Elections Highlighted This Week
Moving Ideas News: Elections Highlighted This Week
October 20-27, 2004
SPECIAL EVENTS
Join Civil Rights Leaders to Urge the RNC to Halt Plans to Challenge Voters
Despite earlier requests from the civil rights community, the Republican National Committee has failed to put an end to Republican-initiated plans to aggressively target minority voters and voters with disabilities for challenges at the polls during the November 2nd general election. Join us in urging the RNC to put an end to its plans to challenge voters on Election Day. The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, with the support of the NAACP, USAction, and American Association of People with Disabilities, will hold a press conference outside of the RNC headquarters to highlight the party’s failure to stop this intimidation by its state and local operatives.
10 am, Thursday, October 28
Republican National Committee, 310 First St SE, Washington, DC
http://www.civilrights.org/civil_rights_calendar/detail.cfm?id=1707
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!
http://www.2004progressivetech.com
NEW FROM MOVING IDEAS
Ready? Set? Vote!
Your Vote Matters! Be Prepared! Find your polling place, learn about the candidates, access voting tools, and get involved!
http://www.movingideas.org/gotv_action.html
On the Minds of Americans: Jobs and the Economy
Analysis of recent trends regarding job growth and loss and other economic indicators.
http://www.movingideas.org/issuesindepth/jobs.html
On the Minds of Americans: Skyrocketing Health Care Costs
Analysis of the negative effects on government, businesses, the economy, families, seniors, and the chronically ill.
http://www.movingideas.org/issuesindepth/health_care.html
FEATURED ARTICLES
Less Cash in Their Pockets
From: ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
Less Cash in Their Pockets: Trends in Incomes, Wages, Taxes, and Health Spending of Middle-Income Families, 2000-03, offers new detail on the middle-class squeeze that has been reported in the media.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5985
Leaving Women Behind
From: TOMPAINE.COM
Karen Kornbluh and Laurie Rubiner
President George W. Bush has framed his domestic agenda in recent speeches as a response to women's economic security concerns. In fact, in the president’s “Ownership Society,” women would be less—not more—economically secure.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5976
Approximately Half of Americans in Medicare Are at Risk of Losing Coverage When the New Law Is Implemented
From: FAMILIES USA
This analysis of the new Medicare law and proposed regulations for the law shows that the new program will be more than a disappointment - half of America's Medicare beneficiaries are at risk of being worse off than they are today.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5988
NOVEMBER 2ND ELECTION
Democracy at Risk: Challenges to Election Integrity
From: DEMOS
This election briefing book covers five areas that Demos has studied in depth: provisional balloting, felon disenfranchisement, voter registration, voter purging and election fraud.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=6004
Placebo Ballots: Will 'Fail-safe' Voting Fail?
(Correction from the October 20 newsletter)
From: DEMOS
This report shows how several hundred thousand citizens may again be sent home from the polls without casting a vote. Over half of all states are adopting an overly cramped approach to provisional voting.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5983
Ballot Initiative Campaign Spotlights
From: BALLOT INITIATIVE STRATEGY CENTER
With 163 statewide measures qualified for the ballot, initiatives are doing their part to turn up the heat on the November election by helping frame policy debates for the progressive community, distinguishing candidates, helping lure voters to the ballot box and reforming state law.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5996
Purged! Will Eligible Voters be Purged from Election Rolls?
