Oct. 22, 2005

Human needs coalition fights GOP budget attack

WASHINGTON — Constituents flooded Capitol Hill with angry messages this week protesting a House budget resolution that would slash food stamps, Medicaid and other human needs programs by $50 billion while handing the rich another $70 billion in tax giveaways.

The struggle to preserve labor unity at state and local levels appeared to make some progress last week as the AFL-CIO and Change to Win federation reached an “agreement in principle” on implementing a “Solidarity Charter” program. The program would allow locals of unions that disaffiliated from the AFL-CIO at the national level to continue as members of state federations and central labor councils.

CHICAGO — The City of Broad Shoulders threw up its arms to celebrate the White Sox’s pennant victory Oct. 16. After winning the American League championship with their victory over the Los Angeles Angels, the local baseball heroes will play in the World Series for the first time in 46 years, thanks to their dominant starting pitchers: Cuban-born Jose Contreras, Mark Buehrle, Venezuelan-born Freddy Garcia, and Jon Garland. Each pitcher demonstrated his outstanding talents in the course of throwing four complete games, sweeping the Angels in California.

Final results of Iraq’s Oct. 15 constitutional referendum were delayed as an election commission re-examined very high yes or no votes in several areas.

Gulf Coast residents, victims of Hurricane Katrina, will rally in Baton Rouge, La., Oct. 29 to demand a reconstruction program that provides prevailing wages, housing, health care and quality public schools, not profiteering by Halliburton and other Bush-Cheney cronies. The AFL-CIO has teamed up with the NAACP and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition to organize the event.

NEW YORK — Incumbent Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been portraying himself as a shoo-in during this election season, but his record-breaking campaign spending suggests his team may not be so certain of victory. In addition, critics charge that his use of millions of dollars of his own money gives this billionaire an unfair advantage over his opponent, Democrat Fernando Ferrer.

PHILADELPHIA: C. DeLores Tucker dies; BIRMINGHAM, Ala.: Racist rally mars Hispanic celebration; ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.: Minutemen protested; TOLEDO, Ohio: Nazi march ignites violence

As if anyone still had doubts, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has again made his allegiance to the state’s giant corporations crystal clear. On Oct. 7 the governor finished acting on the 961 measures the Legislature sent him this year.

The Nov. 8 California special election was conceived by the Schwarzenegger administration as an attack on public employee rights and political involvement, social services funding and the legislative redistricting process. The election itself is highly unpopular with voters, who view it as unnecessary, but it is going forward nonetheless.