Looks like CT will lose more jobs or another greedy corporation playing "roulette" with union workers...
Gunmaker Holding Gun to the Head of UAW Members in Connecticut Union workers at West Hartford's Colt Firearms plant are scared for their jobs after the company announced they will open a new manufacturing plant in Central Florida. The move can't help but remind one of this year's NLRB complaint against Boeing for moving a plant of theirs to South Carolina from Washington as retaliation against their union workforce.
After 175 years in Hartford, Colt's move to Kissimmee, FL marks the first time that Colt has considered any U.S. operations outside of Connecticut. According to The Hartford Courant, United Auto Workers (UAW) members met on Sunday in Newington where they learned that part of the company's plan is to freeze jobs at the West Hartford plant and begin cutting them in the New Year. The UAW represents 350 workers at the plant.
In June of 2010, 128 union workers were layed off. Since then, though, all but 26 have been hired back. But the news that the company will begin operations in "Right-to-Work" Florida has bleakened the outlook of the Local 350 members:
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The state of Indiana is preparing to pass the misnnamed 'right to work' legislation but 2 professors from my alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, published an op ed in the South Bend Tribune on Dec. 4, debunking the RTW talking points. That op ed is offline now, so I'll publish parts of it after work today.
Right to work laws lower wages for everyone. The average worker in a right to work state makes about $5,333 a year less than workers in other states ($35,500 compared with $30,167).[1] Weekly wages are $72 greater in free-bargaining states than in right to work states ($621 versus $549).[2] Working families in states without right to work laws have higher wages and benefit from healthier tax bases that improve their quality of life.
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Update: I've printed over the fold and with citation reference the op ed from the 2 Notre Dame professors I mentioned above.
Now, police may want to do this and they may go ahead and do this BUT... They should not do this. Both because there is clear legal precedence on this and because it just is not a smart political move for them. (More below the fold)
I can't help but be nauseated by the fawning coverage of Lieberman's retirement. Perhaps Hearst's Brian Lockhart's article is the worst: "Lieberman's Legacy: Good and Decent Man."
Are you kidding me? Not a word about the more than 40,000 dead and wounded Americans from the senseless Iraq War that Lieberman helped lie us into; not a word about the hundreds of thousands more suffering from PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury. Nope. Instead, Lockhart adds a quote from Sal Liccione that "This whole war stuff really tangled him up." That's it? Just "war stuff" that "tangled him up"?
"Mr. Lieberman, as a senator, was best known for his centrist positions and outspokenness on issues of morality."
Is he serious? Lieberman a centrist? No mention of his rock-solid support for Wolfowitz, Bush, Cheney and the rest of the Neo-Cons' radical foreign policies that pushed us into Iraq? No mention of Lieberman's siding with the Far Right to kill the public option in 2009 by voting against cloture? No mention of Lieberman's support for the Far Right Sarah Palin? And just how "outspoken" was he on morality when he refused to condemn Linda McMahon's disgusting violent and sexist WWE business when she ran for Senate?
Think Progress does a far better job than the Connecticut press corps (naturally) in getting it right on Joe Lieberman. Here's are some of the things that our press corps really want swept under the rug:
Said progressive candidates would cower to terrorism: In an interview with Salon.com, Lieberman said, "I worry that whoever gets the Democratic nomination will have a hard time scampering back to assure people that they're prepared to take on the Islamist extremists and [any] other nation that threatens our security."
Suggested that Obama could be a Marxist: When asked if Obama is "a Marxist as Bill Kristol says might be the case," Lieberman replied, "Well, you know, I must say that's a good question." [4/14/08]
Linked Obama's policies to socialism: "There are ways I suppose you can make an argument that there are some similarities between what Sen. Obama is talking about ('spreading the wealth') and classic, what used to be known as socialist theory...[but] I'm not going to use the name calling," Lieberman said. [10/23/08]
Praised radical right-wing radio hosts: "I'm real proud of you," Lieberman told Glenn Beck. "You're a good man," he said to Hugh Hewitt. [11/04/08; 5/21/08]
Feared a 60-seat Democratic majority: Lieberman made clear that he firmly opposes Democrats gaining 60 seats in the Senate, saying that he "fears" for the survival of the U.S. if Democrats break the filibuster threshold. [11/04/08]
Cited domestic priorities in supporting McCain: Lieberman claimed that the United States is going to "make progress on health care and the energy crisis and climate change" under a McCain administration. "John McCain is more ready to be president on foreign and domestic policy because of his extraordinary experience." [6/29/08; 8/03/08]
That is not the record of a "good and decent man." Good riddance.
