October 13-19, 2004
Moving Ideas News
October 13-19, 2004
SPECIAL EVENT
How to Move the Progressive Agenda Forward with Technology
PopandPolitics.com is hosting an exciting roundtable event exploring progressive politics and technology starting at 5:30pm on Thursday, November 18, 2004 in Washington, DC at the headquarters of the AFL-CIO. Moving Ideas’ is a co-sponsor and will be part of the panel!
www.2004progressivetech.com
NEW FROM MOVING IDEAS
Patriot Act Threatens Civil Liberties
On the 3rd anniversary of the Patriot Act, write a letter to the editor for the in support of civil liberties protections.
http://action.movingideas.org/dia/organizations/movingideas/pickMedia.jsp?letter_KEY=48
Early Childhood Development
Readings and resources relating to The American Prospect's special report on early childhood development.
http://www.movingideas.org/issuesindepth/childdevelopment.html
Guantanamo Detainees: Human Rights are Not Negotiable
Read the transcripts from the online chat presented by Amnesty International USA and the Moving Ideas Network.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/askamnesty/live/display.php?topic=24
FEATURED ARTICLES
Lost Opportunities: The Reality of Latinos in the U.S. Criminal Justice System
From: NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA
This report found that Hispanics are overrepresented in the U.S. criminal justice system, with Hispanic defendants imprisoned three times as often as Whites and detained before trial almost twice as often as Whites, despite being the least likely of all ethnic groups to have a criminal history.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5960
American Nationalism and U.S. Foreign Policy from September 11 to the Iraq War
From: POLITICAL SCIENCE QUARTERLY
Paul T. McCartney
The author examines how the Bush administration drew upon nationalist imagery first to interpret the terrorists attacks of September 11 and then to frame the war against Iraq.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5952
Placebo Ballots: Will Fail-Safe Voting Fail?
From: DEMOS
David Cay Johnston
More than 200,000 votes cast on November 2nd could be invalidated due to improperly and illegally applied provisional balloting procedures, according to this new report.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5923
DOMESTIC SOCIAL
Workers' Rights Watch: Eye on the NLRB - October 2004
From: AMERICAN RIGHTS AT WORK
North Carolina meatpackers have endured grisly working conditions, unfair pay, and a decade of attacks on their right to organize. So why has the National Labor Relations Board failed to rule on their case for four years?
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5944
Looking to the Future: A Commentary on Children of Immigrant Families
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
Mark Greenberg and Hedieh Rahmanou
This article responds to the question: "How should policymakers, advocates, stakeholders, and practitioners respond strategically and proactively to demographic change and increasing diversity in order to promote the healthy development, productivity, and well-being of our nation's children into the future?"
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5955
Side-by-Side Comparison of Marriage and Fatherhood Provisions in H.R. 4 Passed by Senate Finance Committee and House
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
Vicki Turetsky
This chart summarizes the marriage and fatherhood provisions in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) reauthorization bill passed by the House and the one passed by the Senate Finance Committee.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5956
In Exceptional Returns: Economic, Fiscal, and Social Benefits of Investment in Early Childhood Development
From: ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
Education programs for 3 and 4 year old children ultimately provide billions of dollars in net savings to local governments and taxpayers through such financial benefits as higher income, reduced crime and poverty, and Social Security solvency.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5928
Comments Regarding Head Start Program Information Report
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
Rachel Schumacher and Katherine Hart
These comments, submitted to the Administration for Children and Families Office of Information Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, urge the government to clarify or expand portions of the data it collects on Head Start children, families, teachers, and programs and then distributes via the Program Information Report (PIR).
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5957
Criminal Neglect: Substance Abuse, Juvenile Justice and the Children Left Behind
From: INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY
The report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University examines the juvenile justice system; the nature and extent of drug use among juvenile offenders; prevention opportunities; treatment options; juvenile drug courts; and the economic cost of substance abuse and delinquency.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5942
The Draft Framework for the 10-Year Strategic Plan to End Homelessness in Los Angeles
From: INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY
The draft presents the mission and history of Bring LA Home, guiding principals, goals, and 36 "keys to success" aimed at ending homelessness in Los Angeles County.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5962
Government Run Health Programs - The Evil Empire Threatens
From: NORTH CAROLINA COMMITTEE TO DEFEND HEALTH CARE
Dennis Lazof
Drawing upon material from the recent three presidential debates, this editorial discusses the logic, and lapse thereof, in President Bush’s arguments against government run health programs. The author illuminates the logic and insight of how this domestic evil empire threatens our freedom and democracy.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5935
Public Rightly Insists that that Federal Prison be Excluded from New California County's Districts
From: PRISON POLICY INITIATIVE
Peter Wagner
This fall, planners of what may become California's newest county discovered a common prison town dilemma: How do we draw legislative districts when the Census Bureau says that federal prisoners "live" in our town?
