Today, i have subscribed a fantastic organization. Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world.

The people you see on Kiva's site are real individuals in need of funding - not marketing material. When you browse entrepreneurs' profiles on the site, choose someone to lend to, and then make a loan, you are helping a real person make great strides towards economic independence and improve life for themselves, their family, and their community.

Kiva partners with existing expert microfinance institutions. In doing so, we gain access to outstanding entrepreneurs from impoverished communities world-wide. Our partners are experts in choosing qualified entrepreneurs.

Kiva provides a data-rich, transparent lending platform. We are constantly working to make the system more transparent to show how money flows throughout the entire cycle, and what effect it has on the people and institutions lending it, borrowing it, and managing it along the way.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hien  would like to borrow 3,180,000VND to purchase more fruits and vegetables to sell. Besides, Mrs. Hien sells fruits and vegetables in the market, so her family's average monthly income is about 3,500,000VND (about 225USD). With her current income, she can easily repay the loan on an installment basis. 

Come and provide some happiness to people all around the world.

Check it out!
https://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=register&_isc=bd75e47a-aae2-102b-ac3c-ecd46065da15

In Birmingham this past April, United Way worked with over 70 local agencies to organize Project Homeless Connect.  At this event, individuals received services similar to those featured on 60 Minutes.  Attendees were incredibly grateful to receive medical and dental care at the event, but what about those neighbors that do not consider themselves homeless?  Would they come to a homeless event to receive medical care?  If not, what are alternative solutions?

Local charities are working with the Jefferson County Department of Health to devise a solution, but an answer has yet to be developed.  What are your ideas on how to meet this pressing community need?  How would you fill in the health care gap?

I love getting emails from the readers of my blog, even if some of them are less than complimentary. Recently I’ve gotten a few asking why I’ve never written about my political views, especially with such a historic primary election taking place. After all, they said, “It’s clear you’re rather opinionated”. You can normally tell by the tone of a letter whether the person is being complimentary or insulting and at least a couple of these emails were insulting in tone. Not that it matters, insulting or complimentary—they were correct. I am opinionated.

The reason I don’t use my blog as a stage for my political views is simple. They’d be no more than raging rants and although perhaps entertaining for some, would simply annoy and offend most. But since you asked (and I’m sure you’ll be glad you did), I’ll give you an abbreviated and watered down version.

I’m what many would term an independent voter, I vote for the person I feel is best suited for the job. Considering my voting habits over the years, I’d probably be a Democrat, but I don’t support any individual political party. To me this would be akin to supporting some vast criminal organization. That’s pretty much my view of politics—organized crime. And the criminals sitting in Washington DC are sucking the life’s blood from the American workers. By American workers I’m not referring to corporations, those who run them or to those who are paid exorbitant salaries such as professional athletes, movie/music stars, famous authors, ect... I’m speaking of the normal workers, the farmers, factory workers, waitresses, nurses, secretaries, teachers, cashiers, truckers, and all the others whose backs this country is resting on.

Those backs are now bending like a sapling in a windstorm and I wonder how much more pressure they’ll take before breaking. While the so called ‘experts’ talk about people cutting back on summer vacation plans, turning down thermostats and making other cutbacks, a large number of these hard working Americans are trying to figure out what bill they can forgo paying in order to make a trip to the grocery store. And to all you guys who have your heads up your ass, it’s not because they’ve always lived beyond their means and are now paying the price. Although some have and do, most of these people have always lived below their means, driving used cars and living in fixer uppers or renting. They don’t entertain, take vacations or spend money frivolously. In the past some have done relatively well, even being able to put back money for their children’s education. Those days are fast coming to an end.

Those who have savings accounts are watching them dwindle or they’re already gone. Since most of them are already living a life style in which cutting back and scrimping are normal, they are now desperately seeking to find where they can cut back once again. The middle class is now becoming the ‘poor’ in America, and the poor? God help them.

As I stated above, I’ve always voted independently, but to be honest, I’ve only voted for two Republicans in my twenty years of voting. I have however, had a great deal of respect for many Republicans in office. The Republican Party itself has generated no such respect. In terms dictated by our society, my financial situation has gone from poor to upper middle class over my adult life. The American dream, start at the bottom and work your way up. It was no easy task climbing that ladder and now I can almost feel it being ripped away from my feet. Since I’ve never been wealthy, I rarely vote for the Republican Party in an election as important as the office of president and won’t be voting in the upcoming presidential election at all. I’ll not vote for our Republican candidate, even though I have nothing against him. He’s simply another politician whose party is well known for stomping the guts out of the poor without giving it a second’s notice.

