http://www.progressivestates.org/dispatch [1] Thursday, October 19, 2006In Today's Dispatch:
Valuing Families"Survey says!" Americans are uneasy about health costs and want solutionsAmericans are increasingly uneasy about high health care costs and are uncertain of their families' ability to afford health insurance, according to the Health Care in America 2006 Survey [7]. The telephone survey of 1,201 Americans was conducted in September by the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation [8], ABC News [9], and USA Today [10]. 80% of respondents said they are dissatisfied with the total cost of health care in the US, which is expected to hit $2.2 trillion this year. Underscoring America's sense of unease, the survey found that 6 in 10 Americans with insurance are worried about their ability to afford coverage over the next 5 years. But, as the survey shows, Americans are being adversely affected by high costs right now:
With state and federal elections less than three weeks away, voters are looking for solutions. The survey shows that Americans expect government to have an active role in expanding health coverage and controlling costs:
To control costs, 62% say government regulations of health care costs would be effective in keeping costs down. When asked to identify the leading culprits in rising costs, 50% of respondents cited the profits of drug and insurance companies. In a rebuke to the conservative push for "consumer driven" or "patient driven" health plans [11] as a way to reduce costs, 66% of respondents said they do not support high deductible catastrophic health plans paired with consumer-invested health care spending accounts, like Health Savings Accounts. The survey shows that Americans are looking for solutions and are willing to tackle America's cost crisis. An important "take away" for policymakers is that whoever is elected on November 7th, voters are demanding real change. Growing EconomyCA & WA: Breaking the Oil AddictionBy voting for Proposition 87, California voters have the opportunity to join a growing number of states in investing in clean energy. Backing the proposition are more than just environmental groups. Unions, civil rights organizations, health workers, and many others have joined [12] in the fight for clean energy. The proposition [13] would tax companies drilling for oil in California and set aside the money collected in a fund for loans, grants and subsides to promote alternative fuels and more energy-efficient vehicles. In addition to the environmental benefits, it will decrease dependence [14] on foreign oil. Not surprisingly, the oil and gas industry is desperate to defeat the initiative and have spent [15] over $60 million dollars campaigning against the proposition. The amount of money the opposition is spending to defeat the bill shows that a successful clean energy proposition threatens the status quo of easy oil profits based on foreign imports. The vast majority of Americans support developing alternative energy technology and successful initiatives have passed in other states. Colorado was the first state to pass an initiative requiring the use of renewable fuels as part of the energy provided. The successful initiative [16] required 10% of energy consumed to come from renewable energy sources. Environmental groups are pressing to double the amount this year. A cost benefit analysis [17] of the measure concluded that 2,000 new jobs would be created and Colorado would receive hundreds of millions of dollars in savings, investment and income. In Washington, voters are considering a clean-energy initiative [18] that goes beyond the current Colorado requirement and calls for 15% of the power to come from clean energy by 2020. The initiative is backed [19] by a strong coalition, including U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, environmental groups, and the Washington Public Utility Districts Association. Joining the coalition are the American Lunch Association of Washington, the American Cancer Society, and the League of Women Voters. Clean energy is bringing together more than just environmentalists. Anyone concerned about health, good governance, or civil rights, just to name a few, will recognize that clean energy is an integral part of achieving these goals. Rewarding-WorkWorkers Protest Anti-Family Scheduling Policies by Wal-MartNearly 200 Wal-Mart workers spontaneously walked off the job [20] in Florida this week in response to new rules that even two department managers leading the walkout deemed "inhuman." Not only were hours cut for all full-time workers -- from 40 hours a week down to 32 hours, but employees were required to be available for any shift around the clock. Under a new computerized scheduling system, employees might have to work 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. one week and noon to 9 p.m. the next. "So workers cannot pick up their children after school everyday, and part-timers cannot keep another job because they can be called to work anytime," said Guillermo Vasquez, one of the department managers leading the protest. While top Wal-Mart spokesmen said the reduction in hours was a "mistake", they stood by the abusive scheduling system, one that is intensely anti-family but fits with a strategy outlined in a leaked memo [21] from last year, where Wal-Mart executives hope to drive out full-time workers with families who might demand decent treatment and higher wages. The Florida walk-outs are just the most visible sign of worker challenges to these abuses by Wal-Mart management. Across the country, Wal-Mart's workers have been suing the company over its illegal abuse of employees-- and they've been winning:
