This week at progressive state blogs is designed specifically to focus attention on the writing and analysis of people focused on their home turf. Let me know via comments or Kosmail if you have a favorite state- or city-based blog you think I should be watching. Here is the September 24 edition. Inclusion of a blog post does not necessarily indicate my agreement with—or endorsement of—its contents.
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A staffer at the Left Hook of California writes—San Jose Workers Rally Against High Rise Developers:
Today, more than 1,000 local construction trade workers gathered to rally against developers and land speculators like KT Urban for failing to hire local skilled workers and pay them middle-class family sustainable wages. KT Urban is currently developing its latest high-rise, luxury condominium project, Silvery Towers, in downtown San Jose.
Workers also urged San Jose elected officials to create good public policy that holds developers accountable to hire local workers, pay a family sustainable wage and support apprenticeship and veteran’s job creation efforts.
While development is booming, companies like KT Urban are exploiting workers and making it increasing difficult for our local construction trade workers to support their families and meet their basic needs.
Cowgirl herself Montana Cowgirl writes—Candidate offended by “positions other than missionary”:
The Cowgirl Blog recently described Kristin Juras’s 2009 activism against a harmless sex column that used to run in the college newspaper at the University of Montana. Juras is a right-wing social conservative running for state Supreme Court.
Now a big flap is underway, because Juras has been caught in a lie by student journalists at the Montana Kaimin, who later caught noticed Juras had removed the lie from her Facebook page after their story came out. Here’s straight from the Missoulian:
Juras said the column in the student newspaper was discontinued following the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation into the handling of sexual assault cases by the Missoula Police Department, Missoula County Attorney’s Office and UM police. I
In fact, the column was discontinued in 2009 because Pallares graduated, though a sex column has existed in some form in the Kaimin since.
Bess Pallares, the UM student (since graduated) who used to pen the column, was outraged at Juras’ suggestion and all that it implied, and is speaking out. Pallares and Juras have now been interviewed for a piece in the Missoulian, published yesterday, about the continuing controversy.
The best part of the interview with Juras is when she explains that the reason she didn’t like the sex column is that “there were articles about better positions than missionary.” To each her own, I say. But don’t impose your bizarre brand of social conservatism on the rest of us.
Chuck Sheketoff at Blue Oregon writes—No, Gov. Brownback: You’re definitely not in Kansas anymore:
Someone — it's not clear exactly who — had the idea of bringing Kansas Governor Sam Brownback to Oregon to lecture our state on tax policy, specifically regarding Measure 97.
That’s like bringing the Governor of Michigan to tell us how make our drinking water safe. [...]
You see, Brownback’s tax policies wrecked the Kansas economy and budget. When he took office, he pushed through massive tax cuts mainly benefitting the wealthy. Brownback promised economic prosperity, but the opposite occurred. The economy shrank after the tax cuts took effect. And even after it began growing again, the Kansas economy continued to lag behind the national economy.
The economic hit caused a collapse in revenue collections, which in turn led to deep cuts to education and other vital public services. [...]
In short, Gov. Brownback’s Kansas experiment is a cautionary tale on what not to do on tax policy. Brownback is the last person someone should take tax policy advice from.
Andy Schmookler at Blue Virginia writes—What (If Anything) Does Donald Trump Respect?
Perhaps most remarkable has been Trump’s consistent disrespect of truthfulness. The L.A. Times has said, “Never in modern presidential politics has a major candidate made false statements as routinely as Trump has.” And the Pulitzer-prize-winning fact-checking organization, Politifact, has found eight times as many “pants-on-fire” level falsehoods among Trump’s statements as among those of his Democratic opponent. [...]
Perhaps most important for Americans to ponder before casting their votes is how much respect has Trump shown for the Constitution. Here the pattern of disrespect is no different: he has foretold actions he would take as president that would usurp the powers of Congress, curtail the ability of the press to criticize him, and impose unconstitutional forms of discrimination based on religion. The conservative National Review recently criticized Trump’s autocratic view of the presidency as “A Constitution of One.”
This pattern poses a problem bigger than liberal vs. conservative policies.
The attitude of respect — for people and for America’s norms and laws — seems alien to Mr. Trump’s character. What basis, then, is there for believing that — in wielding the mighty powers of the presidency — he will be governed by anything but his own will and his own self-regard?
Lisa Sorg at The Progressive Pulse of North Carolina writes—Lt. Gov. Dan Forest warns farmers of ‘environmental terrorism’
The aroma of hog waste hung in curtains of humidity outside the Duplin County Event Center last night, where inside, in the air-conditioning, 400 or so farmers and their families enjoyed pork loin sandwiches.
