Monday, July 23, 2012

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRUMAN AWARDS

We are seeking your advice on which Santa Clarita Valley Democratic voter needs to be saluted for their work "over and beyond" the call of duties for the 2012 Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley TRUMAN AWARDS.

Please email your suggestion to : minwilli@gmail..com

Happy Birthday Mary DeCarlo and Renee Lancon


WE want to say Happy Birthday to Mary DeCarlo and Renee Lancon, members of the LACDP 37th Assembly District Representatives and here is our "happy salute"

Tuesday, May 1, 2012


Often the difference between a successful man and a failure is not one's better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on his ideas, to take a calculated risk, and to act. ~ Maxwell Maltz

Monday, April 16, 2012

Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month Poster Competition

EMERGENCY TRAINING PROGRAMS


htthttp://www.noahswaterfundraising.com/CERT_04-21/


Certified Emergency Training Program is having a refresher class. Interested citizens are encouraged to find out more on how to prepare for community, state and federal emergency situations. Does you family have a plan in place? Check them out also for new courses . . . Ask for  Donna Nuzzi
DNUZZI@santa-clarita.com 

Todd and I went and learned plenty. The last day community exercise really made it a little more real.

Peace out, Minerva

Message from Dr Gene Dorio for this weekend

MESSAGE FROM OUR SANTA CLARITA VALLEY GERONTOLOGIST:

I would like to let my friends and colleagues know I have been honored in being named by columnist Steve Lopez to a panel at the


Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Sunday, April, 22nd.


The 4-person panel is entitled: “Final Choices: Extending Life or Prolonging Death?” and is comprised of gerontology experts from USC, UCLA, and the Coalition of Compassionate Care.

For many years, Robin (pictured) and I have attended this worthy two-day event, and this year it will be at USC. Not only is it dedicated to the reading public, but controversial issues such as end-of-life care are presented to mold ideas and extract solutions to improve quality of life for our elder seniors.

Many activities, especially for kids are on stage, and most everything is free. But tickets ($1 charge online) for panels run out very quickly when they become available one week before on April 15th. There will be over 500 authors, and many will autograph their books for you and your kids.

So look through the schedule:

http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/program-schedule/

and should you find something of interest and if it requires a ticket, be ready on April 15th to get them.

Every year we look forward to this thought-provoking family activity and I encourage you to participate. Certainly, this year will be a little different for me. My hope will be that you’ll not only come to the panel, but also browse through the festival with curiosity and amazement to see how all of us are truly creative and different.


Gene

Quote of the day . . .

Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.



~ Walt Whitman

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

TIM BEN BOYDSTON . . . Santa Clarita City Council Voting Day April 10, 2012

We received the following absentee ballot notice from Deanna Hanashiro who is supporting Tim Ben Boydston for Santa Clarita City Council. Todd and I don't live in the election area so we hope this helps people find their polls today . . .


Santa Clarita Election Day Polling Locations.

Vote by mail ballots must be received by close of polls at 8:00 p.m., April 10, 2012.

Mail your ballot to City Clerk, P.O. Box 925, Santa Clarita, CA 91380-9100 or you may return your vote to any of the polling locations shown no later than 8:00 p.m. Election Day.

Precinct #1, Valencia Library, 23743 W. Valencia Blvd, 91355

Precinct #2, Valencia United Methodist Church, 25718 McBean Prkwy 91355

Precinct #3, James Foster Elementary School, 22500 Pamplico Drv, 91350

Precinct #5, Pinetree Community School, 29156 Lotusgarden Drv, 91387

Precinct #6, North Park Elementary School, 23335 W. Sunset Hills Drv, 91354

Precinct #9, Central Park, 27150 Bouquet Cnyn Rd, 91350

Precinct #11, Bridgeport Elementary School, 23670 Newhall Ranch Rd, 91355

Precinct #14, Greenbrier Mobile Estates, 21301 Soledad Canyon Rd, 91351

Precinct #15, First Presbyterian Church of Newhall, 24317 Newhall Av, 91321

Precinct #17, Valencia Library, 23743 W. Valencia Boulevard, 91355

Precinct #20, Valencia United Methodist Church, 25718 McBean Prkwy, 91355

Precinct #22, The Master's College-Gym Lobby, 21726 Placerita Cnyn Rd, 91321

Precinct #25, Old Orchard II HOA Clubhouse, 23919 Avenida Entrana, 91355

Precinct #29, Valley View Community School, 19414 Sierra Estates Drv, 91321

Precinct #31, Hart High school--Auditorium, 24825 N.Newhall Av, 91321

Precinct #40, Wiley canyon Elementary School, 24240 La Glorita Circle, 91321

Precinct #42, Canyon Country Park, 17615 Soledad Canyon Road, 91387

Precinct #50, Canyon Country Park, 17615 Soledad Canyon Road, 91387

Precinct #51, Saugus High School, 21900 Centurion Way, 91350

Precinct #52, Lamppost Pizza, 27661 Bouquet Canyon Road, 91350

Precinct #56, Fountain Glen at Valencia, 23941 Decoro Drive, 91354

Precinct #59, Grace Baptist Church, 22833 Copper Hill Drive, 91350

Precinct #61, Skyblue Mesa Elementary, 28040 Hardesty Avenue, 91351

Precinct #64, Activities Center--Room 3, 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway, 91351

Precinct #67, Canyon Country Library, 18601 Soledad Canyon Road, 91351

Precinct #70, Canyon Country Library, 18601 Soledad Canyon Road, 91351

Precinct #76, Friendly Valley Recreational Assoc, 19345 Avenue of the Oaks, 91321

Precinct #86, L.A. County Fire Station #123, 26321 N. Sand Canyon Rd, 91351

Precinct #113, Scenic Hills HOA Clubhouse, 26207 Rainbow Glen Drive, 91321

Thursday, April 5, 2012

"What is the ALEC Corporation"

