News
Back at You, Glenn Beck
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 03/30/2011 - 19:35By Stephen Lerner of The Nation:
As an organizer, I go to a lot of meetings, panels and discussions and often leave feeling like I’m caught in the movie Groundhog Day, where I am reliving the same discussions and debates over and over again, and wondering if they hold any relevance for anyone else. That’s why I was so surprised when my secretly taped comments about the need to challenge Wall Street and corporate power using direct action, delivered on March 19 at the Left Forum in New York City, set off a right-wing firestorm.
Future jobs won’t support decent living standard: Report
Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 02:44It's most welcome news that job growth seems to be picking up again--even if we'll need a whole lot more of it to get back to where we were before the Great Recession.
Still, as we've reported, there's growing evidence that the new jobs, many of which are in sectors like retail, food services, and health care, simply aren't as good--in terms of wages, hours, and seniority--as the ones they're replacing. And a report released today only adds to the concern.
Making Capitalism More Creative
Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 02:46Capitalism has improved the lives of billions of people — something that's easy to forget at a time of great economic uncertainty. But it has left out billions more. They have great needs, but they can't express those needs in ways that matter to markets. So they are stuck in poverty, suffer from preventable diseases and never have a chance to make the most of their lives. Governments and nonprofit groups have an irreplaceable role in helping them, but it will take too long if they try to do it alone.
The first follower is what transforms the lone nut into a leader
Submitted by howdydo on Wed, 04/06/2011 - 05:56This is the best video EVER!! May we all strive to be the first follower (or at least the lone nut!)
Teacher fund managers paid $8.2 million in bonuses
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 04/25/2011 - 05:18The state teacher retirement fund's investment managers received more than $8.2 million in bonuses this year more than double what every other state agency's top employees have received combined since 2007, according to a newspaper's analysis.
The Dallas Morning News reported the results of its analysis in Sunday's edition at a time when about 300,000 retired teachers have gone 10 years without a pension increase and state lawmakers struggle with a budget shortfall that could leave tens of thousands of teachers out of work.
Why Texas and Austin Should Not Subsidize the Formula 1 Race Track
Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 06:02Richard Viktorin, Audits in the Public Interest, took the cake this legislative session by dredging up the real deal on planned subsidies for the billionaire owned Formula 1 race track.
The 'unconscionable' practice that Texas can't quit
Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 06:17In the middle of the past decade, when tax collections were so robust that politicians could legitimately boast about state budget surpluses, lawmakers couldn't kick their habit of collecting fees for one purpose and spending them on something else.
So you can imagine how tempting those fees are now that surpluses have become shortfalls.
State: Windstorm agency 'hazardous to the public'
Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 06:23Department of Insurance will now oversee operations; TWIA manager to be replaced -
The Texas Department of Insurance said Monday that it will begin overseeing the operations of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association an organization that the department said is "hazardous to the public."
During an emergency meeting, the board of the Windstorm Insurance Association — a quasi-governmental agency that serves as the insurer of last resort for homeowners in hurricane-prone coastal areas — also voted to begin the process to replace the general manager, Jim Oliver .
Rick Perry Rental Mansion Costs Texas $600,000 Amid $11B Budget Shortfall
Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 06:25With the state facing a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has spent almost $600,000 in public money during the past two years to live in a sprawling rental home in the hills above the capital, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.
Perry ally winds up federally funded commercialization project before 3rd year
Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 06:28The Innovate Texas Foundation was supposed to be a hub of economic activity, an enterprise that Gov. Rick Perry agreed to underwrite with nearly $2 million in federal tax money, with the possibility of more.
David Nance, a Perry friend and campaign contributor, hoped for big things for his foundation, where he made $125,000 a year while he rebounded from the bankruptcy of his previous company and started a new one.
Petition Launch Imminent to Force Election for Geographic Representation in City Elections
Submitted by Administrator on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 06:31Mayor Lee Leffingwell announced in his State of the City speech on February 25 that he wants to see a plan for increasing the size and geographic representation of the city council on the ballot in a November 2012 election.
The mayor’s proposal was only a day old when a group of Austin citizens—including liberals, conservatives and minorities—gathered at Huston-Tillotson University (HTU) to discuss forming a coalition to push its own plan through a petition drive that could get on the ballot this November.