by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

It seems SEIU's resolve on health care is rapidly crumbling. After months of towing the It's OUR Healthcare line, of supporting AB 8, and then tentatively supporting ABx1 1, it seems Sal Rosselli wasn't getting results at the pace that Andy Stern wanted them. 

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Marty Hittelman
President
California Federation of Teachers

Every once in a while voters get a chance to correct a legislative mistake. The Secretary of State has officially qualified four referenda, Propositions 94, 95, 96 and 97, for the February 5, 2008 ballot. That means voters will have a chance to reverse the “sweet heart deal” that the governor and the majority of the legislature made with a few wealthy Tribes. Of course, I’m referring to the Big 4 Gambling Deals -- a political giveaway that would result in unfairly benefiting four of the state’s wealthiest and most powerful Indian tribes at the expense of other tribes, workers and taxpayers.

As an educator, these deals are especially bad because those behind them promise schools will benefit, when the truth is, not one penny is guaranteed to education.

by Michael Kuykendall [courtesy of Blog for America]

Clearing up misconceptions about former Senator and Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' plan to pull health care from lawmakers if universal health care is not passed by July, 2009.

Factcheck.org ran a piece on Senator John Edwards' idea to try and use the power of the presidency to remove health care for the president, all cabinet officials, and Congress if some form of universal health care is not passed by July 20th, 2009. In it, they try to debunk his claims that he could use presidential power to do such a thing, citing separation of powers doctrine;

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

A Million Signatures to be Turned in Next Week

By Nan Brasmer
President
California Alliance for Retired Americans

Rent control provides stability and peace of mind that retired seniors and individuals on fixed incomes will not be forced out of their home due to skyrocketing rents. That’s why CARA is outraged that recently a landlord-backed coalition announced they have submitted more than 1 million signatures to county elections offices to qualify their deceptive anti-senior measure for the June 2008 ballot. The landlords want voters to believe their measure is about eminent domain, but their true goal is to roll back rent control and other important renter protection laws that protect seniors.

These landlords are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the voters and have already spent close to $2 million to qualify this classic bait and switch measure. But they won’t be successful. The California Alliance for Retired Americans will be one of many senior and tenants groups who will wage an aggressive campaign to tell voters what this measure really is: a greedy scheme by landlords to eliminate rent control so they can make millions of dollars off the backs of seniors, veterans, working moms and other Californians.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]