A New Arm of ALEC. Really?

Protests Greet Lawmakers, Corporate Officials Gathering in Dallas as New Arm of ALEC Is Announced
By Candice Bernd, Truthout | 

Two grassroots activists from North Texas locked themselves inside the lobby of the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Thursday morning, as another two dropped a banner from the upper stories of the hotel to greet lawmakers and corporate officials gathered for the 41st annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)

To Read More On: ALEC Could Be Coming to Your City Soon; The American City County Exchange;  ALEC's Climate Agenda; Protesters Greet ALEC in Dallas; A Progressive ALEC?; ALEC's Extended Family: The State Policy Network; ALEC's Agenda in Texas:http://truth-out.org/news/item/25321-protests-greet-lawmakers-corporate-officials-gathering-in-dallas-as-new-arm-of-alec-is-announced

 

Durbin wants feds to check out Canadian National delays on EJ&E

 

Sen. Dick Durbin continued pressure on the Canadian National Railway Thursday, asking federal regulators to visit Illinois and witness delays on CN-operated tracks. "These large-unit trains and other freight trains are blocking crossings and increasing delays," Durbin wrote U.S. Surface Transportation Board Chairman Daniel Elliott. However, CN officials disagreed, explaining that delays at crossings earlier in the year were weather-related and are improving. In 2008, the transportation board approved CN's purchase of the EJ&E Railroad, a small freight line with tracks that run from Waukegan to Joliet through the north, northwest and southwest suburbs. Board members agreed with CN that using the EJ&E tracks would ease freight traffic in Chicago and on other railroad lines so trains could move quicker through the region. It imposed numerous conditions on the railroad, including a six-year monitoring period. Communities including Barrington and Aurora fought the plan, noting it would put more freight trains in their towns, resulting in more traffic, noise, delays and environmental problems. There were 5,267 cases of blocked crossings lasting 10 minutes or more between January and March, Durbin told Elliott, adding it was "the highest number since CN took ownership of the rail line. …

 

To Read More: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20140731/news/140739717/ 

Good Riddance Eric Cantor!

Eric Cantor to leave Congress altogether on Aug. 18
By Paul Kane and Sebastian Payne

Rep. Eric Cantor, the just-departed House majority leader, announced Friday morning that he would also resign altogether from Congress, effective Aug. 18.

The seven-term congressman, stunned by a June 10 upset in Virginia’s primary, stepped down...

To Read More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2014/07/31/41de2ff8-18fa-11e4-9349-84d4a85be981_story.html?wpisrc=nl_pulse
 

Voting Just got easier in Illinois

 Voting in Illinois just got easier

While some states are making it harder to vote, under Governor Quinn's leadership, Illinois is making it easier than ever. Here's one big change you should know about: Illinois now has no-excuse absentee voting, so anyone can request a ballot and cast their vote by mail. That means no more lines, and no more worrying about taking off work to get to the polls on Election Day. If you want to vote by mail this year, you can request a ballot -- starting today. Just fill out an application here: https://www.quinnforillinois.com/vote-by-mail-illinois A few more things have changed for the better: Early Vote hours and days have been extended, to give you more options to vote in person.  You will no longer be required to provide a photo ID in order to vote early.  And, for the first time ever, you can now register to vote or update your registration online. Democracy works best when everyone takes part. Be sure to let your friends and family know: This year, voting will be easier than ever. It's also more important than ever. Thanks. Sabey Sabey Abraham Deputy Field Director Quinn for Illinois   Contributions are not tax deductible. State law requires that the occupation and name of the employer be reported for any individual who contributes over $500. Taxpayers for Quinn does not accept contributions from State employees. In addition, the Illinois Procurement Code prohibits certain businesses and their affiliates that have contracts, bids, and proposals with state agencies from making political contributions to state office holders responsible for awarding the contract. For more information about this campaign contribution limitation, please consult the State Board of Elections website. Paid for by Taxpayers for Quinn. A copy of our report, filed with the IL State Board of Elections is (or will be) available on the board's website (elections.il.gov) or for purchase from the State Board of Elections in Springfield, IL. Taxpayers for Quinn Quinn for Illinois 676 N LaSalle Street Ste. 340 Chicago IL 60654 United States

