Right Democrat: A Mainstream Populist Voice

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Observe Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK - Today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the country's first and largest nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, issued the following statement on the upcoming Memorial Day Holiday:

"Even after almost eight years of war, too many Americans see Memorial Day as just another summer holiday. Memorial Day should mean much more than barbeques and clearance sales. It marks a solemn day of remembrance for the more than one million American service members of all generations who, on the field of battle, made the ultimate sacrifice," said IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff. "IAVA is honored to join our Commander-in-Chief, other veterans' organizations, and families of the fallen in the wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. We are humbled to have this opportunity to pay our respects to the generations of Americans warriors who have given their lives in defense of our country."

In addition to participating in events nationwide, IAVA has created an online 'Wall of Remembrance' where people can submit what Memorial Day means to them, or text or tweet a message of support to our troops and veterans. http://www2.iava.org/o/436/t/8492/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1956#petition

For more information on the Memorial Day events IAVA will be participating in or to visit the Wall of Remembrance.
http://iava.org/blog/memorial-day-2009

Froma Harrop: Working poor need same protection from unfair competition as elites

2009-05-22T04:02:00.000-07:00

Froma Harrop points out the impact of illegal immigration on the working poor in a column which appeared in the Houston Chronicle [www.chron.com]:
(excerpt from the column)

Advocates of open borders — both defenders of illegal immigration and cheap-labor businesses — have run a campaign to demonize E-Verify precisely because it does the job. It enables enforcement of the law without scenes of ICE agents hauling away poor foreigners in handcuffs.

We still await a comprehensive immigration plan, which would deal with the millions of illegals already established in this country. A “path to citizenship” for this group would be reasonable, but only if it’s the last amnesty. That is, the E-Verify system would have to be in place so employers can’t ignore the ban on hiring undocumented workers in the future.

The advocates hold that rather than stop the flow of undocumented workers, the United States should just keep legalizing everyone.

Their argument is as follows: Wages for low-skilled jobs are dismal because employers can exploit illegal workers. Make them legal, and companies would have to improve pay and working conditions for all.

There’s some truth in that, but you can’t get around basic labor economics. From heart surgeon to street sweeper, every worker is subject to the law of supply and demand. The more people there are after the same number of jobs, the less anyone has to pay them.

The United States accepts 2 million legal immigrants a year, more than the rest of the world combined. No American has to apologize for drawing the line at illegal immigration.

Our working poor deserve the same protections against unfair competition that our doctors get. And in this economy, their need has grown desperate.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6424916.html
http://www.fromaharrop.com

Harrop is right. Illegal immigration lowers wages. That is why United Farm Workers founder Caesar Chavez was a strong advocate of immigration enforcement.

Progressive radio talk host Thom Hartmann notes:

The reason why thirty years ago United Farm Workers' Union (UFW) founder Caesar Chavez fought against illegal immigration, and the UFW turned in illegals during his tenure as president, was because Chavez, like progressives since the 1870s, understood the simple reality that labor rises and falls in price as a function of availability.

In 1969, Chavez and members of the UFW marched through the Imperial and Coachella Valley to the border of Mexico to protest growers' use of illegal aliens as temporary replacement workers during a strike. Joining him on the march were both the Reverend Ralph Abernathy and U.S. Senator Walter Mondale. Chavez and the UFW would often report suspected illegal aliens who served as temporary replacement workers as well as who refused to unionize to the INS.

Working Americans have always known this simple equation: More workers, lower wages. Fewer workers, higher wages.

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/06/03/con06114.html

Supporting Our Men & Women in Uniform

2009-05-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

May 21, 2009 —Democratic Senators met today with a group that connects veterans to careers in construction -- Helmets to Hardhats. During a Capitol press conference, Democrats discussed efforts to support our veterans and active duty members of the military. "Far too often, our veterans who have so bravely sacrificed to protect our nation and way of life face challenges when they return from duty," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. As Memorial Day approaches, Democrats will continue to work to ensure that our veterans have the tools they need to successfully transition back into civilian life, including access to quality health care, housing, and employment opportunities.

