I said yesterday that today would be busy, and it was. I arrived home finally about 18:30 and sat down to relax . . . that was that for about 2 hours. Tomorrow should be more relaxed. Certainly was nice to come home to 3 purring furbabies.
Short Takes
Alternet — America has succumbed to a vicious cycle in which great wealth translates into political power, which generates even more wealth, and even more power. …
The progressive era welled up in the last decade of the nineteenth century because millions of Americans saw that wealth and power at the top were undermining American democracy and stacking the economic deck. Millions of Americans overcame their cynicism and began to mobilize. …
… it is up to the rest of us to continue to organize and mobilize. Real reform will require many years of hard work from millions of us.
"Real reform will require many years of hard work from millions of us." This is the bottom line! Getting out the vote. Unrelentingly pushing for change. We are still in an age of instant gratification. But we have to realise that change does not happen over night. Change takes time, persistence and dedication.
Mother Jones — Between the shooting deaths of three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood, the Supreme Court's decision to hear its first abortion-related case in nine years, and the more than 50 new abortion restriction laws enacted by state governments, abortion access was one of the most important issues of 2015. With presidential politics and ongoing legal challenges in the states, abortion rights will continue to be under fire in 2016.
"Last year's big events, like the Planned Parenthood videos and the Supreme Court case, have actually ginned up even more interest in restricting abortion," Elizabeth Nash, a senior state issues associate at the Guttmacher Institute, tells Mother Jones. "If it was possible, they've actually added more energy to decreasing abortion access."
Republicans say they want small government, but they insist on making more repressive laws that affect women. And family values? They have no idea what true family values are!
Huffington Post — California lawmakers can ask for voters' opinions on campaign-spending laws after the California Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Legislature's power to use advisory ballot measures.
In a 6-1 decision, the Golden State's high court ruled lawmakers have the power to place a nonbinding measure on statewide ballots asking voters if Congress should be spurred to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling on unlimited independent campaign donations.
This sounds promising , another tool in the End Citizens United tool box, at least in California. Will similar measures catch on in other states? Certainly not in Republican states. Citizens United should have never come to be.
My Universe —
The natural order!
9 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 04/01/2016”
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AlterNet I saw this yesterday, read the line you stress, and said to myself, "We're doomed."
MoJo – But there's no war against women. Family values – you only need to push family values if your actual family is so terrible that no one listens to each other because no one has any respect for each other as a unique human being. I have always thought "Focus on the Family," for instance, was not just a repressive organization, but a bad idea in itself. If you (claim to be) a Christian, you should not be focusing on anything but Jesus Christ. You do that (correctly), and all your priorities will fall into line.
HuffPo – Not perhaps so different from what pols are doing now. Get polls on what the people want, and vote the way you were going to vote anyway. I hope I am being too cynical – but we'll see.
Universe – Chuckle.
Alternet & HuffPo:
Robert B. Reich is correct in his short article. Persistence and long term objectives are needed to create change. Involvement of the people are needed. Learn about the issues by letting people become aware of them. With knowledge and facts in hand, people can make intelligent decisions of how to vote. " it is up to the rest of us to continue to organize and mobilize. Real reform will require many years of hard work from millions of us." Example:
Here is something from Progressive Democrats of America regarding Citizens United:
Today (January 5, 2016) the California Supreme Court published a historic opinion, ruling that the California State Legislature may, in fact, place an advisory measure on the ballot.
In 2014, the Legislature had done exactly that – Proposition 49 – the Overturn Citizens United Act – which asked voters to weigh in on the infamous United States Supreme Court decision, "Citizens United". However, the Proposition was challenged as unconstitutional, and was stricken from the 2014 ballot, pending the court's decision. Californians, through the Legislature, have prevailed in this case.
We all know the devastating effect the Citizens United decision has had on our democracy, wherein corporations are equated with people and money is deemed as speech. Let's take the first step to quash the effects of that decision!
Secretary of State Alex Padilla is now considering whether to place Proposition 49 on the 2016 ballot.
There is no time to lose!
CALL SECRETARY OF STATE ALEX PADILLA TUESDAY
916-653-6814
The Secretary must learn that California voters would support an action that would Let The People Speak and Restore Prop 49!
Learn more about the decision and see why it's critical for you to call by reading the Sacramento Bee and LA Times articles.
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-85482040/
http://http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article52956125.html
Again, please make that call to our CA Secretary of State – tell him to place Proposition 49 on the 2016 ballot!
TODAY! Jan. 5, 2016
.
I got this as an email yesterday, Jan. 4, 2016.
Be sure to do this action today, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016.
We have been fighting to overturn this disastrous decision, Citizens United, made by the US Supreme Court.
CALL SECRETARY OF STATE ALEX PADILLA TUESDAY
916-653-6814
Thanks.
Aren;t our sound effects great?
Agree. Get out the vote!
Republicans want government just small enough to control the space between a woman's legs.
Nonbonding ballot measures can also serve as a way to evade taking real action on an issue.
Hyawh Dawg!! Giddyup!!
The core problem w/ Rethuglicans' endless mantra of "Family Values" has always been …
Whose Family?
Whose Values?
Alternet:
"Real reform will require many years of hard work from millions of us."
This was my thinking when G.W.B. was Mr. Decision, that it would take decades to undo his mess, and it is on track for that. Meanwhile, SCOTUS has made the mess deeper, the skewing, and screwing, of the country has gotten more marked, and if we don't get out the vote, and take back congress, it will only get, unbelievably, worse!
HP: Might there be ray of sun?
MJ: The crazies in congress, and others with a religious agenda, may notice, after a while more, that God did not prevent global warming, and perhaps, that God is not asking htem to be politically active in the abortion issue…then, again, they may stay true to form, and not notice shit!
Sorry, I'm way behind (it's nearly 5 PM on the 7th now), so forgive me for not commenting just as an afterthought.
The California secretary of state has ZERO legal/constitutional power to put anything on the ballot (or to deny anything on the ballot). Think of the inherent conflict of interest if that were the case — it would be like Katherine Harris on crack! (In a ballot dispute, the court system, not the secretary of state, would hash it out.)
No, contact your state legislators if you want Prop 49 back on the ballot, as only the state Legislature can do it.
And DON'T harass poor office workers by deluging them with phone calls, especially when your basic civics are WRONG!
Welcome Robert!
Thanks foe the heads-up on CA law.