Dear Mr. President

I am as serious a Democrat as you are likely to find. I am Treasurer of my county Democratic Party. I have run for state office more than once in hopelessly Republican districts. My entire family knocked on doors to help get you elected.

I have never before written to a President but am writing to you now because I am afraid that you are letting everything we achieved run down the sewer of Republican opposition. I did not vote for you so you could be nice to bankers and insurance companies. I did not vote for you to achieve bipartisanship with selfish, ignorant, bigoted Republicans. I voted for you to lead us out of an unbelievable mess, and you are failing.

I cried the night of the election for two reasons. One because I was overjoyed, secondly because I was afraid that it would be all downhill from there. It’s time for you to take off the gloves and prove me wrong.

As Digby just pointed out, the Republicans always need to create something (or someone) for their dense minions to hate. Unfortunately, you have become it, and you have to change the dialog.

Is it Just Me?

Many blogs ago I asked the question: Now that we've won, how do we turn this into good public policy?

On the national level there were a few gimmes at the start: expansion of CHIPS, the Ledbetter equal pay act, Sotomayor, and... (help me out here - there must be more.)

At the Executive level there have clearly been major changes in attitude at places like the Interior Dept, where they will stop giving everything away to the extractors. But at Treasury it's business as usual, which means giving Goldman Sachs everything they want so they can pay their precious bankers and traders $10 fucking billion in bonuses.

At the state level, it's business as usual with more taxes on beer and cigarettes because they are so sinful and Granholm clearly doesn't give a shit for the predominantly poor people who smoke and drink (let alone the awesome Michigan beer industry.) Everything else coming out of her office is nothing but chipping away at budgets with no constituency so she can keep shoveling money out the door to movie makers and any corporation that says it will add a few jobs. The vision thing just ain't there, and if Andy Dillon is the only person making grand statements (about dismantling union negotiated health care agreements no less), we've got problems.

And then we have health care, and the willingness of the Administration (which is supposed to be Our Administration) insisting that there is such a thing as a bipartisan Republican. Is the President that we worked so hard to elect really going to cede decision making to gas bag Senators from rural stares with less population than Grand Rapids? Is he really going to gut health care reform even though it is obvious the not a single Republican Senator is going to vote for it? He can't be that naive and he's clearly not stupid.

Please God tell me this is just a well laid trap where Rahm and Barack will come back from vacation and announce that they have seen enough of the Republican bullshit, and that it is obvious that they have no intention of negotiating, and the the Democrats are going to pass the right bill. If they have to ram it through reconciliation and cause the GOP to wet their pants with indignation, so be it.

Mike Cox and the Big Lie

Not that it's a surprise to anyone, but Michigan AG Mike Cox is running for governor. He's been sucking up to the hard right for years so it's clear which way he's going to lean to try to win the GOP primary.

In a recent Press exclusive Cox leads off his platform with the Big Lie, the conservative meme that refuses to die, the GOP fantasy that cutting taxes will actually increase revenues to the state. This is the so called Supply Side Economics cooked up in the Reagan administration - that has as much to do with economics as my dog's nuts.

Cox the Magician says he will cut state taxes by $2 billion:

Cox insisted that increased revenues stimulated by the tax cuts would help Michigan close a projected 2010 budget deficit of $1.6 billion.

"When you reduce tax rates, revenue going into government actually increases," Cox said.

What planet does this guy live on? Hello Mike, this is 2009! We just tried the Supplied Side crap for eight years with your soul buddy George and, uh, I don't think it worked too damn well. And then there's John Engler - remember him? the guy who cut Michigan taxes 30 or 40 times? That worked really well too, didn't it? Just look at all the economic growth that flooded in after all those tax cuts.

As if that's not enough, Mr. Cox also thinks Michigan needs more Nuclear and coal-fired power plants:

"I think we ought to aim to be the energy capital of America," Cox said. "Nuclear is one way we could be more competitive in the long run. In the long run, that's a way to diversify our economy."

He noted he backs a $2 billion, 800 megawatt Consumers Energy "clean coal" operation in Essexville.

Clean coal? Another big stinking turd dreamed up by our friends in the coal industry. There is no such thing as clean coal, period.

And not to forget the religious right, Cox tops it off with his opposition to gay marriage and civil unions:

"Gay individuals by and large do enjoy the protections that heterosexuals do," he said.

Go for it Mike, wanker extraordinaire that you are.

