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News Items

  • Election Reforms: Falling short

    WASHINGTON — Proponents of progressive election reform gave cautious approval to the recent report issued by a commission assigned to investigate the improvement of federal elections. Many critics, however, point to several obstacles that remain in the way of free and fair elections throughout the United States. The report, issued by the National Commission on Federal Election Reform headed by former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, was presented to President Bush. Among its recommendations are provisions regarding increases in equipment standards and stepped-up federal funding for the administration of elections.

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  • Son of Star Wars: Another arms race?

    WASHINGTON — Reports emerging from the Pentagon about plans to test a “Space Bomber” are drawing accusations that the U.S. government is attempting to engage in another arms race. The bomber, a spacecraft reportedly capable of destroying targets on the other side of the globe within 30 minutes, is a key component of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s plan to modernize U.S. weaponry. The satellite is currently under production by NASA and Lockheed Martin, a leading military contractor. Pentagon claims that the bomber can cause greater and deeper ground damage from a virtually unassailable height have many critics questioning it as…

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  • ExxonMobil: Facing a boycott

    ExxonMobil, one of the biggest corporations on the planet, is now facing a boycott spearheaded by activist groups protesting the company’s policies at home and abroad. The boycott was launched by PressurePoint, a grassroots organization looking to “take real action on climate change and corporate influence,” according to Chris Doran, campaigns director for the group. “The U.S. government’s climate change policy is the ExxonMobil policy,” Doran says. “What sort of democracy do we have when one company can buy off our political process for its own gains?” ExxonMobil is a charter member of the Global Climate Coalition, an influential industry…

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  • Beyond the Ford-Firestone Uproar: Critics blast lack of regulation, accountability in SUV safety

    WASHINGTON – Recent congressional hearings probed the accountability of Ford and Firestone in many incidents where car or tire malfunctioned, causing injury or death. The hearings also questioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal government’s chief regulator of automobile safety, and its role in providing the public with adequate information. While the blame-placing among corporate executives and congressional subcommittees occurred on Capitol Hill, several analysts decried the lack of accountability being demanded of the corporations involved. Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, pointed to a lack of regulation of sport utility vehicles and rollover standards.

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  • NEWS BRIEFING WITH LAWRENCE SUMMERS, SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY RAYMOND OFFENHEISER, PRESIDENT, OXFAM

    Questions from IPA appear below in bold HEADLINE: NEWS BRIEFING WITH LAWRENCE SUMMERS, SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY RAYMOND OFFENHEISER, PRESIDENT, OXFAM DEBT RELIEF TO POOR COUNTRIES AND OXFAM EDUCATION NOW AWARD INTRODUCTION: MARTA ARIAS LOCATION: NATIONAL PRESS CLUB, WASHINGTON D.C. BODY:

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  • Ten Real Reasons To Impeach Clinton

    We all seem to have lost our sense of proportion. Why are the political leaders of the United States and the major media talking of impeaching Bill Clinton for lies about sex, surely not the most important sins of his administration? If Clinton is to be impeached, why do it for frivolous reasons? I can think of at least ten reasons to impeach him, for acts far more serious than his dalliance with Monica Lewinsky or his lies to Kenneth Starr. I am speaking of matters of life and death for large numbers of people. 1. Clinton approved, very early…

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  • Autopsy Of A Disaster: The U.S. Sanctions Policy On Iraq

    For a shorter version of this timeline, click here. Myth: The Sanctions Will be Lifted When Iraq Complies with the U.N. Inspections April 3, 1991: U.N. Security Council passes Resolution 687 which states that upon “the completion by Iraq of all actions contemplated in” specific paragraphs of the resolution, “the prohibitions against financial transactions … shall have no further force or effect.” The paragraphs cited have to do with weapons inspections. Other paragraphs in the resolution have to do with “return of all Kuwaiti property seized by Iraq” and Iraqi liability for losses and damage resulting from Iraq’s occupation of…

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  • Millionaires: “Read Our Lips, Raise Our Taxes”

    Warren Buffett recently wrote “Stop Coddling the Super-Rich” BRIAN SETZLER, brian.setzler.cpa at gmail.com Setzler is President of TriLibrium, an accounting and business advisory firm in Portland, Ore. and member of Business for Shared Prosperity, a network of forward-thinking business owners, executives and investors committed to building enduring economic progress on a strong foundation of opportunity,…

  • British Austerity and Riots

    MURTAZA HUSSAIN, m8hussai at gmail.com Hussain blogs at “Revolution by the Book” and has been guest posting at  Glenn Greenwald’s blog at Salon.com for the past week. He recently wrote the  piece, “Austerity and the Roots of Britain’s Turmoil” which states: “Had  there been a terrorist attack in Britain this past week as opposed to…

  • Social Security: Endangered on its 76th Birthday

    Altman is co-chair of the Strengthen Social Security Campaign, a coalition of over 300 national and state organizations representing more than 50 million Americans and author of the book “The Battle for Social Security: From FDR’s Vision to Bush’s Gamble.” She said today: “Social Security has transformed the nation, insuring American workers and their families…

  • Mitt Romney’s America: “Corporations are People”

    Speaking to a crowd at the Iowa State Fair Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stated that “corporations are people.” Asked by members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement as to why he was focusing on cutting Social Security and Medicare as a means of deficit reduction over asking corporations to share part of the burden…

  • Employment Gap Grows Between Women and Men

    HEIDI HARTMANN, dobuzinskis at iwpr.org The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) conducts research and disseminates its findings to address the needs of women and their families promote public dialogue, and strengthen communities and societies. Hartmann is the president of the group. She said: “Little noted among the employment figures released…

  • Wisconsin Recall Elections

    BEN MANSKI, brmanski at gmail.com Manski is executive director of the Liberty Tree Foundation and a spokesperson for the umbrella group Wisconsin Wave. He is a lifelong Wisconsinite and a public interest attorney. Manski said today: “Big money spoke yesterday, but big democracy spoke louder. The GOP lost one third of its seats, and the…

  • Senator Kerry Willing “to Cut Social Security and Medicare”

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid named his picks to the congressional debt reduction “super committee” yesterday. The Huffington Post reports: “The choices are not particularly trusted in liberal circles either, in part because of concerns that moneyed interests may come in to play when it comes time to negotiate. In Kerry’s home state of Massachusetts,…

  • Libya and Syria: Humanitarian War is a “Monstrous Illusion”

    JAMES PECK, jlpeck1098 at aol.com Peck is author of the new book “Ideal Illusions: How the U.S. Government Co-Opted Human Rights.” He was a Senior Editor at Pantheon Books for almost two decades where his authors included J. William Fulbright, Noam Chomsky, George Kennan, and Edward Said. He also worked in China for more than a…

  • A Simple Deficit Fix

    DOUG HENWOOD, dhenwood at panix.com Editor of Left Business Observer and author of the book “Wall Street,” Henwood said today: “Global markets panicked after the S&P downgrade of the U.S. Treasury (though, paradoxically, in the classic “flight to quality” reaction, investors poured billions into the very same U.S. Treasury securities that had just been downgraded).

  • Verizon Strike

    Time Business is reporting: “Thousands of striking workers in Verizon Communication Inc.’s landline division joined picket lines and rallies Monday at company offices from Massachusetts to Virginia, a union official said. “The contract for 45,000 employees expired at midnight Saturday after the company and the workers were unable to come to terms on issues including…

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