"Necessitous men [women] are not free men [women]," said FDR in his 2nd Bill of Rights speech. This phrase is said to come from a English property law case in 1762.
This morning in the second hour of "UP" with Chris Hayes, Chris had on Greg Fletcher of Our Walmart, Raymond Castillo of Warehouse Workers United, Heather McGee of Demos, and David Frum of free market vampirism. I watch this show to get a bead on what the Democrats are up to and occasionally something really good slips in like hearing real workers talking economics. Read below the fold...
More than a dozen from Occupy Tampa laid down inside the Apple Store at International Plaza and at Best Buy on Dale Mabry on Monday night. Protestors say they were trying to represent the bodies of 14 Chinese Apple workers who they say committed suicide due to miserable working conditions.
The effort to get a citizen veto of John Kasich's union-busting attack on the middle class is still a very big deal in Ohio, even as the Occupy movement picks up steam here (and everywhere!) If it has gone somewhat off your radar here's an update. First, the latest polling shows overwhelming support for overturning the law. Read below the fold...
Last week the Ohio politics blog Plunderbund had a series of posts about the sudden and dramatic sense of desperation that had seized the right. The panic began with an editorial from the conservative Columbus Dispatch. It was so completely at odds with reality that even a casual follower of state politics might have taken it for parody. Read below the fold...
Last Wednesday We Are Ohio dropped off 1,298,301 signatures at the Secretary of State's office to put the citizen veto of SB 5 on the ballot. For the time being that puts activists in a bit of a holding pattern. Enough signatures need to be validated to put it on the ballot in November, and since there are over a million past the threshold it will take some time. It's very, very likely - but until it's official, it isn't done. Read below the fold...
I know that's a flippant way to put it, but all the big picture stuff risks losing sight of the most important thing of all: This happened because passionately committed individuals took it upon themselves to get the training and put themselves in a position to ask their friends and neighbors to support the referendum. Read below the fold...
The first phase of the effort to overturn John Kasich's union busting law is almost complete. Last night I attended a meeting of local activists that has been getting together regularly throughout the process, and was filled in on some of the details. None of it was for official publication so I won't release any numbers, but it looks like the totals will be pretty amazing. Even the rough preliminary estimations have blown way past the most wildly optimistic and ambitious benchmarks set by supporters. Read below the fold...
The citizen veto effort continues to be energetically supported. A couple of weeks ago it had received 93% of the signatures required to get it on the ballot, and that was in only a third of the time allotted. Read below the fold...
4:00 - 7:00 PM Chillicothe Drive-thru petition signing. Sponsored by OCSEA Chaps. 7130 and 7120, the Shawnee Labor Council and the OEA. Where: 4 Locations:
* Chillicothe City Park (Lion's shelter) * Ross County Service Center on Western Ave. * Glatfelter - 232 E. Eighth St. (employee entrance) * Goldie Gunlock Memorial Park (near bridge close to Kohls) Read below the fold...
