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February 18, 2012 Educational Forum: Income Inequalities

We've Been Robbed:
Charting America’s Road to Economic and Social Justice

The forum is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

When
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Registration begins at 1:30 p.m.
Program begins at 2:00 p.m.

Where
Hannah Community Center
819 Abbott Road, East Lansing
Executive Conference Room (second floor, south end)

What A forum in commemoration of the United Nations' World Day of Social Justice, brought to the tri-county community by Capital Area Progressives

Hear University of Michigan Professor Tom Weisskopf speak on the causes of the "Great Recession," including the collapse of the housing markets, the failure of financial services giants, and the extreme rise in income inequality. Professor Weisskopf will tell the eye-opening story of how they are the result of political, ideological and other human decisions -- learn what happened and why.

After a short break, there will be a workshop on engagement facilitated by Jocelyn Benson, Associate Professor of Law and Associate Director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, Wayne State University, founder and director of the Michigan Center for Election Law and Administration. You will be taught how to convey what you have learned.

Everybody Reads bookstore will have a table with hot books like Economic Collapse, Economic Change, Winner-Take-All Politics, and The Darwin Economy for more learning at home. Posters around the room will display the facts graphically. Graphs will show, for example, the steady climb of income inequality in the U.S. over 30 years in which the average income of the bottom 90% stayed flat while that of the top 1% grew astronomically. The graphs will show, too, how the rise in income inequality correlated with the decline in levels of unionization. Participants will also see that, among the world’s rich nations, the greater the degree of income inequality, the poorer is population health and the poorer is population mental health.

Presidential Caucus

For the last several Presidential elections, Michigan Democrats chose their delegates to the Democratic National Convention through a caucus system, rather than participate in a costly Presidential Primary.

Last summer, MDP chair Mark Brewer asked the Michigan Republican Party to also use the caucus system in order to save Michigan taxpayers the $10 million a Presidential Primary would cost. Not only did they not do that, the GOP-led Legislature and Governor Snyder enacted a law requiring the Democrats to participate in a Primary, whether or not they choose their delegates that way. Republican Secretary of State Ruth Johnson has placed President Obama's name on the February 28th primary ballot, and his name cannot be removed unless he, according to the new law, withdraws from the Presidential election.

This effort to create confusion has been roundly denounced by MDP Chair Mark Brewer, who will ask the Democratic State Central Committee at its February 4 meeting to allow Democrats to vote in the Primary AND the Caucus, where the real delegate selection will take place. In Eaton County, the only other issue on the February ballot is an election in Potterville. Had the Michigan Republicans agreed to use a caucus, only Potterville would have held an election next month, at a large cost savings to other Eaton County taxpayers.

The Michigan State AFL-CIO maintains a very informative Legislative News web site. Click here to see the web site and access the reports they maintain on the status of new legislation.

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