"What is the ALEC Corporation?"
Compiled by Minerva L. Williams


Today, under pressure from Color of Change Coca Cola and Pepsi have announced their dropping their membership with the American Legislative Exchange Council. Depending on who you read the American Legislative Exchange Council also known as (ALEC) Corporation http://www.alec.org/
is not a front group but a powerful group of businesses and corporation leaders who are "right wing" conservatives and members of a “think tank” that support “federalism, limited government and free markets”. To see a list of sponsors please visit: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Template:About_ALEC
.
ALEC is also said to be a " public/private corporation that stresses workers right, privatizing education, dozen of states are asking environmental agencies to stop their harsh regulating of air pollution, and an immigration advocacy group. They are not a lobby group, nor are they a nonprofit” according to DemocracyNow! They have a huge group of law firms http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Corporations#Law_Firms, PAC's, advocacy groups and public relation firms at their disposal.  

The conservative organization is also an advocate behind the national proliferation of "stand your ground" gun law in Florida that has sparked national scrutiny due to the death of teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida.

According to ProPublic 23 states have adopted the “Stand your Ground” gun law they are as follows:


Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois (The law does not include a duty to retreat, which courts have interpreted as a right to expansive self-defense.), Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon (Also does not include a duty to retreat), South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington (does not include a duty to retreat), and West Virginia


Further one finds that they also supply pprison workers for the prison industrial employment programs throughout the United States while at the same time providing increased bottomlines for the corporations who use their services because the prisoners are being paid pennies on the dollar for the work done. This organization is also accused of finding legislation to keep more prisoners in prison to guarantee their corporate sponsors a captive workforce. The organization is also known to adopted state legislation with 800 modeled bills, however the authors of such bills are not indicated according to Lisa Graves, Executive Editor of Center for Media and Justice. http://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/03/11393/resources-investigating-alecnra-gun-bills.



As of 2011Corporate Sponsors include all of the following:


• CenterPoint 360, W. Preston Baldwin - Chairman


• Altria Group, Daniel Smith


• American Bail Coalition, William Carmichael, Jerry Watson


• AT&T, William Leahy


• Bayer Corp., Sandy Oliver


• Coca-Cola Company, Gene Rackley


• Diageo, Kenneth Lane


• Energy Future Holdings, Sano Blocker


• ExxonMobil Corporation, Randall Smith


• GlaxoSmithKline, John Del Giorno


• Intuit, Inc., Bernie McKay


• Johnson & Johnson, Don Bohn


• Koch Companies Public Sector, Mike Morgan


• Kraft Food, Inc., Derek Crawford


• Peabody Energy, Kelly Mader


• Pfizer Inc., Michael Hubert


• PhRMA, Jeff Bond


• Reed Elsevier, Inc., Teresa Jennings


• Reynolds American, David Powers


• Salt River Project, Russell Smoldon


• State Farm Insurance Co., Roland Spies


• United Parcel Service (UPS)[2], Richard McArdle


• Wal-Mart Stores, Maggie Sans


to name a few. For a comprehensive list, please link: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Corporations



The Nation Magazine calls it the Koch Connection and details the account at www.thenation.com/article/161973/koch-connection

National Chairman is Mr. W. Preston Baldwin of Centerpoint360;

First Vice Chairman is Mrs. Sandra Oliver of Bayer Corp;

Second Vice Chairman, Mr. John Del Giorno of GlaxoSmithKline;

Treasurer, Mr. David Powers of Reynolds American; Secretary


Ms. Maggie Sans of Wal-Mart Stores.

Chairman Emeritus, Mr. Jerry Watson of Private Enterprise Board Members;


Ms. Sano Blocker of Energy Future Holdings;


Mr. Don Bohn of Johnson & Johnson;


Mr. Jeffrey Bond of PhRMA;


Mr. William Carmichael of American Bail Coalition;


Mr. Derek Crawford of Kraft Foods, Inc.;


Mr. Robert Jones of Pfizer Inc;


Ms. Teresa Jennings of Reed Elsevier, Inc.;


Mr. Kenneth Lane of DIAGEO


Members also include:


Mr. Bill Leahy of AT&T; Mr. Kelly Mader of Peabody Energy;


Mr. Richard McArdle of UPS


Mr. Mike Morgan of Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC;


Mr. Daniel Smith of Altria Client Services


Mr. Randy Smith of ExxonMobil Corporation;


Mr. Russell Smoldon of Salt River Project


Mr. Roland Spies of State Farm Insurance Co;


August 5th, 2011 legislative and business executives of the ALEC membership representing fifty states met to discussion the future of ALEC as reported by Democratic Now! See the following link: www.democracynow.org/2011/8/5/secretive_corporate_legislative_group_alec_holds

Based on some media reporters, they say it is a means of supply a free market lower employment, keeping the corporations in America, supplying job opportunities and activities for the prisoners (especially those with life sentences), building prisoners self esteem, while providing manufacturing, call centers, and assembly line work that can make prisoners who have release dates an opportunity to increase their job skill base to stop recidivism http://www.alec.org/initiatives/cutting-crime-and-budgets/.

Can a forty-year behemoth organization continue to sustain such attitudes in the face of such recent exposure? We can only watch to see if other corporations change their positions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minerva L. Williams is a retired LA TIMES community educational event planner, marketing consultant, and journalist residing in the Santa Clarita Valley. She has strong interests in business, financial, and political stories for starters.  -----------------------------------------------


NOTES: All sites mentioned were contacted by Windows Internet Explorer 8:00 AM to 9:45 AM.


