Candidate Gore?

Press release pm Wednesday from the California Draft Gore organization is going to start a signature collection effort in order to put Al Gore’s name on the February California presidential primary ballot.

Reasonable Senate Republican Please Stand Up

Okay, after 52 days late Sacramento finally completed their job and approved a state budget. This was only after the state government’s budget was held up by Senate Republicans to supposedly show fiscal responsibility, but after the Governor agreed to their demands, only 2 out of 15 voted for it.

We must question their fiscal responsibility:
Is it responsible for a company or the state to not pay its vendors, not pay its employees expenses and not pay the interest on its bonds? No, but the Republican Senators expected vendors to hold back on their invoices without charging interest. No, but the Republican Senators expect the employee credit card companies would not charge interest of these workers for racking up work related costs that required reimbursed. No, the Republican Senators expected the market to wave their hand and skip asking to be paid on the interest on state bonds.

This is reality of the Republican Senators actions: It was reported in the U-T that Gary Byrnes from the Hillcrest Manor Sanitarium in National City Byrnes was owed $260,000 from the delayed state budget, had exhausted the reserves and credit line and was required due to the Republican Senators to operate on a loan from his relative and the help of staff members who agreed to work without pay. He should have asked our own San Diego regional Republican Senators Wyland, Battin or Hollingsworth for the loan.

Is it fiscally responsible for a corporation or a chamber of commerce board to allow a third of their board of directors to hold up its yearly budget? No, but the Republican Senators think it is okay when it comes to themselves.

The Republican Senators claimed the budget still was not balanced and were against tax increase, but rather favored cut to services. What about the marvel idea of eliminating some of the millionaire tax breaks rather then looking at cutting the poor?

If you are married, then the next time you you have to pay a credit card bill, tell them your spouse is opposing the payment and you will work it out in 52 days. Oh, if they question you about interest, tell them you should not have to pay it, because you learned this is fiscally responsible from the actions of our own Republican Senators.

Also, Republican Senators had a chance before the budget was due to make their case and should not have been allowed to hold hostage taxpayer services, businesses and public workers.

When Talking-the-Talk is not enough

Most people are familiar with the ongoing struggle among the employees at Children’s Hospital to form a union. I wanted to share this article from last week’s OC Weekly about the efforts of health-care workers trying to form a union at the Sisters of St. Joseph hospital in Orange. What I found intriguing was that Sisters of Joseph have a long Social Justice tradition:

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange trace their roots back to 17th-century France; the order is well-known for a solid record of commitment to the poor. They’ve marched with Cesar Chavez and supported janitors’ and garment workers’ union-organization efforts. They opened their first hospital in Eureka in 1920 after the big flu epidemic of 1918, giving birth to a health-care system that is now 14 hospitals strong and served just more than 2 million patients last year.

According to the article, “[t]he St. Joseph Health System says it endorses its employees’ rights to unionize,” however, it has poor track record on allowing its own employees to actually unionize. The entire article is very interesting read on the difficulties faced by workers when they try to organize, even if they work for an organization that has a history of Social Justice.

Spray Paint not Included

This morning UT reports on a San Diego-based marketing firm call Brickfish that has been hired by an Alexandria, Virginia think tank called the Reform Institute to create an online competition titled “Design Your Portion of the Border Fence.” As ridiculous as this sounds, the competition which runs until September 12th, will be awarding a Grand Prize winner. Who stands to earn a $1000 scholarship to the school of “life.” In addition, they’ll also awarding a Passion Prize and prizes for the Best American Side and Best Mexican Side of the fence. Who knows maybe the next Diego Rivera will be discovered!

Bob

OK, so I have to ask… is anyone really surprised about the recent stories about Bob Filner’s aggressive behavior? Come on, we all knew he had a temper, that he is assertive, strong-willed and sometimes rude. But, isn’t that why we love him? It is that same “lack of filter” that makes him such a strong advocate for progressive causes. He rarely shows caution in taking on anyone who tramples on the little guy. Notice his recent stance against Establishment-Mayor Cheryl Cox and her lack of leadership on Gaylord. So, I read the stories, yawn and say “that’s our Bob.” So, he may be an ass, but at least he’s OUR ass.