I was going through a magazine at a Doctor's office yesterday - and I came upon a list of what was defined as "inspirational" songs. I checked these out - and only (personally) found that I really liked two out of the seven: 1. "Life is a Highway" (one of my favorites / by Chris LeDoux) and (New to me / pretty awesome!) the following.
["Angels - Jessica Simpson"; as submitted to You Tube by vaivai78 on 9/30/07; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rLfmCJg6pI]
The other thing on my mind this am - with depression (Anyone identify?) giving me the grand slam (leading me to seek out "inspirational" songs...) - is the concept of the "doublebind" - a term that others may or may not be familiar with - defined by the "The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language" as:
"A psychological impasse created when contradictory demands are made of an individual, such as a child or an employee, so that no matter which directive is followed, the response will be construed as incorrect. A situation in which a person must choose between equally unsatisfactory alternatives; a punishing and inescapable dilemma" [Fourth Edition; 2009; Houghton Mifflin Company; Dictionary.com; http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/double%20bind]
I have my own reasons for being focused on this "topic" - which I came across during my college days (Doesn't it seem like the world is chock full of contradictory - "damned if you do, damned if you don't" - messages right now?) - and there is no doubt in my mind that being caught up in a doublebind situation (or feeling like you are) is probably linked to feeling depressed [i.e., What is the use in even trying?] in a big way.
Anyhoot, this thinking trend I'm caught up in (Time to get the body moving...) is not very productive - so I'll take you where my morning's search took me - which is to:
1. A book (Looks like a winner!) on Amazon.com, titled, "Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life", by Martin E. P. Seligman [http://www.amazon.com/dp/1400078393/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=3123652401&ref=pd_sl_75bag7m1kl_b#]; and
2. To a video that some folks (particularly women who are trying to climb the ladder / seeking empowerment / seeking leadership positions) might find interesting:
["Unshackling the 'double bind' of the female leader"; as submitted to You Tube by inseadofficial
on 8/22/08; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhScxbnSOLY]
That is it (I have to sign off quick / company!) for now...
Peace, Love, Equality and Humane Justice,
NS
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Child Health Care and Related Info... Governor Paterson... Child Health Plus... Federal Stimulus Package... Federal Reinvestment... More
["Whitney Houston - Greatest love of all"; as submitted to You Tube by savorations on August 22, 2008; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KjpyHX7X-o]
Sleepless night, so I though I would do some research and pass some information on:
"Governor Paterson Establishes Task Force to Prevent Childhood Lead Poisoning..."
"Governor David A. Paterson... announced the issuance of an Executive Order to establish the Governor's Task Force on the Prevention of Childhood Lead Poisoning to further the State's efforts to eliminate childhood lead poisoning in New York State. Lead continues to be the leading environmental poison of young children in New York State. The creation of the Task Force, together with the dedication of additional funding to support targeted prevention efforts, demonstrates the Governor's continued commitment to forever eliminate childhood lead poisoning in the State" [New York State Department of Health and Human Services; "Health News"; 6/2/09; http://www.health.state.ny.us/]
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Child Health Plus... [New York State] Who is eligible?"
"To be eligible for either Children's Medicaid or Child Health Plus, children must be under the age of 19 and be residents of New York State. Whether a child qualifies for Children's Medicaid or Child Health Plus depends on gross family income. Children who are not eligible for Medicaid can enroll in Child Health Plus if they don't already have health insurance and are not eligible for coverage under the public employees' state health benefits plan. Some children who were covered by employer-based health insurance within the past six months may be subject to a waiting period before they can be enrolled in Child Health Plus. Determining whether your child is subject to a waiting period will depend on your household income and the reason your child(ren) lost employer-based coverage. Check the... income charts [at http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/chplus/who_is_eligible.htm] to see whether your child will most likely qualify for Children's Medicaid or Child Health Plus." [New York State Department of Health; http://www.health.state.ny.us]
-------------------------------------------------------
"What the Federal Stimulus Package Means [I selected the items that focus on child health issues and programs - and/or low income family health initiatives and funding] for New York State Department of Health Programs..."
"Early Intervention Program (EIP)..."
"The Early Intervention Program provides speech, hearing, and other therapies to developmentally delayed children from birth to the age of 3. It is run by the Department of Health and local health departments. Services are provided by agencies and individuals in local communities who have been approved by the Department. Over 70,000 children and their families are served by the Early Intervention Program.
New York State's Early Intervention Program received $11.8 million in funding and will receive an additional $11.8 million later in 2009.
What this means for New Yorkers...
The added funding will be used to pay for improvements to the information systems and operations of the Early Intervention Program. This will help to better coordinate the services families receive.
ARRA national funding: $250 million in each of next two years...
NYS share: $11.8 million per year..'
Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP)...
Medicaid is a health insurance program for people with limited income or who are elderly or disabled. It is paid for by a combination of federal, state, and county dollars. Until December 31, 2010, the federal government will increase its Medicaid contribution by a minimum of 6.2%. For New York State, that increase is expected to total $11.1 billion. States qualify for this increase if they had increasing unemployment after October 31, 2008. This will mean that the state and county governments will contribute a smaller percentage as their shares to fund the costs of Medicaid..
What this means for New Yorkers...
Medicaid services will not be cut or limited. The state and counties will be able to afford their share of Medicaid costs without increasing taxes or cutting programs. This will be true even if more people need Medicaid because they have become unemployed. People who are moving from welfare to employment will be able to stay on Medicaid for a longer time while they are waiting for employer-sponsored health insurance to start.
WIC...
The Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, provides coupons for nutritious food for lower-income pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to the age of 5. WIC is run by the Department of Health in partnership with over 100 local agencies, such as county health departments, clinics, and hospitals. Funding for WIC comes from both the state and federal governments.
For New York State, the increase in federal funding for WIC from the stimulus package is currently estimated at $28.6 million. To date, $5.5 million has been awarded to meet food costs related to increased WIC caseload.
What this means for New Yorkers...
It's expected that more women and children will become eligible for WIC as more families face unemployment. The increase in federal funding will help cover the costs of food and of administering the program for a larger number of people. The state may also apply for up to $4 million for upgrades to the WIC computer system, which would lead to more efficient processing of benefits."
"ARRA national funding: $500 million..."
"$400 million for cost due to increased caseload or food costs over budgeted levels...
$100 million for competitive MIS improvement grants...
NYS share: $28.6 million estimated..." [New York State Department of Health; "What the Federal Stimulus Package Means for New York State Department of Health Programs"; http://www.health.state.ny.us/regulations/arra/department_of_health_programs.htm]
-----------------------------------------------------
In general, New York States portion of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act (in regard to child health care, safety, housing, education and related items...) has been laid out like this [The following report (shortened and modified for placement here; bold print mine] is from recovery.ny.com / Governor David Paterson... New York State Recovery and Reinvestment Cabinet...]:
"New York's Share... [Major Spending Provisions That Impact New York (preliminary state/local two year estimates, $ in thousands)]
State Fiscal Relief New York Medicaid - FMAP Increase... $11,100,000
State Fiscal Stabilization - Education Restoration... $2,469,000
State Fiscal Stabilization - Other Government Services... $549,000
State Fiscal Stabilization - Education Incentive Grants... TBD
Sub-total... $14,118,000..."
"Health and Human Services..."
"Public Health Programs... $60,000
IDEA for Infants & Families... $23,400
Food Stamp Benefit Increase... $1,289,000
Food Stamp Administration... $25,000
WIC Program Administration... $28,600
Senior Nutrition Program... $6,000
Homeless Assistance... $142,000
Child Care Block Grant... $97,000
Child Support Administration... $34,000
Title IV-E Programs (Foster Care/Adoption Assistance)... $107,000
Community Service Block Grant (CSBG)... $87,000
SSI - One-time Payment... $166,000
Workforce Investment Act (WIA)... $169,000...
Employment Services... $23,000...
Vocational Rehabilitation (Title I)... $26,000
Rehabilitation Services & Disability Research... $7,600...
HOME Investment Partnerships-Tax Credit Assistance... $253,000
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)... $92,400
Public Housing Capital Fund... $502,000...
Project Based Rental Assistance (Section 8)... #235,000
Lead Hazard Reduction... $2,000
Native American Housing Grants... $2,672
Community Health Centers... $19,000
Commodity Assistance Program... $9,000
TANF Block Grant - Emergency Fund... $7,000"
"Education"
"Title I... $1,168,000
IDEA/Special Education... $794,000
Head Start & Early Head Start... $130,000
Pell Grant Increase... $180,000
Federal Work Study... $20,000
Enhancing Education Technology... $55,500
Education for Homeless Children & Youth... $6,000...
National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance... $6,000"
"Public Safety..."
"Violence Against Women Prevention... $7,400
Crime Victims Compensation and Assistance... $4,600
Internet Crimes Against Children... $1,600"
[Please note that this is not an all inclusive listing; for additional information please visit the site]
"* Does not include certain federal spending items included in the Act which do not impact New York or cannot be quantified..." [http://www.recovery.ny.gov/DirectAid/aidnewyork.htm]
----------------------------------------------------------
Respectfully submitted [Mostly copied and pasted / Please visit respective sites for more information] by N.S.
Sleepless night, so I though I would do some research and pass some information on:
"Governor Paterson Establishes Task Force to Prevent Childhood Lead Poisoning..."
"Governor David A. Paterson... announced the issuance of an Executive Order to establish the Governor's Task Force on the Prevention of Childhood Lead Poisoning to further the State's efforts to eliminate childhood lead poisoning in New York State. Lead continues to be the leading environmental poison of young children in New York State. The creation of the Task Force, together with the dedication of additional funding to support targeted prevention efforts, demonstrates the Governor's continued commitment to forever eliminate childhood lead poisoning in the State" [New York State Department of Health and Human Services; "Health News"; 6/2/09; http://www.health.state.ny.us/]
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Child Health Plus... [New York State] Who is eligible?"
"To be eligible for either Children's Medicaid or Child Health Plus, children must be under the age of 19 and be residents of New York State. Whether a child qualifies for Children's Medicaid or Child Health Plus depends on gross family income. Children who are not eligible for Medicaid can enroll in Child Health Plus if they don't already have health insurance and are not eligible for coverage under the public employees' state health benefits plan. Some children who were covered by employer-based health insurance within the past six months may be subject to a waiting period before they can be enrolled in Child Health Plus. Determining whether your child is subject to a waiting period will depend on your household income and the reason your child(ren) lost employer-based coverage. Check the... income charts [at http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/chplus/who_is_eligible.htm] to see whether your child will most likely qualify for Children's Medicaid or Child Health Plus." [New York State Department of Health; http://www.health.state.ny.us]
-------------------------------------------------------
"What the Federal Stimulus Package Means [I selected the items that focus on child health issues and programs - and/or low income family health initiatives and funding] for New York State Department of Health Programs..."
"Early Intervention Program (EIP)..."
"The Early Intervention Program provides speech, hearing, and other therapies to developmentally delayed children from birth to the age of 3. It is run by the Department of Health and local health departments. Services are provided by agencies and individuals in local communities who have been approved by the Department. Over 70,000 children and their families are served by the Early Intervention Program.
New York State's Early Intervention Program received $11.8 million in funding and will receive an additional $11.8 million later in 2009.
What this means for New Yorkers...
The added funding will be used to pay for improvements to the information systems and operations of the Early Intervention Program. This will help to better coordinate the services families receive.
ARRA national funding: $250 million in each of next two years...
NYS share: $11.8 million per year..'
Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP)...
Medicaid is a health insurance program for people with limited income or who are elderly or disabled. It is paid for by a combination of federal, state, and county dollars. Until December 31, 2010, the federal government will increase its Medicaid contribution by a minimum of 6.2%. For New York State, that increase is expected to total $11.1 billion. States qualify for this increase if they had increasing unemployment after October 31, 2008. This will mean that the state and county governments will contribute a smaller percentage as their shares to fund the costs of Medicaid..
What this means for New Yorkers...