Ted Mann at The Day caught state Sen. Len Fasano in this curiously bungled hand-off. Hopefully it's a harbinger of things to come for the McMahon campaign. Upped to YouTube for posterity.
"So let me tell you I am honored, truly I really mean honored to introduce the Republican candidate for the United States Senate, and the next U.S. Senator for the great state of New York, Linda McMahon."
This viewer has to hand it to Ned Lamont, who seemed move lively, energetic and full of ideas than Dan Malloy, who appeared almost somnolent at times.
Our field team is spread across Connecticut, and doing fantastic work. Over the last several weeks, they have recruited more than 3,000 volunteers, and together they have made more than 2 million calls and knocked on more than 150,000 doors.
And the results are showing. Despite two weeks of constant negative attacks by our opponent, Ned still leads in the recently released Quinnipiac poll 45-40, and Democratic voters believe Ned has the right positions on key issues, the right plan to turn the economy around, and the right character to be governor. And by a spread of 46-29, Democratic voters believe Ned is the best candidate to beat the Republicans in November and take back the governor's office for the first time in more than 20 years.
Every day, as each volunteer comes into our regional field offices, as we identify each voter, as we knock on each door and place each lawn sign, our momentum is growing:
Chicken Hawk Chris Shays has actually dared to criticize Dick Blumenthal about his comments on his military service. Incredibly, New York Times reporter David Halbfinger has written an article titled "Ex-Congressman Saw Blumenthal's Claims Evolve" in which Shays suggests that he:
"watched with worry as Mr. Blumenthal gradually embellished his military record over the years."
It's incredible that Halbfinger uses Shays as a source regarding Mr. Blumenthal's military record in light of the fact that Mr. Shays has been lying about his military record for many years. Shays has repeatedly over many years responded when questioned as to why he didn't serve in the military that, "I didn't enter the military; I served in the Peace Corps." Though he doesn't actually insert the word "instead", he certainly implies it. The problem is that Peace Corps service was never considered as the basis for granting a deferment or an exemption by the Selective Service Administration.
I, too, served in the Peace Corps from 1978 to 1981, and I recall Peace Corps officials telling us that the Peace Corps did not exempt anyone from the draft, and that, indeed, PCV's were regularly pulled out of their overseas sites and inducted into the military. And when Mr. Shays repeatedly used the excuse of Peace Corps service, I wrote to the Selective Service Administration directly and received back written confirmation that Peace Corps service was not considered the basis for a deferment or exemption from the draft.
Shays received the extremely low lottery number of 5 in December 1969, which should have insured that he was drafted. But he wasn't. And as recently as two months ago, Shays told Nick Keppler, editor of Fairfield County Weekly, that he wasn't drafted in 1969 because he was serving in the Peace Corps in Fiji.
Chris Shays then filed for and was granted conscientious objector status in 1972, but wasn't required to perform any alternative service whatsoever, an unusual out for a CO. But again, no one in the Connecticut press corps has ever asked Mr. Shays to explain how he got out of military service, or about the morality of claiming CO status, but supporting enthusiastically the war in Iraq.
So it's absolutely hypocritical and shocking that Chris Shays would dare to comment on Mr. Blumenthal's military record when Blumenthal actually did serve in the military and Shays first avoided the draft in some way that he won't disclose, and then claimed that he was morally against all wars as a CO. And it's incredible that anyone in the media would take Chris Shays seriously about anyone's military service.
Perhaps it's finally time that the media started to ask Chris Shays some pointed questions about his own draft record, and stopped accepting his lies.
(Updated) On WNPR news this morning, there was a story about Jim Himes and Goldman Sachs that was as sleazy as anything that has come out of Fox News ever.
The story began by stating that "watch dog groups" are concerned about congressmen who have taken tainted money from Goldman Sachs. Now first, nowhere in the story did WNPR identify those supposed watch dog groups. Nowhere.
The "news" story went on to say that Congressman Jim Himes has taken in a great deal of money from Goldman Sachs, and that "watch dog groups" are concerned that those campaign funds are influencing Himes' work on campaign finance reform.
