Puget Sound Liberals Weekly Newsletter

Puget Sound Liberals Weekly Newsletter #211

Enhancing Freedom, Opportunity and Cooperation in Puget Sound and Beyond

Through informing and networking Liberals and Liberal Organizations.

Our vision is hundreds of thousands of well-informed Puget Sound Liberals working together.

3500 members January 29, 2009 formerly Lake Hills Liberals

Our Website                                   Our Editor                  To Unsubscribe

              Table of Contents * Featured Articles

About Puget Sound Liberals

Calendars of Events

Communication with Our Members

Opportunities

Petitions

Commentaries from Our Members

Rick Galloway: Identify Red and Blue Corporations

Liberals and Democrats Links to the Beef

President Obama’s 2009 Accomplishments**

With Hindsight, What Obama Should Have Done**

Health Care Reform. What Now? *

Supreme Court Enables Corporations to Influence Elections*

Craig Salins: Supreme Court Decision Makes Public Campaign Financing More Important*

State and Local Links to the Beef

Larry Kalb Is Running Against Representative Rick Larsen

Featured Advocacy Group: Rebuilding Our Economic Future*

Bellevue City Council Studies BNSF Light Rail Route

Kevin Wallace: More about a BNSF Light Rail Route

Nation and World Links to the Beef

Differences between U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank

Our Liberal Spirit

Making Mid-Course Corrections*

Recommended Books

Our Political Values

Our Political Priorities

·       Fair Clean Elections and Open Government

·       Fair Taxes and Competent Spending

·       Investment for Productivity

·       Quality Health, Education, Jobs, Income

·       Environmental Protection and Energy Independence

·       Security and Equal Rights

·       Justice and Peace Everywhere

·       International Cooperation and Leadership

Conservatives oppose all of these

     Let’s End Our National Nightmare

         Let’s Restore Our American Dream

More on Conservative opposition to our American Dream

Washington State’s 5 Major Needs

·       Federal Funding for Health and Education

·       Public Campaign Financing

·       Substituting a Progressive Income Tax

·       Replacing Conservative Legislators

·       Stopping Corporate Abuse

Quote of the Week

As we experience new circumstances, mid-course corrections are needed. Institute of Cultural Affairs

Calendar of Events

Friday, January 29 at 7 PM at Downtown Seattle Hilton Hotel (1201 Sixth Avenue, Seattle) - An Evening with King County Democrats. $35. To Register.

Saturday, February 20 at 5:30 PM - 7:30 (Family Session), 8:00 - 10:00 and 10:30 - 12:30 AM at West Seattle Bowl (4505 39th Avenue, SW, Seattle) - Human Rights Campaign food and bowling. Cost: $35. To register.

Calendars of Events

King County Democrats - LD Meetings            Some 2008 Legislature Lobby Days

Thurston County Progressive Net                  Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation

Alliance for Democracy                               Democratic Underground.Com

Sierra Club Cascade Chapter Calendar           Cool State Washington

Washington Public Campaigns Calendar          Town Hall Seattle Calendar

Washington State Labor Council                    Whatcom County Peace and Justice Calendar

Conversation Cafe      Drinking Liberally          Seattle NOW

Wallingford Neighbors for Peace and Justice – Friday Night Movies      Liberal films on PBS

Communication with Our Members

You may wonder why I am not commenting on our Washington state legislative session. It is because I see little that is helpful there. It is painful to see the Democratically controlled legislature trash our state government services similarly to what we would expect that a Republican controlled legislature would have done. Notice that Oregon is taking a very different approach to their economic difficulties.

Notice our Poverty Action Network’s legislative agenda.

I believe that Washington people, including responsible parents, who aren’t receiving the education, health and other services they need should consider leaving for greener pastures.

Opportunities

Useful Websites: contacts, maps, community organizing tools, and more.

Petitions

Tell your congress members to pass a constitutional amendment to reserve the first amendment rights for people.

To protest the Supreme Court decision to enable corporations to use their funds to influence election candidates and issues.

Tell your congress members to protect our democracy from corporate control.

Tell congress to pass public campaign financing.

Tell your congress members to tax large financial companies.

Tell your senators to co-sponsor a bill requiring more testing of beef for E. Coli.

Tell Obama, Reid and Pelosi to use reconciliation to pass health care reform.

Tell President Obama to use his power to end ‘Don’t ask. Don’t tell.’

Tell Congress to end ‘Don’t ask. Don’t tell.’

Tell your senators to keep our Clean Air Act strong.

Commentaries From Our Members

Rick Galloway: Identify Red and Blue Corporations

the Supreme sell-out Court decision now must result in our creating lists of:

Red Corporations to boycott

Blue Corporations to support

Rick Galloway

Liberals and Democrats

President Obama’s 2009 Accomplishments

There is a lot of misinformation circulating on talk radio, at town hall meetings, in the blogosphere, and around office water coolers about President Obama not accomplishing anything in his first year in office. It is time to set the record straight with a list of Obama’s initiatives for 2009.

Governance

· Held many more press conferences and provided the media with far more access than his predecessor

· Held more “town hall” events to inform and engage the public than previous administrations

· The White House website now provides information on all economic stimulus projects and spending, along with an unprecedented amount of information on our government

· Ended the Bush era practice of circumventing established FDA rules for political reasons

· Ended the Bush era practice of having White House staff rewrite the findings of scientific and environmental regulations and reports when they disagreed with the results

· The Obamas did not use the $100,000 authorized (to all First Families) for the refurbishment and redecoration of the White House’s private living quarters; they paid for it out of their own pockets

· The Obamas reused Christmas ornaments from previous White House trees rather than buy new ones.