Medicaid services will not be cut or limited. The state and counties will be able to afford their share of Medicaid costs without increasing taxes or cutting programs. This will be true even if more people need Medicaid because they have become unemployed. People who are moving from welfare to employment will be able to stay on Medicaid for a longer time while they are waiting for employer-sponsored health insurance to start.
WIC...
The Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, provides coupons for nutritious food for lower-income pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to the age of 5. WIC is run by the Department of Health in partnership with over 100 local agencies, such as county health departments, clinics, and hospitals. Funding for WIC comes from both the state and federal governments.
For New York State, the increase in federal funding for WIC from the stimulus package is currently estimated at $28.6 million. To date, $5.5 million has been awarded to meet food costs related to increased WIC caseload.
What this means for New Yorkers...
It's expected that more women and children will become eligible for WIC as more families face unemployment. The increase in federal funding will help cover the costs of food and of administering the program for a larger number of people. The state may also apply for up to $4 million for upgrades to the WIC computer system, which would lead to more efficient processing of benefits."
"ARRA national funding: $500 million..."
"$400 million for cost due to increased caseload or food costs over budgeted levels...
$100 million for competitive MIS improvement grants...
NYS share: $28.6 million estimated..." [New York State Department of Health; "What the Federal Stimulus Package Means for New York State Department of Health Programs"; http://www.health.state.ny.us/regulations/arra/department_of_health_programs.htm]
-----------------------------------------------------
In general, New York States portion of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act (in regard to child health care, safety, housing, education and related items...) has been laid out like this [The following report (shortened and modified for placement here; bold print mine] is from recovery.ny.com / Governor David Paterson... New York State Recovery and Reinvestment Cabinet...]:
"New York's Share... [Major Spending Provisions That Impact New York (preliminary state/local two year estimates, $ in thousands)]
State Fiscal Relief New York Medicaid - FMAP Increase... $11,100,000
State Fiscal Stabilization - Education Restoration... $2,469,000
State Fiscal Stabilization - Other Government Services... $549,000
State Fiscal Stabilization - Education Incentive Grants... TBD
Sub-total... $14,118,000..."
"Health and Human Services..."
"Public Health Programs... $60,000
IDEA for Infants & Families... $23,400
Food Stamp Benefit Increase... $1,289,000
Food Stamp Administration... $25,000
WIC Program Administration... $28,600
Senior Nutrition Program... $6,000
Homeless Assistance... $142,000
Child Care Block Grant... $97,000
Child Support Administration... $34,000
Title IV-E Programs (Foster Care/Adoption Assistance)... $107,000
Community Service Block Grant (CSBG)... $87,000
SSI - One-time Payment... $166,000
Workforce Investment Act (WIA)... $169,000...
Employment Services... $23,000...
Vocational Rehabilitation (Title I)... $26,000
Rehabilitation Services & Disability Research... $7,600...
HOME Investment Partnerships-Tax Credit Assistance... $253,000
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)... $92,400
Public Housing Capital Fund... $502,000...
Project Based Rental Assistance (Section 8)... #235,000
Lead Hazard Reduction... $2,000
Native American Housing Grants... $2,672
Community Health Centers... $19,000
Commodity Assistance Program... $9,000
TANF Block Grant - Emergency Fund... $7,000"
"Education"
"Title I... $1,168,000
IDEA/Special Education... $794,000
Head Start & Early Head Start... $130,000
Pell Grant Increase... $180,000
Federal Work Study... $20,000
Enhancing Education Technology... $55,500
Education for Homeless Children & Youth... $6,000...
National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance... $6,000"
"Public Safety..."
"Violence Against Women Prevention... $7,400
Crime Victims Compensation and Assistance... $4,600
Internet Crimes Against Children... $1,600"
[Please note that this is not an all inclusive listing; for additional information please visit the site]
"* Does not include certain federal spending items included in the Act which do not impact New York or cannot be quantified..." [http://www.recovery.ny.gov/DirectAid/aidnewyork.htm]
----------------------------------------------------------
Respectfully submitted [Mostly copied and pasted / Please visit respective sites for more information] by N.S.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Democratic Convention... Just Notes...
[Photo by NS]I attended the Democratic Convention tonight, and I have to admit that I found it a lot more "comfortable" (If that is the right word?) than I expected. I'm grateful to Jen (Ward 5 Working Party Nominee supported by the Democratic Party) for the heads up as to whether the Convention was open to the public or not. And I'm grateful that the general public was allowed to attend.
Kudos!
I'm not going to write about the events of the night. I'll leave that to other bloggers. I simply want to state that I think this would be a good experience for folks that haven't attended such an event - on the next go 'round - because we tend (or at least I have tended...) to put our politicians on pedestals - and really? I think they are a whole lot just like the rest of us!
I have spent a lot of time at Common Council meetings over the last year or so... I've gotten to know a couple of Council members fairly well. And they are, for the most part (we all have our favorites, I guess) pretty likable "people."
There was a disappointing outcome (for me) tonight. And lots of good stuff. All told, I guess the "race" (for some) has just begun... and only effort invested and the passage of time will tell who is lined up (Council / County) for the next couple of years.
One current Councilwoman said that they see so much of me that I ought to join them....
And maybe, in a couple of years, I will give that - or a bid for the Legislature (a bit more my style, I think...) - a shot.
At this point, I still have some work to do on myself - and a lot of learning (that is what I'm working on now, in a multitude of ways) to do.
Good luck to all! May the best man or woman (whatever Ward or District) win!
Peace, Love, Equality and Humane Justice,
NS
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Latest Kingston City Council Meeting Notes...
[Photo by BF; Utilized with Permission]Latest Kingston City Council Meeting Notes, as submitted to the League of Women Voters of the Mid-Hudson Valley on June 4, 2009. If any factual or grammatical errors are noted (by readers here and/or LWV members) please let me know and they will be promptly [some minor revisions have already been made] corrected.
The June 6, 2009 Kingston City Council meeting was sparsely attended, but only one Alderman was excused, a quorum was in attendance and a great deal of "business" was on the Agenda ("City of Kingston Common Council June 10, 2009 Agenda").
Some big items that came up first:
A. The Council voted to pass "Local Law #5" - "amending section A-6 of the Administrative code of the city of Kingston to allow the Common Council to assign voucher approval recommendation to the Board of Police Commissioners if the Council sees fit."
B. The Council voted to pass "Local Law #6" - to allow the Common Council to assign voucher approval recommendation to the advisory boards for the Department of Public Works, the Fire Department and the Department of Parks and Recreation, if Council sees fit."
C. The "First Reading of Local Law #7" - "amending Chapter 360 of the Code of the City of Kingston (Taxation) for real property owned by veterans who rendered military service to the United States during the 'cold war" was unanimously passed.
All of the following, from the "List of Legislation - June 2, 2009 - were (to the best of my knowledge) voted upon and approved:
1. A transfer of $71.109.00 to "reflect [the] Retirement Incentive and Restructuring Program" (Resolution #97 / Finance and Economic Development Committee)
2. A transfer of $1,500.00 "to the 2009 Sewer Fund to reflect [the] Retirement Incentive and Restructuring Program" (Resolution #98 / Finance and Economic Development Committee)
3. An authorization for "the execution of the reverter clause in the deed for property at 672 Broadway" (Resolution #99 / Finance and Economic Development Committee)
4. A recommendation for "approval for authorizing the execution of grant applications for the Safety-LU High Priority Project (or successor program)" [Resolution #100 / Finance and Economic Development Committee]
5. A recommendation of "approval for budget modifications within the 2009 Police Department's budget in the amount of $15,000.00 to reflect monies received from [the] NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services" [Resolution #101 / Finance and Economic Development Committee]
6. A recommendation of "approval for authorizing entering into an Interlocal Agreement with the County of Ulster" [Resolution #102 / Finance and Economic Development Committee]
7. A recommendation of "approval for authorizing the withdrawal of 8 Pearl Street from the 2008 in rem foreclosure proceedings pursuant to an installment payment plan" [Resolution #103 / Finance and Economic Development Committee]
8. A recommendation of "approval for authorizing the withdrawal of 224 North Manor Avenue from the 2008 in rem foreclosure proceedings pursuant to an installment payment plan" [Resolution #104 / Finance and Economic Development Committee]
9. A recommendation of "approval for authorizing the withdrawal of 156 Fair Street from the 2008 in rem foreclosure proceedings pursuant to an installment payment plan" (Resolution #105 / Finance and Economic Development Committee]
10. A recommendation of "approval for authorizing the withdrawal of 6-12 Willow Street from the 2008 in rem foreclosure proceedings pursuant to an installment plan" (Resolution #106 / Finance and Economic Development Committee)
11. A recommendation of "approval for authorizing the withdrawal of 121 West Chester Street from the 2008 in rem foreclosure proceedings pursuant to an installment payment plan" (Resolution #107 / Finance and Economic Development Committee)
12. A recommendation of "approval for authorizing the withdrawal of 47 Amsterdam Avenue from the 2008 in rem foreclosure proceedings pursuant to an installment payment plan" (Resolution #108 / Finance and Economic Development Committee)
13. A recommendation of "approval for authorizing the release of the restriction in Resolution #110 of 2005 and 201 of 2005 affecting 34 Furnace Street requiring that the property cannot be sold in the future without Common Council consent" (Resolution #109 / Finance and Economic Development Committee)
14. A recommendation of "approval for budget modifications to the 2009 Celebrations budget in the amount of $3,000.00 to reflect monies received from the sale of John Zaccheo paintings" (Resolution #110 / Finance and Economic Development Committee)
15. A recommendation of "approval for authorizing the Pedestrian Waterfront Walkway/Bulkhead Project in and for the City of Kingston at a maximum estimated cost of $1,830,000.00 and authorizing the issuance of bonds not exceeding $1,830,000.00 of said city to pay the cost thereof" (Resolution #111 / Finance and Economic Development Committee)
16. A recommendation of "approval for authorizing the City of Kingston Planning Department to proceed with the sale of surplus properties" (Resolution #112 / Finance and Economic Development Committee)
17. A recommendation of "approval for authorizing entering into an Intermunicipal agreement with the Town of Poughkeepsie" (Resolution #113 / Finance and Economic Development Committee)
18. A recommendation of "approval for a transfer of $19,660.00 within the Recreation Department's budget to cover the cost of repairs to the Andretta Pool" (Resolution #114 / Finance and Economic Development Committee)
19. A recommendation of "approval for authorizing entering into an Intermunicipal Agreement with the Town of Esopus for the processing of sewage" (Resolution #115 / Laws and Rules Committee)
20. A recommendation of "approval for accepting the RBA Consultant's study [emphasis on "study" v. implementation of...] on the 'Uptown Stockade Area Transportation Plan" (Resolution #116 / Public Safety/General Government/Cable Committee)
21. A recommendation of approval for the following [All having to do with the Public Safety/General Government/Cable Committee and "amending traffic flow" issues...]:
Resolution #117: "approval for amending traffic flow by adding No Parking Between Signs on Howland Avenue, west side, from Pole #122809 to Pole #122815 (a distance of 123 feet)"
Resolution #118: "approval for amending traffic flow by adding a Stop Sign on Browning Terrace at Miller's Lane"
Resolution #119: "approval fro amending traffic flow by adding a Stop Sign on Browning Terrace at Miller's Lane"
Resolution #120: "approval for amending traffic flow by designating the Public Alley between Ulster County Courthouse and Cordts Building as a Fire Lane"
Resolution #121: "approval for amending traffic flow by adding Handicap Parking north of driveway at 265 Third Avenue; move south end sign of 265 Third Avenue's No Parking Zone 10 feet to the north and establish No Parking the length of 270 Third Avenue"
Resolution #126: "approval for amending traffic flow by adding No Turn on Red from Washington Avenue onto Grandma Brown Lane, 7AM to 7PM"
22. A recommendation of approval to adopt "Local Law #5 of 2009, amending Section A-6of the Administrative Code of the City of Kingston" (Resolution # 122 / Audit Committee)
23. A recommendation of "approval for adopting Local Law #6 of 2009, amending Section A-7 of the Administrative Code of the City of Kingston" (Resolution #123 / Audit Committee)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I somehow missed the outcome (You can probably access this Information by contacting Kathy Janeczek, City Clerk...) of the following:
A recommendation of "approval for the appointment of Geraldine Breen to the Kingston Area Public Access Commission, term expiring December 31, 2011" [Resolution #125 / Public Safety/General Government/Cable Committee]
A recommendation of "approval for contingency transfer of $45,000 to the Assessor's budget to cover contract payment to GAR Associates" [Resolution #124 / Finance and Economic Development Committee]
---------------------------------------------------------------
Other than the above...
