SquareState - unions

Does President Obama support any core Democratic Values? Commerce nominee is Anti-Union Bankster

Zappatero — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:26:54 GMT

OK, I get that Democratic politicians think triangulation is a good strategy. It worked in the past for Bill Clinton, our last two-term Democratic president and still beloved by many. But it isn't the only political stategy around, and is especially fruitless when the other side, who is controlling the angle of the triangulation, is full of Tea Party, Radicalized, Lying Whackjob Republicans.

Michael Bennet and Mark Udall are still in its thralls.

They should ask Betsy Markey and John Salazar if triangulation is the foolproof method they were sold on.

Barack Obama, similarly to Markey, Salazar, Udall and Bennet, is also taking triangulation way too far.

Against all evidence that says Republicans will oppose any such move, he continues to go more than halfway in an attempt to appease their political hatred by nominating the anti-union, fraudulent-banking Billionaire, Penny Pritzker, to be Secretary of Commerce:

For those who've been waiting for Barack Obama, unfettered from the constraints of re-election, to emerge from his chrysalis and take wing as the true liberal they have always known he was, well, here we are: a proposal to cut Social Security benefits via a cost-of-living adjustments (candidate Obama in 2008 said John McCain suggests "the best answer for the growing pressures on Social Security might be cost-of-living adjustments or raise the retirement age. Let me be clear: I will not do either.") And now this.
In December of 2008, Obama's choice for Secretary of Commerce, Chicago-based business tycoon Penny Pritzker, withdrew her name from consideration in the face of a triple-barreled onslaught. First, there was her position on the board of Superior Bank, which her family bought with the help of $645 million in tax credits for the federal government. In 2001, Superior collapsed after pioneering the bottom-feeding trade in subprime mortgages. In In These Times, David Moberg called it a "mini-Enron scandal"; 1,406 uninsured depositors lost their savings.
Here was what one of the victims had to say: "The Pritzkers are crooks. They don't care anything about people who spent their whole lives trying to save." And here is how Penny responded: "We had seven years of clean audits and then the auditors said, 'Well, maybe we'll change the way we calculate.' " Exquisite humanity, that. The family coughed up $435 million in settlement money in exchange for not having to admit any wrongdoing. But why, Penny was asked, would they pay half a billion dollars to clean up a mess she said was none of their fault? Because, she answered, "My family is not going to litigate with the federal government at a time like this"-a reference to the September 11 attacks; classy.

Obama should stop negotiating with those who are determined to cause him to fail. He should start standing up for some core Democratic principles, support the Middle Class who put him in office for two terms, set a base level of support for critical Democratic policies, and he should do it post haste.

It's not triangulation, but it'll work. I guarantee it.

How Walmart thanks their workers: $11.90 an hour after 8 years of Service

Zappatero — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 22:19:48 GMT

Anyone would say there is a skill in decorating cakes. Anyone should admit those cakes are certainly worth more than your average box of Betty Crocker.

Anyone but Walmart, who treats their cake decorators like dogs:

Vanessa Ferreira, age 59, informed her manager publicly Wednesday morning that she was going on strike. The other employees watched her walk out of the store, then went back to doing their jobs.
Within a half hour, Ferreira would be told by police outside that she was trespassing and ordered to leave.
She's worked in the store's cake department for eight years, and she earns $11.90 an hour, she said.
"I love to decorate cakes," Ferreira said Wednesday. "That's my priority -- to do my cakes the best I can."
As much as she loves her job, there's plenty Ferreira doesn't like about her employer. According to Ferreira, Walmart's wages are too low for workers to survive on, and the company keeps too many of its employees on part-time status, leaving them to rely on government assistance to get by.
"They pay low wages, then the taxpayers pick up the tab for food stamps and Medicaid," Ferreira said. "They need to take care of their people. They need to be responsible to their workers."

It's truly disgusting how Walmart treats its workers and how much wealth the Walton Klan extracts from workers, manufacturers, and the communities that let them in.

Don't shop at Walmart on Black Friday.
By doing so you are endorsing their low pay and horrible treatment of workers just like you and me.

Ding Dongs: Hostess TRIPLED pay of CEO intent on breaking union and extracting wealth

Zappatero — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:49:00 GMT

Hostess closing up shop and laying off a dedicated, stable, Unionized labor force here in Denver:

The ripple effects of Hostess Brands Inc.'s decision to shut down will be felt in Colorado far beyond the 160 people employed at its Denver-area bread-making plant.
The company, which makes Twinkies, Dolly Madison cakes and pastries, Wonder Bread and other iconic products (like Ding Dongs!), also operates a chain of retail stores in the state.
Hostess Brands has stores in Arvada and Colorado Springs, and a combination store/depot in Loveland, Colorado Springs and Pueblo that each employ three people.