But the truly outrageous part was when the announcer said that according to financial statements from Himes, he holds a quarter million shares of Goldman Sachs stock. Then, in truly sleazy Fox News style, it continued, "but Himes says that is outdated.." This is a perfect example of "balance as bias": WNPR says that Himes still holds stock in Goldman Sachs, a blatant conflict of interest, but then continues that Himes "says" that he doesn't hold the stock now. As if there is doubt about this, and it's just Congressman Himes' word that we have to rely upon. That is the outrageous part: telling a blatant lie- that Himes holds Goldman stock, and just including that Himes "says" it isn't true. In other words, WNPR has adopted the Fox News style of "we report, you decide." Or more accurately, we slime, you decide."
DiNardo hasn't committed yet to attending the reception for Reid, saying that there is a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the same afternoon in New Haven.
So after derailing the public option, which would have been the most important public health innovation since Medicaid, campaigning virtually full-time for the Republican presidential candidate in 2008, even after he had promised to work to elect a Democrat, after praising the far-right whack-job Sarah Palin, and implying that he supported Chris Shays for re-election against Democrat Jim Himes, not only is Harry Reid showing up with him in Greenwich, but state central committee chairwoman Nancy DiNardo is actually considering showing up.
GT's right-wing reporter Vigdor notes Reid's 33% approval rating, but conveniently neglects to mention Lieberman's own approval ratings:
Public Policy Polling in March put Lieberman's at 25%, with 67% disapproving. That put him third from the bottom in the entire Senate.
Quinnipiac had LIEberman at 39% approval for all Nutmeggers with 54% disapproving. Just 27% of Connecticut Democrats approved of Lieberman, while 67% disapproved.
Let's repeat that: two and a half times as many CT Democrats disapprove of Lieberman than approve of him. Or put another way, fully two-thirds of all of us Democrats can't stand him. So why is Harry Reid rubbing our noses in Lieberman? Again? And in Ned Lamont's hometown, Jim Himes' hometown (who had the courage to oppose Lieberman and strongly back Lamont early in 2006)? And Nancy DiNardo is actually considering attending?
Just what does it take to make people understand that we Democrats despise Joe Lieberman?
cross-posted at yourct.com There is a lot in the press about Linda McMahon the last couple days. McMahon's campaign has, relative to what one can meaningfully spend on a statewide political campaign in Connecticut (about five million dollars will do the job, and its maybe eight million dollars tops), an unlimited amount of money. Her fortune comes from the family business, the very definition of stage-managed storytelling media companies, World Wrestling Entertainment. People tend to go with what they know and, sure enough, McMahon's pursuit of the Senate seat vacated by Chris Dodd is a tightly controlled marketing campaign, with the star act's every move - and everything in her vicinity - meticulously attended to by her handlers.
But McMahon and her campaign are not escaping scrutiny. From the cutting edge of online local media right here in Connecticut, to the original innovator that brought us the 24-hour news cycle, Linda2010 is generating controversy.
Linda McMahon has begun airing tv ads in Connecticut in her quest to secure the Republican nomination and take on Chris Dodd for the U.S. Senate next November. When she recently stepped down as the CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) it was known her approach would be a little different. And from not bothering to vote, to publicly supporting Democrats from time to time, not to mention her own wrestling antics, her entering an already crowded Republican field guarantees Connecticut politics won't be boring.
Regressive Senator Joe Lieberman sat down last week with the Connecticut Post for a long interview and online question session. Among the first questions was about his supposed change in support for a public option from 2004 when he ran an ill-fated campaign for President. Liberman explained that his proposal then was nothing like what is being proposed by others now. And that is true. It's certainly easier to call your plan something it isn't when you're running for the highest office in the land.
Lieberman was also mocked for his support of the Iraq invasion and subsequent occupation which will end up costing taxpayers north of a trillion dollars (more in real dollars than the Vietnam war, inflation adjusted) yet won't support meaningful health care reform. You can watch the full length video at the CT Post site. Apparently that was Donald Rumsfeld's fault...
STAMFORD -- U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman made it clear Wednesday that he would not vote for a health care bill that included a government-run option, but said that without it, he and most of Congress would support comprehensive health care reform.
Discussion on health care dominated an informal question-and-answer session with the fourth-term Connecticut senator, who spoke to the editors of The Advocate and Connecticut Post and answered e-mailed questions from readers.
