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A followup to Monday's Dispatch
on waste and corruption in privatization of government services: it
turns out that Accenture, the company that screwed up in taking over
Texas's human services computer systems, is also a star player in a new
Congressional report, Waste, Abuse, and Mismanagement of...
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Here's a shocking fact. When doctors prescribe prescription drugs,
the big drug companies get access to data on which doctors are
prescribing which drugs to patients. Pharmaceutical companies then load
the data up on sales reps' laptop computers to help figure out which
doctors are the best targets...
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A number of state leaders have been promoting what seems like a free
lunch. Hand over control of government services to private industry and
those companies promise better service at a lower price. Like most
promises of a free lunch, privatization has mostly ended up being a
deceptive boondoggle, a...
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There are few more potent tools for impacting the outcomes of elections
than changing what appears on the ballot. And there are no more direct
paths from public outcry to passed legislation than through ballot
issues. For years, the rightwing has been advancing policy goals,
shaping message, and...
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This past week, Illinois Governor Blagojevich signed
the first law in the nation that establishes the goal of
universally-available public preschool for all 3- and 4-year olds in
that state.
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By a vote of 35 to 14, the Chicago city council yesterday approved a new ordinance
requiring large retailers in the city to phase in a living wage for
their employees of $10 per hour plus $3 per hour in benefits-- the
highest minimum wage established for any industry sector in the
country. If...
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For years, the delivery company FedEx has claimed that its ground
drivers are not employees but independent contractors-- meaning the
company didn't have to pay for workers compensation, unemployment
insurance or extend a range of other worker protections.
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Supporters of Oregon's unique universal vote-by-mail system got
a serious leg up this month when the NAACP adopted a resolution
formally endorsing the system. The NAACP joins the AFL-CIO in publicly
backing the system, which has gained widespread support among
representatives of working families...
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Last week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted
to create a health care plan to provide health care coverage for the
85,000 uninsured residents of that city. While there are additional
votes needed to finalize the bill, with a unanimous vote and the
endorsement of the mayor, the proposed...
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Yesterday, a federal judge overturned Maryland's
Fair Share Health Care law, which had required large employers such as
Wal-Mart to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on health care
for employees or pay the equivalent in fees to the state. The judge in
his decision argued that the federal...
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Two things happened this past week. Some in Congress proposed spending $100 million on vouchers for private schools as a supposed educational solution for low-income students.
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After years of stagnating wages for working Americans and inaction by
Congress, legislators and activists across the country are taking the
lead in securing higher minimum wages on a state by state basis. They
are achieving some outstanding results. Here's where the minimum wage
fight stands in a...
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