[Noisebridge-discuss] How the "Current events" that are happening in other states are shaping your rights in California

jim jim at systemateka.com
Mon Mar 14 16:10:38 UTC 2011


    don't forget one of the biggest prizes is the 
national parks and other public lands. 

    one of the things that most bothers me is the 
deliberate appeal to "social conservatives", 
people who believe their family values should be 
my family values. 

    how to band together? it seems that a majority 
of americans is opposed to this movement, but they 
need a sense of common mission. news media is an 
important organ to hack. entertainment media is 
another: popular songs, sit-coms, get charley 
sheen to endorse good things, make fun of rush 
limppaw and glen peckerwood and sarah pain. 
support on-the-ground efforts to reach out, 
maybe neighborhood parties that let people meet 
their local school teachers, cops, social workers.... 


On Sun, 2011-03-13 at 20:11 -0700, Corey McGuire wrote:
> Let me give you an idea of how this will affect us in California.
> 
> First:
> The unions that are under attack, many of them are national unions.
>  Sure, if you are a union member, it is easy to see how this affects
> you in California, but chances are most of us aren't.
> 
> So this is how it affects us non-union-Californians: Thanks to the
> "Citizens United" ruling, there is nothing stopping institutions of
> any stripe from spending bottomless money on campaigning.  This
> includes oil companies, defense contractors, insurance agencies,
> biotech, pharmaceuticals, international interests, oil barons,
> Walmart, China, and unions alike.  Guess which of these support
> democratic candidates?  That's right, unions.
> 
> Right now, unions are the only sea-wall holding back a tsunami of
> corporate interests with the one thing that matters any more, money.
>  These unions, national unions, are being dismantled by the GOP
> because they are the one moneyed obstacle standing in the way.
> 
> This isn't about saving money, it's about destroying opposition
> finance.  So long as the changes from the Citizens United ruling stay
> in effect unchecked, unions are the only campaign finance progressives
> have left and unions are being crushed.  If they are undermined in
> other states, they will be undermined here opening up our local and
> state elections to private interests.
> 
> Second:
> There are other obstacles, of course.  For instance, likely
> progressive voters.  Youth, ethnic minorities, people with criminal
> raps, working class, and many others.  How can these voting groups
> be silenced?
> 
> 
> In Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin, and others, there are Voter ID measures
> being pushed.  These would add an artificial disincentive to voters as
> they would have to jump through hoops; People with day jobs, people
> with full class schedule's, people who are separated by a language
> barrier, people who otherwise have something better to do.  This seems
> trivial, and maybe it would only be a slim margin of people, but
> elections are won by slim margins, even in Texas.
> 
> 
> In Florida, there is a measure being pushed that would make it so that
> anyone with a felony rap, no matter the size, would have to wait 5
> years from the time they make parole to be allowed the opportunity to
> register.  That means any kid who failed to convince a judge that,
> yes, the half ounce of weed they had in their fridge was only for
> personal use, would then be locked up for a small sentence, and then
> be disallowed for vote 5 years after they completed this sentence.
>  This is, of course, assuming that what ever shape this system took
> worked efficiently.  You know how republicans like to cut public
> funding.
> 
> 
> In New Hampshire, there are two bills, one kills the right for
> students not formerly of NH to vote (meaning that they'd have no say
> to protect their right to their education, or anything else) and
> another limits voter registration to people applying for things like
> drivers licenses in the state of NH.  Both of these are targeted at
> youth voters.
> 
> 
> There are more, all in the works since CPAC of last month.
> 
> 
> How do these bills affect California?  California is one of the most
> progressive states in the union and we blocked the Citizens United
> empowered candidates for 2011, but we aren't immune to the powers of
> legislators in the US house and senate who have less progressive
> ideals.  We will be at the mercy of the US President and US congress
> if other states have their ability to elect progressives hamstrung by
> voter laws.  In this case, we have the most to lose since we thrive on
> our progressive ideals.  We can watch these ideals be chipped away if
> progressives lose even more power across the country.  The "small
> 'c' conservatives" who claim they are for "smaller government" love
> burdening LGBT, Women, minorities, and the working class with
> regulations, laws, and
> underfunded social services.
> 
> 
> We, California, stand to become an island nation under the rule of
> a foreign power.
> 
> And this is what has happened just this last month since CPAC.  You
> don't think they have additional plans for California?
> 
> These are California's problems because all these events outside of
> our state are going to effect national politics in 2012, when we next
> vote for senators, representatives, and president.  If the rest of the
> country's ability to elect democratic candidates are killed, then
> California and the rest of the US will be at the mercy
> of corporate interests and right wing politics.
> 
> 
> There's a third, scary event.  In Michigan, a bill was just passed
> allowing the Governor to dissolve municipal governments and replace
> them with private agencies.  This is, apparently, because of an
> emergency deficit created partially by his cutting of corporate taxes
> by 1.8 billion dollars.  He's taxing the elderly and the poor, as well
> as those who contribute to public schools, to pay for PART of that 1.8
> billion dollar tax cut.
> 
> 
> Meanwhile, a measure to restrict the price of these contracts to the
> price of a municipality's budget has been stricken.  Private firms can
> charge as much as they like and do as little as they can justify.
> 
> 
> How long before we're all under the rule of private interests?
>  There's a name for this.  It's called fascism.
>  Conservative corporatism.  And there is no longer any denying that it
> is on the rise.
> 
> 
> All of this can be found in the video I posted days ago.
> 
> 
> On Saturday, March 12, 2011, girlgeek <girlgeek at wt.net> wrote:
> > I agree this is a 'hair on fire' topic.  Here is Rachel Maddow's
> > coverage of the issue:
> > http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#42021054
> >
> > I had the idea that it is not currently a problem here in
> California.
> > -Claudia
> >
> > On 3/12/2011 10:33 PM, Corey McGuire wrote:
> >> The Texas voter ID law is the most inconsequential tip of the
> iceberg
> >> regarding the assault on voter rights happening in America. This
> >> entire thread is in response to a link to a video I posted
> yesterday.
> >> Watch it. I'm on my phone and don't have the time or will to get in
> to
> >> this. I just packed up my house, loaded it into a 17foot uhaul, and
> >> unpacked it all.  I'm late for some shut eye.
> >>
> >> On Saturday, March 12, 2011, Jared Dunne<jareddunne at gmail.com>
>  wrote:
> >>> I think he might be referring to GOP backed laws to require
> photo-ID
> >>> to vote.  It disenfranchises voters that don't have ID but are
> >>> otherwise registered to vote.  It places a higher barrier for
> elderly,
> >>> disabled, and others to exercise their right to vote.
> >>>
> >>> On Sat, Mar 12, 2011 at 7:20 PM, Brian
> Morris<cymraegish at gmail.com>  wrote:
> >>>> On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 7:59 PM, Corey
> McGuire<coreyfro at coreyfro.com>  wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>> This isn't just Wisconsin, we have Republican Governors and
> state
> >>>>> legislators undermining our ability to vote in our own states.
>  People who
> >>>>> fully expect themselves to be eligible voters, unless made
> aware, may find
> >>>>> themselves unable to vote next election, and by that point, it
> will be too
> >>>>> late.  So another reason for people to be made aware, their
> status as a
> >>>>> voter may have changed.
> >>>> Could you please explain / justify this.
> >>>> _______________________________________________
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