Showing posts with label Poverty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poverty. Show all posts

Friday, February 7, 2014

Someone Please Tell Me Why People Vote Against Their Own Best Interest!






2009 State Scorecard Summary of Health System Performance by www.commonwealthfund.org
2009 State Scorecard Summary of Health System Performance by www.commonwealthfund.org

Republicans say "Less Regulation is Needed"

 West Virginia (74%) and South Dakota (71%) is the best chance the Republicans have at gaining seats in the U.S. Senate on their way to getting the six seats they need to regain control of the Senate according to The Washington Post. How they can even put a percentage chance on whether the Republicans can win those seats this far out from the election is beyond the comprehension of this writer, and many others. Did the people already forget about the 300,000 people whose water was contaminated by Freedom Industries, an affiliate of Georgia-Pacific Chemical, a Koch Brothers company? Did they forget that House Speaker John Boehner immediately after the incident said "I think there are plenty of regulations in place"? Did they forget that the company almost immediately claimed bankruptcy protecting themselves from law suits and continued operating as if nothing happened?


Healthiest and Unhealthiest States - Forbes

Healthiest and Unhealthiest States - Forbes

Where are the Healthiest and Unhealthiest People in America?

Who has the Worst, or No, Health Insurance?

Red State Reality: Unhealthiest Residents, Worst Health Care
From: PERRspectives November 17, 2009

 Throughout their all-out campaign to stop health care reform, Republican leaders have relied on questionable forecasts from the Lewin Group, a subsidiary of insurer UnitedHealth Group. Now, another study funded by UnitedHealth has some unwelcome news for the GOP braintrust: the red states they represent are the unhealthiest in the nation. Following on the heels of the Commonwealth Fund's 2009 Scorecard of state health care system performance, the United Health Foundation's report is just the latest confirmation that health care is worst where Republicans poll best.

 Eight of the 10 bottom-ranked states are from the south, with Mississippi coming in dead last for the ninth consecutive year. Mississippi has a sky-high death rate from heart disease and high infant mortality. In general, residents of these states are more likely to be smokers or to be obese, the report found. They also have worse health insurance coverage, fewer physicians per capita and live in areas with high violent crime and more child poverty.

 So your in a state that has the unhealthiest people in the nation and your Representatives; Governors, Congressmen/women, and U.S. Senators, are lying to you to have you think "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (Obamacare) which will expand Medicaid (at no cost to your state and only 10% of the cost after 3 years,) make insurance companies keep your children on your healthcare policies until they're 26, and force insurance companies to actually use 80% of the premiums they collect for patient claims rather than give themselves outrageous bonuses and salaries, is a bad thing. Why would you vote for these obstructive, greedy, all for corporations and the "ultra-rich, and not interested in your best interests in the least, politicians?

"Obama is a Socialist, His Government is Socialistic,"they Say

But if it weren't for the Social Programs that Exist Many Red States Would Be Bankrupt!

Red States on this Map Indicate States that are Taking More Money from the Federal Government than they Give in Taxes.
Red States on this Map Indicate States that are Taking More Money from the Federal Government than they Give in Taxes. by Ezra Klein
Although they constantly complain about the "Social Programs" and call President Obama the "President that wants to Give Stuff Away," the Red States are the ones benefiting from the programs. The TeaPublicans have again denied to expand the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) even after they were given everything they asked for:

“We’ve given them everything they wanted. Paid for,” said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, flashing his irritation at Republicans who blocked the bill.
 He said Democrats would keep pushing to extend the benefits, which expired at the end of last year, cutting off more than 1.3 million Americans. That number has since grown to more than 1.7 million. Read More of The New York Times article "Senate Fails to Pass 3-Month Extension of Jobless Aid"

 The first vote failed, 52 to 48, on a measure proposed by the Democratic leadership that would have extended benefits for 11 months. The extension would have been largely financed by continuing a 2 percent cut to Medicare health providers for an additional year, through 2024. The second vote, on the original bill, which would have extended benefits for three months at a cost of $6.4 billion, failed 55 to 45.
 So where are all the unemployed workers? In the "Blue" or "Democratic" states? Not quite!
Unemployment Rates by States - Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Unemployment Rates by States - Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
 Yet we have to wonder, will all those unemployed people in Republican states remember who wouldn't extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) even after they got EVERYTHING they negotiated for?