Then we come to the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama. I’m still pondering the love affair America is having with this man. I don’t understand it. I’ll admit he can be charming—could sell air conditioners in the middle of a blizzard. But it’s all surface charm, without substance. This country needs change and if OB wins the election, I’ll be curious to see if he can be the savior everyone seems to think he’ll be. To me, he’s simply another elitist Republican dressed up like a Democrat in order to win votes.

Like many of my comrades, I’m hurting financially and regardless of all the bull shit being spouted by the experts, everyone knows deep down that if things don’t take a drastic turn, more and more are going to be hurting and badly. No one likes to lay blame, but in this case, all these present financial woes can be placed squarely on the shoulders of the present administration.

Elizabeth Melton Parsons

http://egparsons.com

"A regressive tax is a tax imposed in such a manner that the effective tax rate decreases as the amount subject to taxation increases.^[1][2][3][4] In simple terms, it imposes a greater burden (relative to resources) on the poor than on the rich. "Regressive" describes a distribution effect on income or expenditure, refering to the way the rate progresses from high to low. It can be applied to individual taxes or to a tax system as a whole; a year, multi-year, or lifetime. Regressive taxes attempt to reduce the tax incidence of people with higher ability-to-pay, as they shift the incidence disproportionately to those with lower ability-to-pay. The opposite of a regressive tax is a progressive tax, where the tax rate increases as the amount subject to taxation increases.^[5][6][7][8] In between is a proportional tax, where the tax rate is fixed as the amount subject to taxation increases.

The term is frequently applied in reference to fixed taxes, where every person has to pay the same amount of money. The regressivity of a particular tax often depends on the propensity of the tax payers to engage in the taxed activity relative to their income. In other words, if the activity being taxed is more likely to be carried out by the poor and less likely to be carried out by the rich, then the tax may be considered regressive. To determine whether a tax is regressive, the income-elasticity of the good being taxed as well as the income-substitution effect must be considered.

A simplified illustration of a regressive tax on income (proportional on consumption) is as follows: If Jane has $10 and John has $5, a tax of $1 on a purchase would result in a different percentage of total income applied to taxation, 20% for John and 10% for Jane. Thus, a tax that is fixed to the value of the good/service (without exemptions or rebates) would likely, in effect, result in a higher burden of taxation to people with less money (depending on consumption level and timeline examined - year or lifetime).

A regressive tax system does not mean and likely would not result in low income earners paying more taxes than the wealthy, only that the effective tax rate relative to income or consumption would be a larger tax burden to low income earners."

...Saw this article in USA Today today (click here to read whole article), thought it was interesting and with $4.00+ per gallon gas(current US avg. price is $4.072/gal. according to AAA), we could all use a few gas saving tips...

an excerpt:

"...After a 29-mile jaunt from his Phoenix office to his home here, Louis Hudgin proclaimed his gas mileage "pitiful." He averaged just 88.3 miles per gallon (in a 2000 Honda Insight Hybrid)...Hudgin's disappointment - he usually averages about 100 mpg this time of year...He's a hypermiler, part of a loose-knit legion of commuters who've made racking up seemingly unatainable mpg an art. And a Sport..."

Some "Hypermiler" websites for us to explore:

CleanMPG.com, Greenhybrid.com, Hypermiling.com, 100 Tips to save gas

HARTFORD, Conn. - With two votes to spare, the Democrat-controlled state legislature voted Monday to override Gov. M. Jodi Rell's veto of a minimum wage increase.

It marked the second time that the General Assembly has overturned one of the Republican governor's vetoes.

The override will ensure that the current minimum hourly wage of $7.65 an hour is boosted to $8 beginning in January, and to $8.25 an hour in 2010. The change will make Connecticut's minimum wage among the nation's highest.

"It's a simple matter of equity," said Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven, saying low-wage workers need the $14 weekly increase as gasoline and food prices are increasing.

House members needed a two-thirds majority - at least 101 votes - to override the veto. The final tally was 102-39.

The Senate's vote was 25-9, a one-vote margin above the minimum 24 votes needed for the override. Both votes were mostly along party lines.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Washington currently has the highest minimum wage rate, at $8.07 an hour. Of Connecticut's neighbors, the minimum wage is $8 in Massachusetts, $7.40 in Rhode Island and $7.15 in New York.