Bill Nelson on tainted Chinese drywall

2009-05-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Federal environmental officials have found that Chinese-made drywall - suspected of causing serious corrosion in homes throughout Florida, Louisiana and other states - contains three materials not found in samples of U.S.-manufactured wallboard, according to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s office.

Tests on drywall samples were done at the request of Sens. Nelson and Mary Landrieu, who have initiated an investigation into complaints from homeowners in their respective states, Florida and Louisiana, that drywall in newer or rebuilt homes smells like rotten eggs and is causing corrosion of copper wiring and household appliances. In addition, homeowners are complaining of health problems such as asthma, coughing, headaches and insomnia.

The just-concluded tests by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency found that Chinese-made drywall contained sulfur that wasn’t in U.S. drywall, strontium at levels ten times as high as in U.S. drywall and two other organic compounds generally found in acrylic paint that were not detected in any U.S.-made wallboard.

Still, the EPA said more testing is needed, including air sampling in affected houses, to determine whether the drywall is in fact the cause of corroded wiring and appliances and the reported health problems. Tomorrow, Nelson and Landrieu will be filing an amendment to provide emergency funds for the investigation and continued testing.

“We now know there are three things in there that aren’t in other drywall samples,” Nelson said today, after his office reviewed the EPA’s first drywall testing results. “We’ve got the ‘what’ and now we need the ‘why’ – and, how do we fix it?

“In the end, I think all this stuff is going to have to be ripped out,” Nelson said.

“These initial tests provide some answers for our impacted homeowners, but also raise more questions,” Landrieu said. “Sen. Nelson and I are continuing to work closely with federal officials to get answers for families with sick children and pets, construction workers and builders removing the product, and local health officials who are concerned with dumping the drywall in their landfills.”

In February, Nelson asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission for the investigation of problems in homes constructed with the imported drywall, and for an interim ban on the product. He and Landrieu then filed legislation aimed at initiating a recall in addition to a ban - as more and more people around the country were reporting problems in their homes built with imported drywall. Lawmakers complained the CPSC was slow to react to consumer complaints and Nelson called for the removal of the agency’s chair, Nancy Nord. President Obama recently announced a new chair of the three-member CPSC board.

The potential scope of the problem looms large. Nelson represents Florida, where an estimated 36,000 homes are believed to contain Chinese-made drywall. Landrieu represents Louisiana, where tons of the drywall was used in post-Hurricane Katrina construction. All told, it’s thought that between 60,000 and 100,000 homes nationwide may contain tainted drywall. Besides Florida and Louisiana, problems also have been seen and reported in the press in Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi and California.

Gun rights bill passes with strong Democratic support

2009-05-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

27 Democrats in the U.S. Senate including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and 105 Democrats in the U.S. House have affirmed their support for gun rights.

CNN Reports:

Gun rights advocates found an unlikely ally in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives on Wednesday as lawmakers passed a measure allowing concealed, loaded firearms to be carried in national parks.

The House approved a measure Wednesday to allow concealed firearms in national parks.

The proposal passed 279-147, winning overwhelming Republican support and that of a significant number of more conservative rural and western Democrats.

The Senate voted 67-29 on Tuesday to attach an identical measure to a bill cracking down on credit card fees. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, was among 27 Democrats backing the measure.

Under the measure, any person with a state permit to carry a concealed weapon would be able to bring that weapon into parks and wildlife refuges unless a state law specifies otherwise.

The firearms language is now expected to be included in the final version of the credit card legislation, which lawmakers want to deliver to President Obama's desk by Memorial Day.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/20/house.guns/

Blue Steel Democrats, the blog of the Oregon Democratic Party's Gun Owners Caucus, makes a good case for the legislation:

Crime against park rangers and visitors has seen an increase in recent years and this prudent, bipartisan legislation should ensure that criminals won't find National Parks easy hunting grounds for defenseless victims. (See previous post for more information: "Guns in National Parks: Yes, No, or Sometime?")
http://bluesteeldemocrats.blogspot.com/2009/04/guns-in-national-parks-yes-no-or.html

Jim Webb: No Guantanamo Detainee Should Come To The United States

2009-05-19T21:03:00.001-07:00

Vice President Biden on the Employee Free Choice Act

2009-05-19T16:30:00.001-07:00

Country music looks at the economic crisis

2009-05-17T11:33:00.001-07:00

Country music has always been built around lyrics about the lives of ordinary people so it is no surprise that three current Nashville hit records are focused on the real life struggles of working families in today's economic crisis. See link to Associated Press article. http://www.kansascity.com/414/story/1194482.html

Country singer John Rich sings his hit record "Shuttin' Detroit Down" at Tampa's WYQK Radio.