Green Economy my Ass

In her radio address today, Governor Granholm again touted the miracle of Green Business and how it is going to save Michigan. She conveniently failed to mention that United Solar Ovanics just put its Greenville plant on a two week shutdown and is postponing opening a new plant in Battle Creek until orders pick up.

I have nothing against wind turbines, solar cells, battery powered cars and the rest of it - but these industries are highly competitive, global and cyclical. They're also not all that big. As for the Governor, she did nothing to promote renewable energy for her first five years in office and Michigan fell behind dozens of states in authorizing a Renewable Power Standard - the essential first step to attracting renewable power. And when the RPS was finally voted in, it was part of a sweetheart deal for Consumers and Detroit Edison.

The Green Economy is going to be a real deal but it is not the magic wand that is going to cure Michigan's economic disaster. By focusing everything on this new fad, other businesses struggle, and wonder where's the love for them?

Tell Me Agan who runs the National Association of Manufacturers?

An interesting sign of the times today: Duke Energy quits the NAM because of the organization's opposition to regulating global warming gasses.

The NAM is one of the most powerful business lobbies in Washington and has consistently fought against even accepting global warming, let alone trying to do something about it. Duke is a huge utility and clearly not the kind of company that one would call Progressive. Still, they aren't stupid - and recognize that fixing global warming is as much an opportunity for profits as something to deny and fight.

So who is leading the NAM's rear-guard action? None other than our favorite ex Michigan shithead-in-chief, John Engler.

Silver Line

Well, the Silver Line crashed and burned with the operating millage failing by 52 to 48%. Bill Harris analyzed the vote breakdown by district and it's clear that the supporters just didn't convince voters in Kentwood, Grandville, Walker and Wyoming that this was worth the money.

The Press today had a clear headed editorial that laid the blame on the transit officials for failing to make the case that this investment is worth it for the community. The cost per household is not extravagant ($12 per year on a $150,000 house plus $84 for continuing costs) but people said no.

I have to think part of the problem is that there are vast numbers of people in Grand Rapids who have never ridden pubic transportation in their lives. This sounds ridiculous but I would bet on it. If you haven't lived in an old East Coast city (or Chicago, or anywhere in Europe) pubic transit is something only poor people use - because it generally sucks. Voters just haven't had the experience of living with good public transit and the joy of not having to drive everywhere. I lived in and around New York for years and could go a week without getting in a car - and it was great.

Maybe the Silver Line pitched itself too much towards riders and not enough towards the economic development aspects of the project. It also never made the case to places like Kentwood that are miles away from the where the Division line would run. There was no vision for how the Silver Line would eventually tie into something larger that could actually connect the various cities.

Voters needed to be convinced that this was going to add value to the community beyond those who actually use the service. This message got through to East Grand Rapids but none of the other cities. It's really a shame, because this project would have been something good for the area.

Plutocrats for Change

The Joanne Voorhees story is the perfect summation of how small minded the local GOP can be. Telling Jon Huntsman he's not conservative enough for West Michigan makes me wonder how they can go about their daily lives without constantly being exposed to the dreaded Liberalism

Anyhow, the lightning speed with with the state GOP was able to to get Betsy DeVos to sponsor a substitute soiree for Huntsman shows how plutocrat Republicans can be counted on to stick together. Ms. DeVos is the daughter of billionaire Edgar Prince and the wife of the son of Billionaire Rich DeVos (and don't forget, the sister of Blackwater founder Eric Prince).

Jon Huntsman is the son of Utah Billionaire Jon Huntsman Sr. - so of course he felt right at home with the DeVos's (who hosted him at their own hotel, the ultra-deluxe JR Marriott in Grand Rapids. Ohmigod - the Marriotts are from Utah too! (Probably billionaires).

A splendid time was had by all. Sorry Joanne.

Shut Down the WEMET

The Press has a decent piece of investigative reporting on the front page today that can only lead to one conclusion: The West Michigan Enforcement Team (WEMET) should be disbanded and the officers reassigned.

What does this outfit do? They overwhelmingly go after low level pot dealers by making pathetically small $50 "buys" based on tips and then stage a big bust where they net small quantities of drugs, some cash and sometimes guns. The scorecard for 2008 tells the story:

Marijuana: 639 lbs
Coke: 12.4 lbs
Crack: 44 oz
Heroin: 22 oz
Meth: 6.5 of
Guns: 100

That's it for 25 officers and a half-million $ annual budget. The fact that the most dangerous drug (Meth) is at the bottom of the list shows how lame this effort is. They are busting part-time pot dealers and growers - and ignoring the drug that is brutally addictive, dangerous, toxic and pervasive in rural Michigan. The haul of guns is largely meaningless since you can walk into practically any home in Michigan and find guns (and probably a small amount of pot as well).

