigration regulations and processes. [3]

Corporations would have a legal status equal to or superseding that of countries. Foreign corporations would have the right to sue national or local governments if their laws, regulations, or actions negatively affected current or expected future profits. [4] These suits would be resolved by an Investor-State Dispute Resolution system using an international tribunal (i.e., court). (Corporations are referred to as “investors.”) Basically, this is an alternative legal system that supersedes US courts and laws. The three person tribunals would operate behind closed doors and be made up of private lawyers. The same lawyers who serve as judges in one case might represent corporations in other cases. There is no appeal process and when a corporation wins, the losing government must pay the corporation for its “lost” profits and legal costs. (My next post will provide examples of how corporations are using similar rights under existing treaties and of the effects TPP is likely to have.)

Interestingly, conservatives have generally objected to the use of international precedents in making court decisions and writing US laws, and to the United Nations, treaties, and international human rights tribunals that might impinge on US sovereignty and initiatives. However, they are generally supportive of the rights and power given to foreign corporations and international tribunals by the TPP, despite the fact that they would clearly limit US sovereignty. The TPP would give foreign corporations greater rights than domestic firms and would expand incentives for US corporations to move investments and jobs overseas. [5]

The Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty puts corporate interests ahead of American interests. And it is widely viewed as benefitting large, international corporations, while hurting small businesses, small farmers, and workers, especially well paid blue and white collar workers. I strongly urge you to call your US Senators, and your Representative as well, to ask them to oppose “fast-track” rules for consideration of the Trans-Pacific Partnership “Trade” Treaty and to demand full disclosure and discussion of its provisions in Congress and with the public.

(You can find out who your Congress people are and get their contact information at: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm for your Senators and http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ for your Representative.)

[1]       Hightower, J., August 2013, “The Trans-Pacific Partnership is not about free trade. It’s a corporate coup d’état – against us!” The Hightower Lowdown

[2]       The negotiations currently include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. Other countries are allowed to join in the future and China, Indonesia, and Russia are likely to join at some point.

[3]       Stangler, C., 9/2013, “MBAs without borders,” In These Times

[4]       Hauter, W., 8/22/13, “The un-American way: The Anti-democratic Trans-Pacific Partnership threatens food safety and public health,” OtherWords (www.commondreams.org/view/2013/08/22-3)

[5]       Moench, B., 6/25/12, “America: A fire sale to foreign corporations,” Common Dreams (http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/06/25-0)

LABOR DAY AND THE MIDDLE CLASS

ABSTRACT: Labor Day is a time to celebrate the contributions working people make to our country. But with unemployment still high, inequality on the uptick, and the middle class shrinking and under serious financial strain, many working families just don’t have much to celebrate. For 30 years, wages for the middle and lower income workers have barely kept up with inflation and have not kept up with their significant productivity increases. This means that they aren’t being paid fairly for what they produce. From 1979 to 2012, a typical worker’s wages grew only 5.0% despite a 74.5% increase in productivity.

Efforts are building at the federal level and in a number of states to raise the minimum wage, which has not kept pace with inflation or productivity growth. Low wage workers at fast food chains, big box retailers, and elsewhere have been organizing rallies and strikes to protest low wages and poor working conditions.

President Bill Clinton’s Labor Secretary, Robert Reich, has put together a short video (under 3 minutes) that explains how we can turn things around. (http://front.moveon.org/how-workers-can-get-a-fair-shake-a-labor-day-message-from-robert-reich/#.UiSXAknD_IU)

Jobs with wages that support a middle class life are essential to the well-being of individuals, families, our economy, and our country. Such jobs have been disappearing for 30 years. We need to reverse this trend. And we can, through our actions as citizens and through the policies of our government.

FULL POST: Labor Day is a time to celebrate the contributions working people make to our country. They power our economy both through what they produce and what they consume. (Consumer spending is about two-thirds of economic activity.)

But with unemployment still high, inequality on the uptick, and the middle class shrinking and under serious financial strain, many working families just don’t have much to celebrate. The recovery is weak and the jobs that are being created are largely low wage jobs. So far in 2013, 61% of new jobs have been in low-wage industries and 77% have been part-time. [1] Many of the laid off workers who are getting jobs are earning much less than they used to and many are only working part-time; many of them, especially older workers, are experiencing long-term unemployment with unemployment benefits running out and the loss of health insurance. [2]

For 30 years, wages for the middle and lower income workers have barely kept up with inflation and have not kept up with their significant productivity increases. This means that they aren’t being paid fairly for what they produce. Their increases in productivity are not rewarding them, but instead are going to corporate profits, executive pay, and shareholders. Between 2007 and 2012, wages fell for the 70% of workers at the bottom of the income distribution, despite productivity growth of 7.7%. From 1979 to 2012, a typical worker’s wages grew only 5.0% despite a 74.5% increase in productivity. [3] If the minimum wage had kept pace with productivity growth since the 1960s, it would be $16.54 instead of $7.25. [4]

Since 2008, corporate profits are up 25% – 30% while wages have fallen to their lowest portion of corporate revenue since the 1940s. Part of this is due to the continuing trend of employers changing full-time jobs with benefits into part-time or contracted jobs, typically without benefits. [5]

Efforts are building at the federal level and in a number of states to raise the minimum wage, which has not kept pace with inflation or productivity growth. More than 7 million children live in homes whose income would increase if we raised the minimum wage and more than 10 million Americans, including 4% of full-time workers, qualify as the “working poor.” That means they spent at least half the year working yet still live below the poverty line ($19,530 for a family of three, which might be a single parent and two children). [6]

Low wage workers at fast food chains, big box retailers, and elsewhere have been organizing rallies and strikes to protest low wages and poor working conditions.[7] If you didn’t see The Daily Show’s piece on fast food workers and the minimum wage (with John Oliver subbing for Jon Stewart) it’s, as usual, both informative and entertaining. It’s at: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-1-2013/can-t-you-at-least-wait-until-jon-stewart-gets-back. (It’s 10 minutes long with short ads at the beginning and in two breaks.)

President Bill Clinton’s Labor Secretary, Robert Reich, has put together a short video (under 3 minutes) that explains how we can turn things around. It lists 6 policies that are needed to make sure workers’ get a fair return for their labor and that would support the middle class. It’s at: http://front.moveon.org/how-workers-can-get-a-fair-shake-a-labor-day-message-from-robert-reich/#.UiSXAknD_IU.

As an initial step, the site includes a petition you can sign that calls on two very profitable companies – McDonald’s and Walmart – to pay their workers fair wages. Walmart, for example, pays its typical employee less than $9 an hour and many of its jobs are part-time, while its profits in 2013 were $28 billion. Most people who work for big-box retailers like Walmart, as well as those who work in the fast-food industry, are adults, not teenagers. They are responsible for bringing home a significant share of their family’s income and they should be paid enough to lift them and their families out of poverty.

When Martin Luther King, Jr., led the March to Washington for Jobs and Justice fifty years ago, one of the objectives was to raise the minimum wage to $2 an hour. $2 an hour in 1963, adjusted for inflation, comes to over $15 an hour today. (You can read more on this and many other topics at Bob Reich’s excellent blog at: http://robertreich.org.)

Jobs with wages that support a middle class life are essential to the well-being of individuals, families, our economy, and our country. Such jobs have been disappearing for 30 years. We need to reverse this trend. Increasing the minimum wage is one step. Increasing investments in human capital are another, including high quality, affordable early care and education, good schools, and affordable, quality post-secondary education. Universal access to good health care and steps to increase compensation and conditions for workers here in the U.S., as well as around the globalized world (for example, through trade treaties), are essential. We can affect these matters through our actions as citizens and through the policies of our government.

[1]       Wiseman, P., 8/5/13, “Most new jobs in July were low paying, part time,” The Boston Globe (from the Associated Press)

[2]       Winerip, M., 8/26/13, “Set back by recession, shut out of rebound,” The New York Times

[3]       Mishel, L., & Shierholz, H., 8/21/13, “A decade of flat wages: The key barrier to shared prosperity and a rising middle class,” Economic Policy Institute

[5]       Garson, B., 8/20/13, “How corporate America used the Great Recession to turn good jobs into bad ones,” TomDispatch

[6]       Eskow, R.J., 8/26/13, see above

[7]       Johnston, K., 8/27/13, “Local rally part of nationwide call,” The Boston Globe

INFORMED CITIZEN DISORDER

ABSTRACT: I would guess that many of you are like me: it’s been drilled into your conscience that it’s your responsibility as a citizen of a democracy and as a voter to be informed about what’s going on so you can make educated decisions. In a democracy, it’s part of being patriotic.