 

Bill Foster in Your Corner

Rep. Bill Foster votes against tax giveaways

"Hard-working Illinoisans pay their fair share of taxes, and I believe corporations should do the same. That’s why I recently voted to end tax giveaways for companies that ship jobs overseas.
Current tax loopholes are costing taxpayers billions of dollars, and creating an unfair disadvantage for businesses large and small that remain in this country. By utilizing a process known as “corporate inversions,” companies are able to avoid paying U.S. taxes by renouncing their United States citizenship and reincorporating by acquiring a foreign company and transferring more than 20 percent of shares to foreign owners..."

To read more and take the survey: http://2013-il11.congressnewsletter.net/mail/util.cfm?gpiv=2100118191.23382.159&gen=1

Join the DPDC Women's caucus for a Women Voter Mobilization Celebration at La Tosca Tomorrow night

The DPDC is starting their chapter of The Women's caucus. right here in Dupage County.

It is time for the women of DuPage County to become even more involved for the rights we fight for on a daily basis.

If you would like to attend tomorrow evening's event, at La Tosca Restaurant - 123 E. St Charles Rd. Villa Park, please RSVP toinfo@dupagedemocrats.com or call for your tickets - cost $20.00 at 630-629-1125. Seating is limited.

 

Here are some facts on the Women's caucus.

The House is at it's highest point at 18 percent (including the (Delegates)
The influence of the Caucus has far exceeded its representation in Congress.
They have achieved a list of accomplishments that include:

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act

The Child Support Enforcement Act

The Retirement Equity Act

The Civil Rights Restoration Act

The Women’s Business Ownership Act

The Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act

The Mammography Quality Standards Act
The Family and Medical Leave Act
The Violence Against Women Act The Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering, and Technology Development Act

The Caucus is an inspiration and a model for women everywhere.  This is a brief list of organized Women's Caucuses:

 

Women’s Caucus - SEIU 521

We are working union women empowering our     community

Women’s Caucus - Ohio Democratic Party

Women's Caucus - Monmouth County Democrats

 -  LGBT Pride Caucus

 

Women's Caucus « College Democrats of America

Illinois Women's Caucus

We look forward to you joining us to achieve increased movement and satisfaction in women's issues and political policies.

 

Hoping History will repeat itself: think 1998

2.1 million reasons why Dems love the GOP’s anti-Obama push By Steve Benen  
 
In 1998, congressional Republicans, filled with irrational rage towards a Democratic president in his sixth year, launched an impeachment crusade the American mainstream saw as wildly unnecessary. The electoral results were striking: Bill Clinton’s Democratic Party had the best sixth-year midterms of any administration in a century. 

The history is not lost on contemporary Democrats. If GOP overreach 16 years ago alienated Republicans from the public at large and encouraged Democratic voters to show up for the elections, maybe history can repeat itself now that the GOP is once again launching...

To Read More: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/21-million-reasons-why-dems-love-the-gops-anti-obama-push
 

Opposition to Rauner Seems to be Everywhere

Please feel free to post to our comments any other pertinent info regarding how unfit Rauner is be Governor. Also, many good talking points are posted at our DuPageDems FaceBook site as well. 

Illinois Activist Groups Protest Rauner Fundraiser

Ashlee Rezin 

While New Jersey Governor Chris Christie headlined a fundraiser for Republican Illinois gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner Friday evening in the Loop (Friday the 7/25), more than 100 protesters gathered outside the event to decry the pair's conservative stance on a myriad of social issues.

