Kudos, Rep. Crowley - Speechless

Hats off, to our Queens Representative Joe Crowley for his extremely short but impactful speechless statement on the House floor

The video begins with a distance shot:

Last Fall the American People
Gave us our Marching Orders
Jobs Jobs Jobs ....

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

On Wisconsin, Go Ohio -- Saluting Labor

Labor / the working class is under attack in Wisconsin, in Ohio, in Indiana, and in a growing number of states with Republican governors. I am eagerly following the spirit and swell of support in Wisconsin but cannot forget my friends and family in Ohio. Today my ex-husband a lifelong teacher posted the following on Facebook -- it deserves more to read it than just his FB friends. How many teachers have worked a full day at school and done lesson plans and graded papers in the evenings and weekends to earn a decent living and a secure retirement? How dare Republicans give tax breaks to the wealthy and expect then to balance the budget on the backs of the working class! In Michael's words:

Michael J. Brennan

Yes I'm paid fairly well, today, by some middle class standards. But WTF, it took almost 40 years for me to get here and with two professional degrees and licensing. And above all else, I am not a parasite on my community or society. Lets have those who caused the problem be responsible for fixing. Now I know how Iraq felt when we invaded. "HUH? What did I do?"

8 hours ago ·  · 

• 
  

  You, Katerina Brennan, Sara Steward, Gina Ventre and 3 others like this.
• • 
    

    Michael Dylan Brennan 
    
    

    I seem to recall when you started, when you were a relatively new teacher with one small child and one on the way, that you juggled working as a short order cook just to make ends meet. My recollection may be foggy, I was very young at the time.
    
    I recall my own sister, who taught in NC -- a state without collective bargaining for educators -- having to work waitressing jobs while teaching in order to make ends meet -- before she threw it all in and walked away from teaching for more lucrative prospects.
    
    I was an adjunct instructor in a paralegal program -- hardly the same thing -- but I believe I know better than most non-teachers what work it is to teach. People compare the salaries of teachers to the wages of unskilled labor, and then cry that it isn't fair to pay so much to professionals holding professional degrees performing an extremely important function to our society and economy. What nonsense. What callousness. What shortsightedness. I want to ask, what color is the sky in their world? And today, if this bill passes, it would appear to be ... blue.
    
    There was a time, even just a few weeks ago, when I would have mouthed the words, "the unions were fine in their time, but..." And yet it is obvious now that the time has returned, if it had ever left at all. It is also obvious that, when given the opportunity, the Republican party is fine re-waging the battles of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, whether the issue be labor, abortion rights, civil rights, or any other societal or social improvement that tends to level the playing field. This is no longer conservatism -- it is a reactionary power grab.

    
    

    8 hours ago ·  ·  5 people
  • 
    

    Michael J. Brennan As usual your recollection is excellent. I worked as a short order cook at Manners Big Boy in the Ashtabula Plaza. Then Ed Millsapw took a leave of absence to earn his Master's Degree. I took over for him as department chairman and never gave it up (Ed didn't want it back) Which added the barely necessary supplement to our income. Then came Shandy Hall.
    

    7 hours ago · 

Why are promises to workers able to be so easily broken? I agree with Michael -- or perhaps he agrees with me -- the current system is wrong. They talk about shared sacrifice but the sacrifice is not labor's to make. We the middle class working folk continue to suffer from the Reagan legacy. Restore the Reagan tax cuts. The wealthy who benefitted from the outrageous policies which have wrecked our economy should pay to fix it. Not us. We've already given.

On Wisconsin, good luck Ohio, God bless us the workers of the United States of America.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Thank you, Senator Bernie Sanders

I salute and thank Senator Bernie Sanders for his wonderful and informative filibuster he conducted on Friday, December 10, 2010 on the Senate floor. The crux of his nearly nine hour filibuster is found in his earlier Senate speech of November 30, 2010, seen here, aptly titled This Economy's Winners and Losers. It discusses economic facts and legislative agenda being pushed. (For example, re the so-called death tax that certain Republicans want to eliminate: "If the estate tax is eliminated, all of the benefits will go to the top 3/10 of 1%. " So many are duped into thinking it affects THEIR tiny estates. If eliminated our deficit would be seriously impacted and we know whose programs would be cut.) Basically, the government must create a more fair playing field. All of us should be doing well. The greed and the extremes must be eliminated, by law and not by violence.

Please listen to Bernie and call or write him your thanks. I think I shall even send a follow-up snail mail. Sadly, the corporate media today has buried this story. WE must not only thank Bernie but also reverberate his message far and wide.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Post election thoughts

While the GOP takes over the House, the Dems still maintain the Senate and the Presidency. Instead of concentrating on healing wounds and creating jobs here, President Obama is off the India, Korea, "the East", and I am upset. Is this how he repays the unions who worked for Democratic candidates? Let's give away more jobs to India and the like!!?!!