Alderman Senor - although voting in favor of (in association with Resolution #97) expressed some dis-satisfaction with the fact that one position had been eliminated, whilst another position had been added elsewhere.
[A] $50,000 grant (or potential grant) appears to be associated with Resolution #102 - and... this grant money (if and when accessed) may be utilized to purchase two new police vehicles.
Alderman Landi (in association with Resolution #102) commended Police Chief Keller and Deputy Chief Wallace for attending a number of Committee meetings and working with the Committee to reduce expenses. Alderman Landi would like to see other department heads encouraged to do the same.
The number of "installment payment plan" contracts being put forth and tentatively entered into [this, versus entering "rem foreclosure proceedings"] has reputedly increased notably [See Resolutions #103-#108]. Alderman Landi expressed concern about this increase and about the possibility that this trend might continue. A general concern about the economic situation was expressed by both Alderman Landi and Alderman Senor.
Alderman Landi expressed concern about the lack of an "exit plan" in regard to Resolution #115 (having to do with an agreement with the Town of Esopus around sewage processing) . The other Council members that spoke on the issue did not appear to share this concern.
Alderman Hoffay said that Resolution #116 - having to do with the "study on the 'Uptown Stockade Area Transportation Plan'" - was pertinent to the study only. Public Information sessions will reputedly be held on this issue - and it is hoped that (if approved) a "Request for Funding" (i.e., grant monies?) would cover the implementation of the Plan. More information will reputedly be forthcoming on this issue. At this stage, only an approval for accepting the "report" (using Alderman Landi's wording here) was voted upon / approved.
The voucher issue (Local Laws #5 and #6 of 2009) - and the potential changes around "same" - are apparently viewed (this appears to be unanimous, or at least no Alderman spoke against the proposed changes) as a positive move. Alderman Hoffey stated (this many not be exact, but close): that "all vouchers should go through the Council process" - that the Council should act (without exception) as a "voucher review system." Alderman Reynolds referred to "same" as a "smart move" and a way to "tighten financial controls." Alderman Senor expressed approval and agreement (with Alderman Hoffay and Alderman Reynolds) on this issue. And, Alderman Teetsel, who also stood in approval (this was passed unanimously by all Council members) stated that he was "looking forward to working on this" [which, if all goes well, will reputedly start (the more inclusive "voucher review process") in early or mid-July 2009.]
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Feel free to post additional information and/or comments here or to email me (if you note any errors) at wingedbirdinflight@live.com.
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Whew!
NS
President Obamas Health Care Plan... Updated Info... Passing It On... Associated Press... Road Runner
["Thank You President Obama"; Photo (Copyrighted) by NS]Copied and Pasted: [Mondified only in terms of quotation marks and bold print (mine)]
"Obama plan would provide health care for all"
Published - Jun 04 2009 07:14AM EDT
By ERICA WERNER - Associated Press Writer
"President Barack Obama says he's open to requiring all Americans to buy health insurance, as long as the plan provides a 'hardship waiver' to exempt poor people from having to pay.
Obama opposed such an individual mandate during his campaign, but Congress increasingly is moving to embrace the idea.
In providing the first real details on how he wants to reshape the nation's health care system, the president urged Congress on Wednesday toward a sweeping overhaul that would allow Americans to buy into a government insurance plan.
Obama outlined his goals in a letter to Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairmen of the two committees writing health care bills. It followed a meeting he held Tuesday with members of their committees, and amounted to a road map to keep Congress aligned with his goals.
'The plans you are discussing embody my core belief that Americans should have better choices for health insurance, building on the principle that if they like the coverage they have now, they can keep it, while seeing their costs lowered as our reforms take hold,' Obama wrote.
Obama has asked the House and Senate each to finish legislation by early August, so that the two chambers can combine their bills in time for him to sign a single, sweeping measure in October. In a statement Baucus welcomed the assignment.
'I will stop at nothing to deliver a health reform bill that works for families and businesses to the president this year,' Baucus said.
Covering 50 million uninsured Americans could cost as much as $1.5 trillion over a decade, and cost is emerging as a major sticking point. Obama didn't offer new solutions to that problem in his letter Wednesday but did say he'd like to squeeze an additional $200 billion to $300 billion over 10 years from the Medicare and Medicaid government insurance programs for the elderly, disabled and poor.
He said he'd do it through such measures as better managing chronic diseases and avoiding unnecessary tests and hospital readmissions. Savings from such measures are uncertain.
Medicare benefits cost the federal government about $450 billion a year and Medicaid about $200 billion. Obama already has targeted the programs for some $300 billion in cuts over 10 years in the 2010 budget he released in February.
He also said he's open to congressional proposals to let an independent commission identify cuts to Medicare which would take effect unless Congress rejected them all at once, similar to how military base closures are handled.
The president said he supports a new health insurance exchange that Congress is crafting, a sort of marketplace that would allow Americans to shop for different plans and compare prices.
All of the plans should offer a basic affordable package, and none should be allowed to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, Obama said _ big changes from how private insurance companies operate today.
'I strongly believe that Americans should have the choice of a public health insurance option operating alongside private plans,' Obama wrote, weighing in firmly on one of the most controversial issues in the debate. 'This will give them a better range of choices, make the health care market more competitive and keep insurance companies honest.'
Republicans strongly oppose a public plan, as do private insurers, who contend it would drive them out of business.
'A government-run plan would set artificially low prices that private insurers would have no way of competing with,' Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday on the Senate floor.
The idea of what Obama called a 'hardship waiver' for individual Americans too poor to buy care splits the difference between where he was during the presidential campaign and where Congress appears to be heading.
In the campaign, Obama did not support requiring everyone to buy insurance, putting him at odds with then Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton. Congress is looking at doing so. The hardship waiver idea is under consideration by the Senate Finance Committee, which also is considering giving tax credits to certain individuals so they can afford health care. Kennedy and House Democrats are looking at giving subsidies to the poor to help them buy coverage.
The letter didn't address the issue of taxing health care benefits. Obama opposed that during his campaign but Congress is now considering it, and Obama hasn't shut the door on it."
----------------------------------------------------
Associated Press Article (as Noted on Top) / Accessed at: http://www.rr.com/news/news/article/rr/9000/7909673/Obama_plan_would_provide_health_care_for_all/full/
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Community Update... City Council Meeting... Health Care Forum... Invites... Links... More
["One Hope~ We Are Earth"; as submitted to You Tube by AnnieCanada on December 16, 2007; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLDDSPMqeEM]
A lot is happening on the local front, with the upcoming elections - folks dropping out - folks checking in - etc. - and I would spend a bit of time on that - if I weren't involved / busy learning all that I can - in the upcoming health care forum (see sidebar) and learning all that I can about the different issues, possibilities, potentialities and pragmatic options that are available in that regard...
So, suffice it to say - I am keeping up with events as best I can (City, County, State and Nation) - and that I salute all of those who have served, those that will continue to serve and those that are just now "officially" entering (or making the attempt...) the political arena.
I'm a "side-liner" - I guess you could say - via my blogs - attending City, County and activist meetings (those that entice me) when I can - moderating the Ward 5 group for a time - writing for the local LWV - hosting and/or otherwise participating in (in conjunction with barackobama.com, MoveOn.org and other such Internet-based entities) in some community-based (real world) events - and trying /learning (SMILE) how to plant a garden...
And although I wish I could take all of this a bit further (I have discussed this with a couple of Aldermen and some other folks...) - I'm not sure (Any input out there folks?) I am ready (even if "acceptable") for the main "ring" (any of them) as of yet...
I've been open on my blogs about my struggles with anxiety and post-traumatic-stress-disorder - and about my fight to overcome these obstacles - which reminds me of when I was a kid - challenged to swim across a big lake and (even though I was a lousy swimmer) taking up the challenge...
What I did is take a tube along - which I kept pushing out in front of me so I could grab it when I needed to - and swim (lol) on my back (thank goodness my father taught me how to float...) a lot...
Feeling much like I do now, short of breath - but still determined! [I did make it across that lake!]
I have undoubtedly made progress in some major ways since the beginning of this year, but "being the change 'I' want to see in the world" has been a full-time (some of your mole-hills are still mountains for me...) challenge - and attempting to do what I do under serious financial constraints (Anyone identify?) is admittedly (I'm not seeking pity nor donations!) TOUGH.
I did attend the Kingston City Council meeting last night - and notes on that will be forthcoming...
I do have the health care forum / discussion pretty much arranged for Saturday...
I would love to see some of our City and County representatives AT the forum / discussion on Saturday... (Hmmmm?)
Other than that - for now - I would like to offer some links (you can click on these in the sidebar) for those that would like to explore the health care issue further - participate in some online activism (We have never had this kind of opportunity before folks!) and/or gather together your thoughts to present at the forum (bring your stories and ideas) on Saturday:
"Health Reform": http://www.healthreform.gov/
"Share your stories and ideas about why we need health reform this year"; http://www.healthreform.gov/communityreports/comments.html
"State Your Support for Health Care Reform This Year": http://www.healthreform.gov/support.html
---------------------------------------------------------------
The City Council meeting was scantily attended (presumably due to the Republican Convention) - but a couple of important (I believe) agenda items were passed - and it certainly seems to me (for the most part) that the Aldermen and Alderwomen in the City of Kingston are sincerely trying to act (in the midst of a difficult social-economic climate) in the best interest of City residents...
Have a Great Day!
NS
A lot is happening on the local front, with the upcoming elections - folks dropping out - folks checking in - etc. - and I would spend a bit of time on that - if I weren't involved / busy learning all that I can - in the upcoming health care forum (see sidebar) and learning all that I can about the different issues, possibilities, potentialities and pragmatic options that are available in that regard...
So, suffice it to say - I am keeping up with events as best I can (City, County, State and Nation) - and that I salute all of those who have served, those that will continue to serve and those that are just now "officially" entering (or making the attempt...) the political arena.
I'm a "side-liner" - I guess you could say - via my blogs - attending City, County and activist meetings (those that entice me) when I can - moderating the Ward 5 group for a time - writing for the local LWV - hosting and/or otherwise participating in (in conjunction with barackobama.com, MoveOn.org and other such Internet-based entities) in some community-based (real world) events - and trying /learning (SMILE) how to plant a garden...
And although I wish I could take all of this a bit further (I have discussed this with a couple of Aldermen and some other folks...) - I'm not sure (Any input out there folks?) I am ready (even if "acceptable") for the main "ring" (any of them) as of yet...
I've been open on my blogs about my struggles with anxiety and post-traumatic-stress-disorder - and about my fight to overcome these obstacles - which reminds me of when I was a kid - challenged to swim across a big lake and (even though I was a lousy swimmer) taking up the challenge...
What I did is take a tube along - which I kept pushing out in front of me so I could grab it when I needed to - and swim (lol) on my back (thank goodness my father taught me how to float...) a lot...
Feeling much like I do now, short of breath - but still determined! [I did make it across that lake!]
I have undoubtedly made progress in some major ways since the beginning of this year, but "being the change 'I' want to see in the world" has been a full-time (some of your mole-hills are still mountains for me...) challenge - and attempting to do what I do under serious financial constraints (Anyone identify?) is admittedly (I'm not seeking pity nor donations!) TOUGH.
I did attend the Kingston City Council meeting last night - and notes on that will be forthcoming...