An estimated 65,000 workers in the state receive the minimum wage.

Rell, who supported past minimum wage increases, called Monday's veto override "a seriously shortsighted decision" that will hurt small businesses during a difficult economic period.

"Even as the national economic picture continues to darken, the legislature has opted to further cloud Connecticut's business environment," she said.

Most of Rell's GOP colleagues agreed.

"Please, before you cast your vote on this bill, think about what you're doing," pleaded state Rep. Anthony D'Amelio, R-Waterbury, who also owns a small business. "What you're doing actually is hurting the people you're trying to help."

D'Amelio predicted that businesses will cut workers' hours to cover the pay increase.

Some Democrats called the Republicans' concerns a red herring. Senate President Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, said similar dire predictions were made when lawmakers increased the wage in the past, but they never came true.

Sister Teresa Fonti, co-director of the House of Bread soup kitchen in Hartford, said she's seeing more poor people with jobs seeking assistance.

"Obviously, this salary is not getting them through the week," she said.

Democratic leaders initially were unsure how many legislators would attend Monday's veto session because of summer vacations and work schedules.

By ADAM COHEN
Published: June 17, 2008

NY TIMES

At the height of the Great Depression, industry convinced President Franklin Roosevelt and Congress to enact a law allowing companies to collude to drive up prices. To balance out this giveaway to big business, the law gave workers something that they had long been  fighting for: the first federal minimum wage.

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the National Industrial Recovery Act — which Roosevelt signed June 16, 1933, at the end of his famous first 100 days — and of the federal minimum wage.

....{snip}....
 ensuring that people who work hard can achieve a reasonable standard of living.

....{snip}....

The minimum wage continues to have powerful enemies. Businesses that pay low wages lobby strongly against increases, arguing that they cause jobs to disappear. The Bush administration has been hostile.  When Elaine Chao was nominated to be the next labor secretary, she called for states to be able to opt out of the federal minimum wage — which would destroy the whole idea of a national minimum wage.

....{snip}....

 the minimum wage — which reaches $7.25 an hour in 2009 — is still far below where it was in the 1960s, in real dollars.
....{snip}....

The minimum wage can play a vital role in lifting hard-working families above the poverty line. But as Roosevelt understood, it is also about something larger: what kind of country America wants to be.
"A self-supporting and self-respecting democracy," he said in the Congressional message that accompanied the Fair Labor Standards Act, can plead "no economic reason for chiseling workers' wages."

--
Help for Eureka's Working Poor:

http://eurekaworkers.org
http://highboldtage.com

Clarke Plaza, Saturday June 14th, Signature Gather, Free Concert, Living Wage  

 
Hello Friends,

I will be out gathering signatures in the area of Clarke Plaza at 3rd and E Streets in Eureka tomorrow, saturday June 14th form noon til 2 pm.  There will be live music there.

I will be gathering signatures for both the Eureka Fair Compensation Act ( a $10.00 an hour minimum wage that is desperately needed by our working people) and for the Eureka Youth Protection Act (to end themilitary recruitment of our children under 18 in Eureka.)  Our
brothers and sisters in Arcata have already validated their initiative and we need to do the same.

Please come join me if you wish to become involved.  We need unpaid volunteers that can spend 2 to 3 hours per week gathering signatures in public spaces.  You must be a registered voter within the Eureka city limits to gather signatures, though others may help us in other
ways.

thank you and have a peaceful day,
Bill

PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND COMRADES IN EUREKA

Below is a story of interest to the living wage movement:
http://highboldtage.wordpress.com/2008/06/13/court-cintas-corp-ignored-hayward-living-wage-laws/

Court: Cintas Corp. ignored Hayward work laws
Tyche Hendricks, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, June 13, 2008

In a precedent-setting ruling for cities across California, a state appeals court this week upheld Hayward's living wage ordinance as constitutional and ordered Cintas Corp., a laundry business that had contracted with the East Bay city, to pay $1.4 million in back wages, interest and penalties to 219 workers.

--
Help for Eureka's Working Poor:

http://eurekaworkers.org
http://highboldtage.com

Is a vegan lifestyle really a “cruelty free” lifestyle? Why is it so easy to prioritize cruelty inflicted on animals over cruelty inflicted on brown people? Why can people list a whole litany of wrongs committed against animals by the food industry–but at the same time those people “never really thought” about what happens to the workers?

