Bernie Sanders' rally on left, Hillary Clinton rally on right. 

Sanders: Party platform still needs work

Updated: JULY 3, 2016

The Democratic Party platform drafted in St. Louis is an excellent start in bringing forth policies that will help end the 40-year decline of the American middle class. These initiatives, if implemented, will create millions of good-paying jobs, significantly improve health care, and reverse the dangerous trend in this country toward an oligarchic form of society. But, let us be clear, this is a document that needs to be significantly improved by the full Platform Committee meeting in Orlando on July 8 and 9.

Here are some very positive provisions in the platform as it stands today:

At a time when huge Wall Street financial institutions are bigger now than they were before the taxpayers of this country bailed them out, the platform calls for enacting a 21st-century Glass-Steagall Act and for breaking up too-big-to-fail banks.

The platform calls for a historic expansion of Social Security, closes loopholes that allow corporations to avoid paying taxes, creates millions of jobs rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, makes it easier for workers to join unions, takes on the greed of the pharmaceutical companies, ends disastrous deportation raids, bans private prisons and detention centers, abolishes the death penalty, moves to automatic voter registration and the public financing of elections, eliminates super PACs, and urges passage of a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, among many other initiatives.

These are all major accomplishments that will begin to move this country in the right direction. I congratulate Rep. Elijah Cummings (D., Md.), chairman of the Platform Drafting Committee, and all 15 members of the panel for their hard work.

But, unfortunately, there were a number of vitally important proposals brought forth by the delegates from our campaign that were not adopted. My hope is that a grassroots movement of working people, environmentalists, and human-rights advocates will work with us to demand that the Democratic Party include these initiatives in the platform to be adopted by the full committee in Orlando.

We need to have very clear language that raises the minimum wage to $15 an hour, ensures that the promised pensions of millions of Americans will not be cut, establishes a tax on carbon, and creates a ban on fracking. These and other amendments will be offered in Florida.

Further, one of the most important amendments that we will offer is to make it clear that the Democratic Party is strongly opposed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

In my view, the Democratic Party must go on record in opposition to holding a vote on this disastrous, unfettered free-trade agreement during the lame-duck session of Congress and beyond.

Frankly, I do not understand why the amendment our delegates offered on this issue in St. Louis was defeated with all of Hillary Clinton's committee members voting against it. I don't understand that because Clinton, during the campaign, made it very clear that she did not want to see the TPP appear on the floor during the lame-duck session.

If both Clinton and I agree that the TPP should not get to the floor of Congress this year, it's hard to understand why an amendment saying so would not be overwhelmingly passed.

Let's be clear: The trade agreement is opposed by virtually the entire grassroots base of the Democratic Party.

Every trade union in this country is strongly opposed to the pact. They understand that this agreement will make it easier for corporations to throw American workers out on the street and move factories to Vietnam, where workers are paid 65 cents an hour.

Virtually every major environmental group is opposed to the TPP because they understand that it will make it easier for the biggest polluters in the world to continue despoiling our planet.

Major religious groups are opposed because they understand that it will reward some of the biggest human-rights violators in the world.

Doctors Without Borders is strongly opposed to this agreement because its members understand that it would increase prescription-drug prices for some of the most desperate people in the world by making it harder to access generic drugs.

This agreement also threatens our democracy. We cannot give multinational corporations the ability to challenge our nation's labor and environmental laws simply because they might reduce expected future profits through the very flawed Investor State Dispute Settlement system. That would undermine the democratic values that our country was founded on.

During the coming days and weeks our campaign will be reaching out to grassroots America to do all that we can to oppose the TPP and make sure that it doesn't get passed.

@BernieSanders

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20160703_Sanders__Party_platform_still_needs_work.html

A Third American City Is Now Running Entirely On Renewable Energy, Horse Meat Is Deadly, War Criminal Dick Cheney?

A Third American City Is Now Running Entirely On Renewable Energy

“We’ve demonstrated that it is possible," one official said. "We hope we can inspire others to achieve these higher goals."