From: DEMOS
Demos, the ACLU and the Right to Vote Campaign found that millions of eligible voters may again be prevented from casting their ballots on November 2 due to flawed felon purges.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5982
Public Opinion Watch
From: CENTURY FOUNDATION
In this issue: Time and Newsweek Polls Have Race Tied, A Note on Nader, Final Verdict on the Debates, and much more.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5994
DOMESTIC SOCIAL
ACORN News
From: ACORN
In this issue: Ohio Files Voting Rights Lawsuit, Radio Station KNON and ACORN Uncover Dallas Section 8 Scandal, ACORN Members in 48 Cities Rally for Education Funding and Civic Participation, and much more.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5987
Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy
From: ALLIANCE FOR EXCELLENT EDUCATION
Leading literacy researchers have identified 15 fundamental elements of effective adolescent literacy programs in this new report.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5990
Profiles in Leadership: Innovative Approaches to Transforming the American High School
From: ALLIANCE FOR EXCELLENT EDUCATION
Some of America's foremost education innovators lay out a bold vision for secondary school leadership in a collection of essays.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5991
Safety in the Safety Net: TANF Reauthorization Provisions Relevant to Domestic Violence
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
Nisha Patel and Vicki Turetsky
This paper summarizes key provisions in the TANF reauthorization bills of particular importance to domestic violence survivors and their advocates.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5979
A Profile of Families Cycling on and off Welfare
From: MDRC
This report analyzes the experiences of a group that has garnered relatively little attention in previous research: welfare "cyclers," families who repeatedly return to welfare assistance.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5998
OIG Studies on Possible Recoupment of SCHIP Costs Through the Child Support Program
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
Paula Roberts
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently conducted studies in several states on the potential for recouping State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) costs from non-custodial parents through the child support program. This memo summarizes the OIG recommendations and state actions so far for Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5980
Health Care: US Spends More, Gets Less
From: ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
This analysis compares the United States to 29 of the world's other industrialized nations to illustrate the relationship between health spending and life expectancy.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5993
DOMESTIC ECONOMIC
Child Support Substantially Increases Economic Well-Being of Low and Moderate Income Families
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
Child support makes up a substantial portion of household income for many families, helping them out of deep poverty and adding income that contributes to child well-being.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5981
Renewing the 'Promise of American Life': Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Beyond
From: DRUM MAJOR INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY
Dr. Mark Santow and Dr. Leonard Santow
This publication provides a forum for progressives from all walks of life to weigh in with creative solutions to the most important issues facing our nation, and offers pragmatic solutions to many of the problems facing the increasingly squeezed middle-class.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5999
Two Jobs Surveys, Same 'Sad Story'
From: ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
With the most recent employment data, the story illustrated by the two surveys, one payroll and the other household, remains "sad."
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5978
The Case for Rate Hikes: Did the Fed Prematurely Raise Rates?
From: LEVY ECONOMICS INSTITUTE
L. Randall Wray
This new brief evaluates the Federal Reserves concern about coming inflation and its decision to begin raising interest rates.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5984
FOREIGN POLICY
Apply ' Libya Model' to Iran and Syria
From: FOREIGN POLICY IN FOCUS
Ronald Bruce St John
The White House is now busy pursuing the same bellicose policies in Iran and Syria that led to the invasion of Iraq. While some commentators argue that the results of the Iraq War invalidate the preemptive strike strategy, this may prove to be more a reflection of wishful thinking than of Bush administration practice, the author argues.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5986
Switching the Strategic Focus of American Public Diplomacy: Forget Battles, Think Bridges
From: FOREIGN POLICY IN FOCUS
R.S. Zaharna
Since September 11, 2001, American public diplomacy has been on a communication treadmill trying to find the "right" message that will win the hearts and minds of skeptical foreign publics. The author argues that America's message isn't the problem; America's strategy is the problem.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5997
Argentina and the IFIs: Better off Without Them?
From: INTERHEMISPHERIC RESOURCE CENTER
Alan Cibils
There is a popular saying in Argentina: más vale estar solo que mal acompañado (better to be alone than in bad company). Increasingly Argentines are wondering whether it isn't time to go it alone and leave the International Financial Institutions (IFIs, the IMF, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank) behind.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5995
'Explosive' Revelations
From: THE AMERICAN PROSPECT
Michael Tomasky
The New York Times reports that nearly 380 tons of high-powered explosives are missing from an Iraqi storehouse called al-Qaqaa. The author argues that the Bush administration's incompetence may have caused the deaths of American soldiers. This time, the media must draw attention to it.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5969
COMMENTARY
Why Muslims Always Blame the West
From: CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
Husain Haqqani
When Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, warned against the descent of an "iron curtain" between the West and the Islamic world, he appeared to put the onus of avoiding confrontation only on the West, the author argues.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5970
Don't Scapegoat China's Exchange Rate
From: CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
Bert Keidel
The author argues that U.S. President George W. Bush's call last week for the Chinese leadership to revalue the yuan is likely to keep alive various misguided arguments for a revaluation or for an immediate increase in exchange-rate flexibility, which many interpret as synonymous with revaluation.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5971
Seeking Breakthroughs: The Meandering U.S.-India Relationship Needs a Fresh Impetus
From: CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
Ashley J. Tellis
