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Rep. Kucinich reaches out to you
Democracy for America members have been keeping the pressure up on the candidates for President. Starting with a primary petition in January demanding a strong Iraq plan and then again in April calling for action on the climate crisis, many of the democratic candidates have been responding directly to you.
Today, I'm excited to bring you two great responses from Representative Dennis Kucinich:
http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/kucinich
First, Representative Kucinich details his comprehensive plan to fight climate change. Kucinich wants "to make everything in this country about energy conservation" including international policy and trade agreements.
In the second video, Congressman Kucinich hits hard on Iraq: "I voted 100% of the time against funding this war, because I understood that – you fund this war – you reauthorize it all over again."
You won't hear responses like this at the primary debates or in a T.V. commercial. The mainstream media acts like it doesn't have time and won't pay attention to the specifics. But we will.
http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/kucinich
There are many great candidates running for President. It is up to each of us to find the candidate that best represents our views and do everything we can to help them win. A healthy primary challenge will make our eventual nominee stronger and the progressive movement more powerful. That's why DFA brings these videos directly to you as an honest broker in your decision making process. This is NOT an endorsement of Representative Kucinich's campaign. However, if you like what you hear today, you can join his campaign at:
http://kucinich.us
Thank you everything you do,
Tom Hughes
Executive Director
P.S. We will continue pressuring the candidates to take positions and share them directly with you. If your favorite candidate hasn't sent DFA a response yet, please contact the campaign and ask them why not.
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SPENCER MICHELS: The H-1B debate is playing out in Congress right now as an important element in the broader immigration discussions. President Bush recently called on Congress to raise the cap. Republican Senator John Cornyn has been leading efforts in the Senate to get more H-1B visas....
JIM LEHRER: The Senate deal on immigration reached today would raise the cap on H-1B visas to 115,000, which is nearly double the current number allowed, and it would open the door to future increases.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/social_issues/jan-june07/hthelp_05-17.html
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This is an attempt for American companies to "brain drain" the geniuses from all over the world, using the American life-style and amenities as a carrot on a stick. It saves both training costs and they work cheap too.
The downside is that we borrow megabucks to get a college degree and then cannot find a job to pay it back. -- Also, we steal the brain-power from poor countries, and allow some of them to steal our technical innovations if they return to their country of origin with knowledge accumulated here.
It is a lose-lose situation for American Engineering graduates, American professional workers, and for American high-tech in the long run.
Shiite politician to U.S. for checkup 42 minutes ago
BAGHDAD - The leader of Iraq's largest Shiite political party has left for the United States for medical checkups, an official at his office said Friday.
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This is interesting. President Talabani went to neighboring Jordan when he was sick. However, Hakim requires use of the American heathcare system. Have the Kurds fallen out of US favor? Then, you have director Michael Moore having to evacuate firefighters (American Heroes) from Ground Zero to receive healthcare in Cuba. Definitely interesting.
Monica Smith
Fri, 05/18/07
11:45 am
Reply to this
Dean is first. Fred, you know that.
=============
I don't mean to be blasphemous, but just individual and creative
and the mexican workers that are legal or illegal are being exploited by the corporrations that hire them. now by the politicians.
a fence? yea right that will keep them out.
Fred.
Unbelievable. Amazing, it was bad enough that the newly formed Computer Lobbying firm that hired Cheneys Chief of staff to head it up a couple years ago, made up of 10 of our countries top 10 computer companies have been lobbying to increase the visas, to finish driving down the salaries here. We have some of the most intelligent people that were being forced to take cuts in pay by 30 percent when the dot com bust occured and number of jobs decreased, engineers, etc.
And our elected officials are joining in driving down our jobs and salaries this way. Last year there were 50,000 jobs that they would not post, because then they would have to first offer them to US employees. They waited to get the increase in Visas. Latest poll showed people are having more difficulty now in filling jobs, because the cost of living and housing has increased so much that they need more money....so what's the answer? THIS. Nice, very nice.
For the jobs they can't ship overseas, they work on driving down the salaries, and our costs of living are shooting up the highest amount in decades, with housing at unaffordable.
The divide further growing...rich...to poor.
And I've spoken out plenty, written and called our reps as even the computer industry has spoken out and written many articles on. They are ignoring the realities for their business interests and helping destroy this country in the process.
I like the responses I've received. "we'll keep an eye on this so they don't abuse the system". Oh, Yeah, you're doing a great job.(sic)
Kucinich sure looks happy in his screen captures.
