A privatization scheme that's a loser for taxpayers.
When the entertainers of the right aren't declaring their disgust with President Obama for groveling before foreign potentates, they're pretending to fear him as a left-wing thug, an exemplar of what they call "the Chicago way." As imagined by the right, the men in the West Wing are like a demonic cross between the antiwar demonstrators who gathered in Grant Park in 1968 and the Chicago cops who cracked their hippie skulls. Tremble, men of commerce, before this infernal combination. Read more »
I realize that Barack Obama has not gone far enough to stop the Bush administration from their repeated violations of law and morality, and that he has not gone far enought to push for progressive causes. But can we keep some perspective? He has a good chance becoming President of the United States, and his last name is not Bush, and there is a D in front of his name. That is a good start. And we need to keep pushing on issues that we care so deeply about. But consider what is happening in Europe right now. Read more »
One of the new generation of young progressives arising in Illinois, Shattuck told the group that she will win Illinois State Rep seat in the now Republican 49th district --Elgin, Geneva, West Dundee-- by taking strong progressive stands on issues like single payer health care and a progressive tax. She said it will be a grassroots campaign that delivers a personal message to voters. She asked that PDA-Chicago help her conduct a strong grassroots outreach.
The 14th District Progressives Chapter endorsed Rachel earlier this month.
I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend. But now it is time to get back to work. And now, the problems are bigger, and there is no room for error. We face a reality that is more grave than at any time in our nation's history. On issue after issue, the progressive voice has failed to win a majority of the nation's acceptance. But we are close. Here is what needs to happen.
June 4 - Public Citizen Supports Landmark Trade Expansion Legislation
TRADE Act Addresses American Public’s Demand for Change During Presidential Campaign With a New Way Forward on Trade, Globalization
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a presidential primary season highlighting broad public concern about current trade policies, the Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act introduced today by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine) reveals a way forward to a new trade and globalization agenda that could benefit more Americans, said Public Citizen. The bill is supported by a broad array of labor, consumer, environmental, family farm and faith groups and more than 50 House and Senate original cosponsors.
"The TRADE Act is exciting because it describes concretely new trade and globalization policies that many Americans would support and shifts the debate toward future consensus about what we are for, rather than focusing on opposition to the current model," said Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch division.
The legislation requires a review of existing trade pacts, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other major pacts, and sets forth what must and must not be included in future trade pacts. It also provides for the renegotiation of existing trade agreements and describes the key elements of a new trade negotiating and approval mechanism to replace Fast Track that would enhance Congress' role in the formative aspects of agreements and promote future deals that could enjoy broad support among the American public.
"Corporate interests have hijacked past trade pacts to get special protections – patent extensions that jack up drug prices, subsidies for offshoring production and more. The TRADE Act tips the scales back in balance with a trade agenda that also suits workers, the environment and everyday consumers," said Wallach. "The special interests who pushed our current trade pacts claimed that opponents of NAFTA and WTO were anti-trade, which was never true. We invite them to show their commitment to trade expansion by supporting the TRADE Act, which will build a new American consensus in favor of trade."
Submitted by pda_ill_admin on Thu, 06/12/2008 - 23:10
Because of strong public support, The Health Care for All Illinois Act (H.B. 311) continues to move forward in the Illinois General Assembly. Help end the healthcare crisis in Illinois! Please ask your Illinois representative to co-sponsor H.B. 311, using the message below.
Martin Luther King, Jr. - Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.
Note! Link determines who your represntatives in the Illinois House and Senate are. Allows you to send a direct email message to your representatives, asking them to co-sponsor H.B. 311
Submitted by pda_ill_admin on Thu, 06/12/2008 - 22:59
written by, Bill Bianchi
We have a moral, social and financial responsibility to provide all residents of the US access to quality health care when needed. That was the message delivered to 21 participants at Ebenezer Lutheran church adult forum early Sunday morning March 9th.
Dr Anne Scheetz of Health Care for All Illinois (HCAI) invoked the biblical story of the Good Samaritan as a model for our moral responsibility to change the current health care system from one that allocates services unequally and arbitrarily-depending on the need to ensure corporate profits--to one that delivers comprehensive health care to all regards of employment, marital status or financial condition. That message is boiled down to one short statement: Everyone In; Nobody Out.
Other presenters included Jim Rhodes of HCAI and Metro Seniors and Bill Bianchi, PDA Chicago.
The presentation sparked much audience participation, in addition to Q & A. Several participants shared their experiences with health care abroad, which gave a means to compare with the US system. Questions from the audience included "What about wait times in a S-P system?" How will we pay for it? What can we do now to bring it about?
Submitted by pda_ill_admin on Wed, 06/04/2008 - 10:20
Members of PDA Chicago chapter teamed up with representatives from Metro Seniors and other activists Friday 9/25, to ask Illinois state representative John Fritchey to support the Illinois General Assembly bill HB 311. Know as the "Health Care for All Illinois Act", 311 establishes a Single Payer medical insurance system in the state. A single payer system would: Read more »
Submitted by pda_ill_admin on Wed, 06/04/2008 - 10:17
"Progressives Need to Think Strategically"
At the 2nd annual Progressive Festival of Illinois held at the Marvel-Davis Farm in Kendall county, heart of Dennis Hastert's 14th IL congressional district, John Laesch talked about how to grow the progressive movement in Northern Illinois. After noting some modest successes in local elections, John identified three strategic issues for growing the progressive movement:
Building alliances among progressives. Too often progressives groups are not moving together on issues or in elections. We need to build better alliances among partners so progressives can speak with one voice on issues and get behind one candidate in an election.
Vetting candidates. Labor continues to support DCCC candidates who don't support labor or support it in weak ways. Progressive candidates probably cannot count on labor support. Will have court individual labor leaders.
Defining ourselves. John advocates that progressive candidates should think hard about how to frame issues. For example:
Politics of Hope Vs Republican politics of fear
Health care for people instead of healthcare for profits.
During the Q and A period following, Christine Cegelis said that she believes she could have won her primary battle against Tammy Duckworth if she had better organization in the Cook County area of her district. In Cook County the regular Democratic party worked against Cegelis and for Duckworth.
Also debated was the role of money vs Grassroots organizing. The consensus was that strong grassroots organization and moderate amounts of money will beat a lot of money and weak grassroots. Read more »
A privatization scheme that's a loser for taxpayers.
At the 2nd annual Progressive Festival of Illinois held at the Marvel-Davis Farm in Kendall county, heart of Dennis Hastert's 14th IL congressional district, John Laesch talked about how to grow the progressive movement in Northern Illinois. After noting some modest successes in local elections, John identified three strategic issues for growing the progressive movement:
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