Proposed California budget slashes education (tags)
Amid looming budget deficits, school districts across California are preparing to fire teachers, close schools, cut programs, and increase class sizes, to cover reduced state funding. Like Democratic and Republican governors across the country, Democratic Governor Jerry Brown is trying to force workers to pay for the economic crisis, while corporations make record profits. Within the state the richest Californian, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, has a net worth of $27 billion, more than the entire state deficit.
Redistricting, Open Primaries and the Challenges for Democrats (tags)
At the January 27 meeting of the predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club, Jess Durfee, chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party and former president of the club, explained the challenges the party faces as the citizens’ redistricting commission begins work on redrawing legislative lines for the 2012 election and beyond. He also talked about California’s new open primary law, which also goes into effect in 2012 and allows members of any political party, or of no party at all, to vote in primary races, with the two top finishers from the primary running against each other in the general election even if they’re from the same political party. California’s Democratic leadership opposed both these changes, but Durfee’s presentation focused on making them work and protecting the party’s interests in this new electoral environment.
Queer Democrats Back State Party on Redistricting (tags)
Choosing the interests of party over voters, the predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club overwhelmingly voted at their July 22 meeting to support the state Democratic Party's attempt to destroy the legislative redistricting commission before it even has a chance to meet, and return to the old, corrupt system under which legislators get to draw their own district lines, thereby preserving incumbents and eliminating any real competition for legislative seats.
Revolutionary Forces says more guerrilla fronts needed to win in the Philippines (tags)
The PESANTE NEWS learned today through news sources that the revolutionary group--the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said in a statement marking its 41st founding anniversary today that it needed to increase the number of its guerrilla fronts and combatants if it were to win its protracted war against the government. The CPP said the guerrilla fronts of its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), should grow “from around 120 to 180 in order to cover the rural congressional districts and gain the ability to deploy armed city partisan units in the urban congressional districts.”
Lies, Statistics and the Los Angeles Times: "Firing Teachers" (tags)
The LA Times makes it appear as if non-qualified teachers are gaming the system in great numbers, but a careful reading of the article shows that may not be the case.
Controversial Near South Side Plan Heads To Zoning Committee (tags)
Historic Mitchell, National and Lincoln business districts seen as mix commercial, but the plan failed to acknowledge the present Latino businesses or to enhance their growth along these corridors
Sison belie AFP’s decimation claim, say numbers actually growing (tags)
NDF consultant Prof. jose maria Sison refuted the military’s claim that the rebel group is weakening as its membership is being decimated due to the continuous offensive operations against it by government forces and the string of rebel surrenderees, saying its numbers are even growing nationwide. In a statement sent to the media, CPP founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison said the CPP’s armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), is now working the expansion of guerrillas that will cover all 173 congressional districts in the country
Join Robina Suwol of California Safe Schools (tags)
Green California Schools Summit December 4-6, 2007 Pasadena Conference Center Pasadena, CA
Government schools flush the 1st and supress student blogging (tags)
I don't have a problem with this when private schools censor and supress the free speach of their students. But I do have a big problem with this when the government PUBLIC schools do it!
Flag law forces colleges to pay (tags)
When they make us worship their flag it's time to get out the guns, and burn a few flags and burn a few government tyrannts.
MALDEF Ignored in Texas (tags)
Why are the Rich Districts Helping the State Rush to Appeal the School Funding Case?
Rep. Conyers to Challenge Stolen Ohio Election on Thursday (tags)
Offering up a report that provides damning and hard-to-refute evidence that Ohio’s election was deliberately stolen for President Bush, Michigan Rep. John Conyers plans to call for Congress to reject the Ohio electors allegedly chosen by Ohio voters.
Robin Hood Lives! MALDEF Declares Victory (tags)
The trial judge in the Texas School Funding Trial released final docs today. Here is a MALDEF press release and a selection of key passages from the court's findings, with commentary from the Texas Civil Rights Review.
MALDEF Stands Ground in Texas School Funding Trial (tags)
Lawyers for richer and poorer districts alike are fighting over the future of equitable funding for the education of Texas children. Here is a "half time" update.
The Socialist Disease -- More Education Money Won’t Solve Problems (tags)
Copyright 2004
Political elite moving toward reactivating draft (tags)
In a speech delivered on February 29 at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Kerry declared that “to replenish our overextended military, as president, I will add 40,000 active-duty army troops, a temporary increase likely to last the remainder of the decade”. While Kerry has not spelt out how he thinks the US Army could add 40,000 combat troops to its ranks, there are currently two bills before the US Congress which authorise the US president to activate a military draft of men and women between the ages of 18 and 26.
Should the Supreme Court Clean Up Its Own Mess? (tags)
The justices have destroyed all the rules, customs, and traditions that used to restrain gerrymanders. The results: a few more liberal black and Hispanic members; a lot more conservative Republicans; and a lot fewer moderate Democrats.
GOP gerrymandering: ''How unfair is unfair?'' (tags)
Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida are grappling with the fairness of a GOP gerrymandered Congress, causing Justice Antonin Scalia. to ask, "How unfair is unfair?"
A Cure for Redistricting Woes (tags)
Besides fixing the fight over who can gerrymander, proportional representation has been shown to increase voter turnout, which is at an all-time low in Texas.
The Devil in New England (tags)
Opponents to Act 60, which redistributes property taxes from wealthy to poor school districts, are funded by a who's who of Vermont's right wing--many libertarian in nature. They are also behind an effort to silence a pacifist high school teacher.