But boy, it can be depressing and infuriating because so many things are headed in the wrong direction. And changing direction is so difficult if not seemingly impossible. Marty Kaplan calls this “Informed Citizen Disorder (ICD).” Kaplan goes on to say, “We have to be optimists. … The only responsible thing that you can do is say that individuals can make a difference and I will try, we will try.”

There are encouraging signs, but the mainstream media (given they are mostly giant corporations) are not attuned to look for – and have some predisposition and incentive to ignore – citizen activism. Furthermore, our democracy is so controlled by money that it can feel unredeemable; our political system can leave us feeling helpless and jaded rather than empowered to make a difference.

However, our nation was built by ordinary people rising up and forging grassroots movements that achieved the extraordinary. “An American patriot is one who supports the egalitarian ideals of our country, and who is willing to challenge authority.” (Jim Hightower, see footnote)

This blog is part of my therapy for ICD. I hope it helps you.

FULL POST: I would guess that many of you are like me: it’s been drilled into your conscience that it’s your responsibility as a citizen of a democracy and as a voter to be informed about what’s going on so you can make educated decisions. Being informed about what’s going on in the world is supposed to be a virtue, the civic equivalent of exercise. In a democracy, it’s part of being patriotic.

But boy, it can be depressing and infuriating because so many things are headed in the wrong direction. And changing direction is so difficult if not seemingly impossible. You do your best to stay informed, and what you get in return is what Marty Kaplan calls “Informed Citizen Disorder (ICD).” As he puts it, “the more informed I am, the more despondent I am, because day after day, there is news which drives me crazy and I want to see the public rise up in outrage and say, no, you can’t do that, banks. You can’t do that, corporations. You can’t do that polluters, you have to stop and pay attention to the laws, or we’re going to change the laws.” But time and again, the public doesn’t rise up, and even when it does (at least somewhat as in the post-Newtown efforts to reduce gun violence), nothing changes. [1]

So Moyers asks him, “Are you an optimist or a pessimist about what’s happening to us?” And Kaplan says, “I have children. I have to be an optimist. The globe has children. We have to be optimists. There is no choice. … The only responsible thing that you can do is say that individuals can make a difference and I will try, we will try.” [2]

There are encouraging signs, although one often has to look hard to find them. Part of the problem is that the mainstream media (given they are mostly giant corporations) are not attuned to look for – and have some predisposition and incentive to ignore – citizen activism. Due to mergers and acquisitions over the last 35 years, there are now fewer than 10 giant media corporations that control over 90% of the news and information we receive.

Remember Occupy Wall Street? It was going on for weeks before it got any mention in the mainstream media. The Moral Monday’s demonstrations that are happening in North Carolina weekly are a great example. What happened in Wisconsin when the Governor and Legislature were attacking public employees and unions was another great example. What hasn’t happened yet is for this citizen activism to spark major, nationwide protest or to build to a critical mass.

Moyers and Kaplan also discuss how the mainstream media today actually undermine our efforts to be good citizens of a democracy by distracting us with infotainment and by failing to provide the depth of information necessary to be informed citizens. Furthermore, our democracy is so controlled by money that it can feel unredeemable; our political system can leave us feeling helpless and jaded rather than empowered to make a difference.

However, our nation was built by ordinary people rising up and forging grassroots movements that achieved the extraordinary. Think of the original Patriots who started and carried out the American Revolution. Think of the suffrage, Civil Rights and Gay Rights movements. Think of the New Deal. “An American patriot is one who supports the egalitarian ideals of our country, and who is willing to challenge authority” every time it strays from the ideals of our democracy and from government of, by, and for the people. [3]

This blog is part of my therapy for ICD. I hope it helps you. I try to concisely present information on issues that we need to tackle to reclaim our democracy and relieve ICD. Ultimately, I hope this supports the grassroots movement of informed citizens that is needed to return to government of, by, and for the people.

NOTE: I encourage you to listen to or watch Bill Moyers’ shows. I download the podcasts and listen to them when I’m traveling, waiting, or doing mindless things. They are incredibly informative and thought provoking. He frequently asks his activist guests, as he did Kaplan, what keeps them going and why they remain optimistic. Their answers are always inspiring. I also encourage you to take a look at Jim Hightower’s Lowdown. It’s feisty, entertaining, easy to read, and informative.

[1]       Kaplan, M., 5/27/13, “Diagnosis: Informed Citizen Disorder,” The Huffington Post

[2]       Moyers, B., 7/12/13, “Distracted from Democracy,” Bill Moyers & Company with Marty Kaplan, http://billmoyers.com/segment/marty-kaplan-on-the-weapons-of-mass-distraction/

[3]       Hightower, J., July 2013, “America’s true history is not about ‘Great Men,’ but about grassroots rebels and movements,” The Hightower Lowdown, http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/

BANNING BEE KILLING PESTICIDES

ABSTRACT: Pesticides and other toxic chemicals are ubiquitous in our environment and even in our blood. Regulation of them is weak. One of the unintended consequences of widespread pesticide use is the harming or killing of animals, other than those targeted. Last month, 50,000 bumblebees died after a spraying of the pesticide dinotefuran. The class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, of which dinotefuran is one, is the likely culprit in a broad decline in bee populations. Europe has already implemented restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids.

A bill has been introduced in the US House to restrict the use of these chemicals until we can be sure that they are safe and being used properly. The bill is H.R. 2692, the “Save America’s Pollinators Act”.

I urge you to join me as a citizen co-sponsor of this important legislation by signing the petition at: http://org.credoaction.com/petitions/tell-congress-stop-the-pesticide-that-is-killing-bees?akid=8530.653385.cfRZJV&rd=1&t=5.

FULL POST: Pesticides and other toxic chemicals are ubiquitous in our environment and even in our blood. Regulation of them is weak at best because the chemical corporations are very active in lobbying, making campaign contributions, and using the revolving door to move personnel between the industry and government regulatory agencies. (See posts of 6/29, 6/21, and 6/10/13 for more information.) One of the unintended consequences of widespread pesticide use is the harming or killing of animals, other than those targeted. Birds were the victims of DDT 50 years ago and today bees appear to be a victim.

Last month, 50,000 bumblebees died after trees in Wilsonville, Oregon were sprayed with the chemical dinotefuran, the key ingredient in Safari pesticide. This was the largest bee die-off ever recorded. Bee populations are declining across the country at an alarming rate, and a class of pesticides, called neonicotinoids, of which dinotefuran is one, is the likely culprit.

Both our environment and food supply are inextricably tied to the welfare of bees, making the decrease in bee populations a cause for alarm. Many crops, including fruit trees, rely on bees for pollination. The Oregon Department of Agriculture is investigating the die-off and is temporarily restricting the use of 18 pesticide products containing dinotefuran and the Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. However, that review is not scheduled to be completed for another five years. Europe has already implemented restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids.

A bill has been introduced in the US House of Representatives by Congressmen Earl Blumenauer and John Conyers to restrict the use of these chemicals until we can be sure that they are safe and being used properly. The bill, H.R. 2692, the “Save America’s Pollinators Act”, would suspend certain uses of neonicotinoids until the Environmental Protection Agency reviews these chemicals and makes a new determination about their proper application and safe use. This will increase pressure on the EPA to speed its review before another mass bee die-off occurs. One strategy for getting the bill passed is to include it in the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, which is currently under active consideration.

I urge you to join me as a citizen co-sponsor of this important legislation by signing the petition linked to below. You can also contact your Representative and urge him or her to support this legislation.

Will you join me and add your name to this petition to the United States Congress asking it to pass legislation suspending use of the pesticides that are killing bees?
This petition was created on org.credoaction.com, a new people-powered platform that allows activists to start and run petition campaigns. org.credoaction.com helps activists like you make progressive change and fight regressive policies by creating online petitions.