My daddy taught me in this country everyone's the same.
You work hard for your dollar and you never pass the blame,
When it don't go your way.
Now I see all these big shots whining on my evening news,
About how they're losing billions and it's up to me and you
To come running to the rescue.

Well pardon me if I don't shed a tear.
their selling make believe and we don't buy that here.

Because in the real world they're shuttin' Detroit down,
While the boss man takes his bonus paid jets on out of town.
DC's bailing out them bankers as the farmers auction ground.
Yeah while they're living up on Wall Street in that New York City town,
Here in the real world they're shuttin' Detroit down.
Here in the real world they're shuttin' Detroit down.

Well that old man's been working in that plant most all his life,
Now his pension plan's been cut in half and he can't afford to die
And it's a crying shame, cus he ain't the one to Blame.
When I looked down to see his calloused hands,
Well let me tell you friend it gets me fightin' mad.

Cause in the real world they're shuttin' Detroit down,
While the boss man takes his bonus paid jets on out of town.
DC's bailing out them bankers as the farmers auction ground.
Yeah while they're living up on Wall Street in that New York City town,
Here in the real world they're shuttin' Detroit down.

Yeah while they're living up on Wall Street in that New York City town,
Here in the real world they're shuttin' Detroit down.
Here in the real world they're shuttin' Detroit down,
In the real world they're shuttin' Detroit down.
they're shuttin' Detroit down.

Country legend Hank Williams, Jr. performs the "Red White and Pink Slip Blues" in his new video.

Phil Vassar sings a "Prayer of a Common Man"

Single payer is the solution to our health care crisis

2009-05-17T00:06:00.001-07:00

Reaction: Do you support military tribunals?

2009-05-16T15:25:00.001-07:00

President Obama is under attack from the progressive blogosphere as a result of his decision to reinstate military tribunals for suspected terrorists but is the criticism fair ?

The Boston Globe reports that Senator Patrick Leahy D-VT, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is defending the President's decision:

"I objected to the military commissions that were created by the Bush-Cheney administration because they stripped away critical protections in our laws," Leahy said in a statement yesterday. "People in American custody must be treated fairly, humanely and in accordance with our laws. I look forward to reviewing the Obama administration's proposals for providing a fair system of military commissions."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/05/16/obama_keeps_tribunals_draws_ire/?page=2

Democratic pollster Douglas Schoen gave his insights in today's Washington Post:

"Rather than betraying the left, President Obama has effectively isolated it with his decision to continue to use military commissions to try alleged terrorists. "

"First he got Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, to endorse his decision by acknowledging publicly that, "military commissions can play a legitimate role in prosecuting" detainees. "

"And by granting detainees additional legal protections beyond those offered by the Bush administration, Obama appears to have limited public criticism largely to interest groups and human rights groups such as the ACLU, Human Rights Watch and Human Rights First. "

"Obama also obviously saw an opportunity to announce his decision when the liberal Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi -- who could have been expected to be an outspoken opponent of his decision -- was clearly distracted. He announced his decision on a day during which CIA Director Leon Panetta defended the agency in the ongoing dispute about what Pelosi knew about waterboarding and when she knew it. "

"If the president is able to avoid serious and sustained criticism from the left for his decision to continue to employ military tribunals, he will be better able to deal with the equally thorny issue of how and when to close down the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and what to do about the detainees still housed there. "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/15/AR2009051503796.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

The President appears to have acted on the basis of national security interests and while annoying some on the left, he will be supported by mainstream public opinion.