What the Denver Business Journal doesn't tell you FireDogLake does:

This is the second Hostess bankruptcy since 2004. The the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) union took multiple concessions in the first bankruptcy, and offered multiple concessions (I'd tell you exactly what they are but apparently they're having bandwidth issues at their site today) on wages and benefits this time around. But the contract the company tried to unilaterally impose was so bad, with a 27-32% wage cut and benefit slashes and the elimination of the eight-hour workday, that 92% of workers rejected it.
And after the strike initiated, Hostess moved right to shutting down the company rather than working with the union on a resolution.
In fact, Wall Street hedge funds and private equity firms own Hostess brands, and they took massive bonuses and payouts over the past eight years or so.
They dumped the company pensions, unilaterally stopped making pension payments that would have totaled $160 million, and plan to pay themselves with the sale of the liquidated assets of the company.
Their current CEO's main credential for the job is his "expertise in corporate liquidations," according to the union (he's also seen his pay triple).

The Bain Model: unilaterally punish workers, cripple the pension plan, extract all the wealth and transfer it to the CEO and other high level managers within the company. Then decalre Mission Accomplished!

UPDATE: Hey Broncos fans: it's not the Refs, it's the Cheap, Billionaire Owners

Zappatero — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:35:00 GMT

It's clearly the bipartisan conclusion of fans that the NFL's replacement referees are not up to the job of judging our most talented athletic events and are causing teams to lose football games with bad call after bad call.

Most, if not all, NFL owners are Billionaires just by virtue of owning a team, let alone how they made the money to buy the team in the first place. The Green Bay Packers are public-owned.

The lockout of referees by NFL owners (this is not a strike by refs, though I wouldn't blame them if they did) is their strategy to inhibit refs' pay and pensions and working conditions.

Sound familiar?

The amount of money and benefits involved is miniscule in comparison to the profits of the NFL and the vast wealth of its individual owners:

It's also bewildering. Consider the multibillion-dollar entity that is the National Football League. Then consider that NFL referees are 119 part-time employees who make $8,000 a week. As Jeff MacGregor calculated at espn.com, at a cost of $50 million a year-less than one percent of total revenue-NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell could hire 200 full-time officials at $250,000 a year.
Conversely, if Goodell gets everything he wants from the referees union and he doesn't have to spend too much in legal fees, it works out to league-wide savings of just $62,000 per team.

Got that?

Billionaires don't want an expense increase of $62,000 per team. That's $3,500 per regular season game. And for this they've locked out the referees, put the results of many games in doubt, and, if they continue to lockout the refs, will most likely throw into question the champions and end of season records of each and every player and team.

Can there be any doubt that money most certainly does not buy happiness and that greed has become a sickness carried by a bunch of amoral, ignorant, whiny, petulant egomaniacs that is festering at the heart of our democracy?

UPDATE: Big-time Republicans become Union supporters ... but only in the case of NFL Refs. The rest of the time they hate unions and union members.

Mike Rosen will loooooooove this

Zappatero — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 15:40:20 GMT

Stupid, lazy slackers should beware:

Ignoring a federal judge's injunction, Scranton, Pennsylvania moved ahead with its plan to reduce the pay of city workers to the federal minimum wage starting Friday. Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty claims the city is broke and that the minimum wage payments are all it can possibly pay, the Scranton Times Tribune reports:
Amid Scranton's ever-deepening financial crisis, Mayor Chris Doherty said his administration is going forward with a plan to unilaterally slash the pay of 398 workers to the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour with today's payroll, insisting it is all the city can afford.
That will likely earn administration officials an appointment with Judge Michael Barrasse, who granted the city's police, fire and public works unions a special injunction temporarily barring the administration from imposing the pay cuts after a brief hearing Thursday.
Many of those workers are police officers, firefighters, and other public safety workers, industries that have been slammed by contractions in state and local budgets since the Great Recession. Congressional Do-Nothing, Tea Party Republicans repeatedly blocked efforts to extend aid to the states that would have helped shore up their budgets and keep these workers on payroll.

Rosen hates unions, though he may be in AFTRA for his job, so he'll applaud the screws being turned in Scranton. What the anti-tax, anti-union, anti-government crowd never takes into account is that these are the people who arrest criminals, keep your house and business from burning down, and make sure your streets are paved and your sewers aren't backing up into your basement.

But when you live in a million-dollar gated community you don't have to worry about such things, do you?

Stat of the Day: Wisconsin Edition

Zappatero — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 23:06:25 GMT

Union members voting against their own interest and having Karl Rove rub it in your face the next day:

We'll be talking about Tuesday's Wisconsin recall election for a long time to come.
The results were a historic setback for organized labor, which failed to oust Gov. Scott Walker in a citadel of modern progressivism. And how it must have stung that 38% of union households voted for Mr. Walker, up a point from 2010 when he was first elected.

This could be a self-reinforcing cycle, bought and paid for by Republican funders, perpetuated by those who continually vote against their own best interests.

Hey Dems: You want union support, how about supporting unions?

Zappatero — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:19:58 GMT

Denver was spoiled last time out with a wonderful convention and a winning presidential candidate. The Democratic National Convention for the same winning President will be held in North Carolina, a right-to-work-for-less state with the requisite right-wing Republican wackos Virginia Foxx and Patrick McHenry, and endangered Blue Dog Democrats like Heath Schuler. Convention sites are picked for a multitude of reasons, but having the convention in a state that supports labor unions and middle class workers usually a prime factor in the choice.