If the State Police don't have anything better to do with 25 officers and a half million dollars, they should give the money back. This is a joke.

Fred Barnes Doesn't Get It

This is not specifically a Michigan issue, but then again it is, because health care reform may be the most important legacy the Obama Administration can leave the country (which includes us)

Anyhow, Fred Barnes at the increasingly lame Weekly Standard is calling the GOP to the trenches to defeat "Obamacare". He's feeling good because the GOP has pretty much de-railed EFCA and the Democrats don't seem to have the balls to deal with global warming. The next liberal monster, of course, is health care. So what does old Fred drag out as a reason to continue denying coverage to 40 million Americans: Canada kills celebrities.

I'm not kidding:

It's worth noting how Canadian health care failed to save the life of actress Natasha Richardson after a recent ski accident. The nearby hospital had no scanning equipment or neurosurgeon, and there was no helicopter to fly her to a trauma center. By the time she arrived at one, she was brain dead. Why wasn't proper treatment and equipment at hand? Government had decided not to pay for them.

Oh my god. In Canada, they don't provide helicopters for celebrities who fall down during their ski holidays. So Fred, tell me again about all the helicopters waiting in the U.S. for poor people to get to the hospital. Oh, you mean there aren't any? They're all out in Colorado waiting for celebrities to fall down?

Dear Tom: Your Theories Don't Work

From a recent e-mail from my State Representative Tom Pierce:

What if government leaders looked at the economic crisis differently and reduced the tax on all job providers, making Michigan the most competitive state in our region or even all fifty states? If they did, I believe the State of Michigan would be saying to all job providers interested in starting a new company or growing their business that Michigan welcomes them with open arms. Reducing the tax burden on job providers would enable them to grow and hire additional employees, resulting in greater income tax revenue to the state. It would also generate economic activity in Michigan creating greater revenue from sales tax. A change like this could turn job losses into job growth and reduce the pressure of growing demand on the state's welfare budget. Making Michigan business taxes more competitive across the board would level the playing field for all job providers and would remove government arrogance in picking winners and losers.

Dear Tom;

I think your analysis of the benefits of tax reductions to attract business is deeply flawed and I'd like to see some facts and data that backs it up. John Engler cut taxes for years and all it did was drain the state government of money it needed to provide the services people expect. Engler's policies did not attract new businesses and did next to nothing to stop the major manufacturers from leaving.

I am a small business owner and I can say from experience that state tax rates have absolutely zero impact on my business decisions. The decline in state services ranging from university and K12 budgets to deteriorating infrastructure, dilapidated parks, overwhelmed social service providers are far more important to me - and the only way to pay for them is adequate taxation.

The idea that lower taxes generate economic growth and higher revenue is a pipe dream that has no support in the economic data. It's a belief not a theory. If you can provide impartial data that backs it up, I'd be happy to reconsider.

Best regards,

- Snipe

Guns & Ammo

Since Barak Obama's election, the gun business in the U.S. has been going crazy. As described in a recent article in the Press, applications for concealed weapons permits have doubled in 2009. Ammunition is in short supply because people are buying and hoarding it. An NPR story told about a 69 year old woman buying a case of ammo for her AK-47.

The story being floated by the conservative media is that Obama is going to take away people's guns - so you better arm yourself now. A second meme is that the recession is making the country more dangerous so you'd better start packing before the poor people come after your stuff.

Both of these lines share a hideous fear of the other, particuarly if the other is urban and black. This is scary shit and shows how some hard core conservatives are reacting to the loss of an election. There are way too many crazy people out there - and now they are armed.

GR Press goes 1 for 2

I was impressed that the Press came out with a positive editorial Saturday about the new Medical Marijuana rules. Instead of trashing the decision made by Michigan voters to legalize MM, the Press took the progressive tack of how can you legalize use while procurement is still illegal?

I wrote letters to the Press's Editor and Publisher about the sad and tragic Dave Mayo situation and received well thought out responses that showed they understand the absurdity of the current laws. The idea that a respected journalist and his wife can be looking at serious jail time for growing weed is a clear example of the stupidity that has captured this issue for the last 30 years. The shooting of a Grand Valley State student in his apartment by a Sheriff's posse because maybe he was dealing pot takes the situation to its absurd extreme.