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5947
Census Data Asks: Where are the Hispanic children? But it's the Wrong Question
From: PRISON POLICY INITIATIVE
Peter Wagner
Counting prisoners as prison-town residents masks some of the changes in how the Hispanic population is distributed in the United States.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5948
Public Opinion Watch
From: CENTURY FOUNDATION
Ruy Teixeira
In this issue: State of the Race; A Note on the Washington Post/ABC News Tracking Poll; and much more.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5965
Exceptional Returns
From: OREGON CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY
See comments by OCPP and leaders in the business and children's advocacy community of new data from the US Census Bureau showing a rise in poverty among children in the US.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5922
DOMESTIC ECONOMIC
OMB Watcher
From: OMB WATCH
In this issue: Senate Pushes Through Corporate Tax Bill Over Holiday Weekend; U.S. Spending Hits Ceiling Forcing Treasury to Act; Employment Report Again Shows Weakness; and much more.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5945
Working Hard; Falling Short
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
The report finds that too many jobs pay poor wages and provide no benefits, and that American workers are poorly prepared and supported to move into better paying jobs.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5958
Official Treasury Report Shows Fourth Year of Deficit Growth Despite Economic Recovery
From: CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES
Richard Kogan and Robert Greenstein
The Treasury has announced that the deficit was $413 billion in 2004. This marks the first time since World War II that the deficit has grown for four straight years, and the first time since before the Depression that the deficit has continued to grow this far into an economic recovery.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5954
Funding Instability Threatens to Erode Business Community's Confidence in the Housing Voucher Program
From: CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES
Barbara Sard
Unless HUD and Congress reaffirm their commitment to provide ongoing funding for all housing vouchers in use, the public-private partnership that makes the voucher program work will be threatened.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5961
Number of Unemployed who have gone without Federal Benefits Hits Record 3 Million
From: CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES
Isaac Shapiro
From late December 2003 (when the temporary federal benefits program was permitted to phase out) through today, a record 3 million jobless workers have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits and gone without federal aid.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5963
Unrealistic Expectations for the Federal Budget
From: ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
Max Sawicky
The goal of balancing the budget in 10 years implies an utterly untenable fiscal policy that would require discretionary spending outside of defense and homeland security to be cut by nearly 90% in inflation-adjusted, per capita terms.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5964
Job Numbers Come Up 131,500 Short
From: OREGON CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY
Analysis of September employment figures reveals that Oregonians are 131,500 jobs short of what are needed to keep pace with the growth in the working age population in Oregon since the downturn began.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5950
President Bush and Congressional Republicans are Seriously Discussing a National Sales Tax
From: OREGON CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY
Mike Leachman
Should a national sales tax really be "seriously explored?" For most Oregonians, the message is not very nice.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5959
FOREIGN POLICY
Homeland Unsecured: The Bush Administration's Hostility to Regulation and
Ties to Industry Leave America Vulnerable
From: PUBLIC CITIZEN
The report details how the Bush administration has failed to harden our defenses against terrorism and secure the most vulnerable, high-impact targets.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5946
Political Reform in the Arab World: A New Ferment?