The Democratic National Committee had other priorities this time. Trying to have a positive affect on North Carolina's voters might be too much to ask for with this, but getting unions to overlook yet another snub by Democrats is too much to ask:

Democrats' self-imposed ban on corporate donations has made it tough to raise cash for the Democratic National Convention, and their hope that unions would step in to fill the void appears to have hit a snag, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Wary of their budgets and upset that the convention will be hosted in right-to-work North Carolina, organized labor won't be giving Democrats the money they're requesting for the Charlotte festivities, union officials told the paper. Some unions, including UNITE HERE, the large service workers union, will not contribute to the convention at all.

The obsolete notion that Democrats have to triangulate away from their base to be successful once elected should be dead by now. It's been proved wrong for years now. Barack Obama and the DNC have done it at the national level. Bill Ritter and Michael Bennet have done it in Colorado. If you pivot away from your base, or negotiate with those who have no intention of compromising, or triangulate away from your voters to those who will never vote for you, you are a political fool.

I applaud the fact that unions won't give their full measure of support for the DNC convention in North Carolina. Have they gotten the same from Democrats?

Walt Gale, Postal employee, lays out Republican attacks on Post Office, Workers, and Unions

Zappatero — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:07:36 GMT

The United States Post Office and its dedicated employees are under attack by Republicans. We already know Republicans hate Unions, Republicans hate the Middle Class, Republicans hate workers, and Republicans hate a functioning national government. And they are trying to kill a function of government written into the Constitution by the Founders they so selectively praise.

I've seen this ad quite a bit around, and love the fact that a postal worker from Colorado Springs, Walt Gale, is featured in an ad by the APWU (American Postal Workers Union) pushing back against Republican attacks on your friends and neighbors who deliver your mail every day:

Republicans say they're on your side, but they're eliminating a department that serves you daily and that employs your friends and neighbors in a vital function of government. Yes, there's the internets, there's Fedex, there's UPS and DHL. But they won't do this business as efficiently or as cheaply as our postal employees do. They don't give a crap if you and yours can communicate through the post. They care about profits, paying employees as little as possible, and charging as much as they can for shipping or mailing whatever you might mail. And Republicans in congress have done their bidding and trying to kill the Post Office as we know it.

Here's an Ed Schultz report that spells out the issue in far greater detail than I could.

Walt Gale of the Springs thinks we should have other priorities. Thank you for speaking up, Walt.

Republicans rant pyschotically about Girl Scouts - I buy cookies

Zappatero — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 01:51:03 GMT

Republicans have expressed their hatred of many segments of our society. Typically egged on by Conservative Media nutcases such as Limbaugh and Hannity, Rosen and Caldara - long may he be fired from radio, and any number of Mini-Limabaugh imitators both local and national, the list is too much for any one blogger to document. Women, Teachers, Union members, Firefighters, Police, Auto workers, soldiers, voters, Postal workers, the poor, the middle class, and on and on and on have all been the victims of their vitriol.

As if it's needed, further proof that Republicans will stop at nothing and stoop to any level to express that hatred came in the form of an illogical, specious, near-physchotic, ignorance-laden free-associated puke given up by Republican Bob Morris of Indiana:

In what is looking like a coordinated attack on Girl Scouts of America, the latest salvo comes from Rep. Bob Morris, R-Fort Wayne. The lawmaker declined to sign a letter of resolution congratulating the Girl Scouts on their hundredth anniversary last week and thanking them "for the strong positive influence it has had on the American woman."
Not so fast. Morris explained couldn't sign because "he did some Web-based research and found allegations that the Girl Scouts are a tactical arm of Planned Parenthood, that they allow transgender females to join, 'just like any real girl,' and encourage sex."

That's what Republicans do: lie, hate, and divide Americans, even the most trusted and worthwhile institutions that serve the most vulnerable and impressionable in society - our children.

Me? I bought cookies.

Columbia Free Trade Agreement -- What's Your Take?

peacemonger — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:42:23 GMT

Congress may be taking up the Columbia Free Trade Agreement soon. I don't know a lot about it, so I am putting this question out to knowledgeable readers on the blogs. What's your take?

My gut tells me this agreement would be a disaster. Reports of between dozens (from Wikipedia who sourced Congressional hearing numbers) to thousands (reported by labor groups) of workers trying to organize there have been murdered. My understanding is the US industry most wanting to have this FTA is the beef industry -- an industry that is responsible for enormous environmental devestation, and should be regulated, curtailed and discouraged more, not less. (The beef and pork industries are huge and powerful, and their products kill people -- but that is another diary.) Historically, Republicans have favored this proposed agreement and Democrats have been against it, citing concerns over human rights violations in Columbia.

A friend just sent me this link from the Presbyterian church, which argues that such an agreement would add to the problem of extreme poverty in Columbia.