Something has got to change - and people are finally talking about it like rational adults for the first time in decades.

So the Press got one thumbs up but then gave it back on Sunday with a classic West Michigan union-bashing piece of crap editorial about the pending EFCA legislation. The Press ladles out the conservative argument that card check union organizing takes away the precious secret ballot and is therefore no good.

First off, its a lie. There can be a secret ballot if the employees want one. The big change is that it is the workers who get to decide, not the employers. The coercion employed by employers against union organizers over the past 20 years has been rampant and its time to level the playing field. The wretched excess of corporate executives is painfully obvious. We nee more unionization, not less, and the Press has it wrong.

John Cherry for Governor?

Before the entire Democratic Party apparatus gets on board the John Cherry Bandwagon, I'd like someone to explain why is he going to be any better than Governor Granholm.

This has nothing to do with whether he is the person most able to get elected. We got Granholm elected twice and at this point I would have rather have seen what Dick DeVos could have done. Granholm has been wrong on education, wrong on energy policy, ineffective in economic development and gutless in prison reform. Our state as gotten worse, not better, under her leadership.

I understand this is impolitic, but I no longer care if the best person is a Republican or a Democrat. I care who will make this state a better place to live for the most people, and a lousy Democrat is not necessarily better than a good Republican.

So what does John Cherry stand for? What is he going to do to dig Michigan out of this mess and how complicit has he been in Granholm's failures? If he has done nothing as the Lieutenant Governor he can only be criticized for being a typically boring person in a typically useless position. I suppose this is better than being an active participant - but says nothing about what he will do once woken from his LG stupor.

I have seen nothing yet that explains who he is and what he stands for. OK, he's a Democrat. Now tell me something useful.

Jim Webb is Not Your Average Politician

Senator Jim Webb has introduced legislation to create a commission to investigate why the U.S. has become a nation of prisons and why our criminal justice system seems to be out of control. In a rather long piece, Glenn Greenwald sums it up here.

Unlike most politicians (including our Governor), Webb is willing to take on the politically unpopular issues that are destroying lives across the country. Being "tough on crime" is so pervasive in state capitals that it is impossible for your average legislator to ask valid questions about what the hell are we doing and is it causing more harm than good.

Webb has the advantage of not really giving a shit if he gets reelected or not. He's not in love with himself or the Senate or any of the Village crap that makes senators so useless. This allows him to ask the tough questions and reveal the quality so lacking in D.C.: Courage.

Secretary of State Clinton made a similarly gutsy move last week when she admitted that the U.S. bears a lot of responsibility for the drug-related violence in Mexico. As obvious as this sounds, no one in the past has had the temerity to come out and say it. We buy their drugs and sell them weapons to kill each other. Bravo to Hillary.

Why is Harry Reid Still in Charge of the Senate?

What is it about Harry Reid that qualifies him to be the majority leader in the Senate? He has no balls, no guts and now it appears that he has no brains either:

“Roberts didn’t tell us the truth. At least Alito told us who he was,” Reid said, referring to Samuel Alito, the second Supreme Court justice nominated by President George W. Bush. “But we’re stuck with those two young men, and we’ll try to change by having some moderates in the federal courts system as time goes on — I think that will happen.”

Come on Harry, do you really expect me to believe you thought Roberts was a moderate? How does someone so clueless end up running the most important political caucus in the country?

Money for Nothing

I've had a lot of doubts about Michigan's program to lure movie productions to the state with an outrageous offer to pay up to 42% of the costs. Just to make this absolutely clear, the state (that's us) gives the producers a check for 42% of the money spent in Michigan. The idea was to build a "movie industry" in Michigan which would magically create good jobs for our flagging economy.

A story in today's Times lays out the results . If what they say is correct, Michigan has spent $48 million to yield $53.8 million in employment income. Adding to the pain is that the majority of the films are B Grade garbage that won't even make it into theaters.

Don't get me wrong, I love movies and I loved Gran Torino (shot in Detroit) - but this program is a joke; a short sighted hallucination that displays no understanding of the nature of the movie industry or the jobs that it creates.

People who work in movies are gypsies. With a few exceptions (like scripted TV shows) there are no permanent jobs. There are gigs that move from place to place. Michigan's idiotic offer to finance B grade horror movies brought the gypsies here for a while. Unfortunately, California just matched our offer - and does anyone really think movie producers are going to choose Michigan over Southern California if the bribes are equal?

