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In Indiana, critics are condemning
a rushed $1 billion privatization of the states' social services work
-- despite the fact that the companies bidding on the contract have
mismanaged similar contracts in other states and, more tellingly, no
one even bothered to determine whether the companies...
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The New York Times has an excellent story that encapsulates the American dream and a legislator helping fight to make it more achievable.
David Mejias'
parents are immigrants. His parents' hard work paid off. He grew up to
become an attorney and now serves on the Nassau County legislature.
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The Bush Administration's latest move on immigration reform is yet
another attempt likely to fail, at least in part because it ignored
input from the people most impacted. Stateline reports that a number of Governors
from both parties are upset both by the continued federal dependence on
the Guard...
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Americans are fed up with big money dominating and corrupting the
political process. Voters are fed up; community organizations are fed
up; even most politicians locked in the endless fundraising chase are
fed up. As Joel Barkin, our Executive Director, wrote last week for New
Hampshire's Union...
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Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) has a truly bad idea. He wants the U.S. Senate to adopt a bill (S. 1955)
that would gut state insurance mandates and allow for price
discrimination by insurance companies -- all under the guise of
lowering the cost of health care (note -- it will not actually lower
the cost...
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Vermont cut a deal today for a plan promising universal health coverage, although the deal still leaves a few potential details up in the air for the future.
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Want a good Mothers Day present?
How about making our workplaces more family-friendly, so that a sick
child doesn't mean a crisis for a parent having to beg for time off?
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The Cleveland Free Times takes a long, hard look at the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) operating methods in Ohio. As usual, it ain't pretty. The right-wing, corporate-funded network of state legislators is exposed quite thoroughly.
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The Institute on Money in State Politics,
a tireless group of people who compile campaign finance data for all
fifty states and regularly report national trends, have a new report "Policy Lock-Down: Prison Interests Court Political Players" looking at the $3.3 million private prison...
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Facing state Supreme Court decisions demanding both equitable financing
of public schools and reforms to the state property tax, the special
session in the Lone Star State accomplished one big item
of business yesterday -- reforming the bizarre loophole-ridden state
franchise tax and actually...
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Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that with the federal government failing to act on immigration issues, states are taking the lead. Unfortunately, the Post
quickly turns the article into the same tired dichotomy of bills either
"get[ting] tough" or "making life easier"...
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The story of American democracy is one of heroes and disappointments.
Every day in this great nation, elected leaders make their constituents
proud by fighting for democracy, working families, and American
families. And then there are the disappointments: the elected officials
who play politics...
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