Freda Stevens: Democratic "Big Tent" includes moderates and conservatives

2009-05-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Freda Stevens, a party activist and candidate for State Representative in Florida's 100th District, presents the case for welcoming moderates and conservatives into the Democratic Party. While ideological diversity can pose some problems in reaching a consensus about how to govern, there is no question that the party with the largest tent wins. The declining Republican vote in many areas of the country is a good example of what happens when a political party becomes too intolerant of differing beliefs. Democrats must be careful not to fall into the same trap by moving too far away from the mainstream.

Stevens writes:

Political reform is not a new concept to the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party "Big Tent" position accepts a democrat because he or she fundamentally agrees with a majority of party positions. The beauty of the Democratic Party is she includes every end of the spectrum.

FDR Democrats, Truman Democrats, Blue Dog Democrats, New Democrats, 21st Century Democrats, Democratic Leadership Council founded by former President Bill Clinton, Democrats for Values, and Democrats for Life of America are conservative to moderate leaning democratic groups. Each group has a significant role in shaping our great country.

Some of the most powerful presidential, congressional, legislative, and local democrats have moderate to conservative views that differ from the mainstream left side of the party. Moderate to conservative democrats may be fiscal conservative, pro-life, pro-gun, pro-business, and/or pro-War.

20 republican House seats, 9 Senate seats, the Governor's office and all cabinet seats, and the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Senator Mel Martinez are open in 2010. Although, I support Fair Districting, if my fellow conservative to moderate democrats would stand up and take their place then gerrymandering would be obsolete.

It is our time to take back control of the Florida Legislature, the Governorship, and reshape the Florida Democratic Party platform.

Freda Stevens, President
Florida Democrats for Life

http://fredastevens.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html

Free Trade and Protectionism

2009-05-16T11:57:00.001-07:00

LA Times: 51% identify as pro-life in U.S.

2009-05-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

PRO-LIFE AND PRO-CHOICE ACTIVISTS CLASH IN MADISON,WISCONSIN

The LA Times reports:

At a time when President Obama is trying to convince opponents in the abortion battle that they can find middle ground -- in rhetoric, if not reality -- a new Gallup Poll shows that more Americans describe themselves as "pro-life" than "pro-choice."

For the first time since it began asking the question in 1995, Gallup reported Friday, a majority of adults questioned for its annual survey on values and beliefs -- 51% -- said that when it comes to abortion, they consider themselves "pro-life"; 42% consider themselves "pro-choice." (The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-abortion-poll16-2009may16,0,3897855.story

Most Americans are not as pro-life as the Vatican or Dr. Dobson and certainly nothing approaching a majority of the public has ever been as pro-choice as Planned Parenthood. It is significant, however, that a narrow majority of Americans now select the pro-life rather than the pro-choice label. This polling does give greater momentum for policies to discourage abortion although far from a mandate to ban all abortions which has only 22% support. Less than a quarter of the American public
(23%) oppose all restrictions on abortion. A solid majority - 55% of Americans favor a middle ground approach to the abortion question.

The poll results confirm that the hard-line pro-choice position is a distinctly minority view in this country but also discredit the pro-life movement's unrealistic claims that banning abortion is just a Supreme Court decision away.

President Obama and Congressional Democrats should be paying attention to this polling data. It is time to show support for reasonable measures to curb the abortion rate by strengthening the safety net for expectant mothers and their children. Passage of the Pregnant Women Support Act sponsored by pro-life Democratic Senator Bob Casey would be a step in the right direction.

Alan Grayson: Apollo 11 Astronauts, John Glenn Deserve Congressional Gold Medal

2009-05-15T19:36:00.001-07:00

The Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act, H.R. 2378

2009-05-14T16:22:00.001-07:00

Bill would target nations that manipulate currency values to receive export and manufacturing advantage

Washington, DC –Senator Jim Bunning (KY), Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI), Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-17) and Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18) have reintroduced the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act. The bipartisan coalition of lawmakers was joined by business leaders, industry groups and labor who have been harmed by the unfair disadvantages in manufacturing and export that currency misalignment can create. The Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act would target exchange rate misalignment between the U.S. Dollar, Chinese Yuan and other major trading partners, in order to reduce the unnatural comparative advantages that command economies can use against market economies.