The author explains why the diplomatic interactions between the United States and India are simply too complicated and intersect in far too many areas of high politics to lend themselves to being transformed simply by successes in military-to-military relations.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5972
American Exceptionalism
From: THE INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE
Ivan Eland
The author argues that many Americans, like the citizens of dominant nations of the past, believe that their way of life is superior and should be shared with other peoples - often at gunpoint. Lately, this American exceptionalism has assumed even more pernicious forms.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5966
Bush Administration Failures Leave Country Vulnerable to Terrorists
From: PUBLIC CITIZEN
Joan Claybrook
The Bush administration has consistently ignored or opposed commonsense measures to protect Americans from potentially catastrophic terrorist attacks – an inaction that reflects the Bush administration's aversion to regulating private industry and its allegiance to key campaign contributors, Public Citizen President told members of the D.C. Council's Judiciary Committee.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5977
Military Misconceptions
From: TOMPAINE.COM
David L. Englin
The author argues that if liberals and Democrats want to govern, they need to look beyond the popular rhetoric and understand who makes up our armed forces. And why.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5973
High-Yield Investment: Kids
From: TOMPAINE.COM
Roger Hickey
The author discusses the findings of a new study released by the Economic Policy Institute and the Institute for America's Future that proves spending government money on early childhood programs isn't just good for children - it's good for taxpayers and society.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5974
Chipping Away At Health Care
From: TOMPAINE.COM
Rachel Klein
The author argues that the actions and the words of the Bush administration on health care just don't match up.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5975
Clueless People Love Bush
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
Molly Ivins
The author comments on recent studies that show Bush supporters are misled on Bush policies as well as the news.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=6000
Homophobia Runs Rampant in Black America
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
Cynthia Tucker
The author writes that Alan Keyes' smear of Mary Cheney exemplifies lingering prejudice in the black community.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=6001
Weird Science
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
Ellen Goodman
The author writes on the California stem cell proposition - a risky end run on a flawed Bush compromise.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=6002
Muckraker: Porkic Victory
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
Amanda Griscom Little
The author reports on a pork-laden corporate tax bill socking it to the environment.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=6003
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Help Protect Voters
From: PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY
Join the Election Protection Campaign to ensure everyone has the opportunity to vote and have their ballot counted.
http://www.electionprotection2004.org/
Supreme Court 2004
From: PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY
Join our effort to tell voters: your choice for president could impact the next forty years. The next president could appoint as many as three or four Supreme Court Justices, controlling the future of our rights and freedoms for decades.
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=16617
Up-to-the-Minute Election News
From: DEMOS
Demos Election Newswire (www.demos-usa.org/Newswire) showcases the latest election-related articles and commentaries from around the country and the globe. This feature is updated hourly and will be available through Election Day and beyond. Democracy Dispatches Daily Roundup (www.demos-usa.org/DailyRoundup) summarizes the day’s top stories and is posted everyday between 4-5 PM.
http://www.demos-usa.org/
Help Block Kentucky Execution
From: NATIONAL COALITION TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY
The attorney general of Kentucky has requested a Nov. 16 execution date for Thomas C. Bowling. Ask Gov. Fletcher not to authorize Bowling's execution.
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=213
Take Action for Death Penalty Moratorium in Harris County, Texas
From: NATIONAL COALITION TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY
Many prominent pro-death penalty Texans - including former Gov. Mark White, Houston Police Chief and state senator John Whitmire - have called for a moratorium on executions out of Harris County after crime lab controversy. Ask Gov. Rick Perry to impose a moratorium.
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=212
Call for Papers for Women’s Policy Conference
From: INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN’S POLICY RESEARCH
The Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) with co-sponsors The Women's Studies Program at the George Washington University and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Washington Office present IWPR's Eighth International Women's Policy Research Conference: When Women Gain, So Does the World, June 19-21, 2005. Abstracts of proposed paper presentations are due by October 31, 2004.
http://www.iwpr.org/Conference2005/index.htm
Bill Pelke, Renny Cushing, Rich Curtner elected to 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. Joining Pelke as newly elected Board officers are Renny Cushing and Rich Curtner, each of whom were elected vice chairs. Cushing is policy director of Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights, and Curtner is a member of Alaskans Against the Death Penalty in Anchorage.
http://www.ncadp.org/
MDRC Launches New Supporting Healthy Marriage Web Site
From: MDRC
MDRC has developed a Web site for the Supporting Healthy Marriage project, a multiyear effort funded by the federal Administration for Children and Families that is the first large-scale evaluation of programs that provide marriage education to low-income, married couples.
http://www.supportinghealthymarriage.org
End Corruption in the U.S. House
From: CAMPAIGN FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE
Urge your Member of Congress to condemn contributions from a corrupt PAC.
http://www.ourfuture.org/action_center/delaypac_bystate.cfm
October 20-27, 2004
SPECIAL EVENTS
Join Civil Rights Leaders to Urge the RNC to Halt Plans to Challenge Voters
Despite earlier requests from the civil rights community, the Republican National Committee has failed to put an end to Republican-initiated plans to aggressively target minority voters and voters with disabilities for challenges at the polls during the November 2nd general election. Join us in urging the RNC to put an end to its plans to challenge voters on Election Day. The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, with the support of the NAACP, USAction, and American Association of People with Disabilities, will hold a press conference outside of the RNC headquarters to highlight the party’s failure to stop this intimidation by its state and local operatives.
