Equal Pay for Equal Work!

It should be a right.
It should be a given.

(It was guaranteed by the equal pay law under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.)

However, apparently much of Congress has failed to get the Memo,
(They did get the "nod and a wink" from the "corporate wing" of Supreme Court, however ...)

What happens when Income is less than Outgo?

one word: Recession.

[US Inflation Trend: All Items]
enlarge image

What's a Working Class citizen to do?

The Escalator Effect. Rising temperatures are changing mountain ecosystems as the heat forces some species upwards — until there is nowhere left to go. Emma Marris reports on the 'escalator effect', which is threatening species worldwide.

Remember Big Oil -- and who's looking out for you!

They know where their Profits are coming from:

US News & World Report astutely notes:

Exxon nation. If Exxon Mobil were a country, its 2007 profit would exceed the gross domestic product of nearly 2/3 of the 183 nations in the World Bank's economic rankings.

When Art and Reality collide ...
what wreckage will be left in its wake?

Screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, a World War II veteran, and recipient of the Purple Heart, penned a movie script that has yet to its full impact.

That 1976 Movie: Network

at the time, it seemed more Satire, than Truth.

After what has transpired in the 3 decades since, perhaps it deserves another viewing ... because rarely have truer words ever been aired.


(Thankfully the FCC is slow to act, and we still have those Internets ... for much longer? ... time will tell ...)

Delegate rules in Super Tuesday states might not produce clear front-runners

...
In a two- or three-person race such as the Democrats', proportional allocation means candidates will win some delegates in virtually every state, raising the possibility of a tie, or at least an unsettled race, after Super Tuesday. If there's no final decision on Super Tuesday, operatives in both parties said, attention would turn to primaries in Texas and Ohio on March 4, in Pennsylvania on April 22 and in other states.
...

"We're in uncharted territory," said Burdett Loomis, a University of Kansas political-science professor.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/...
----

Well let's take time for an objective analysis of that Delegate Race ...

Sometimes a Picture or two is worth a 1000 rants ...

John Edwards is still focusing on Issues that matter to Working Families!

like the Economy ... like Taxes.


All the while the GOP continues to "debate" that "only MORE Corporate Tax Cuts will create Jobs and keep the Economy strong!"


Hmmm ... Where are all those Jobs, by the way?

Billions in Tax give aways to the Rich, for the last 5+ years, only seem to have strengthen the Rich, it seems to me.

From the John Edwards Issues pages:

In America today, families are working harder to get by.

Half of American families say they are living paycheck to paycheck,
and 3 out of 10 American workers have not been able to save a dime for their retirement.

...

I feel I've seen this movie before ...

The players are different, but the set is the same.

The puppeteers and myth-makers are out in force, pulling those strings and spinning those myths.

And the American people casually pick a Team to root for, and cheer, as loud as they can.

Meanwhile the Game refs, are smiling and placing their bets at half-time. Because they know the fix is in ...

Current Nevada Democratic Caucus Results
(with 90% counted)

Clinton:   50.77%  
Obama: 45.11%
Edwards: 3.77%
Uncommitted: 0.3%
Kucinich: 0.05%
Gravel: 0%

Well Nevada was disappointing!


My assessment, most of those that had a chance to actually hear John Edwards speak, probably Voted for him. (Too bad not many had that chance.)

Despite the weak showing, Edwards may still pick up some Delegates. Areas where he got more than 15%, will mean more "Delegates For Edwards"!  (according to Wolf Blitzer)

Here are the latest Nevada results.

Media Reform Information Center

In 1983, 50 corporations controlled the vast majority of all news media in the U.S.
...

in 2000, the number had fallen to six. Since then, there have been more mergers and the scope has expanded to include new media like the Internet market. More than 1 in 4 Internet users in the U.S. now log in with AOL Time-Warner, the world's largest media corporation.

In 2004, Bagdikian's revised and expanded book, The New Media Monopoly, shows that only 5 huge corporations -- Time Warner, Disney, Murdoch's News Corporation, Bertelsmann of Germany, and Viacom (formerly CBS) -- now control most of the media industry in the U.S. General Electric's NBC is a close sixth.

http://www.corporations.org/...

http://www.corporations.org/...
------

Once again in the Corporate Media makes an "Executive Decision", about who America should see as their Viable Choices:

Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama
John McCain
Rudy Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
Mitt Romney

Only these Candidates were the Focus of the latest CNN Poll

Where is John Edwards in this Poll?

