Warren: Consumers Need Protection Agency That Will Crack Down on Credit Card Giants Who Dodge New Rules

Tell the History Channel To Dump Right-Wing JFK Character Assassination Series

Historians Agree History Channel Series A Fabrication that Mocks JFK on eve of 50th anniversary of JFK inauguration.

Watch VIDEO and take action at StopKennedySmears.com Tell the History Channel it risks its reputation as a credible factual source if it airs this series. It's time to dump the script and send it to the National Enquirer.


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Rep Nancy Young-Wright: GOP 'Corp Bailout' Cripples Public Education, Throws Kids Off Healthcare, Burdens Homeowners with Higher Property Tax

CLICK ON PICTURE TO WATCH KUAT ARIZONA ILLUSTRATED VIDEO Friday Feb. 12



For more information on the Democratic alternative budget that is focused on raising revenue, protecting children and families, and closing tax loopholes, click on www.strongerarizona.com.

President's Day 'Quote of the Day" From Abraham Lincoln

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BRAVE NEW FILMS:Anthem Blue Cross: Screwing Californians for Profits

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How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America

MARCH 2010 ATLANTIC

by Don Peck



HOW SHOULD WE characterize the economic period we have now entered?

After nearly two brutal years, the Great Recession appears to be over, at least technically. Yet a return to normalcy seems far off. By some measures, each recession since the 1980s has retreated more slowly than the one before it. In one sense, we never fully recovered from the last one, in 2001: the share of the civilian population with a job never returned to its previous peak before this downturn began, and incomes were stagnant throughout the decade. Still, the weakness that lingered through much of the 2000s shouldn’t be confused with the trauma of the past two years, a trauma that will remain heavy for quite some time.

The unemployment rate hit 10 percent in October, and there are good reasons to believe that by 2011, 2012, even 2014, it will have declined only a little. Late last year, the average duration of unemployment surpassed six months, the first time that has happened since 1948, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking that number. As of this writing, for every open job in the U.S., six people are actively looking for work.

All of these figures understate the magnitude of the jobs crisis. The broadest measure of unemployment and underemployment (which includes people who want to work but have stopped actively searching for a job, along with those who want full-time jobs but can find only part-time work) reached 17.4 percent in October, which appears to be the highest figure since the 1930s. And for large swaths of society—young adults, men, minorities—that figure was much higher (among teenagers, for instance, even the narrowest measure of unemployment stood at roughly 27 percent). One recent survey showed that 44 percent of families had experienced a job loss, a reduction in hours, or a pay cut in the past year.

Continue reading here.

'No Labor Market Recession For America's Affluent,' Low-Wage Workers Hit Hardest: STUDY

By Ryan McCarthy
Huffington Post
First Posted: 02-10-10 01:00 PM |

It's truly been a tale of two unemployment crises.

Though the national unemployment rate dipped slightly in January to 9.7 percent, a new study suggests that not only have low-income workers been the hardest hit by the jobs crisis -- but, shockingly, there has been "no labor market recession for America's affluent."

The study from Andrew Sum, Ishwar Khatiwada and Sheila Palma at Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies suggests that the unemployment problem is largely a problem for low-wage workers (hat tip to the Curious Capitalist).



















From the study:

At the end of calendar year 2009, as the national economy was recovering from the recession of 2007-2009, workers in different segments of the income distribution clearly found themselves in radically different labor market conditions. A true labor market depression faced those in the bottom two deciles of the income distribution, a deep labor market recession prevailed among those in the middle of the distribution, and close to a full employment environment prevailed at the top. There was no labor market recession for America's affluent.

To download the study, continue reading here.

Republican State Rep: REVOKE 17th AMENDMENT TO U.S. CONSTITUTION, Let State Legislatures "Reign Supreme," Select U.S. Senators

PRESS RELEASE
Pima County Democratic Party
Contact: Jeff Rogers, Chair, Pima County Democratic Party
jrogers@pimadems.org

February 10, 2010

GOP Lawmakers Lead Assault on Voters, Still No State Budget

(Editor's note: We are not making this up.)

State Rep. David Stevens and the Arizona Legislature have again made it abundantly clear this week that their priorities lie in passing bizarre pieces of legislation rather than carrying out their Constitutionally-obligated duties. Stevens believes that U.S. Senators are too beholden to voters, when their loyalty should be to him and his Phoenix political bosses.

Stevens, a freshman Republican, has proposed Legislation that would revoke the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which allows voters to choose their senators.

Stevens told Capitol News Services that the 17th Amendment was "a mistake," and that he and his colleagues in the Legislature should "reign supreme" because they know better than voters who should be elected.

This is the same Legislature that can't handle its own constitutional responsibilities, including passing a balanced budget by June 30, 2009. Arizonans are still waiting for that.

No word on what other portions of the Constitution Stevens believes to be “a mistake”.

"The Republican majority refuses to do their jobs and instead 'plays pretend' that they are in Congress," said Pima County Democratic Party Chair Jeff Rogers. "They have repeatedly failed to do the work of the people and turned to bizarre extremism, taking Arizona back to the 19th century. When are they going to pass a budget?"

“The people of Arizona are tired of legislative ideologues like David Stevens and Al Melvin,” Rogers continued, “who think that their time is better spent on repealing portions of the U.S. Constitution and putting guns in bars than on doing their jobs. When will the Far Right learn that Arizonans don’t want a State Militia Ammunition Tax Credit – they want a balanced budget?”

Take Action: SAVE ACCESS TUCSON Contact Tucson City Council TODAY!

ACCESS TUCSON CLOSED

February 1-March 9

100% CITY BUDGET CUT

Call 791-4700 TODAY!