Thenk you Congressman Kucinich for clearly being consistent on your opposition to the Iraq war and occupation.
How exciting. Publix going green!!!
Boca-area residents upset as Publix closes for 6 months to become organic market
By Paola Iuspa-Abbott
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted May 18 2007
Folks in the sprawling community of Via Verde in western Boca Raton are having a hard time coping with the imminent loss of their neighborhood supermarket.
"Everybody is going to miss Publix," resident Angela Sullivan said, lamenting that the store on St. Andrews Boulevard, where she shops several times a week, is set to close Saturday night.
LocalLinks
"We are all disappointed, kind of heartbroken," she said. "My family and friends come from everywhere to shop at this store."
To some residents, life won't be the same after Saturday at 9 p.m.
"It was the best thing that happened to me when I moved here 16 years ago," Una Kohlman said about having the store so close to her home. "Everybody I talk to says losing Publix would be the worst thing ever."
Publix plans to close the store for six months to transform it into a natural and organic food market. It is not clear if traditional products would also be sold there, Publix spokeswoman Anne Hendricks said.
The new store will be named Publix GreenWise Market. Products will be minimally processed and have fewer, if any, artificial ingredients and preservatives. They will also be grown through methods designed to protect the environment and farm workers.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/s...
Good for Dennis K. Better late than never on Iraq. Linking energy to a national effort and to his peace proposals is great. Works Green Adminstration. Good idea. Would have like to hear other ideas as well. Cap and trade. Meeting targeted reductions - how?
Glad Kucinich is in the race. Democrats have a great selection this year and a range of people with much experience and conviction.
Now the Dems in Congress need to step up and stop COMPROMISING with Bushco. on Iraq, secret trade deals, on immigration. Sheesh, I'm beginning to wonder who actually won the majority in 2006?
The immigration deal is a dog of a bill. It will cost hundreds of billions of dollars, split up families, produce a bunch of second-class workers without protections, and create more problems than it solves. Kennedy is behind this dog?
Wow, again, you gotta wonder with the recent secret trade deal and this one, whether Democrats have lost their minds?
Fascism=America
AL, PLEAASE RUN=Assault on democracy should have been the title.
Al Gore
2008
Indy, Senator Kennedy and Senator Boxer have been behind these H1B Visas as well. So disappointing that they are selling out the workers and citizens this way.
Corporate Interests are completely taking over. We will have Communism before long.
Linda*in*SFNM
Fri, 05/18/07
12:10 pm
As good as a crop we have on the Democratic side, I wouldn't mind just one more. ;-)
Run, Al, run.
Gotta go before I further stress out over our fascist run government.
Al Gore is right, it takes courage to stand up to these Corporate interests and apparently that is one thing that is lacking.
Over time, fences on the border, expensive high-tech systems, massive numbers of people to guard 2000 miles, more jails to house deportations, an expanded bureaucracy to administer this torturous system....need I add more.
I will defer to CBO estimates or some other professional agencies, but the cost will be in the hundreds of billions.
Linda*in*SFNM
Fri, 05/18/07
12:15 pm
YES! And our own Democrats are now piling on to slurp up the power gravy. Read this and weep. Rangel and Baucus have formed a PAC to cash in on their support for the secret trade deals and their power position on Finance, etc. And lobbying reform now is on the ropes.....Makes me sick to my stomach.
Baucus, Rangel form PAC By Alexander Bolton April 17, 2007House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) have set up a joint fundraising committee to collect political contributions they are receiving from lobbyists hoping to win the lawmakers’ favor.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/baucus-rangel-form-pac-2007-04-16.html
I think it important to take immigration out of the next cycle debate to keep the right wing of the Republican Party from growing on populist trade issues that have little to do with this problem directly but can be demagogued into a divisive issue as a smoke sceen.
This might be the best that can get 60 votes. Needs a little tweaking around the family issue maybe.
Phil Specht
Fri, 05/18/07
12:20 pm
Phil, have you researched the Bill?
That's a joke. This Bill undermines labor. It will fail in the House. It is a classic case of trying to split the difference and making a camel out of a horse. Bush doesn't have the strength to push this through. It needs a lot more tweaking than the family issues. We'll probably end up with an ostrich. DOA.
Some of the best things about Rep Dennis Kucinich is that he doesn't give up or change his views according to which way the wind blows. This guy is tops in my book. Just wish he has more mainstream support.