“This is one of the most broad based coalitions I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with,” said Congressman Tim Ryan, “Democrats and Republicans, manufacturers and labor, and representatives from all over the country have come together on this common sense legislation which only asks countries to live up to the standards they agreed to when they joined the WTO.”

“China continues to illegally subsidize products by a third of the costs by manipulating their currency to undercut American goods,” said Congressman Tim Murphy. “The time has come for Congress to stand up for American workers and not allow China to run roughshod over the American economy. With this legislation we will finally force China to stop cheating and level the playing field for America’s manufacturers,”

“The global economy is facing its greatest challenge in modern times. Families in Michigan and across the country are having a hard time putting food on the table. I frequently hear from workers worried about finding good paying jobs and businesses that are unsure how long they will be able to keep their doors open,” said Senator Debbie Stabenow. “I’m fighting to level the playing field for them. This crisis is an opportunity to reflect on the mistakes of the past and update our trade laws to ensure that they are fair and transparent. Our laws must provide mechanisms to cite countries for manipulating their currency and also provide remedies, so U.S. workers are not put at a competitive disadvantage.“

“American workers and businesses have been competing with both hands tied behind their backs for too long, and it’s time to treat illegal currency intervention like the outrageous trade subsidy it is,” said Senator Jim Bunning. “Our legislation will put in place the tools and policies necessary to level the playing field with our trading partners and help protect American businesses from those countries who manipulate their currency in order to achieve an unfair trading advantage.”

The Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act has 39 cosponsors.

Carter: Energy Problems Will Again Test America

2009-05-13T20:36:00.001-07:00

The Courthouse News Service reports on former President Jimmy Carter's testimony concerning energy security before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

Carter said he prefers windmills, nuclear energy and clean coal as an alternative to oil-based energy.

When he visited Spain, he said, the windmills were both beautiful and had helped the country on its way towards obtaining half of its energy from renewable sources.

To promote nuclear energy, Carter described its almost infinite supply. The nuclear warship USS Jimmy Carter will never have to be refueled, he noted. The ship's power plant will outlast the hull. As for nuclear waste, he said, "We can continue burying nuclear waste material for a long time. It doesn't take much."

Carter argued that coal is unlikely to disappear as a source of energy for practical reasons. The United States already uses mostly coal for energy. He said we need to develop a way to use it cleanly.

Before leaving, Carter imparted a bit of political advice. Only the president can bring about a real change in our energy policy, he said, and that change must be accomplished through one comprehensive bill so that everybody gets a little of what they want.

Carter expressed support for President Obama, saying, "I'm not preaching to him because he knows what he's doing."

http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/05/13/Carter_Testifies_on_Oil_Role_in_Foreign_Policy.htm

The Right Thing - Pennsylvania TV Ad for the Employee Free Choice Act

2009-05-13T20:19:00.001-07:00

EPI: Enforcement needed in H-1B Visa laws

2009-05-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

Andrea Orr of the Economic Policy Institute [www.epi.org] explains why it is important to enforce H-1B Visa laws not only to protect the living standards of American workers but also to prevent the exploitation of guest workers by big business.

Enforcement needed in H-1B Visa laws
Economic Policy Institute
By Andrea Orr 05-12-09

The H-1B visa program was designed to allow U.S. employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in special circumstances when they could not find an American citizen who qualified for the job.

By that definition, it sounds like a reasonable way to allow high-skilled guest workers into the country, but there is a major problem: The companies, usually in the high-tech sector, that hire these workers from abroad are not required to exhaust the pool of American workers first. Many that rely heavily on H-1B workers have admitted to using this guest worker program as a way to lower their labor costs.

More than two years ago, EPI’s report, Outsourcing America’s Technology and Knowledge Jobs, outlined how multiple loopholes and generally poor enforcement had seriously eroded the original intent of the H-1B program. http://www.sharedprosperity.org/bp187.html Today, as U.S. unemployment rises at an alarming rate, reform in the H-1B visa law is badly needed. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who recently reintroduced reform legislation, along with Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) argues that the H-1B visa program “should complement the U.S. workforce, not replace it.”

