The radical right in this country wants nothing more than to make SEIU, grassroots community groups, and any individual who fights against the status quo their next casualty. They are seeking to silence the voices of those men and women who suffered the most under 8 years of extreme right-wing policies, and to smear anyone who stands up for those men and women. Right now, there are daily attacks from conservative radio and TV pundits on us for our work on healthcare, labor rights, immigration, and our working relationship with community and progressive organizations – most recently ACORN.

Click here to view the embedded video.

ACORN has come under fire for video footage recorded by undercover operatives posing as a prostitute and her companion seeking tax and housing advice at five ACORN offices across the country. The behaviors we’ve seen on these videos as well some past improper handling of voter registration materials by individuals are unacceptable and ACORN did the right thing by taking immediate action against the responsible individuals. While over the years SEIU has contracted with ACORN for voter registration, canvassing efforts, and organizing work, the union has suspended all active work with ACORN. SEIU President Andy Stern recently joined the Advisory Council of ACORN to provide guidance as they evaluate some recent troubles they have had. Along with John Podesta, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and other Advisory Council members, Andy Stern has encouraged ACORN to take dramatic steps to resolve their underlying organizational problems, and has supported a thorough, top-to-bottom review into ACORN’s systems and processes, led by former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger.

It should be noted that there are no ACORN offices or staff in Tennessee, nor has SEIU Local 205 worked with them in any official capacity.

At the same time, we must recognize the important need for services and organizations that address issues faced by low- and moderate-income families. ACORN’s challenge, if they want to continue to be a national organization that provides these services, is to immediately conduct an internal investigation to swiftly and completely root out their underlying problems and make sure these issues never come up again.

Our challenge – and that of the progressive community – is to make sure that the critical work of voter registration and campaigns for better housing, schools, neighborhood safety, healthcare, and job conditions continues so we can lift people out of poverty and help rebuild our economy. Furthermore, we refuse to let smear attempts from the radical right deter us from our own goals of passing affordable healthcare, fixing our broken immigration system, and building an economy that works for everyone.

“The minimum wage is going up 10%. Therefore, in order for businesses to maintain the same level of profits, we should expect 10% of minimum wage earners to be laid off. This increase in the minimum wage, effectively, increases unemployment, increases the number of people looking for government entitlements, which is exactly the opposite of what this economy currently needs.”

The host cut to a commercial break, and I turned the radio off to think about that statement. It just didn’t sound right to me. It sounded too black and white. Economics is rarely that simple. So I thought about it.

Let’s look at the facts. Out of the roughly 300 million Americans, 200 million are working; the bulk of the nonworking Americans are retired or children. 5 million working Americans work minimum wage jobs. So 2.5% of all workers earn the minimum wage. Two-thirds of those minimum wage employees are women. Over the past few months during this “Great Recession,” 500,000 working Americans get laid off every week. The minimum wage increased from $6.55 an hour to $7.25 on July 24, 2009; an increase of 70 cents or 10.6 percent. The majority of minimum wage workers work in the fast food industry. The National Restaurant Association states that 29 cents of every fast food dollar earned goes to wages and benefits.

	States with minimum wage rates higher than the Federal		States with no minimum wage law
	States with minimum wage rates the same as the Federal		States with minimum wage rates lower than the Federal
	American Samoa has special minimum wage rates

Look at that last line, that 29 cents of every dollar earned in the fast food industry goes to salary and benefits. I question whether minimum wage earners are really costing the industry very much in the benefits category, but I will use the 29 cents,. If the minimum wage increases by 10%, that 29 cents number would also increase by 10%, or to 32 cents (again I rounded up to be conservative.) This minimum wage increase of 10% would cost the fast food industry an additional 3 cents for every dollar of revenue or 3%. In his book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser calculates that a dollar increase in the hourly rate of fast food workers would increase the cost of a hamburger by a nickel.

The radio talk show host makes a big assumption in his statement – to compensate for the increase in the minimum wage businesses will reduce expenses (lay people off) instead of raise prices. Raising the cost of a Big Mac 3% would probably not be noticed by the customers. But a 10% reduction in labor force would be noticed by the customers, since would it presumably take longer to order and get your “fast” food. So the assumption that the increase in minimum wage would cause massive lay-offs seems unlikely.

Another fundamental flaw in the radio host statement is that he ignores that an increase in the minimum wage, puts more money in the pocket of the worker. Guess what people do with money? Spend it at businesses. At 40 hours a week at the old minimum wage, a worker gets $262.00 or $13,624.00 a year. Someone is living off the minimum wage, is probably working more than 40 hours a week, but again, I am just use the 40 hours work week for math purposes. (Interesting side note, another large employer of minimum wage workers, Wal-Mart, consider 32 hours a week full-time.) Under the increase minimum wage, they earn $290.00 a week or $15,080 annually. So the worker gets an additional $38.00 a week or $1,976.00 each year. Lets apply that increase to the roughly 5 million minimum wage workers, and assume they spend it. (With income of $15,000 a year, it seems illogically that they could actually afford to save the money.) But if 5 million workers had an extra 38.00 a week that was spent that is pumping $190 million into the economy every week or nearly $10 billion a year…and unless the wage is ever decreased, this goes on forever. In an economy that is in desperate need of people spending money, an increase in the minimum wage immediately and consistently will pump billions of dollars into businesses.

