Economic Justice

After winning a writ of eviction from the courts to force Rosemary Williams from her home - but faced with planned civil disobedience and protest that would put GMAC’s inhuman actions into the news - GMAC has temporarily backed off from the eviction and offered to significantly lower the price at which they will sell to Rosemary her home (GMAC bought her home at a sheriff’s sale). However, they will not finance the mortgage. Instead, they are giving Rosemary until July 10^th to find a bank that will.

Stewart A. Alexander

California State Organizer

by Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — A union has filed charges against a St. Paul Wal-Mart store for alleged intimidation of pro-union workers, as organizing efforts at several Twin Cities locations intensifies.

Join Thousands at a Convergence of Action, Resistance and Hope

Pittburghers didn’t ask the G20 to come here, but it is our intention that

the worldview the summit represents will die here.

This September 24-25 Pittsburgh will host the next summit of the G20, a

group of finance ministers and central bank governors from the world’s

largest economies who meet twice yearly to discuss and coordinate the

Supporters of paid sick days in Milwaukee expressed confidence in the legality of the ordinance passed by nearly 70% of voters last November and pledged to continue their fight, both through the courts and in Congress.

Since the Legislature and Governor Tim Pawlenty failed to reach a deal for the next two fiscal years (fiscal 2010 starts July 1st, 2009), as it turns out, the governor has the arbitrary power to cancel whatever planned spending his mulleted head desires, within some rules. This is called unallotment, and it's about to happen, ten times bigger than has ever happened in the state's history. This happens Tuesday at 2 PM, an attempt to pack the bad news into one day, as TC-IMC noted earlier. [It will be live on TheUptake.]

Unfortunately, his moves will be designed to please national Republican primary voters, a sadistic bunch that want to see lesser classes and identities crushed for grim reasons of the authoritarian psyche. On the block are Minnesota's local governments, higher education and health care - the very things which, over decades, made Minnesota a relevant and formerly prosperous state (due to its socially progressive history).

All this civic investment goes up in smoke as billions of dollars are going to get slashed Tuesday; Minneapolis and St. Paul stand to lose, in particular, because as economic centers, they generate much of the state's jobs and culture -- in the GOP view, this is all from the "subsidy" of Local Government Aid and County Program Aid.

Local governments will also get payments slashed, and property taxes will get hiked (within certain levy limits). This plan benefits rich suburbanites, who may not have to suffer much in property tax hikes, at the expense of the long-term economy, which gets hollowed out from the center. It's the people who need county services, mental health help (as well, as, say, firefighters) who will lose out. As always it'll be a short-term pandering to the upper class, followed by further economic disaster. The challenge for activists is to step in and help the people that are getting screwed.

More links to unallotment news & research below - please add more!

WHAT: Really, Really Free Market Organizer's Meeting

WHEN: 4:00pm, Sunday, June 28th

WHERE: Powderhorn Park, at the bottom of the hill by the stage

Yes! The Really, Really Free Market is back!