“Both of these politicians pose as moderates, but we’re here to call attention to the fact that both Bruce Rauner and Chris Christie have extreme positions on both the social, as well as the economic pocket book issues,” said William McNary, co-director of Citizen Action/Illinois.

The closed-door fundraiser....

To Read More: http://progressillinois.com/quick-hits/content/2014/07/26/activists-protest-outside-republican-gubernatorial-candidate-bruce-rau
 

Unusual New SuperPAC

Spending Big to Fight Big Donors in Campaigns
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE 
 

An unlikely alliance of liberal intellectuals, big donors and Republican strategists has hit on a solution to the influence of big money in politics: even more money.

Starting July 28th, the recently formed Mayday “super PAC” began a $12 million advertising campaign to help elect lawmakers of both parties who support proposals to diminish the influence of big donors. The PAC is the most ambitious effort yet to turn dismay over supersize contributions...

 
To Read More...http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/29/us/spending-big-to-fight-big-donors.html?_r=1

More Health Care Sleight of Hand by GOP

Conservatives Want You to Pay More for the Health Plan You Like
By Tony Carrk | 
 
The Affordable Care Act, or ACA, is working: The uninsured rate has fallen dramatically since the law went into effect. Newly released data published in The New England Journal of Medicine show that 10.3 million adults gained coverage during the first open enrollment period. According to a recent Commonwealth Fund survey, 60 percent of those with new coverage said they used their coverage to go to the doctor or hospital or to fill a prescription; 62 percent of those people said they would not have been able to do so without their new coverage. Moreover, of those who were looking for a doctor, two-thirds said they were able to get an appointment within two weeks.
 
People are happy with their coverage. Overall, 78 percent of those surveyed said they were either somewhat satisfied or very satisfied with their new coverage. This is about the same rate as those reported by both people who were previously insured and by those who newly gained coverage. Even 74 percent of self-identified Republicans reported being satisfied with their coverage. 
 
 
 
To read more and review the state statistics: http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/healthcare/news/2014/07/25/94510/conservatives-want-you-to-pay-more-for-the-health-plan-you-like

Sandy G Private Investigator Hunts down the Real Rauners

It can't be both ways - which is it?

researched by Sandy Gresak

 

I wanted to learn more about Bruce Rauner's wife, Dr. Diana Mendley Rauner. Through my research I came across this website:

The Rauners Love Funding Democrats and the Pro-Abortion norauner.com/2013/07/25/the-rauners-love-funding-democrats-and-the...

You can learn a lot about the values and passion of individuals by where they place their donations. Bruce Rauner, and his wife, Diana Mendley Rauner, have given ...

Although it was posted in 7/25/2013 I thought it was worth reading and this is what I saw when I tried to open the site: "IT IS A PROTECTED BLOG SITE"

http://norauner.com/ is marked private by its owner. If you were invited to view this site, please log in below. Read more about privacy settings.

And then I found this article:

Bruce Rauner's Wife Says She Is a Democrat , But Mostly Gives To GOP Candidates | The Huffington Post | By Samantha Lachman
 To Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com

IFT Endorses Governor Quinn and More in his Monthly Newsletter

Monthly Newsletter of the Office of the Governor (IL) Please do not reply to this email. To contact us, click here.

Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

Governor's Monthly Newsletter This electronic newsletter is an opportunity for you to learn more about what we’ve accomplished in Illinois government, and how you can get involved. Whether it’s volunteering in a Serve Illinois volunteer project, receiving state services, or learning about new laws and programs, I want to ensure that you know what’s happening in your government. If you have ideas for improving any State service, program, or this very newsletter, please click here and let us know. Sincerely, Pat Quinn Governor Featured Articles Unemployment Rate Drops Preliminary data released on July 17 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security shows Illinois’ unemployment rate has dropped to 7.1 percent, the lowest since October 2008 – months before Governor Quinn took office. The drop in the unemployment rate from March to June is the sharpest three-month decline ever recorded in Illinois. $1.1 Billion Capital Construction Governor Quinn on July 22 signed a new state capital construction bill that invests $1.1 billion in road and bridge projects to improve transportation and create jobs and boost economic development across Illinois. The bill, which builds on his successful six-year, $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program, will create an estimated 14,300 jobs. In addition to funding $1 billion in projects in the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) FY2015-2020 Multi-Year Program, the new capital construction program includes $100 million for municipal and township governments to improve infrastructure at the local level. The funding will help communities throughout Illinois combat potholes and make other critical infrastructure repairs. For a complete list of projects in the capital program, visithttp://www.dot.il.gov/opp/planning.html. Governor Quinn Fights for Stronger Gun Laws Across Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, joined by Congresswoman Robin Kelly, on July 13 visited the site of a recent fatal shooting in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood to urge legislators to stand with families and communities and take action against gun violence. The Governor pushed passage of READ MORE

Join us on August 7th and a little history of the National Women's Political Caucus.

Join the DPDC Women's caucus for a Women Voter Mobilization Celebration at 

La Tosca on August 7th 

here

History of the Women's Caucus

 

This early document from the Caucus archives (circa 1979), has been re-typed from original hard copy. It provides important historical information about the founding of the organization:

Founded in 1971, the National Women's Political Caucus is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to increasing women's participation in all areas of political and public life -- as elected and appointed officials, as delegates to national party conventions, as judges in the state and federal courts, and as lobbyists, voters and campaign organizers. With state and local affiliates, our membership today spans across the nation.

Our founders include such prominent women as Gloria Steinem, author, lecturer and founding editor of Ms. magazine; former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm; former Congresswoman and current president of Women USA Bella Abzug; Dorothy Height, president of the National Council of Negro Women; Jill Ruckelshaus, U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner; Ann Lewis, Political Director of the Democratic National Committee; Elly Peterson, former vice-chair of the Republican National Committee; LaDonna Harris, Indian rights leader; Liz Carpenter, author, lecturer and former press secretary to Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson; and Eleanor Holmes Norton, former chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Spurred by Congress' failure to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in 1970, these women believed...

To Read More: http://www.nwpc.org/history

How Koch is affecting the minds of our teen agers

In the spring of 2012, Spenser Johnson, a junior at Highland Park High School in Topeka, Kansas, was unpacking his acoustic bass before orchestra practice when a sign caught his eye. "Do you want to make money?" it asked.
The poster encouraged the predominantly poor students (http://www.city-data.com/school/highland-park-high-school-ks.html) at Highland Park to enroll in a new, yearlong course that would provide lessons in basic economic principles and practical instruction on starting a business. Students would receive generous financial incentives including startup capital  (https://www.youthentrepreneurs.org/ye-academy/) and scholarships after graduation. The course would begin that fall. Johnson eagerly signed up.
In some ways, the class looked like a typical high school business course, taught in a Highland Park classroom by a Highland Park teacher. But it was actually run by Youth Entrepreneurs, a nonprofit group created and funded primarily by Charles G. Koch, the billionaire chairman of Koch Industries.
The official mission  (https://youthentrepreneurs.org/about/) of Youth Entrepreneurs is to provide kids with "business and entrepreneurial education and experiences that help them prosper and become contributing members of society." The underlying goal of the program, however, is to impart Koch's radical free-market ideology to teenagers...

 

Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/16/koch-brothers-ducation_n_5587577.html

No Surprise here: Big Business Loves Desperate Workers

We don’t think enough about the economic functions of social welfare policy, or about the relationship between the safety net and labor markets, and this hinders our ability to make sense of why some people fight so hard against programs that aid poor and low-income people: We mistake them for anti-welfare ideologues, and dismiss them as cruel or ignorant, but there’s an economic logic to their activism, one that’s revealed if we look at the relationship between welfare and work from both the employee’s and the employer’s perspective. Let me explain.

Imagine that we have two workers, worker K and worker O, each with two young children.