According to this website, the President supports the Columbia Free Trade Agreement because he believes it will create jobs. I respect, admire, and honor the President, and intend to work hard toward his re-election, but on this note, he may be wrong, IMHO. I want to know if I am missing something before I voice my own opinion on this matter to my elected officials. Is there a compelling and responsible reason some Democrats might be reconsidering this bill? Dialogue here may help to educate all of us a little. Thank you.

About that new IKEA store......

Zappatero — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:39:00 GMT

Seeing the Behemoth Blue IKEA store off I-25 the other day (you can't miss it), I was reminded about their promise of hiring 400 locals:

"We are thrilled to offer interested job seekers diverse positions with limitless opportunity at a global company," said Kelly Frieze, store manager of the future IKEA Centennial. "At IKEA, we realize that the ability to do the things in life that bring success and happiness is extremely valuable to our coworkers. It also is as fun to work at IKEA as it is to shop at IKEA."
IKEA plans to hire 400 people in Centennial, officials said.

Being a new manager Kelly Freeze might not be fully aware of how IKEA has been treating its US work force:

Workers at the Danville IKEA plant say they are forced to work at a frantic pace, participate in mandatory overtime - possibly facing disciplinary action for not showing up - and raises have been eliminated. Six African American employees have filed discrimination complaints, claiming that they were assigned to the least-wanted third shift and forced to work in the lowest-paying departments. Moreover, while making a profit of $2.2 billion in 2009 and a 7 percent sales increase in 2010, the hourly wage in the Virginia IKEA packing department was slashed from $9.75 to $8.00.
Attempts at forming a union have also been thwarted by IKEA, as some of the 335 IKEA workers in Virginia signed cards expressing interest in forming a union with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. But, in response, IKEA hired the law firm Jackson Lewis - known for keeping unions out of companies - and workers were required to attend meetings where the management highly discouraged union membership.

Fun? Limitless? Maybe for IKEA employees working in that socialist hell-hole Sweden:

Vacation Sweden: 5 Weeks
Vacation US: 12 Days
Pay Sweden: $19/hour
Pay US: $8/hour

IKEA also emulates other major US corporations in their union-busting, profiteering ways:

While busting unions and paying workers low wages, IKEA is owned by the world's richest charity organization. The parent company of IKEA is the private Dutch-registered Ingka Holding, which, in turn, is owned by the tax-exempt, non-profit entity Stichting Ingka Foundation (SIF). With a mission dedicated to "innovation in the field of architectural and interior design," the Economist valued SIF at $36 Billion in 2006.

The tax breaks given IKEA to hire 400 people in Colorado will probably never be equaled by their tax contributions. And once more, big business wins while the middle class loses and our government representatives have ensured the final result.

Happy shopping!

Dex One Turns Its Back on Local Companies

trainstar — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:52:10 GMT

Dex One wants to send their graphics design jobs to the Philippines. This is irresponsible, un-American, and will negatively impact the quality of Dex One's products and services. Sending jobs overseas will also harm the local businesses that Dex One claims they care about.

Dex One states that they are made up of "local people, with local knowledge, serving local businesses." Contract workers in the Philippines are NOT local, they do not know our local businesses, nor do they contribute any way to our local economies. It is the lack of American jobs that is hurting our citizens and local businesses. If Dex One ships more jobs overseas, there will be even fewer people to support local businesses, and therefore, fewer local businesses will be able to advertise with Dex One. It is a vicious cycle.

The graphics employees at Dex One create outstanding designs that speak to their customers. In this video, Dex Oneemployees talk about their work and their lives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Right now, Dex One employees actually meet with the people that they design ads for. How are workers in the Philippines going to do this?

(This post is based on information from Lisa Bolton at Communications Workers Locall 7777, www.cwa7777.org.)

When What You Study Makes You A Political Target, Labor Edition

Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:36:19 GMT

At what point does your work make you a target for political harassment? As a blogger I get a small amount of hate mail and a moderate amount of harassing mail (the two are different, one you can see the person foaming at the mouth, the other you can see their grin at wasting your time), but that is kind of par for the course.

However a troubling trend has started from the Right with regards to State University professors. They are nominally State employees, so the Right as begun to use Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to look at all of the e-mails of professors.

It all started with Ken "the Cooch" Cuccinelli, the Attorney General of Virginia, talking about going after a climate science researcher in the totally discredited "climate gate" incident. Since then there have been FOIA requests of a William Cronon of University of Wisconsin in connection with the illegal and unethical actions of the Republicans and Gov. Walker in that state.

Now it is spreading.
Talking Points Memo first reported and now the
New York Times is picking up the story of several conservative groups in Michigan who are asking for a wide swath of e-mails from three professors from the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University.
The group is called the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. It is one of a network of state based conservative groups that is associated with the uber conservative Heritage Foundation, with donors like the Koch Brothers and the Walton family of the Wal-Mart fortune.