I do have the health care forum / discussion pretty much arranged for Saturday...
I would love to see some of our City and County representatives AT the forum / discussion on Saturday... (Hmmmm?)
Other than that - for now - I would like to offer some links (you can click on these in the sidebar) for those that would like to explore the health care issue further - participate in some online activism (We have never had this kind of opportunity before folks!) and/or gather together your thoughts to present at the forum (bring your stories and ideas) on Saturday:
"Health Reform": http://www.healthreform.gov/
"Share your stories and ideas about why we need health reform this year"; http://www.healthreform.gov/communityreports/comments.html
"State Your Support for Health Care Reform This Year": http://www.healthreform.gov/support.html
---------------------------------------------------------------
The City Council meeting was scantily attended (presumably due to the Republican Convention) - but a couple of important (I believe) agenda items were passed - and it certainly seems to me (for the most part) that the Aldermen and Alderwomen in the City of Kingston are sincerely trying to act (in the midst of a difficult social-economic climate) in the best interest of City residents...
Have a Great Day!
NS
Saturday, May 30, 2009
50 Million Trees... Trees for the Future... Our National Tree... Arbor Day Foundation... Planting a Tree... Planting America... You Tube Videos
["50 Million Trees and Counting: Trees for the Future"; as submitted to You Tube by treesftf on
November 30, 2006; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdoe_gI_fSs]
["Our National Tree"; as submitted to You Tube by arbordayfoundation on September 20, 2006; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYaWvxmEAG8]
["Planting America:How To Plant a Tree (Feat. Rob Beideman)"; as submitted to You Tube by PlantingAmerica; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZXmgh_cRFY]
June 11, 2007
November 30, 2006; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdoe_gI_fSs]
["Our National Tree"; as submitted to You Tube by arbordayfoundation on September 20, 2006; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYaWvxmEAG8]
["Planting America:How To Plant a Tree (Feat. Rob Beideman)"; as submitted to You Tube by PlantingAmerica; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZXmgh_cRFY]
June 11, 2007
Friday, May 29, 2009
Support for Sotomayor... Valuing Women... Valuing Diversity... National Organization for Women
[Authorized Download / Reprint]The following is a copy and paste (shortened and reformated somewhat for inclusion here) of an online document published by the National Organization for Women (NOW).
"It's Every Woman's Job...
Eliminating racism is a priority and the responsibility of every member of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Racism is not a matter of individual attitudes. It is an institutionalized system of power and control over people of racial and ethnic diversity in this society...
Racism and sexism are the 'double whammy' that stands in the way of empowerment for women of racial and ethnic diversity in the United States and in many other parts of the world.
NOW members work to eliminate racism by lobbying legislators, sponsoring educational programs, organizing consciousness raising groups and taking direct action.
NOW focuses on the needs of women of racial and ethnic diversity through projects on:
Education
Employment
Reproductive Rights
Feminization of Poverty...
Education
NOW has long been in the forefront of the struggle for equal educational opportunities for women. Education is a vital tool to break the poverty trap. That's why the restoration of Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments, a law prohibiting sex discrimination, was a priority and why strengthening Title IX enforcement remains a priority...
Employment
The majority of women of racial and ethnic diversity are segregated into low-paying jobs and are disproportionately represented among the working poor. In 1986, women of racial and ethnic diversity were paid on the average less than 58 cents for every dollar men were paid. NOW is committed to eliminating job segregation, to fighting for pay equity in the marketplace and to increasing the minimum wage for the working poor in the United States...
Feminization of Poverty
Many experts predict that by the year 2000 women and children will make up nearly 100 percent of this nation's poor. NOW recognizes that women of racial and ethnic diversity, again, are disproportionately represented among those forced to live in poverty. NOW fights for the restoration of federal funding for programs that benefit women and children, for national health care, for an end to discrimination in housing, for an adequate supply of housing, for publicly-funded child care, Family and Medical Leave, and against 'workfare' that penalizes poor women..."
"Valuing Diversity"; National Organization for Women (NOW); http://www.now.org/issues/diverse/valuing.html)
Respectfully posted by,
NS
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Obama on Health Care Reform... You Tube... Local Health Care Forum Event Announcement
["Obama talks about health care reform and alternative medicine"; as submitted to You Tube by AAAOMNGA on May 21, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HpKpSwMecw]
Upcoming Event / Please Note Date Correction!
Event Name: Creating a Health Care System We Can Be Proud Of
Description: This will be an informal gathering and discussion of President Barack Obamas health care system reform goals. There will be an open discussion of these goals and an opportunity to discuss any problems you have encountered with the current health care system --- along with any ideas you might have regarding a solution. Bring a pot luck or carry-out dish if you can! If the weather is good, we will be outside. If not, we will gather in the house. A microphone will be available for those comfortable with using one. A media invite has been extended. Some local politicians might be in attendence. It should be a GREAT way to spend part of your day!
Date & Time: Saturday, June 6 from 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Host: Nancy Smith
Location: My home (Kingston, NY)
16 Summer Street
Kingston, NY 12401
Directions: Limited to people in the City of Kingston. Please contact me at wingedbirdinflight@live.com if you need specific directions. Thank You.
------------------------------------------------------------------
["Community gardens blossom"; as submitted by ReutersVideo on April 16, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR7fRmeCqBA]
I am interested in finding out whether anyone in Ward Five would like to get involved in starting / helping out with a community garden --- and/or knows of a good site for same? I have suggested that along the roadside of the YWCA "might" be a good idea (If the YWCA and others were "on board") - and I would be willing to help out to the degree that I am able.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank You,
Nancy Smith
Upcoming Event / Please Note Date Correction!
Event Name: Creating a Health Care System We Can Be Proud Of
Description: This will be an informal gathering and discussion of President Barack Obamas health care system reform goals. There will be an open discussion of these goals and an opportunity to discuss any problems you have encountered with the current health care system --- along with any ideas you might have regarding a solution. Bring a pot luck or carry-out dish if you can! If the weather is good, we will be outside. If not, we will gather in the house. A microphone will be available for those comfortable with using one. A media invite has been extended. Some local politicians might be in attendence. It should be a GREAT way to spend part of your day!
Date & Time: Saturday, June 6 from 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Host: Nancy Smith
Location: My home (Kingston, NY)
16 Summer Street
Kingston, NY 12401
Directions: Limited to people in the City of Kingston. Please contact me at wingedbirdinflight@live.com if you need specific directions. Thank You.
------------------------------------------------------------------
["Community gardens blossom"; as submitted by ReutersVideo on April 16, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR7fRmeCqBA]
I am interested in finding out whether anyone in Ward Five would like to get involved in starting / helping out with a community garden --- and/or knows of a good site for same? I have suggested that along the roadside of the YWCA "might" be a good idea (If the YWCA and others were "on board") - and I would be willing to help out to the degree that I am able.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank You,
Nancy Smith
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Barack Obama on His Nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court
["President Obama Announces Supreme Court Nominee"; as submitted to You Tube by BarackObamadotcom on
May 26, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTKTCgznoAQ]
May 26, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTKTCgznoAQ]
Sonia Sotomayor on her Nomination to the Supreme Court... You Tube
["Sonia Sotomayor Addresses Her Nomination to Supreme Court"; as submitted to You Tube by tpmtv on
May 26, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugq4emGJJGQ]
May 26, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugq4emGJJGQ]
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Thoughts and Feelings... Memorial Day
Yesterday's Memorial Day Parade was the first parade (I think) that I attended without a bunch of children along - and it was a whole different experience really watching (full focus) the parade. The military tanks, in particular, really struck me (Wow... what machines "they" are!) --- along with some sadness felt for my brothers (one now deceased) --- both of whom entered the service at a very young age and both benefited from the experience --- and suffered (one of my brothers was mugged / assaulted and hospitalized while abroad) --- as a result of it.
I felt a lot of pride yesterday, having gained (through reading, research, talking with others) an understanding (I think...) of the "bigger picture..." --- and though I still qualify as a "peace-nick" of sorts, my respect for our troops --- the sacrifices they make --- the path (oh how difficult) they walk on OUR behalf - is immense.
I hope we see world peace... I hope (for everyone's sake) that the loss of life through warfare becomes a tragedy of the past... I hope...
And I am always and forever learning...
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Memorial Day Tribute...
I'm not sure the following video captures what I am thinking or feeling... but I KNOW I want to honor and thank our troops and thier family members... honor and thank the members of my own family that served in the Armed Forces... and, at the same time, give a voice to my hope for world peace - which I truly think is becoming a more viable possibility...
["Lexter - Freedom To Love (Original Radio)(Official Video HQ)"; as submitted to You Tube by kontor on
March 10, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHUSCWyJwMM]
With much respect,
NS
["Lexter - Freedom To Love (Original Radio)(Official Video HQ)"; as submitted to You Tube by kontor on
March 10, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHUSCWyJwMM]
With much respect,
NS
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Honoring Our Troops, Our Heritage, Our Loved Ones and the Beauty That Surrounds Us
[Photo Passed On By My Mother...; Beautiful, Isn't It?]I had the privilege of spending more time with my mother this past few months - and I have remembered a bunch of "cool" things...
With one result of these contacts being a renewed appreciation of the country --- and the natural beauty (sometimes one has to seek it out) that surrounds us...
I only "just" learned that one of Mom's favorite singers is John Denver - so as we celebrate our troops (both of my brothers served in the U.S. Military) --- let us not forget to honor the parents of our troops (I remember how tough it was on my brothers and my mom...) - as well.
For you Mom [In Memory of Bob (West Point / Germany) and In Honor of (Yo Bro!) Richard (1960s Korea)]
["John Denver - Annie´s Song"; as submitted to You Tube by Isauria on September 14, 2006; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkGS263lGsQ]
Love,
N.S.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
New Media Access To Government with Link Info You Tube... NY Senate Passes New Sex Offender Registration You Tube
[Photo by NS]["New Media Across Government"; as submitted to You Tube by USGovernment on May 20, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPBqEdjYw-E]
"NYS Senator Jeff Kein Proposses Legislation that would allow state residents to receive free e-mail alerts of status changes for level 2 and level 3 sex offenders in their communities..."
"NYSSen.JeffKleinSexOffenderE-mailUpdateBill"; as submitted to You Tube by nysenateuncut on May 19, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NETTnN71IkI]
Respectfully submitted by,
NS
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Just Thoughts...
[Beautiful Photo Passed On By A Family Member (Thank You!)]I can't help but look around the city that I live in and note the signs of hope and the signs of despair - so sometimes a photograph of something innocent and beautiful can offer a moment of peace amidst the chaos of my "tending towards worry" brain...
Like many others, I am planting flowers and vines and... (I'm not there "yet") vegetables - many of these from seeds - some of which one can purchase at the dollar store in a deal of "buy one pack and get three or four (memory dip) packs (a pretty nifty deal!) free."
Why am I planting all of this when I am someone that has only ventured into the realm of a few daffodils and tulips in the past?
To stay sane in a world that seems (at least some of the time) to be spinning out of control... To deal with the stress that is keeping pace with this boat (The waters are a bit choppy!) of hope and despair... To get in touch with the earth... get grounded... and honestly, at some level, because I NEED the beauty of flowers around me this year... and some part of me is afraid that these vegetables [If I can even "birth" (lol) a vegetable...] might be (one of these days) all that we have available to eat...
Which does not mean this is a self-pity post, because certainly there are many folks in tougher positions that I am / we are...
What it is, I hope, is a reality-based post... as I talk to my neighbors and we share our concerns... as I take a look around and wonder "what comes next?" "Are things going to get better?" Or... "worse?"
I'm glad to report that some form of Credit Card reform has been passed by the Senate, and sad to report that I don't think it was nearly (by far) enough... [My opinion, yours may differ...]
I'm glad to report that the Obama Administration is taking Health Care Reform seriously, but afraid that they intend to use Medicare as their "script" for all (Am I wrong? I hope I'm wrong) - and I personally think (sorry folks) that Medicare is a messed up system that will NOT meet Obama's stated goals (as I understand them) or the American people's medical [for example, dental should be in there too!] needs...