With Wal-Mart now being held accountable in courts for these illegal pay violations, the company's newer approach is apparently to use abusive scheduling to purposefully drive out experienced workers with family responsibilities who might demand higher pay. As we discuss in the new Valuing Families Agenda [24], our legislative agenda collaboration with MomsRising [25], one way to help preserve decent wages for employees with families is to Prohibit Discrimination against Employees with Family Responsibilities [26], provisions that few states currently have in their civil rights laws. While companies may need some flexibility in scheduling their employees, deliberately designing schedules to punish those with families should be illegal. Ending these kinds of anti-family policies by companies like Wal-Mart should be part of a pro-family agenda for every legislator and policy advocate. Research RoundupCampaign spending, cost of tax credits, enfranchising former felons, voting accessibility, decline of employer-based health care, and commutingOut of control campaign spending is enveloping state legislative races, according to a new report [27] by the National Institute on Money in State Politics, which finds that 78 legislative races in 12 states over the 2003-2004 cycle involved more than a million dollars in spending-- a total of $155 million for these races. If the state is going to hand out tax credits and deductions, policymakers should at least know who is receiving them and whether they are effective, argues New Mexico Voices for Children in a new report [28] on the need for better reporting of public revenues lost to subsidies and other forms of tax expenditures. In good news for democracy, the Sentencing Project in a new report, A Decade of Reform: Felony Disenfranchisement Policy in the United States [29], details how 16 states since 1997 have implemented policy reforms that have reduced the restrictiveness of felony disenfranchisement laws. An important concern in designing voting systems is making sure they are accessible for voters with visual, physical or other disabilities-- and the Brennan Center for Justice has released a study on The Machinery of Democracy [30] to assess options for legislators and recommend best practices in promoting accessibility. A Commonwealth Fund report [31] details how individuals are losing health insurance coverage from their employers -- and are finding few affordable options on their own as costs explode and health care consumes a rising share of family income. A Kaiser Foundation survey [32] finds that for employees with employer coverage, insurance premiums are increasing more than twice as fast as workers’ wages and overall inflation-- and high-deductible health plans are spreading. Americans are facing longer commutes, burning more fuel and commuting more between sprawling suburbs rather than between suburb and city as in the past, a new Transportation Research Board report finds [33]. Carpooling and walking to work have declined significantly in the last two decades, but transit use is gaining group in the Western states. "Survey says!" Americans are uneasy about health costs and want solutionsUSA Today, "Consumer Unease With U.S. Health Care Grows [34]" CA & WA: Breaking the Oil AddictionCalifornia: Washington: Colorado: Workers Protest Anti-Family Scheduling Policies by Wal-MartProgressive States, Prohibiting Discrimination against Employees with Family Responsibilities [26] Center for WorkLife Law, "Litigating the Maternal Wall: U.S. Lawsuits Charging Discrimination against Workers with Family Responsibilities [43]" Eye on the RightPamela Prah uncovered [44] how the far-right anti-government movement that was supposed to advance TABOR-style spending limit amendments in a host of states this year. Instead, their measures ended up fizzling out in many states. Anti-tax guru Grover Norquist, one of Jack Abramoff's best buddies and architect of the modern conservative movement, said "annoying technicalities" are responsible for his allies' inability to qualify measures. Those technicalities are what most of us call "laws." In fact, 2006 is close to a record year for the number of ballot issues going to voters, so it appears plenty of other groups handled these "technicalities" just fine. Three Steps Forward1. Legislation Offers Students Opportunity to Have a Dream [45] 2. Amid Debate Over Rights, Number of Gay Judges Rising [46] 3. Governors Race Very Competitive [47] Two Steps Back1. CA: Schwarzenegger Tries to Amend Global Warming Law By Executive Order [48] Jobs & InternshipsCheck out current opportunities with Progressive States on the Jobs & Internships Page [50]. MastheadThe Stateside Dispatch is written and edited by: SuggestionsPlease shoot me an email at msinger@progressivestates.org [51] if you have feedback, tips, suggestions, criticisms, or nominations for any of our sidebar features. Matt Singer Progressive
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