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- Senate Bill 5 is dead, that is – Ohio Governor Kasich’s draconian overreach of a union-busting bill was utterly slaughtered today by 61% of the state’s voters. Sayonara to the Koch Brothers / Republican Party anti-worker agenda, at least in that vital swing state!
- Also today in Maine, where the Republican-dominated legislature and Governor had overturned the 40-year-old law allowing Maine voters to register on the same day that they vote – check it out – Maine voters by a similar huge margin brought it back! Desperate Republicans, at the last minute, even tried calling same-day registration GAY. Didn’t work.
- Meanwhile, ‘way down south in Mississippi, Republican anti-choice extremists put up a ballot initiative declaring personhood to begin at fertilization – outlawing not only abortion but many forms of birth control and fertility treatments, and even making miscarriages subject to criminal investigation. Mississippians flocked to the polls today… and JUST SAID NO to that rightwing government invasion of their lives and bodies. (Again, by an overwhelming margin.)
- Simultaneously in Kentucky, red Kentucky, the popular Democratic Governor and Attorney General were both resoundingly re-elected. Also tonight, the second-most powerful politician in Arizona, Republican Senate leader Russell Pearce, the author of the notorious anti-immigrant SB 1070 is well on his way to being recalled as I write, and has
all butconceded defeat.
- And so far, due to Operation Bank Transfer Day – last Saturday – and since the few weeks leading up to it, “more than $4.5 billion has shifted from big banks into the nation’s roughly 7,000 credit unions alone,” according to the Credit Union National Association. “Our branches had a flurry of activity, and we treated it as a celebration of community and a liberation from big-bank neglect,” said one community bank CEO. Meanwhile, the terrified big banks have reversed course on their planned massive fee hikes, hoping for mercy from our movement, which will not soon be forthcoming. Too big to fail? A problem we can fix.
- Further victories of the Occupy Movement? Let’s see, as the stodgy Calbuzz grudgingly admitted:
Rather astonishingly, the OWS movement has succeeded in less than two months in raising the nation’s consciousness, and moving onto its agenda, the ugly issue of what to do with a dysfunctional political system, fueled and sustained by big corporate and Wall Street money, that aids and abets a Third World-rank inequality gap among its citizens. In truth, it’s hard to imagine, six or even three months ago, the New York Times playing on Page 1 a CBO study about wealth inequality, or a top rank Washpost pundit opining thusly:
“In particular, growing inequalities of wealth and income – which should have been a central issue in American politics for at least a decade – are finally at the heart of our discourse. We are, at last, discussing the social and economic costs of concentrating more resources in the hands of the top sliver of our society.”
What’s the world coming to? Discuss!
Whatssssss Upppp Vern??? I thought the tea party was taking over America? not.
Well, now the layoffs begin. won the battle but lost the war.
Oh, they BEGIN, huh?
I LOVE IT!!! People have finally been riled to their senses.
Oh, yes Laura, now your buddies will be able to rip them off even more.
People have GOT to see these liberals, unions, and Public workers for what they are: greedy, spoiled, lazy, crooks!
Laura you either are a public school teacher or a union head! I BET!
You’re wrong on both guesses. Pay up, wretched troll. And why don’t you try to become a teacher if you’re so sure you can do better. Oh, yeah, that’s right, you can’t even write an intelligible sentence. If parents would teach their children manners, and socialize them properly, and not give into their every whim because they feel guilty about working so much to pay for the crap they don’t need, and if they would teach kids how to respect one another, I would bet that teachers would be able to spend a lot more time teaching and a lot less time undertaking the role of a parent. Based on the fine example you set here, Michelle, I would venture to bet that your mini trolls are also part of that problem…
My home state of Ohio done me proud yesterday. Now my town of Toledo needs to defeat the absurd novelty Congressional candidate, Joe the Plumber.
Can you go back and give your teaching job to someone who wants to teach!
Ohio is a good place for you to go, they don’t give a crap about having no money and screw the kids!
For the last time, oh deaf one, I’m not a teacher. What, you think everyone who supports unions is a teacher? Lame.
No, but you are attached someway! There is no doubt in my mind that YOU support them for a reason!
No one could accuse you of being “attached someway.”
No I’m not. Never been in a union in my life. Don’t work for one, don’t lobby for one, don’t spend money on one. But I do support them. That equation obviously rattles your little brain, but whatever. Deal with it.
You don’t have to work for one, your family might! There is no doubt in my mind that people support unions that are so corrupt in this country and have practically destroyed public education are either rich (send their kids to private) or have a vested interest in unions some way. Or you are extremely stupid!
I go for vested interest!
Because I would like to see unions in this country go bye, bye!
I have seen and know enough now in this country to see without a doubt that public unions in this country are really, really bad!
“It is essential that there should be organization of labor. This is an era of organization. Capital organizes and therefore labor must organize.”
Theodore Roosevelt
What if corporate America, wall street and their owners the pension funds, who pay the big dollars to the retired government people, decide to “Boycott” the occupiers?
“It is our right to refuse service to anyone” (corporate America)
The food stores are owned by wall street and corporate America, What if you went shopping and their was a picture of you protesting with the caption, Not welcome here, no service, no food for you.
It is a two way street, the street you use to drive on, but now Exxon and Mobil etc will not sell you gas.
What are you going to do? When they say “No Soup For You” (Seinfeld)
Ask not what your country can do for you … (Kennedy)
Get up off you dead ass and do it yourself (Cook)
Cook, are you really under the impression that “it is our right to refuse service to anyone” is federal law as opposed to a slogan behind the cash register?
