Wednesday, 1 February 2012

One Person, One Vote? Hardly.

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It’s painful to admit, but a voter in rural upstate New York has more clout than I do or you do, if you live in New York City or its suburbs. It’s been that way for a while, but it would get much worse with the ridiculous new maps drawn in Albany by the Republican-dominated New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. Scientific as it may sound, the task force is not the nonpartisan group promised by 52 of 63 state senators (83%) when they ran for office in 2010.

  • Fifty percent of the new Senate districts are more than three percent larger or smaller than the average population size. Guess which ones are overstuffed with Democrats.  Naturally, this limits the number of Democratic-leaning districts.  That’s convenient.
  • Latinos in Suffolk County and African Americans in Nassau County found their populations split between districts so their clout is diminished to the benefit of Republicans.  How surprising.
  • Six Democrats find themselves running for re-election against other Democrats; funny this didn’t happen to Republicans.

These maps give new meaning to the term “gerrymandering.” You can look at them here: interactive map. Election Day 2012 may seem far away, but there is something you can do to demand that new, fairer districts be drawn that restore the principle of one vote per person.

Read More …

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Tuesday, 31 January 2012
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On Education Reform and Protecting the Worst Teachers

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The state is currently at an impasse. The federal government is threatening to withhold some $1 billion dollars in education aid if the stakeholders in New York do not agree on a teacher evaluation system. The best option for students and teachers would be for all of the players to agree on a fair evaluation system in the near future to avoid losing that money, and more importantly, ensure that every student has quality teachers and a good education.

The current impasse is pretty much the same one that has bedeviled education reform efforts for decades. Governor Cuomo wants teachers to be rated on their students’ standardized test scores, and the NY State Teachers Union (NYSUT) is rejecting that as arbitrary and unfair.

Read More …

[ Photo: Flickr: mikecollar ]

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Saturday, 28 January 2012

The Spell of Wall Street

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“Seek first to understand, then be understood.”
-Anonymous

Understanding Wall Street mentality is a bit like understanding military mentality. There’s something utterly profound when brothers in arms pull together in the heat of battle and persevere. Wall Street fancies itself to be like the military. The place is rich soil for military quotes and references and “war stories”. Making money in adverse conditions is viewed as an act of valor, a display of incredible courage. Many in a decision-making position have “killed” or “been killed” at least once.

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7 Comments
Friday, 27 January 2012
Gerrymandering Examples

Governor Cuomo: Veto Those Lines!

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CALL GOVERNOR CUOMO TODAY AT (518) 474-8390. URGE HIM TO STAND BY HIS PLEDGE TO VETO GERRYMANDERED DISTRICT LINES. NEW YORK NEEDS HONEST REDISTRICTING AND FAIR ELECTIONS!

January 27, 2012

The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo:

As a leading progressive organization in New York State, ACT NOW has worked for the past year in support of your proposal for the creation of a non-partisan redistricting commission and in support of your pledge to veto any district lines that come from a flawed, incumbent-driven process.

During that time, we have appreciated your efforts on independent redistricting and have been severely disappointed with the legislators who failed to enact your excellent plan. In particular, we are disheartened with the legislators who signed pledges during the 2010 election cycle stating their support for independent redistricting and then took positions in opposition to it during the 2011 Legislative Session.

As a result of the inaction of our legislators, the work of the Legislative Task Force on Redistricting and Reapportionment (LATFOR) was allowed to continue. This week, LATFOR released the first draft of the new district lines in New York State. Upon seeing the proposed LATFOR lines, we have a number of objections, that include: Read More …

[ Above: Three of many absurd proposed districts by NY State LATFOR ]

14 Comments
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Steel plant

The Problem with “American Jobs”

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As the opening to his re-election campaign, President Obama’s rousing State of the Union address laid out a vision for a renewed American social compact, one in which hard work and responsibility offer everyone a decent life. It was a stirring message, aptly crystallizing the central theme of the 2012 campaign: Does our economy work for everyone?  Or does it just work for the lucky, wealthy, or unusually talented few?

One of the reliable applause lines in the speech – and in politics more generally – was about saving and creating American jobs.  The President assailed American companies that “outsource jobs” and “avoid paying [their] fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas.” President Obama is absolutely right on that latter point: it’s time for American corporations to stop shirking their tax responsibilities through complex accounting and putting subsidiaries in tax havens like the Cayman Islands.  In fact, as I wrote in a recent blog post, Congress’s latest desire to give these corporations a “tax holiday” to repatriate profits to the United States is both economically foolish and morally unacceptable.

As for outsourcing, though, I have a problem: I’m not sure that I believe in such a thing as an “American job.”  Of course, I believe in the literal fact that there are jobs in the United States, that they are primarily filled by American workers, and that they are at companies with headquarters in the U.S.  But, at a broader level, I worry about the notion of “American jobs”: it suggests that the United States has a moral claim on these jobs, that workers in other countries who do work that was once done by Americans are not entitled to that work.