The agriculture forum was attended by several elected state officials, including Gov. Pat McCrory and Lt. Gov. Dan Forest. An architect by trade, Forest sported dungarees and a plaid shirt, then warned the crowd that “environmental terrorism is coming after you, trying to shut down your businesses while you’re trying to work harder and harder.”
Environmental terrorism has become a common refrain in the McCrory administration, although no one in state government, publicly anyway, has identified the bogeyman. Based in New York City, The Waterkeeper Alliance, is the most likely target. The nonprofit group has national and international affiliates, including about a dozen riverkeepers/watchdogs in North Carolina. They are demanding better environmental protections for communities, particularly minorities, who live near giant hog farms and their waste lagoons.
The NC Department of Environmental Quality has asked the EPA’s Office of Civil Rights to reject a complaint over the permitting of lagoons. The complaint was filed by the alliance, REACH, NC Environmental Justice Network and the UNC Center on Civil Rights.
Bill Raden at Dick and Sharon’s L.A. Progressive writes—Saving School Districts:
Four years ago California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 30, the emergency ballot measure that Governor Jerry Brown and state education leaders had argued was needed to rescue public schools and community colleges from the fiscal free-fall of the 2008 Great Recession.
The good news, according to the California school teachers and officials, parents, college professors, health-care advocates and economic researchers interviewed by Capital & Main for this series, is that the initiative not only performed as advertised, but it may be the most spectacularly successful ballot initiative in the state’s notoriously uneven history of direct democracy.
By raising income taxes on the wealthy and the sales tax on everyone, Prop. 30 dramatically stabilized school funding in the wake of the recession, averting thousands of new teacher layoffs while beginning the work of restoring the jobs and programs lost during the first years of the crisis.
By raising income taxes on the wealthy and the sales tax on everyone, Prop. 30 dramatically stabilized school funding in the wake of the recession, averting thousands of new teacher layoffs while beginning the work of restoring the jobs and programs lost during the first years of the crisis. It was also instrumental in allowing the state legislature to balance its budget for the first time in years without slashing social programs.
Together with a recovering economy, the temporary tax measure has to date reinvested more than $31.2 billion in preschool, K-12, and community colleges. By boosting per-pupil funding by more than 14 percent, Prop. 30 bumped the state’s Great Recession-battered national ranking from dead last in 2010-11 to 40th among all states at $10,493 per student in 2016-17.
decinminyan at Blue Jersey writes—Hypocrisy in Burlington County:
Suppose you and your boss have agreed to a fair salary. You do a satisfactory job. You get compensated for your efforts.
Now suppose a percentage of your compensation is deposited in a 401(K) or similar account. It’s still your money. While there are tax implications on when and how you obtain that money, it’s still yours – payment by your employer for work performed. Anyone else who takes that money is doing nothing less than robbing you of one of your assets. If you leave your job, you’re able to negotiate another job with a different set of salary and benefits. The money you saved up from your previous job is still yours.
Since he took office, Governor Christie has robbed public employees of their deferred compensation. This is nothing less than breach of contract. And now, the Republican Burlington County Board of Freeholders is channeling the worst of Christie for blatantly political means.
Last night, the Freeholders passed a resolution stating that anyone receiving a public pension cannot be hired by the county. The only reason they passed this resolution is because a Democrat, Jim Kostopolis, is running for Sheriff and is currently collecting a pension from his previous law enforcement gigs. (It should be noted that his opponent has no experience as a law enforcement officer).
By statute, the compensation for the position of Burlington County Sheriff is $120,000 per year. You can argue all day whether that is too high, too low, or just right. The point is, if someone is doing the job as sheriff, they are compensated for that work – whether or not they have other sources of income.
It’s popular to rail against “double-dipping” because it implies that people are getting something for nothing. But pensions are nothing more than deferred earned compensation. If pension benefits need to be reformed, that’s fine. But don’t do it retroactively. That’s nothing less than breach of contract.
At Beach Peanuts of Florida, Martha Jackovics writes—Rubio Gives Trump Benefit Of The Doubt On Alleged Violation Of Cuban Embargo:
Kurt Eichenwald published an article in Newsweek today that goes into great detail over business dealings by Donald Trump that may have violated the United States embargo against Cuba back in 1998 [...]
During his current run as the Republican nominee for President, Trump has bashed President Obama over his reduced sanctions against Cuba, so this news is just another example of Trump doing one thing while telling his supporters another, not to mention shining the light once again on his shady business and "charitable" dealings. The revelations will no doubt hurt his support among Cuban-Americans who favor what Trump has told them his views are versus his alleged violation of the embargo.