Indy Steve
You right about the fence on the boarder. I watch a demostration where they built a 15 foot section of the same wall that is built in San Diego. Took the 15 hours to build a 15 foot section. 6 seperate groups of aliens from the south found ways around, over and through the walls. The most it took was 3 minutes.
7 billion and it will actuall make it easier for them to cross.
It would be a big mistake for Democrats to kill an immigration bill.
Joan* In*Florida
I volunteered for Denis before Dean. What ever his views, he is a mean and arogant person. He treats those working and volunterring for him like crap.
That gets an F. in my book.
Your right Phil, but I would like that bill to go after the true source which is emloyers willing to break the laws of the land to make a profit. I would also like to see our trade policy with South America and Mexico reflect our values of fair compensations for hard work. In other words Free trade only where labor markets are free to organize, unionize and were workers have rights and are fairly compensated.
Phil Specht
Fri, 05/18/07
12:26 pm
That depends if you really want to deal with the problem in a serious way, or whether you just want to politically remove it from the field. I'm for a problem-solving party, Phil. Which do you want?
19.
Baucus must go. He pushed the Part D plan as hard as he could to get it passed. Bad bill and he knew it. Dems can never trust this guy.
Unfortunately, Rangel is so firmly in place in his state I doubt he will never be voted out, regardless of what he does.
There was a very informative gal on C-span earlier this morning talking about lobbying and campaign financing. Great insight and information from her.
I'm not pro fence. I do believe a border matters.
My vision of America is one of a inclusive, diverse, welcoming country that harnesses the energy of upward mobility to pay for such things as social security through a larger national payroll where taxes are collected from everyone.
25.
tea,
That is a surprise to me. Thanks for that insight. Arrogance is not a quality that will get you elected as POTUS. Nevertheless, he is relentless in his positions and that I do like.
Linda*in*SFNM
Fri, 05/18/07
12:00 pm
15.
Linda*in*SFNM
Fri, 05/18/07
12:13 pm
Indy, Senator Kennedy and Senator Boxer have been behind these H1B Visas as well.12.
Indy Steve=====================Ten years ago, After borrowing $42,000 to get a computer science degree, I could not find an even low-tech computer job because importing geniuses had a ripple-effort all the way down the job-chain. There were too many experienced people looking for jobs. I was told by many foreign interviewers that I was "not qualified." At the same time there were "predictions" of a 250,000 high tech worker "shortage" a few years ahead. THIS WAS A FABRICATED CRISIS intended to push for importing more cherry-picked geniuses from around the world.We saw something like this in the late 1990s, when Congress cutback on subsidies to physician training hospitals, by paying them NOT to increase their residents for training. 3/4 of all training hospitals get $100,000 per year per resident from the Medicare program.The largest contributor to Congress in the preceeding decade was the AMA. They were a bigger spender on lobbying than Enron who had been the second biggest contributor to lobbyist for that decade. For years previous to the "training cutback" legislation AMA was festering propaganda to the press and lobbies of an impending "DOCTOR GLUT" God help us for having too many doctors with no sick people to care for. Health care costs have been increasing at double-digit rates since that legislation passed, circa 1999. It's all supply and demand.
BTW, Phil. Even Reid has reservations about this Bill. Now, of course, it has a long way to go. Who knows what the sausage-maker will do to it. But as it stands now. It's DOA.
It could be made worse for sure. But it is not GOOD by any means. I'm coming to the conclusion that this Congress will get nothing done. And that might not be such a bad thing with Bushco. and the far right rethugs in the bargaining mix.
Fold. Wait until 2009.
HERE IS A MORE READABLE VERSION OF THE POST IN PLAIN TEXT
8.
Linda*in*SFNM
Fri, 05/18/07
12:00 pm
15.
Linda*in*SFNM
Fri, 05/18/07
12:13 pm
Indy, Senator Kennedy and Senator Boxer have been behind these H1B Visas as well.
12.
Indy Steve
=====================
Ten years ago, After borrowing $42,000 to get a computer science degree, I could not find an even low-tech computer job because importing geniuses had a ripple-effort all the way down the job-chain. There were too many experienced people looking for jobs.
I was told by many foreign interviewers that I was "not qualified." At the same time there were "predictions" of a 250,000 high tech worker "shortage" a few years ahead. THIS WAS A FABRICATED CRISIS intended to push for importing more cherry-picked geniuses from around the world.
We saw something like this in the late 1990s, when Congress cutback on subsidies to physician training hospitals, by paying them NOT to increase their residents for training. 3/4 of all training hospitals get $100,000 per year per resident from the Medicare program.