Finally, Where is it Hardest to Escape From Poverty?

Escaping from Poverty by The Washington Post the WaPo
Escaping from Poverty by The Washington Post
 So how about if you are born into poverty, would you have a better chance in a Red State (Republican) or a Blue State (Democratic)? Are your U.S. Congressmen/women and U.S. Senators working to try to help your citizens living below the poverty line and the middle class? On this interactive map by The New York Times you can click on your location and see what chances your children have to escape poverty: In Climbing Income Ladder, Location Matters. Here are the Top Ten and the Bottom Ten cities/counties for upward mobility:

Upward Mobility in the 50 Biggest Metro Areas: The Top 10 and Bottom 10
RankOdds of Reaching Top Fifth
Starting from Bottom Fifth
RankOdds of Reaching Top Fifth
Starting from Bottom Fifth
1San Jose, CA12.9%divider41Cleveland, OH5.1%
2San Francisco, CA12.2%42St. Louis, MO5.1%
3Washington DC, DC11.0%43Raleigh, NC5.0%
4Seattle, WA10.9%44Jacksonville, FL4.9%
5Salt Lake City, UT10.8%45Columbus, OH4.9%
6New York, NY10.5%46Indianapolis, IN4.9%
7Boston, MA10.5%47Dayton, OH4.9%
8San Diego, CA10.4%48Atlanta, GA4.5%
9Newark, NJ10.2%49Milwaukee, WI4.5%
10Manchester, NH10.0%50Charlotte, NC4.4%

 

Anyone Want to Explain Why People in Red States are Voting Republican or Even Worse, for Tea Party Members?

 I know one reason we have so many low-information voters, and it's not all their fault. If you were born and put into a blue room until you were 5 years old, and the whole time your parents told you the color of the walls was green, what would you say the color was when someone showed you something blue? That's the effect on many people in states where outside money, and dark money (the Koch Brothers favorite,) is used to get Tea Party members, and far right-wing candidates, elected. Probably the biggest problem in this country is the effect of the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 21, 2010 when they sided with Citizens United which removed limits on corporations, unions, and organizations making campaign contributions. More than 80% of Americans believe that the Citizens United decision has caused far more corruption in our elections and in our politicians than ever before. We must remove money in politics because "Money is Not Speech" and "Corporations are Not People."

Deregulation: The Republican/Tea Party members have blocked most of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The February 3, 2013 Monthly Report showing the progress of the law signed by President Obama July 21, 2010.
  • In the past month, no rulemaking requirement deadlines passed or were met with finalized rules, and no new rules were proposed that would meet rulemaking requirements.
  • As of February 3, 2014, a total of 280 Dodd-Frank rulemaking requirement deadlines have passed. Of these 280 passed deadlines, 132 (47.1%) have been missed and 148 (52.9%) have been met with finalized rules.
  • In addition, 201 (50.5%) of the 398 total required rulemakings have been finalized, while 110 (27.6%) rulemaking requirements have not yet been proposed.
 This law was passed to put back regulations that were removed by President George W. Bush and allowed Wall Street banks and institutions to almost collapse the world economy. But what did certainly is to make people lose their homes with mortgages that were never meant to be successful, wiped out Americans retirement funds through their 401k's, took America's middle net worth, and walked away with literally hundreds of billions  (yes, billions with a "B") of dollars and no jail time. The Republicans have fought putting back those regulations that wouldn't allow banks and institutions to become "Too Big To Fail" (TBTF) and cause the damage they did, laws that were in place since the 1920's.

Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare): This one truly makes me think that either the Tea Party members and Republicans are magicians or the money in politics is working wonderfully for the ultra-rich and the corporations. How do you convince the unhealthiest people in the nation, with the worst healthcare systems in place, and people with no health insurance at all, that they don't need healthcare? That's magical!

Unemployment: They asked for 3 things, the least not being that the $6B to cover the extension of Emergency Unemployment Compensation for 3 months be covered with cuts somewhere else and all three were met. As you saw earlier in the article the bills failed in the Senate. By the way, one of the favorite sayings of the Republican Party is "We Support the Troops," but, they cut food stamps, don't extend unemployment benefits, and let the veteran's disability claims lay idle for 18 months before they are even looked at, many of these veterans are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD,) and 22 American veterans are committing suicide daily. What, or whose,  Troops are they supporting?