10 am, Thursday, October 28
Republican National Committee, 310 First St SE, Washington, DC
http://www.civilrights.org/civil_rights_calendar/detail.cfm?id=1707
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!
http://www.2004progressivetech.com
NEW FROM MOVING IDEAS
Ready? Set? Vote!
Your Vote Matters! Be Prepared! Find your polling place, learn about the candidates, access voting tools, and get involved!
http://www.movingideas.org/gotv_action.html
On the Minds of Americans: Jobs and the Economy
Analysis of recent trends regarding job growth and loss and other economic indicators.
http://www.movingideas.org/issuesindepth/jobs.html
On the Minds of Americans: Skyrocketing Health Care Costs
Analysis of the negative effects on government, businesses, the economy, families, seniors, and the chronically ill.
http://www.movingideas.org/issuesindepth/health_care.html
FEATURED ARTICLES
Less Cash in Their Pockets
From: ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
Less Cash in Their Pockets: Trends in Incomes, Wages, Taxes, and Health Spending of Middle-Income Families, 2000-03, offers new detail on the middle-class squeeze that has been reported in the media.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5985
Leaving Women Behind
From: TOMPAINE.COM
Karen Kornbluh and Laurie Rubiner
President George W. Bush has framed his domestic agenda in recent speeches as a response to women's economic security concerns. In fact, in the president’s “Ownership Society,” women would be less—not more—economically secure.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5976
Approximately Half of Americans in Medicare Are at Risk of Losing Coverage When the New Law Is Implemented
From: FAMILIES USA
This analysis of the new Medicare law and proposed regulations for the law shows that the new program will be more than a disappointment - half of America's Medicare beneficiaries are at risk of being worse off than they are today.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5988
NOVEMBER 2ND ELECTION
Democracy at Risk: Challenges to Election Integrity
From: DEMOS
This election briefing book covers five areas that Demos has studied in depth: provisional balloting, felon disenfranchisement, voter registration, voter purging and election fraud.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=6004
Placebo Ballots: Will 'Fail-safe' Voting Fail?
(Correction from the October 20 newsletter)
From: DEMOS
This report shows how several hundred thousand citizens may again be sent home from the polls without casting a vote. Over half of all states are adopting an overly cramped approach to provisional voting.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5983
Ballot Initiative Campaign Spotlights
From: BALLOT INITIATIVE STRATEGY CENTER
With 163 statewide measures qualified for the ballot, initiatives are doing their part to turn up the heat on the November election by helping frame policy debates for the progressive community, distinguishing candidates, helping lure voters to the ballot box and reforming state law.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5996
Purged! Will Eligible Voters be Purged from Election Rolls?