Meanwhile, Trump isn't the only one who has bashed the President over his stance on Cuba. Marco Rubio has been blatantly attacking him every chance he gets. So one would think that a violation of the embargo by the man he supports as President, Donald Trump, would be a deal breaker for that support.
Well, apparently one would be wrong to think that. Because upon hearing the news today, Rubio said he "was troubled" by the allegations. However, he went on to say this:
“The article makes some very serious and troubling allegations,” he [Rubio] said in a campaign statement. “I will reserve judgment until we know all the facts and Donald has been given the opportunity to respond.”
[...]
I'm guessing Rubio's response above was the first, and the last we'll hear from him on the subject.
Jason330 at Delaware Liberal writes—Trump was right to violate the US embargo of Cuba:
Henry David Thoreau wrote “Civil Disobedience” in response to his 1846 one night imprisonment for refusing to pay a poll tax that violated his conscience.
“Civil Disobedience,” became the blueprint for people like Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr and Donald Trump all of whom used principled, non-violence to battle injustice.
Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.
Thoreau’s call to stand for what one thinks is right no doubt informed Trump’s decision to break the ineffectual and injustice US embargo of Cuba in 1998. And while he may have blunted the social justice impact of his brave stand against our economic war on Cuba by lying about not breaking the embargo, that does not change the fact that Trump, like Che before him, put the people of Cuba ahead of a deleterious and morally corrupt US policy.
Shelby Steuart at Better Georgia writes—Ga. NAACP President lays out demands in Atlanta
As a few hundred people marched through Atlanta in peaceful demonstration on Friday, Ga. NAACP President Francys Johnson addressed the state and the nation. Although Johnson cited standing in solidarity with Tulsa and Charlotte as the primary reasons for the march, he also laid out demands for the future:
“We’re here tonight to stand in solidarity with Tulsa and Charlotte. And stand in solidarity to those who’ve lost their lives right here in Georgia. That black lives do matter.
“I believe that black lives matter. And if they matter, then the people who run this state – the people who we have elected to office will hear our legitimate demands.
“No more business as usual. There is a time to do what is right, and reform criminal justice. This system is broken. It’s been broken. But we intend to fix it. And if you don’t fix it then we will shut it down. Fix it – or shut it down.
“We demand: Common sense reform [...]
“We demand: More accountability for law enforcement officers engaged in killing black people, in killing white people, in killing brown people, in killing all people.
Although it was an overtly peaceful and unifying speech, Johnson takes a hard stance against police brutality, saying “if you don’t fix it then we will shut it down.”
William Tucker at Miscellany Blue of New Hampshire writes—Rep. Weyler attacks critics: Islam ‘preaching intolerance, hate, enslavement, and murder’:
State Rep. Ken Weyler, an influential 14-term lawmaker, made national headlines earlier this year when he argued that giving public assistance to Muslims is “aiding and abetting the enemy. That is treason.”
Today, the one-time deputy speaker and former chair of the powerful House Finance Committee again attacked Muslims with a letter to the editorpublished by the Portsmouth Herald in which he defended his controversial comments and lashed out at critics.
Weyler was apparently reacting to an op-ed and letter to the editor from Exeter writer and photographer Robert Azzi, who condemned Weyler’s remarks as “bigoted, deplorable — and unconstitutional.” [...]
“So here we have a religion preaching intolerance, hate, enslavement, and murder, and those who sound the alarm that we have this fomenting in our midst are called bigots,” Weyler wrote. “That is a word that is used for intolerant people. I ask you who to whom is it better applied?”
Dog Gone at MN Progressive Project writes—“Double-standard Donald” shoots himself in the foot in his mouth, again:
Trump lost to Hillary, badly, in the post debate campaigning.
His vaunted winning in unscientific polling is a lie; those polls where he did show ahead were hacked by 4chan and other alt-right white supremacist and neo-nazi thugs. Those are not ‘real’ numbers, and if he wants us to believe he is savvy enough to govern without prior experience, he better know this. It should concern everyone that when conservatives like Trump lose, when facts are against them, they respond by lying and cheating.
On the upside, at least this wasn’t rigging by Russians this time.
From the Daily Dot:
4chan and Reddit bombarded debate polls to declare Trump the winner
Donald Trump supporters artificially manipulated the results of online polls to create a false narrative that the Republican nominee won the first presidential debate on Monday night.
The efforts originated from users of the pro Trump Reddit community r/The_Donald and 4chan messaged boards, which bombarded around 70 polls, including those launched by Time, Fortune, and CNBC.
As Stephen Colbert noted, Trump also claimed he won a CBS poll………….except CBS didn’t DO a post-debate poll.