· dollar of spending is offset by a dollar in cuts or in revenues)

Ethics

· Ordered the White House and all federal agencies to respect the Freedom of Information Act; Bush era limits on accessibility of federal documents have been overturned

· Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible

· Placed limits on lobbyists’ access to the White House

· Placed limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration

· Signed a measure strengthening registration and reporting requirements for lobbyists

· Ordered that lobbyists must be removed from and are no longer permitted to serve on federal and White House advisory panels

Rights

· Instituted enforcements for equal pay for women (Lilly Ledbetter Bill)

· Appointed the first Latina to the Supreme Court

· Held the first Seder in White House

· Appointed a diverse Cabinet and diverse White House staff

· Spoke at the annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization

· Signed the first major piece of federal gay rights legislation that includes acts of violence against gays under the list of federal hate crimes

· Reversed the Bush era practice of politicizing Justice Department investigations and prosecutions against political opponents

· Allowing some of the 9/11 perpetrators to be tried in federal court

· Signed an extension of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Bill to provide federal research and support for treating the disease

· Allowed the State Department of offer same-sex benefits for employees

Military & Veterans

· Ordered that families of fallen soldiers can have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives back in the US

· Ended the Bush era “blackout” imposed on media coverage of the return of fallen US soldiers; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier’s family

· Ended the Bush era “black out” policy on media coverage of war casualties – full information is now released

· Ordered better body armor to be procured for US troops

· Funding new Mine Resistant Ambush Vehicles (needed because of susceptibility of hummers to roadside explosives)

· Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel

· Improving housing for military personnel

· Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses

· Ordered that conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other neglected military hospitals be improved

· Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military (initiated by Bush but abandoned after the war in Iraq began) 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force… this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.

· Ended the Bush era practice of awarding no-bid defense contracts

· Improving benefits for veterans as well as VA staffing, information systems, etc.

· Authorized construction for additional health centers to care for veterans

· Suspended the Bush-era decision to purchase an expensive fleet of Marine One (helicopters) from foreign sources

· Ordered a review of the existing “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military

Budgeting

· Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut federal spending

· Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify wasteful spending and practices

· Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient (the NPO reports to the director of the Office of Management & Budget)

· Overturned the Bush-era practice of not listing certain federal programs in the federal budget (in an effort to hide programs and make the budget look smaller); such “off budget” items are now included in the annual budget

· This includes appropriations for war

· This includes emergency appropriations

Economy

· Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants…) years of neglect during the Bush era

· Authorized the US Auto industry rescue plan and two GMAC rescue packages

· Authorized the housing rescue plan and new FHA residential housing guarantees

· Authorized a $789 billion economic stimulus plan

· Instituted a new rule allowing the public to meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (in as quickly as one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying

· Authorized a continuation of the US financial and banking rescue plans initiated at the end of the Bush administration and authorized TARP funds to buy “toxic assets” from failing financial institutions

· Signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which provides small tax cuts for 95% of “working families”

· Authorized the “Cash for Clunkers” program that helped stimulate auto sales (with the related environmental/energy benefit of getting old, inefficient, polluting cars off the road)

· Ordered the closing of offshore tax safe havens (for individual and business tax evaders)

· Convened a “jobs summit” to bring experts together to develop ideas for creating jobs

· Negotiated a deal with Swiss banks to permit the US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals

· Ordered the FDIC to beef up deposit insurance

· Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy uses the savings to promote in-sourcing investments to bring jobs back to the US

· Convened an advisory board that is looking into simplifying the tax code

· Ended the Bush era policy of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from the credit card industry’s predatory practices

· Authorized the federal government to make more loans available to small businesses and ordered lower rates for federal loans to small businesses

· After former presidents of both parties refused such action (George W. Bush refused four times), Obama placed a 35% tariff on Chinese tires and a few other products such as pipes after China was found to be illegally “dumping” exports below cost

· In November 2009, Obama extended unemployment benefits for one million workers

· In November 2009, Obama extended the Home Buyers Credit for first-time home buyers and expanded coverage for some existing homeowners who are buying again

· Reduced taxes for some small businesses to stimulate the economic recovery

Healthcare

· Removed Bush era restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research

· Offered federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research

· Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children

· Established an independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare

· Reversed the Bush era restrictions that prevented Medicare from negotiating with pharmaceuticals for cheaper drugs; now the government can again competitively bid

· Expanded vaccination programs

· Issued new disease prevention guidelines and priorities for the CDC

· Authorized the FDA to finally begin regulating tobacco

· Tasked federal labs to prioritize research on and deployment of H1N1 vaccines

· Asked multiple congressional committees to bring forward a healthcare reform bill that attempts to increase coverage and affordability; he supported holding many hearings and town halls on the issue

Education Policy

· Authorized construction funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access in K-12 public schools

· Authorized new funds for school construction

· Increased student loans

· Expanded the national youth service program

· Streamlined the federal student loan process to save $87 billion over the next 10 years

· Changed the rule to allow students struggling to make college loan payments to refinance their loans

· Beginning discussions with Congress for education reform

· Initiated a “Race to the Top” competitive federal grant program for states who develop innovative policies

· Instituted a “judgment review” allowing families with student loans to petition to have their current financial status determine the loan rather than the previous year’s finances

· Launched “Educate to Innovate,” a public/private partnership making $236 million available for science, mathematics, and technology education programs

Energy & Environment

· Removed a ruling that now allows individual states to enact automotive fuel efficiency standards above federal standards

· Offered attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles

· Overturned Bush-era rule to weaken the Endangered Species Act

· Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government

· Ended the Bush era policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions

· Signed a measure requiring energy producing plants to begin producing 15% of their energy from renewable sources