NOTE: Please let me know by submitting a comment on this post if you would like me to continue sharing links to on-line petitions on issues I have written about. These petitions are an easy way to express your opinion and increase its weight by combining it with that of others. The effectiveness of these petitions varies greatly based on a wide range of factors, but there’s little downside given how quick and easy it is to do. Each petition also will give you a link to the advocacy organization sponsoring it. If it’s an issue you are particularly interested in, you may want to engage directly with the organization. One forewarning: in many cases when you sign a petition the sponsoring organization will put you on their email list. In some cases, there is a check box on the petition that you can uncheck if you don’t want the organization to start sending you information. You can, of course, always unsubscribe via any email you get from such an organization

FINANCIAL SYSTEM REFORM

ABSTRACT: The need for financial system reform was made clear by the 2008 crash. One of the goals of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law was to end speculative trading by large financial corporations that are also banks because it has the potential to jeopardize consumer deposits. However, speculative trading has continued.

Therefore, a tri-partisan group of Senators, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, has recently proposed new legislation, the 21st Century Glass Steagall Act, that would require the separation of speculative trading and consumer bank deposits. You can sign on as a citizen sponsor of this proposed federal legislation at: http://my.elizabethwarren.com/page/s/glass-steagall?source=20130711emf.

Senator Warren was on CNBC to talk about the importance of this new legislation. You can watch the informative and entertaining video clip (under 3 minutes) at: http://gawker.com/nbc-censors-video-of-elizabeth-warren-taking-cnbc-to-th-837411782.

FULL POST: The need for financial system reform was made clear by the 2008 crash. We are now at the third anniversary of the passage of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. However, implementation has been slow, due to the complexity of the law, efforts by the large financial corporations to block and delay it, and obstructionism by Republicans, particularly in the Senate. For example, a Director for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created by Dodd-Frank, was finally approved by the Senate on July 17. (See post of 7/26/12 for background.)

One of the goals of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law was to end speculative trading by large financial corporations that are also banks. Such trading has the potential to generate large losses that could jeopardize consumer deposits at these banks, requiring a federal government bailout. Dodd-Frank and the so-called Volcker Rule were supposed to end such trading. However, speculative trading has continued. (See posts of 5/31/12 and 5/29/12 for more details.)

Therefore, a tri-partisan group of Senators, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, has recently proposed new legislation, the 21st Century Glass Steagall Act, that would require the separation of speculative trading and consumer bank deposits.

You can sign on as a citizen sponsor of this proposed federal legislation at: http://my.elizabethwarren.com/page/s/glass-steagall?source=20130711emf. It will reduce risk-taking by big financial corporations that enjoy federal insurance of depositors’ money, thereby reducing the risk of another government bailout of these huge corporations and enhancing the safety of consumer deposits.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA), an expert on the financial system, states that we need to learn from the financial crisis of 2008 and, moving forward, to prevent the kinds of high-risk activities that made a few people rich but nearly destroyed our economy. She has joined forces with Senators John McCain (Republican, AZ), Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA), and Angus King (Independent, ME) to introduce the 21st Century Glass Steagall Act to modernize core banking safety.

This legislation would reinstate some of the protections of the original Glass Steagall Act put in place after the Great Depression but repealed in 1999. For over 50 years before this repeal, the banking system was stable and our middle class grew stronger. Wall Street had spent 66 years and millions of dollars lobbying for repeal, and, eventually, the big financial corporations won.

This new law will rebuild a firewall between the banks where American families have checking and savings accounts, and the investment banks that engage in risky financial speculation. It will make sure Wall Street doesn’t gamble with your money, and will help prevent another financial crisis. The bill will give a five year transition period for financial institutions to split their business practices into distinct entities – shrinking their size and taking an important step toward ending “Too Big to Fail” once and for all, while minimizing the risk of future bailouts.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insures our banks to keep your money safe. That way, when you want to withdraw your money, you know the money will be there. That’s what makes our banking system safe and dependable. But the government should NOT be insuring hedge funds, swaps dealing, and other risky investment banking activities. When the same institutions that take these huge risks are also the ones that control your savings account, the entire banking system is riskier.

This is an important bill that will implement the lessons we learned from the 2008 crisis and make sure we hold Wall St. accountable. Click here to become a citizen sponsor of the new 21st Century Glass Steagall Act. (Paste the following address into your web browser if the link doesn’t work: http://my.elizabethwarren.com/page/s/glass-steagall?source=20130711emf.)

Senator Warren was on CNBC to talk about the importance of this new legislation. The video clip of Warren’s appearance was on You Tube, but CNBC and NBC in effect censored it, claiming copyright infringement. They did so, apparently, because Warren did such a good job of defending the legislation and, in the process, made the CNBC commentators look bad because they were critical of the legislation and tried to attack Warren and her arguments for the legislation. This is a reflection of how our mainstream media, which are all big corporations themselves, report on – or in many cases don’t report on – news that is not favorable to corporate America.

You can read an article about this censorship and watch the informative and entertaining video clip (under 3 minutes) at: http://gawker.com/nbc-censors-video-of-elizabeth-warren-taking-cnbc-to-th-837411782. (Paste the address above into your web browser if the link doesn’t work automatically.)

NOTE: Please let me know by submitting a comment on this post if you would like me to continue sharing links to on-line petitions on issues I have written about. These petitions are an easy way to express your opinion and increase its weight by combining it with that of others. The effectiveness of these petitions varies greatly based on a wide range of factors, but there’s little downside given how quick and easy it is to do. Each petition also will give you a link to the advocacy organization sponsoring it. If it’s an issue you are particularly interested in, you may want to engage directly with the organization. One forewarning: in many cases when you sign a petition the sponsoring organization will put you on their email list. In some cases, there is a check box on the petition that you can uncheck if you don’t want the organization to start sending you information. You can, of course, always unsubscribe via any email you get from such an organization

OVERSIGHT OF FINANCIAL CORPORATIONS – PETITIONS YOU CAN SIGN

INTRO: The need for strong oversight of our large financial corporations was made starkly clear by their collapse in 2008. Nonetheless, necessary changes have not happened. The six huge financial corporations are bigger than ever, despite concern that they were too big to fail back in 2008. News of illegal activity in the financial sector continues to surface regularly and financial corporations are increasingly engaging in activities similar to those that led up to the 2008 crash. [1] (See posts of 8/29/12 and 7/12/12 for background.)

Strong oversight and regulation are needed from the Federal Reserve and the Securities and Exchange Commission, among others. (See posts of 7/31/12, 5/31/12, and 5/29/12 for background.) The government bailout (trillions of dollars in total) and the economic recession (that we still haven’t recovered from) that followed must not be allowed to happen again.

Here are two steps that should happen to increase oversight and accountability, while reducing risk of a re-occurrence of the 2008 crash. I include (see below) links to petitions you can sign (each in a minute or less) that will register your support for them:

  • President Obama should NOT to nominate Larry Summers as the next head of the Federal Reserve (the Fed)
  • The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) should implement and enforce disclosure of the compensation given to the heads of the big financial corporations

TELL PRESIDENT OBAMA NOT TO APPOINT SUMMERS AS FED CHAIRMAN

Larry Summers is apparently Obama’s leading candidate to replace Ben Bernanke as the chairman of the Federal Reserve in January. Summers is a former Treasury Secretary, Obama economic advisor, and Harvard University President. He is currently a paid consultant to Citigroup, one of the six huge Wall St. financial corporations.

Summers contributed to the financial collapse — he helped lead the charge to deregulate Wall Street in the 1990s, he blocked efforts to regulate derivatives (which were a key cause of the 2008 collapse), and he dismissed concerns about deregulation just before the 2008 crash that tanked the economy. [2]

We need strong leadership at the Fed. We need someone willing to stand up to Wall Street instead of letting them play by their own rules and bailing them out when the going gets tough. Larry Summers is not that man.

Please email President Obama via the Daily Kos website now — tell him not to appoint Larry Summers to lead the Fed. (from Michael Langenmayr, Campaign Director, Daily Kos blog site. Paste the following address into your web browser if the link doesn’t work: http://campaigns.dailykos.com/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=505)

TELL THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION TO IMPLEMENT DISCLOSURE OF CEOs’ PAY

Please urge the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) to enforce the law on disclosure of CEO’s salaries. Excessive CEO salaries contributed to the reckless financial culture that nearly ruined our economy.