So with a little time, a little math, and little thinking, it seems t the radio host thinking is incorrect. It ignores the revenue side of the equation (laying off people vs. a minimum price increase) ind s purposefully manipulative. Using the facts laid out above, it seems that a much better supported argument could be made that the minimum wage increase is good for the economy.

The radio show host was “up against a hard break” and maybe after the top of the hour, he realized the errors of what he said, but its doubtful. Maybe his listeners, did like I did, and thought about it for a while and did a little math, again I doubt it. Or maybe I am what he calls a “Van Gogh” listener and do not find misinformation said tongue in cheek entertaining.

Sources: http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/06/news/economy/minimum_wage/index.htm

http://www.qsrmagazine.com/articles/features/116/minimum_wage-1.phtml

Tim Barnes with his wife, Linda, and their children (from left), Patrick, Fergus and Molly family at a Sept. 19 press conference

Barnes, whose candidacy seemingly ended with his primary election 19-vote loss to incumbent Senator Rosalind Kurita, challenged that vote, citing alleged improprieties in the election process; the Tennessee Democratic Executive Committee subsequently overturned that primary  election race and turned the Kurita/Barnes race over to the executive committees in the three District 22 counties: Montgomery, Houston and Cheatham.

On Friday, September 19, Barnes briefly reviewed the process that led to his reclaiming the Democratic nod, and said that the healing of the party rift had begun. In his statement, Barnes pledged to develop a “cooperative” spirit with other legislators, to work at attracting quality high paying jobs to the area, to work at expanding health care options for the people of Tennessee, and to work at managing the state budget with an intent to keep taxes low while “providing necessary services.”

“It is time to turn our attention to the needs of the people,” Barnes said. “I am not here to work for me, I am here to work for the people of Clarksville and all of District 22. The issue now is ‘What can I do for the people of the 22nd Distict?’”

Surrounded by his family, Barnes outlined several priorities he would pursue if elected:

• Price gouging related to gas prices. Barnes said the current laws which impose a $1,000 fine for price gouging “is an insufficient deterrent” to that practice. He advocates not just raising the fines to a more financially painful level but changing the crime from a Class B to a Class A misdemeanor, with a much heavier overall penalty.
• The HOPE Scholarship. Barnes would re-activate discussion of the HOPE scholarship with the intent of dropping the qualifying grade to a 2.75, a move that would open the opportunity of a college  education to more students. He cited the need for an educated workforce, and the desire of more families to afford a college education. The 2.75 would reflect a high school student’s cumulative four-year average and would the grade standard  for retention of that scholarship through each of the four years of undergraduate study. Currently the qualifying grade is a 3.0.
• Pro-life or Pro-choice. Barnes was candid about the fact that his law practice is heavily vested in adoption and family law, and admitted that particularly “some forms of abortion” (i.e. partial birth abortion) is something he does not personally favor. Personally, “I recognize that it is the woman’s right to choose.”  The  Supreme Court ruled that this decision rests solely with the woman, and “I respect that right.” He personally falls on the side of life, but said candidly that this issue of choice is not one to be made at the state level by state legislators. Barnes cited the Supreme Court as the arbiter and said that “choice” was the law of the land, and that law had to be respected. He indicated he would like to work for feasible alternatives to abortion, not the least of which is adoption, but added that “choice” is the law and the right of each individual woman.
• A Living Wage. Barnes voiced deep concern for the average family’s economic survival, stating that he wants the Tennessee wage scale tied to the federal minimum wage and a “living wage” that would offer more than a subsistence level of living for families. It’s a move that would benefit many, including single parent families, Barnes said.
• Paid Sick Leave that would allow an individual to not be penalized when providing care for a sick child, spouse or parent. “Tennessee lags behind the nation” in that area; the lack of this type of benefit negatively impacts employee morale.

As he wrapped up his statement on Friday, Barnes noted that the Senate District 22 seat “belongs to the people.”

Clarksville For Obama met recently to do its part in crafting this new national party platform. About 50 people converged at “Get Some Coffee” at the Great Escape Theater Complex along Trenton Road for Clarksville’s “Listen to America” event. Jim Robertson and Tyrone Taylor, Clarksville for Obama and Tennessee for Obama members, respectively, co-chaired the event. The meeting objective was to choose five topic areas, brainstorm to finalize, prioritize and develop enactment of those particular interest proposals. Five brainstorming groups were formed to consider the specific topics.