I'm glad to report that corruption seems to be tackled more frequently... and alarmed (still) by the types of reports (child abuse, violence, etc.) that are coming out in the news...
Ah well, just thoughts...
Any comments?
Peace, Love, Equality and Humane Justice,
NS
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Credit Card Outrage.... Senator Sanders... Senator Dodd... Senator Schumer... MoveOn.Org Political Action Activism Opportunity...
["Credit Card Outrage"; as submitted by SenatorSanders on May 14, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INmxtVB0dg4]
Passing This On (Modified Somewhat for Inclusion Here) / Received from D. Mintz, MoveOn.Org Political Action on 6/14/09:
"... Have you ever looked at your credit card statement and realized your interest rate was twice what it was the month before? Or wondered why you're getting charged a late fee when you paid your bill on time?
Credit card companies are notorious for back-handed maneuvers like these. And they've been doing this for so long, it almost feels hopeless to protest...
But now, the Senate is considering a strong bill to outlaw some of their most egregious abuses... But the bill isn't moving, and too many senators are scared to take truly bold action against the banks...
If enough of us speak out together quickly, we can make sure Congress knows we expect them to protect voters, not banks...
... As long as the banks are the ones writing the rules, we'll continue to have a system that's good for them and bad for everyone else...
Since the early 1980s, the government has gotten rid of more and more regulations at the banks' urging. Entire industries have sprung up built on misleading people and taking advantage of them...
Now that we've seen the disastrous consequences of that deregulation, we have to act.
The House bill passed by a big margin, but the Senate bill, sponsored by Senator Chris Dodd, is significantly tougher on the banks. If we don't pass strong reform now—in this moment of anger at the industry's wild abuses—we may not get the chance again. That's why we need to speak out right away to make sure the banks can't block or water down these necessary reforms."
To read more and/or sign the associated petition (for a "strong Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights...) - go to (copy and paste in the address bar):
http://pol.moveon.org/creditcards/?id=16136-14968754-I8yncyx&t=4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The commentary (spell-corrected & slightly revised here) that I (along with signing the petition) sent along:
"What a lot of credit card companies and associated lending institutions are doing to the American people seems downright criminal.
Please take action so that
1) the American public gets a fair shake;
2) the American public gets clear and concise information about the economic contracts they might choose to enter into;
3) credit card companies and associated lending institutions are no longer allowed to alter economic contracts in an underhanded and exploitative manner;
4) credit card companies and associated lending institutions are forbidden to harass the American public via home phones or cell phones(including hang-up calls, multiple messages, etc)- which can lead to counter-productive [stress]; and...
5) what we are left with are "win-win" honest contracts that both borrowers and lenders can benefit from in a dignified integral manner.
In addition, if any of this could be made retrospective... (Is some restitution to the victims of unfair practices in order?) THAT would be WONDERFUL..."
-------------------------------------------------------------
Care to join us in this extremely important slice of activism?????
Go to:
http://pol.moveon.org/creditcards/?id=16136-14968754-I8yncyx&t=4
-------------------------------------------------------------
Peace, Love, Equality and Humane Justice,
NS
Passing This On (Modified Somewhat for Inclusion Here) / Received from D. Mintz, MoveOn.Org Political Action on 6/14/09:
"... Have you ever looked at your credit card statement and realized your interest rate was twice what it was the month before? Or wondered why you're getting charged a late fee when you paid your bill on time?
Credit card companies are notorious for back-handed maneuvers like these. And they've been doing this for so long, it almost feels hopeless to protest...
But now, the Senate is considering a strong bill to outlaw some of their most egregious abuses... But the bill isn't moving, and too many senators are scared to take truly bold action against the banks...
If enough of us speak out together quickly, we can make sure Congress knows we expect them to protect voters, not banks...
... As long as the banks are the ones writing the rules, we'll continue to have a system that's good for them and bad for everyone else...
Since the early 1980s, the government has gotten rid of more and more regulations at the banks' urging. Entire industries have sprung up built on misleading people and taking advantage of them...
Now that we've seen the disastrous consequences of that deregulation, we have to act.
The House bill passed by a big margin, but the Senate bill, sponsored by Senator Chris Dodd, is significantly tougher on the banks. If we don't pass strong reform now—in this moment of anger at the industry's wild abuses—we may not get the chance again. That's why we need to speak out right away to make sure the banks can't block or water down these necessary reforms."
To read more and/or sign the associated petition (for a "strong Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights...) - go to (copy and paste in the address bar):
http://pol.moveon.org/creditcards/?id=16136-14968754-I8yncyx&t=4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The commentary (spell-corrected & slightly revised here) that I (along with signing the petition) sent along:
"What a lot of credit card companies and associated lending institutions are doing to the American people seems downright criminal.
Please take action so that
1) the American public gets a fair shake;
2) the American public gets clear and concise information about the economic contracts they might choose to enter into;
3) credit card companies and associated lending institutions are no longer allowed to alter economic contracts in an underhanded and exploitative manner;
4) credit card companies and associated lending institutions are forbidden to harass the American public via home phones or cell phones(including hang-up calls, multiple messages, etc)- which can lead to counter-productive [stress]; and...
5) what we are left with are "win-win" honest contracts that both borrowers and lenders can benefit from in a dignified integral manner.
In addition, if any of this could be made retrospective... (Is some restitution to the victims of unfair practices in order?) THAT would be WONDERFUL..."
-------------------------------------------------------------
Care to join us in this extremely important slice of activism?????
Go to:
http://pol.moveon.org/creditcards/?id=16136-14968754-I8yncyx&t=4
-------------------------------------------------------------
Peace, Love, Equality and Humane Justice,
NS
Obama on Torture Photos... You Tube... Investigate Cheney... Activism - If You So Choose - Link
["Obama: Photos Not "Sensational," Would "Inflame Anti-America"; as submitted by tpmtv on May 13, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-Y0c--VgAo]
"The news is buzzing that Dick Cheney would welcome a commission to investigate Bush-era torture - but we need to make it clear that a mere investigation is not enough. What we need is a prosecution.
The buzz intensifed on May 10, when Cheney told CBS' Bob Schieffer that he hopes for a public discussion of the CIA memos on torture - or, as he refers to it, "enhanced interrogation techniques."
Only after a thorough investigation by a U.S. attorney will we know for sure whether and to what extent Cheney broke the law and besmirched the Constitution while serving in the Bush administration. And if he did break the law, he deserves to be prosecuted and sent to prison..."
---------------------------------------------------------------
"I just took action to tell Attorney General Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Cheney and -- pending the outcome of that investigation -- to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law. I hope you will, too.
Please have a look and take action...
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/prosecute_cheney/?r_by=4005-1963986-KmllRXx&rc=confemail [Copy and Paste in Address Bar]
Thanks!"
NS [The wording in this letter was provided by Credo Action; bold print mine]
"The news is buzzing that Dick Cheney would welcome a commission to investigate Bush-era torture - but we need to make it clear that a mere investigation is not enough. What we need is a prosecution.
The buzz intensifed on May 10, when Cheney told CBS' Bob Schieffer that he hopes for a public discussion of the CIA memos on torture - or, as he refers to it, "enhanced interrogation techniques."
Only after a thorough investigation by a U.S. attorney will we know for sure whether and to what extent Cheney broke the law and besmirched the Constitution while serving in the Bush administration. And if he did break the law, he deserves to be prosecuted and sent to prison..."
---------------------------------------------------------------
"I just took action to tell Attorney General Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Cheney and -- pending the outcome of that investigation -- to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law. I hope you will, too.
Please have a look and take action...
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/prosecute_cheney/?r_by=4005-1963986-KmllRXx&rc=confemail [Copy and Paste in Address Bar]
Thanks!"
NS [The wording in this letter was provided by Credo Action; bold print mine]
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Gillibrand... Obama... New York... Health Care... Same Sex Marriage... You Tube Videos
["Senator Gillibrand "listens" to WNYers"; as submitted to You Tube by WIVBTV on May 04, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PqPpEBiS4Y]
["Commentary on President Obama's Health Care Announcement"; as submitted to You Tube by DemRapidResponse on May 11, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5M69OzncSA]
["On Hardball, Miss California Vs. Gay Marriage"; as submitted to You Tube by keithmsnbcer on
May 12, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghwlzfNj9rY]
Thoughts anyone?
["Commentary on President Obama's Health Care Announcement"; as submitted to You Tube by DemRapidResponse on May 11, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5M69OzncSA]
["On Hardball, Miss California Vs. Gay Marriage"; as submitted to You Tube by keithmsnbcer on
May 12, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghwlzfNj9rY]
Thoughts anyone?
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Barack Obama... Michelle Obama... "Wanda Sykes... White House Correspondents Dinner"... "Celebrate You"... You Tube Videos
["Corbin Bleu - Celebrate You - Official Music Video"; as submitted to You Tube by hollywoodrecords
on February 06, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF848tAENQg]
["Wanda Sykes... at White House Correspondents' Dinner Part 1"; as submitted to You Tube by firedoglake on May 09, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3ewEkcc2Yw]
["{Part 2} Wanda Sykes @ White House Correspondents Dinner"; as submitted by NewsPoliticsNews on
May 09, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdkEHIjsXQI]
on February 06, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF848tAENQg]
["Wanda Sykes... at White House Correspondents' Dinner Part 1"; as submitted to You Tube by firedoglake on May 09, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3ewEkcc2Yw]
["{Part 2} Wanda Sykes @ White House Correspondents Dinner"; as submitted by NewsPoliticsNews on
May 09, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdkEHIjsXQI]
Friday, May 8, 2009
Don't Get Complacent... But Don't Bug Out... H1N1 (Swine) Flu in the U.S.
[Photo by NS]Passing This On From the Center for Disease Control and Prevention [cdc@service.govdelivery.com] / Received by email on 5/08/09]:
"... The ongoing outbreak of novel influenza A (H1N1) continues to expand in the United States. CDC expects that more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths from this outbreak will occur over the coming days and weeks.
CDC continues to take aggressive action to respond to the expanding outbreak. CDC’s response goals are to reduce spread and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this emergency.
CDC is issuing updated interim guidance daily in response to the rapidly evolving situation.
Antiviral Guidance...
CDC has issued guidance for health care providers on the use of antiviral medications during the current outbreak. The priority use for influenza antiviral drugs is to treat severe influenza illness and people who are at high risk of serious influenza-related conditions.
School Guidance...
At this time, CDC recommends the primary means to reduce spread of influenza in schools focus on early identification of ill students and staff, staying home when sick, and good cough etiquette and frequent hand washing. Decisions about school closure should be at the discretion of local authorities based on local considerations. (See the School Guidance.)
Increased Testing...
CDC has developed a PCR diagnostic test kit to detect this novel H1N1 virus and has now distributed test kits to all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The test kits are being shipped internationally as well. This will allow states and other countries to test for this new virus. This increase in testing capacity is likely to result in an increase in the number of reported confirmed cases in this country, which should provide a more accurate picture of the burden of disease in the United States.
U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection
As of 11 AM ET on May 8, 2009, CDC has confirmed 1639 human cases and 2 deaths in 1 state:
AL:4, AZ:131, CA:107, CO:25, CT:4, DE:39, FL:6, GA:3, HI:5, ID:1, IL:392, IN:29, IA:5, KS:12, **KY:3, LA:7, ME:4,
MD:4, MA:83, MI:49, MN:1, MO:9, NE:4, NV:8, NH:3, NJ:7, NM:8, NY:174, NC:7, OH:6, OK:4, OR:15, PA:2, RI:7, SC:29, SD:1, TN:36,
TX:93, UT:24, VA:14, WA:33, DC:1, WI:240..." [Bold Print Mine]
For Additional Information [Keep washing those hands!] Please Go to the CDC website.