· The Obamas used LED energy-saving lights on White House Christmas tree

· Announced that the federal government would reengage in the long-delayed effort to clean up “Superfund” toxic waste sites

· Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production

· Proposed a new refuge for Wild mustangs

· Cancelled several Bush-era mountain-top removal and mining permits

· Reengaged in international treaties and agreements to protect the Antarctic

· Developing plan to lease US coastal waters for wind and water current energy production

· Overturned Bush-era policies that allowed uranium mining near national parks such as the Grand Canyon

· Expanded the Petrified Forest National Park

· Signed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act that protects millions of acres of scenic, historic, and recreational lands and trails

· Requiring that government buildings and facilities be retrofitted to save energy costs

· Authorized studies in several western states to determine how to support large-scale solar installations

· Attended the Copenhagen talks and, after the talks were stalled, negotiated an international (voluntary) agreement on reducing carbon emissions and raising funds to assist developing nations in offsetting carbon emissions

Other Domestic Policies & Initiatives

· New federal funding for science and research labs

· Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service program

· Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program

· Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness

· Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud

· Beginning discussions for comprehensive immigration reform

· Ordered that funds be released and red tape be streamlined for the ongoing Hurricane Katrina recovery effort in the Gulf Coast

· Demonstrated an immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters

· Ordered the DEA to stop raids on medical marijuana usage

· Ordered a review of existing “mandatory minimum” prison sentencing

· Signed an order to limit airport tarmac delays and the time passengers had to sit in the plane/on the tarmac during delays

· Restored the EPA to “Cabinet level” status (this was the case under Clinton but not Bush)

· FEMA once again reports directly to the president (this was the case under Clinton but not Bush)

National Security

· Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane (which wasn’t even used in Iraq/Afghanistan) and other outdated weapons systems

· Closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay

· Attempting to house terrorists at a new federal “super max” facility in the US

· Cut the expensive missile defense program, saving $1.4 billion in 2010

· Cancelled plans to station anti-ballistic missile systems in Poland and the Czech Republic

· Replacing long-range, expensive missile systems with more efficient smaller systems

· Increased US Navy patrols off the Somali coast in response to pirating

· Established a new cyber security office and appointed a cyber security czar

· Ordered the first nation-wide comprehensive cyber threat assessment

Iraq & Afghanistan

· Began the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq

· Authorized the use of more unmanned warplanes/drones (Predator, Reaper, etc.) in Iraq/Afghanistan

· Authorized the deployment of 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, which had been pending for months during the previous administration [March 2009]

· Changed the US military command in the Afghan conflict

· Tasked the Pentagon to reorganized US policy in Afghanistan; 30,000 additional troops are being deployed, the US is prioritizing the training of Afghan forces and civil government while developing agriculture and infrastructure, aerial bombing has been limited, etc.

· Ordered the Pentagon to send additional helicopters to assist marines and special forces in Afghanistan

· Increased special forces searches for, and unmanned drone strikes on, Taliban and al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan

· Ended the Bush era “stop-loss” policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date

Foreign Policy & International Relations

· Closed the Bush era “secret detention” facilities in Eastern Europe

· Ended the Bush era policy allowing “enhanced interrogation” (torture) and the US is in compliance with Geneva Convention standards

· Restarted international nuclear non-proliferation talks (Bush withdrew from them) and reestablished international nuclear inspection protocols

· Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic

· Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions suspended under Bush

· Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office

· Banned the export of cluster bombs

· Overturned Bush era plans to increase the US nuclear arsenal

· Authorized the Navy SEALS operation that freed by force the US shipping captain held by Somali pirates

· Restored the US commitment to the UN population fund for family planning that was suspended during the Bush era

· Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return “home” to visit loved ones

· Extended an offer of engagement (free from sanctions and penalties) to Iran through December 31, 2009 (Iran did not accept the offer)

· Sent envoys to the Middle East and other parts of the world, reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy

· Authorized discussions with North Korea and the private mission by former president, Bill Clinton, to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons

· Authorized discussions with Myanmar and the mission by Senator Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive

· Renewed loan guarantees for Israel

· Signed the USIFTA trade agreement with/for Israel

· Authorized a $550m advance for Israel (six months prior to the scheduled date) in order to accommodate Israeli’s economic and financial needs

· Continued agreements with Israel for cultural exchanges, immigration, etc.

· Spoke on Arab television, spoke at an Egyptian university, and met with Arab leaders in an effort to change the tone of US-Arab relations

· Ordered the US to finally pay its dues to the United Nations

P.S. A swing set was installed for the Obama girls outside the Oval Office and a garden was planted for the White House’s vegetables and flowers

Robert P. Watson, Ph.D., Coordinator of American Studies, Lynn University

With Hindsight, What Obama Should Have Done

Two Crucial Errors

I was so impressed by the effectiveness of Barack Obama’s political strategy to win the presidency that I assumed that as president, he would have a similarly effective political strategy to realize his objectives. With the advantage of hindsight, I now question that assumption. I believe he has made two crucial errors:

1. Favoring Wall Street Over Main Street

Perhaps necessarily, he continued the bale outs of large financial firms that were began by the Bush Administration. But he failed to make the heads of these firms apologize for the economic havoc that they had produce and impose limitations on their ability to continue their speculation which had produced the housing and credit bubbles and their inevitable collapse.

This failure opened the Obama Administration to the charge by Conservatives of favoring Wall Street over Main Street. Making it worse, many Republicans would have defended Wall Street from limitations on their speculation, such that Obama would clearly have been the one favoring Main Street. What a lost opportunity!