The Dodd-Frank financial reform law, which Congress passed in 2010, requires publicly traded corporations to disclose how much their executives make and compare it to their average worker’s pay. Three years later, the law still hasn’t been implemented. Why? Because the SEC has not produced the regulations needed to implement the law. Meanwhile, big corporations are putting pressure on the SEC and Congress to quietly kill this requirement.

This is basic public information that we have the right to know, and will help prevent the next financial crisis. Join Daily Kos and USAction by signing this petition to the SEC, urging them to enforce Dodd-Frank’s provision on disclosing CEO salaries. (from Paul Hogarth, Daily Kos blog site. Paste the following address into your web browser if the link doesn’t work: http://campaigns.dailykos.com/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=518)

My next post will describe, and give you the opportunity to be a citizen co-sponsor of, Congressional legislation to reduce risk and improve stability at our big bank corporations. It will reduce the risk of a future government bailout while enhancing the safety of your deposits.

NOTE: Please let me know by submitting a comment on this post if you would like me to continue sharing links to on-line petitions on issues I write about. These petitions are an easy way to express your opinion and increase its weight by combining it with that of others. The effectiveness of these petitions varies greatly based on a wide range of factors, but there’s little downside given how quick and easy it is to do. Each petition also will give you a link to the advocacy organization sponsoring it. If it’s an issue you are particularly interested in, you may want to engage directly with the organization. One forewarning: in many cases when you sign a petition the sponsoring organization will put you on their email list. In some cases, there is a check box on the petition that you can uncheck if you don’t want the organization to start sending you information. You can, of course, always unsubscribe via any email you get from such an organization.

[1]       Popper, N., 4/18/13, “Wall St. redux: Arcane names hiding big risk,” The New York Times

[2]       Editorial, 8/2/13, “Tornado at the Fed? Obama has better choices than Summers,” The Boston Globe

REDUCING INTEREST ON STUDENT LOANS

ABSTRACT: The interest rate on new federal student loans is scheduled to increase from 3.4% to 6.8% in July. Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) has introduced legislation to give students the same interest rate that the big bank corporations get when they borrow from the Federal Reserve: 0.75%. Warren’s bill highlights the enormous advantages and preferences the federal government gives to large corporations and the contrast with what the government does (or doesn’t do) for students, their families, and 99% of taxpayers in general.

 Student debt exceeds $1 trillion and is a substantial drag on the economy. Some financial experts have warned that the student debt problem has parallels to the housing mortgage loan crisis.

You can become a citizen co-sponsor of Warren’s Bank on Students Loan Fairness Act at http://my.elizabethwarren.com/page/s/studentloans?source=20130516em.

FULL POST: The interest rate on new federal student loans is scheduled to increase from 3.4% to 6.8% in July. Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) has introduced legislation to give students the same interest rate that the big bank corporations get when they borrow from the Federal Reserve: 0.75%.

Senator Warren’s bill in the Senate (her first) and Representative Tierney’s companion bill in the House would have the Federal Reserve make funds available to the Department of Education for student loans at this low rate for one year, to give Congress time to find a long-term solution to the student debt problem. As she writes, “If the government can float huge sums of money to large financial institutions at low interest rates to grow the economy, surely it can float the money necessary to fund our students, keep us competitive, and grow our middle class.” [1]

In addition to providing some relief to students, Warren’s bill highlights the enormous advantages and preferences the federal government gives to large corporations, in this case the large banks (who crashed our economy). It starkly draws a contrast with what the government does (or doesn’t do) for students, their families, and 99% of taxpayers in general, including homeowners who got little help while the large financial corporations involved with the housing collapse got bailed out.

At a time when the federal government can borrow money at 0.25% for 2 years, under 1% for 5 years, at 2% for 10 years, and roughly 3% for 30 years, [2] it hardly seems fair to be charging students even 3.4%, let alone 6.8%.

Student debt exceeds $1 trillion, which is more than all credit card debt. It is a substantial drag on the economy. (See post of 6/6/12 for more detail.) It depresses spending by students and their families. Because consumer spending is roughly two-thirds of our economic activity, depressed consumer spending slows our economic recovery. And if the default rate on student loans grows, which seems likely given that many students are having a very hard time finding jobs, let alone ones with good pay, the impact on our economy, government, and financial institutions could be significant. That’s why some financial experts have warned that the student debt problem has parallels to the housing mortgage loan crisis. [3]

You can become a citizen co-sponsor of Warren’s Bank on Students Loan Fairness Act at http://my.elizabethwarren.com/page/s/studentloans?source=20130516em.

[1]       Warren, E., 5/16/13, “If it’s good enough for the banks, it’s good enough for students,” Elizabeth Warren for Senate Newsletter

[2]       Bloomberg, 5/17/13, “United States Government Bonds, US Treasury yields,” retrieved from the Internet at http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/rates-bonds/government-bonds/us/

[3]       Zumbrun, J., & Torres, C., 5/7/13, “Bankers warn Fed of farm, student loan bubbles echoing subprime,” Bloomberg

REDUCING GUN VIOLENCE

ABSTRACT: There’s good news and bad news after the recent obstruction by filibustering in the US Senate of a law to reduce gun violence. Information on the votes in the Senate and how to contact your Senators (and Representatives) is below.

Efforts to reduce gun violence are getting unprecedented attention. Four states have recently passed laws targeting gun violence. However, there is a continuing lack of good data and research on gun violence, largely because the gun industry and its supporters have aggressively worked to block government data collection and research, as well as to intimidate private researchers. This inhibits the solving and prevention of crimes, as well as the identification and prosecution of gun dealers who irresponsibly, if not illegally, sell guns, including guns that are used in crimes.

I urge you to contact your Senators and let them know how you feel about this issue, whether you agree with their vote or not. Good legislation, good data and research, and strong enforcement could significantly reduce the 18,000 suicides and 12,000 murders that happen with guns each year in this country. Communication to elected officials by voters – their constituents – is critical to taking advantage of this window of opportunity and achieving change that will reduce the tragedy of gun violence.

FULL POST:There’s good news and bad news after the recent obstruction by filibustering in the US Senate of a law to reduce gun violence. (See post of 4/20/13 for more details.) One piece of good news is that some Senators are saying they will continue the effort. Information on the votes in the Senate and how to contact your Senators (and Representatives) is below.

Other good news:

  • Efforts to reduce gun violence are getting unprecedented attention, including coverage in mainstream media
  • The issue is a much higher priority in voters’ minds than it was
  • Elected officials are being asked where they stand on the issue regularly
  • Elected officials who support steps to reduce gun violence are much more comfortable saying so in public
  • Four states have recently passed laws targeting gun violence: Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, and New York. Others are considering doing so. You may want to check and see if there is such an effort in your state.

Nationally, the broad support for reducing gun violence is clear and its potential political impact has being discussed. For example, in 21 states both US Senators supported the gun background check provision that was defeated by filibuster. Those 21 states have 261 Electoral College votes, out of the 270 needed to elect a President. The 17 states where both Senators opposed the law only have 146 electoral votes. [1]

The National Academy of Sciences published a major report back in 2004, “Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review,” that found that there is a lack of good data and research on this topic. It recommended that the federal government support “a systematic program of data collection and research” (page 3). The report noted that “violence is positively associated with firearms ownership” (page 5) but that the data do not allow a conclusion about whether there is a cause and effect relationship. It stated that in comparisons among countries, “there is a substantial association between gun ownership and homicide” and that “the U.S. homicide rate is much higher than in all other developed countries.” (page 6) [2] Australia has achieved a dramatic reduction in gun violence over the last 6 years. (See post of 4/20/13 for more details.)

Despite this, there is a continuing lack of good data and research on gun violence, largely because the gun industry and its supporters, notably the National Rifle Association (NRA), have aggressively worked to block government data collection and research, as well as to intimidate private researchers. The US Centers for Disease Control and the US Department of Health and Human Services are effectively blocked from spending any money on gun violence research. In contrast, despite the fact that roughly the same number of people die each year in gun violence as in car accidents, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spends roughly $125 million per year to study and improve highway safety. As with highway safety, gun safety is a public health issue and should be address as such.

