Top Stories February 5, 2010
- 2010 General Assembly: Progressives Introduce Key Bills
- Supreme Court's Removal of Ban on Corporate Spending Means
Urgent Need for States to Pass Voluntary Public Campaign Funding - Advocates Fight to Finish Health Reform as Dems Dither
- Close the Montgomery County Developer's Loophole
- LABOR NEWS, ACTIONS & RESOURCES
2010 General Assembly: Progressives Introduce Key Bills
- PM's Opportunity Agenda for Working Families and Opening Day Letter
- See this issue's "Progressives in Action" for lawmaker profiles and key bill descriptions
Supreme Court's Removal of Ban on Corporate Spending Makes
Need for States to Pass Voluntary Public Campaign Funding More Urgent
The Supreme Court 5-4 ruling in Citizens United Jan. 21 nullified decades of legislative restrictions on corporations' spending to support or oppose individual political candidates. Despite this major setback for the campaign finance reform movement, Congress has a number of options it can use to ameliorate its worst ramifications. Progressive Maryland and allies were quick to point out the increased urgency for states to pass voluntary campaign funding laws, like the one at the top of its 2010 legislative agenda, because Clean Money is the only campaign finance reform model that can pass judicial challenge even under Citizens United.
- Progressive Md. News Release "Citizens United Ruling and its Silver Lining" Jan 21
- VIDEO: Free Speech for Corporation: What Does Citizens United v. FEC Decision Mean for You and Democracy?; CommonDreams.org Feb 1
- Supreme Court Ruling Calls for a Populist Revolt; EJ Dionne, Wash. Post Jan 25
- Despite court ruling, Congress can still limit campaign finance; Wash. Post Jan 26
- Supreme Court rejects limits on corporate spending on campaigns; Wash. Post Jan 22
- Poll Finds Most Md. Voters Want Public Campaign Funding (news release & coverage)
- Email Your Rep to 'Cosponsor Fair Elections Now Act' or call them at 202-224-3121
Advocates Fight to Finish Health Care Reform as Dems Ponder Strategy
Thousands rallied across the nation Jan. 26 at scores of events sponsored by Health Care for America Now, MoveOn.org, US Action, NAACP, unions and others. Hundreds protested the Chamber of Commerce's corporate campaign to kill health care reform at its Washington headquarters. HCAN blog posts plus photos, Washington Post story and photo, and 2-min. video below.
- Sign the pledge to take action today!
- Sens. Franken and Sanders upbraid White House Adviser Axelrod for Lack of Health Care Strategy; HuffingtonPost Feb 5
- Call Sens. Cardin, Mikulski, and your House rep at 1-877-264-4226
- See Intro to this edition of The Maryland Progressive
Protestors from Health Care for America Now, Progressive Maryland, SEIU, MoveOn, and AFSCME rallied outside the downtown Baltimore meeting of the Republican House Caucus on Saturday, January 30, demanding to know why the Republicans are opposing regulating insurance companies. Several insurance abuse survivors joined the protest, including Marcus Grimes, who wanted to know why he had to go blind four years ago when he could not afford the operation that would have saved his sight.
The message was "Get the Job Done and Get It Done Right" at this rally in Baltimore that featured Senator Ben Cardin's staffer Renee Cohen (left photo), NAACP Baltimore Branch president Marvin "Doc" Cheatham, victims of insurance industry abuses, and medical professionals struggling to provide decent care in a broken system.
Close the Montgomery County Developer's Loophole
In 2004, the County Council passed rules that require Big Box stores to apply for a Special Exception to build in commercial zones. This was meant to limit their negative impact. In 2009, the County Council passed the Transit Mixed (TMX) zoning to encourage smart development around mass transit areas (like metro stops). Now developers are eyeing this zoning as a loophole that would enable them to jam Big Box stores in TMX zoning areas. This would mean tens of thousands of more car trips through neighborhood streets, more noise, more crime, and more lights. Ask the Council to amend the TMX zoning to include a ban on “big box” stores. These type of large scale stores do not make sense in areas with mass transit. Email or Call the Council Today!
President Obama made jobs his new number one priority in last week's State of the Union Address, yet his proposed $100 billion jobs stimulus, and plan to redirect TARP funds to community banks for loan to small businesses, fall woefully short of what's needed. Post columnist Harold Meyerson's piece "A Jobs Lesson from the New Dealers" reminds us to seek better solutions in FDR's example, while Feb. 3 the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) released its report, "The Unions of the States" examining unionization rates, the size and composition of the unionized workforce, and the wages and benefits for union workers in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Labor leaders at last week's Alpine assembling of global bankers and CEOs came with a simple pledge: We're going to fight to cap your pay. -At Davos 2010, Some Tough Talk on Greed; Sam Pizzigati, Our Future Feb 1
Jan. 15, Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin Introduced "Bill 2-10, Personnel - Contracts- Retaliation," to protect employees working for county contractors who report fraud, waste and abuse to county government officials
LABOR ACTIONS & RESOURCES
- Tell Congress and President Obama "Act Now on Jobs" (AFL-CIO Working Families)
- Sign the American Rights at Work petition supporting EFCA
- Background on the Employee Free Choice Act, AFL-CIO
- SEIU Change That Works Campaign
- AFL-CIO's Unemployment Lifeline & Executive Pay Watch
- Get Wal-Mart news at WalmartWatch.com & WakeupWalmart.org
- Subscribe to Metro DC AFL-CIO's Union City & AFL-CIO NOW blog
- Sign up for Working Families e-Activist Network
- DCLabor.org for news from Washington DC Metro Council AFL-CIO
- Interfaith Worker Justice runs an Online Wage Theft Resource Center
- AFL-CIO Union Shop Online has labor shirts, buttons, hats, signs etc.
Groups Launch Recovery Watch Maryland
PM Federal issues Director Matthew Weinstein spoke at a news conference to launch Recovery Watch Maryland Jan. 19 in Annapolis. See news video below.
- News Release: English & Spanish; WJLA-TV 8 story & video
- Principles for Implementing American Recovery Reinvestment Act
- Unemployment Insurance Rescues Md. Workers, Local Business
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