Along with displacing American technology workers, EPI’s report found that the H-1B visa program also had the effect of decreasing wages for guest workers, and discouraging young people in the U.S. from pursuing careers in science and engineering. Although there is a common assumption that U.S. employers search for American workers before hiring from abroad, no such labor test exists and the government has no audit process for uncovering abuse. Even the Department of Labor has stated that H-1B workers “may be hired even when a qualified U.S. worker wants the job.” Far from being a course of last resort, H-1B hires are often the first route companies pursue. Some companies have even advertised jobs expressly for H-1B visa holders.

Why would they do so? Even though employers are supposed to pay their H-1B workers the same wages they would pay an American, they can easily skirt that rule and in interviews with the Government Accountability Office, some have admitted to doing so. Tata Consultancy Services, for example, has said that the wages it pays H-1B visa holders are 20% to 25% less than what comparably skilled American workers would earn.

Such revelations suggest that the visa program, as it is implemented today, may be almost as bad for the guest workers as it is for displaced American workers. Another common misperception about the program is that guest workers use it as a path to citizenship. In fact, companies that hire foreign workers rarely sponsor them for green cards, instead keeping them in a state of limbo, where they have little power to fight for higher wages or better working conditions.

Current law allows some 65,000 H-1B workers in the country, though during the dot-com boom earlier this decade, that number rose as high as 195,000. And while high-tech companies such as Oracle and Microsoft and Google maintain there is often no comparable talent to be found in the U.S., those assertions are getting harder to justify. The San Jose Mercury News recently reported that high-tech companies in Santa Clara, Calif., the heart of Silicon Valley, announced more than 20,000 job cuts during the first quarter of this year. It said that nationwide, there have been more than 84,000 high-tech job cuts. http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12328724?nclick_check=1

http://www.epi.org/analysis_and_opinion/entry/enforcement_needed_in_h-1b_visa_laws/

Somalia: Libertarian paradise

2009-05-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

CQ Politics called my attention to this funny video from "The Public Service Administration" taking a light-hearted look at libertarianism in action.
http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/politicsunseriously/2009/05/somalia-a-libertarians-paradis.html

The video description on You Tube gives a couple of amazing links documenting libertarian praise for life in "government free" Somalia. The tea party crowd sees this anarchy as a model for human "freedom" even though life would be "short, nasty and brutish." Hat tip to Tom Hobbes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QDv4sYwjO0&feature=channel_page

Jim Webb calls on Defense Department to buy American

2009-05-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

As Richmond-Area Jobs Are Cut, Senator Webb Urges Defense Department to End Procurement Exemptions that Send Jobs Overseas

Tells Secretary Gates that Domestic Procurement of Fibers Will Support U.S. Manufacturers and Strengthen Defense Industrial Base

WASHINGTON,DC—Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) yesterday called on Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to discontinue two unwarranted exemptions related to procurement of para-aramid and fire-resistant fibers from foreign suppliers that result in manufacturing jobs being shipped overseas. Webb said that a prompt review by the Department of Defense will clearly document why the exceptions should not be applied for defense-related procurements.

“Current law mandates an annual review [of the exemptions] by the Secretary of Defense,” Senator Webb wrote in a joint letter with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

The senators’ letter to the Department of Defense comes on the heels of DuPont’s announcement yesterday to cut 2,000 jobs. DuPont’s Spruance plant in Richmond, Va. is one of the world’s largest manufacturing sites for products such as Kevlar(R) and Nomex(R) fibers, Tyvek(R) nonwoven and Zytel(R) resins. The company also has a plant under construction to produce Kevlar(R) in South Carolina.

“There is simply no justification for foreign-based procurement of materials needed for defense products when such items are now available in the U.S. marketplace,” said Senator Jim Webb. At issue are two outdated exemptions to the Berry Amendment that allow the Defense Department to look abroad if suitable materials aren’t available domestically.

“Domestic materials are not only available, but U.S. manufacturers in Virginia and across the country are suffering severe job losses because we are not adequately procuring them. Defense Secretary Gates is required by law to conduct an annual review of this exemption. I hope he will do so expeditiously and conclude that continued use of the exceptions is damaging our nation’s defense industrial base and hindering much-needed economic growth,” continued Webb.