(for that matter where is Ron Paul?)

[Edwards has done better than Giuliani, by a long shot!]

So much for Free Speech! So much for the Democratic Process playing itself out! So much for letting the People decide.

The Media Executives apparently feel it's their Constitutional Right to narrow down your choices for you -- They Know What's best for us!

(Or is it really they know what's best for them?)

Thanks for tuning in once again, hopeful Americans

And welcome to what John Edwards has called "the Fight for America's Middle Class".  This is a fight to reclaim a Voice in our Democratic process -- to speak up for those people, who need a Champion, like you and me.

1st a Question:  Who is the Middle Class?

America is sometimes called a "middle-class country," but nobody — not economists, sociologists, or the U.S. Census Bureau — seems to have a clear definition of who the middle class actually is. The notion of where a dividing line between "middle class" and "working class" might be is an elusive one ...

a non-partisan and non-profit organization, reports that the middle class has conventionally come to mean families with incomes between $25,000 and $100,000 each year.
...

As NOW reported in "Middle Class Squeeze" (Dec 13, 2002), the shape of income distribution in America is changing and many are finding it increasingly difficult to afford housing while keeping up with necessities such as food, clothing, transportation, and health care.

Let this serve as a warning to Edwards, and any other Candidate that would DARE to put the issues of "Economic Populism" back on the National Agenda:

LA Times - Jan 07, 2008
Chamber targets anti-business candidates

With the nation's economy increasingly becoming a volatile issue in the presidential campaign, the president of the United States Chamber of Commerce is about to issue one very tough promise to spend millions of dollars against candidates deemed to be anti-business. (Are you listening John Edwards?)

It seems if you dare to tell the Truth about the wholesale "sell off" of hopes and aspirations the American Middle Class -- well the "powers that be" just might get a little UPSET with you ...

But will that shut Edwards up about it? ... I hope not!

Sunlight afterall, is the best disinfectant!
(not capitulation and compromise)

Nope, you can't buy an Election, why ...

Cuz ... Money Don't Vote

http://www.youtube.com/...
----

Yes, for a few more years at least,
The People still do ...  (vote that is)

Well that was quite the statement in Iowa!

Thanks to record turn out to the Iowa, the "Candidates of Change" got over two-thirds of the Votes!

According to the New York Times, nearly twice the Dems turned out this time:

Iowa’s caucus also saw a record number of Democrats turn out — more than 239,000, compared with fewer than 125,0000 in 2004 — in a strong indication that opposition to President Bush has energized Democrats more than previously estimated.

If this is any indication of how ALL of America feels, maybe a Progressive Candidate, DOES have a Chance to Win the White House, maybe even with a Progressive Agenda?

We shall see ... by all accounts, this Fight is JUST getting started ...

The mantra of the 80's and 90's was "Greed is Good!"

The mantra of the 00's seems to be "The World runs on Greed and Fear -- Get used to it!"


Well, here's some "Fun Facts" (about this never-ending  Pursuit of "Wealth for Wealth's sake")

1. Of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are corporations; only 49 are countries.

2. The Top 200 corporations' sales are growing at a faster rate than overall global economic activity.

3. The Top 200 corporations' combined sales are bigger than the combined economies of all countries minus the biggest 10 [countries].

[ and those Fun Facts are from 2000! Just image where we are now after 8 years of the Bush Giveaways ...]

http://www.corpwatch.org/...
----

That's what "Business as Usual" really means.

The real problem with "Corporate Greed" ... is they just "keep moving that darn Finish Line"  ....

Greetings and Salutations, to Edwards supporters far and wide.

This Edition is dedicated to that exciting phenomenon called Momentum! The Big Mo.  

All Candidates want it. Lately though it seems the fight and the message of John Edwards has captured it. So take a quick tour of all the hopeful signs that since the People are finally tuning in, that more and more People are connecting to what John Edwards is saying ...

When you ask people who are the Great American Presidents, you are likely to get a lot of different answers -- JFK, FDR, Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, among others.

But why do People name them? What did they do that was extraordinary?

All Presidents face challenges -- but why do some of them "rise to the occasion, and excel beyond all expectations?"

What is it that makes them Leaders?