Worker K is laid off when the company “downsizes.” K is nervous, but has some savings, is eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits, Medicaid, food stamps (SNAP) and TANF, has access to free local day care and lives in a Section 8 apartment, with their monthly rent tied to their income.

While K is not living as well as when working, if K were eligible for all of these programs, which would be highly unusual, K will...

To Read More:  http://billmoyers.com/2014/07/23/why-big-business-loves-desperate-workers/?

Have You Heard This Word Before?

You might be seeing the word "inversions" in the news headlines a lot lately. It's a specific kind of corporate merger deal -- but it's not exactly the most intuitive name for a corporate tax loophole. So we're going to break it down for you -- because these loopholes could cost taxpayers nearly $20 billion over the next 10 years. And we could instead use this money to rebuild America, by investing in our roads and bridges, equipping our schools with the resources they need, and defending our country at home. Learn more about "inversions" and how we can do away with them.

To read more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/07/24/what-are-inversions-and-why-should-you-care?

Org that is Pressing Need for Corporate Tax Dodgers to come clean

 

Make Corporate Tax Dodgers Pay Their Fair Share

 

NPA is a Grassroots Organization that fights for financial reform, accountable government, and economic and racial justice.

It's time for corporations to pay their fair share. Every day, corporate CEOs are cooking up schemes to lobby our elected officials for giant tax cuts. At the same time, they're planning to balance the federal budget on our backs, trying to cut food programs for hungry kids, gutting support programs for our seniors, and defunding other services our communities need.
That's not right. At NPA, we're fighting back against tax dodging. In the streets, at corporate headquarters, and on Capitol Hill, we're saying it's time for our elected officials to listen to us and make corporations pay their fair share!
Call the National Hotline 888-531-3993 to tell Congress to shut down corporate tax dodging, not the government.

To Read More: http://npa-us.org/make-corporate-tax-dodgers-pay-their-fair-share

A Chance to Turn over Citizens United

If you are interested in getting involved with overturning Citizens United locally (aka Move to Amend), please contact Virginia Wisdom at Virginia.wisdom@gmail.com or 815-260-7189 Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Remember the Citizens United ruling that corporations are people and have the free speech rights of people?  Remember the days when Congress used to regulate corporate money spent in elections?   Since the erroneous Citizens United ruling, we have witnessed corporate interest money flooding into our elections.  Now a new constitutional amendment is before the House and the Senate that would restore Congress’s and the states’ authority to regulate campaign money, overturning Citizens United. Whose vote should count more?  The American voters or corporations?  Please sign this petition now to show that you want Congress to pass the amendment to reverse Citizens United! Petition Text:   We support the constitutional amendment that would give Congress and the states the authority to reverse the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.  The petition signatures will be sent to both chambers of the U.S. Congress to show your Representative and Senators that the people disagree with the Court: corporations are not people!   Sign the petition now!  Wednesday Campaign Wrap-Up Did you miss last week’s campaign wrap-up?  Catch up here and learn about theIowa U.S. Senate race, which has recently changed from a likely Democratic win to a toss-up. Luckily for progressives, ADA has one of its strongest local operations in that state and it has made electing Democrat and long-time ally Bruce Braley a top priority.  And there’s more: Iowa ADA has just announced an unprecedented partnership with two other local progressive organizations, not only to boost Braley’s chances but to help worker-friendly candidates up and down the ballot. Read all about Iowa’s new liberal alliance inADA’s Campaign Central.   Noteworthy: Did you know that Walgreens, Pfizer Mylan, Abbvie and other U.S. companies are pretending to move their companies offshore to avoid paying U.S. taxes? Corporate "inversion" is a growing problem.  Learn more about the Stop Corporate Inversions Act of 2014 in Bob Lucore’s latest blog post. While Republicans are trying to sue President Obama for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans are benefiting from the new healthcare law.  Check out the latest reports and stats. Donate to ADA ADA: Proudly. Staunchly. Liberal Click here to donate

This one deserves to come around again; Executive orders for Sacred purpose

Obama to sign order protecting gay workers 
By Justin Sink - 
President Obama on Monday will sign a new executive order that prohibits federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
"No current federal law adequately protects lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) workers from employment discrimination," a White House official said, announcing the move. "This is both contrary to our values as Americans, and bad for business."