The largest contributor to Congress in the preceeding decade was the AMA. They were a bigger spender on lobbying than Enron who had been the second biggest contributor to lobbyist for that decade.
For years previous to the "training cutback" legislation AMA was festering propaganda to the press and lobbies of an impending "DOCTOR GLUT"
God help us for having too many doctors with no sick people to care for. Health care costs have been increasing at double-digit rates since then. It's all supply and demand.
There is a need to bring our guests out of the shadows so they can't be exploited and have the chance to organize not just back home but here as well. And an anti-hispanic Democratic Party will lose the next election.
I'm all for trade as long as it is fair trade with a level playing field for environmental and labor laws.
The currency manipulation by China has cost many more jobs than those taken by out of status workers.
25.
teatimetim NE Ohio
Only recently did he change his image 5.0 to the more peaceful tone. LOL
Even at the DNC Winter meeting and the Media Conference in TN he was still angry and snippy. He managed to keep the same tone on his Real Time appearance and ended up doing a great job.
Phil Specht
Fri, 05/18/07
12:31 pm
Admirable goals. And this bill won't fulfill them.
It forces heads of households to go back to their countries and reapply for admission. Many of their children, however, are US citizens. It creates a very complicated system for monitoring and jailing them. It costs taxpayers billions every year for a fence on the border and high tech monitoring. And it creates a group of second class workers without protections which will undermine labor.
What's to like?
Any work done in a cubicle can be done in India or worse in China where the intellectual property is simply stolen.
The 50,000 jobs at issue should be here, there does need to be some recognition for "equal pay".
teatimetim NE Ohio
Fri, 05/18/07
12:28 pm
I've heard similar complaints about Ralph Nader from people who worked directly with him.
23.
Phil Specht
Fri, 05/18/07
12:26 pm
Reply to this
It would be a big mistake for Democrats to kill an immigration bill.
=================
Phil tell what group of common Americans would be in favor of importing geniuses taking our high-tech jobs, while abandoning those geniuses' own countries needs for brain power?
It is totally elitist in every way.
The H-1B increase would be very easy to kill. Nobody on left or right would gain by defending it. But they would all support it for the big bucks, in the dark of night.
Only the high-tech oligarchy would defend it.
31.
FRED from OR
I just told my hubby they latest...He said "that's about right. People are tired of getting shafted not getting jobs in High Tech or making a decent wage, they are stopping from taking the training now because they wised up, so now they will have to start bringing them in" LOL.
How in the heck can they re work NAFTA CAFTA and the complete SHAFTYA with workers and environmental rights built in, when they aren't able to stop from removing workers rights in our own country?
What's to like?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It creates 10 million new Democratic voters a decade from now because it does leave a path to citizenship. I'm amazed the Republicans went along.
need to go do some things,
will check back.
bbl
Phil Specht
Fri, 05/18/07
12:40 pm
Except for those who clean our houses, make our beds, do our landscaping and labor in our fields. For those, we'll let them in, provide few protections, won't let labor organize them here, and exploit the heck out of 'em. Are you for that?
Andy Stern and SEIU opposes this program.
Phil Specht
Fri, 05/18/07
12:43 pm
Phil, READ THE BILL! It creates a "path to citizenship" that looks like the road to hell. That's how they got Conservative support because they understand how meaningless it is.
No way is it acceptable to immigrant groups. What happens to the Hispanic vote when they are against it.
15.
Linda NM
I understood from what I saw yesterday that Kennedy is NOT onboard for this immigration bill as it stands now. Maybe I heard wrong.
No matter how it is solved we will always have immigrants, legal and illegal, working in the US. We already have laws mandating that employers cannot hire illegals from anywhere unless documented.
I do not buy into Lou Dobbs' hateful racist depiction of Illegal "aliens" stealing American job, bringing down wages. If we had a decent minimum wage here, their presence would make no different in that respect.
IMHO Dobbs reasons, as a dyed in the wool Republican (hiding under the label of a registered Independent) for spreading hate about illegal immigrants is because he knows they will vote predominantly Democrat. He speaks as if ALL our illegals were from south of the border. He carefully avoids any mention of other illegals.
Linda*in*SFNM
Fri, 05/18/07
12:42 pm
Shaftya, LOL! And they also abandoned LAFTA cuz that was what it was.