I wish President Obama would concentrate more on OUR country first. I want what other countries have: affordable education and healthcare. I want peace and prosperity for Americans. Forget the warfare (albeit it is the one industry we seem to still have) and selling armaments to countries so they can threaten others. He should be listening to Dennis Kucinich.



And let the Bush ten-year tax cuts expire. If everyone can get a cut on the first $250K, fine, but otherwise, I/we can and should live without a cut which only adds to the deficit. Our vision should be jobs and peace and affordable education. Here. Now. For everyone. Not just a good life for the top 1% or 2% but for ALL of us. (And that means our seniors, too: preserve Social Security by raising the cap -- forget about raising the retirement age or gambling SS$ on Wall Street. It is insurance, not an investment program.)

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Hoot out Alan Simpson

Took a vacation day as there is much to do on my to-do list still (always) but I must react to Alan Simpson's remarks to OWL. (Also more here.) I have tweeted, called 202-456-1111 [White House Comment Line], Facebooked, and left this message at WhiteHouse.gov/contact:

Alan Simpson's remark to OWL show how totally inappropriate he is to co-chair the Debt Reduction Commission. He doesn't understand how Social Security is funded, by our Social Security tax dollars (FICA etc.) and he does not wish to honor the promise made to those of us paying in for years. Instead, the money we paid is supposedly borrowed for other things and doesn't need to be paid to us the bond holders for our Social Security needs.

Like with healthcare, Republicans like Alan Simpson think we older people should DIE QUICKLY -- so he can give tax breaks to the upper 2% no doubt.

I'm not collecting Social Security yet but I hope I live long enough to collect it. And I see how my aunt's funds have been depleted. If anything, the CAP must be RAISED on the special SS tax AND the way the cost of living is figured must be judged by the things older people buy/spend their money on. If anything, Social Security should be DOUBLED to STIMULATE THE ECONOMY. Thank you.

And we continue to spend money for war instead of supporting the working people and the elderly. ACT. SPEAK UP. Thank YOU.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Beyond War, A New Economy is Possible

Yes, there were thousands (not hundreds as AP and Reuters reported) at the United for Peace and Justice April 4th National March on Wall Street, with its commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Beyond Vietnam speech by presenting his vision of a world without poverty, war and racism through the message, "Beyond War, A New Economy is Possible". Long sentence and a long busy week but I have finally uploaded my photos of the march to Flickr and have documented some other good pictures on Flickr from the day because the corporate media did not provide much documentation.

Of particular note is Diane Green Lent's Beyond War set. And Wesley Chen had some great photos in his National March on Wall Street set. Tom Davis from Wilmington DE had some beauties in his set, also entitled, National March on Wall Street. [Be sure to check out his other stuff: wow!] Okay, it was Toronto but Jason Ainsworth documented a Toronto April 4th peace march/anti-war protest. And covering the Friday Wall Street event was a graphic arts student Hushable, who included some National March on Wall Street April 3rd pix along with some pillow fight 2009 pix in her NYC set, but directly at this tagged link.



Howard, Margaret, and Pierre

As for me, on the actual day I was happy snapping photos and happier still to meet up with fellow NYFOR member and playwright Howard Pflanzer. He introduced me to Margaret and Pierre from Baltimore and I wish I had their picture of both of us together but we have a photo of them with Howard. On the march Howard also clued me in on the Stella D'Oro cookie factory strike and boycott, so appropriate to the message of the day and there were members of their union marching. [See strike website for further info.]





NY Fellowship of Reconciliation's Kate Anne

Reaching Battery Park, we encountered Button Buddha (and Buddhist Peace Fellowship member) Ruth Klein who was having trouble displaying her wonderful buttons with the 30 mile per hour gusts of wind. My friend needed me so that is where I ended my march and it was a good place to see other marchers enter the park: thousands, not hundreds. Ah, the corporate media. But let's speak up for truth and a peace economy which values and benefits the working people of the U.S.A. (and the world) more than corporations.




Ruth Klein and button lover
We need money less for Wall Street and more for healthcare, education, and non-armament industry U.S. jobs. If there is no new war then we can shut down some of those armament plants -- and couldn't we put the employees to work doing something else that is life-giving and/or life preserving? We need a good trade policy that keeps good jobs here. Let's demand it. We did on April 4th and we must continue this righteous demand for Martin Luther King's dream for a better America and a better world, without war, poverty and racism.

Amen! And peace hugs,
Kate Anne

PS Just found another good Flickr set from April 4th, that of Michael Borkson of Boston.