2. Failing to Be Fiscally Responsible

Even larger federal deficits would have occurred without the passage of the stimulus-recovery package. But the federal deficits would have been smaller yet if the Obama Administration had eliminated the Bush tax cuts on high income Americans and eliminated wasteful military and other spending. Failing to do this, he opened himself to the Conservative charge that he was fiscally irresponsible. And again the Conservatives are hypocritical, because they would have opposed both eliminating the Bush tax cuts and the wasteful spending.

Instead of securing Main Street and Liberal support by stressing fiscal responsibility and prevention of future speculative bubbles and collapses which might again require bailouts, President Obama allowed Conservatives to accuse him of fiscal irresponsibility and allowed Main Street, especially Liberals, to question his willingness to rein in Wall Street and large financial companies. These concerns which were raised by Conservatives on one hand and Liberals on the other have greatly weakened the public support he needs to realize his various reforms.

What Obama Should Have Done

President Obama has greatly informed us about the state of our country, what is needed and what he is attempting to do. He proclaimed his intention to stimulate recovery of our economy, reform health care, reform education, reform our energy policy, and regulate Wall Street speculation to avoid future speculative bubbles and collapse. But his focus has been on the first two: stimulating recovery of our economy and reforming health care.

He has not informed us about his political strategy, including the reasons why he has chose his priorities. I have assumed that in order to pass health care reform, he has delayed action on other reforms so as to avoid distraction and avoid alienating special interests that might assist with or at least not oppose health care reform.

I now believe that immediately after securing passage of the economic stimulus-recovery package, he should have taken steps to secure the support of Main Street in opposition to the Wall Street abuses which led to our economic collapse.

Faced with bailing out failing large financial companies, he should have made their leaders grovel and imposed strict limitations on their activities. He should also have immediately attempted to regulate Wall Street speculation to stop their continued abuses. This would have been easier when we had recently experienced the economic disaster caused by Wall Street speculation and before Wall Street had time to organize opposition to such regulation. Such regulation would have been very popular with Main Street and especially Liberals who were repelled by the bailouts of large financial companies.

Conservatives have long known that it isn’t enough to be for something: small government, less taxes, less regulation. They also need to be against something: big government Democrats, tax and spend Democrats, Bureaucrats and red tape. Franklin Roosevelt reveled in attacking his enemies, the vested interests that caused the depression. Since Gore ran for president, Democrats have assumed that voters didn’t want them to attack Republicans. Kerry didn’t attack them. Martha Coakley didn’t negatively define her opponent, but was herself negatively defined. Being on the defensive doesn’t win elections. ‘Give them hell’ Harry Truman had it right.

Proclaiming his priority of fiscal responsibility, Obama should have immediately attempted to reverse the tax cuts for high income Americans who contributed to our speculative bubble, contributed to it, and increased our federal deficits. This would have reduced the increase in our federal deficits resulting from the stimulus-recovery package and blunted the Conservative attacks upon increased federal deficits. This would have been very popular with Main Street Americans.

To avoid alienating congressional Democrats, President Obama has continued the ‘Old Politics’ of supporting them even when they opposed his reforms. Instead of implementing the ‘New Politics’ that he advocated during his election campaign which would make passing reforms the highest priority. He created Organizing for America consisting of those who supported his election campaign as an arm of the Democratic Party, instead of keeping it as a supporter of his reforms. The result has been that the possibility of using these supporters to implement ‘New Politics’ by pressuring congressional Democrats who support his reforms has not occurred. I can’t detect that Organizing for America has played any significant role in passing health care reform. Not willing to risk a backlash from non-reform oriented congressional Democrats, Obama has left them free to oppose his reforms and wasted the resource that Organizing for America might have been. As many Liberals have noted, this is not ‘Change We Can Believe In.’

Speeding Up Health Care Reform

Even had he immediately attempted to raise taxes on high income Americans and regulate Wall Street speculators, I believe he could have quickly began his priority effort to enact health care reform.

With all congressional Republicans refusing to cooperate with health care reform, I believe President Obama should have set a deadline (perhaps June 2009) for Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus to secure cooperation from any Republicans. Once the deadline was reached without attracting support from any Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid should have proceeded to cobble together a health reform bill which would obtain 60 votes for cloture, something that wasn’t begun until many wasted months later, which enabled congressional Republican stall tactics to prolong the reform process.

A senate health reform bill could have been produced before the August recess, thus giving time for merging the senate and house bills before anything happened to threaten the 60 senate votes against cloture, as has now happened with the election of Republican Scott Brown. Notice also that Obama’s failure to maintain support from Main Street voters was partly responsible for electing Scott Brown. Admittedly this analysis has the benefit of hindsight, but it should have been at least part of the thinking much earlier.

Better Late Than Never

Now we have a much greater mess than we might have had. Conservatives, Liberals and many less ideological Main Street people are concerned about President Obama’s priorities. With only 59 votes against cloture, limited options are available for implementing health care reform, none of which are attractive or may be effective. The result may be no health care reform, with Democrats nevertheless being blamed for what they proposed, for not passing reform and for both fiscal irresponsibility and for allowing bailed out large financial firms to continue their abusive and dangerous ways. These political losses may severely harm congressional Democrats during our fall 2010 elections, resulting in still more political losses during the next several years.

President Obama must go on the attack. Too late may be better than not at all. The tax cuts for high income Americans will soon lapse. President Obama is finally emphasizing regulation of bailed out large financial firms. Hopefully he can recover some Main Street support, especially if Republicans argue against both the lapsing of tax cuts for high income Americans and the regulation of bailed out large financial firms. Or some Republicans may join in supporting regulation of bailed out large financial firms which would enable enactment of such regulation.

· Against Wall Street speculators.

· Against high income people who use their money for speculation instead of creating jobs.

· Against ‘Do nothing’ Republicans.