Why don’t you go ask a corporate lawyer why they wouldn’t do this. I’d tell you myself, but I’m hoping that their screaming at you might wake you up.
So the Occupy crowd does contribute to the economy. You’re beginning to understand.
yes the occupy crowd does contribute , gov works , state employees contribute by taking our tax dollars . they contribute by smashing windows , pushing venders , starting fires , fights , pissing and craping in the OCCUPY location. the people are sick of this so called movement . cook is right the tax payers pay your salary what happens when the tax payers run out and say NO MORE .
I am part of the movement and I am a small business owner, tax payer, and a stimulator to the economy. Your broad brush analysis of everyone that supports the Occupiers is on the dole or is a “less than” is just not true.
Sure, there a few kooks out there, as there were at the Tea Bagger events.
That is not where the majority of their support comes from. Too bad that you aren’t aware enough to see the writing on the wall. The little guy has been getting screwed for a long time, it’s not fair, and it’s time that it changed. That time is now.
You can bury your head in your echo chamber, and believe something else, but people are fed up with the “too big to fail” crowd.
The tea party were just good people voicing their opinion. While the flea baggers are thugs, scumbags and losers. What you do for a living demawhack?
The little guy is being screwed by are own, whether it is in the government offices or in our schools, public that is!
The enemy is not in private offices, but public ones! Federal dollars is an endless supply for the corrupt in this country! Like Anon, your business is most likely attached to federal dollars in some way!
“The people are sick of this movement”, wishful thinking Mr. Supreme one.
Breaking news: Debt Crises in Italy sends Wall street tumbling 400 points. duh. Could be real crises. Could be speculators scam. Either way,not good for the people .
They have NO money in Ohio…..So what’s next, when the union wants to pay their lads and ladies more?
The governor should just cut his losses. Ya can’t help stupid people doing stupid things. The people voted to have themselves ripped off, cause they believed what known thugs said? I swear this world has produced a lot of dumbo’s and it’s going take time for them to wise up, if they ever do.
No mention in your post at all about the fact that Labor unions outspent the business community by $15,000,000 to defeat this bill. I suspect that would have been the headline if the circumstances were reversed – something like “Business Community Buys Vote.” I guess you don’t feel “Labor Unions Buy Vote” is as catchy.
I am referring to the Ohio 5.
Of course the union spent million they also spent million on having a whore elected as the new Superintendent is for California public schools, TORLAKSON!!!! The same bas**** who wrote all those bill for the unions for the QEIA and HPSG. More teachers, more money for the unions! The guy is a total union whore and the stupid people voted for the guy, not giving two hoots that he is a scumbag and a bought and pay for by the CTA!
Sorry for the typos, this one really gets my goat. People in this state need to really wise up and realize that the enemy is not corps, its union workers and the union. They are destroying our kids education and destroying this country. Liberal’s are union workers, union heads and the rich who gain from the government and the unions. And of course the idiots in Hollystupid!
gw they cry about how poor and bad things AND yet spend 15 mill to defeat it . simple math . tax payer pays txs , txs go to public employee. salaries =pensions , union wants more txs , tax payers say NO . = GOV BROKE . no what STRIKE ?
That’s some pretty good incoherent babbling there, GO. Same as usual!
“gw they cry about how poor and bad things AND yet spend 15 mill to defeat it”
That’s because over 60% of Ohio voters determined that they’d be better off, and the state would be better off, with public employees that have right to collectively bargain.
Oh and Geoff, are you trying to tell us that there’s partisan hypocrisy on both sides of the political aisle? Well thank you for your keen grasp of the obvious!
They spent $30,000,000 to defeat it ($15,000,000 more than the business community spent to pass it). No, the hypcrisy went to the fact that the difference in spending was not reported anywhere in the post and the fact that every time that the business community outspends the other sides there are howls and chants of “rigged,” “bought it” and “unfair” that you never hear when the labor side greatly outspends the business side.
What are you talking about? I just heard it from you. And other conservatives today.
You want to know why there is partisan hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle? It’s because people like you and Newbie (and partisan hacks on the left) are losing their ability to be objective about pretty damn close to anything.
On top of all that, Vern’s post provided extremely brief snapshot recaps of the elections yesterday. He didn’t mention spending in ANY of them. For you to glom onto that, as if he was SUPPOSED to mention spending, is kinda lame.
Sounds to me, then, like we should take serious steps to eliminate the corrosive effect of money in politics! That was your point, right?
No, merely that Vern screams every time the business community outspends the unions but stays silent when the reverse is true.
Maybe my tone is misunderstood through the pixels on the screen. What I recall is crowing in triumph when the workers’ side is victorious despite being outspent, or using the outspending as an explanation or excuse when we don’t quite make it.
Beyond that, I’m against the Citizens United ruling, think that no donations should be secret, and there should be a reasonable limit to them, on all sides.
Did labor really pour in as much as you say? (Do you have a link?) That’s impressive. Usually our side can’t keep up with the billionaires and corporations on yours.
no thats your calling card rap
Please take an objective look at how you present your perspectives. Don’t you think, really, that they look rambling, incoherent, and hysterical? Come on now.
Ohio has seen what happens when decent paying jobs are replaced with lower paying jobs and they have had enough. If you just keep cutting wages you destroy the ablity of consumers to purchase products and services. Somewhere somehow you have to break the cycle.
Geoff – the implication from your posts is that something is wrong with spending money to influence voters, or at least to spend a lot more than others. If that is not your point, I don’t get the point you are trying to make. And, if money flowing into campaigns is a bad thing, how do you feel about paid petition signature gatherers?