THINKPROGRESS.ORG

Horse Meat Is Deadly

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

A 5 year study by Drs Nicholas Dodman, Nicolas Blondeau and Ann M. Marini has shown conclusively that horse meat, as produced by horses raised in the United States, is extremely harmful to humans.  The reports were written in a peer reviewed journal,  Food and Chemical Toxicology, and focused on the effects of phenylbutazone (Bute) in the horses meat and it’s effect on humans who consume it.  In their study, they tracked 18 Thoroughbreds, which were all given Bute on raceday.  The horses were sent to slaughter between 1 week and 48 months after being given Bute, all which still had residual of Bute in their system.

The Food and Drug Administration has banned Bute from all animals that are slaughtered for human consumption, yet no check is in place to ensure  contaminated horse meat is not sent over the border to be slaughtered for human consumption.  Bute was used as a human drug in the 40’s, but within 3 years, with dangerous bone marrow supression leading to death and liver failure resulting in death from the use of Bute, it was banned as a human drug and banned from all animals intended to be slaughered for human consumption.

There is no way to know how many horses receive Bute, one drug manufacture produces enough Bute for every horse in America to receive a dose of Bute every year.  One can only assume, as there is no safety net in place to prevent contaminated meat from reaching the human market, that the majority of horse meat is contaminated with dangerous levels of Bute.

http://www.newsofthehorse.com/2015/horse-meat-is-deadly/

Horse Plus Humane Society via News of the Horse

 

In the News - Horses exported from the United States are deadly for humans. If we can't shut the export down for the horses, we should at least stop poisoning the world!

Horse Meat is Deadly

Horse meat is deadly to humans, a 5 year study finds. A majority of horses shipped across the border for slaughter are contaminated with a drug which is lethal to humans and illegal in food producing animals.

NEWSOFTHEHORSE.COM

Etsy: this "transparent" company is exploiting tax loopholes

PETITION: Demand Etsy stop taking advantage of tax loopholes >>

Despite claims of transparency, online craft marketplace Etsy has been exploiting and taking advantage of existing loopholes in Irish tax laws. This has allowed Etsy to conceal financial disclosures and drastically reduce their global tax obligations. Tell Etsy to stop capitalizing on the Irish tax loopholes: SIGN IMMEDIATELY >>

You might know of Etsy as a startup that allows artists and creators to sell their vintage and artisanal wares online.

Etsy originally billed itself as a socially responsible company. It was one of the first publicly traded “B Corporations.” B Corporations must show that they benefit the community, environment, employees, consumers and suppliers.

Despite its supposed do-gooder ethos, Etsy has been taking advantage of tax loopholes that are anything but transparent.

Etsy recently established a subsidiary in Ireland, where it does not have to release financial information about any money parked there. To milk this loophole for all it’s worth, Etsy has taken steps that will funnel much of its global revenue in this secretive Irish unit.

We expect this kind of shady behavior from Wall Street and Big Oil. But Irish tax havens definitely don’t benefit the community, environment, employees, consumers and suppliers like a certified B Corporation is supposed to.

Etsy promised a new, transparent way of doing business. Let’s hold them to that promise.
Sign the petition to demand Etsy stop taking advantage of tax loopholes:

http://www.signherenow.org/etsy-tax-loopholes/leftaction/

Thanks for signing, 

LeftAction

JUNE 25, 2015

Conversation with Senator Bernie Sanders

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) talked about his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, why he wants to be president, his career in the Senate, his early life and family, and his views on key issues. He was interviewed in his Senate office on Capitol Hill.

http://www.c-span.org/video/?326814-1/conversation-senator-bernie-sanders-ivt


increasing voter turnout, making Burlington people friendly, expanding social security, child care, minimum wage, college education....great program! 

Taxpayers for Common Sense: Paving the Way with Gimmicks

Our weekly reality-check for federal spending!