From: CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
Amy Hawthorne
The nascent discourse on reform in the Arab world has inspired optimistic predictions that the region is finally responding to the global trend toward democracy. But such enthusiasm about the inevitability of democratic change is premature, writes the author in her new Carnegie Paper.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5936
Hong Kong After the Elections: The Future of ‘One Country, Two Systems'
From: CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
Veron Hung
Testimony presented to the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, September 23, 2004 by Veron Hung, associate in Carnegie's China Program.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5938
COMMENTARY
Professors Against Bush Economic and Labor Policy
From: AMERICANS FOR DEMOCRATIC ACTION
David Jacobs
Even an MBA degree cannot save you when the most powerful state on earth wages class war on its working people.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5939
The African-American Economy
From: AMERICANS FOR DEMOCRATIC ACTION
Michael J. Wilson
As Election Day 2004 nears, each of us has a responsibility to participate as voter, and while everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion on how best to meet our challenges and fulfill our hopes, everyone is not entitled to his or her own facts.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5940
Forward Journey: Trade Issues in the 2004 Election
From: AMERICANS FOR DEMOCRATIC ACTION
Jim Jontz
A couple months earlier in New Hampshire, Kerry often struggled with trade issues. The author says that he weaved and bobbed appearing unfamiliar with issues of interest to public employees, postal workers, nurses, and construction workers in the Granite State. By October, Kerry was prepared.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5941
Liberal Hawk Down
From: CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
Anatol Lieven
The failure of the Democratic Party to oppose the Bush Administration's push for war in Iraq may have doomed its chances in the 2004 elections. The author argues that from whatever mixture of fear and opportunism, many Democrats who at heart opposed the war reckoned that the wave of mass nationalist fervor that followed 9/11 made such a stance politically unviable in 2002-03.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5937
Snow Job on Jobs
From: CENTER FOR ECONOMIC AND POLICY RESEARCH
Treasury Secretary John Snow misrepresented the record on job growth when he claimed that the economy had created 3.2 million jobs during the Bush administration.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5943
Are the War and Globalization Really Connected?
From: FOREIGN POLICY IN FOCUS
Mark Engler
In the post 9-11 era, activists demonstrated how the war against terror and the drive for corporate globalization are one and the same and how peace and global justice movements share vital common ground. That these two issues are connected, in a fundamental way, is an article of faith on the political left.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5926
Missile Defense All Over Again
From: FOREIGN POLICY IN FOCUS
Michelle Ciarrocca
The Bush administration remains determined to deploy a national missile defense (NMD) despite its continued technical failures.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5925
Indecision on Iraq?
From: FOREIGN POLICY IN FOCUS
Colonel Daniel Smith, USA(Ret.)
As the first half of October 2004 slips into history, Iraq presents a bewildering kaleidoscope of conflicting tactics both within and outside the country.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5927
Security Scholars Say Iraq War Most Misguided Policy Since Vietnam
From: FOREIGN POLICY IN FOCUS
Jim Lobe
The U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq has been the ''most misguided'' policy since the Vietnam War, according to an open letter signed by some 500 U.S. national-security specialists.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5949
Holding Up a Mirror to the Face of U.S. 'Exceptionalism'
From: THE INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE
William Marina
Separated by one hundred and four years, the presidential elections of 1900 and 2004 offer some startling and almost eerie similarities.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5924
A Draft or Merely Hot Air?
From: THE INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE
Ivan Eland
Regardless of who becomes the next President of the United States, a military draft may be lurking around the November corner.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5921
The Three Stooges in Iraq, and the U.S.'s First Stooge
From: THE INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE
William Marina
Must history repeat itself? Apparently so with the war in Iraq mirroring the U.S.'s first major foreign war - the invasion and conquest of the Philippines over 100 years ago, when over 200,000 Filipino were killed. Ironically enough, key neoconservatives have used the Philippine war as their model for Iraq.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5953
Immigration Restrictionism Gains Political Clout
From: INTERHEMISPHERIC RESOURCE CENTER
Tom Barry
The surge in xenophobic sentiment associated with the "global war on terrorism" and widespread job loss have given rise to a new wave of anti-immigrant initiatives.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5951
Pro-Life, Pro-Kerry
From: TOMPAINE.COM
Amy Sullivan
Many Democrats cringe when Kerry violates the pro-choice orthodoxy and shares his personal belief that life begins at conception. But what they miss, the author argues, is that Kerry's nuanced view of abortion gives room for reasonable people to disagree at the same time that it commits him to defending reproductive rights.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5932
Reproaching Ralph
From: TOMPAINE.COM
David Corn
Ralph Nader has done so much good for the United States, but his latest stubborn run for president will secure him a place as either a spoiler or an almost-spoiler.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5933
Filling the Swamp
From: TOMPAINE.COM
Rami G. Khouri
Two weeks ago, the terrorists bombed hotels in Taba, Egypt. Last week, the anti-terrorists bombed residences in Fallujah. Rami Khoury says that a strategy based on bombing and invading countries shows how complete American ignorance is of what is really going on.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5934
No More Years
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
Molly Ivins
The author recalls some of her favorite moments from Bush's one-term presidency.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5929
The 9/11 Secret in the CIA's Back Pocket
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
Robert Scheer
The author reports that the CIA is withholding a damning report that points at senior officials.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5930
G-o-d, not GOP
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
E.J. Dionne, Jr.