$48 million for $54 million in temp jobs. This is criminally stupid and a sign of desperation. Who ever came up with this idea should be fired, today.

Spare Me

Listening to Chuck Schumer on the radio railing about the AIG bonuses was a bit much.

I mean, Schumer personally carried the water for the hedge fund plutocrats when someone threatened to actually make them pay taxes on their billions in income. They made money during the Wall Street feeding frenzy that made the AIG bonuses pale in comparison yet paid taxes at rates lower than their secretaries due to their abuse of the tax code.

Schumer, Senator from Wall Street and recipient of massive contributions from same made sure their gilded status was protected from the evil tax collectors. And now he's up in arms about the AIG bonuses.

Just because he's a Democrat doesn't mean he's not a hypocrite, opportunist, band- wagoniste wanker.

What the Fuck?

It's really hard for me to believe that in 2009 a squad of special narco-police could blow into a hippie's apartment at Grand Valley State and shoot the guy because they thought he was a dealer. Thank god he's not going to die, but given where the shot landed that was more luck than design. Meanwhile, Press columnist Dave Mayo is looking at seven years for growing Chronic in the privacy of his house - and his wife could do two to three for running a "Drug House".

We're talking about Pot here, you know the stuff that is so goddamn funny in movies like Knocked Up and Pineapple Express. The stuff that Michigan voters just resoundingly approved for medicinal purposes. The weed that has never killed anyone.

It's painfully obvious that what makes Pot dangerous is the fact that it is illegal. The fact that it is illegal is why Mexican gangsters are killing each other to gain control of the business, why governments are being corrupted and why an absurd number of Americans are having their lives ruined.

It's time to change the laws, and anyone who doesn't understand this is either deranged or stupid - or maybe a gutless politician or someone who earns his living as part of the War on Drugs.

So Raise the Damn Taxes

I don't think anyone can disagree that Michigan's roads are a disaster. My drive to work has once again become an obstacle course as last year's pot holes return with the spring thaws.

Assuming we can agree on this fact, the next question is how to fix it? On one hand are the timid, but somewhat rational people like Governor Granholm who think we need to increase taxes to maintain the infrastructure. But even she can't come right out and say it because she has been so cowed by the other side: the anti-tax fundamentalists.

I would think by now we could admit that the theories of the anti-tax crusaders are based on nothing but sand. Cutting taxes does not increase income, jobs or prosperity. It puts more money into the pockets of some people and takes it away from the Government that can no longer afford to maintain the roads, schools and hospitals that define our quality of life.

I would think conservatives (of all people) would understand that you can't get something for nothing. There is no magic fairy and there will not be a pony under the Christmas tree. Either we pay more taxes and allow the government to fix the roads or our cars will be ruined and businesses will pass the state by because our infrastructure is collapsing.

Destroying the state because you are too scared to raise taxes is not leadership. Michigan deserves better.

Save David Mayo!

Dear Mr. Gaydou;

I am writing to urge you not to take any action against Press columnist David Mayo following his arrest for growing pot at his home. He is a good writer who has served the Press well for 20 years and does not deserve to see his career collapse due to a crime that is becoming increasingly difficult to understand.

America’s War of Drugs is an abysmal failure that has ruined lives, enriched gangsters and corrupted governments around the world. The harm caused by the “war” has far exceeded the harm caused by the use of drugs, and it is only a matter of time before the nation wakes up to this and changes its approach.

If Mayo had been caught driving drunk, it would have been disappointing, but not a job-ending event. Growing pot at his home put no one at risk and posed no danger to anyone. It should be viewed for what it is: a minor infraction, not the revelation of some moral depravity that warrants banishment and unemployment.

This country needs an honest and open dialog about the drug policies that have failed so miserably. Unfortunately there can be no such dialog because of the prevailing attitude where misguided morality trumps common sense. I can’t even submit this letter to the Press for fear that it will be held against me personally and that I will somehow be seen as “pro-drugs”.

I hope incidents like swimmer Michael Phelps’ bong episode will help move the dialog forward. When put into the context of Alex Rodiguez’s steroid use, it should be obvious which person is truly damaging sports.

I suspect a majority of your readers consider pot to be a harmless indulgence, but that this majority is so afraid of the other side that they would never publicly admit it. I don’t think it will help Kellogg in the long run to throw out Phelps, and I don’t think it will be any better for you if the Press trashes Dave Mayo.