As a person of color, a Mexican, a Mexican who virtually all my relatives built their houses and everything else they have by working in the fields and bodegas, and most recently a vegan, I have worked/lived/loved  with farm workers. Some of then are vegetarian or vegan. And it's not easy to prioritize cruetly against animals over brown people-but there shouldn't be a reason to prioritize, to say one is more important than the other. Many many of the activists I know who work for social justice, work for immigrations rights, work for worker's rights, are against the border wall; are veg*ns. Yes I do agree, like a friend once told me when I was complaining about an awards ceremony to look at gorillas at a zoo that was part of a human trafficking conference, everyone does not see the connections like I do.  But  I will not continue to inflect pain and shed blood on animals because I cannot stop the cruelty against workers.  I gave up  meat, simply enough, because I felt it was violent. A few years ago, I took an oath to live a non-violent life as part of the 100 days of fasting: a response to the Minutemen's presence in the Rio Grande Valley, organized by LUPE (La Union del Pueblo Entero, founded by Cesar Chavez in 1989.  I often thought of what that meant, being a survivor of domestic violence, in an overly oppressive culture where even being a feminist or calling oneself a Chicana gave you dirty looks. And I also thought of Cesar Chavez, his commitment to workers, to the people, and his decision to become a vegetarian which lasted the last 25 years of his life. He saw the connections between violence against animals and violence against people, he saw the cruelty in both the  animals he chose not to kill to eat and the treatment of farmworkers.  (Take that people who say I'm not a real Mexican because I'm veg*n)

But I don't have to name famous activists who see the intersection, Vicki "Hasta La Vicktoria", radical childcare extraordinary xicana activist & friend, is an ethical vegan, volunteer for  the CIW and along with alot of radial cool feminist vegans (how many adjectives can I use?) have taken part in the local boycotts along with CIW. Most, if not all, of the events I have organized or helped organize (Mujerfest, Voices Against Violence Vigil, Homenaje a Nuestras Muertas, RGV Zine/DIY fest) provide cruelty free food.

BFP asks:

Can I bring myself to say with a straight face that I no longer eat meat because I care about ending violence against animals?

I can say with a straight face that I do not eat meat because I an non-violent, because I truly care about ending violence-I can say in society, I can say in my community, but I'll say that I want to end violence within my own family.

How do I make eating vegan/vegetarian a political choice about liberation without making the sacrifice one set of beings make with their bodies more important than another set of beings?

I don't think we have to make that choice.

**

I never wanted to call myself a vegan because I didn't want to be labeled, didn't want to be seen as "hardcore", didn't want to be compared/aligned with hardcore vegans I have known and because I thought it would be difficult being working poor/being Mexican and being a single parent with no time ever ever to eat veg*n. I gave up cheese after being vegetarian for a while (being lactose intolerant I had already stopped eating anything diary) like Joselle did at Mutual Menu, because of the feeling of revulsion. And for the longest time I simply said, I don't eat meat, then I don't eat meat or any meat by products then I don't eat meat, byproducts or dairy, and yes that includes butter (I honestly didn't know butter was a dairy).

I've talked before on how growing up meat was a luxury. Meat was for special occasions. At family gatherings, the fajitas, cabrito was for the men. At birthday parties, you knew the family had money if they were serving carne guisada or fajitas. If they served chicken, or heaven forbid, tuna sandwiches, you knew they were working it. My mom would buy those 5 pound tubes of ground beef and would work that baby for two weeks for a family of six, using smallest possible amount and still have meat for dinner because it was a status-we have meat to eat for dinner, we are not starving. We are making the food stamps last. We are working it. If lunch or dinner was rice and beans, it was because we couldn't afford meat, because it was all we had. If we were having rice or arroz con leche three times a day, it was because we were running low on food and back then the government still gave out these big boxes of powdered milk that lasted forever. And thank the heavens for those big blocks of cheese that feed us for weeks.

So it only follows that it was a hard decision to say I will no longer eat meat.  Was I crazy? How many years did we wish to eat meat, to have that "status" to only go back to eating poor? When the meat was given to the older brothers/cousins/uncles already setting up the connections in my mind at 12, how could I go along with it willingly at 25?? I was met with crazy stares from family; coworkers said I had gone "radical" and "hardcore." My son's father told me, and continues to tell me, that I "better not be turning his son vegetarian*" because he is Mexican and has to eat meat to be big and strong. (*I note that it sounds almost homophobic in nature).