NS
Saturday, May 2, 2009
President Barack Obama 100 Days Video From My.BarackObama.Com
[http://my.barackobama.com/100daysVideo]
Respectfully posted by,
NS
Respectfully posted by,
NS
Fair Elections... Supreme Court Justice... News and Views... Activism... Via Links... Opportunities
["Sam Waterston on ABC News On-Line on Fair Elections Now Act"; as submitted to You Tube by publicampaign on April 08, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biYQ8i2HOKI]
Re. the "Fair Elections Now Act" [Passing This On...]
"Groups accept Obama rules - for 1 night" (By KENNETH P. VOGEL & CHRIS FRATES | 4/20/09 7:24 PM EDT):
"The DCCC and DSCC agree to forego lobbyist and PAC cash in order to land Obama as the keynote speaker... The two major Democratic congressional fundraising committees agreed to forego lobbyist and political action committee cash at a June fundraiser in order to land President Barack Obama as the keynote speaker...
During the campaign, Obama used his pledge to assert he wasn’t beholden to the special interests he derided as controlling Washington... And sources involved in setting up the arrangement between the White House and the DSCC and DCCC said the groups decided not accept money from lobbyists and PACs anytime Obama is involved in a fundraising effort out of deference to his campaign trail pledge.
'Our understanding is that the president's restrictions will apply to any of his direct fundraising,' said a Democratic aide familiar with the arrangement... That’s in contrast to the arrangement Obama dictated to the Democratic National Committee, which will not accept lobbyist or PAC contributions as long as Obama’s at the helm of the party.
Nonetheless, the one-night restriction could turn out to be a big concession for the DCCC and the DSCC. They typically reap lots of money from lobbyists and PACs seeking to cozy up to sitting members of Congress, who control the fate of legislation upon which their livelihoods and those of their clients often depend.
In January and February, the period covered by their most recent electronically available filings, the DCCC raised $990,000 from PACs and $4.8 million from individuals – a tally that includes contributions from lobbyists. The DSCC, meanwhile, had raised $2.6 million from PACs and $2.7 million from individuals.
One Democratic Party source said the White House had dictated the conditions of Obama’s appearance at the joint congressional fundraiser in June. And a Democratic operative familiar with the pre-conditions predicted the restrictions wouldn’t impact the haul at the event.
Whether it affects the groups’ bottom line or not, the arrangement is just window dressing, asserted Ken Spain, spokesman for the DCCC’s rival, the National Republican Congressional Committee.
'It’s a one night conversion. It is the height of hypocrisy for President Obama to headline a dinner for the very same campaign committees that oppose his position of refusing lobbyist donations,' Spain said. 'This was a lose-lose situation for them. Both the DCCC and the DSCC were forced to decide between incurring a major P.R. hit and undercutting the president’s anti-lobbyist platform or cutting off a significant money source.'
Obama has been consistent on the issue, said DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse.
'If he’s going to be involved in a fundraiser, he’s going to maintain the restrictions that he had for his own campaign and that he has for the DNC – that he not raise PAC or lobbyist money,' Woodhouse said.
Obama in February rejected an invitation to headline a fundraiser thrown by the Democratic Governors Association, which - as a so-called 527 organization –is outside the reach of many federal election laws, allowing it to reap huge donations exceeding federal limits from not only PACs and lobbyists, but also from corporations, which are barred from contributing to federal campaigns" ["Groups accept Obama rules - for 1 night"; Kenneth P. Vogel and Chris Frates; POLITICO.com; http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21478.html]
The Options Presented On Site Include: Email... Recommend... Share...
-------------------------------------------------------
From Today's Emails:
1. "Honoring the Ban"
"During his campaign, President Obama set a standard of not accepting donations from registered lobbyists or Political Action Committees (PACs). While somewhat symbolic, he did so to let the public know he was serious about tackling the undue influence of money in politics. 'I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs...They do not fund my campaign...And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I’m President of the United States,' Obama said in June of 2008.
Upon becoming the Democratic nominee, Obama convinced the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to follow his lead and not take donations from PACs and registered lobbyists as well... The two other Democratic fundraising committees, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), did not take that same pledge until now, but only for the one night when President Obama will appear at a gala fundraising event on June 18th.
In a recent letter to the Democratic campaign committees, Change Congress asks these groups to keep the ban in place without exception:
'For 364 days a year, your rules would allow members of Congress to leave a hearing about regulating Wall Street and then walk straight to the DSCC and DCCC offices to ‘dial for dollars’ from Wall Street lobbyists who want more bailout money and less accountability to taxpayers. Most Americans would find that conflict of interest repulsive.
'We call on you to ban PAC and lobbyist contributions 365 days a year, just as President Obama did.'
The letter is signed by a number of activists and bloggers, including Nick Nyhart, president and CEO of Public Campaign; David Donnelly, national campaigns director of Public Campaign Action Fund, David Arkush, director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch; and Lisa Gilbert, democracy advocate at US PIRG.
The letter has made a splash in the media. A number of news outlets, including The Huffington Post and Politico, have covered this letter. The New York Times blog rightly points out, 'Part of the goal here is to restore and expand public campaign financing in elections.'" [This was sent by Nick Nyhart of the Public Campaign Action Fund]
To sign the letter go to (Copy and Paste): http://www.stopfakereform.com
2.
"The Fair Elections Now Act is gaining traction. Since the introduction of the legislation a month ago, a slew of new co-sponsors from the House of Representatives have signed onto the bill. In total there are now 22 House sponsors and co-sponsors. We are encouraged by this progress, but we still need your help... Please take a few moments to call and ask your member, Rep. Maurice Hinchey, at (202) 225-6335, to join the list of sponsors of the Fair Elections Now Act!" [This was sent by Nick Nyhart of the Public Campaign Action Fund]
["Reaction: Who should fill Souter's seat?"; as submitted to You Tube by UPIVideo on May 01, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpSePWyuoxw]
From Today's Emails:
"President Obama will soon nominate a new Supreme Court justice now that Justice David Souter has announced his retirement from the Court... Please [sign our petition] urging him to name another woman like Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is a proven advocate for equality and fair treatment under the Constitution... Ginsburg said she can't help but wonder what people think when they visit the Court and see only one woman out of the nine justices. 'There I am all alone, and it doesn't look right,' said Ginsburg, noting that women bring a life experience to the court that men can't... Please help balance the scales of justice by nominating a woman who stands for equality and justice to join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. Encourage your friends to sign, too -- NOW will hand deliver every 10,000 signatures to the White House." [This was sent by the National Organization for Women Action Center]
To Sign the Petition Go (Copy and Paste) To:
http://www.now.org/issues/judicial/supreme/woman_justice.html#form?str=gxJoUx6a
Note: These e-mail notices / activism opportunities (via noted links) have been minimized and modified for inclusion here.
--------------------------------------------------
Peace, Love, Equality and Humane Justice,
NS
Re. the "Fair Elections Now Act" [Passing This On...]
"Groups accept Obama rules - for 1 night" (By KENNETH P. VOGEL & CHRIS FRATES | 4/20/09 7:24 PM EDT):
"The DCCC and DSCC agree to forego lobbyist and PAC cash in order to land Obama as the keynote speaker... The two major Democratic congressional fundraising committees agreed to forego lobbyist and political action committee cash at a June fundraiser in order to land President Barack Obama as the keynote speaker...
During the campaign, Obama used his pledge to assert he wasn’t beholden to the special interests he derided as controlling Washington... And sources involved in setting up the arrangement between the White House and the DSCC and DCCC said the groups decided not accept money from lobbyists and PACs anytime Obama is involved in a fundraising effort out of deference to his campaign trail pledge.
'Our understanding is that the president's restrictions will apply to any of his direct fundraising,' said a Democratic aide familiar with the arrangement... That’s in contrast to the arrangement Obama dictated to the Democratic National Committee, which will not accept lobbyist or PAC contributions as long as Obama’s at the helm of the party.
Nonetheless, the one-night restriction could turn out to be a big concession for the DCCC and the DSCC. They typically reap lots of money from lobbyists and PACs seeking to cozy up to sitting members of Congress, who control the fate of legislation upon which their livelihoods and those of their clients often depend.
In January and February, the period covered by their most recent electronically available filings, the DCCC raised $990,000 from PACs and $4.8 million from individuals – a tally that includes contributions from lobbyists. The DSCC, meanwhile, had raised $2.6 million from PACs and $2.7 million from individuals.
One Democratic Party source said the White House had dictated the conditions of Obama’s appearance at the joint congressional fundraiser in June. And a Democratic operative familiar with the pre-conditions predicted the restrictions wouldn’t impact the haul at the event.
Whether it affects the groups’ bottom line or not, the arrangement is just window dressing, asserted Ken Spain, spokesman for the DCCC’s rival, the National Republican Congressional Committee.
'It’s a one night conversion. It is the height of hypocrisy for President Obama to headline a dinner for the very same campaign committees that oppose his position of refusing lobbyist donations,' Spain said. 'This was a lose-lose situation for them. Both the DCCC and the DSCC were forced to decide between incurring a major P.R. hit and undercutting the president’s anti-lobbyist platform or cutting off a significant money source.'
Obama has been consistent on the issue, said DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse.
'If he’s going to be involved in a fundraiser, he’s going to maintain the restrictions that he had for his own campaign and that he has for the DNC – that he not raise PAC or lobbyist money,' Woodhouse said.
Obama in February rejected an invitation to headline a fundraiser thrown by the Democratic Governors Association, which - as a so-called 527 organization –is outside the reach of many federal election laws, allowing it to reap huge donations exceeding federal limits from not only PACs and lobbyists, but also from corporations, which are barred from contributing to federal campaigns" ["Groups accept Obama rules - for 1 night"; Kenneth P. Vogel and Chris Frates; POLITICO.com; http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21478.html]
The Options Presented On Site Include: Email... Recommend... Share...
-------------------------------------------------------
From Today's Emails:
1. "Honoring the Ban"
"During his campaign, President Obama set a standard of not accepting donations from registered lobbyists or Political Action Committees (PACs). While somewhat symbolic, he did so to let the public know he was serious about tackling the undue influence of money in politics. 'I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs...They do not fund my campaign...And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I’m President of the United States,' Obama said in June of 2008.
Upon becoming the Democratic nominee, Obama convinced the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to follow his lead and not take donations from PACs and registered lobbyists as well... The two other Democratic fundraising committees, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), did not take that same pledge until now, but only for the one night when President Obama will appear at a gala fundraising event on June 18th.
In a recent letter to the Democratic campaign committees, Change Congress asks these groups to keep the ban in place without exception:
'For 364 days a year, your rules would allow members of Congress to leave a hearing about regulating Wall Street and then walk straight to the DSCC and DCCC offices to ‘dial for dollars’ from Wall Street lobbyists who want more bailout money and less accountability to taxpayers. Most Americans would find that conflict of interest repulsive.
'We call on you to ban PAC and lobbyist contributions 365 days a year, just as President Obama did.'
The letter is signed by a number of activists and bloggers, including Nick Nyhart, president and CEO of Public Campaign; David Donnelly, national campaigns director of Public Campaign Action Fund, David Arkush, director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch; and Lisa Gilbert, democracy advocate at US PIRG.
The letter has made a splash in the media. A number of news outlets, including The Huffington Post and Politico, have covered this letter. The New York Times blog rightly points out, 'Part of the goal here is to restore and expand public campaign financing in elections.'" [This was sent by Nick Nyhart of the Public Campaign Action Fund]
To sign the letter go to (Copy and Paste): http://www.stopfakereform.com
2.