Granholm Drops the Ball (as usual)

What is it about Governor Granholm that she refuses to ever deal with the tough topics? She's at the end of her career in Michigan due to term limits and still can't make the difficult decisions that need to be made. Does she really think she has a shot at the Supreme Court and that they key is to do nothing dramatic to spoil her chances?

In her State of the State speach she said nothing about the need to dramatically reduce prison spending. This is the most obvious place in the budget to make serious cuts - but it is going to involve putting her self out there and taking some risk (which she never does). Prisoner are going to have to be released, and it is inevitable that some of them are going to do something bad. Her job is to make the case, explain it to the voters and do it. She knows it has to be done, but wants someone else to take the heat.

The other key failure was to talk about raising the gasoline tax. The state's roads are a disaster and with every passing month, the eventual costs multiplies. Adding 20 cents will barely be noticed in day-to-day price fluctuations but she doesn't have the guts to tell voters why it makes long-term sense and has to happen.

If she proceeds in her budget with an "across the board cut" she will only be confirming that she has no ability to make decisions and would rather resort to the cheapest political tactic in the book.

I worked hard to get her elected and she has accomplished nothing.

The Worst Generation

$18 billion in Wall Street bonuses, a multi-million dollar redecoration of Merrill Lynch’s chief executive’s office, former Senator Tom Daschle’s $5 million income in two years, Bernie Madoff’s $50 billion Ponzi scheme.

How can I read all this and not conclude that the Baby Boomer generation is the exact opposite of the World War II generation that preceded it – the Greatest Generation as Tom Brokaw so aptly put it.

The boomers had it all handed to them by parents who survived the Depression and won the last truly just war. The boomer elites were given the best educations money could buy and the financial and moral wealth of the greatest country in history. And what did they do with it? They spent it on themselves.

They exploited the system to enrich themselves and leave the next generations with a decaying infrastructure, a degraded environment, a failing educational system and debt as far as the eye can see. They left the next generations with a system that I can only describe as corrupt, where the top 1% take the spoils, and everyone else is left to scrape by.

President Obama represents a new generation tasked with cleaning up the garbage left behind by the boomers. It is a monumental task that will take another generation to complete. He needs to both re-build the country’s physical infrastructure, and more importantly, our moral infrastructure and the belief that the American system is both just and fair. He needs and deserves our support.

Mike Cox is an Idiot

What does Michigan's Attorney General have against Blue Cross?

BCBS is the state's insurer of last resort and Mike Cox seems determined to make it difficult for them to do their job. He has some legitimate points about executive compensation and the treatment of their for-profit subsidiaries, but is seems to me that 90% of his behavior stems from him desire to be governor.

This is far from the first example of Cox's obtuseness on complex issues.

Tom Pauli

Dear Tom;

I wanted to thank you for your thoughtful piece about the tragic death of Tom Pauli.

As you point out, this is a difficult subject. The laws governing the behavior of sex offenders are draconian and more the result of political hysteria than thoughtful consideration. I pity anyone who gets on this list, because their life is essentially over in any normal sense of the word. They are the 21st Century lepers, and if it happened to me I would see no choice but to leave the country.

As you noted, you will probably receive letters saying he deserved to freeze to death. Recidivism is clearly a problem for some sex offenders, who have what can only be called a disease. However, I suspect many of them are normal people who made a stupid and reprehensible mistake and are punished for the rest of their lives.

I hope you have the opportunity to follow up on this and see if tragically stupid laws like the one that kept Pauli out of a shelter can be changed. Unfortunately it takes something like this to make politicians realize the impact of what they do. There is no lobby for these unfortunate people and I'm not sure if anyone is brave enough to take up their case.

Employee Free Choice Act

An interesting tidbit here from KOS on the gathering storm about the EFCA.

The establishment is going to hammer EFCA relentlessly with this very media-friendly line:

EFCA will take away the sacred right of workers to use secret ballots when deciding whether to adopt a union!

This is bullshit, but it will become overwhelming unless union supporters get their POV into the press. We need tightly focused letters to the editor that explain why this bill is needed and why the union movement is fundamental to this country. If the corporations are allowed to frame this issue, they will win and we will have only ourselves to blame.

Learn more here

Public Pulse Returns

Not that anyone cares.

It's been nice basking in the Obama honeymoon, but it's increasingly clear that the right wing shitheads have spent the past two months sharpening their knives, so it's back to work.