**

I promise this post has an end.

As many women probably do, I had an eating disorder for most of my teen and adult life. Food was the enemy I could not get away from. Friends have told me that veganism is just another eating disorder, or a way to frame an eating disorder to appear acceptable.  I can honestly say that for me, it's not a form of e.d. While being a vegetarian/vegan I have never binged and/or purged on meat products. I do realize that this can be true for others, or to slip means to eat meat or meat by-products being part of their e.d. and I understand that this is part of living w/ an e.d. I cannot say I haven't slipped since I became veg*n, but not on meat products and that it, for me, is not used to mask an eating disorder.  What I'm trying to say also is that it was  difficult on the level of food being central to my emotional stability, mental health and depression. What I am NOT trying to say is that veg*nism "cured" me or that I no longer think I suffer from e.d. since I stopped eating meat, because that is simply not true. These choices are not easy ones. They are built on one another, and I understand the difficulty in working out all the sides. And yes yes yes veg*nism and vegetarianism was only one layer of the long (life long?) healing process for me.

*I feel like I am exposing alot of myself in this post and I retain the right to take this post off, or delete it. You can contact me at noemi.mtz at gmail. I will not respond to hate emails.

You are invited to join the Eureka Living Wage Discussion at Yahoogroups!

You may join by visiting the groups web address at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LivingWageEureka

and click the "join" link or you can subscribe via email by sending a blank email to :

livingwageeureka-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

and then reply to the confirmation email.  Anonymous email subscriptions are fine. 

Group Email Addresses

Josephine Cage, who fillets fish, said her 30-mile commute from Tchula to Isola in her 1998 Ford Escort four days a week is costing her $200 a month, or nearly 20 percent of her pay. "I make it by the grace of God," she said, and also by replacing meat at supper with soups and green beans and broccoli. She fills her car a little bit every day, because "I can't afford to fill it up. Whatever money I have, I put it in."

Sure, people are adapting, and that's very good. Abandoning their gas guzzling old trucks, eating less meat, going out less, carpooling, cutting down on purchases, cutting down work days, moving to jobs closer to home. What infuriates me is the indifference from the powers in charge, who are doing nothing to minimize their citizens' pain. Mostly, I want to see bus routes set in place, so that life does not become so hard on Josephine and her family. Is that too much to ask?

Do you own a business in Eureka and do you already pay your employees $10.00 an hour or more?  We know that many local businesses already pay their employees a decent wage.  If you do, please let us know and we will happily plug your business on one of our websites for free. 
WE THE PEOPLE  behind the drive to raise the minimum wage in Eureka SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES. 
Although this ordinance is obviously designed to help our low paid brothers and sisters we believe that it will benefit local businesses as well because it will put more money in the hands of YOUR CUSTOMERS.  Wages paid locally STAY LOCAL. It will discourage big box retailers from coming here.  It will force large national chains to pay wages competitive to what you are paying now.  It will raise sales tax revenue for the city.  Your employees will be happier.

In addition to featuring your business on our website we also have window placards available for you to display.

You can find more information on the Eureka Fair Compensation Act and
the Living Wage Movement at the following sites:

http://fairchance.us
http://eurekaworkers.org
http://highboldtage.com

You can contact us at fairchance@fairchance.us or bill@eurekaworkers.org

Please feel free to forward this email  to your contacts in Eureka who may find it of interest.

Have a peaceful day,
Bill

bill@hippiemail.com

INITIATIVE MEASURE TO BE SUBMITTED DIRECTLY TO THE VOTERS

The City Attorney of Eureka has prepared the following title and summary of the chief purpose and points of the proposed measure:

AN INITIATIVE TO ESTABLISH A MINIMUM WAGE FOR ALL EMPLOYEES WORKING IN THE CITY OF EUREKA

If approved by the voters, this initiative would enact an ordinance requiring most employers to pay a special higher minimum wage for employees working within the geographical boundaries of the City of Eureka. Beginning on January 1, 2009, that wage would be not less than $10.00-per-hour. Beginning January 1, 2010, that wage would be tied to go up with any increases in the California state minimum wage (currently $8.00-per-hour), plus $2.00-per-hour. Non-profit corporations and businesses that employ fewer than ten persons during a given week would be required to pay employees $9.00-per-hour beginning January 1, 2009; $9.50-per-hour beginning January 1, 2010; and $10.00-per-hour beginning January 11, 2011. The ordinance, if approved, would be implemented and enforced by the City of Eureka's Community Development Department, which would have the ability to levy administrative citations against employers found to be in violation of the ordinance. Additionally, the ordinance would be subject to civil enforcement by the City Attorney or any qualified members of the public. All or any portion of the ordinance would not apply to employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement with differing terms. The ordinance would require all employers to post, in a conspicuous place, the current minimum wage rate and the employees' rights under the ordinance, with a translation in any other language spoken by at least five percent of the employees at the workplace or job site. The ordinance would also require employers to retain payroll records for a period of four years and provide for inspections of those records. The ordinance would also prohibit retaliation by any employer against any employee for exercising his or her rights under the ordinance.

Do you work in Eureka?  Are your LOW WAGES getting you down?  There is a petition you can sign that will raise the minimum wage in Eureka to $10.00 per hour if it reaches the ballot and if it is passed by the voters.

If you want to sign look for us in OLD  TOWN Eureka during Arts Alive this Saturday.  You can also sign at Hasbeans on Friday and Saturday from 4 to 6 pm.

You can find more information on the Eureka Fair Compensation Act and the Living Wage Movement at the following sites:

http://fairchance.us
http://eurekaworkers.org
http://highboldtage.com

You can contact us at fairchance@fairchance.us or bill@eurekaworkers.org

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO CIRCULATE PETITIONS!  You must be a registered voter in Eureka City limits and prepared to work 2 to 4 hours per week gathering signatures.  Thank you.  The success of this action depends upon YOU.

INITIATIVE MEASURE TO BE SUBMITTED DIRECTLY TO THE VOTERS

The City Attorney of Eureka has prepared the following title and summary of the chief purpose and points of the proposed measure:

AN INITIATIVE TO ESTABLISH A MINIMUM WAGE FOR ALL EMPLOYEES WORKING IN THE CITY OF EUREKA

   If approved by the voters, this initiative would enact an ordinance requiring most employers to pay a special higher minimum wage for employees working within the geographical boundaries of the City of Eureka. Beginning on January 1, 2009, that wage would be not less than $10.00-per-hour. Beginning January 1, 2010, that wage would be tied to go up with any increases in the California state minimum wage (currently $8.00-per-hour), plus $2.00-per-hour. Non-profit corporations and businesses that employ fewer than ten persons during
a given week would be required to pay employees $9.00-per-hour beginning January 1, 2009; $9.50-per-hour beginning January 1, 2010; and $10.00-per-hour beginning January 11, 2011.
   The ordinance, if approved, would be implemented and enforced by the City of Eureka's Community Development Department, which would have the ability to levy administrative citations against employers
found to be in violation of the ordinance. Additionally, the ordinance would be subject to civil enforcement by the City Attorney or any
qualified members of the public.
   All or any portion of the ordinance would not apply to employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement with differing terms.
   The ordinance would require all employers to post, in a conspicuous place, the current minimum wage rate and the employees' rights under the ordinance, with a translation in any other language spoken by at least five percent of the employees at the workplace or job site. The ordinance would also require employers to retain payroll records for a period of four years and provide for inspections of those records. The ordinance would also prohibit retaliation by any employer against any employee for exercising his or her rights under
the ordinance.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO A FRIEND IN EUREKA.

HAVE A PEACEFUL DAY,

BILL

City of Vallejo's $100K-plus Earners

Bill & Jimmie & Critter live at Hasbeans Eureka on 2nd St. down from the courthouse Friday and Saturday 4 til 6 PM.   Acoustic folk/country/rock/pop.  Well we try;

Enjoy.

Free Democracy.

Come down and sign the Eureka Fair Compensation Act to raise the minimum wage in Eureka to $10.00 an hour, and/or sign the Youth Protection Act intitiative that would ban military recruitment of children under 18 in Eureka.

Enjoy

Two Dollar Coffee!

Enjoy

Help for Eureka's Working Poor:

http://eurekaworkers.org

Second issue in that same line is why the fuckin' secrecy? Specially the media, why the fuckin' lying? If you say something, better say something truthful so that we can believe your source, otherwise forget it. Everybody though it was only a minor stoke to then be more worried when it was really a deadly dissease. Not only this news, other news are either exagerated, manipulated or even falsely enhanced so you can cry, laugh and even get angry at the wrong guy. Reporter's credibility at CNN are fucked up!