"The Fair Elections Now Act is gaining traction. Since the introduction of the legislation a month ago, a slew of new co-sponsors from the House of Representatives have signed onto the bill. In total there are now 22 House sponsors and co-sponsors. We are encouraged by this progress, but we still need your help... Please take a few moments to call and ask your member, Rep. Maurice Hinchey, at (202) 225-6335, to join the list of sponsors of the Fair Elections Now Act!" [This was sent by Nick Nyhart of the Public Campaign Action Fund]
["Reaction: Who should fill Souter's seat?"; as submitted to You Tube by UPIVideo on May 01, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpSePWyuoxw]
From Today's Emails:
"President Obama will soon nominate a new Supreme Court justice now that Justice David Souter has announced his retirement from the Court... Please [sign our petition] urging him to name another woman like Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is a proven advocate for equality and fair treatment under the Constitution... Ginsburg said she can't help but wonder what people think when they visit the Court and see only one woman out of the nine justices. 'There I am all alone, and it doesn't look right,' said Ginsburg, noting that women bring a life experience to the court that men can't... Please help balance the scales of justice by nominating a woman who stands for equality and justice to join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. Encourage your friends to sign, too -- NOW will hand deliver every 10,000 signatures to the White House." [This was sent by the National Organization for Women Action Center]
To Sign the Petition Go (Copy and Paste) To:
http://www.now.org/issues/judicial/supreme/woman_justice.html#form?str=gxJoUx6a
Note: These e-mail notices / activism opportunities (via noted links) have been minimized and modified for inclusion here.
--------------------------------------------------
Peace, Love, Equality and Humane Justice,
NS
Friday, May 1, 2009
Interesting Survey Results.... From CNN Reporter Jack Cafferty's Blog
"FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:
As the debate about torture rages on in Washington — with calls for investigations of the Bush administration — here’s a perhaps surprising nugget about how Americans view torture of suspected terrorists.
Turns out the more often people go to church, the more likely they are to support torture — that’s according to a new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
The poll finds that of more than half of Americans who attend church services at least once a week, 54 percent say the use of torture is often or sometimes justified.
Only 42 percent of people who seldom or never go to church agree…
Evangelical Protestants are the religious group most likely to agree; while people unaffiliated with any religious group are least likely to support torture.
Of course evangelicals were a major voting bloc courted by President Bush both times he ran for office; and former Bush officials continue to speak out now about how the harsh techniques yielded critical information that helped keep this country safe. But it’s ironic that the faithful are more supportive of torture, isn’t it?
Overall, Pew found 49 percent of Americans say torture is at least “sometimes” justified; while 47 percent say it rarely or never is. Republicans are more likely to support the actions than Democrats; while a majority of Independents believe that torture is sometimes justified.
Here’s my question to you: Why is it that the more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support torture of suspected terrorists?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?"
Go to CNNPolitics.com's "Cafferty File" at: http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/01/why-are-frequent-churchgoers-more-likely-to-support-torture/#more-5638
As the debate about torture rages on in Washington — with calls for investigations of the Bush administration — here’s a perhaps surprising nugget about how Americans view torture of suspected terrorists.
Turns out the more often people go to church, the more likely they are to support torture — that’s according to a new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
The poll finds that of more than half of Americans who attend church services at least once a week, 54 percent say the use of torture is often or sometimes justified.
Only 42 percent of people who seldom or never go to church agree…
Evangelical Protestants are the religious group most likely to agree; while people unaffiliated with any religious group are least likely to support torture.
Of course evangelicals were a major voting bloc courted by President Bush both times he ran for office; and former Bush officials continue to speak out now about how the harsh techniques yielded critical information that helped keep this country safe. But it’s ironic that the faithful are more supportive of torture, isn’t it?
Overall, Pew found 49 percent of Americans say torture is at least “sometimes” justified; while 47 percent say it rarely or never is. Republicans are more likely to support the actions than Democrats; while a majority of Independents believe that torture is sometimes justified.
Here’s my question to you: Why is it that the more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support torture of suspected terrorists?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?"
Go to CNNPolitics.com's "Cafferty File" at: http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/01/why-are-frequent-churchgoers-more-likely-to-support-torture/#more-5638
MoveOn... Impeach Judge Jay Bybee... You Tube Video... Activism Link
I Received this (via Email) from Nita Chaudhary, MoveOn.org Political Action (The text is slightly modified for inclusion here):
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbuuBdFUqKY&feature=player_embedded]
"Quick quiz: You're a powerful government lawyer who gives the legal go-ahead for a secret U.S. torture program.
Do you:
a) Lose your license to practice law
b) Go to jail
c) Win a lifetime appointment to one of the highest courts in the land
In the case of Jay Bybee, the answer is "c." Bybee, the lawyer responsible for many of the worst Bush-era torture memos, is currently serving on the prestigious 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, thanks to his old boss, George W. Bush.
That's just not right.
Jay Bybee showed no respect for our laws and isn't fit to be a federal judge. Can you sign our petition to Congress calling for the impeachment of Jay Bybee?
... The petition says: 'Jay Bybee, the man behind the torture memos, is unfit to be a federal judge. Congress should impeach him.
President Obama said last night that torture 'corrodes the character of a country.' He's right. Jay Bybee, who violated the law by coming up with a 'legal' rationale for waterboarding and other acts of torture, isn't qualified to hold a position charged with upholding our Constitution.
The outcry for his impeachment is growing; leading progressive in Congress are demanding answers,1 and 20,000 Americans have called for Bybee's impeachment [2] As The New York Times said: 'Mr. Bybee is unfit for a job that requires legal judgment and a respect for the Constitution. Congress should impeach him.' [3]
The calls to impeach Bybee are getting noticed—but Congress hasn't acted yet, and might not, unless we ramp up the call for accountability. There's a real chance Bybee will be held accountable, but only if we show Congress that if they lead, we'll support them.
Can you sign the petition today?
http://pol.moveon.org/bybee/?id=16033-4553635-CSsEUTx&t=4
Thanks for all that you do.
–Nita, Kat, Peter, Ilyse, Justin and the rest of the team
------------------------------------------------------------
Sources:
1. "Pressure grows to impeach Bybee over 'torture memos,'" The Times of London, April 29, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51375&id=16033-4553635-CSsEUTx&t=5
2. "Podesta Calls For Bybee Impeachment On CNN, Delivers Your Petitions To Congress," Think Progress, April 26, 2009
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/26/podesta-impeach-bybee/
3. "The Torturers' Manifesto," The New York Times, April 18, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/opinion/19sun1.html?_r=1
-------------------------------------------------------------
Respectfully Passed on By,
NS
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbuuBdFUqKY&feature=player_embedded]
"Quick quiz: You're a powerful government lawyer who gives the legal go-ahead for a secret U.S. torture program.
Do you:
a) Lose your license to practice law
b) Go to jail
c) Win a lifetime appointment to one of the highest courts in the land
In the case of Jay Bybee, the answer is "c." Bybee, the lawyer responsible for many of the worst Bush-era torture memos, is currently serving on the prestigious 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, thanks to his old boss, George W. Bush.
That's just not right.
Jay Bybee showed no respect for our laws and isn't fit to be a federal judge. Can you sign our petition to Congress calling for the impeachment of Jay Bybee?
... The petition says: 'Jay Bybee, the man behind the torture memos, is unfit to be a federal judge. Congress should impeach him.
President Obama said last night that torture 'corrodes the character of a country.' He's right. Jay Bybee, who violated the law by coming up with a 'legal' rationale for waterboarding and other acts of torture, isn't qualified to hold a position charged with upholding our Constitution.
The outcry for his impeachment is growing; leading progressive in Congress are demanding answers,1 and 20,000 Americans have called for Bybee's impeachment [2] As The New York Times said: 'Mr. Bybee is unfit for a job that requires legal judgment and a respect for the Constitution. Congress should impeach him.' [3]
The calls to impeach Bybee are getting noticed—but Congress hasn't acted yet, and might not, unless we ramp up the call for accountability. There's a real chance Bybee will be held accountable, but only if we show Congress that if they lead, we'll support them.
Can you sign the petition today?
http://pol.moveon.org/bybee/?id=16033-4553635-CSsEUTx&t=4
Thanks for all that you do.
–Nita, Kat, Peter, Ilyse, Justin and the rest of the team
------------------------------------------------------------
Sources:
1. "Pressure grows to impeach Bybee over 'torture memos,'" The Times of London, April 29, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51375&id=16033-4553635-CSsEUTx&t=5
2. "Podesta Calls For Bybee Impeachment On CNN, Delivers Your Petitions To Congress," Think Progress, April 26, 2009
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/26/podesta-impeach-bybee/
3. "The Torturers' Manifesto," The New York Times, April 18, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/opinion/19sun1.html?_r=1
-------------------------------------------------------------
Respectfully Passed on By,
NS
Thursday, April 30, 2009
James Dobson... Barack Obama... Pat Robertson... Your Thoughts... Old Poem... Quotes
["Barack Obama pisses off James Dobson"; submitted to You Tube by AntiConformist911 on June 30,
2008; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b52aT2chS-o]
Reverend Pat Robertson, who reputedly filled former President George Bush Jr.'s legal cabinet with religious (or pseudo-religious?) prodigies apparently said (MSNBC Contessa Brewer) - when the last Presidential election (potential candidates, etc) was still being tossed to and fro - that he would endorse Rudy Giuliani for president...
Now Reverend Pat Robertson is apparently (based on recently viewed You Tube videos) "toasting" Barack Obama as being Mr. Wonderful... and continuing on (Reverend Robertson) with his evangelising and "predictions" - as oodles of money (more than likely...) continues to stick to his behind like flies stick to those gooey icky things my mother used to hang around the house...
What is up with this stuff, folks?
We are moving closer, or so it would appear, to holding some of the members of the former Bush Jr. Administration responsible for what appears to be "less than ethical" (ahem) behavior...
But is anyone looking at these [Dobson, Robertson, others of the same ilk (I've got some particular folks in mind here - NOT all folks that are religious...)] guys?
Did you know that Reverend Pat Robertson, who once (possibly more than once) ran for President, reputedly received $14 MILLION dollars of YOUR tax money (prior to or during 2007) "to provide faith based service here and abroad?" (Michelle Goldberg, "The Rise of the Christian Nation"; "Freethought Today"; 3/2007; P. 10)?
Do you remember him raving and ranting about gays and Chavez?
Are you aware of the money this man allegedly exploited from the African people under the guise of evangelism? [Data can be provided...] --- or that Robertson's personal jet reputedly crashed when en route to a gambling casino?
What do you think (this is for the genuinely religious and/or spiritual - and those who are neither...) about this chameleon aspect of some of these mega-buck preachers? Do you think - as I do - that some of them should "maybe" be under some serious investigation (possibly for illegal donations, lobbying, etc.) too?
Whatever the case (I do hope I get some responses...) - I'm going to end this with a couple of quotes:
----------------------------------------------------
"Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate" (John F. Kennedy; "Follow Your Dreams"; 1995; Day Dream, Inc.]
"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn" (John Cotton Dana; Ibid.]
-------------------------------------------------
Peace, Love, Equality and Humane Justice,
N.S.
2008; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b52aT2chS-o]
Reverend Pat Robertson, who reputedly filled former President George Bush Jr.'s legal cabinet with religious (or pseudo-religious?) prodigies apparently said (MSNBC Contessa Brewer) - when the last Presidential election (potential candidates, etc) was still being tossed to and fro - that he would endorse Rudy Giuliani for president...
Now Reverend Pat Robertson is apparently (based on recently viewed You Tube videos) "toasting" Barack Obama as being Mr. Wonderful... and continuing on (Reverend Robertson) with his evangelising and "predictions" - as oodles of money (more than likely...) continues to stick to his behind like flies stick to those gooey icky things my mother used to hang around the house...
What is up with this stuff, folks?
We are moving closer, or so it would appear, to holding some of the members of the former Bush Jr. Administration responsible for what appears to be "less than ethical" (ahem) behavior...
But is anyone looking at these [Dobson, Robertson, others of the same ilk (I've got some particular folks in mind here - NOT all folks that are religious...)] guys?
Did you know that Reverend Pat Robertson, who once (possibly more than once) ran for President, reputedly received $14 MILLION dollars of YOUR tax money (prior to or during 2007) "to provide faith based service here and abroad?" (Michelle Goldberg, "The Rise of the Christian Nation"; "Freethought Today"; 3/2007; P. 10)?
Do you remember him raving and ranting about gays and Chavez?