BACKGROUND REFERENCES researched 04/05/2012 all by Internet Explorer:

http://americasvoiceonline.org/blog/entry/under_pressure_from_colorofchange_coca-cola_drops_support_of_alec._pepsi_ou
Published April 5, 2012 by Americas Voice on Line. Retrieved 8:45 AM


http://j22.video2.blip.tv/12400009223082/Demnow-DemocracyNowFridayJuly152011475.mp4. Published July 15, 2011 by Democracy Now. Also includes the Pelican Bay prisoner hunger strike. ALEC presentation should be cued to ½ way for full story. Retrieved 9:20 AM


www.thenation.com/article/161973/koch-connection by Lisa Graves. “ALEC Exposed: The Koch Connection”. Retrieved 9:30 AM
http://www.alec.org/; corporate website by the American Legislative Exchange Council. Retrieved 9:29 AM

http://www.alec.org/initiatives/cutting-crime-and-budgets/. “Cutting Crime and Budgets”, by published February 17, 2012. Representative Courtney O’Brien at cobrien@alec.org. Retrieved.10:32 AM


www.democracynow.org/2011/8/5/secretive_corporate_legislative_group_alec_holds
Secretive Corporate-Legislative Group ALEC Holds Annual Meeting to Rewrite State Laws. Published August 5, 2011. Retrieved 9:25 AM


http://www.propublica.org/article/our-step-by-step-guide-to-understanding-alecs-influence-on-your-state-laws "Our Step-By-Step Guide to Understanding ALEC’s Influence on Your State Laws” by Lois Beckett. ProPublica has done an exhaustive research on ALEC and have over 51 entries. Aug. 1, 2011, 1:26 AM Retrieved 9:59 AM


http://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/03/11393/resources-investigating-alecnra-gun-bills. “Resources for Investigating ALEC/NRA Gun Bills” by Lisa Graves editor@prwatch.org Published March 30, 2012. Retrieved 9:28 AM


http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Corporations#Law_Firms
 Source Watch for Center for Media and Democracy. Brendan Fischer Email: brendan@prwatch.org Published January 24, 2012 Retrieved 9:42 AM


http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Corporations
 Source Watch for Center for Media and Democracy. Published January 24, 2012 Retrieved 9:40 AM

American Progress Reports on 5 worst States for voting rights in 2011

If you have relatives in any of these states forewarn them of the tatics being used and have stronger GOTV drives to counter these circumstances the primary will be here in June 2012 so you only have two more months to strategize. For more detailed information on the story please read the following link:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/04/voter_suppression.html 

Meantime, see you at the polls . . . Minerva and Todd

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Barbara Boxer's answer to the Cemex Situation, A Must Read . . .

FROM: KHTS News Broadcast:
Group Gathers Signatures to Block Cemex Mine


Wednesday, 04 April 2012 12:00





by Tim Whyte, SCVNews.com



The nonprofit Safe Action for the Environment Inc. has launched an online petition and letter-writing drive seeking support for Senate Bill S. 759, authored by Sen. Barbara Boxer to stop the development of a massive sand and gravel mine in Soledad Canyon.



KHTS News Brought To You By:







Boxer, D-Calif., has introduced the legislation to resolve a 12-year dispute over the proposed 56-million-ton CEMEX mine just outside the City of Santa Clarita.







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“We’re so grateful to Sen. Boxer for carrying this legislation to help protect the communities that would be adversely impacted by this mine,” said SAFE President Andrew Fried. “This proposed mine would cause unacceptable impacts to the environment, would worsen local air quality, and would severely diminish the quality of life for everyone who lives in the region.”



CEMEX and the City of Santa Clarita reached a truce in their dispute in 2007, agreeing to seek a mutually agreeable resolution. Boxer’s S. 759 would provide just such a resolution, by canceling the CEMEX mining contracts for the Soledad Canyon site and compensating CEMEX through the sale of federal lands near Victorville — properties that are currently on the Bureau of Land Management’s “Disposal List.”



“Sen. Boxer’s bill accomplishes the goal of that truce, and time is of the essence — we need to urge its passage,” Fried said. “It’s a win-win-win for CEMEX, the City of Santa Clarita, the residents who live near the mine and everyone who travels through the area who will no longer face the threat of 1,164 new gravel truck trips every day.”



To sign the petition or write a letter of support, residents can visit www.safe4environment.org and click on the “Sign Our Petition” and “Write to Support S. 759” buttons.



You can also sign the petition by going directly to the Care2 petition site, www.care2.com, and type “S759” in the search window.



Upon completion, SAFE’s petition will be shared with Boxer, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, and the members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.



“Our goal is 5,000 signatures, and we’re over halfway there,” Fried said. “Many local residents have signed the petition, and we sincerely appreciate their support for this important legislation. We’re asking everyone in northern Los Angeles County to express their support, too, and help show Congress how vital S. 759 is to our region.”



Additional information about SAFE and its support of S. 759 is available at www.safe4environment.org.



Follow this URL for the SAFE petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/537/274/769/save-soledad-canyon-stop-the-cemex-gravel-mine





Tuesday, April 3, 2012

"How do I get in contact with the State Party?"