The executive order will not include any additional exemptions for religious entities, beyond one implemented during President George W. Bush's administration that allows religiously-affiliated contractors...

To Read More:  http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/212734-obama-to-sign-order-protecting-gay-workers


The Huffington Post's take

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Monday signed an executive order banning workplace discrimination against millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees of federal contractors and the federal government.

The executive order has two parts: It makes it illegal to fire or harass employees of federal contractors based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and it explicitly bans discrimination against transgender employees of the federal government. The part targeting federal contractors affects 24,000 companies employing roughly 28 million workers, or about one-fifth of the nation's workforce.

"America's federal contracts should not subsidize discrimination against the American people," Obama said during remarks at the White House just before signing the order. "I'm going to do what I can with the authority I have to act."

The provision affecting federal employees takes effect immediately, while employees of federal contractors will have their new protections in place by early next year, according to senior administration officials.

To the relief of the LGBT community, Obama did not include READ MORE

Again with the #$^@%&^# Money. The Koch Brother shuffle

Looping Big Money around democracy's neck

 Posted by Jim Hightower

The beauty of our country's present system of government is that anyone is perfectly free to buy a member of Congress. And isn't that what democracy is all about?

Take the Koch brothers. Of course, these multibillionaire industrialists prefer to buy everything in bulk, and they've spent millions of dollars to purchase controlling shares of a whole flock of Republican congress critters. In fact, they have spent so much on so many elections (from Congress all the way down to small-town school board races) that they've made themselves the poster boys of Big Money corruption. By huge margins, the public is demanding that Congress terminate the plutocratic infestation of our democratic system by Kochites.

How have the brothers responded? By buying another senator – this time a former-senator-turned-lobbyists...

 
Read More: http://jimhightower.com/node/8379#.U8lA0PYo7Mw

The Kochs’ Anti-Civil Rights Roots: New Docs Expose Charles Koch’s Ties to John Birch Society 

The Progressive magazine and Center for Media and Democracy have released new documents that show billionaire oil industrialist Charles Koch was an active member of the controversial right-wing John Birch Society during its campaigns against the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Charles Koch was following in the footsteps of his father, Fred Koch, a leader of the John Birch Society from its founding. We speak with The Progressive’s Lisa Graves about her new article, "The Koch Cartel: Their Reach, Their Reactionary Agenda, and Their Record." Graves details how the reactionary ideas absorbed during Charles Koch’s youth continue to animate many of his actions decades later. Charles and his brother, David Koch, have used their wealth to push a similar agenda into the mainstream through the tea party and "dark money" political coalitions that allow donors to shield their identity while funding attack ads against Democrats.

Read More: http://www.democracynow.org/2014/7/8/kochs_anti_civil_rights_roots

Koch-Tied Youth Group Weighs In on Senate Races - 
By Mary Bottari

Generation Opportunity 

Generation Opportunity (Gen Opp), the "millennial" group behind the "creepy Uncle Sam" ads which attempted to scare America’s youth away from health care coverage, is weighing in on the fight for control of the U.S. Senate in a big way. The "nonpartisan" group, which has received almost all of its funding from two conduits tied to the billionaire Koch brothers, has dropped nearly $2.3 million on TV ads since mid-June. The ads, attacking Senators Kay Hagan (D-NC), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), and Mark Udall (D-CO), indicate that the front group is going to spend a lot of money in the fight for control of the Senate...

Read More: http://www.progressive.org/news/2014/07/187765/koch-tied-youth-group-weighs-senate-races