Are you aware of the money this man allegedly exploited from the African people under the guise of evangelism? [Data can be provided...] --- or that Robertson's personal jet reputedly crashed when en route to a gambling casino?
What do you think (this is for the genuinely religious and/or spiritual - and those who are neither...) about this chameleon aspect of some of these mega-buck preachers? Do you think - as I do - that some of them should "maybe" be under some serious investigation (possibly for illegal donations, lobbying, etc.) too?
Whatever the case (I do hope I get some responses...) - I'm going to end this with a couple of quotes:
----------------------------------------------------
"Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate" (John F. Kennedy; "Follow Your Dreams"; 1995; Day Dream, Inc.]
"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn" (John Cotton Dana; Ibid.]
-------------------------------------------------
Peace, Love, Equality and Humane Justice,
N.S.
Ron Paul... Hillary Clinton... National Organization... Barack Obama... Change for Women
["Ron Paul Gets Unexpected Hillary Clinton Response"; as submitted to You Tube by votepaulkucinich2012 on April 29, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzjuJ2MG9jM]
Received via Email from NOW Media Relations
"Statement of NOW President Kim Gandy
President Barack Obama's first 100 days have brought real change for women.
Obama swiftly signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, repealed the Global Gag Rule, restored international family planning aid and acted to rescind Bush's harmful health care refusal rule. He also signed the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program with important provisions for immigrant children, and created the White House Council on Women on Girls.
The administration has been responsive to advocates' concerns, including provisions in the economic recovery plan that will put women as well as men back to work. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis are particularly excellent advocates for women, and there are many women in important administration posts, though far from gender parity.
In just 100 days President Obama has begun reversing the extensive damage done to women's rights these last eight years, giving us an idea of what is possible with enlightened leadership. I look forward to many more victories for women and girls in the coming days and years."
Respectfully posted by,
NS
Received via Email from NOW Media Relations
"Statement of NOW President Kim Gandy
President Barack Obama's first 100 days have brought real change for women.
Obama swiftly signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, repealed the Global Gag Rule, restored international family planning aid and acted to rescind Bush's harmful health care refusal rule. He also signed the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program with important provisions for immigrant children, and created the White House Council on Women on Girls.
The administration has been responsive to advocates' concerns, including provisions in the economic recovery plan that will put women as well as men back to work. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis are particularly excellent advocates for women, and there are many women in important administration posts, though far from gender parity.
In just 100 days President Obama has begun reversing the extensive damage done to women's rights these last eight years, giving us an idea of what is possible with enlightened leadership. I look forward to many more victories for women and girls in the coming days and years."
Respectfully posted by,
NS
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Swine Flu... Advocating for Paid Sick Days... Working Families Rally Video... Wal-Mart... National Partnership for Women and Families
Connecticut rally (at Wal-Mart) for Paid Sick Days:
["April 1st - Working Families rally for paid sick days"; as submitted to You Tube by luciusvideo
on April 01, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBSWbjfLIfU]
From my email:
"It's scary. It's confusing. And we all want to do what health experts and government officials say will keep us safe.
But as the 'swine flu' claims more lives in Mexico, and the number of cases in the United States climbs, a lot of us can't do what officials recommend without losing a paycheck or a job.
'This is a serious event… If you have a fever and you're sick or your children are sick, don’t go to work and don't go to school.' That’s what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.
It's good advice…until you consider that nearly half of private sector workers in the United States don't have a single paid sick day. It's even worse for low wage workers. And nearly 100 million workers don’t have a paid sick day they can use to care for a sick child.
We need paid sick days.
The Healthy Families Act would provide up to seven paid sick days a year so workers can take care of themselves or a sick family member. This modest bill will be introduced in Congress in May — and it needs the support of all Senate and House Members.
It's time to stop letting scare tactics by organized business interests block the progress we need...
Email your members of Congress today. Ask them to support the Healthy Families Act.
Let's give all workers a minimum standard of paid sick days.
Sincerely,
Debra L. Ness, President"
Source: National Partnership for Women & Families (info@nationalpartnership.org)
----------------------------------------------
For New York State You Would Send Your Emails to:
Senator Charles 'Chuck' E. Schumer
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Representative Maurice D. Hinchey
Direct Links are available through the http://www.spreadingourwings4.blogspot.com blog site
---------------------------------------------
Stay healthy!
NS
["April 1st - Working Families rally for paid sick days"; as submitted to You Tube by luciusvideo
on April 01, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBSWbjfLIfU]
From my email:
"It's scary. It's confusing. And we all want to do what health experts and government officials say will keep us safe.
But as the 'swine flu' claims more lives in Mexico, and the number of cases in the United States climbs, a lot of us can't do what officials recommend without losing a paycheck or a job.
'This is a serious event… If you have a fever and you're sick or your children are sick, don’t go to work and don't go to school.' That’s what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.
It's good advice…until you consider that nearly half of private sector workers in the United States don't have a single paid sick day. It's even worse for low wage workers. And nearly 100 million workers don’t have a paid sick day they can use to care for a sick child.
We need paid sick days.
The Healthy Families Act would provide up to seven paid sick days a year so workers can take care of themselves or a sick family member. This modest bill will be introduced in Congress in May — and it needs the support of all Senate and House Members.
It's time to stop letting scare tactics by organized business interests block the progress we need...
Email your members of Congress today. Ask them to support the Healthy Families Act.
Let's give all workers a minimum standard of paid sick days.
Sincerely,
Debra L. Ness, President"
Source: National Partnership for Women & Families (info@nationalpartnership.org)
----------------------------------------------
For New York State You Would Send Your Emails to:
Senator Charles 'Chuck' E. Schumer
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Representative Maurice D. Hinchey
Direct Links are available through the http://www.spreadingourwings4.blogspot.com blog site
---------------------------------------------
Stay healthy!
NS
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Fair Tax Reform... You Tube Video... Religous Tax Exemption Issue... Holy Cow Issue... AP... DF... Separation of Church and State Issue...
["NY Clergy Ask Legislators to Support Fair Share"; as submitted by FairTaxReform on March 26, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19aPAAH7MOE]
This video is posted with some inner conflict... for though it is great to see / hear some NY State Clergy speak out on behalf of tax reforms that would benefit (it appears) the poor... there are other members of the Clergy that don't appear to be too awfully concerned one way or the other... and some members of the clergy that make one wonder, as the song (by Three Non-Blonds) goes, "What's Up?"
Some churches are extremely "elegant" - to say the least - with some here in the City owning properties (with religious tax exemption status) over the 1 Million Dollar mark...
Should these churches (This would require legislative changes and such, to be sure) be taxed? Should these churches be taxed after they hit a certain monetary (often reflected in their property holdings) value?
Should the amount of people a church serves and how often and how "freely" minister to the community be a part of determining (along with the churches cumulative assets) whether a church (or other religious institution) is allowed full religious non-profit tax exemption, partial religious non-profit tax-exemption - or none?
There are certainly churches in the City of Kingston that are reaching out to the people, freely (or at very low cost) providing space for a lot of needed programs and otherwise staying involved in the community...
But there are also some churches in the City of Kingston that appear to be a bit exclusive... and there are some church properties - still on the City's religious tax exemption rolls (and the taxpayer's backs) that are actually sitting (some of this is big $$$$$ folks...) empty.
Which is an issue, along with the "good works" of some religious bodies (Thank you.) --- that I believe deserves a little "look see" around here...
What got me going on this sort of topic again?
Not the video, per se... Although it does strike me as ironic that the folks portrayed are speaking in beautiful "empty" churches about how "everyone" needs to chip in - in regard to taxes - during this economic crisis...
Instead, I was more provoked by a small article in Friday's "Daily Freeman" (DF) - titled, "New York Minister's Pay Package Causes Stir" (Associated Press; DF; 4/24/09; P. B5)
Quote:
"NEW YORK... The chairman of Manhattan's Riverside Church Council is defending the incoming senior minister's $600,000-plus salary package. Billy Jones says the Rev. Brad Braxton's pay package is comparable to those at similar-size congregations... It includes a $250,000 annual salary and $11,500 living allowance. It also covers housekeeping, entertainment, travel and personal development. And there's an annual payment into a fund for home purchase..."
Say "what?"
I don't expect ministers and such to live in hovels - but isn't the above a little beyond the beyond????? With the probable (although not absolute) factor of receiving religious tax-exempt status (in regard to income, housing, other?) as well...
Which leads me around to another topic I used to address more often... That being the necessity of (and, in many cases, the continued violation of) "separation of church and state."
Why?
Because this reveals that in at least some instances, religious folks that also engage in politics are quite likely (this is not an absolute) to have a serious TAX advantage over the regular politically minded guy or gal... who is more apt, in these cases, to have trouble (of course, other factors come into this, as well, like an already captive audience...) raising campaign funds - and/or to have their reputations smeared because they (trying to feed their family and campaign / run for office....) fell behind on their taxes at some point during their lifetime...
Fair is fair - and I think all of this deserves some serious scrutiny.
What do you think?
Peace, Love, Equality and Humane Justice,
NS
This video is posted with some inner conflict... for though it is great to see / hear some NY State Clergy speak out on behalf of tax reforms that would benefit (it appears) the poor... there are other members of the Clergy that don't appear to be too awfully concerned one way or the other... and some members of the clergy that make one wonder, as the song (by Three Non-Blonds) goes, "What's Up?"
Some churches are extremely "elegant" - to say the least - with some here in the City owning properties (with religious tax exemption status) over the 1 Million Dollar mark...
Should these churches (This would require legislative changes and such, to be sure) be taxed? Should these churches be taxed after they hit a certain monetary (often reflected in their property holdings) value?
Should the amount of people a church serves and how often and how "freely" minister to the community be a part of determining (along with the churches cumulative assets) whether a church (or other religious institution) is allowed full religious non-profit tax exemption, partial religious non-profit tax-exemption - or none?
There are certainly churches in the City of Kingston that are reaching out to the people, freely (or at very low cost) providing space for a lot of needed programs and otherwise staying involved in the community...
But there are also some churches in the City of Kingston that appear to be a bit exclusive... and there are some church properties - still on the City's religious tax exemption rolls (and the taxpayer's backs) that are actually sitting (some of this is big $$$$$ folks...) empty.
Which is an issue, along with the "good works" of some religious bodies (Thank you.) --- that I believe deserves a little "look see" around here...
What got me going on this sort of topic again?
Not the video, per se... Although it does strike me as ironic that the folks portrayed are speaking in beautiful "empty" churches about how "everyone" needs to chip in - in regard to taxes - during this economic crisis...
Instead, I was more provoked by a small article in Friday's "Daily Freeman" (DF) - titled, "New York Minister's Pay Package Causes Stir" (Associated Press; DF; 4/24/09; P. B5)
Quote:
"NEW YORK... The chairman of Manhattan's Riverside Church Council is defending the incoming senior minister's $600,000-plus salary package. Billy Jones says the Rev. Brad Braxton's pay package is comparable to those at similar-size congregations... It includes a $250,000 annual salary and $11,500 living allowance. It also covers housekeeping, entertainment, travel and personal development. And there's an annual payment into a fund for home purchase..."
Say "what?"
I don't expect ministers and such to live in hovels - but isn't the above a little beyond the beyond????? With the probable (although not absolute) factor of receiving religious tax-exempt status (in regard to income, housing, other?) as well...
Which leads me around to another topic I used to address more often... That being the necessity of (and, in many cases, the continued violation of) "separation of church and state."
Why?
Because this reveals that in at least some instances, religious folks that also engage in politics are quite likely (this is not an absolute) to have a serious TAX advantage over the regular politically minded guy or gal... who is more apt, in these cases, to have trouble (of course, other factors come into this, as well, like an already captive audience...) raising campaign funds - and/or to have their reputations smeared because they (trying to feed their family and campaign / run for office....) fell behind on their taxes at some point during their lifetime...
Fair is fair - and I think all of this deserves some serious scrutiny.
What do you think?
Peace, Love, Equality and Humane Justice,
NS
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