The author writes that Bush's zealotry does not mean faith is exclusive to the right.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5931
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Pledge to Stop a Stolen Election
From: CODE PINK
CODEPINK is a founding member of the No Stolen Elections campaign, whose supporters include Rev. Jesse Jackson, Eleanor Smeal, Michael Moore, Dolores Huerta and many others. Sign the No Stolen Elections pledge and make a commitment to protest starting on November 3rd in the case of a fraudulent vote
count.
http://www.nov3.us/
WAND, Win Without War, MoveOn.org, and True Majority join Senator Bob Graham's call for release of National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq
From: WOMEN’S ACTION FOR NEW DIRECTIONS
Groups launch national campaign to force President to tell the truth about growing quagmire and potential for civil war.
http://capwiz.com/wand/issues/alert/?alertid=6438506&type=ME
The Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program Launches Free Quarterly e-Newsletter
From: WORKFORCE STRATEGIES INITIATIVE
The Aspen Institute has just launched a free quarterly e-newsletter to share news and information on variety of topics affecting the economic well-being of low-income Americans, including: microenterprise development, mentoring of small businesses, workforce training, access to capital and credit and community-based forestry.
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/Programt1.asp?i=66&bid=17231
Crime Victims’ Advocate Elected Chair of NCADP Board
From: NATIONAL COALITION TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY
Bill Pelke, who lost his 78-year-old grandmother to murder yet has campaigned relentlessly against the death penalty, will serve a one-year term as chairman of the NCADP Board of Directors.
http://www.ncadp.org/index.html
October 13-19, 2004
SPECIAL EVENT
How to Move the Progressive Agenda Forward with Technology
PopandPolitics.com is hosting an exciting roundtable event exploring progressive politics and technology starting at 5:30pm on Thursday, November 18, 2004 in Washington, DC at the headquarters of the AFL-CIO. Moving Ideas’ is a co-sponsor and will be part of the panel!
www.2004progressivetech.com
NEW FROM MOVING IDEAS
Patriot Act Threatens Civil Liberties
On the 3rd anniversary of the Patriot Act, write a letter to the editor for the in support of civil liberties protections.
http://action.movingideas.org/dia/organizations/movingideas/pickMedia.jsp?letter_KEY=48
Early Childhood Development
Readings and resources relating to The American Prospect's special report on early childhood development.
http://www.movingideas.org/issuesindepth/childdevelopment.html
Guantanamo Detainees: Human Rights are Not Negotiable
Read the transcripts from the online chat presented by Amnesty International USA and the Moving Ideas Network.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/askamnesty/live/display.php?topic=24
FEATURED ARTICLES
Lost Opportunities: The Reality of Latinos in the U.S. Criminal Justice System
From: NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA
This report found that Hispanics are overrepresented in the U.S. criminal justice system, with Hispanic defendants imprisoned three times as often as Whites and detained before trial almost twice as often as Whites, despite being the least likely of all ethnic groups to have a criminal history.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5960
American Nationalism and U.S. Foreign Policy from September 11 to the Iraq War
From: POLITICAL SCIENCE QUARTERLY
Paul T. McCartney
The author examines how the Bush administration drew upon nationalist imagery first to interpret the terrorists attacks of September 11 and then to frame the war against Iraq.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5952
Placebo Ballots: Will Fail-Safe Voting Fail?
From: DEMOS
David Cay Johnston
More than 200,000 votes cast on November 2nd could be invalidated due to improperly and illegally applied provisional balloting procedures, according to this new report.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5923
DOMESTIC SOCIAL
Workers' Rights Watch: Eye on the NLRB - October 2004
From: AMERICAN RIGHTS AT WORK
North Carolina meatpackers have endured grisly working conditions, unfair pay, and a decade of attacks on their right to organize. So why has the National Labor Relations Board failed to rule on their case for four years?
