This week at progressive state blogs is designed specifically to focus attention on the writing and analysis of people focused on their home turf. Here is the Nov. 11 edition. Inclusion of a blog post does not necessarily indicate my agreement with—or endorsement of—its contents. |
James Rowen at The Political Environment of Wisconsin writes—In Walker's WI, impaired waterways jump 20% to 1,300:
Still waters also run deep, and again even murkier in Walker's Wisconsin, as official records show that Walker: • Demanded successfully that Foxconn be allowed to fill wetlands without DNR permission, regardless of evidence that such kid-gloves 'regulation' might not be such a good idea; • Is set to sign a bill opening Wisconsin to toxifying, sulfuric acid-producing metals mining; • Has a water privatization agenda that repeatedly puts businesses in control of the public's waters; • Allowed his 'chamber of commerce mentality' natural resources department to overlook runoff from dozens of expanding big dairy cattle feeding operations.
But wait, there's more:
The DNR has reported to the federal government that another 240 Wisconsin waterways as officially impaired:
The DNR said Wednesday that of those, 183 of them are lakes or river stretches that exceed more restrictive phosphorous standards that took effect in December 2010. [...] The impaired waterways list comes out every two years. About 1,300 segments are now listed.
Yellow Dog at Blue in the Bluegrass writes—Is the New Chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party Ready to Take Back the Legislature?
Hmmm. Original Deaniac, Pike County roots, avoids actually saying Dems need to pursue white male voters.
Is he a fighter? Will he force the party to jettison the Repug-lite campaigns that lost the state House for the first time in 98 years? Ninety. Eight. Years.
Kentucky Democrats have a historic opportunity in 2018 to replicate the Virginia victory of 32 seats in the state legislature. But not if we keep doing what keeps not working. From the Herald:
Lexington businessman Ben Self, a co-founder of West Sixth Brewery, on Saturday was elected the new chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party, said party spokesman Brad Bowman. [...] Self said Democrats have to win elections, build long-term party capacity, which includes recruiting candidates, training activists, sharing best practices and building long-term knowledge inside the party.
“It’s time to return the Kentucky Democratic Party to the people,” Self said. “While campaigns and candidates come and go, the only organization that can tie them together, and the grassroots energy and fundraising momentum they produce, is a strong Kentucky Democratic Party."
I don't hear anywhere near enough "Kentucky Democratic voters are sick and fucking tired of the sorry excuse for leadership that the Kentucky Democratic Party insists on protecting and perpetuating."
But if he said that out loud, the party poohbahs wouldn't have given him the job. Let's hope that he secretly hates despises and loathes them all.
Jim Fuglie at The Prairie Blog of North Dakota writes—Men Just Have To TELL!
So far, all the telling has been done by women, telling about their awful experiences with Moore when they were just girls.
But you just have to believe there were nights when Moore and his buddies were sitting around watching football and drinking beer that Roy Moore told of his sexual exploits—or attempts at them. You have to believe there were times when a young waitress walked by and Moore said “Damn, she’s hot, isn’t she? I really like those pretty little girls.”
And you have to believe that he said things like that to different men, more than once. Men just have to TELL.
And you have to believe there were times when Moore got up from the table to go home and one of the guys said, as he went out the door “I wonder if he’s meeting some young chick out there tonight. You know, that Roy Moore, he likes them young.”
You just know there are men out there who could TELL on Roy Moore.
Sadly, they won’t.
Delaware Dem at Blue Delaware writes—Al Franken Must Resign:
Republicans assume that Democrats will shut up about sexual harassment now that Senator Franken has been credibly accused. Wrong. It is time to clean house, and the Senate. And elect a woman President in 2020. If there are Democratic men that we like in statehouses, in the Senate, and/or in the House that have groped women, grabbed pussies, breasts, or in other ways sexually harassed women without their consent, then they must all resign.
Yes, I know it was a different time. Too bad. Yes, I know you were trying to be funny. Too bad. Goodbye.
Don’t be stupid Democrats. Don’t hide from questions. Don’t be scared. Throw Franken and anyone else similarly accused under the bus. Why? Because not only is it long past time to purge sexual predators and just stupid sexually harassing idiot men from government, it is the right thing to do. And it has the side benefit of being the politically right thing to do at this moment. If Franken is forced to resign, the momentum to expel Roy Moore should he win will become irresistible, and the floodgates open for other stories of D/R abuse on Capitol Hill, and then Trump’s treatment of women becomes a very live issue again. And be prepared for some Biden allegations. He always was very touchy feely.
Bob Plain at R.I. Future writes—Flanders announces in Central Falls, Dems say he profited off the struggling city:
Bob Flanders announced his campaign for a US Senate seat today in Central Falls, where he was once the court-appointed receiver as the city went through bankruptcy. The Rhode Island Democratic Party responded by pointing out how much money Flanders made in that role.