Speak UP! Tell the Mayor and Council not to axe the VOICE of the community.

Access Tucson community programming airs on COMCAST Channel 74 in Pima County.

Click here to play the Video

Although ACCESS Tucson programming has ceased production, tune in to Channel 74 to see outstanding programs still airing this month-- like the filming of Tucson Veterans Day events, World Harmony, Interviews with Tucson leaders like Felipe Jacome, Regional Director of the Desert Southwest Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.

Tune in at 2:30pm Sundays for Democrats and the Issues. Now might be your last opportunity to view the last show hosted by Martin Bacal, "A Photojournalist's View of Afghanistan" with Former City Councilman & Legislator, Bruce Wheeler.

Persuade the Mayor and Council to continue funding this unique Tucson resource.

Email Mayor and Council

Mayor: Robert.Walkup@tucsonaz.gov
(520) 791-4201

Ward 1: Regina.Romero@tucsonaz.gov
(520) 791-4040

Ward 2: Rodney.Glassman@tucsonaz.gov
(520) 791-4687

Ward 3: Karin.Uhlich@tucsonaz.gov
(520) 791-4711

Ward 4: Shirley.Scott@tucsonaz.gov
(520) 791-3199

Ward 5: Richard.Fimbres@tucsonaz.gov
(520) 791-4231

Ward 6: Steve.Kozachik@tucsonaz.gov
(520) 791-4601

Elizabeth Warren: Time For Wall Street CEOs To 'Earn Back' America's Trust

By Shahien Nasiripour
Huffington Post
First Posted: 02- 8-10 07:50 PM

Bailout watchdog and Middle Class advocate Elizabeth Warren has accused Wall Street CEOs of abusing consumer trust and challenged them to step up and support financial reform -- for the nation's benefit as well as their own.

In an opinion piece [Wall Street's Race to the Bottom] to be published in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, Warren writes, "For years, Wall Street CEOs have thrown away customer trust like so much worthless trash."

"Banks and brokers have sold deceptive mortgages for more than a decade. Financial wizards made billions by packaging and repackaging those loans into securities. And federal regulators played the role of lookout at a bank robbery, holding back anyone who tried to stop the massive looting from middle-class families. When they weren't selling deceptive mortgages, Wall Street invented new credit card tricks and clever overdraft fees.

Continue reading here.

Maurice Grossman, Acclaimed Ceramic Artist, Citizen Activist Leaves Gift of Light that Lives On

By Sandra Spangler
February 8, 2010

Maurice K. Grossman embodied the spirit of giving through his teaching and participation in the community. He cared deeply about awakening and empowering citizens to exercise their right to vote. As an observer in recent elections Maurice acted upon a belief that members of political parties should actively participate in verifying and protecting ballot chain of custody to make sure votes are counted.

He will be remembered as a Navy World War II veteran committed to democracy and living a life dedicated to connectedness, peace and understanding.

A large crowd numbering 400 or more joined with his family to celebrate Maurice's life at the Tucson Museum of Art on Sunday. We heard from colleagues, students and friends to be reminded of Maurice's gifts to everyone who he met. Maurice was a teacher and mentor to thousands.

He had a passion for his ceramic art and every day he lived the legacy he leaves for us--kindness, love, appreciation and gratitude for every soul. The vision he worked for is a government that would give life to and nourish its citizens. He freely shared his passion with good humor and boundless energy. The living light of Maurice's spirit calls us to stand up for what we believe in.

During the memorial Rep. Matt Heinz (LD 29) and Sen. Paula Aboud (LD 28) read a Concurrent Resolution of the Arizona State Legislature recognizing Maurice for his lifetime achievements and honoring his contribution to Arizona educational and community life. They presented the family with memorials and an American flag that had flown over the Arizona Capitol building in Maurice's honor. Read the resolution here.

From Blog for Arizona

"Maurice was a native of Michigan. In 1955, he moved to Tucson, where he founded the University of Arizona's Ceramic Arts program the following year. He taught at the UA for 35 years and was the recipient of the UA's Creative Teaching Award.

Maurice studied in Japan as a Fullbright Scholar, and he received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1986. He was internationally recognized for his pottery, and very involved in the local arts community.

Maurice worked tirelessly on Democratic Party causes. After the death of his wife, he came out as a gay man, and he fought for GLBT rights, as well as many other social causes.

"He was simply the nicest person you'd ever want to meet," said Jeff Rogers, Pima County Democratic Party chair. "We will miss his generosity of time and his effort, but what we'll really miss is the man we knew and admired."

Doug Noffsinger, a long time friend of Grossman's, told the Arizona Daily Star of Mr. Grossman: "He's probably registered more people to vote in Pima County than any other living person. And he always did that in outfits like an Uncle Sam hat, or a red, white and blue boa."

Maurice is survived by two children, Lauren and Stephen Grossman, both of Seattle. He was preceded in death by his wife, Marilyn Gracey Grossman, and his oldest daughter, Barbara Jean Grossman."

Click on picture to watch AZ Public Media Interview with Maurice.

Remembering a Pioneer Artist and Community Activist Maurice Grossman dies at 82 — January 25, 2010

The US Fiscal Deficit: Scare Stories vs. Reality

The Real News
February 6, 2010

Robert Pollin: There are ways to cut the deficit without freezing social spending

Click on picture to view video.




Robert Pollin is Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. He is the founding co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI). His research centers on macroeconomics, conditions for low-wage workers in the US and globally, the analysis of financial markets, and the economics of building a clean-energy economy in the US. His books include

A Measure of Fairness: The Economics of Living Wages and Minimum Wages in the US




Contours of Descent: US Economic Fractures and the Landscape of Global Austerity.