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legislation 
Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 06:06:49 AM MST
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While we've all been busy watching the "oil spill live cam", a similar uncontrolled discharge has been taking place in Washington, DC
In this case, however, it's lobbyists that are spilling all over the landscape as the House and Senate attempt to merge their two visions of financial reform.
They're trying desperately to influence the outcome of the conference in which House and Senate negotiators have been engaged; this to craft the exact language of the reconciled legislation.
There's an additional element of drama hovering over the events as eight House members, including one of the most vocal of the Republican negotiators, face ethics questions related to this very bill.
The best part: if you're enough of a political geek, you can actually watch the events unfold, unedited and unfiltered, from the comfort of your very own computer.
So far, it's been amazing political theater, and if you follow along I'll tell you how you can get in on the fun, too.
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Thu May 06, 2010 at 17:20:47 PM MST
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Think about this, what if this Oil spill, as tragic as it is, provides us with the wake up call about how we power our world?
My first thought when the spill happened was, what if we had not gotten rid of the electric car of the 1990's (from the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?)
and electric cars had grown in usage for the past decade? Would the drilling platform catastrophe still have happened?
No one can be sure, but what we can be sure of, is that it will keep happening until we change our cars from gas/oil powered to electric powered.
That's why this petition is so important - the Gulf Oil Spill Electric Car Credit.
This petition asks for legislation to give a substantial credit for purchasing an electric car, and it has key provisions to put a lot of people to work, immediately - in a midterm election year.
But we need to get support for this idea in the US House and Senate.
That's where you can help...
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Wed Apr 21, 2010 at 06:29:54 AM MST
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There are a lot of wacky people in the world. At times it is part of the joy of living, when you run into someone who is willing to give you a five hour mini-seminar on crop-circles or try to explain the universe with the theories of Immanuel Velikovsky. If you have a reasonable sense of the ridiculous and a lot of time on your hands it is a harmless source of entertainment. The problem comes when one persons wackiness intersects with the legislative process.
This is where we are in at least two states, Virginia and Georgia in regards to the forced implantation of micro-chips. Below is a video from last nights Rachel Maddow Show; where they reenact the testimony of a woman before a Georgia State House committee.
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Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 01:36:14 AM MST
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The Denver Daily News reports a group of activists participated in a demonstration inside of a payday loan shop in support of HB1351 yesterday. The bill is struggling to get the Democratic votes necessary to get through the House.
Section 1 of HB1351 reads
The general assembly finds and declares that payday lenders are charging more than an average of three hundred percent interest annually and that excessive interest rates can lead Colorado families into a debt trap of repeat borrowing. The general assembly further finds that responsible small loans are available at interest rates of thirty-six percent annually or less and that Congress has enacted laws capping rates on loans made to military families at thirty-six percent. Therefore, the general assembly submits to a vote of the people of Colorado the question of whether the maximum authorized interest rate for a payday loan charged to a consumer by a lender should be reduced to a maximum rate of thirty-six percent per year.
The insanely high interest rates (sometimes over 500%) on the loans create both a cycle of poverty and a bubble in the economy. How many of the hideous, free-standing huts that give Colfax ave that shoddy feel from Simms Ave to Chambers Rd are from these sharks? The usual complaints of the bill being a job killer are thrown around like confetti. We can't build an industry that profits off of the already poor so they (we) can sink like a brick and somehow think it's sustainable or excusable because "it's a job-killer". Despite the many signs that contradict, legislators are still human. What kind of human do you want to be (representing you)?
Word is that Democratic Reps Sue Schafer (HD24), Debbie Benefield (HD29), Jim Reisberg (HD50) are considering a NO vote. Find out for yourself by sending them an email by clicking on their names.
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