From: DEMOS
Demos, the ACLU and the Right to Vote Campaign found that millions of eligible voters may again be prevented from casting their ballots on November 2 due to flawed felon purges.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5982
Public Opinion Watch
From: CENTURY FOUNDATION
In this issue: Time and Newsweek Polls Have Race Tied, A Note on Nader, Final Verdict on the Debates, and much more.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5994
DOMESTIC SOCIAL
ACORN News
From: ACORN
In this issue: Ohio Files Voting Rights Lawsuit, Radio Station KNON and ACORN Uncover Dallas Section 8 Scandal, ACORN Members in 48 Cities Rally for Education Funding and Civic Participation, and much more.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5987
Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy
From: ALLIANCE FOR EXCELLENT EDUCATION
Leading literacy researchers have identified 15 fundamental elements of effective adolescent literacy programs in this new report.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5990
Profiles in Leadership: Innovative Approaches to Transforming the American High School
From: ALLIANCE FOR EXCELLENT EDUCATION
Some of America's foremost education innovators lay out a bold vision for secondary school leadership in a collection of essays.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5991
Safety in the Safety Net: TANF Reauthorization Provisions Relevant to Domestic Violence
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
Nisha Patel and Vicki Turetsky
This paper summarizes key provisions in the TANF reauthorization bills of particular importance to domestic violence survivors and their advocates.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5979
A Profile of Families Cycling on and off Welfare
From: MDRC
This report analyzes the experiences of a group that has garnered relatively little attention in previous research: welfare "cyclers," families who repeatedly return to welfare assistance.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5998
OIG Studies on Possible Recoupment of SCHIP Costs Through the Child Support Program
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
Paula Roberts
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently conducted studies in several states on the potential for recouping State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) costs from non-custodial parents through the child support program. This memo summarizes the OIG recommendations and state actions so far for Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5980
Health Care: US Spends More, Gets Less
From: ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
This analysis compares the United States to 29 of the world's other industrialized nations to illustrate the relationship between health spending and life expectancy.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5993
DOMESTIC ECONOMIC
Child Support Substantially Increases Economic Well-Being of Low and Moderate Income Families
From: CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
Child support makes up a substantial portion of household income for many families, helping them out of deep poverty and adding income that contributes to child well-being.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5981
Renewing the 'Promise of American Life': Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Beyond
From: DRUM MAJOR INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY
Dr. Mark Santow and Dr. Leonard Santow
This publication provides a forum for progressives from all walks of life to weigh in with creative solutions to the most important issues facing our nation, and offers pragmatic solutions to many of the problems facing the increasingly squeezed middle-class.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5999
Two Jobs Surveys, Same 'Sad Story'
From: ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
With the most recent employment data, the story illustrated by the two surveys, one payroll and the other household, remains "sad."
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5978
The Case for Rate Hikes: Did the Fed Prematurely Raise Rates?
From: LEVY ECONOMICS INSTITUTE
L. Randall Wray
This new brief evaluates the Federal Reserves concern about coming inflation and its decision to begin raising interest rates.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5984
FOREIGN POLICY
Apply ' Libya Model' to Iran and Syria
From: FOREIGN POLICY IN FOCUS
Ronald Bruce St John
The White House is now busy pursuing the same bellicose policies in Iran and Syria that led to the invasion of Iraq. While some commentators argue that the results of the Iraq War invalidate the preemptive strike strategy, this may prove to be more a reflection of wishful thinking than of Bush administration practice, the author argues.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5986
Switching the Strategic Focus of American Public Diplomacy: Forget Battles, Think Bridges
From: FOREIGN POLICY IN FOCUS
R.S. Zaharna
Since September 11, 2001, American public diplomacy has been on a communication treadmill trying to find the "right" message that will win the hearts and minds of skeptical foreign publics. The author argues that America's message isn't the problem; America's strategy is the problem.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5997
Argentina and the IFIs: Better off Without Them?
From: INTERHEMISPHERIC RESOURCE CENTER
Alan Cibils
There is a popular saying in Argentina: más vale estar solo que mal acompañado (better to be alone than in bad company). Increasingly Argentines are wondering whether it isn't time to go it alone and leave the International Financial Institutions (IFIs, the IMF, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank) behind.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5995
'Explosive' Revelations
From: THE AMERICAN PROSPECT
Michael Tomasky
The New York Times reports that nearly 380 tons of high-powered explosives are missing from an Iraqi storehouse called al-Qaqaa. The author argues that the Bush administration's incompetence may have caused the deaths of American soldiers. This time, the media must draw attention to it.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5969
COMMENTARY
Why Muslims Always Blame the West
From: CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
Husain Haqqani
When Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, warned against the descent of an "iron curtain" between the West and the Islamic world, he appeared to put the onus of avoiding confrontation only on the West, the author argues.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5970
Don't Scapegoat China's Exchange Rate
From: CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
Bert Keidel
The author argues that U.S. President George W. Bush's call last week for the Chinese leadership to revalue the yuan is likely to keep alive various misguided arguments for a revaluation or for an immediate increase in exchange-rate flexibility, which many interpret as synonymous with revaluation.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5971