The blocking of the collection and use of gun data inhibits the solving and prevention of crimes, as well as the formulation of effective policies to reduce gun violence. It also inhibits the identification and prosecution of gun dealers who irresponsibly, if not illegally, sell guns, including guns that are used in crimes. [3][4]

Getting back to the gun violence prevention efforts in the US Senate, the vote on the background check provision was 54 in favor (Yeas) and 46 opposed (Nays), but because of the filibuster, 60 votes in favor were needed to move the legislation forward. It was largely a party line vote, with Republicans opposed and Democrats in favor, with the following exceptions: [5]

  • 4 Republicans in favor: Collins (ME), Kirk (IL), McCain (AZ), and Toomey (PA).
  • 4 Democrats opposed: Baucus (Montana), Begich (Alaska), Heitkamp (ND), and Pryor (Arkansas). (Reid [NV] voted “No”, but as a procedural move to allow him to call for reconsideration.)

I urge you to contact your Senators and let them know how you feel about this issue, whether you agree with their vote or not. If you support them they need to hear that, because there is pressure on them from both sides. If you’d like them to change their vote, they should hear that as well. You can find your US Senators’ names and contact information at: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

It wouldn’t hurt to contact your US Representative while you’re at it, although there is no impending action in the House. You can find their names and contact information at: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Good legislation, good data and research, and strong enforcement could significantly reduce the 18,000 suicides and 12,000 murders that happen with guns each year in this country. The attention this issue is finally getting is an important step forward. Communication to elected officials by voters – their constituents – is critical to taking advantage of this window of opportunity and achieving change that will reduce the tragedy of gun violence.

[1]       Green, J., 5/1/13, “A matter of time? Congress failed to act, but the gun control tides are shifting,” The Boston Globe

[2]       Wellford, C.F., et al., 2004, “Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review,” Committee on Law and Justice, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences

[3]       Bender, M.C., 2/12/13, “Gun lobby blocks data collection by crimefighters,” Bloomberg

[4]       Thacker, P.D., 12/19/12, “Congress and the NRA suppressed research on gun violence,” Slate Magazine

FIXING THE SEQUESTER’S BUDGET CUTS

ABSTRACT: The impacts of the $85 billion, 5% across the board budget cuts that went into effect on March 1st (known as the Sequester) are being felt. The cuts to air traffic controllers caused flight delays, so Congress acted with rarely seen speed to provide funding for them.

However, other impacts of the sequester, which are having far more significant effects on people’s lives than having a flight delayed, are being ignored by Congress. It is estimated that almost 60,000 young children will lose or receive reduced Head Start and Early Head Start services. Grants for child care subsidies have been cut, which will undermine the ability of parents to work and the school readiness of an estimated 28,000 children. The estimated impacts of other cuts include: lost nutrition benefits for 600,000 mothers and their young children, reduced K-12 education supports for 1.2 million disadvantaged children, fewer meals for tens of thousands of seniors, and 4,000 fewer AmeriCorps and VISTA volunteers. Unemployment benefits, vouchers for rental housing assistance, and health care funding have also been cut.

I urge you to email, write, or call your representatives in Congress and the President to say that it’s nice to fix the sequester’s impact on flight delays, but it’s much more important to fix the significant, negative impacts the sequester is having on people’s daily lives, on our children and their education from birth onward, on seniors’ ability to live independently, and on the ability of low income families and the unemployed to make ends meet.

FULL POST: The impacts of the $85 billion, 5% across the board budget cuts that went into effect on March 1st (known as the Sequester) are being felt. As you’ve probably heard, the cuts to air traffic controllers caused flight delays. So Congress acted with rarely seen speed and in just two days passed a bill that shifts money from airport improvement projects to provide funding for the controllers. The meat industry, the Pentagon, and the Homeland Security and Justice Departments also got some relief from the sequester’s cuts in the bill. [1]

However, other impacts of the sequester, which are having far more significant effects on people’s lives than having a flight delayed, are being ignored by Congress. Here are some examples: [2][3]

  • Early childhood care and education:
    • Head Start and Early Head Start, which provide families in poverty with school readiness enrichment for children under 5 and other support, are cutting services. Some are closing early and some are shutting down for 2 – 3 weeks. Others are laying off staff and serving fewer children, with some conducting lotteries to determine which children will be asked to leave. This is potentially harmful to children’s brain development, which is likely to negatively affect their success in school and their ability to be productive workers in the future. Nationally, it is estimated that almost 60,000 young children will lose or receive reduced services.
    • Grants to the states for child care subsidies have been cut. Therefore, states will offer less help to low income families to pay for child care. This will undermine the ability of parents to work and the school readiness of an estimated 28,000 children.
  • Nutrition for mothers and their young children: It is estimated that 600,000 low income mothers and their young children will lose nutrition benefits. This could do long-term harm to the health and school readiness of these children.
  • K-12 Education: School teachers, aides, and literacy and remedial specialists are being laid off. In particular, the Title I program that provides funding to schools serving high numbers of low income families has been cut by $726 million, which is estimated to affect 1.2 million disadvantaged students and 10,000 school staff members.
  • Unemployment benefits: The federal government advised states to cut their unemployment benefits to the long-term unemployed by 10.7% in the first week of April or make larger percentage cuts later. In California, for example, where unemployment is 9.6%, 400,000 long-term unemployed workers, whose average weekly check is $297, will receive a cut of $52 a week.
  • Housing: Vouchers for rental assistance are being cut. Some recently issued vouchers are being rescinded and some subsidized tenants are being asked to pay more toward their rent. Waiting lists and times (measured in years in many places) for housing assistance are growing. Tens of thousands of families will be affected.
  • Services for seniors: Transportation services for seniors are being cut and some senior centers are being closed. Meals on Wheels will deliver hundreds of thousands fewer meals for tens of thousands of seniors.
  • Health care: Local clinics, the most convenient and cost-effective places to get health care, are cutting services, forcing patients to travel longer distance to access more expensive services at hospitals. Hospitals and health care organizations will lose $11 billion this year. Non-profit hospitals that serve large Medicare populations will be disproportionately affected.
  • Community service: 4,000 of 80,000 AmeriCorps and VISTA volunteers will be cut.

The impacts of the sequester’s cuts to social and human service programs are difficult to quantify and describe because they are in numerous programs and grants, and are happening differently in each state, in each city, and in each agency and program as these entities struggle to implement the cuts with the least harm possible.

Meanwhile, Congress, including prominent deficit hawks, is insisting that the military spend almost half a billion dollars on tanks that the Pentagon doesn’t want to save 700 jobs at a General Dynamics plant in Ohio. General Dynamics, by the way, spent $11 million on lobbying last year. [4]

I urge you to email, write, or call your representatives in Congress and the President to say that it’s nice to fix the sequester’s impact on flight delays, but it’s much more important to fix the significant, negative impacts the sequester is having on people’s daily lives, on our children and their education from birth onward, on seniors’ ability to live independently, and on the ability of low income families and the unemployed to make ends meet.

[1]       Grant, D., 4/16/13, “Before members rush for airports, Congress ends sequester flight delays,” The Christian Science Monitor

[2]       Zero to Three, 4/26/13 and 4/8/13, “The sequester’s pain: Air travelers get relief, little kids not so much,” and “When babies share the burden – How the sequester is affecting young children,” Baby Policy Blog of Zero to Three

[3]       Coalition on Human Needs, April, 2013, “Sequester impact factsheets,” http://www.chn.org/background/save-state-fact-sheets/

[4]       Lardner, R., 4/29/13, “Army says no to tanks, but Congress insists,” Associated Press in Daily Times Chronicle

MOVING FORWARD ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE

ABSTRACT: A serious effort for campaign finance reform is moving forward in New York State. The citizen / public campaign financing system that is in place in New York City is a great model for the state’s efforts and others.