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5944
Looking to the Future: A Commentary on Children of Immigrant Families
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
Mark Greenberg and Hedieh Rahmanou
This article responds to the question: "How should policymakers, advocates, stakeholders, and practitioners respond strategically and proactively to demographic change and increasing diversity in order to promote the healthy development, productivity, and well-being of our nation's children into the future?"
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5955
Side-by-Side Comparison of Marriage and Fatherhood Provisions in H.R. 4 Passed by Senate Finance Committee and House
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
Vicki Turetsky
This chart summarizes the marriage and fatherhood provisions in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) reauthorization bill passed by the House and the one passed by the Senate Finance Committee.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5956
In Exceptional Returns: Economic, Fiscal, and Social Benefits of Investment in Early Childhood Development
From: ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
Education programs for 3 and 4 year old children ultimately provide billions of dollars in net savings to local governments and taxpayers through such financial benefits as higher income, reduced crime and poverty, and Social Security solvency.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5928
Comments Regarding Head Start Program Information Report
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
Rachel Schumacher and Katherine Hart
These comments, submitted to the Administration for Children and Families Office of Information Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, urge the government to clarify or expand portions of the data it collects on Head Start children, families, teachers, and programs and then distributes via the Program Information Report (PIR).
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5957
Criminal Neglect: Substance Abuse, Juvenile Justice and the Children Left Behind
From: INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY
The report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University examines the juvenile justice system; the nature and extent of drug use among juvenile offenders; prevention opportunities; treatment options; juvenile drug courts; and the economic cost of substance abuse and delinquency.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5942
The Draft Framework for the 10-Year Strategic Plan to End Homelessness in Los Angeles
From: INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY
The draft presents the mission and history of Bring LA Home, guiding principals, goals, and 36 "keys to success" aimed at ending homelessness in Los Angeles County.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5962
Government Run Health Programs - The Evil Empire Threatens
From: NORTH CAROLINA COMMITTEE TO DEFEND HEALTH CARE
Dennis Lazof
Drawing upon material from the recent three presidential debates, this editorial discusses the logic, and lapse thereof, in President Bush’s arguments against government run health programs. The author illuminates the logic and insight of how this domestic evil empire threatens our freedom and democracy.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5935
Public Rightly Insists that that Federal Prison be Excluded from New California County's Districts
From: PRISON POLICY INITIATIVE
Peter Wagner
This fall, planners of what may become California's newest county discovered a common prison town dilemma: How do we draw legislative districts when the Census Bureau says that federal prisoners "live" in our town?
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5947
Census Data Asks: Where are the Hispanic children? But it's the Wrong Question
From: PRISON POLICY INITIATIVE
Peter Wagner
Counting prisoners as prison-town residents masks some of the changes in how the Hispanic population is distributed in the United States.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5948
Public Opinion Watch
From: CENTURY FOUNDATION
Ruy Teixeira
In this issue: State of the Race; A Note on the Washington Post/ABC News Tracking Poll; and much more.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5965
Exceptional Returns
From: OREGON CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY
See comments by OCPP and leaders in the business and children's advocacy community of new data from the US Census Bureau showing a rise in poverty among children in the US.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5922
DOMESTIC ECONOMIC
OMB Watcher
From: OMB WATCH
In this issue: Senate Pushes Through Corporate Tax Bill Over Holiday Weekend; U.S. Spending Hits Ceiling Forcing Treasury to Act; Employment Report Again Shows Weakness; and much more.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5945
Working Hard; Falling Short
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
The report finds that too many jobs pay poor wages and provide no benefits, and that American workers are poorly prepared and supported to move into better paying jobs.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5958
Official Treasury Report Shows Fourth Year of Deficit Growth Despite Economic Recovery
From: CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES
Richard Kogan and Robert Greenstein
The Treasury has announced that the deficit was $413 billion in 2004. This marks the first time since World War II that the deficit has grown for four straight years, and the first time since before the Depression that the deficit has continued to grow this far into an economic recovery.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5954
Funding Instability Threatens to Erode Business Community's Confidence in the Housing Voucher Program