Unemployed Veterans by www hiringourheroes org
Unemployed Veterans by www hiringourheroes org
Poverty:  You saw above how hard it is to grow out of poverty above. Use the link for the interactive map that allows you to click on where you live to see exactly what your children's chances are. Ask yourself, how well are your politicians fighting for the middle class and the poor? Then vote for the people who are fighting for you.

How the Heck Can Women Vote Republican?

 I didn't even get a chance to start to discuss the "War on Women" that the TeaPublicans and Republicans have on women. There's so much there that I'll have to do a post just on that topic. I'll just say "How could you vote for a party whose members pass laws that will force women who are requesting an abortion, to get raped with a "Trans-Vaginal Ultrasound" probe that NO medical doctor has deemed necessary, or prudent?
Original meme by www.Facebook.com/StoptheObstructionistTeaParty and www.Medic3569.wordpress.com
Original meme by www.Facebook.com/StoptheObstructionistTeaParty and www.Medic3569.wordpress.com


So get out there and tell everyone you can that just because they see a TV commercial, a news report (the ultra-rich, and corporations own the TV stations,) especially a Faux (Fox or False) News broadcast, don't believe a single source! Also, and most importantly, use the page button ("Find/Track Politicians, Bills and Voting Records") under the title of this blog to use one of the sites provided to find and contact your politicians to get the U.S. Congress to overturn Citizens United and get money out of politics and give control of our elections back to the people! A good link to use for nation politicians is GovTrack.gov .


Friday, November 29, 2013

S - 1737 Minimum Wage Fairness Act - NOW is the Time To Contact YOUR Senators

S - 1737 Minimum Wage Fairness Act

Photo by REUTERS/beawiharta

S 1737 -  Minimum Wage Fairness Act - In Senate


The Minimum Wage Fairness Act was "Introduced" to the Senate by Sen. Thomas "Tom" Harkin (for himself and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid) on November 19, 2013. S 1737 - Minimum Wage Fairness Act - GovTrack.us The bill was read to the committee on November 20, 2013. In general the bill reads:


(1) except as otherwise provided in this section, not less than—
      (A) $8.20 an hour, beginning on the first day of the sixth month that begins after the
            date of enactment of the Minimum Wage Fairness Act ;
      (B) $9.15 an hour, beginning 1 year after that first day;
      (C) $10.10 an hour, beginning 2 years after that first day; and
      (D) beginning on the date that is 3 years after that first day, and annually thereafter,
            the amount determined by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (h);
 
 The bill is Co-Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), the bill, according to GovTrack.us, only has a 20% chance of being enacted at this time. It is crucial that people contact their Senators immediately. Corporations, and the ultra-rich, have a good deal of influence on the Senators due to large campaign contributions made possible by the Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court in 2010. If enough people call, or e-mail, their Senators it can, and will, effect them. Click on this link To TRACK this bill, FIND, and CALL YOUR SENATOR so that they hear our voices. 
 
Photo by SeattleTimes.com
 
Voter Initiative To Enact A $15hr Minimum Wage in a Suburb of Seattle Passes By Narrow Margin

Business Insider - A Town Near Seattle Voted To Raise The Minimum Wage To $15hr - The Highest In The Country - November 27, 2013

 OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - A voter initiative to enact a $15 minimum wage for thousands of workers in a Seattle suburb that houses the region's main international airport won a narrow victory on Tuesday that proponents hailed as a signal moment in the nationwide fight for livable wages.

 The measure mandates that some 6,300 workers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and nearby hotels, car rental agencies and parking lots receive a minimum hourly wage more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

 "It shows that people are tired of waiting for corporate CEOs or Congress to deal with income inequality and that they can use democracy to make a change," said Heather Weiner, spokeswoman for the union-backed Yes For SeaTac campaign.
The measure won by a margin of 77 votes with about 6,000 ballots cast, and King County election officials certified the outcome on Tuesday after weeks of uncertainty.
Opponents who fear the measure will slow the region's economy and drive businesses away said they plan to request a manual recount, for which they will have to foot the bill unless the result is reversed.
 