If the public option "is off the table, we have the opportunity to achieve significant reform with bipartisan support," Lieberman said during the nearly two-hour meeting Wednesday afternoon.
Today, Monday, June 1, 2009, Connecticut Democrats will be treated to a guest appearance from Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana at the 61st Annual JJB dinner. He's the first elected Democratic governor of Montana in 16 years and last year he won reelection and became a sensation at the DNC Convention .
I first heard about the good governor of Montana in 2004 from my favorite progressive journalist, nationally syndicated columnist, blogger, and cable TV guest commentator, David Sirota. David's article in The Washington Monthly titled "Top Billings" was written in the wake of John Kerry's Presidential loss to give Democrats hope and ideas on how to defeat Republican and Right Wing strategies. Sirota, who served as senior strategist on Schweitzer's successful 2004 gubernatorial campaign, used Schweitzer's campaign as a model that Democratic candidates should study.
While Connecticut is labeled a "blue" state by the national media because it has voted Democratic in the last handful of Presidential elections and because its state legislature is controlled by Democrats, it has a Republican governor and one with an extraordinarily high popularity. Just like in 2006, Gov. Rell will not face a primary opponent, so her public image will not be marred by a brutal battle and she will have plenty of time to plan for the general election. The Democratic gubernatorial candidates, on the otherhand, will face-off in a tough primary battle in 2010.
So what should CT's Democratic Gubernatorial candidates learn from Gov. Schweitzer of Montana?
Stamford's Democratic mayor Dannel Malloy appeared before the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee on Thursday evening and delivered an ebullient and wide-ranging address. Here's a roundup of Malloy's remarks:
Malloy began by expressing his pleasure that Greenwich resident Jim Himes had won his race for congress, unseating 21-year incumbent Republican Chris Shays last year. Malloy stated that he was proud to have worked with Jim and for Jim during his campaign. He revealed that he played the role of Chris Shays in Himes' debate prep last autumn, and joked that it was the only time that he had taken Shays' side of an argument.
What a difference an election can make. Do you remember what Chris Shays said in 2006 when asked about torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay?
"Now I've seen what happened in Abu Ghraib, and Abu Ghraib was not torture," Shays said at a debate Wednesday.
Then when the feces hit the fan, Shays wiggled a little:
"It was outrageous, outrageous involvement of National Guard troops from (Maryland) who were involved in a sex ring and they took pictures of soldiers who were naked," added Shays. "And they did other things that were just outrageous. But it wasn't torture."
Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd understood the truth. He was quoted at a press conference with Farrell as saying:
"It's not because it was some pornography ring. I'm surprised anyone would make that suggestion," Dodd said. "The suggestion that somehow this was something less than that is, again, almost bordering on the bizarre."
In contrast to ole Both Ways, new 4th district congressman Jim Himes appeared before the Westport DTC recently and showed that not only does he understand what torture is, but also that it's wrong to do nothing about the torturers of the Bush administration. This from WestportNow:
Congressman Jim Himes told the Westport Democratic Town Committee at Town Hall tonight that he supports a more thorough investigation into harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects under the Bush administration. Saying it was one area where he disagrees with President Barack Obama, Himes said: "I will support efforts in Congress to put together a commission of inquiry" into CIA actions.
As the movement to prosecute the CIA torturers as well as the higher-up's who ordered it gains momentum, let's hope that Congressman Himes comes out strongly for prosecution as well.
(PS: Sorry for the lack of links. I'm having trouble copying them in to this posting from the computer I'm using.)
Demonstration at Gov. Rell's Mansion Organized by COMA-CT, they will gather at Gov. Rell's manison in Hartford to send her a clear message that we are serious about health care reform in CT. She has ignored us for too long. We will join forces to send a clear message that we can no longer wait for universal health care.
Today from 5:45 pm To 7:30 pm.
I put it on the calendar so there is more event info here, including a Google map for ya. :)
Sadly, I will not be able to make it there but I posted it for any of you that might have the time.
Many of you know that I've been a fan of Gov. Schweitzer (D-MT) since I first heard about him in 2004 from my favorite progressive journalist, nationally syndicated columnist, blogger, and cable TV guest commentator, David Sirota. David's article in The Washington Monthly titled "Top Billings" was written in the wake of John Kerry's Presidential loss to give Democrats hope and ideas on how to win against Republican and Right Wing strategies. Sirota, who served as senior strategist on Schweitzer's successful 2004 gubernatorial campaign, used Schweitzer's campaign as a model that Democratic candidates should study.