Seeking Breakthroughs: The Meandering U.S.-India Relationship Needs a Fresh Impetus
From: CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
Ashley J. Tellis
The author explains why the diplomatic interactions between the United States and India are simply too complicated and intersect in far too many areas of high politics to lend themselves to being transformed simply by successes in military-to-military relations.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5972
American Exceptionalism
From: THE INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE
Ivan Eland
The author argues that many Americans, like the citizens of dominant nations of the past, believe that their way of life is superior and should be shared with other peoples - often at gunpoint. Lately, this American exceptionalism has assumed even more pernicious forms.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5966
Bush Administration Failures Leave Country Vulnerable to Terrorists
From: PUBLIC CITIZEN
Joan Claybrook
The Bush administration has consistently ignored or opposed commonsense measures to protect Americans from potentially catastrophic terrorist attacks – an inaction that reflects the Bush administration's aversion to regulating private industry and its allegiance to key campaign contributors, Public Citizen President told members of the D.C. Council's Judiciary Committee.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5977
Military Misconceptions
From: TOMPAINE.COM
David L. Englin
The author argues that if liberals and Democrats want to govern, they need to look beyond the popular rhetoric and understand who makes up our armed forces. And why.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5973
High-Yield Investment: Kids
From: TOMPAINE.COM
Roger Hickey
The author discusses the findings of a new study released by the Economic Policy Institute and the Institute for America's Future that proves spending government money on early childhood programs isn't just good for children - it's good for taxpayers and society.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5974
Chipping Away At Health Care
From: TOMPAINE.COM
Rachel Klein
The author argues that the actions and the words of the Bush administration on health care just don't match up.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=5975
Clueless People Love Bush
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
Molly Ivins
The author comments on recent studies that show Bush supporters are misled on Bush policies as well as the news.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=6000
Homophobia Runs Rampant in Black America
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
Cynthia Tucker
The author writes that Alan Keyes' smear of Mary Cheney exemplifies lingering prejudice in the black community.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=6001
Weird Science
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
Ellen Goodman
The author writes on the California stem cell proposition - a risky end run on a flawed Bush compromise.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=6002
Muckraker: Porkic Victory
From: WORKINGFORCHANGE.COM
Amanda Griscom Little
The author reports on a pork-laden corporate tax bill socking it to the environment.
http://www.movingideas.org/cgi-bin/rd/epn_letter.pl?id=6003
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Help Protect Voters
From: PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY
Join the Election Protection Campaign to ensure everyone has the opportunity to vote and have their ballot counted.
http://www.electionprotection2004.org/
Supreme Court 2004
From: PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY
Join our effort to tell voters: your choice for president could impact the next forty years. The next president could appoint as many as three or four Supreme Court Justices, controlling the future of our rights and freedoms for decades.
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=16617
Up-to-the-Minute Election News
From: DEMOS
Demos Election Newswire (www.demos-usa.org/Newswire) showcases the latest election-related articles and commentaries from around the country and the globe. This feature is updated hourly and will be available through Election Day and beyond. Democracy Dispatches Daily Roundup (www.demos-usa.org/DailyRoundup) summarizes the day’s top stories and is posted everyday between 4-5 PM.
http://www.demos-usa.org/
Help Block Kentucky Execution
From: NATIONAL COALITION TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY
The attorney general of Kentucky has requested a Nov. 16 execution date for Thomas C. Bowling. Ask Gov. Fletcher not to authorize Bowling's execution.
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=213
Take Action for Death Penalty Moratorium in Harris County, Texas
From: NATIONAL COALITION TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY
Many prominent pro-death penalty Texans - including former Gov. Mark White, Houston Police Chief and state senator John Whitmire - have called for a moratorium on executions out of Harris County after crime lab controversy. Ask Gov. Rick Perry to impose a moratorium.
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=212
Call for Papers for Women’s Policy Conference
From: INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN’S POLICY RESEARCH
The Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) with co-sponsors The Women's Studies Program at the George Washington University and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Washington Office present IWPR's Eighth International Women's Policy Research Conference: When Women Gain, So Does the World, June 19-21, 2005. Abstracts of proposed paper presentations are due by October 31, 2004.
http://www.iwpr.org/Conference2005/index.htm
Bill Pelke, Renny Cushing, Rich Curtner elected to 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. Joining Pelke as newly elected Board officers are Renny Cushing and Rich Curtner, each of whom were elected vice chairs. Cushing is policy director of Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights, and Curtner is a member of Alaskans Against the Death Penalty in Anchorage.
http://www.ncadp.org/
MDRC Launches New Supporting Healthy Marriage Web Site
From: MDRC
MDRC has developed a Web site for the Supporting Healthy Marriage project, a multiyear effort funded by the federal Administration for Children and Families that is the first large-scale evaluation of programs that provide marriage education to low-income, married couples.
http://www.supportinghealthymarriage.org
End Corruption in the U.S. House
From: CAMPAIGN FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE
Urge your Member of Congress to condemn contributions from a corrupt PAC.
http://www.ourfuture.org/action_center/delaypac_bystate.cfm
Starmail - 27. Okt, 22:48