From the TMP article:

But where those requests were relatively narrow -- looking for emails surrounding a specific incident or specific plans for a strike -- the FOIAs sent to state university labor studies faculty are quite broad. The parameters for the request, from a version of the FOIA obtained by TPM and confirmed by Mackinac, cover emails that mention:

"Scott Walker"; "Wisconsin"; "Madison"; "Maddow"; Any other emails dealing with the collective bargaining situation in Wisconsin.

The request covers all faculty emails from "January 1, 2011 to March 25, 2011."

That covers a hell of a lot of ground and it is unclear exactly what this fishing expedition in the Labor Studies departments of three large universities is really looking for. One thing to be aware of is that professors are not allowed to use university resources for partisan political activities. So if they slipped up and said something to a college that could be interpreted as partisan, they could be embarrassed.

What is more troubling to me is the notion that this is being done to intimidate not just the profs who are subject to the request but all labor studies professors. The battle to retain hard won collective bargaining rights is one that anyone who studies labor and the labor movement would be fascinated by. As they should be, it would be like astronomers seeing a super nova on 300 light years from Earth.

To make them the target of political attacks or intimidation for interest in their chosen field of study merely because Conservatives and the Koch Brothers want to bust all unions is plainly an abuse of the intent of the FOIA. I am all in favor of the public being able to know what is done with the money it pays in taxes, yet there has to be some boundary.

Professor Cornon made himself a public figure by blogging about the union busting fight in Madison. He raised his profile and as such has a lower expectation of privacy in his writing and speaking. It just goes with the territory. But Professor Douglas Fraser of Wayne State and the entire Labor Studies Center at U of M did not.

They have been targeted in this matter merely from the perception of the anti-labor forces that they are pro-labor. I don't know one way or the other if they are or are not, but that is hardly the point. They are academics studying a field that touches the entire nation.

One of the reasons that tenure is granted to professors is so that they can study and write about anything they want. It is supposed to give them freedom to be controversial in the hopes that they will use it wisely to push the boundaries of human knowledge. Since this is an unfettered right to speak and investigate, of course the Right hates it and wants to quell the voices that come from this system.

Another problem with this tactic is that Universities are not places where there is tons of extra money laying around. If this becomes the de rigor method of trying to keep voices the Right does not like silent, then the cost to schools could sky-rocket. This combined with the stifling affect that making academics at State schools worry about all of their e-mail communication is dangerous for a society that is already devaluing expertise in favor of politically motivated positions.

It remains to be seen what the Mackinac Center will do with this giant pile of e-mails. If past is prolog for the future, I would expect there will be a lot of smoke, but no fire about abuse of e-mail combined with a lot of outrage over selectively edited experts designed to discredit anyone who study's labor or who is willing to say that what is being done to unions across the upper Midwest is wrong.

Sadly this seem like the start, not the end. I know that we have a lot of areas where we must push back against the Conservative tide trying to unravel our rights, but the area of academic freedom is an important one.

The floor is yours.

Letter to Scott Walker

peacemonger — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:22:08 GMT

Dear Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker,

Thank you for your assistance in bringing together workers from every walk of life: teachers, firefighters, police officers, government employees, nurses, union members, people of faith, civil rights activists, environmentalists and many others. Thank you for giving us a reason, and a renewed commitment, to publicly declare that we stand together in solidarity to protect the middle class, and to ensure justice for workers. Thank you for helping us find our voice for democracy, and our passion for equal opportunity to the American Dream.

You see, when you and your corporate friends threatened the very fabric of our society -- the working middle-class people of America -- with your heavy-handed wrecking-ball policies, we woke up. We were not stupid; we knew this is not about the economy, or one state budget, or helping small businesses. We knew your power grab was really about weakening our voices -- the voices of millions of hard-working people, as well as students, youth, immigrants, and people between jobs. We knew it was a way to make more profits for billionaires, at the hands of struggling American families. We are awake now, and we are not going to let you take our country from us without a fight.

On Monday, April 4th, we will stand together with our working brothers and sisters all over America. We will participate in marches, vigils, teach-ins, rallies, demonstrations, protests, and other events. We will take back our country, demand jobs that earn a living wage, and make our country better for all working people.

You see, we've been here before.

In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. joined a group of 1300 city sanitation workers who marched for economic justice in Memphis. Dr. King stood with civil rights leaders, the faith community, and worker's unions to demand justice for the striking workers. Together, they faced all who sought to suppress their free speech that day, and they won the moral battle.

The following day, April 4th, 1968, Dr. King was assassinated. We will not allow history to record that his life -- and his work -- were in vain.

Forty-three years later, Mr. Walker, you also threatened peaceful demonstrators -- your own good citizens -- that you would bring in the National Guard and illegally bar the doors of the Statehouse to the people of Wisconsin. You dared to take away the civil rights of hard-working Americans -- public servants who only want their right to bargain collectively. Like the unified voices of the people's movement four decades ago, our unified middle-class will not back down. We will not be intimidated. We will not be afraid.

We will stand together.
We will fight back.
We will WIN.