The Berry Amendment requires the Department of Defense to give preference in its procurement to domestically produced, manufactured, or home grown products—most notably food, clothing, fabrics, and specialty metals. DOD was authorized to apply two exemptions to the amendment in 1998 and 2008 for the procurement of para-aramid and fire-resistant fibers, respectively, at a time when there was limited domestic competition. Conditions in the U.S. marketplace have since changed.

To view a complete copy of the letter from Senators Webb and Graham to Secretary Gates, please visit: http://webb.senate.gov/pdf/ltrgates.pdf

President Obama's Weekly Address: Credit Card Reform

2009-05-09T15:24:00.001-07:00

Creigh Deeds: Well-qualified and most likely to keep Virginia in the blue column

2009-05-09T09:32:00.001-07:00

Virginia Democrats will choose their party's nominee for Governor next month. Creigh Deeds stands out in the field as well-qualified and most likely to keep Virginia's Governorship in the blue column.

Here is Deed's bio from his campaign site [www.deedsforvirignia.com]:

Senator Deeds has spent the last two decades serving constituents from all walks of life--from his start as Bath County prosecutor to his current position as a State Senator representing the City of Charlottesville and a district that stretches to the West Virginia border. Whether he was working to clean up one of Virginia's largest Superfund sites, fighting for economic development, or writing some of the toughest legislation to keep our families safe and secure, Deeds has built his career as a consensus builder who delivers results.

He wrote Megan's Law, which allows public access to the state sex offender registry, and sponsored the Amber Alert Program to keep our children safe. Using his relationships with law enforcement officers and his experience as a prosecutor, Deeds wrote the state law that has turned the tide against homegrown illegal methamphetamine drug labs.

In addition to his work to cleanup the Kim-Stan landfill Superfund site, Senator Deeds also wrote one of the most progressive laws to preserve open space and protect the environment. For his leadership and advocacy, he received the Leadership in Public Policy Award from The Nature Conservancy and the Preservation Alliance of Virginia named him Delegate of the Year.

When Virginia was in a financial crisis, Deeds worked with Governor Mark Warner to put the budget back in order: cutting waste and protecting important priorities. The 2004 bi-partisan budget agreement invested more than $1 billion in education, eliminated the state food tax, and put more police officers on the streets with the tools and the training they need to keep us safe.

Today he's working with Governor Tim Kaine to keep Virginia moving forward with an energy policy that will cut greenhouse gases by 30 percent over the next two decades and a pre-kindergarten program that will put children on the path to success from the start.

Senator Deeds was first elected to the House of Delegates in 1991, winning reelection five consecutive times before leaving the House to fill the seat of the late Senator Emily Couric in a special election in 2001. Four years later he was the Democratic nominee for state Attorney General, losing that race by the closest margin in Virginia history. He attended Virginia's public schools and after completing undergraduate work at Concord College, he received his law degree from Wake Forest University in 1984. He and his wife, Pam, live in Bath County at the western end of the 25th Senate District. They have four children: Amanda, Rebecca, Gus and Susannah.

Populist Democrat Ron Sparks running for Alabama Governorship

2009-05-09T09:07:00.001-07:00

Spotlight on taking back the red state of Alabama. Since I have posted a couple of videos featuring Artur Davis on this blog, it is only fair to give equal time to his worthy opponent in the Democratic primary. Ron Sparks, twice elected as State Agriculture and Industries Commissioner, is a fighting populist with a strong message on jobs and education. A vocal advocate for country-of-orgin labeling of food and agricultural products, Sparks has served as President of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

Why are single payer advocates excluded from health care discussion ?

2009-05-09T08:46:00.001-07:00

Bret Kincaid, public policy community editor at Evangelicals for Social Action [www.esa-online.org] asks why Preident Obama and our Congressional leaders seem determined to exclude single payer advocates from discussions about health care policy. Single payer a/k/a Medicare for All has broad public support but almost no backing in Congress. Most members of Congress are in the pockets of the insurance industry and far too timid to even discuss single payer as an option.

Kincaid writes:

Now that Arlen Specter has switched to the Democratic Party, and Al Franken is likely to be seated in the US Senate this summer, the Democratic Party in the Senate is better poised to defeat Republican filibusters of President Obama’s policy reform of healthcare. Unfortunately for President Obama, this past weekend Specter told Meet the Press that he would oppose public health insurance, the topic I explored in my April 22nd issue of the ePistle.