From: CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES
Barbara Sard
Unless HUD and Congress reaffirm their commitment to provide ongoing funding for all housing vouchers in use, the public-private partnership that makes the voucher program work will be threatened.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5961
Number of Unemployed who have gone without Federal Benefits Hits Record 3 Million
From: CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES
Isaac Shapiro
From late December 2003 (when the temporary federal benefits program was permitted to phase out) through today, a record 3 million jobless workers have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits and gone without federal aid.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5963
Unrealistic Expectations for the Federal Budget
From: ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
Max Sawicky
The goal of balancing the budget in 10 years implies an utterly untenable fiscal policy that would require discretionary spending outside of defense and homeland security to be cut by nearly 90% in inflation-adjusted, per capita terms.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5964
Job Numbers Come Up 131,500 Short
From: OREGON CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY
Analysis of September employment figures reveals that Oregonians are 131,500 jobs short of what are needed to keep pace with the growth in the working age population in Oregon since the downturn began.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5950
President Bush and Congressional Republicans are Seriously Discussing a National Sales Tax
From: OREGON CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY
Mike Leachman
Should a national sales tax really be "seriously explored?" For most Oregonians, the message is not very nice.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5959
FOREIGN POLICY
Homeland Unsecured: The Bush Administration's Hostility to Regulation and
Ties to Industry Leave America Vulnerable
From: PUBLIC CITIZEN
The report details how the Bush administration has failed to harden our defenses against terrorism and secure the most vulnerable, high-impact targets.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5946
Political Reform in the Arab World: A New Ferment?
From: CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
Amy Hawthorne
The nascent discourse on reform in the Arab world has inspired optimistic predictions that the region is finally responding to the global trend toward democracy. But such enthusiasm about the inevitability of democratic change is premature, writes the author in her new Carnegie Paper.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5936
Hong Kong After the Elections: The Future of ‘One Country, Two Systems'
From: CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
Veron Hung
Testimony presented to the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, September 23, 2004 by Veron Hung, associate in Carnegie's China Program.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5938
COMMENTARY
Professors Against Bush Economic and Labor Policy
From: AMERICANS FOR DEMOCRATIC ACTION
David Jacobs
Even an MBA degree cannot save you when the most powerful state on earth wages class war on its working people.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5939
The African-American Economy
From: AMERICANS FOR DEMOCRATIC ACTION
Michael J. Wilson
As Election Day 2004 nears, each of us has a responsibility to participate as voter, and while everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion on how best to meet our challenges and fulfill our hopes, everyone is not entitled to his or her own facts.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5940
Forward Journey: Trade Issues in the 2004 Election
From: AMERICANS FOR DEMOCRATIC ACTION
Jim Jontz
A couple months earlier in New Hampshire, Kerry often struggled with trade issues. The author says that he weaved and bobbed appearing unfamiliar with issues of interest to public employees, postal workers, nurses, and construction workers in the Granite State. By October, Kerry was prepared.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5941
Liberal Hawk Down
From: CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
Anatol Lieven
The failure of the Democratic Party to oppose the Bush Administration's push for war in Iraq may have doomed its chances in the 2004 elections. The author argues that from whatever mixture of fear and opportunism, many Democrats who at heart opposed the war reckoned that the wave of mass nationalist fervor that followed 9/11 made such a stance politically unviable in 2002-03.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5937
Snow Job on Jobs
From: CENTER FOR ECONOMIC AND POLICY RESEARCH
Treasury Secretary John Snow misrepresented the record on job growth when he claimed that the economy had created 3.2 million jobs during the Bush administration.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5943
Are the War and Globalization Really Connected?
From: FOREIGN POLICY IN FOCUS
Mark Engler
In the post 9-11 era, activists demonstrated how the war against terror and the drive for corporate globalization are one and the same and how peace and global justice movements share vital common ground. That these two issues are connected, in a fundamental way, is an article of faith on the political left.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5926
Missile Defense All Over Again
From: FOREIGN POLICY IN FOCUS
Michelle Ciarrocca
The Bush administration remains determined to deploy a national missile defense (NMD) despite its continued technical failures.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5925
Indecision on Iraq?
From: FOREIGN POLICY IN FOCUS
Colonel Daniel Smith, USA(Ret.)