On April 4th, 2011, we will remember April 4th, 1968. Coloradans will join the people of Wisconsin, and Michigan, and all of the other United States of America, and we will honor the memory of Dr. King with our own courage and determination to reject your political over-reach, and your attempt to steal the American Dream. We will stand together for the future of our children, and for the future of this country. Together -- firefighters, teachers, police officers, students, small business owners, sanitation workers, and many others -- will take back America for the middle class.

Why? Because "We are One."

Sincerely,
The People of Colorado

For the Colorado Event Schedule, please go to http://local.we-r-1.org/ . Check it frequently, as new events are being added daily. See you there.

Don't let these 'Democrats' get away with it either

wade norris — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:55:14 GMT

I am very glad that the political backbone has stiffened up in opposition to Republican led efforts to strip bargaining rights or introduce draconian budget cuts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio.
But I am troubled with what i am seeing in Colorado. Here our 'Democratic' Leadership in the office of the Governor, Senators and even some of the Mayoral candidates are taking a page from the Republicans and doing the same kind of things.
Our Governor, Former Mayor John Hickenlooper has introduced a budget that is as bad as some of these Republican Governors.
The only difference instead of saying "I'm the boss so shove it" he says
"Aw shucks, the budgets in trouble, we have to do tough things" like pass a budget that will lay off 3,600 teachers and public employees after campaigning on creating jobs. Sound familiar?
Our Democratic Governor says the budget is in trouble and this is the way it has to be. But that's not so, to quote Michael Moore,
COLORADO IS NOT BROKE there is just a problem with who is getting the tax breaks and who is getting the paying dearly with these budget cuts.

That's right our 'Democratic' Governor says the budget is in trouble and these tough cuts are the only way out - and even more interestingly, he has said that there is no 'appetite' for tax increases - a talking point now being repeated by Republicans in the House.
Actually what he wants is a tax decrease for the wealthy during this recession.

Guv wants 'flatter, fairer' business taxes
Changes would bring no overall increase
Gov. John Hickenlooper plans to rewrite the tax system for businesses to make Colorado more competitive with other states, he said Friday.
"We don't have a tax system that allows us to compete better with Georgia or Texas that have a flatter or fairer tax system," he said.

http://durangoherald.com/artic...

To this statement I have to say:
Why would you make it your aim to emulate TEXAS for business?

Colorado's regressive tax policies have already put our state in competition with the 48th through 50th spots in funding for things like Medicaid reimbursements and education funding.

But wait, there's more, after this budget was proposed, some reporters wrote about a tax loophole that could be tapped for revenue.

It seems that if you make any effort at all to farm on your multi acre luxury ranch in Colorado, you get a real deal - an agricultural tax rate

In Colorado, some famous faces, names get ag-land tax breaks, too
Tom Cruise, Goldie Hawn, Walker Stapleton, Charlie Ergen considered 'farmers'
.
Hay on West Meadows.
Dick Ebersol and Susan Saint James own a 35-acre lot in the upscale West Meadows subdivision near Telluride. They purchased the land for $1.8 million in 1996 and pay $123 in property taxes on it annually because there is hay on it. They also own an $11 million home in the Mountain Village.
Land to develop.
Walker Stapleton, Colorado's newly elected state treasurer, co-owns nearly 180 acres near Castle Rock with taxes of $116. Stapleton is planning to develop that land.
6,500 acres at Gateway.
John Hendricks, chairman and founder of Discovery Communications, owns more than 6,500 acres of agricultural land in Mesa County in his name and under subsidiary companies. The land is in and around Gateway, where Hendricks owns a luxury home, a car museum and a hotel-and- restaurant complex. Hendricks has plans for more housing and commercial development as part of the Gateway Canyons Resort project. His taxes are as low as $7.27 for some 40-acre parcels.
Star Mesa's empty land.
Craig Slater is executive vice president of the Anschutz Corp. He owns 41 acres of grazing and irrigated empty land on Star Mesa near Aspen that he purchased for $4 million in 2005. He paid $55.44 in property taxes for the land last year

.
http://www.denverpost.com/news...
How lax is this loophole?

The report shows the taxable value of 35 acres around a San Miguel County mansion drops from $1.7 million to $6,900 if sheep have the run of the grounds for two to four days a year.

http://washparkprophet.blogspo...
How about that, all these very wealthy - in some cases multi millionaire land owners are paying pennies on the dollar - when it could bring in an estimated 330 million in revenues.
So why doesn't the Governor go after these obviously tax delinquent ranch owners?
Oh...

anyone looking for a telling example of a landowner who has taken advantage of this generous tax status need look no further than Colorado's incoming governor. John Hickenlooper owns 225 acres in the mountains of Park County. His annual property-tax bill, according to county assessor records: $75.

http://facethestate.com/by-the...

It's amazing that a busy Governor has the time to run a farm. Or maybe it's amazing that a millionaire Governor doesn't have the 'appetite' to raise the money on his friends and himself, but thinks the other 90% of us should have to bear the costs.

Headlines like today's are all too common since the budget came out.

Florence-area public schools in Colo. put off buying school bus, ask parents to supply copy paper

http://www.denverpost.com/news...