“There’s no question that the million dollars Robert Flanders and his deputies collected from city coffers placed an extraordinary burden on taxpayers and retirees during the most difficult time in Central Falls’ history,” Kevin Olasanoye, the executive director of the state Democratic Party, said in a press release sent out as Flanders made his announcement.
The Democrats were calling attention to a recent RI Future report that revealed Flanders and Gayle Corrigan’s consulting company together took more than a million dollars from Central Falls’ struggling coffers. RI Future obtained the information through an Access to Public Records request to Central Falls while looking into Corrigan.
Melissa Boughton at The Progressive Pulse of North Carolina writes—Farm workers, civil rights groups file federal lawsuit over NC Farm Act:
North Carolina farm workers and a coalition of civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit this week challenging a state law that inhibits the ability of farm workers to organize and make collective bargaining agreements with employers.
The lawsuit was brought on behalf of the only farm workers’ union in the state — the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) — and two individual farm workers. It was filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the North Carolina Justice Center and the Law Offices of Robert J. Willis.
The suit argues that the North Carolina Farm Act of 2017, Senate Bill 617, impedes farm workers’ First Amendment right to participate in unions, and asserts that the law is discriminatory, as more than 90 percent of the state’s agricultural workers are Latino.
The groups are asking the court to block implementation of the law as litigation proceeds. They gathered Wednesday outside the legislature for a press conference about the matter.
“Politicians that are also growers shouldn’t pass self-serving laws simply because they don’t want their workers to unionize,” said FLOC President Baldemar Velasquez. “With the continuation of Jim Crow-era laws that aim to stop a now almost entirely Latino workforce from organizing, this is an affront to freedom of association and smacks of racism. Companies like Reynolds American should be embarrassed that growers in their supply chains are attacking the very farm workers who make their companies’ wealth.”
More than 100,000 farmworkers provide labor to North Carolina farms, helping to generate more than $12 billion for the state economy, according to the ACLU. The vast majority are Latinos and work seasonally, many under temporary visas.
Susan at Susan the Bruce of New Hampshire writes—We Have A Man Problem:
When the story of Harvey Weinstein broke, the floodgates opened. All over social media, women were talking about their experiences with sexual harassment, with the #MeToo hashtag making the rounds. Years (decades) of stories and outrage were expressed. After a few days of that, some men began to be very uncomfortable. They began by getting defensive. Some moved on to make accusations that some of the women were surely lying. This is why women don’t come forward. They aren’t believed.
Every woman has a story of harassment, often beginning in childhood. A family friend or a relative might have groped her as a child. She might have been a teenager who was groped by the father of the children she was babysitting for. It might be the story of a boss with a hands problem, or a violent story of date rape. It might be an experience she had while working in a restaurant. In a business where customers directly pay a worker’s salary, the worker is forced to put up with a great deal of foolishness in order to get their pay, also known as the tip.
Hot on the heels of revelation after revelation of bad behavior by wealthy, powerful, men came the shooting in Texas. A man went into a church in a small town in Texas and killed 26 people. Devin Kelley’s past was filled with stories of violence and abusive behavior. If anyone had taken any one of the events seriously, he wouldn’t have been able to legally own a gun. He probably wouldn’t have been able to perpetuate a massacre.
There are a few things that mass shooters have in common. Since 1982, all but three of them have been men. Most of them had a history of domestic violence. It’s one of the best predictors of a potential mass shooter, but we don’t really take domestic violence all that seriously here. After all, it’s only women.
A staffer at The Left Hook of California writes—San Jose Council Prioritizes Landlord Profits Over Most Vulnerable Tenants:
Yesterday, after more than 6 hours of public comment, the San Jose City Council voted to prioritize landlord profits over the needs of San Jose’s most vulnerable tenants. Mayor Sam Liccardo and Councilmembers Johnny Khamis, Lan Diep, Dev Davis, Chappie Jones and Tam Nguyen voted to keep annual rent increases at a rate of 5%, opposing a proposal to instead tie rents to CPI. Councilmember Nguyen flipped from this previous position of supporting renters to standing with the landlords.
Hundreds of tenants and housing advocates testified before the Council, sharing the massive economic hardships they face as rents continue to skyrocket at a rate that far outpaces their incomes.
The 5% cap, not supported by Vice Mayor Magdalena Carrasco and Councilmembers Sergio Jimenez, Raul Peralez, Don Rocha, and Sylvia Arenas, was not only a blow to renters, many of whom are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, but a clear indicator that true compromise was never an option.
The Mayor and Council majority failed to adequately address the most pressing survival issue for many of San Jose residents. As such, it is only a matter of time before rent control returns to Council.
Robert Mann at Something Like the Truth of Louisiana writes—Republicans worry about debt and deficits only when a Democrat is in the White House:
Have you noticed Republicans say they hate deficits? Have you heard their passionate rhetoric about the evils of the national debt? Maybe, like me, you thought when Republicans finally controlled Congress and the White House, they’d do something about the debt they’ve long denounced.