Paving the Way with Gimmicks

Volume XX No.21: May 22, 2015

Right before lawmakers in the House of Representatives headed home for Memorial Day events, parades, and picnics, they passed legislation to keep cash flowing to transportation projects, at least until the Highway Trust Fund goes bust at the end of the July. Since Senators are eyeing the exits as well, this will likely become law before the current authorization expires at the end of May.

Talk about doing the bare minimum. Calling this action kicking the can would be generous. Maybe nudging or tapping? As avid readers of the Weekly Wastebasket (that’s you, right?) know, for years the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) hasn’t had the revenue to match what lawmakers want to spend.

Inflation and increased construction costs have reduced the purchasing power of the 18.4 cent per gallon gas tax that funds the HTF by almost 40 percent since it was set in 1993. And while greater fuel efficiency has reduced revenue, demand for infrastructure investment has only increased. In fiscal year 2015, the gas tax will bring in roughly $39 billion, while HTF outlays are expected to top $52 billion.

Even with gas prices at historic lows compared to recent years, very few lawmakers are willing to increase the tax (although there is a bipartisan House proposal to index the tax to inflation, have a commission make revenue recommendations, and if that fails, increase the tax to make up for shortfalls). Instead what we continue to find are gimmicks and piece-meal fixes. Or even gimmicks upon gimmicks.

The most common gimmick being batted about is repatriation. Essentially, companies have parked an estimated $2.1 trillion worth of profits overseas, deferring payment of income tax until that money is returned (repatriated) to the U.S. The idea is that if you dramatically lower the 35 percent corporate tax rate for this money, it will come back to the U.S. and while you won’t get all the revenue Uncle Sam was promised, some revenue is better than no revenue. There are different proposals along these lines from the Administration and lawmakers in both parties in both Houses of Congress.

There are a few problems with repatriation, and not just as a means of revenue for transportation. First, we tried this trick a decade ago, and what happened was even more money is parked overseas now after a few years than there was then. We rewarded bad behavior and companies learned it pays to park cash and wait. Fool me once… So without real comprehensive tax reform, we’ll be in the same place, or worse, in a few years. Another problem is these proposals do nothing to address our broken transportation funding system. An infusion of cash could bailout lawmakers from having to confront the problem for a few years, but then we’ll be back in the same place with less revenue than what Congress wants to spend.

As if the repatriation isn’t bad enough, some policymakers are looking to bundle repatriation, highway trust fund, and tax reform in the same package. So in the next two months lawmakers are supposed to craft a transportation bill and come up with agreed upon tax reform solutions that they haven’t been able to figure out in the last two decades? C’mon. This kind of, dare we say grand bargain, may be what is needed. But complicated decisions, like determining transportation investments or crafting a tax code that’s simpler, flatter, and fairer are too important to simply be tacked onto other bills as an afterthought. We need a robust debate.

The user pays principle has been a hallmark of transportation funding since the Eisenhower days, but we haven’t kept pace with prices or technology. Because different vehicles that “use” the roads the same use different amounts of gas, a gas tax isn’t a true user fee per se. But for all the flaws of the current HTF structure, it’s a lot closer to user pays than a tax on repatriated income from large companies (income that if otherwise repatriated would go to reducing deficits in the general treasury). Lawmakers need to either learn to live within their means, or come up with revenue from responsible solutions. Oregon has been experimenting with vehicle miles travelled taxes, other states rely heavily on tolling, and others are experimenting with innovative financing mechanisms. There are a lot of options out there to close the gap between demand for investment and tolerance for bearing the cost of those investments. They may not all be popular – but they are a heck of lot more responsible than can kicking and revenue robbing.

 

 

To learn more about Taxpayers for Common Sense and other ways you can support our work, visit our website.

Quote of the Week: “OCO is the escape hatch for DoD to escape their obligation." - Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) referring to the off-budget Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account that the Pentagon and Congress have proposed using to avoid statutory budget caps. Appropriations Subcommittee on BLM Budget, Oil and Gas Rulemakings Letter: How to Vote for Taxpayers on NDAA Amendments TCS Backs NDAA Amendment to Stop a Shipbuilding Slippery Slope

This & that......