I've heard that the secret trade deal just completed with Pelosi-Bush has a provision that the US wouldn't be subject to the requirement for labor rights!! Right to work laws, restricting labor organization, etc. Now we're gonna hold others to higher standards than ourselves!! Sheesh.
Where ARE the real Democrats?
A bill needs to pass this session. Work on it.
Joan* In*Florida
Fri, 05/18/07
12:50 pm
I agree. Dobbs is a reactionary. And I'm for human rights and labor rights for all HUMAN BEINGS. It is a false argument that hard-working people (whether legal or not) result in diminishing incomes for all of us. Economics teaches the exact opposite.
Linda I check my DFA messages once a week, thanks for the thought, I'll get back to you.
Phil Specht
Fri, 05/18/07
12:57 pm
NO. Won't do it just to protect Democrats from some supposed threat.
Working backwards from a fatally compromised Bill won't result in anything progressive. Just like on Iraq, this process is flawed. Democrats have been showing themselves to be terrible negotiators on our behalf.
How many times do I have to say it? You don't start with the compromise and then work backward to something stronger!!
48.
Phil Specht
Fri, 05/18/07
12:57 pm
Reply to this
A bill needs to pass this session. Work on it.
==================
If that means killing more job prospects for American high-tech worker, and brain-draining poor countries of their human resources...
then I say no bill is better than a bad bill, and we [Democrats] can tell the American people about the snafu that killed it.
46.
Joan* In*Florida
I think there may be a misunderstanding. This morning I even heard him say this was the best he's seen yet. And I specifically remember their past support in increases even on the H1B Visas issue alone.
You know, they get rid of manufacturing, there are only so many other areas to target. The manufacturing jobs go first, then programming jobs go next, then you have designers and engineers for the actual designing. They need them here. Then you have the Scientist moving overseas. What will be left?
Kennedy is from MA. Lots of high tech companies there who want access to cheaper labor from abroad. I'm not saying he's bought or anything. But it's like the Washington State and California Senators. They want those high-tech H1B's.
Linda*in*SFNM
Fri, 05/18/07
1:03 pm
Variaton of the old saying. First they came for the laborers. But I was not a laborer so I did not resist. Then they came for the manufacturing workers, but I was not one so I did not resist. By the time they came for me, there was noone left to resist.
Now financial services, accounting, engineering and design are the next to move overseas. They can be done by Internet much cheaper. Who will be left?
the contribution is greatly diminished if they are part of an underground cash economy without any rights and can't even get a drivers license or insurance or into the social security system
A bill is needed this session to keep the reThugs from ginning up the hate and division.
54.
Indy Steve
Kennedy is from MA. Lots of high tech companies there who want access to cheaper labor from abroad.
===========
Its local pork, at the expense of the nation. I wonder what all the graduates from all those Universities in MA think about what this will do to their job prospects. I hope they flood him with emails.
56.
Phil Specht
Fri, 05/18/07
1:08 pm
...A bill is needed this session to keep the reThugs from ginning up the hate and division.
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so that end justifies any means?
reminds me of the old joke, that the less Congress does, the better off we are.
55.
Indy Steve
Fri, 05/18/07
1:07 pm
Variaton of the old saying. First they came for the laborers. But I was not a laborer so I did not resist.....By the time they came for me, there was noone left to resist.
----
Absolutely correct, imo!
That's the whole point of the WAR against working class (against middle class now).
Phil Specht
Fri, 05/18/07
1:08 pm
I agree with your comment on bringing them from the shadows. This Bill won't do that, however. I'm not sure with the kind of Congress we have now and a weak Bushco. (in this case, his weakness is a liability!) we'll get anything close to what you envision.
"Guest workers" is another word for exploited labor. Guest, my a$$. And they undermine labor. They don't contribute to social security because they'll never get it.
And few existing illegals will be able to either afford the money or the risk of the so-called "path to hell" citizenship. Phil, go do some research and tell me what you support specifically in this Bill and what you'd "settle" with. Cause this one aint it.
high-tech H1B's will take some of the jobs here or all of those jobs back home as the whole enterprise is outsourced
I'd rather they be case by case rather than industry by industry
and someone who lives here for a few years takes home an understanding of Americans.
just make the employers pay up in equal wages so it isn't leveraged to lower wages for all
sure it can be improved a little
Indy wrote "How many times do I have to say it? You don't start with the compromise and then work backward to something stronger!!"
You've said it enough. It was m
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By FRED from OR on May 18, 2007 11:19 AM EDTfirst is the American worker - both high and low tech - and the Mexicans who struggle to survive