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Wizardkitten posted this on December 3rd, 2010. Fri Dec 03, 2010 at 19:21:02 PM EST
Powerful video from the AFL-CIO.
Strange comment on WOOD-TV news tonight claiming that Senator Stabenow's office told them that there will be a vote tomorrow on extending benefits – but I haven't seen that anywhere else yet, so I wouldn't run to the bank on that alone. There has been banter that the unemployment extension will be part of a huge trade-off for tax cuts for the rich – extending the college tuition break, business hiring break, the Making Work Pay credit from the Recovery Act, and even the debt ceiling argument, all thrown in for good measure. The Senate will vote on the middle class cuts only tomorrow at last report; it is expected to fail, but it sure will be nice to get some names on record. At this point, I don't care if we nail some Democrats on that as well – they want to play games with people's lives to hold out for tax cuts for the rich, I think we need to know about that, don't you?
And thanks goes out to Governor Granholm tonight for pushing this issue as well. While Snyder has been vague and non-committal about unemployment benefits (but he sure could lobby to have the feds waive interest payments so "business" doesn't have to pay higher unemployment taxes), the Governor used her radio address today to bring attention to the fact that not only is this about compassion for people who are just trying to pay the bills, buy food, and keep a roof over their head – it also creates jobs and helps the economy right now. She throws in a nice shot at Congress as well.
Extending unemployment benefits is not only the right thing to do; it's the right economic policy. Money from unemployment benefits is rapidly spent in the local economy at places like the grocery store, the corner pharmacy, the gas station – all stimulating demand.
It's estimated that employment in Michigan is about 42,000 jobs greater now because of emergency and extended unemployment benefits provided over the last [...]
Wizardkitten posted this on October 4th, 2010.
Mon Oct 04, 2010 at 22:46:31 PM EDT
Another day, more promises from Rick Snyder to restore funding to programs that Senate Republicans forced us to cut. Today it was the Pure Michigan campaign; let's use the Gongwer headline to get the full effect:
SNYDER CRITICIZES 'PURE MICHIGAN' CUT
Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder said Monday he would prioritize funding for the "Pure Michigan" tourism campaign and make sure it has enough money to last a full fiscal year.
Quick review on what has happened with Pure Michigan in the past year. During the budget bloodbath of '09, funding was cut to $5.4 million for FY 2009-10. That pretty much eliminates the campaign; you can't buy national TV advertising on that little of a budget. In December, House Democrats passed a plan that would have restored funding to the full $30 million. Senate Republicans would not act, and by the end of January, tourism officials and businesses were left pleading with the Legislature to please make a decision on funding, as they needed to get the ad buys in to be on the air by March.
Senate Republicans stalled through February, finally acting in the first week of March to add $9.5 million to the campaign, bringing the total to only half of what we needed. The House Democrats turned around and passed another plan in mid-March for the full funding – and the Senate Republicans, led by Nancy Cassis, shot it down again, leaving us at the $15 million mark for the year. The campaign finally hit the air late, and the decision was made to target only for the summer dollars. Fall and winter would then have to be canceled – and they were.
In May, Senate Republicans slashed funding again back down to $5.4 million for FY 2010-11. There it sat all summer until we got around to passing the budget in the final few days of September. Senate Democrats made an effort to restore at least $10 million to the campaign, and guess what? You got it, once again, Republicans said "No!"
"No one disputes the importance [...]
John Cherry posted this on July 3rd, 2008.
Video of the event is on YouTube.
About 50 energized Democrats joined Congressman Dale Kildee and I on the corner of Dort Highway and Davison Road this morning in Flint (click for a link to a story from WEYI about the event). We were just outside the rusting gate of the old AC Delco plant. Back in the fifties and sixties, during shift change, it was one of the busiest corners in Flint with thousands of workers streaming in and out of work.
Today, you are lucky to see anyone on the sidewalk outside the AC plant. What a surprise to Flint drivers to see signs of human life back at the corner, horns were beeping as Obama signs were lifted in salute. The occasion: Senator McCain's trip to Mexico to talk trade. Remember back, during the Michigan primary when Senator McCain told Michigan workers, "I have some bad news for you, there is going to be more job loss". Now we know why, Senator McCain has become Senator McSame.
Michigan has lost more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs over the past eight years due to the unfair trade policies of the Bush Administration. Michigan cannot afford four more years of shipping American jobs overseas. As Senator Jim Webb points out in his recent book, A Time to Fight, "Our current tax laws actually protect American corporations that move operations overseas, deferring taxes on any profits from these overseas operations unless the profits are brought back into the United States. This of course encourages American corporations to invest more heavily in additional overseas operations, further reducing opportunities for American workers."
This election is about more than just change, it is about survival of the American middle class. In my mind, patriotism is about saving the American Dream, and in that fight the only presidential candidate that I count on my side is Barack Obama. He will only support trade agreements that have strong labor and environmental standards. He will actually enforce existing trade agreements. He will help outsourced workers find new jobs, and we will provide retraining assistance before workers lose their jobs.
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