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The Millenials are with us. America's youth -- the biggest generation
since the Baby Boom -- are voting more frequently than Generation X and
are voting far more progressively than the Reagan-raised generation
that proceeded them. You have probably already heard one of the most
impressive stats:...
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Union workers voting for progressives isn't news. Even as Democrats
have lost white, working class voters over the years, union members and
their households have voted reliably Democratic. But 2006 was still a
banner year in terms of turnout and the sheer margin by which union
members voted for...
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Even with the good news that came last Tuesday, all too much evidence exists that the basic machinery of democracy in America is broken. Election Day is like Groundhog Day and the first stories of problems with voting machines, long lines, or voter intimidation hit the wires in the early A.M....
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Tuesday's election saw a nationwide repudiation of the rightwing
agenda-- and the emergence of new progressive leaders and ideas across
the country, from Congress down to the statehouses. Change in control
of the US House and Senate is dominating the headlines, but sweeping
change is also coming to...
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In the final days leading up to the election, there is an ugly trend of
dishonesty running through state ballot initiatives. Deceptively titled
initiatives are confusing voters and masking their true nature: "property rights protection"
would actually result in a huge burden to tax...
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An Oregon State Senate commission has approved a framework to provide universal health care in the state and to control costs.
State Senator Alan Bates, who co-chairs the Commission on Health Care
Access and Affordability, called the agreement "the first step on a
very, very long journey....
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It's a big year for ballot issues. Mid-term elections, when no
President is being elected, typically see less activity on the ballot
issue front than Presidential years, but 2006 is proving to be an exception. Eighteen states will consider 76 ballot issues this fall, as high as its been since 1914...
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Someday soon, we will all be experts in Ohio election law. The
state's rules are under fire yet again. This time, a labor union and an
advocacy organization for the homeless have teamed up to file suit regarding the state's new ID rules, which the plaintiffs say are being enforced differently...
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Two years ago, Oregon voters were sold Measure 37 as a property rights issue. The measure, they were told, would
close loopholes governments used to regulate homeowners and prevent
unnecessary regulation. Backers downplayed other ramifications that are
now coming to light, ramifications that other...
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A 2005 Families USA report
estimated that uncompensated care, or bad debt and charity care, cost
the US health care system $43 billion, resulting in an average increase
of $922 in family health insurance policies through the year. A New York Times
report discusses how some hospitals, in an effort...
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By voting for Proposition 87, California voters have the
opportunity to join a growing number of states in investing in clean
energy. Backing the proposition are more than just environmental
groups. Unions, civil rights organizations, health workers, and many
others have joined in the fight for...
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Nearly 200 Wal-Mart workers spontaneously walked off the job
in Florida this week in response to new rules that even two department
managers leading the walkout deemed "inhuman." Not only were hours cut
for all full-time workers -- from 40 hours a week down to 32 hours, but
employees were...
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