Each morning, Bill Scher and Terrance Heath serve up what progressives need to effect change on the kitchen-table issues families face: jobs, health care, green energy, financial reform, affordable education and retirement security.
MORNING MESSAGE: They Hate Democracy
OurFuture.org's Dave Johnson: "...conservatives are finally saying it out loud, for everyone to hear: they hate democracy. They want to limit the country's decision-making and the rewards of our society and economy to those they feel 'deserve' to be on top, namely the 'producers' and 'job-creators.' Writing in Registering the Poor to Vote is Un-American conservative columnist Matthew Vadum reflects these views, writing that democracy is 'like handing out burglary tools to criminals.' ... Vadum's perspective are not unique in conservative circles. Rush Limbaugh has questioned on the air whether poor people should be allowed to vote. Judson Phillips, president of Tea Party Nation thinks voting should be limited to those who 'own property.'..."
President To Highlight OH-to-KY Bridge In Jobs Push
President to speak in front OH-KY bridge to pressure Speaker Boehner and Senate Min. Leader McConnell on American Jobs Act. AP: "The president's defiant approach to Boehner and McConnell represents a shift from his outreach to Boehner this summer, when the two men tried to work out a deal that would extend the nation's borrowing authority and cut long-term deficits as well. Then, the president took Boehner golfing. Now he's taking him to task."
American Dream movement spearheads broad coalition call to Congress to pass American Jobs Act as "strong first step" toward solving jobs crisis.
Texas jobs miracle looking like a mirage. NYT: "Texas, in fact, has about 80,000 fewer people employed now than in May, when total employment peaked, according to seasonally adjusted federal data through the end of last month ... The state’s unemployment rate spiked to 8.5 percent in August, a jump from 7.7 percent from June 2009, the date Mr. Perry himself has chosen as a starting point for the job-growth phenomenon he frequently describes on the campaign trail. Over the same period, the national unemployment rate has actually fallen by four-tenths of one percentage point..."
State lawmakers urge Super Committee to raise revenue, limit fiscal pressure on states reports Stateline.
One in four millionaires pays lower taxes than middle class reports ThinkProgress.
Boehner Fails To Pass Bill Keeping Government Open
House bill that underfunds disaster relief fails, risking government shutdown. NYT: "Democrats remained nearly united against the measure because they saw the amount of disaster assistance — $3.65 billion — as inadequate ... more than 40 Republicans rejected the measure because they did not believe it cut spending enough ... The result could give new power to Senate Democrats to shape the legislation..."
"Vote on House spending bill reveals John Boehner’s lack of control" of GOP caucus reports Politico.
Attempt to add anti-NLRB provision in bill to keep government open loses in Senate cmte reports TPM.
GOP To Smear Green Jobs, Harangue WH Officials Today
House GOP report to smear WH push for green jobs as "propaganda tool" at hearing today, reports The Hill: "Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is holding a hearing Thursday called 'How Obama's Green Energy Agenda in Killing Jobs.' Issa will unveil the report at the hearing, which will include testimony from Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Keith Hall." ALSO: EPA chief to testify today.
"Republicans Decrying 'Job Killing' Green Energy Agenda Have Sought Green Jobs For Their Own Districts" reports HuffPost.
House expected to pass bill gutting Clean Air Act Friday. McClatchy: "Under the 1970 Clean Air Act, the EPA sets standards for major air pollutants based only on what's necessary to protect public health [then] takes cost into account in determining what methods industries can use ... [The GOP] would require the EPA to consider feasibility and cost when setting the amount of pollution in the air that's acceptable ... The White House issued a statement Wednesday that said top staff there would advise President Barack Obama to veto the [bill.]"
No evidence regulations lose jobs, finds ProPublica: "We asked experts, and most told us that while there is relatively little scholarship on the issue, the evidence so far is that the overall effect on jobs is minimal. Regulations do destroy some jobs, but they also create others. Mostly, they just shift jobs within the economy."
Fed Ignores GOP
Fed ignores Republican attacks, moves to lower interest rates. W. Post: "In deciding to put their foot back on the pedal, Fed officials rebuffed calls from Republican congressional leaders, in a letter sent Monday to Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, that the central bank refrain from taking new steps to spur growth, fearing they could actually harm the economy."
Moody's downgrades big banks, saying Wall St. reform decreases likelihood of government bailout reports NYT.
Volcker Rule draft still allows for "risky bets," reports WSJ: "Banks could be allowed to continue making risky bets with their own capital, according to a draft version of the so-called Volcker rule that dilutes the provision's original ban on 'proprietary trading.' At issue is how regulators and banks define 'hedging,' or trades designed to offset risk taken by a bank, usually on behalf of customers."
ObamaCare Is Working
Nearly one million more young adults have health insurance thanks to "ObamaCare." USA Today: "The rise in young adults 19 to 25 with insurance comes as older Americans are losing their health insurance as the economic crisis continues ... As of September 2010, the Affordable Care Act allowed young adults up to the age of 26 to remain on their parents' health insurance plans ... Health care providers should see fewer unpaid bills because of this trend ... and that should cause everyone's insurance premiums to drop."