STATE CHAIRPERSONS OF QUALIFIED POLITICAL PARTIES


DEMOCRATIC PARTY
John Burton, Chairperson
THE CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY
1401 21st Street, Suite 200Sacramento, CA 95811-5221
Phone: (916) 442-5707; Fax: (916) 442-5715
Email: info@cadem.org; Website: http://www.cadem.org/

Political County Central Commitee Headquarters

COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE


DEMOCRATIC HEADQUARTERS

Eric Bauman, Chairperson

3550 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1203

Los Angeles, CA 90010

Phone: (213) 382-0063

Fax: (213) 382-1278

Email: info@lacdp.org

Website: www.lacdp.org REPUBLICAN HEADQUARTERS



1903 W. Magnolia Blvd.

Burbank, CA 91506

Phone: (818) 558-7600

Website: http://www.lagop.org



OR



13659 Victory Blvd. #594

Van Nuys, CA 91401

Phone: (818) 332-3731

Website: http://www.lagop.us



AMERICAN INDEP. HEADQUARTERS

Shawn Hoffman, Chairperson

P.O. Box 69301

West Hollywood, CA 90069

Email: hoffman2010boe@gmail.com LIBERTARIAN HEADQUARTERS

Bruce Dovner, Chairperson

P.O. Box 66808

Los Angeles, CA 90066-66808

Phone: (887)884-1776

Website: http://www.lplac.org

GREEN PARTY

Lisa Green, Co-Coordinator

EB Gendel, Co-Coordinator

P.O. Box 8222

Los Angeles, CA 90082

Phone: (310) 619-7714

E-mail: gplac-info@cagreens.org

Website: cagreens.org/lacounty/

PEACE AND FREEDOM PARTY

Re-qualified in 2003.

Cindy Henderson, Chairperson

6199 Canterbury Dr.

Culver City, CA 90230

Unlisted Number

Email: coz42001@hotmail.com

Natural Law is no longer a qualified party





STATE CHAIRPERSONS OF QUALIFIED POLITICAL PARTIES

DEMOCRATIC PARTY



John Burton, Chairperson



THE CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY

1401 21st Street, Suite 200

Sacramento, CA 95811-5221

Phone: (916) 442-5707

Fax: (916) 442-5715

Email: info@cadem.org

Website: http://www.cadem.org/

REPUBLICAN PARTY



Ron Nehring, Chairperson



CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PARTY

1903 West Magnolia BL.

Burbank, CA 91506

Phone: (818) 841-5210

Fax: (818) 841-6668

Email: chairman@cagop.org

Website: http://www.cagop.org



AMERICAN INDEPENDENT PARTY



Nathan Sorenson, State Chairman



AMERICAN INDEPENDENT PARTY

4836 Fleming Way

Olivehurst, CA 95961

Tel: (530) 329-8345

Tel: (707) 359-4884

Website: http://www.aipca.org

GREEN PARTY



Jane Rands, Liaison



GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA

716 W. Wilshire Avenue

Fullerton, CA 92832

Phone: (714) 325-5223

Email: jrands_liaison@earthlink.net

Website: http://www.cagreens.org



LIBERTARIAN PARTY



Kevin Takenaga , State Chairperson



LIBERTARIAN PARTY

P.O. Box 66808

Los Angeles, CA 90066-0808

Phone: (818) 782-8400

Toll Free: (877) 884-1776

Email: office@ca.lp.org

Website: http://www.ca.lp.org

PEACE AND FREEDOM PARTY



C.T. Weber, , State Chairperson



PEACE AND FREEDOM PARTY

1403 Los Padres Way

Sacramento, CA 95831

Phone: (951) 422-5395

Email: ctwebervoters@att.net

Website: http://www.peaceandfreedom.org



Natural Law is no longer a qualified party



Monday, April 2, 2012

POLL: Women Voters Abandon GOP In Key Battleground States

A word from Pemy Levy at TMP . . . POLL: Women Voters Abandon GOP In Key Battleground States


Pema Levy  April 1, 2012, 5:55 PM 29927

President Obama has emerged with an impressive lead in swing states around the country — thanks to women voters abandoning the GOP in droves, according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll showing President Obama leading among women voters in the top dozen battleground states by a whopping 18 points — greater than the 12-point gender gap he won with in 2008.

POLL: Women Voters Abandon GOP In Key Battleground StatesOne month ago, the same poll showed Mitt Romney leading the president by 2 percentage points; but Sunday, the newest poll gave Obama a 9-point lead, 51 percent to 42 percent. The change, the poll indicates, comes from women:

“The biggest change came among women under 50. In mid-February, just under half of those voters supported Obama. Now more than six in 10 do while Romney’s support among them has dropped by 14 points, to 30%. The president leads him 2-1 in this group.”

Both Democrats and Republicans point to the battles over contraception coverage as a reason for the shift. Republican strategist Sara Taylor Fagen, a former political adviser to President George W. Bush, told USA Today that “The focus on contraception has not been a good one for us … and Republicans have unfairly taken on water on this issue.”

Obama campaign manager Jim Messina likewise pointed to the GOP’s hang-up on social issues. Most notably, Romney endorsed the Blunt Amendment, which would have allowed employers to deny coverage of contraception, among other services, on moral or religious grounds. A poll commissioned earlier this month by EMILY’s List, the PAC dedicated to electing pro-choice, Democratic women, foundthat 48 percent of voters — including 53 percent among Independents and 40 percent among Republicans — would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supported the amendment.

Romney pollster Neil Newhouse told USA Today that the numbers would narrow and that the drop was not Romney’s fault. He chalked the difference up to a partisan gender gap. That’s historically true — but not at the levels found in the poll. It showed: By 41 percent to 24 percent, women call themselves Democrats; men by 27 percent to 25 percent say they’re Republicans.

It may be a party-wide problem, but if the poll is any indication, Romney’s comments about getting rid of Planned Parenthood and have not done him any favors with women voters, either.

2012, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Women Voters

Pema Levy

Pema Levy is a News Writer at TPM covering the 2012 election. Before coming to TPM, Pema was an assistant editor at The American Prospect where she wrote about politics and the economy.

