Trade
Ron Patenaude: Rep. Neal should defend Massachusetts economy Berkshire Eagle ...Richard Neal, has been exceptionally disappointing on a key issue for Massachusetts workers. Rep. Neal was one of just a handful of Democrats in the House of Representatives to not stand up against an undemocratic 1970s-era procedure known as Fast Track that has been used to railroad the most controversial and damaging of U.S. "trade" deals through Congress...
New U.S. international trade deal raises concerns about shadowy negotiations Borderzine ...Clouded in secrecy, the United States is negotiating a trade agreement with 11 other countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including Mexico, known as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TTP)...
Voters Not Congress Should Decide TPP Trade Pact Scoop ...Regardless of which political party controls the US House of Representatives, the Senate or the White House, they should defer to the will of the American people on an issue as important as the TPP (Trans Pacific Pact) because the deal impacts the role of our democratically controlled government in our economy and many other parts of our economic future...
State Battles
Fields expects Fiscal Court voteon right-to-work The Daily News ...Butler County [Kentucky] Judge-Executive David Fields said he expects Fiscal Court to take a vote on a right-to-work ordinance, but that vote might not come until February...
Privatizing liquor won't yield a pot of gold for the state budget: David Fillman PennLive ...Incredibly, some lawmakers and editorial writers are touting risky proposals to privatize the PLCB [PA Liquor Control Board] as a way out of this mess. This new push for a bad idea is surprising, given the factual record established in the last four years...
At best, right-to-work is a questionable idea Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ...The chances of a right-to-work bill passing the state Legislature look considerably dimmer than they did just a month ago — and that's a good thing as far as we're concerned...
War on Workers
Why do Republicans Hate Social Security? (opinion) Economic Populist ...when they say "government", the Republicans don't mean corporate subsidies, corporate bankruptcies, corporate bailouts, defense spending or federal disaster relief when Mother Nature destroys one of their great Red States. No, to the GOP, "government" means anything that primarily benefits either the poor or working-class Americans (aka the 99%)...
A GOP Effect on the NLRB? Human Resources Executive Online ...it’s anyone’s guess what will happen after a coalition representing an array of industry sectors and businesses—including the Society for Human Resource Management—filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to stop the NLRB from moving forward with its “ambush-elections” rule, which it issued on Dec. 12...
Is Nothing Sacred at JPMorgan? Wall Street on Parade ...the Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis filed a lawsuit in Federal Court alleging that its endowment funds meant to feed and shelter homeless families and children, keep food banks stocked, and give exhausted pastors a sabbatical, ended up as a wealth transfer scheme at JPMorgan...
Worker dies after falling off roof in Edmonton MacroInsider ...A man died right after falling off the roof he was working on Friday morning in north Edmonton.He was functioning for B & B Roofing Ltd. as the prime contractor for Sabal Houses...
$60 meth bust led to shooting of officer Albuquerque Journal ...t was an undercover operation to bust two men for selling $60 worth of methamphetamine, but things didn’t go as planned. An Albuquerque police lieutenant shot a fellow officer who was working undercover in a McDonald’s parking lot near Central and Tramway just before noon Friday...
Miscellaneous
Blue billionaires on top Politico ...The 100 biggest donors of 2014 gave nearly $174 million to Democrats, compared to more than $140 million to Republicans,…that edge doesn’t take into account contributions to deep-pocketed non-profit groups that don’t disclose their donors. They heavily favored Republicans, with reports showing conservative secret money non-profits outspending liberal ones $127 million to $33 million...that’s just a fraction of the overall undisclosed money spent in 2014...