As the first half of October 2004 slips into history, Iraq presents a bewildering kaleidoscope of conflicting tactics both within and outside the country.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5927
Security Scholars Say Iraq War Most Misguided Policy Since Vietnam
From: FOREIGN POLICY IN FOCUS
Jim Lobe
The U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq has been the ''most misguided'' policy since the Vietnam War, according to an open letter signed by some 500 U.S. national-security specialists.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5949
Holding Up a Mirror to the Face of U.S. 'Exceptionalism'
From: THE INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE
William Marina
Separated by one hundred and four years, the presidential elections of 1900 and 2004 offer some startling and almost eerie similarities.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5924
A Draft or Merely Hot Air?
From: THE INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE
Ivan Eland
Regardless of who becomes the next President of the United States, a military draft may be lurking around the November corner.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5921
The Three Stooges in Iraq, and the U.S.'s First Stooge
From: THE INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE
William Marina
Must history repeat itself? Apparently so with the war in Iraq mirroring the U.S.'s first major foreign war - the invasion and conquest of the Philippines over 100 years ago, when over 200,000 Filipino were killed. Ironically enough, key neoconservatives have used the Philippine war as their model for Iraq.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5953
Immigration Restrictionism Gains Political Clout
From: INTERHEMISPHERIC RESOURCE CENTER
Tom Barry
The surge in xenophobic sentiment associated with the "global war on terrorism" and widespread job loss have given rise to a new wave of anti-immigrant initiatives.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5951
Pro-Life, Pro-Kerry
From: TOMPAINE.COM
Amy Sullivan
Many Democrats cringe when Kerry violates the pro-choice orthodoxy and shares his personal belief that life begins at conception. But what they miss, the author argues, is that Kerry's nuanced view of abortion gives room for reasonable people to disagree at the same time that it commits him to defending reproductive rights.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5932
Reproaching Ralph
From: TOMPAINE.COM
David Corn
Ralph Nader has done so much good for the United States, but his latest stubborn run for president will secure him a place as either a spoiler or an almost-spoiler.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5933
Filling the Swamp
From: TOMPAINE.COM
Rami G. Khouri
Two weeks ago, the terrorists bombed hotels in Taba, Egypt. Last week, the anti-terrorists bombed residences in Fallujah. Rami Khoury says that a strategy based on bombing and invading countries shows how complete American ignorance is of what is really going on.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5934
No More Years
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
Molly Ivins
The author recalls some of her favorite moments from Bush's one-term presidency.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5929
The 9/11 Secret in the CIA's Back Pocket
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
Robert Scheer
The author reports that the CIA is withholding a damning report that points at senior officials.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5930
G-o-d, not GOP
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
E.J. Dionne, Jr.
The author writes that Bush's zealotry does not mean faith is exclusive to the right.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5931
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Pledge to Stop a Stolen Election
From: CODE PINK
CODEPINK is a founding member of the No Stolen Elections campaign, whose supporters include Rev. Jesse Jackson, Eleanor Smeal, Michael Moore, Dolores Huerta and many others. Sign the No Stolen Elections pledge and make a commitment to protest starting on November 3rd in the case of a fraudulent vote
count.
http://www.nov3.us/
WAND, Win Without War, MoveOn.org, and True Majority join Senator Bob Graham's call for release of National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq
From: WOMEN’S ACTION FOR NEW DIRECTIONS
Groups launch national campaign to force President to tell the truth about growing quagmire and potential for civil war.
http://capwiz.com/wand/issues/alert/?alertid=6438506&type=ME
The Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program Launches Free Quarterly e-Newsletter
From: WORKFORCE STRATEGIES INITIATIVE
The Aspen Institute has just launched a free quarterly e-newsletter to share news and information on variety of topics affecting the economic well-being of low-income Americans, including: microenterprise development, mentoring of small businesses, workforce training, access to capital and credit and community-based forestry.
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/Programt1.asp?i=66&bid=17231
Crime Victims’ Advocate Elected Chair of NCADP Board
From: NATIONAL COALITION TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY
Bill Pelke, who lost his 78-year-old grandmother to murder yet has campaigned relentlessly against the death penalty, will serve a one-year term as chairman of the NCADP Board of Directors.
http://www.ncadp.org/index.html
Starmail - 20. Okt, 23:02