FROM THE AFL-CIO on Obama's Accomplishments.. .

http://www.aflcio.org/Legislation-and-Politics/Political-Action/President-Obama-s-Accomplishments

President Obama's Accomplishments

Overview
As President Obama’s first term nears its end, it is time to take stock of his accomplishments, as well as to assess progress toward the goals not yet achieved since his historic election. During his first two years in office, the president made substantial progress in dismantling the dangerous legacy left by President George W. Bush and took many steps to put in place a truly progressive, pro-worker agenda.
When the Tea Party took over Congress in 2010, advancing a progressive agenda became almost impossible. But the president has regained his footing, speaking forcefully of the need to restore economic power to the 99%, and using his executive authority to get around Republican obstructionism.
Taking office during the worst economic downturn in a generation, Barack Obama took America from the brink of a second Great Depression by pressing Congress to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which saved or created 3.6 million jobs—and he could have done more if not for resistance from Republicans in Congress. Comprehensive health insurance reform, while far from perfect, gave the promise of health security to millions of our fellow citizens, a goal that had eluded Democratic presidents for nearly 100 years. And Wall Street reform, passed over the objection of almost every single Republican, is beginning to reverse decades of financial deregulation that put our entire economy at risk.
Recognizing that the ARRA had halted the collapse of our economy but had not been large enough to end the jobs crisis, in September 2011 President Obama proposed the American Jobs Act (AJA), which was designed to put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work repairing our nation’s infrastructure, and provide a new round of state and local aid to help keep teachers, firefighters and other public workers on the job.
Though most of the AJA fell victim to Republican filibusters (only the unemployment insurance and payroll tax holiday extensions were signed into law), the president has not given up: He intends to fight for the most important elements of the AJA during the remainder of his first term. The president also has proposed several major initiatives to revitalize domestic manufacturing, including tax proposals to reduce the incentives to offshore millions of good jobs to low-tax, low-wage countries.
More recently, spurred on by the Occupy Wall Street movement, and in a widely praised speech in Osawatomie, Kansas, the president shined a spotlight on the widening income gap and directly confronted the powerful and the privileged. President Obama called on the rich to pay their fair share in taxes, reaffirming his commitment to let the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire and proposing the so-called Buffett Rule to make sure millionaires never pay a lower effective tax rate than the people who work for them. He also has called on Congress to close the so-called carried interest loophole that taxes the incomes of private equity and hedge fund managers at a lower rate than ordinary workers.
Of course, working people have experienced some frustration, too. We were disappointed that action on the Employee Free Choice Act was delayed, and then sidelined, after Sen. Ted Kennedy’s tragic death cost the Democrats their filibuster-proof majority—and opportunities to advance labor law reform through other vehicles went nowhere. The Affordable Care Act is a critical first step toward quality health care for all Americans, but it remains a work in progress without the public option or Medicare for All. In addition, critical issues affecting workers’ ability to bargain healthcare benefits remain unresolved in the implementation of the act. Similarly, we were disheartened when President Obama got distracted by a fruitless debate over the budget deficit, spending the first eight months of 2011 in unproductive deficit talks with Republicans, even though their real mission was to make Obama a one-term president and to undermine Social Security and Medicare. And we opposed the president when he pressed ahead with the South Korea, Colombia and Panama trade pacts—despite the continuing murder of trade unionists in Colombia and the flawed Bush-era terms of those agreements. Finally, we remain concerned that too many important Obama administration initiatives to protect workers and the public—ranging from health and safety protections to rules implementing financial reform—have been stalled or weakened under pressure from business interests.
Three and a half years into President Obama’s first term, America is beginning to dig out of the 11 million jobs hole dug by George Bush and his pro-corporate, right-wing economic agenda. Nearly 3.8 million jobs have been created in the past 23 months and manufacturers have added 334,000 jobs. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) finally is taking steps to level the playing field for workers who want to organize, and agencies that are charged with protecting the lives and livelihoods of workers, from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, now are led by competent individuals who are aggressively enforcing the law.
The labor movement, which played such a big part in President Obama’s 2008 victory as well as helping him pass key elements of his legislative agenda, has plenty to be proud of in the president’s first term in office. But there is much left to be done. This section includes highlights of the administration’s accomplishments for working families to date.
Download President Obama's accomplishments.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

A Word from Dr. Gene Dorio

Sometimes physicians take a break from their technical journals and find some scary stuff related to their own profession. The link below is from Consumer Reports concerning common medical devices (some implanted into patients) that have never undergone safety testing in humans!

I am very surprised doctors would allow their patients to be guinea pigs for these products, and I do believe false assurances have been given through the menagerie of government regulation and law. As well I'm doubly concerned since physicians always worry about verifying efficacy and side effects of new drugs, surgical procedures, instruments, electronics, etc. yet seemingly there is little oversight of some new technology.

Please read this and pass it on to friends, as we need increased awareness when scrutiny has been misplaced.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/consumer-reports-magazine/May-2012/medical-devices.html

Gene

Friday, March 23, 2012

President Obama weighs in on Trayvon Martin

We will hopefully exam the law and the details of the case. And hopefully all Americans will take the situation seriously and seeks answers. See for yourself. . .

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/03/23/450701/obama-trayvon-martin/

Monday, March 12, 2012

Affordable Health Care Act

Understanding the layers of the issues in the Affordable Health Care Act will definitely become a larger issue in the 2012 Presidential Campaign. Comments are welcomed and look forward to a larger discussion after the "primaries" are over . . . Here is a position you might want to know about:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv26zzUMVjc&feature=player_embedded#!

Monday, March 5, 2012

" TOPOGRAPHY OF FAITH "

There has been a lot of conversation regarding the role that religion can play in the next Presidential Election.

In the meantime, Rosemary sent the following graphic that is published in USA Today in 2007, by the Pew Reports on where the various religions are in the United States and what the percentage of the population call themselves "religious". The graphic shows that due to the rounding of numbers, the totals will not add up to 100%. So to some of my statistical pals this may seem disturbing and a cause for pause but at least they admit this is not an exact science.

