Town Meeting

UPDATE 4/7/12: My recommendations for April 2012 town elections!

UPDATE!: Take a look at all the candidates for Town Meeting--as well as other public offices!

You should run!  The deadline to turn in your petition (with 10 signatures from your precinct) is FEBRUARY 22.  So go to the Town Clerk and pick up your papers to run now! 

UPDATE: Are you running? I invite friends from the "Yes we can" community to send me their candidate information, so I can help advocate for your election!: http://hmny.me/tmm_ywc

Town Meeting is the “legislative branch” of our local government, and this year, EVERY town meeting seat is up for re-election. It is a perfect opportunity for “new blood” to run!

I know you all to be persons of conviction and commitment, and I would be honored to help get the word out for the candidacies of any ‘YWC” (or other progressive Needham) volunteer/activist. 24 Town Meeting members will be voted in for each precinct. Darn good odds! So get your nomination papers from Town Hall/Town Clerk!

I have put the deadlines on the public cal : http://hmny.me/ywccal. The last day to file your nomination papers (Pick them up at Town Hall!) is February 22. All you need is 10 signatures (get 15 to be safe!) of Needham residents in your Precinct! More info here!

It's not a huge lift to campaign. (And remember, the top 24 vote-getters in each precinct will become town meeting members). But you CAN do a Leslie Knope if you want to. That could be fun too!

Here's a useful informational video from the Needham League of Women Voters, orienting you to Town Meeting and how to run.

Austerity Now!

"Obama's out of control SPENDING is what's killing our economy!" / CUTS!! 
 -- click here for other posts with info/links on economy --

• Dave Johnson: Austeridiocy: Budget Cuts Take Money Out Of The Economy (8/12/2011)- http://goo.gl/qZqTx
• Cuts Only Shift Costs, They Don’t Cut Costs: The things government does have to be done, and cutting government doesn’t get rid of the need, it just shifts the costs. Cutting government budgets only shifts the cost away from the wealthier taxpayers who were asked to pitch in and give back to the system that enabled their wealth. It removes the “take care of and watch out for each other” concept of democracy and puts the costs on the backs of vulnerable individuals. Cutting government doesn’t remove the costs from the larger economy, and often increases the costs to the larger economy.
• Adios Austerity! E.U. Admits Right Wing Policy Of Punishing The Poor Has Failed (VIDEO) | Addicting Info (1/31/2012) 
• Paul Krugman - Truthout "Changing Minds, But Not Policy" (Aug 28, 2012) http://bit.ly/OnZvth 
• "Many of the British economists who called for austerity in 2010 now think the UK needs a stimulus. If only they'd admit austerity was a bad idea from day one, says Paul Krugman."
• The New Statesman magazine had a good idea this month — it went to 20 British economists who had all signed a letter in early 2010 calling for immediate austerity and asked them whether they still supported George Osborne's policies now that Britain is in a double-dip recession. Only one of those who replied said yes, while nine urged Mr. Osborne, the chancellor of the Exchequer, to reconsider his opposition to stimulus. Good on them."
• "...Mr. Laffer's extraordinary assertion [in WSJ] that Estonia and Ireland are the leading examples of failed stimulus [THEY'RE NOT: THEY"RE LEADING EXAMPLES OF FAILED AUSTERITY]: "Of the 34 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations, those with the largest spending spurts from 2007 to 2009 saw the least growth in G.D.P. rates before and after the stimulus," he wrote. "The four nations — Estonia, Ireland, the Slovak Republic and Finland — with the biggest stimulus programs had the steepest declines in growth." Weren't Estonia and Ireland supposed to be heroes of austerity? How incompetent do you have to be not to get that story straight? But then, it's become clear that The Wall Street Journal and the right in general have spent so long prioritizing loyalty over competence that they don't even notice when they're using people known for being wrong as supposed experts."
• Krugman blog: Ireland the Model - NYTimes.com (Dec 2010) http://nyti.ms/hKZRaC
• Quotes from 2006: Ireland stands as a shining example of the art of the possible in long-term economic policymaking [AUSTERITY].
• Krugman - America Goes Dark - NYTimes.com  ( What we're sacrificing for the top 2% - Aug '10) 
• Krugman (column) - The Austerity Debacle. - NYTimes.com (1/30/2012)  
• Krugman - Austerity Memories - NYTimes.com (1/28/2012) -- as MarKos writes, "Oh those funny economists who said austerity would lead to recession! Of course, they were right"