My condolences to Edward Kennedy and his family... but once again "AT LEAST HE HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE" and have all the best care by prominent doctors in this nation. I just wish these prominent doctors will treat my sister-in-law and many more who are the working poor.

Living-wage proponents have long maintained that paying workers enough to meet their basic expenses in the local economy is ultimately good for businesses as well. Now, with the issue gaining traction here, a small but growing number of employers are taking the pledge and getting certified by Just Economics, a local nonprofit, says staffer Sarah Osmer.

Launched in March, the free, voluntary program has certified 38 businesses, nonprofits, churches and other employers (see sidebar, “Certified"). For businesses, says Osmer, the biggest immediate payback is the ability to market themselves as a responsible and sustainable employer in a city filled with discriminating consumers. Employers needing time to reach the appropriate wage levels can get probationary certification that gives them two years, with benchmarks to be met along the way.

more:

http://urlet.com/strange.modern

The General Assembly of the Humboldt Green Party endorsed the Eureka Fair Compensation Act and a $10.00 an hour minimum wage in Eureka by voice assent on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at their meeting in Arcata. Social Justice is one of the pillars of the Green Party and I and the Alliance for a Fair Chance thank the Green Party of Humboldt County for their support.

We will work together for a brighter future for Eureka and Humboldt County.

Green Party of Humboldt County:
http://www.humboldtgreens.org/

Vote for a Fair & Compassionate Wage in Eureka!

If adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage of 1995 would now be over $10.00 per hour. The people of Eureka have the right to set a higher standard and recognize the value of labor in our community, especially in the face of insufficient action by career politicians in Sacramento and Washington. This small incremental minimum wage increase to $10.00 an hour encourages more people to enter gainful employment, which reduces demands upon local social service agencies and saves taxpayer money. Raising the minimum wage will make small, local businesses more competitive with big box retailers.

Minimum wage earners shop local! Increasing their pay increases the prosperity of local businesses as well as sales tax revenue. Minimum wage earners spend nearly all of their income, making these dollars immediately circulate in the local economy, which means more successful businesses and more jobs for Eureka.

The Eureka Fair Compensation Act will mandate that our minimum wage workers share in a small way in the community's prosperity through a $10.00 minimum wage. We will pass this Act of Fairness and Compassion and we will be rightfully proud of our city once again.

El Acto de Compensacion Justa en Eureka $10.00 per hour / por hora.

Ayuda a nuestro/a's trabajadore's!

Vota por un Saldo de Vida (living wage)!! $10.00 per hour / por hora.

El Acto de Compensacion Justa en Eureka
(The Eureka Fair Compensation Act)

Después de ajustes a causa de inflación, el salario mínimo basado en su estancia desde 1995 ahora fuese mas de $10.00 la hora. Levantar el salario mínimo alentara a mas gente a entrar un trabajo con beneficios y reducirá la demanda puesta en las agencias locales de servicios sociales. Levantar el salario mínimo ayudara a los negocios locales competir con almacenes de cadena (también conocidos como super-centros) . Trabajadores de Salario mínimo compran en negocios locales, el levantar de el salario levantara la prosperidad de los negocios locales y al igual los impuestos locales se levantaran. Trabajadores de salario mínimo gastan casi 100% de sus ingresos, estos dolares circularan y estimularan la economía con un efecto múltiples. El Acto de Compensacion Justa en Eureka exigirá que nuestros trabajadore’s compartan en una manera pequeña nuestra prosperidad.

Have a peaceful day,
Bill Holmes

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Help for Eureka's Working Poor:

http://eurekaworkers.org
http://fairchance.us
http://highboldtage.com

Renata Stiehl

New York
May 21, 2008

Most people think of a minimum wage worker as a teenager working after school or someone who picks up a second job for some extra cash. But that's often not the case. There are many adults right here in the Twin Tiers living on minimum wage. I tried it for a week, to see what they have to go through.

http://urlet.com/workers.reached

Editor, the Record:

A few months ago you ran a story entitled "Few Monroe homes in reach of working class," which suggested that many working professionals can't afford to live here.

If professionals such as teachers, police officers, and nurses can't afford Monroe County, what about workers who earn less than a living wage?

MORE:

http://urlet.com/voted.fulfilled