Please note if we can find any other comparisions we will post also.

<http://www.usatoday.com/news/graphics/pew-religion-08/flash.htm>

Minerva Williams

Monday, February 27, 2012

"Thinking about bankers and money? "




A word from Ellen Brown, our "hometown money guru" which was published on Monday, February 27, 2012 by Common Dreams


Move Our Money: New State Bank Bills Address Credit and Housing Crises
by Ellen Brown
Seventeen states have now introduced bills for state-owned banks, and others are in the works. Hawaii’s innovative state bank bill addresses the foreclosure mess. County-owned banks are being proposed that would tackle the housing crisis by exercising the right of eminent domain on abandoned and foreclosed properties. Arizona has a bill that would do this for homeowners who are current in their payments but underwater, allowing them to refinance at fair market value.
The long-awaited settlement between 49 state Attorneys General and the big five robo-signing banks is proving to be a monumental disappointment before it has even been signed, sealed and court approved. It appears that the bankers who took your home and your job will again be buying their way out of jail, and the curtain will again drop on the scene of the crime.
We may not be able to beat the banks, but we don’t have to play their game. We can take our marbles and go home. The Move Your Money campaign has already prompted more than 600,000 consumers to move their funds out of Wall Street banks into local banks, and there are much larger pools that could be pulled out in the form of state revenues. States generally deposit their revenues and invest their capital with large Wall Street banks, which use those hefty sums to speculate, invest abroad, and buy up the local banks that service our communities and local economies. The states receive a modest interest, and Wall Street lends the money back at much higher interest.
Rhode Island is a case in point. In an article titled “Where Are R.I. Revenues Being Invested? Not Locally,” Kyle Hence wrote in ecoRI News on January 26th:
According to a December Treasury report, only 10 percent of Rhode Island’s short-term investments reside in truly local in-state banks, namely Washington Trust and BankRI. Meanwhile, 40 percent of these investments were placed with foreign-owned banks, including a British-government owned bank under investigation by the European Union.
Further, millions have been invested by Rhode Island in a fund created by a global buyout firm . . . . From 2008 to mid-2010, the fund lost 10 percent of its value — more than $2 million. . . . Three of four of Rhode Island’s representatives in Washington, D.C., count [this fund] amongst their top 25 political campaign donors . . . .
Hence asks:
Are Rhode Islanders and the state economy being served well here? Is it not time for the state to more fully invest directly in Rhode Island, either through local banks more deeply rooted in the community or through the creation of a new state-owned bank?
Hence observes that state-owned banks are “[o]ne emerging solution being widely considered nationwide . . . . Since the onset of the economic collapse about five years ago, 16 states have studied or explored creating state-owned banks, according to a recent Associated Press report.”
2012 Additions to the Public Bank Movement
Make that 17 states, including three joining the list of states introducing state bank bills in 2012: Idaho (a bill for a feasibility study), New Hampshire (a bill for a bank), and Vermont (introducing THREE bills—one for a state bank study, one for a state currency, and one for a state voucher/warrant system). With North Dakota, which has had its own bank for nearly a century, that makes 18 states that have introduced bills in one form or another—36% of U.S. states. For states and text of bills, see here.
Other recent state bank developments were in Virginia, Hawaii, Washington State, and California, all of which have upgraded from bills to study the feasibility of a state-owned bank to bills to actually establish a bank. The most recent, California’s new bill, was introduced on Friday, February 24th.
All of these bills point to the Bank of North Dakota as their model. Kyle Hence notes that North Dakota has maintained a thriving economy throughout the current recession:
One of the reasons, some say, is the Bank of North Dakota, which was formed in 1919 and is the only state-owned or public bank in the United States. All state revenues flow into the Bank of North Dakota and back out into the state in the form of loans.
Since 2008, while servicing student, agricultural and energy— including wind — sector loans within North Dakota, every dollar of profit by the bank, which has added up to tens of millions, flows back into state coffers and directly supports the needs of the state in ways private banks do not.
Publicly-owned Banks and the Housing Crisis
A novel approach is taken in the new Hawaii bill: it proposes a program to deal with the housing crisis and the widespread problem of breaks in the chain of title due to robo-signing, faulty assignments, and MERS. (For more on this problem, see here.) According to a February 10th report on the bill from the Hawaii House Committees on Economic Revitalization and Business & Housing:
The purpose of this measure is to establish the bank of the State of Hawaii in order to develop a program to acquire residential property in situations where the mortgagor is an owner-occupant who has defaulted on a mortgage or been denied a mortgage loan modification and the mortgagee is a securitized trust that cannot adequately demonstrate that it is a holder in due course.
The bill provides that in cases of foreclosure in which the mortgagee cannot prove its right to foreclose or to collect on the mortgage, foreclosure shall be stayed and the bank of the State of Hawaii may offer to buy the property from the owner-occupant for a sum not exceeding 75% of the principal balance due on the mortgage loan. The bank of the State of Hawaii can then rent or sell the property back to the owner-occupant at a fair price on reasonable terms.
Arizona Senate Bill 1451, which just passed the Senate Banking Committee 6 to 0, would do something similar for homeowners who are current on their payments but whose mortgages are underwater (exceeding the property’s current fair market value). Martin Andelman calls the bill a “revolutionary approach to revitalizing the state’s increasingly water-logged housing market, which has left over 500,000 of Arizona’s homeowners in a hopelessly immobile state.”
The bill would establish an Arizona Housing Finance Reform Authority to refinance the mortgages of Arizona homeowners who owe more than their homes are currently worth. The existing mortgage would be replaced with a new mortgage from AHFRA in an amount up to 125% of the home's current fair market value. The existing lender would get paid 101% of the home's fair market value, and would get a non-interest-bearing note called a “loss recapture certificate” covering a portion of any underwater amounts, to be paid over time. The capital to refinance the mortgages would come from floating revenue bonds, and payment on the bonds would come solely from monies paid by the homeowner-borrowers. An Arizona Home Insurance Fund would create a cash reserve of up to 20 percent of the bond and would be used to insure against losses. The bill would thus cost the state nothing.
Critics of the Arizona bill maintain that it shifts losses from collapsed property values onto banks and investors, violating the law of contracts; and critics of the Hawaii bill maintain that the state bank could wind up having paid more than market value for a slew of underwater homes. An option that would avoid both of these objections is one suggested by Michael Sauvante of the Commonwealth Group, discussed earlier here: the state or county could exercise its right of eminent domain on blighted, foreclosed and abandoned properties. It could offer to pay fair market value to anyone who could prove title (something that with today’s defective title records normally can’t be done), then dispose of the property through a publicly-owned land bank as equity and fairness dictates. If a bank or trust could prove title, the claimant would get fair market value, which would be no less than it would have gotten at an auction; and if it could not prove title, it legally would have no claim to the property. Investors who could prove actual monetary damages would still have an unsecured claim in equity against the mortgagors for any sums owed.
Rhode Island Next?
As the housing crisis lingers on with little sign of relief from the Feds, innovative state and local solutions like these are gaining adherents in other states; and one of them is Rhode Island, which is in serious need of relief. According to The Pew Center on the States, “The country’s smallest state . . . was one of the first states to fall into the recession because of the housing crisis and may be one of the last to emerge.”
Rhode Islanders are proud of having been first in a number of more positive achievements, including being the first of the 13 original colonies to declare independence from British rule. A state bank presentation was made to the president of the Rhode Island Senate and other key leaders earlier this month that was reportedly well received. Proponents have ambitions of making Rhode Island the first state in this century to move its money out of Wall Street into its own state bank, one owned and operated by the people for the people. -->