Well now there has been some push back:
Some REAL democrats are finding their voice:

Saying that just cutting spending wasn't the answer to Colorado's budget problems, a Democratic state senator on Monday filed a citizen initiative that would ask voters in November to enact a three-year, $1.63 billion tax increase.
"I am in hopes that the citizens of this state will say, 'Enough is enough,' " Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, said in a news conference at the Capitol announcing his initiative.
"The straw that broke the camel's back for me was when the governor presented his budget to the JBC (Joint Budget Committee)," Heath said, referring to Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper's plan to impose deep cuts to K-12 schools and higher education.
"Republicans do not believe we can tax our way out of this recession," said House Majority Leader Amy Stephens, R-Monument. "Instead, we are focused on working with Gov. Hickenlooper to make the difficult decisions to ensure the state's spending is in line with revenue."

http://www.denverpost.com/legi...

To sum that up - our 'Democrat' Governor is being cited by the Republicans as having the right point of view - no taxes on the wealthy, and 'difficult decisions' for all the rest of you dirty middle class folks.
At least Senator Heath is standing for middle class values and Congressman Ed Perlmutter recently signaled his support for the measure.

But wait, there's more, our 'Democratic' Senator Michael Bennet who once campaigned on his finger in the wind commitment to the Public Option has a new letter with Republican Mike Johanns of Nebraska calling for cuts in discretionary spending and ENTITLEMENTS like Social Security.

Michael Bennet, the crown prince of "bipartisan" shock doctrine
In a letter to the President, 64 Senators ask him to engage in budget negotiations beyond FY2011 that include discretionary spending cuts, entitlement changes and tax reform, to create meaningful deficit reduction.

http://www.squarestate.net/dia...

Hey, you know how 'Democrat' Michael Bennet got into office? By appointment.
He moved to Colorado from DC and went to work for the richest Republican and Right wing Media Mogul, Phillip Anschutz. Bennet did well, making Anschutz 373 million dollars through a series of company closings and employee downsizing of several companies Anschutz bought that had "Budget" problems. (sound familiar?)

Next Bennet got appointed to the Denver Public School Board by fellow millionaire Mayor John Hickenlooper.
Bennet made unpopular decisions - like closing schools and starting up 'charter' schools - which visibly angered parents. Parents are so angry it has caused a recall effort of a 'Democrat' board member that sided with Bennet and his successor.

Hey I wonder where Bennet thought of closing schools and starting these charter schools - schools that don't accept special needs or second language learners - schools that have a lottery system, not a guaranteed entry program for all students.
These are the schools like the ones in "Waiting for Superman". It's a neat little coincidence that "Waiting for Superman" is produced by Walden media, which happens to be owned by former Bennet boss Philip Anschutz who apparently has an agenda against public schools.

So Bennet was a hero of the Public Option, a man for the little people, the middle class, right?
Now that he is a Senator with no challenge until 2016, he is making the center piece of his office slashing into all of those 'Entitlements' that the middle class depend on to retire with some dignity or to have access to decent Medicare coverage or to attend a good public school.

I believe that there is a pattern here, one where the true democrats who work for the middle class are being supplanted by the other 'democrats' who look out for the wealthy and their interests. They have joined with Republicans for attacks on our middle class institutions in the guise of 'budget' problems.
In Wisconsin we have the full frontal assault on Public Employees and the middle class, while here in Colorado, we have people that we fought to put in office doing the exact same thing, only we are not supposed to mind, since they are 'Democrats'.

If you, our 'Democratic' leaders are true democrats, then stand on our side - the side of FDR, the middle class, the teachers, the public employees - start going after the tax loopholes and make the sacrifices shared - or even uneven. Why should a multimillion dollar ranch that is a third or fourth home get taxed less than $200 but a single family home be taxed at $1500? Uncut our budget deficits.
Prove to us you deserve to be called a Democrat -
Because from where we are standing its kind of hard to tell you and the Republicans apart.

Republican Über Strategist: "This will be a role model"

Zappatero — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:19:56 GMT

This is old news in the scheme of things. I posted it elsewhere but it didn't seem to take, and it hardly needs confirmation, but Republican Über Strategist Ed Rollins confirmed on AC360 a few weeks back something we all know about the continuing and coordinated hit on Unions, Democrats, and The Middle Class :

COOPER: He (Wisconsin Governor Walker) can still go after collective bargaining rights six months down the road if he wanted to?
SPITZER: Absolutely. Absolutely.
ROLLINS: He's going to get this. He's got a Republican majority that wants the same alteration that he does. And so, you know, it may take a month. It may take three weeks, whatever. And I think at the end of the day, the public is behind him in Wisconsin, and the public's behind him nationally. And I think the 29 Republican governors all have fiscal problems. This is going to be a role model.

If anyone knows anything about Republican stategy beyond the Koch Brothers and Karl Rove, it's Ed Rollins.