It is reasonable to assume, then, that if Specter would oppose Obama’s public health insurance proposal, he would certainly oppose what is probably the most radical healthcare reform proposal—the single payer plan (SPP), or what is being strategically dubbed “Medicare for All.” Specter’s opposition to a SPP is just the tip of the opposition iceberg, and the iceberg includes hefty industries like insurance and an array of other healthcare-related interest groups with gobs of dollars to throw into paid advertisements to scare us with the specter (no pun intended) of long lines, low quality, and rampant inefficiencies (as if none of these serious problems exists now).

It is troubling that Obama reluctantly allowed only two proponents of SPP into his White House Forum on Healthcare two months ago attended by about 120 stakeholders. This is strangely contrary to his typical disposition to reach out to draw Americans into the political process. Opinion polls are mixed on this issue, and public opinion is quite malleable depending on what respondents are asked and what language is used in surveys. A public opinion poll done last year by Kaiser doesn’t bode well for SPP: When asked to choose among seven healthcare reform options, the SPP came in last place. Still, when asked in another Kaiser poll whether the respondent would support “a public health insurance option similar to Medicare to compete with private insurance plans,” 67% of respondents said they would.

The support inside Congress seems much clearer, if dimmer for a SPP. If congressional opinion of last Congress is any indication, SPP proponents have a very steep mountain to climb. According to a rough survey done by Medicareforall.org, only 3% of Senators and 20% of Representatives supported a SPP. Perhaps even more deadly is the fact that Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus, a key player in the legislative process around healthcare reform, recently said, "I don't think a single-payer system makes sense in this country."

I believe a SPP makes a lot of sense as a remedy for achieving universal healthcare coverage. It is made appealing by a growing number of interest groups advocating a SPP, probably the most prominent one being Physicians for a National Health Program. And our Canadian and European counterparts, who enjoy a right to healthcare, are perplexed and appalled at the fact that some 47 million Americans are without health insurance. But there are potential flaws in a SPP, just as there are in every proposal floating around out there. And reforming healthcare —a $2 trillion industry—will immediately create many winners and losers in the healthcare industry, unsettling millions of people who earn a living directly or indirectly from it.

We should move cautiously, but we should move nonetheless. The issue is too important to leave policy reform strictly to the insiders. Let’s get up to speed on the key details of Medicare for All and competing proposals (including Obama’s), prayerfully decide which most conforms to biblical justice, and then join the legislative process informed and committed to loving our neighbor.

Bret Kincaid is associate professor of political science at Eastern University in St. Davids, PA.

http://www.esa-online.org/Article.asp?RecordKey=F4248CF2-D215-42BB-9F4C-7D3CCCD4C51B

DLC: A Partnership With States to End Child Hunger in America

2009-05-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

THE MAP ABOVE SHOWS the states with higher rates of child poverty in dark green.

WASHINGTON -- During the campaign, then-candidate Barack Obama excited anti-hunger activists by committing to end child hunger by 2015. Understandably, the plan for how to accomplish that goal has not been fully sketched out.

In a new paper released by the Democratic Leadership Council, "Fulfilling the President's Call," senior fellow Tom Freedman and Share our Strength Founder Bill Shore write that a relatively small outlay of federal funds could incentivize states to set aside the necessary resources to take on the mission of ending child hunger in their state in a short time.

There is no substitute for a strong role for the federal government in ending childhood hunger. But there is also an indispensible complementary role at the state level. Critical programs ranging from food stamps to child nutrition must be adequately funded at the federal level but also executed more effectively by the states.

This proposal urges the Administration to embrace a stronger partnership with states to ensure they have the strategic resources they need to close the gap between children who are eligible for assistance and those who actually receive it.

There are enormous resources available, but they are too underutilized to help hungry children. A smart focus on leveraging those existing resources, and on using state, private sector, and nonprofit local partners to help lead and implement a local plan, makes the most sense.

Read the full report at:
http://www.dlc.org/documents/Freedman-Shore_Child_Hunger_050609.pdf