Ellen Brown developed her research skills as an attorney practicing civil litigation in Los Angeles. In Web of Debt, her latest of eleven books, she turns those skills to an analysis of the Federal Reserve and “the money trust.” She shows how this private cartel has usurped the power to create money from the people themselves, and how we the people can get it back. She is president of the Public Banking Institute, http://publicbankinginstitute.org/, and has websites at http://webofdebt.com/ and http://ellenbrown.com/.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Ordering Obama Gear



I can't remember who was asking me about OBAMA GEAR for 2012. There is classic gear available also. But thanks to Rosemarie she sent me the following site for the masses to start ordering their gear! We understand that there is up to a 3-week wait in ordering so get your orders in now! Anyone out there intersted in joining one of several localized teams for Obama efforts, please contact SherryAn Lima 661-263-0304 or give us a holler . . . Minerva minwilli@gmail.com (661) 295-9318 always leave a message




Friday, February 10, 2012





California Convention Friday Feb.10-11-12





Talk about it is cold outside!

This is a frozen way taken by AP photographer in Croatia. YOu can get chills just looking at it . . .

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

DAILY POLL SUMMARY: January 1st

Daily Poll Summary, 1/31Today's Posts:
Final FL GOP Projections http://www.nationalpolls.com/articles/20120131001-florida-poll-of-polls.html
Obama vs Romney in Floridahttp://www.nationalpolls.com/articles/20120131002-obama-vs-romney-florida.html
2012 Matchup PollsFlorida, Purple Strategies, 1/23 - 1/26: Obama 44, Romney 46Florida, Purple Strategies, 1/23 - 1/26: Obama 47, Gingrich 46http://www.nationalpolls.com/2012/general-election/florida.htmlMontana, Public Opinion Strategies, 1/9 - 1/10: Obama 36, Romney 53http://www.nationalpolls.com/2012/general-election/montana.htmlNational, Rasmussen, 1/28 - 1/30: Obama 47, Romney 42National, Rasmussen, 1/28 - 1/30: Obama 50, Gingrich 37http://www.nationalpolls.com/2012/general-election/national.htmlObama Approval RatingsFlorida, Purple Strategies, 1/23 - 1/26: Approve 40, Disapprove 56http://www.nationalpolls.com/obama/florida.htmlGOP PrimaryFlorida, Real Clear Politics Average, 1/31 - 1/31: Romney 42, Gingrich 29, Paul 10, Santorum 13Florida, Scott Elliott Prediction, 1/31 - 1/31: Romney 45, Gingrich 33, Paul 9, Santorum 13Florida, Mark Blumenthal Prediction, 1/31 - 1/31: Romney 40, Gingrich 32, Paul 10, Santorum 12Florida, Nate Silver FiveThirtyEight Prediction, 1/31 - 1/31: Romney 44, Gingrich 29, Paul 11, Santorum 14Florida, TPM PollTracker Prediction, 1/31 - 1/31: Romney 40, Gingrich 29, Paul 12, Santorum 14Florida, ARG, 1/29 - 1/30: Romney 43, Gingrich 31, Paul 9, Santorum 13Florida, PPP, 1/28 - 1/30: Romney 39, Gingrich 31, Paul 11, Santorum 15Florida, Ipsos online, 1/27 - 1/30: Romney 43, Gingrich 28, Paul 5, Santorum 12Florida, PPP, 1/30 - 1/30: Romney 36, Gingrich 29, Paul 12, Santorum 17http://www.nationalpolls.com/florida.htmlJoin our Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pollingnumbers

CALIFORNIA STATE Appointment Training . . .