We need campaign finance reform because, for example, in the 2012 federal election campaigns over $7 billion was spent with the bulk of the money coming from wealthy individuals and corporations. One third of the roughly $1 billion spent by groups other than the candidates’ campaigns themselves was secret funds anonymously funneled through front groups created to launder the money and hide its source. The voices of average citizens – the 99% of us – are drowned out in the campaigns and in policy making by the megaphones and mega-dollars of the wealthy. Money in campaigns does matter. In 2012, more than 80 percent of US House candidates and two-thirds of Senate candidates who outspent their general election opponents won. As Justice Brandeis stated, “We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”

New York City has a system of citizen funding for campaigns for city offices. It provides matching public funds that give candidates the opportunity to run for public office without dependence on large contributions from wealthy donors. Participants in these city races are getting the majority of their funding from a broad spectrum of small contributors, while candidates for the state legislature from the same area, without the citizen funding system, get the majority of their funding from large contributors.

At least 10 states and 7 cities have citizen / public campaign financing for at least some elections. You can find information on campaign financing and whether there is a reform effort in your state at the Public Campaign website (http://www.publicampaign.org/).

Citizen / public campaign financing is an essential step in making our elected officials accountable and responsive to the 99% of us, as opposed to wealthy campaign contributors.

FULL POST: A serious effort for campaign finance reform is moving forward in New York State. The citizen / public campaign financing system that is in place in New York City is a great model for the state’s efforts and others. [1]

We need campaign finance reform because, for example, in the 2012 federal election campaigns over $7 billion was spent. We have the best democracy money can buy and the bulk of the money came from wealthy individuals and corporations. Of course this means it isn’t a democracy at all, for the golden rule of US politics is that he who provides the gold, rules.

Each of the presidential candidates raised and spent over $1 billion. President Obama broke all records by attending a fundraiser on average every two and a half days throughout the long campaign. Is this really how we want our President – and our other elected officials – spending their time? The 435 races for the House of Representatives cost over $1 billion, or an average of $2.3 million per seat. The races for the 33 Senate seats up for election cost over $700 million, or an average of $21 million each.

One third of the roughly $1 billion spent by groups other than the candidates’ campaigns themselves was secret funds anonymously funneled through front groups created to launder the money and hide its source. For the Super Political Action Committees (PACs), which could raise and spend unlimited sums because of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, the top 32 donors gave an average of $10 million each and just 159 people donated 60% of their funds.

The great bulk of the $7 billion spent on the federal races in 2012 came in large amounts from wealthy individuals and corporations. The voices of average citizens – the 99% of us – are drowned out in the campaigns and in policy making by the megaphones and mega-dollars of the wealthy.

So there is no question that we need comprehensive campaign finance reform if we want government of, by, and for the people. As Justice Brandeis stated, “We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”

New York City has a system of citizen funding for campaigns for city offices. It provides matching public funds that give candidates the opportunity to run for public office without dependence on large contributions from wealthy donors. Someone running for citywide office or for city council who wants to participate in the voluntary citizen financing system has to raise a qualifying amount in small contributions. A mayoral candidate has to raise $250,000 from at least 1,000 city residents. A City Council candidate has to raise $5,000 in small donations from at least 75 in-district residents.

Once a candidate has achieved the qualifying threshold, any contribution up to $175 is matched six to one by public funds. So a $25 contribution is worth $175, a $100 contribution is worth $700, and a $175 contribution is worth $1,225. Only contributions by residents of the City or district are matched, and any amount over $175 is not matched. In addition to the qualifying thresholds and matching funds, there are per election spending limits ($161,000 for City Council and a little over $6 million for Mayor) and disclosure requirements. [2]

Participants in these city races are getting the majority of their funding from a broad spectrum of small contributors, while candidates for the state legislature from the same area, without the citizen funding system, get the majority of their funding from large contributors. This citizen funding allows candidates to focus their attention on ordinary citizens, not those with deep pockets, and still raise an amount of money that’s sufficient to run a credible, competitive campaign. And it engages citizens, because somebody who contributes $10 to a campaign, is more likely to volunteer, is more likely to show up and vote, and is more likely to follow and engage with what happens in government after the campaign than someone who doesn’t contribute – because they don’t believe their small contribution matters.

This blunts the influence of the big money in multiple ways. Beyond the base amount needed to run a credible campaign, additional money has a diminishing marginal return (to use a term from economics). In other words, after a point, additional campaign spending just doesn’t have that much impact. That’s one of the reasons all the Super PAC money wasn’t as effective as many thought it would be in the 2012 elections – people just got tired of hearing the same message over and over.

But money does matter. In 2012, more than 80 percent of House candidates and two-thirds of Senate candidates who outspent their general election opponents won. And although money doesn’t often literally buy elected officials’ votes, it does corrupt some of them and it certainly gets their ears and may well get them to lean toward the interests of their contributors.

At least 10 states and 7 cities have citizen / public campaign financing for at least some elections. A serious effort to implement broad citizen / public financing of elections is underway in New York for state elections. You can find information on campaign financing and whether there is a reform effort in your state at the Public Campaign website (http://www.publicampaign.org/).

Citizen / public campaign financing is an essential step in making our elected officials accountable and responsive to the 99% of us, as opposed to wealthy campaign contributors. It was important before the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which allows unlimited spending by wealthy interests, and it’s even more important now.

[1]       The majority of the content for this blog post is a summary of Bill Moyers’ show of 2/15/13, “The fight to keep democracy alive.” You can watch it at http://billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-the-fight-to-keep-democracy-alive/. A podcast is also available. As I probably don’t need to tell you, Bill’s shows are fantastic and I urge you to watch or listen to them regularly if possible, or whenever you can find the time.

[2]       Migally, A., & Liss, S., 2010, “Small donor matching funds: The NYC election experience,” Brennan Center for Justice, http://www.brennancenter.org/issues/public-financing

STOP THE GUN MASSACRES

ABSTRACT: Gun massacres must stop. We must enact sensible gun laws. Automatic weapons with magazines that hold over a dozen bullets turn tragic murder into horrifying massacre. Sensible gun laws would make a difference; they lead to much lower gun violence in other countries, and the federal assault weapon ban made a difference in the 10 years it was in effect.

The profits of gun and ammunition makers are at stake. The right to bear arms the framers of our Constitution had in mind was not unfettered access to weapons that fire a dozen bullets per second.

We must seize this moment to loudly and collectively demand that our elected leaders enact strong, sensible gun laws (detail below). To take action, start by going to the White House petitions site (https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petitions). Find a petition calling for action on gun laws and sign it.

FULL POST: Gun massacres must stop. We must enact sensible gun laws. Yes, guns don’t kill people, people kill people. But automatic weapons with magazines that hold over a dozen bullets turn tragic murder into horrifying massacre. There is no reason anyone other than law enforcement or military personnel should have automatic weapons with high capacity magazines. The federal bans on assault weapons and high capacity magazines that were in place from 1994 to 2004 need to be reinstated.

Why is getting a driver’s license so much more rigorous than getting a gun, including an automatic? With over 4 times as many civilians murdered each year with guns (over 12,000) as died in the September 11 attacks, why do we do so much to prevent terrorism and so little to prevent gun violence? Why do we allow gun homicides in the US at almost 20 times the rate in similar countries with similar overall crime and violence rates? [1]

Sensible gun laws would make a difference; they lead to much lower gun violence in other countries and the federal assault weapon ban made a difference in the 10 years it was in effect. In the struggle for sensible gun laws, remember that the profits of gun and ammunition makers are at stake. They support loose gun laws and the National Rifle Association so they can maximize their profits.

The right to bear arms (as part of a well regulated militia) that is in the second amendment to the Constitution was written when guns were muzzle loaders and the time per bullet – to reload and fire again – was measured in minutes. Today we measure the number of bullets fired per second. The right to bear arms the framers of our Constitution had in mind was not unfettered access to weapons that fire a dozen bullets per second.

We must seize this moment to loudly and collectively demand that our elected leaders – our President and Members of Congress, our Governors and State Legislators – enact strong, sensible gun laws including 1) a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines, 2) limits on the number of guns and amount of ammunition an individual can buy, 3) reasonable requirements for obtaining a gun license, and 4) strong background check requirements for all gun purchases. In addition, the penalties for violating gun laws should be tough; any gun or ammunition seller who violates the law and allows an individual to obtain guns or ammunition illegally should be treated as an accomplice to murder, under criminal and civil law.