Bernie Sanders added a new photo.

 

Were ya even paying attention?
Or just nodding to Republican Horse Manure?

Putin's failures leave Russia reeling

Republicans said Putin was playing chess to Obama's checkers. They had it backwards -- it's Obama who made all the right moves.

WWW.MSNBC.COM

• 

  Carl Younger

  December 3 at 2:08am · 

  
  

"while Republicans run to the Sunday shows to announce that Putin is playing chess to Obama’s checkers, Obama is helping scuttle Russia’s warship deal. All the while, Putin is increasingly isolated, leading a country with a collapsing economy and neighbors eager to strengthen alliances with the West.
And as the price of oil continues to fall, Russia’s problems are likely to get worse before they get better.
I’ll be eager to hear all the apologies from GOP politicians who spent the year heralding Putin as the strategic mastermind the United States needs in the White House"

Mcturtleman just isn't catching on yet

Earthjustice

ARE YOU KIDDING? As countries around the world gather in Lima, Peru this week for UN climate talks, there are some who are threatening to derail the progress. Is it oil-rich Saudi Arabia? Unpredictable North Korea? Nope. It's our very own Senate leadership. http://ejus.tc/1vZSs30

Incoming Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, has promised that crippling the EPA would be his first priority - not tackling unemployment, health care, or national security. In fact, when the US and China announced their historic, game-changing deal to reduce carbon pollution, McConnell said he was "particularly distressed," even though he had previously used China's inaction as an excuse for the US not to tackle climate change. It seems when you've gotten $3.6 million in political contributions from the fossil fuel industry, hypocrisy is not something to worry about.

Click SHARE or LIKE and TELL US >> Can you think of anything that might convince the Senate leadership to get on board with the climate fight?

The bottom line is that these programs are a FAILURE!

Let's not TARGET THE POOR!

Let's DRUG TEST the Republican Jack Asses who propose these programs!

We'd have a much higher rate of success --- think of how much $$$ we could save if we stopped paying their salaries!

Now that's COST EFFECTIVE!

Congressman Busted For Cocaine Voted For Drug Testing Food Stamp Recipients

WASHINGTON -- In September, Rep. Trey Radel voted for Republican legislation that would allow states to make food stamp recipients pee in cups to prove they're not on drugs. In...

WWW.HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

The Blue Street Journal

It doesn't get much clearer than this.

Via Being Liberal

ACLU Nationwide

Joining demonstrations across the country in response to ‪#‎EricGarner‬'s grand jury decision? Make sure you ‪#‎knowyourrights‬!

Join us and New York Civil Liberties Union - NYCLU in Manhattan's Foley Square at 5:30pm for an action.

www.aclu.org/kyr-protest

 

When you don't know HISTORY, you might just believe this Horse Manure!

If you thought Sarah Palin, Rick Santourum and the Republican Presidential Line Up were a comedy routine, is this the punch line?

Is there a bigger Republican Idiot?

Daily Kos

Leadership to look up to.

The Blue Street Journal

Thanks to Quotable Liberals for this one

US Uncut

Happening NOW: The NYPD just used a LRAD sound cannon, which can cause permanent hearing damage, to disperse a small group of peaceful protesters on 58th Street. SHARE to spread their SHAME!

Video: http://bit.ly/1yUAWes

‪#‎BlackLivesMatter‬ ‪#‎EricGarner‬ ‪#‎ICantBreate‬ ‪#‎shutitdown‬

Join the Coffee Party Movement

Please share!

‪#‎VotingMatters‬ ‪#‎MidtermMatters‬ ‪#‎SaveTheSenate‬ ‪#‎RockTheVote‬

US Uncut

VICTORY! Ireland announces it will close loopholes used by multinational companies to dodge taxes in the most sweeping overhaul of the country's tax system in two decades. SHARE if the rest of the world should catch up! Like our page US Uncut

http://lat.ms/ZsO51h