• Paul Krugman - Destructive Austerity, USA - NYTimes.com (1/29/2012) 
• The Austerity Delusion: The IMF's latest forecast: Perverse austerity | The Economist (IMF finds austerity could be making European crisis worse) (1/24/2012) 
• wonkronk: Poll: Americans Favor Social Security, Medicare Over Deficit Reduction (July 2011) 
• Deficit Solution: Get Americans Back To Work : NPR (May 9, 2011) 
• ThinkProgress » House Republican Spending Cuts Target Programs For Children And Pregnant Women (2/2011) 
• Goldman Sachs: Republican Budget Cuts to Slow Economy | Politically Illustrated (2/2011) 

SOCIALISM!!!

This exchange is just about how it goes with every conservative I've ever tried to talk to about what they mean when they say our President is a "communist", "socialist." Watch: 

(old graph but trend remains same)
PolitiFact | 'Red State Socialism' graphic says GOP-leaning states get lion's share of federal dollars (1/26/2012)

• Fox News And The GOP Are Wrong: Red States Use The Most Food Stamps (1/29/2012) - Politicus - food stamp users are Fox News’ base.
• PS: Study Shows Obama is the Most Moderate President - Business Insider (3/1/2012)  http://bit.ly/y0keJV
• Why The 'Socialist' Charge Persists (Jun2012) http://huff.to/M0wgt1 via @HuffPostPol
• To many historians and political scientists – and to actual socialists as well – the persistent claim that Obama is a socialist lacks credence. He's widely seen as a pragmatist within the Democratic Party mainstream who's had ample success raising campaign funds from wealthy Wall Street capitalists. Even some of his strongest critics acknowledge that his administration hasn't sought one of the classic forms of socialism – government control of the nation's means of production.
  "It makes absolutely no sense," said Greg Pason, national secretary of the Socialist Party USA. Obama's health care overhaul "is anything but socialist. It's bailing out for-profit companies."

3 Strikes: Legislators Respond

UPDATE: Response from St. Senator Richard Ross now added (2/7/2012)
Legislator responses/feedback on constituent inquiries re: 3 strikes

1/24/2012 : Sen. Chang-Diaz

Re: An Act Relative to Habitual Offenders, Sentencing, and Improving Law Enforcement 

Dear D--: 

I am writing in response to your inquiry regarding An Act Relative to Habitual Offenders, Sentencing, and Improving Law Enforcement Tools (originally S. 2054, now S. 2080 as of passage in the Senate), which the State Senate debated on November 10.  Thank you very much for bringing your views and concerns to my attention.  Your advocacy helps inform the priorities for which I fight on behalf of the Second Suffolk District.

Citizens United and Super Duper PACs

I have a thread on Money in Politics generally (Money, Influence, Corporations, Corruption, Lobbying), but there is a growing awareness (GOOD!) about the Citizens United decision, so I'm making a category/thread just for it--and abolishing it. education and information is/will be important in building grassroots support critical to actually getting a constitutional amendment. So let's get up to speed and start spreading the word! :)

Must See Infographic: : Who Controls the Political Process | The Big Picture (3/2012):

Ask Bill: How can ordinary people help to overturn or nullify the Citizen United Decision? from BillMoyers.com 

WebSites Dedicated to Reversing Citizens United

• We the People, Not We the Corporations | Move to Amend 
• Reclaim Democracy for the People! | freespeechforpeople.org 
• Amend 2012 - Because only People are People | Amend2012.org

On Unions

3/28/2011: On Triangle fire, Maine mural removal, and squeezing the workers:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Maine Squeeze
www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

Video Archive

Conservatives 2012

A place to stash my favorite stories from the so far highly entertaining 2012 Republican pres. nomination party of excesses and lies.

Seriously the Wall St. Journal is even seeing it.  And the rank/file is feeling it: "The Maddow Blog - An increasingly unappealing field (1/31/2012) : Rank and file Repubs increasingly less satisfied with their pres. choices."


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