To take action, start by going to the White House petitions site (https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petitions). Find a petition calling for action on gun laws and sign it. (If you don’t already have an account you will need to go through the quick process of obtaining one.) There are multiple petitions on the firearms issue, which you can scroll down to find or select the “Filter by issue” button and select “Firearms”. I urge you to sign at least one and as many as you support if you have the time. This will send a strong signal of support for this issue. The two I’d suggest starting with are:

  • “Immediately address the issue of gun control through the introduction of legislation in Congress” (http://wh.gov/RN6U). It already has over 100,000 signers; please add your voice.
  • “Today IS the day: Sponsor strict gun control laws in the wake of the CT school massacre” (http://wh.gov/RRkn). It has over 19,000 signers and you can add your support.

Also, call, email, and / or write your federal and state elected officials and demand gun laws that will end the massacres now. Participate in local or on-line actions to express your support for sensible gun laws.

It’s past time to take serious steps to reduce and hopefully eventually eliminate the occurrence of gun massacres. We must insist that our elected officials pass sensible gun laws.

[1]       Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, retrieved 12/15/12, “Facts: Gun violence,” www.bradycampaign.org/facts/gunviolence

CAMPAIGN SPENDING: THE FUTURE

ABSTRACT: The huge sums of money in our political system are corrupting it, in subtle and not so subtle ways, and are undermining the promise of democracy of, by, and for the people. We the people need to work to blunt the impact and eventually stop the flow of these huge amounts of money. Steps that could and should be taken include: 1) Legislation at the federal and state levels should be enacted promptly that requires disclosure on a timely basis of all political spending and the sources of the funds; 2) Lobbyists’ contributions to candidates must be severely restricted and perhaps prohibited; 3) Tougher rules and enforcement are needed of the ban on coordination between Super PACs or other groups and candidates’ campaigns; and 4) Ultimately, a Constitutional Amendment is needed to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

 I urge you to communicate to your elected representatives at the federal and state levels your concern about the corrupting influence of huge amounts of money in our political system. Ask them what remedies they support and encourage them to support the steps listed above.

FULL POST: The huge sums of money in our political system are corrupting it, in subtle and not so subtle ways, and are undermining the promise of democracy of, by, and for the people. Despite the fact that all the outside money and all the advertising it bought were less effective in the 2012 election than was anticipated and than was hoped for by those paying for it, the big spenders learned some valuable lessons. They won’t give up on their efforts to influence and control government and its policy making. They will find more effective ways to use their money and will have substantial impacts in the future. [1] Therefore, we the people need to work to blunt the impact and eventually stop the flow of these huge amounts of money.

First, some of the lessons the big spenders learned:

  • Advertising, and particularly negative advertising, has diminishing returns as the amount of it and repetition of it increases.
  • Grassroots efforts to identify and turn out supporters can have a big impact.
  • Grassroots, person-to-person communications can be more effective than advertising.
  • Untested candidates or ones with extreme positions are more likely to lose.
  • Money can have a bigger impact in less visible, lower cost races.

The less visible, lower cost races include primary, US House of Representatives, and state office races (as opposed to the final Presidential election and final US Senate races). In the Republican Presidential primary, the big money from Super PACs clearly had an effect. Money from the Super PAC supporting Romney deluged state primary elections with negative advertising against whichever competitor was threatening Romney at that point. This clearly allowed Romney to win state primaries he wouldn’t have won otherwise. Huge Super PAC expenditures by extremely rich individuals single-handedly kept Gingrich and Santorum in the primary race longer than they would have been otherwise. [2]

In lower cost races, a given amount of money (e.g., $100,000) is more significant, may overwhelm other campaign spending, and can have a disproportionate impact, especially if spent late in the election period and as a surprise. State office races such as those for Governor, state legislative seats, and elected judges can be dramatically affected by relatively small amounts of money. State ballot initiatives can also be significantly altered by relatively small sums of money.

Given the corrosive effects of huge amounts of money in our political system, a New York Times Editorial stated, “A backlash against the damaging power of big money cannot come too soon.” [3] Steps that could and should be taken include:

  • Legislation at the federal and state levels should be enacted promptly that requires disclosure on a timely basis of all political spending and the sources of the funds. The DISCLOSE Act that has been introduced in Congress is one example. (It was filibustered by Senate Republicans multiple times.) Disclosure must cover all entities engaged in political spending, including non-profit, “social welfare” groups, known as 501(c)(4)s to the IRS.
  • Lobbyists’ contributions to candidates must be severely restricted and perhaps prohibited, especially for an elected official sitting on the legislative committee that oversees the special interest the lobbyist represents. The definition of a lobbyist must be expanded to cover all individuals and entities that work to influence government policies, rules, and regulations. The ability of lobbyists and others to deliver aggregated contributions from multiple individuals or groups, often referred to as “bundling,” and which can occur through fundraising events organized by a lobbyist, should be banned or at least fully disclosed.
  • Tougher rules and enforcement are needed of the ban on coordination between Super PACs or other groups and candidates’ campaigns. The overlap and connections between candidates’ current and former campaign staff and the staff of the supposedly independent groups, and the use of the same consultants, provide clear evidence that these groups are not, in fact, independent. [4]
  • Ultimately, a Constitutional Amendment is needed to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, to make it clear that corporations are not persons with Constitutional rights, that money is not the same as speech, and that corporations and political spending can be regulated.

 I urge you to communicate to your elected representatives at the federal and state levels your concern about the corrupting influence of huge amounts of money in our political system. Ask them what remedies they support and encourage them to support the steps listed above.

[1]       New York Times Editorial, 11/10/12, “A landslide loss for big money,” The New York Times

[2]       Boston Globe Editorial, 11/8/12, “Billionaires: Now, mind your own business(es),” The Boston Globe

[3]       New York Times Editorial, 11/10/12, “A landslide loss for big money,” The New York Times

[4]       Boston Globe Editorial, 9/29/12, “As super PACs link arms, mega-donors’ clout increases,” The Boston Globe

CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING: BIG VS. SMALL CONTRIBUTORS

ABSTRACT: Although every campaign likes to tout the importance and number of its small contributors, it’s large donors who give the bulk of the money. A few big contributors (0.1% of all contributors) give more than the millions of small contributors (90% of all contributors). As of June, 26% of the $469 million raised for the Obama campaign and affiliates (including Super PACs) was from contributions of $200 or less, while 7% of Romney’s $362 million was contributions of $200 or less. 112 so-called “mega-donors” (1 out of every 3 million Americans) have each contributed over $500,000. Super PACs have raised a total of $298 million for the 2012 election cycle; 70% of these contributions come from the 112 mega-donors.

Justice Posner, a Republican and not a judicial liberal, said recently that the Citizens United Supreme Court decision (which allows these huge campaign contributions) has created a political system that is “pervasively corrupt [where] wealthy people essentially bribe legislators.”

Despite all of this, I encourage you to send your small contributions to candidates. I do believe that candidates and office holders listen a bit more closely to contributors. However, it will be essential to stay engaged and active after the election to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions.

FULL POST:

Although every campaign likes to tout the importance and number of its small contributors (typically those contributing $200 or less to a federal office campaign), the truth is that it’s the large donors who give the bulk of the money. As of June, 2.5 million small contributors have given $148 million to the 2012 presidential candidates; this is not a small amount but it accounts for less than 18% of the total raised. On the other hand, 2,100 donors of $50,000 or more have given $200 million to the candidates’ campaigns and affiliated groups, including Super PACs. This means that these few big contributors (0.1% of all contributors) give more than the millions of small contributors (90% of all contributors).

Clearly, from a campaign fundraiser’s perspective, it is more cost effective to schmooze a few hundred rich people than to try to cultivate a few hundred thousand small contributors. Although the overall pattern is similar, there is a noticeable difference between the fundraising of Democrat Obama and Republican Romney: as of June, 26% of the $469 million raised for the Obama campaign and affiliates (including Super PACs) was from contributions of $200 or less, while 7% of Romney’s $362 million was contributions of $200 or less. [1]

Large campaign donors, the 1 out of every 400 Americans who give over $200 to Congressional campaigns, have a disproportionate impact on our elections, both on who gets to run (see 8/6/12 post) and who wins. But there’s an even smaller group that is having a truly outsized impact on the current elections: 112 so-called “mega-donors” (1 out of every 3 million Americans) have each contributed over $500,000. They are led by casino magnate Sheldon Adelson who through June has given $38 million to Super PACs. Super PACs had their biggest fundraising month so far in June when they raised $54 million. This brings the total amount they have raised for the 2012 election cycle to $298 million; 70% of these contributions come from the 112 mega-donors. [2] And this is just the part of the iceberg we know about. (See my 8/10/12 post on non-profit organizations that don’t have to disclose contributors and are outspending the Super PACs.)