Four major California airports operate under ordinances similar to the SeaTac measure, including one guaranteeing workers at San Jose airport $13.82 an hour plus health insurance, and another mandating that Los Angeles airport workers earn $10.91 per hour plus health benefits.



Meme by "Raise The Minimum Wage"

While The Purchasing Power Has Fallen Sharply - The Rich Have Grown Far Richer

The Minimum Wage Should Be Raised - Huffington Post - 11/10/2013

 Some 47 million Americans live in poverty, and a key reason is the decline of the minimum wage.
First established under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the nationwide minimum wage was designed to lift millions of American workers out of poverty and to stimulate the economy. Unfortunately, however, it was not indexed to inflation, and big businesses -- hostile from the start -- fought, often successfully, to prevent congressional action to raise it. As a result, over the past 40 years, the purchasing power of the minimum wage has fallen sharply. If Congress had kept the minimum wage in pace with inflation over this period, it would today be $10.74. But, in fact, it is $7.25 -- about two-thirds of its previous purchasing power.

A major consequence is that increasing numbers of workers and their families live in poverty. The annual salary of a full-time American worker employed at $7.25 per hour is $15,080 -- less than the official federal government poverty level for a family of two. The poverty level for a family of four is $23,550 -- considerably beyond what a minimum wage worker earns.

 At the same time, the rich have grown far richer. Between 1968 and 2012, as the minimum wage declined in value, the top 1 percent of households doubled their share of the nation's income. The typical CEO of a big business received a 16 percent raise in 2012 -- to $15.1 million. That year, the pay of Wal-Mart's CEO, Mike Duke, rose 14 percent, to $20.7 million. By contrast, Wal-Mart -- the largest employer in the United States - pays its sales associates an average wage of $8.81 an hour. It is much the same story at McDonald's, which employs large numbers of the nation's low wage workers. In 2012, the CEO of McDonald's was paid $27.7 million. Although his income roughly tripled in 2012, the income of McDonald's fast food workers remained abysmal. Thanks to this pattern, the United States now has the most unequal distribution of income in the industrialized world.
 


Costco CEO Craig Jelinek at the Costco store in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
 
 At Costco, we know that paying employees good wages makes good sense for business
 

COSTCO CEO "Raise Minimum Wage to $10 - March 2013 - Huffington Post

Costco CEO and President Craig Jelinek came out in support of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, which aims to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, then adjust it after that for inflation.
"At Costco, we know that paying employees good wages makes good sense for business," Jelinek said in a statement. "We pay a starting hourly wage of $11.50 in all states where we do business, and we are still able to keep our overhead costs low."

"An important reason for the success of Costco’s business model is the attraction and retention of great employees," Jelinek added. "Instead of minimizing wages, we know it's a lot more profitable in the long term to minimize employee turnover and maximize employee productivity, commitment and loyalty. We support efforts to increase the federal minimum wage."

Photo by www.americansunitedforchange.org

Obama's $10.10 Minimum Wage Would Fundamentally Change America

Obama's $10.10 Minimum Wage Would Fundamentally Change America - Huffington Post - 11/08/2013

  President Barack Obama announced his support for legislation introduced by two Democratic senators that, if passed, would mark the first significant increase to the federal minimum wage in more than four years. Obama's statements showed that he's ready to go farther than his February proposal to push the minimum wage to $9, which many criticized as not a significant enough boost.
A leap to $10.10, however, could be enough to push a large number of the working poor -- a group defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as those who fall below the poverty line despite working (or searching for work) at least 27 weeks per year -- out of poverty.



Inequality For All – Must See Documentary (VIDEO)

Liberals Unite - Inequality For All - September 2013 

 A passionate argument on behalf of the middle class, 'Inequality For All' features Robert Reich-professor, best-selling author, and Clinton cabinet member—s he demonstrates how the widening income gap has a devastating impact on the American economy. The film is an intimate portrait of a man who's overcome a great deal of personal adversity and whose lifelong goal remains protecting those who are unable to protect themselves. Through his singular perspective, Reich explains how the massive consolidation of wealth by a precious few threatens the viability of the American workforce and the foundation of democracy itself. In this INCONVENIENT TRUTH for the economy, Reich uses humor and a wide array of facts to explain how the issue of economic inequality affects each and every one of us.