Many Liberals have expressed similar reactions to President Obama’s political strategy and made recommendations for changing it: Zach Carter. David Corn. Thomas Frank. William Greider. David Michael Green. Dennis Kucinich. Robert Kuttner. George Lakoff. Les Leopold. Jennifer Loven. Isaiah Poole. Nomi Prins. Frank Rich. Guy Saperstein. Noam Scheiber. Robert Weissman. Drew Westen. Wellstone Action. Consumers Union supports limits on large financial companies. For more.

I am disappointed with President Obama’s state of the union speech. For more. For more. He presented a shopping list of actions that he has taken and will take, most of which I can agree with. But he failed to emphasize the two themes of supporting Main Street over Wall Street and of supporting fiscal responsibility. These were mentioned as just several among a large number of other themes. While he stated his general support for these themes, he failed to present specifics.

· Obama failed to detail the steps he would take to stop the speculative activities of large financial companies. He even said he didn’t want to punish big banks. But a focus group showed that Obama’s speech changed people from thinking he put Wall Street before Main Street.

· Concerning fiscal responsibility, he failed to indicate that he would lower deficits by raising taxes upon our high income people and by eliminating wasteful spending from military and other budgets. Instead he proposed a cut in discretionary spending which may cut many worthwhile programs and harm recovery. For more. For more. For more. Paul Krugman comments. Also David Roberts.

It appears that he still has not learned the lessons that are presented above. Dave Thomas

Health Care Reform: What Now?

House speaker Nancy Pelosi says the votes aren’t there to pass the Senate bill, but she may be bargaining.

· Co-Chair of the house progressive caucus Raúl Grijalva says that instead of passing the senate bill, reconciliation should be used. Health Care for America Now says reconciliation alone can and should be used to pass health care reform, without passage of the senate bill. So does Ryan Grim. And Representative Alan Grayson.

· Jane Hamsher recommends both passing the senate bill and using reconciliation to add other features. So does Monica Sanchez. And Washington CAN (The best option right now is to pass the Senate health bill with its important insurance regulation components and in the reconciliation process fix provisions around affordability, employer responsibility and lifting the five year waiting period for documented immigrants in Medicaid.)

· Jonathan Cohn suggests that passing the senate bill is the most viable option. Every Child Matters Education Fund wants senate bill passed due to its extended health care coverage of children.

· Norman Solomon comments that the health care bill is such a sellout to the health insurers and pharmaceutical companies that passing it would fuel Main Street opposition. It’s better to wait to elect more Liberals. Media Benjamin expresses similar thoughts.

David Plouffe (Obama’s campaign manager during his election campaign) presents reasons why health care reform must be passed without saying how and what reform. President Obama’s state of the union speech insisted that we must pass a health care reform bill. But he didn’t indicate how this should be done. He thus left it open that health care reform might be further scaled down or delayed. For more. More states are passing Medicare for All legislation.

Read about the history of the cloture rule and suggestions for changing it.

Supreme Court Enables Corporations to Influence Elections

Conservatives continually accuse Liberal judges of ideological activism. But it was Conservative judges who without judicial precedent enabled George Bush to become president. It is Conservative judges who have now overturned a long series of precedents to by a 5 to 4 decision to enable corporations to fund advertisements concerning candidates and issues. And they did this by going far beyond the issues that were brought before them. For more. For more.

Corporations now have more rights than people. Perhaps we should have a law which says that people have all the rights that corporations have.

This ruling may overturn laws of 24 states. If it is allowed to stand, we can expect even more corporate control over our political and economic system, which is already more controlled by corporations than occurs in any other country and which is the major obstacle to Liberal reforms. We can expect continued speculative bubbles and their collapse. We can expect greater financial inequality and insecurity between Main Street Americans and corporate managers and stockholders. We can expect our economy to decline by comparison with Chinese, European and other economies. We can be glad that these other countries do not allow large corporations to control their political and economic systems.

Ralph Nader calls for a constitutional amendment to declare that corporations aren’t legally qualified to have people’s civil rights. Fran Korten presents 10 ways to oppose corporate political domination. For more. But Republicans are overjoyed with Supreme Court ruling.

To protest this Supreme Court decision.

If corporations have first amendment rights, can they run for office, thus eliminating the middleman? Imagine Senator Bank of America.

Craig Salins: Supreme Court Decision

Makes Public Campaign Financing More Important

Of course we're dismayed by the January 21st ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. By a 5-4 decision, the Roberts Court has sided with Wall Street sympathizers and opened the floodgates for huge corporate sums seeking to buy election results. (Soon we'll provide detailed analysis of the ruling on our website). We may see the fruits of that decision in this year's campaigns, at every level - and it won't be fun to watch. But there's no time to cry. We have to rally and organize. Set aside despair and put your anger to work, fighting for game-changing reforms!

Many friends and neighbors wonder what this ruling will mean. Is it the death-knell for democracy as promised - one-person, one-vote? Can we ever achieve government truly of, by, and for the people? We must supply the answer - with commitment and political leadership. And the answer is: Yes, we can! - but, telling the truth, not without sustained grassroots action. We have to fight for democracy as we've dreamed it. We have to fight on, to remove the influence of corporate wealth and special-interest money from campaigns and election results.

Public financing of campaigns - although perhaps by itself not a silver bullet - can do that. It's a game-changer. It can end the auction of lawmaking to the highest bidder. Votes still matter, if candidates can receive no-strings-attached public financing to enable a competitive campaign. Right now, the battle is on to achieve public financing to run for seats on our state's highest court. Do you want to strike back at today's Supreme Court ruling? OK, help in the fight for public financing of campaigns. And right now: Help to achieve this Impartial Justice bill!