On January 21, 2006, I had a letter to the editor published in The New London Day titled Democrats, Fight Back Like Montana Governor where I promoted Schweitzer as a model for the 2006 Connecticut Democratic gubernatorial candidates. Over 3 years later, looks like the message got through.
PBS's Newshour has a couple of segments on last night about the effect the economic crisis is having on Health Care. In one they focused on four people in Bridgeport who've found themselves without insurance after years of steady employment. Although Bridgeport has not been a prosperous area the recent spike in unemployment (now well over 10% in official unemployment for the first time in the city in over 30 years) is having a devastating effect.
It is said that for every 1% increase in the official rate another 1 million Americans join those without health insurance.
A sobering look at a reality no one wants to have happen to them.
As the numbers of laid-off workers are rising, so, too, are the ranks of those without health insurance. Starbucks was the latest company to begin another round of cuts today. In all, more than 2 million Americans have been laid off in the last three months. Health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser went to Connecticut to see firsthand how all this is changing people's lives.
There is some truth to the old chestnut, All politics is local. I have been meaning to write this diary for a few weeks now since the 105th District represents Seymour (my town), Beacon Falls and part of Ansonia. But, work has been very busy and trying to catch up with the latest piece of news on the internetz is mind-boggling. Anyway, enough excuses.
Let me introduce all of you to Theresa Conroy, RN, MSN, APRN.
She is running for the 105th State Representative seat being vacated by Len Greene. From the Valley Gazette:
Theresa Conroy always has had close ties to the Valley. She grew up in Seymour and attended high school there. But her community activism wasn't awakened until a developer returned to her family's rural Skokorat Street neighborhood in the 1990s to try and build 1,200 condominiums. "I woke up to being involved in the community," Conroy said.
Now, at age 51, she's taken her involvement to another level as she vies against Republican Brian Koskelowski for the 105th District state House seat held by outgoing representative Leonard Greene.
Conroy said she'll display the same energy in Hartford that she did when she helped found the Skokorat Area Civic Association and went door to door to get neighborhood support for her fight against the land developers. "They were taking advantage of us," she said, and neighbors were concerned that development would pose safety issues on their narrow road.
The developers eventually withdrew their plans.
How many of us started out small to effect change which was big for us? Doesn't this sound like the very same community organizers that Sarah Palin and the GOP made fun off during the RNC?
Today she's a proponent of Smart Growth, which aims to "put the right development in the right areas," she said, preserve open space and maintain "a vision of what the community will look like."
Conroy said as a legislator she would aim to secure funding for economic development and recreation such as a walking trail along the Naugatuck River and the proposed fish ladder.
That proposal would certainly change the long undeserved second-rate image of the Naugatuck Valley tied to when the river was so polluted that I've heard born and bred CT yankees (unlike my transplanted self) say that the Naugatuck River, itself, once caught fire. Was that true? Personally, I think the Valley's promising present is slowly catching up to it's past image. One of the best scenic drives I've driven through in CT is on Rt 8 between Beacon Falls and Naugatuck.
Today, Father Coughlin -- er, sorry, frog in my throat -- Bill O'Reilly is planning another in his ongoing attacks against Daily Kos and YearlyKos. Fox News has apparently been emailing the Democratic campaigns asking them for "comment" on Bill's ongoing Jihad of Jackassery: the following email was sent on to us from one of those Democratic campaigns:
From: Mitchell, Ron [mailto:xxxxxxx@FOXNEWS.COM]
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007
To: xxxxxxx
Subject: Fox News Request
This is Ron Mitchell with Bill O'Reilly at the Fox News Channel.
The O'Reilly Factor plans an update on issues involving DailyKos website the story for Monday.
There are some disturbing images on the DailyKos depicting Sen. Joe Lieberman and others along with some very offensive language.
Today, Monday, June 1, 2009, Connecticut Democrats will be treated to a guest appearance from Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana at the 
What a difference an election can make. Do you remember what Chris Shays said in 2006 when asked about torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay?
In contrast to ole Both Ways, new 4th district congressman Jim Himes appeared before the Westport DTC recently and showed that not only does he understand what torture is, but also that it's wrong to do nothing about the torturers of the Bush administration. This from WestportNow:
I know some of you are not fond of 
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