Well, they are doing something about it. They plan to blow it up with a tax-cut bill that would pile on an additional $1.67 trillion in debt over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. And this additional debt would be even greater were it not for Republican plans to repeal certain middle-class tax breaks, including the deduction for health expenses and the adoption tax credit.
This bill barreling through Congress is the latest evidence that Republicans worry about debt only when Democrats are in power. There is, apparently, Democratic debt (bad) and Republican debt (good).
Is this because Republican debt funds needless wars and massive tax cuts for billionaires? Or is it that Republicans care about government spending only when they can use it to vilify Democrats?
Let’s be clear how this bill would support tax cuts for corporations and billionaires. As The New York Times concluded, “Nearly half of all middle-class families would pay more in taxes in 2026 than they would under current rules if the proposed House tax bill became law, and about one-third would pay more in 2018.”
WillyKay at Show Me Progress of Missouri writes—A tale of two Roys, Blunt and Moore:
The fact that the Alabama GOP selected as its senatorial candidate a fanatical rightwing Christian who, while in his thirties, attempted to seduce teenagers as young as 14 years puts the onus on the erstwhile party of evangelicals to take a stand on his suitability to serve. Given that many were just fine with President P**** Grabber, that may be expecting a little too much. But if not now, when do folks stand up for basic decency and intelligent government?
Every GOP senator needs to let us know whether they’re willing to welcome a Bible-thumping pedophile into the Senate just so they can retain the necessary votes to pack the court with unqualified right-wing nutjobs, cut taxes for wealthy donors, pay for them by shafting the working and middle class, cripple Obamacare, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and, appropriately, given Moore’s dominionist leanings, eviscerate women’s reproductive health rights.
So far as I know, our Missouri Republican Senator Roy Blunt has tacked for cover. He has, evidently bailed on a scheduled fundraiser for Moore, discretion being the better part of valor after all. Nevertheless I can’t find a statement from ol’ Roy anywhere – if you know of one, please let me know. Blunt needs to come clean about whether he’s going to welcome Brother Moore into the Senate or stand up for what we’ve been told are the outstanding GOP family values.
What will Sen. Blunt do when push comes to shove (besides trying to avoid getting to shove)?
A staffer at ProgressNow NM writes—Methane “facts” nothing but hot air from Guv & her Big Oil/Gas cronies:
Get ready for some more hot air from the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA) and the Martinez administration in today’s Water and Natural Resources Committee hearing.
New Mexico is living under the most concentrated cloud of methane pollution in the country and, since methane is the primary component of the natural gas we use to heat our homes, this waste is costing New Mexicans tens of millions in tax revenue and royalties every year.
But the NMOGA is trying to argue “it’s the price we have to pay” to have a functioning oil and gas industry.
The facts tell a far different story.
Last week, NMOGA made a Chicken Little “sky is falling” attack against Sen. Tom Udall, who has been a longtime leader on ending natural gas waste on behalf of New Mexico’s taxpayers and schools. ProgressNow New Mexico and Senator Udall even held a series of statewide town hall events about this issue earlier in the year.
It was a sad and desperate attempt to distract New Mexicans from the fact that the latest scientific estimates show NMOGA’s members – New Mexico’s oil and gas industry – have a dirty secret: they are wasting as much as $244 million per year in New Mexico’s natural gas resources – enough natural gas to meet the heating and cooking needs of every home in the state.
Don’t be fooled by the NMOGA lobbyists stumping for Texas and Oklahoma oil and gas companies in today’s hearing. We can do better.
Juanita Jean Herownself at Juanita Jean’s of Texas writes—A Plethora Of Poopie del Polo *Almost Continually Updated*:
You wanna hear something that is so chicken poop it takes the prize of all chicken poop everywhere for all time? In the World Series of chicken poop, this wins five games straight.
Remember the woman who had the F*** Trump sticker on her pick up truck and the sheriff in my damn county, Troy Nehls, issued a threat against her civil rights on damn Facebook?
The sheriff is fixing to announce that he’s running for congress in the Republican primary against incumbent Pete Olson. This whole Facebook thing backfired horribly on him. Nehls said in the Facebook post that the local district attorney has agreed to file charges against the owner of the truck. The district attorney responded that he never said any such thing because he understands the First Amendment and supports it.
Oops. Egg on face alert.
The sheriff’s department issues a statement.
Fort Bend County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Caitlin Espinosa said Sheriff Nehls was no longer commenting on the matter following threats to his wife and children after the post went viral on social and news media.
This is at least the fourth time I can recall that he’s hidden behind his wife and children when he’s made a fool of himself. This becomes important in a minute.
Well ….
Now Nehls has changed his whole story. Now he’s claiming the whole Facebook post was not about the F*** Trump. It was about bringing the owner out in the public because he has a warrant on her for fraud. (By the way, a hot check can cause a fraud warrant.) Then he forgets the whole wife and kid thing and issues a statement:
The Facebook post accomplished its objective and now we know who owns the truck,” he said.
Holy damn crap.