Our state legislature can do this. It's within their power. This session! But they won't - unless they hear your voice, the cry of the grassroots, demanding action! 4,000 people receive this email - each of you with friends, faith groups, unions and clubs. Tell your friends: Please, Speak up!

Do you think impartiality on the court doesn't matter? Read today's news! Look what happens when ideological factions control a seat on the court. And do you think public financing of these judicial races doesn't matter? Imagine it's November, 2010. You have just witnessed record-setting spending by special interests, trying to "buy" a seat or two on our state supreme court. Let's see, who won? Was the outcome decided by millions in special-interest campaign cash? Everyone concerned about today's alarming Supreme Court ruling can take a personal action to begin the reversal of the news: Contact your legislators, and demand approval for Impartial Justice in the Washington State Supreme Court - the bills, SB 5912 / HB 1738.

This program is affordable. It's well-designed. And it's necessary - to preserve impartial courts! Summary of the bills, click here For info to contact or leave messages for legislators, click here. Or, simply call the Legislative Hotline: 1-800-562-6000. HERE IS WHAT TO DO: Contact:

· House Speaker Frank Chopp,

· Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown,

· your own district's state senator and two members of the House.

Tell them you are alarmed by today's Supreme Court ruling. Tell them you want action in Washington State to preserve the integrity and impartiality of our state's highest court! - as a symbol of fighting back, and reversing the Supreme Court ruling. And tell them to provide political leadership so that wealth and money never shouts louder than ordinary voters in our democracy - not in the courts, not in Congress, and not in our statehouses!

We can demonstrate that public financing of campaigns can work, and that voters support it as a way to retain our voice against the onslaught of Wall Street lobbyists and corporate cash. Remember the mantra: Elections should be decided by issues and voters, not by money and wealth.

Will you support our work? Please make a contribution! You can contribute online, on our website, using a debit or credit card. www.washclean.org/donate.htm Please consider a monthly sustaining contribution - whatever is affordable to you. $10-$25/month really helps. If your situation changes, you can cancel at any time. Or, send a contribution to: Washington Public Campaigns, PO Box 70452, Seattle WA 98127-0452 For a tax-deductible contribution, write your check to: WPC Education Fund. Thank you! Craig Salins (206-784-2522), Executive Director, Washington Public Campaigns

Many prominent organizations support public campaign financing. For more.

Here’s the Beef

Read about the history of the cloture rule and suggestions for changing it.

ACORN draws Conservative fire due to its empowering of the poor.

Senator Robert Byrd in coal mining state West Virginia opposes mountaintop mining.

State and Local

Larry Kalb Is Running Against Representative Rick Larsen

Published by the Bellingham Herald on 1/15/2010

Larry Kalb, a longtime resident of Bellingham, announced his candidacy for Congress today to become the representative of the 2nd Congressional District of Washington State. His decision represents a direct challenge to the incumbent Congressman. “Our congressman has let us down!” says Kalb. “He has handed over his political authority to legislate to lobbyists for big business and then showered them with taxpayer money to boot. He’s too expensive to keep in office. The pending health ‘insurance’ legislation, which lobbyists authored, represents the largest shifting of citizens’ money to corporate interests in the history of this nation.”

Kalb, 55, works in the Finance Department for Whatcom Transportation Authority and has lived in Bellingham for 16 years. He has been active in numerous community and civic issues, most recently as the President of Health Care for All – Washington, a statewide organization advocating single-payer health care.

“Larsen continues to defer to corporate and monied interests and we, the constituents of the 2nd Congressional District, are paying for this transfer of power,” asserts Kalb. “He’s done this with the credit card companies, the first economic stimulus package, the emergency war funding and, most recently, with health care reform legislation.” Asked about health care reform specifically Kalb said: “The people of my district want to get Wall Street Medicine out of their doctor’s office, but instead my congressman pledged his allegiance to the insurance companies by giving them a profit windfall worth hundreds of billions of dollars on the backs of us taxpayers and that’s wrong. My motto is ‘equal access, equal care - regardless of our station in life.’ I believe our money should go to getting more health care services, not making middlemen richer!”

Kalb lived in Europe for 11 years before moving to Bellingham. During his residency there he had an opportunity to experience first hand the economic benefits of universal access to health care. “A whole layer of our economy is missing in comparison,” says Kalb. “Other nations depend on the intellectual initiative of a healthy citizenry to create domestic economic expansion, but with our health care system it retracts. And politicians always talk about creating more jobs. That can’t happen under our system of profit-based medicine.”

Kalb also differs sharply with the incumbent over expenditures on wars. “We could use the $160 billion dollars my congressman slated for more war in Afghanistan to stimulate job growth or to build a light-rail system from Blaine to Seattle.” Kalb pointed out. “Our roads are already congested and the erosion of transportation improvement funds promises to make our air quality worse, causing more kids to be treated for asthma. A good steward of public funds would provide child care programs for young working moms and dads who struggle to set-up a household, or enable cash-strapped high school graduates the financial means to study a skill or profession of their choice, or even help those families facing foreclosure to keep their house.”

Asked about his number one goal if elected, Kalb said, “During my tenure I will work fiercely to take down every for sale sign from the halls of Congress by supporting campaign finance reform legislation that brings sovereignty in line with what matters most to us voters, namely stable homes, secure livelihoods and protection of our health.” “This is our home. We have a right to just governance.” For more information on Larry Kalb's campaign for Congress, call him at 360-927-2729; and see the material on the ever-changing website at http://kalbforcongress.com.