The final work product as developed by Clarksville area residents, concluded in the following the proposals:

War:

• Improve foreign relations with the international community and NATO.
• Reinstate Baker-Hamilton
• Address improving the Veterans Administration: elevate it to full presidential cabinet department status and non-discretionary funding
• Upgrade soldiers and veterans health care; command leadership must recognize its responsibility to support soldiers in all aspects of health care, including casting aside negative connotations regarding seeking mental health care
• Aggressive support for improving support systems for active duty military families and the families of service member casualties

Education:

• More funding of regularly budget-reduction targeted curriculum subjects of music and the arts.
• Increase funding and support for counseling and counselors.
• Support calls for quality teachers nationwide
• Encourage a 100 percent high school graduation rate.

Environment:

• Lessen dependence on foreign oil and petroleum-based energy
• Support and fund alternative energy generation and fuel development.
• Look beyond corn-based ethanol and bio-diesel development
• Wind and solar energy technologies must also be made part of the national energy profile
• Encourage and promote local recycling programs to prolong and extend useful lifespan of local landfills

Health Care:

• Establish universal health care coverage
• Exclude pre-existing condition penalties
• Include dental and mental health care coverage in addition to physical health care
• Shift Medicare and Medicaid to a universal insurance plan

Economy:

• Aggressive support for mass transit nationwide
• Insist on concentrated attention to infrastructure needs fund repair of roads, bridges, levees and waterways
• Institute a living wage and universal child care
• Encourage small business development and operations
• Encourage private individual savings and aggressively reduce the national debt

These five proposals were formalized and forwarded to the National Obama Presidential Committee for inclusion in a final report to the National Democratic Committee. This action is being repeated across the nation as the American people come together to formulate their party’s national focus for the next four years. Such initiatives truly represent citizen empowerment.

For more information on the local Clarksville for Obama group, or to sign up to host a house party, get assistance in hosting such an event or otherwise support the Obama campaign, visit their website at: <www.clarksvilleforobama.com.>

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As usual, the President is wrong. The President has said that he would veto the legislation if it comes to his desk because he doesn’t believe that certain types of people should be rewarded for their bad decisions. What the President means is that poor people shouldn’t be protected from predatory lenders and that the government shouldn’t have any regulatory responsibilities when it comes to mortgage lenders.

The fact is that this housing crisis could have been avoided. It is the result of twenty-five years of federal deregulation across the board combined with a speculative investment industry gone haywire. A rational person would conclude that after seeing so many foreclosures, maybe there is something wrong with the system. But when it comes to the role of the free market and the responsibilities of the government to legislate for the common good, the Republicans just don’t get it. Their belief is that the free market is always the best solution to every problem. Just this week, House Representative Marcia Blackburn of Tennessee said that the foreclosure legislation would “provide a safety net for irresponsibility.”

Tennessee’s Republican constituency wants to live in the good old days when the poor people knew their place and didn’t try to do anything irresponsible like own a home or expect a living wage. Their response to this legislation clearly shows the misdirection of the Bush administration and his Republican supporters. In contrast to that is the message of the progressive left in this country, which has real solutions to the housing crisis, some of which are contained in the legislation currently making its way to the US Senate and some of which is not included. As Americans on the verge of a grave financial crisis, it is important to get a grip on why we are in this situation. It is in large part due to the deregulatory nature of federal policy, which has been encouraged by twenty-five years of conservative and neo-liberal administrations.

In a deregulated free market without proper government oversight, poor people are victimized by predatory lenders and cannot count on the government to provide regulatory oversight. This is at the root of the mortgage crisis and the federal government has an ethical responsibility to step in now and attempt to remedy the damage that it could have avoided by placing stricter limits on what lenders can and cannot do in order to get a poor person to sign on to a mortgage.

But in order to really address the root of the housing crisis, the federal government must take steps to address the root causes of poverty, unemployment, low wages and homeless in America. We must take steps now to raise the federal minimum wage to a living wage, which is about $10.50 an hour plus benefits. We must invest in job training and invest in our education system to ensure that all Americans have a chance to attend college. We must invest in affordable housing for all Americans. Finally, we need to invest in quality, affordable, single payer health care.

I believe that we can build a community where all Americans can live with hope. If we stop investing hundreds of billions of dollars on war and violence and invest in our domestic infrastructure, we can begin to rebuild this country. We must begin by paying Americans a wage that a family can reasonably expect to live on. We must ask those who have received the most benefit from our system to give the most by rolling back the Bush tax cuts. We must use the government as an agency of good and regulate the more ruthless elements of a free market. If we fail then we must ensure that the government is there, as a safety net, to make sure that no one falls through the cracks.