He was there for Reagan, he was there for Bush I and Bush II, and he's here now doing his dirty work under the covers and behind the scenes. President Bush was surprised to see see us hippy scum protesting his visit to Colorado Springs in 2004, and I'm sure few noticed, but I saw the Bastard Rollins come in early to prep the World Arena in Colorado Springs for Bush's final push toward re-election.

Republicans are looking at 29 laboratories for the cold-blooded murder of the middle class. If they fail in Wisconsin, they'll try elsewhere. And if anyone thinks they won't try it in Colorado they have another thing coming. So long as Ed Rollins can make his Lexus payment he'll be plotting the demise of America's Middle Class..... come hell or high water.

Governors, Mayors, and organizations that support unconstitutionally concentrating power

Fong — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:42:44 GMT

The thing about being particularly defensive about education or any of the other issues around the mayoral race this year, is that Denver has great potential and I don't want to see it squandered because some Mayoral candidate who is a power-hungry sell-out has it in mind that they really want to be governor, or that they ultimately want to get their foot in the door with the lobby for education privatization because it's job security.

Speaking of which, you should really check out this .pdf of education-related responses from five of Denver's mayoral candidates. The most agenda-revealing question is:

If DPS is proven to be going in the wrong direction, the Mayor should take responsibility and work towards shared governance or Mayoral control of the city's public schools (like Chicago, DC, NYC, Boston, LA(partial) and a growing number of cities).

Now, if that isn't a loaded question, I dunno what is. First, what's proof? Who gets to decide? Second, it assumes that concentrated Mayoral power is a viable option which indicates that organizations that would support such takeover are more than willing to compromise community power and input so as to further whatever agenda they have. Third, big city name-dropping pressures candidates into thinking well FUCKSTICKS! I don't want Denver to not be like those big cities. Everyone who's anyone wants Denver to move away from being a cow metropolis and more towards a massively-sprawling-rent-too-damn-high-perpetual-importer-of-resources-at-the-expense-of-the-natural-world-killing-machine! I have to say yes to concentrated Mayoral control now or I'll look like a dirty hippie!

Anyhoo, below the fold is a related comic from Salon which I found via Joel's Hindbrain:

If you prick us, do we not ooze?

President Obama, we are oh-so-patiently waiting

Zappatero — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:04:25 GMT

A short trip down memory lane with Candidate Barack Obama courtesy FDL:

"And understand this: If American workers are being denied their right to organize and collectively bargain when I'm in the White House I will put on a comfortable pair of shoes myself.
I will walk on that picket line with you as President of the United States of America.
Because workers deserve to know that somebody is standing in their corner."

He sure does sound convincing, doesn't he?

Pulte Homes: layoffs instead of new hires after receiving $900 Million in stimulus

Zappatero — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:31:59 GMT

Pulte Homes received $900 MILLION in stimulus funds as part of the economic package that prevented a near-miss with a new depression. This money was intended to hire or keep workers.

Pulte Homes is building all over Colorado, but protesters in DC say they haven't hired and instead have laid off workers:

Shouting "Where are the jobs?" and "Where is the money?" the protesters from the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, many in overalls and helmets, said taxpayers have provided $900 million in tax breaks to Pulte with the aim of creating jobs. They said they haven't seen the results they were promised.
"Those tax breaks were supposed to create jobs," Wayne Peworchik, one of the protesters, said. "That was President Obama's and Congress's intent."
"Instead, Pulte laid off workers," Peworchik said

.
When is enough enough for these big-time corporations? And if the government won't hold them accountable, how about we do?

(h/t FDL)

Republican Anarchy: sterioid-induced attacks on our friends, neighbors, family members on the way

Zappatero — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 22:23:06 GMT

OK, no one is 100% happy with TSA and what we have to go through at airports before getting on a flight. Obviously, the first blame must go to George Bush and Dick Cheney who allowed 9/11 to happen on their watch. This has forever changed the way we fly to our business meetings and overdue vacations. Bush and Cheney were sufficiently warned of the dangers of terrorist attacks by hijacking and ignored those warnings completely.

The next set of blame must also be laid at the feet of Bush/Cheney as well as Tom Ridge and Karl Rove, who implemented TSA protocols for political reasons, who've kept the pay scale down, and who surely intimidated and influenced management from Day 1 to always keep TSA wanting for resources and as a target of anti-worker sentiment.

Republican Congressmen and Senators like Jim DeMint also played that game.

If anyone thinks the procedural mixups and hindrances to our travel are all due to TSA workers, and only those workers, they could only be an incoming Republican Committee Chairman who loves privatization, hates your friends and neighbors and family members, and who wants to privatize yet another key public safety function of government:

"If you look at [the TSA's] performance, have they ever stopped a terrorist? Anyone can get through," Mica said in an interview. "We've been very lucky, very fortunate. TSA should focus on its mission: setting up the protocol, adapting to the changing threats and gathering intelligence."

None of us should allow this to happen and this will be the constant fight of the next congress: preventing the complete defunding of government and dismantling of the key services it provides by Republican anarchists like John Mica and Jim DeMint, brought to you by a political party on the steroid of pure green cash given in fatal doses.