Featured Advocacy Group

------------------------- Rebuilding Our Economic Future --------------------------

Rebuilding our Economic Future Coalition is an emerging broad-based, statewide coalition of organizations and individuals committed to securing the state's economic future by advocating for passage of a humane and sensible budget for 2010. Coalition members are concerned about the devastating long-term consequences of an all-cuts budget for our state, including the reduction of Washington's marketplace competitiveness increased economic crisis for Washington State families. The proposed cuts in the governor's budget will undermine our shared values: providing a first-class education to our children, providing basic help to those in need and protecting our quality of life. The coalition supports a full dialogue toward a fair and humane budget that includes not just targeted cuts and reforms to make government more efficient, but a full discussion of potential revenue options as well.

Coalition Platform
We the undersigned organizations urge Governor Gregoire and the Washington State Legislature to show leadership in rebuilding our economic future.

We believe a balanced approach to dealing with the worst economic recession since the Great Depression is needed to protect working families, children, people with disabilities, and the elderly across Washington State. In the wake of the harsh all cuts biennial budget passed in the last legislative session, an additional $2.6 billion in cuts – concentrated in a single year – will be devastating. The recession threatens to undermine our public schools, strip more than 100,000 additional people (including 16,000 children) of health care coverage, put care for vulnerable residents at risk, make college unaffordable, and seriously damage our environment.

We believe that is the wrong approach, and would seriously undermine Washington State’s long-term economic future. To find a more responsible solution to the current budget gap it is necessary to recognize the imbalance that was created last year when the legislature chose an all cuts approach to closing the $9 billion deficit. These cuts have had significant impacts on the state including:

· Class sizes swelled, teachers were laid off and important education programs were eliminated

· Tuition at our state colleges and universities rose nearly 30 percent, pricing many students out of a college education,

· More than 30,000 low-income working people were pushed off the Basic Health Plan,

· Elderly people suffering serious illnesses like Alzheimer’s and people with disabilities lost critical adult day health rehabilitation, in home care, and other home and community based services, and

· Our clean air and clean water were put at risk, and toxic contamination clean-ups were halted and slowed.

To build consensus around a better approach we support the following:

· A balanced approach to solving our budget crisis that prevents further erosion of those things that residents value so much about our state: quality schools, affordable health care, a safety net for the most vulnerable, affordable housing, public safety, and a clean environment.

· Keeping all revenue options on the table that generate short-term revenue, including closing tax exemptions.

· Raising enough revenue to not only prevent devastating cuts in 2010 but also position the state to address the likely budget deficit in 2011-2013.

· A package that integrates short-term measures into a long-term term strategy for tax reform. Our state needs long-term reform to create a more stable, progressive, and adequate tax system.

We are encouraged by Governor Gregoire’s public rejection of an all cuts budget and her pledge – echoed by House and Senate leaders – to consider all the options. Considering the tremendous threat to our state’s children and families, we see Governor Gregoire’s call for $700 million in revenue as a starting point for the upcoming discussions around revenue. We must protect our values as a state and rebuild our economic future. We call on elected officials in Olympia to join with us in reaching an appropriate, responsible, and balanced solution to the current revenue shortfall.

Coalition Partners

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bellevue City Council Studies BNSF Light Rail Route

Published by Bellevue Reporter on 1/23/2010

The Bellevue City Council took a fresh approach to one of its thorniest issues Tuesday, requesting work on a hybrid light-rail plan for South Bellevue. The proposed design appears to be a compromise between those who want to attract more train passengers with the highly frequented South Bellevue park-and-ride, and those who want East Link to run along the abandoned BNSF rail corridor. The new variation would extend the park-and-ride lot on Bellevue Way SE to accommodate a light-rail station. The route would then turn east across Mercer Slough Nature Park before curving onto the BNSF right-of-way, and then toward downtown by way of 118th and 114th avenues.

The city is drafting a letter to Sound Transit requesting consideration of the line, and the council is expected to discuss the matter again on Jan. 25. "We need quite a bit more information to call it a preferred alignment, but we all agree it's worth developing that information," said councilmember Claudia Balducci, a newly appointed member of the Sound Transit board.

In February, the council recommended a South Bellevue route along Bellevue Way SE and 112th Ave. SE. But residents from the Surrey Downs neighborhood oppose that plan because of its potential impacts to their communities. The alternative idea is to run East Link along the BNSF rail corridor on its way downtown, but condo dwellers living near that route oppose the plan. The BNSF route is less expensive, and would free up money for a potential downtown tunnel or a future expansion of the light-rail system toward Issaquah. On the other hand, the Bellevue Way SE alternative utilizes a popular park-and-ride that could attract hordes of riders. One drawback of the compromise proposal is that it would cross Mercer Slough Nature Park, requiring environmental mitigation.

The council would have to update its routing preferences by March to include them in Sound Transit's final environmental review, which is due by year's end. Sound Transit's board of directors will make a decision on final routing and station locations after that review is complete. East Link design work is scheduled to begin in 2011, with construction slated to start by 2014. Light rail service to Bellevue is expected to launch in 2020.

Kevin Wallace: More about a BNSF Light Rail Route

Published by Seattle Times on 1/25/2009

A new vision for Eastside light rail

The so-called "Vision Line" developed by a group of Eastside stakeholders accomplishes Sound Transit's goals while providing smart

Over the past several months a group of Eastside stakeholders, working with an international engineering firm with extensive light-rail experience, has worked to develop a proposal for the South downtown Bellevue segments of East Link light rail. Their proposal would:

· Maximize transit-oriented development opportunities;

· Provide an alignment that is separated from cars and pedestrians;

· Reduce costs to enable a connection to Redmond without raising taxes.

· Protect the character and quality of Bellevue's single-family neighborhoods;

· Support a vibrant and accessible Downtown retail and office core;

· Maintain critical capacity on Bellevue's roads;

This proposal, dubbed the "Vision Line," accomplishes Sound Transit goals by providing quality light rail at a cost substantially less than the tunnel routes under consideration. Sound Transit is currently studying the Vision Line and three other new alignments in downtown Bellevue. In the coming months it will decide whether to adopt this option as its new preferred alternative.

