Governor-elect Kasich has promised cuts throughout the State of Ohio, the same type of austerity agenda that has deepened the economic crises throughout Europe. He wants to force the working class to pay for the financial catastrophe caused by rich bankers and speculators. Politicians like Kasich are using the national recession as a pretext for gutting social services like education and Medicaid and driving down public employee wages. Working people already are having a more difficult time than usual making ends meet, with the official unemployment rate around 10%.
We're going to have to fight Kasich every step of the way on this, and we're starting January 8th to send him a message right before he takes office. There will be a rally in Columbus followed by a march to the Statehouse. Go check out http://defendohiocampaign.com/ for the latest information. There's also a link to join the Defend Ohio Campaign. Please forward the call throughout the State and contact your local ISO branch to see about carpooling.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Don't DREAM, Don't Tell
While "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is being formally repealed (the only thing left is for Obama to sign the bill), the policy will not end until the military studies the matter further and implements measures to ensure that lifting the ban is not "disruptive". This has been a common thread since Obama took office - the policy is unjust, but the country can't afford to overhaul the military in a time of war. This very sentiment reeks of the discrimination that Obama supposedly stands against. It implies that non-heterosexuals are somehow different when it comes to serving our country. In the end it illustrates a common theme of Obama's Presidency thus far: his actions (or inactions) speak louder than his words.
The DREAM Act failed to gain the "filibuster-proof" 60 votes without Republicans having to break a sweat. I don't believe that Republicans have had to use the filibuster since the Democrats achieved a majority, but that's because Democrats have spared them the burden. If Republicans want to stand in the way of bills, they should have to stand there as long as it takes. Let's see how much they really care about the issues when they have to occupy the floor for hours on end like Senator Sanders did a week ago (Watch Here), when he was speaking out against Obama's tax "compromise" with the Republicans.
I also wanted to share a photography exhibition by Edward Burtynsky on the subject of oil. He shows pictures of oil fields, our motor culture, and the environmental and human cost of it all. The pictures of mountains of discarded tires and people wading through oil at some kind of recycling facility in Bangladesh are especially powerful. See it here.
The DREAM Act failed to gain the "filibuster-proof" 60 votes without Republicans having to break a sweat. I don't believe that Republicans have had to use the filibuster since the Democrats achieved a majority, but that's because Democrats have spared them the burden. If Republicans want to stand in the way of bills, they should have to stand there as long as it takes. Let's see how much they really care about the issues when they have to occupy the floor for hours on end like Senator Sanders did a week ago (Watch Here), when he was speaking out against Obama's tax "compromise" with the Republicans.
I also wanted to share a photography exhibition by Edward Burtynsky on the subject of oil. He shows pictures of oil fields, our motor culture, and the environmental and human cost of it all. The pictures of mountains of discarded tires and people wading through oil at some kind of recycling facility in Bangladesh are especially powerful. See it here.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Cincinnati ISO blog is back!
The site is now under construction, so it looks a bit bare at the moment, but we intend to make good use of it. This will be a universal focal point to get information out to people who are not on Facebook or Google. Expect to find plans for local events, national and local news stories, articles written by ISO members and others, and plenty of opportunities to get involved.
Our first meeting of 2011 will be on the 4th (a Tuesday) at 7pm in Swift 619 at UC. We'll be talking about our plans for the quarter, including a campus debate and bringing Sherry Wolf. There's also a rally sponsored by the Defend Ohio Campaign that will take place in Columbus on the 8th. This will focus on fighting against Kasich's right-wing agenda of massive cuts in the public sector and services (like education and health care) that people need.
If you're on Facebook please RSVP here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162944330415727
Our first meeting of 2011 will be on the 4th (a Tuesday) at 7pm in Swift 619 at UC. We'll be talking about our plans for the quarter, including a campus debate and bringing Sherry Wolf. There's also a rally sponsored by the Defend Ohio Campaign that will take place in Columbus on the 8th. This will focus on fighting against Kasich's right-wing agenda of massive cuts in the public sector and services (like education and health care) that people need.
If you're on Facebook please RSVP here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162944330415727
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