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[ Above: Steel plant by Flickr: LibraryArchives ]

11 Comments
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
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Fireside Chat with Sen. Liz Krueger

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There may not have been a fireplace, but last Thursday ACT NOW was honored to have progressive champion State Senator Liz Krueger (26th District) over for an informal “fireside chat.”  As she approaches her 10th anniversary in office, Liz is certainly turning up the heat on in Albany on key progressive issues.

We talked with Sen. Krueger about redistricting reform in New York State, a subject dear to ACT NOW’s heart and on which we have worked tirelessly since last winter.  Liz spoke about Senate Republicans’ recently disclosed plan to add a 63rd Senate seat in a transparent attempt to hold on to their decades-long majority in this heavily Democratic state.  And she urged progressives to stand firm in calling on Gov. Cuomo to veto partisan district lines drawn by the legislature that do not fairly represent the voters of New York.  We also talked about public financing of elections, for which both the Senator and ACT NOW have long been outspoken advocates.  Liz’s bottom line on independent redistricting and public financing was simple:  New York doesn’t have to choose between fair district lines and fair elections — we can do both.

The Senator also discussed her advocacy for a Senate resolution reaffirming the reproductive health rights of New Yorkers — and how it ended up being sanitized by Senate Republicans to omit any mention of family planning, contraception, or reproductive rights!  It’s a stark reminder of the challenges that progressive values face this election year, in which every Republican candidate for president has sworn to overturn Roe v. Wade.  We also thanked the Senator for her vigorous opposition to hydrofracking in New York State, a practice that would enrich energy companies by putting our environment at risk of catastrophe.

Finally, Sen. Krueger spoke about her No Bad Apples PAC, a continuing initiative to recruit Good Government Democrats to run for Senate across the state and help them win.  And she reminded us that there is much work to be done in 2012 to help elect a progressive State Senate that reflects the values and the priorities of New York.

[ Above: Sen. Liz Krueger (D-26) by Lenny Braman ]

2 Comments
Tuesday, 24 January 2012

State of the Union Watch Party

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Join ACT NOW, Greater NYC for Change, Democracy for New York City, and many more progressive groups, on Tuesday, January 24th, as we watch President Barack Obama deliver the State of the Union Address. Come on down, and bring your friends!

Date: Tuesday, January 24th

Time: 7PM-11PM

Location: The Forum, 4th Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets

RSVP below.

Brooklynites,  join Drinking Liberally (and other ACT NOWers too cold to trek into the city) at Building on Bond (112 Bond @ Pacific) at 7PM.

R.S.V.P….

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Sunday, 22 January 2012
restaurant kitchen

Serve With Care

by Guest Contributor Cari Jackson

Recent food writing has made much ado about how our food travels from the farm to our kitchens. But far less has been written about the journey from the restaurant kitchen to your dining table. While we’re cheerfully indulging in a delicious meal, craning for quick service, and self-righteously contemplating whether our server earned a 15 or 25 percent tip, the restaurant workers have most likely been toiling under poverty level wages, with no benefits, and little chance for promotion.

The restaurant industry in America, one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy, employs 10 million workers. Yet, more than half of those workers live below the federal poverty line for a family of three. At a minimum wage of $2.13 per hour, waiters and waitresses have three times the poverty rate of the rest of the U.S. workforce, according to Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC). And the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the average hourly wage of restaurant employees (including tips) at approximately half the average wage across all private sector jobs.

Read More …

[ Photo: Flickr: Wonderlane ]

One Comment
Thursday, 19 January 2012

Global Risks 2012

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One of the more interesting items circulating around Wharton this week is the Global Risks 2012 report, co-written by the Wharton Center for Risk Management.  Though directed primarily at the financial industry, the report aggregates and analyzes the thinking of “469 experts and industry leaders” from government, corporations, NGOs, and international organizations.  It’s valuable reading for anyone who wants to know what the world’s elite is worried about in 2012.

Top 5 Global Risks Source: Global Risks 2012 report

Most interesting is the prominence of “Severe Income Disparity” as a “High Impact” and “High Likelihood” risk, along with “Chronic Fiscal Imbalances” and “Water Supply Crises.”  Even more notable is the fact that, until this year’s survey, Severe Income Disparity was not rated among even the top 5 “most likely” risks (from 2007 – 2011).  This year, it is number one.

Read More …

2 Comments
Thursday, 19 January 2012

Governor Cuomo: We’re Counting on You for Redistricting Reform

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CALL GOVERNOR CUOMO TODAY AT (518) 474-8390 TO SAY  YOU SUPPORT HIS PLEDGE TO VETO GERRYMANDERED DISTRICT LINES. NEW YORK NEEDS HONEST REDISTRICTING AND FAIR ELECTIONS!

December 19, 2011

The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo:

As the 2012 Legislative Session approaches and a variety of difficult budgetary and legislative issues await, we strongly implore you to uphold your commitment to veto legislative district lines that are not created from an independent process. As a leading progressive organization in New York State, we believe that any system that allows legislators to craft their own district lines, especially in a re-election year, is an affront to the democratic process. Read More …

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