The Vision Line uses the BNSF railroad right of way through South Bellevue, travels elevated along the west side of Interstate 405 at the edge of downtown to Northeast Sixth Street where it crosses I-405 and reconnects with the BNSF right of way to the north. This alignment is safer, faster and more reliable than other alternatives because it is entirely grade separated from roadways, meaning it can run at full speed without concern for traffic.

The BNSF right of way was severed during expansion of 405 and is no longer used. By reconnecting the BNSF right of way, future north-south commuter-rail connections along this 43-mile rail corridor become feasible. Passenger rail can extend not just to Redmond, Bellevue, Seattle and Mercer Island but also Woodinville, Kirkland, Bothell and Renton.

Vision Line delivers cost-effective, quality, light rail by focusing on stations that will support transit-oriented development and serve as regional hubs for a variety of transportation choices.

The main station at the edge of Downtown Bellevue connects through the heart of the downtown with an attractive, flat, covered walkway with a moving sidewalk. This brings all of Downtown Bellevue within a 10-minute walk from the station.

This location also recognizes that Downtown Bellevue is growing eastward.

· So while Vision Line's Downtown station is on the eastern edge of the central business district, today it will be surrounded by urban-center development by the time light rail is complete.

· The second station in the Hospital District offers more transit-oriented development opportunities than Sound Transit's alternative. Located on the BNSF corridor near Whole Foods, this station is at the critical junction of the east-west light rail line and the north-south BNSF line and is well within walking distance of the auto-row area and hospitals.

· The third station at Wilburton Park & Ride has lower transit-oriented benefits but does serve the surrounding neighborhoods and over 1 million square feet of existing commercial space. Located at the intersection of two regional bike trails, next to I-405 and at a park and ride lot that is already served by bus transit, the station will provide a multimodal connection for the residents south of Downtown and would be a great hub for bicyclists.

Vision Line is an important step toward implementing the Sound Transit 2 ballot measure voters approved in 2008. It meets the project planning goals and objectives identified by Sound Transit — improving transit mobility, preserving environmental quality, supporting regional and local land use goals and objectives, minimizing risk and providing a financially feasible solution. It also meets the goals of Bellevue's land use plans — minimizing neighborhood impacts, eliminating reductions in vehicle lanes and supporting a connection to Redmond. Vision Line will provide fast, effective, safe light rail service to the Eastside. The Vision Line is a solution that deserves the support of Sound Transit. Kevin Wallace

This Vision Line Proposal is one I have long supported for the reasons that Kevin Wallace expresses: enabling future light rail service from Renton to Woodinville, urban concentrations in between, and Issaquah. And protecting the Surrey Downs residential neighborhood. Dave Thomas

Here’s the Beef

Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell haven’t decided whether to support reappointment of Ben Bernanke.

Oregon voters approve tax increases to maintain state services.

Nation and World

Differences between U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank

Various commentaries which compare the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European and other Central Banks primarily note what they have in common, primarily limiting inflation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_bank

http://people.brandeis.edu/~cecchett/pdf/cecchetti%20osullivan%202003.pdf

http://www.gocurrency.com/articles/european-central-bank.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/01/21

But an important difference is that our Federal Reserve is dominated by private bankers. The result is that maintaining the profitability of banks is a prominent objective, typically given more weight than maintaining full employment. To the extent that European countries allow high unemployment, it is alleviated by more support for the unemployed. The result is that Americans suffer more from unemployment than people in most other countries.

Here’s the Beef

Will campaign contributions and lobbying result in construction of nuclear power plants?

Is our U.S. giving sufficient priority to helping Haitians?

Afghan tribe agrees to keep Taliban out of its villages.

Our Liberal Spirit

Making Mid-Course Corrections

Amidst whatever freedoms and opportunities we have, we human beings are always faced with the fact that the realization of any of our visions is ultimately beyond our control. We dream of truth, control, beauty, intimacy, responsibility, permanence and more, yet each of these may be blocked at any time. Sooner or later we die. Whatever we realize is affected by what we do and by luck (or we could say, the grace of God.

Since we dream, we experience pain. The pain that our dreams are not yet realized, may be difficult to realize, or when realized, may become unrealized again. We often seek to avoid the pain by not dreaming or ignoring our dreams. But for us humans, this is virtually impossible.

We can instead make plans to realize our dreams. Elaborating our vision. Identifying blocks to our vision. Creating and implementing detailed strategies and tactics to overcome the blocks. Such plans can enable us to realize some dreams at least temporarily that wouldn’t otherwise be realized. But the plans may not be effective.

Once we make and begin to implement plans, we experience new opportunities and possibilities and also new vulnerabilities, threats and blocks, which render our plans less effective than alternatives may be. Some people tend to use the new vulnerabilities, threats and blocks they encounter as an excuse to forsake their vision, such that we can doubt that they were ever committed to it. If we are committed to our vision, we should make mid-course corrections. We should revise our plans to take into account our new information. People who become inflexibly wedded to their plans are more likely to fail.

As I commented above, President Obama’s plan to revitalize our political and economic system without first securing popular support through attacking those who have controlled our politics and caused our economic mess has failed. He needs to make a mid-course correction and may be about to do so. If he doesn’t, he will very likely fail to create the new politics and economics that we need.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N20172968.htm

Recommended Books – See our list of books for liberals

Mark Green and Michele Jolin (eds.), 2009, Change for America. A Progressive Blueprint for the 44^th President.

This book, which appeared as President Obama was taking office, describes how he could implement change that we can believe in. Unfortunately, President Obama didn’t follow its advice.

EEEee