Justice Posner of the US 7th Court of Appeals, a Republican and not a judicial liberal, said recently that the Citizens United Supreme Court decision (which allows these huge campaign contributions) has created a political system that is “pervasively corrupt [where] wealthy people essentially bribe legislators.” [3]

Despite all of this, I encourage you to send your small contributions to candidates. They do make a difference and do identify you to the candidate (and hopefully office holder) as an engaged citizen. I do believe that candidates and office holders listen a bit more closely to contributors than non-contributors. However, given the reality of where the bulk of the campaign money comes from, it is essential to stay engaged and active after the election to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions.

[1]       Vogel, K.P., 8/7/12, “Election 2012: The myth of the small donor,” Politico

[2]       Blumenthal, P., 7/27/12, “Super PAC mega-donors surpass 100, June best Super PAC month ever,” Huffington Post

[3]       Moyers, B., & Winship, M., 7/17/12, “Presto! The DISCLOSE Act disappears,” Moyers & Company

CITIZENS UNITED ACTION (Part 2)

Here’s issue #29 of my Policy and Politics Newsletter, written 5/9/12. It continues from the previous issue the arguments supporting local resolutions calling for the overturning the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

With the 2012 election season underway, the consequences of the Citizens United decision are becoming clear. The unlimited, super political action committee or “Super PAC” spending has already exceeded $100 million. Ninety percent of this money is coming from roughly 500 wealthy individuals or corporations, meaning that they are largely drowning out the voices of the other 300 million people in the US. The Super PACs are out-spending the candidates’ campaigns. This is a real concern because it means that the campaign is out of the control of the candidates and that it is very difficult to hold this spending to any standard of accountability, for example for the accuracy of their campaign ads. The majority of this spending, 86% according to one tabulation, [1] is negative, i.e., targeting an opponent. Negative advertising demeans candidates and our political process. It turns voters off, which, along with the growing voter perception that the huge amounts of money in the campaigns mean that their vote doesn’t matter and that the system is corrupt, reduces voter turnout. [2] Moreover, the amount spent to date is a drop in the bucket compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars that these Super PACs have stated they will raise and spend during the 2012 election period.

Corporate spending is the big concern because corporations have far greater resources than all other sources combined. Even before Citizens United, 72% ($3.4 billion) of all federal campaign contributions in 2007 – 2010 came from the business sector (individuals and organizations), with labor contributing 4% ($172 million), ideological groups 7% ($308 million), and others 17%. In addition, corporations exert substantial influence in other ways, such as lobbying ($3.3 billion in 2011) and the revolving door (e.g., Obama’s Secretary of the Treasury and his 3 chiefs of staff all came from the financial industry, which has gotten very favorable treatment in the wake of the financial collapse and recession it caused).

Some people argue that unions provide a counter-balance to corporate spending, but past spending and a comparison of overall resources indicate otherwise. Furthermore, union membership in the private sector has dropped from 34% in the 1950s to under 7% today. Clearly, the corporations are winning this battle.

With unlimited corporate funds now unleashed, we can expect even greater business sector dominance. The Citizens United decision dramatically expands potential spending and, therefore, concerns that elected officials will be more responsive to contributors and their money than to constituents. The 15 largest corporations in the US have annual revenues of $2 trillion and annual profits of $146 billion. If just these 15 spent only 1% of their annual profits on campaigns, they would spend more than twice what the Obama and McCain campaigns combined spent in the last presidential election.

Citizens all across the country are concerned that unlimited campaign spending by corporations and wealthy individuals will mean that our elections won’t be a fair fight. 79% of the public supports a Constitutional Amendment to overturn Citizens United, including over 2/3 of Republicans and over 80% of Democrats and Independents. Over 1,000 business leaders formally support overturning Citizens United and there has been unusual criticism from state and other federal judges. The Montana Supreme Court upheld the state’s 1912 law limiting corporate spending in campaigns, despite a lower court ruling that Citizens United had invalidated the law in question. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals similarly upheld aNew York City law that places limits on political contributions.

With unlimited corporate campaign spending unleashed, government of, by, and for the people is truly at risk. If, as the Citizens United decision asserts, money equals speech, then those with no money have no voice. This flies in the face of the principles of our democracy and the Constitution that our founders wrote. It is essential that citizens everywhere make their voices heard loudly and clearly to build the incredible momentum that will be necessary to overturn the Citizens United decision.

[1]       Fowler, E., 5/2/12, “Presidential Ads 70% Negative in 2012, Up from 9% in 2008,” http://mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/2012/05/02/jump-in-negativity.

[2]      Kroll, A., 4/24/12, “Poll: Super-PACs will hurt voter turnout in 2012,” Mother Jones

CITIZENS UNITED ACTION (Part 1)

Here’s issue #28 of my Policy and Politics Newsletter, written 5/6/12. It describes an action step – local resolutions – being taken around the country to work toward overturning the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

As you probably remember, in January 2010, the US Supreme Court, in a five-to-four decision on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, ruled that corporations, unions, and other groups have the same freedom of speech rights as are granted toU.S. citizens under the Bill of Rights. The court expanded on previous rulings that spending money is considered “speech” and held, for the first time, that limiting campaign spending by corporations, unions, and others would violate their freedom of speech rights. It struck down key provisions of the bipartisan McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, despite its being upheld by the Supreme Court in 2003, and overturned the 1907 law banning corporate contributions.

In response, many communities and some states have passed resolutions that call for overturning the Citizens United decision. This can only be done through a Constitutional Amendment or by the Court reversing itself (which doesn’t seem at all likely). In my home town ofReading,Massachusetts, we just passed such a resolution. Here’s an overview of it and how it happened. Perhaps this will be valuable to you if you should get the opportunity to be involved in such an effort.

A group of residents got together and decided that we wanted to present a Citizens United resolution in our town. We drafted a resolution based on what had passed in another town in Massachusetts, which was a short and simple version of the draft resolution on the Move to Amend website. [1] The resolution states that:

  • Free speech rights belong to people not corporations or other organizations, and
  • Unlimited spending by corporations and others in our elections presents a real danger to our democracy because they can drown out the voices and interests of ordinary citizens.

The resolution calls:

  • On Congress to pass an amendment to our Constitution to clearly establish that money is not the same as speech, and that only human beings are entitled to constitutional rights such as free speech, and
  • On our state Legislature to pass a resolution calling for such a Constitutional amendment.

We first approached our Board of Selectmen (which may be a Town or City Council where you live). The process will vary, but our Selectmen recommended that we petition to have the resolution on the agenda for our Town Meeting (this is probably unique to New England). We got the handful of signatures required and the resolution became an official agenda item. At Town Meeting, I started off with a short, 10 minute, Power Point presentation to initiate the consideration of the resolution.

One objection to the resolution, even from some who supported its content, was that it was not an appropriate matter for a local governmental body. There are three key responses to this argument:

  • This is a local issue because corporations or others could spend unlimited money to elect or defeat local candidates or on a local ballot question. For example, if a developer wanted officials or a zoning change that would allow a development project, it could spend unlimited money to achieve that goal.
  • Only a huge groundswell of citizens voices from the local level on up will overcome the resistance and inertia of corporateAmericaand our political system.
  • Hundreds of communities across the country have felt it was appropriate to consider and pass resolutions that call for overturning the Citizens United decision. And the number is growing rapidly. InMassachusetts, the number is now 34 with 14 added this week.

The next issue of the newsletter will present other arguments that support such a resolution. If you would like a copy of the actual resolution or the Power Point slides and talking points I used, please email me.

[1]       Move to Amend (http://movetoamend.org/) is one of the organizations leading the fight to overturn the Citizens United decision. There is lots of information and tools to support local action at its website. Common Cause (http://www.commoncause.org) and its Amend 2012 project (http://www.amend2012.org) are also leaders of this effort.