What the ‘Progressive Movement’ does not seem to grasp….

….simple really we can’t engineer a progressive transformation of society and politics with folks writing posts like this: War is Bad for the Economy.
seems obvious but let’s unpack this post.

Let’s start with the title. At Drinking Liberally, Oaktown Chapter we long ago, 2003 or so, started calling the conflict in Iraq what it really is. It is an occupation
not a ‘War’. This is important. Words matter as some guy who keeps popping up on TeeBee keeps insisting. In this case Jeffery Feldman and George Lakoff would agree
I do believe. War is something you ‘win’ or ‘lose’ Americans don’t like to lose so by sticking with the corporatist media terminology the poster is off on the wrong foot at the very
beginning. Survey’s also show that Americans don’t like to think of our nation as ‘occupying’ another one make ‘em feel bad about themselves. Since, according to the poster, we are
trying to persuade the citizens of our point of view which is that the occupation of Iraq is a bad thing this framing is to be preferred over the use of ‘the war in Iraq’.

Uh….Foxes in the Henhouse again!

Stormy over at Angry Bear takes a quick look at Paulson and his bloviatiing. Here ’s the teaser quote:

Foxes in the hen house? And where were the foxes before March 2008? Smiling? Or try this one:

Financial markets in the United States have developed into world class centers of capital and have led financial innovation.

Paulson gives a nice pat on the back for our “centers of capital” that have “led financial innovation.” Wonder what members of the committee inserted that one? Yes, yes, the industry leaders we now have to rescue. But marvel, please, at all those financial innovations. And I just cannot get my head around the next one:

Now, however, maturing foreign financial markets and their ability to provide alternate sources of capital and financial innovation in a more efficient and modern regulatory system are pressuring the U.S. financial services industry and its regulatory structure.

Read the whole thing; pretty good stuff as usual from those guys.

Vote NO on Proposition 98 – Vote YES on Proposition 99 (Update)

UPDATE by adragonfly 3/26/08

It is important to vote on June 3, 2008 on these two critical propositions that will directly effect every renter in California – including mobile home owners who “rent” the land their mobile home sits on.

VOTE NO on Prop 98: The California Property Owner & Farmland Protection Act (CPOFPA being called ‘the hidden agenda’ proposition) is being promoted as an eminent domain proposition only ( the right of a government to take, or to authorize the taking of private property for public use.) HOWEVER, there is a ‘hidden agenda’ in this initiative to abolish rent control and gut the laws that protect renters in California . The LARGEST SUPPORTERS (BY DONATIONS) ARE THE MOBILE HOME PARK OWNERS at 44%, APARTMENT OWNERS at 41% (a total of 85%!), and misc donations.

It is documented that the Western Manufactured Housing Communities have donated over $155,000 to Prop 98 (more as of 3/26/08), and the major mobilehome management companies (including Sierra Corporate Management) have donated as well. (I obtained the above statistics from Bicker, Castillo, & Fairbanks .) This gives us an idea how important this is to them to get Prop 98 passed. VOTE NO on PROP 98. IT IS NOT IN OUR BEST INTERESTS!

NO on PROP 98:
– Masquerades as Eminent Domain reform
– Carries hidden agenda of eliminating rent control upon resale
– Destroys value of mobile homes
– Allows park owner initiated condo conversions of MHPs
– Outlaws local affordable housing ‘inclusionary’
zoning requirements
– Contains poorly drafted provisions that could stop future water projects
– AND destroy local land-use planning and erode environmental protections.

As of 3/10/08 Tenants Together ( a statewide organization supporting tenant rights) publishes: “Today, Prop 98 will be sent to the printer with a ballot title that omits any reference to the fact that Proposition 98 prohibits rent control in California . Although Attorney General Jerry Brown acknowledges that banning rent control is a key feature of Prop 98, he refuses to put the words ‘rent control’ in the title of the ballot measure, a decision that has prompted outrage among California tenant advocates.”

To give you an idea on how important is is to vote NO on Prop 98, these are only some of the organizations supporting NO on Prop 98: AARP, California Alliance for Retired Americans, Senior Action Network, CA Police Chiefs/ Fire Chiefs Assoc, League of CA Homeowners, GSMOL, COMOCAL, numerous county mobilehome associations including Nevada Co, CA Chamber of Commerce, Western Growers Assoc, CA Teachers Assoc, Housing CA, CA Coalition of Rural Housing, Coalition of Economic Survival, Tenants Together, Housing Justice Campaign, National Wildlife Assoc, SIERRA CLUB, CA Council of Land Trusts, Audubon CA, Assoc for CA Water Agencies, LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS of CA, WESTERN CENTER ON LAW AND POVERTY, Progressive Jewish Alliance, Americans for Democratic Action, Pride at Work SFO, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), NATIONAL ASSOC OF HISPANIC ASSOC, LEAGUE OF CA CITIES, CA Redelopment Association.

YES on PROP 99 (Home Owner’s Protection Act (HOPA)
- A grass-roots effort with well over 1 million signatures to qualify a ‘clean’ eminent domain proposition on the June 3rd ballot. This is supported by GSMOL, Comocal, Neighborhood Friends, the League of California Cities, and many senior and advocate organizations. My opinion is this, it’s not perfect but it is better than anything we have in place now.

IMPORTANT: IF BOTH PASS, THE ONE WITH THE MOST VOTES WINS – so NO on PROP 98, YES on 99