Appointments Training
There are hundred of opportunities to actively participate in government. Whether you are interested in a specific local issue or planning to run for elected office some day, an appointment to a public board or commission is great way to get involved and have your opinions heard.
Women are under-represented in almost all levels of government. We need enthusiastic women from all walks of life to bring a woman’s perspective to the decision making process.
If you need some guidance getting started, figuring out which board is the best fit for you, or the best way to contact the appointing body, contact us.
Women’s Appointment Project
NWPC CA was chosen by the Parity Project from the Hunt Alternative Fund to spearhead the Women’s Appointment Project in conjunction with California Women Lead (CWL). The goal of the Women’s Appointment Project is to have the new, incoming gubernatorial candidates pledge to appoint women to 50% of state positions. With the election of a new Governor on November 2, there will be over 3,000 appointed positions open within the administration and at least 50% of those positions should go to qualified women.
NPWC CA & CWL are partnering with the Commission on the Status of Women and other prominent women’s organizations, political, business, professional, academic, government and non-profit entities to get the word out to qualified women throughout the state to submit their resumes to the Women’s Appointment Project. These resumes will be compiled and submitted to the incoming governor’s staff for review. A website will be launched with information on how to submit in August 2010.
NWPC CA will be holding a Women’s Appointment Training session on October 9th in Fresno at our bi-annual state conference. To find out more about the Women’s Appointment Project and our upcoming training session, click here.

Director of Individual Giving . . . immediate need

RARE CONSERVATION Director of Individual Giving
March 27th, 2010 Author:

Rare Conservation seeks a Director of Individual Giving
Rare is a $17 million fast-growing, international conservation organization that runs state-of-the-art communication and outreach projects which empower local communities with the tools to solve their own conservation challenges. The Director of Individual Giving is responsible for creating and implementing a strategic development plan to significantly increase major gift revenue from individuals living primarily on the West Coast, with an initial focus on California.
A dynamic ambassador of the organization, the Director should be capable of inspiring support from a variety of constituent groups ranging from dedicated conservationists to venture philanthropists. This role reports to the Senior Vice President of Strategy and Growth and work closely with the CEO as well as Rare’s senior management and program staff. He or she will also interact with board members. This is a full-time, exempt position located in San Francisco, CA.
To view the complete job listing, click here.
To see more job listings, click here.

CALIFFORNIA STATE APPOINTMENT TRAINING, OPEN TO ALL . . .

California State Appointment Training with
Mona Pasquil, Appointments Secretary to Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr.
Dear Todd & Minerva Hoover,
NWPC CA would like to offer you a unique opportunity to learn about the appointments process. Join speaker Mona Pasquil, Appointments Secretary to Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., as she leads this two-hour workshop that will leave you informed about the appointments process and knowledgeable about how to complete the appointments application.

This training is open to all interested in being appointed!

Event Info:
Altadena Library
600 East Mariposa St.
Altadena, CA 91001
Friday, February 17, 2012
6:30p - 8:30p

To register here or visit www.nwpcca.org.

Linda Young new NWPC President . . .

August Update From NWPC National
August 24th, 2000 Author:
Greetings from Your New President
“NWPC: Life Begins (again) at Forty”
The NWPC 20th Biennial Convention in Washington DC celebrated the 40 years of service since the founding of the National Women’s Political Caucus. With messages from Founders and former NWPC Presidents, and presentations from significant leaders in media, women’s issues, public policy and organizational best practices, Caucus members and guests raised their glasses of champagne high to toast the first 40 years and to honor those who led us through them.
As we begin the next steps in our journey, we give appreciation to those who have gone before us. Our Founders were women who were not afraid to step out in front of an issue that they believed in. Those several hundred women gathered to begin a new organization — one that included all political parties that could represent all women and increase the role women play in our government. We thank Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, Liz Carpenter, Myrlie Evers, Ellie Smeal, Ann Lewis, and many, many others who stood for the idea that progressive women should be at the decision-making table!
The previous administration and board worked through many challenges for the organization, for which our former President Lulu Flores and her board are due appreciation and applause for all their hard work and accomplishments. In addition to the work of the Caucus to recruit, train and help elect more women get into office, Lulu also focused on bringing more efficiency and accountability to NWPC and helped stabilize and update processes. For her years of commitment and loyalty to NWPC, the Convention gave her a standing ovation and her husband presented her with four dozen red roses.
Our new slate of officers stand on the shoulders of those before us, and is energized to set and meet new goals for “the next 40 years” of NWPC. The climate of the country is one of movement, of change, and dissatisfaction with the status quo. Messages we heard at the Convention included a new fervor for pushing passage of the ERA “once and for all,” and a call for significantly increasing the numbers of women participating in framing legislation for our future. Some commented that now is our time, that this is the moment when our actions will count most and when we can affect the greatest change.
My goal is to lead our organization by serving and listening to our membership from local and state caucuses, to grow our numbers dramatically by inviting women of various political views, invite more sponsorship and involvement from industry and more cooperation with other organizations. At a time when states are holding recall elections for their legislators, and when more people are standing up to be heard, the NWPC must also ramp up our efforts in order to give these women the larger platform they need and deserve.
For the next 40 years, we plan to add more state Caucuses, and to multiply the number of College Caucuses around the country. Additionally, we plan to continue to outreach to other organizations with whom we share purposes and to partner to meet goals.
We appreciate the excellent work Bettina Hager has done for NWPC, and are pleased Bettina is going to stay with us as we begin this new term. Bettina did an outstanding job establishing an effective internship program, and continues to coordinate interns’ work for Caucus, providing strong support of our programs.
I would like to send my heartfelt “Thank You” to each of you who participated in the election of officers, and who continue to participate in your home Caucuses, serving in leadership roles there, recruiting new members to Caucus, working for our endorsed candidates, and so much more! Our new team is committed to helping us build our numbers and the effectiveness of our Caucuses, and to providing new resources for NWPC. We solicit your input and want to hear from you. Watch the website for new developments, and for exciting news about upcoming events.

In sisterhood,
Linda Young,
NWPC President