WFI Responds To Introduction Of Workforce Democracy & Fairness Act

Washington, D.C. (October 5, 2011) – The Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI) today released the following statement in response to theintroduction of the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act (H.R. 3094):

 

“We applaud the continued efforts of representatives in the U.S. House as they work to defend employee and employer rights by preventing unelected bureaucrats in the National Labor Relations Board from making radical changes to workplace rules,” said Fred Wszolek, spokesperson for the Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI).  “The Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act codifies critical freedoms workers and small business owners have earned including both free speech and choice when deciding whether to form a collective bargaining unit.  President Obama’s labor boards have demonstrated an unyielding commitment to paying back Big Labor bosses at the expense of jobs and our economy.  As a result, the actions of Congress to ensure the scales are balanced are necessary and justified, and merit the support of Democrats and Republicans alike.”

 

The Workforce Fairness Institute is an organization committed to educating voters, employers, employees and citizens about issues affecting the workplace. To learn more, please visit: http://www.workforcefairness.com.

MIT, librarians, editors look "Beyond Books: News, Literacy, Democracy & Americas Libraries" April 6-7 / Cambridge

"BEYOND BOOKS: News, literacy, democracy and America's Libraries" Assessing the common mission of journalists and librarians April 6-7, 2011 / MIT Center for Future Civic Media

REGISTER NOW:
http://www.biblionews.org

WHO'S COMING:
http://journalismthatmatters.org/biblionews/whos-coming

For three centuries, in American towns large and small, two institutions have uniquely marked a commitment to participatory democracy, learning and open inquiry - our libraries and our free press. Today, as their tools change, their common missions of civic engagement and information transparency converge. Economic and technology changes suggest an opportunity for collaboration among these two historic community information centers -- one largely public, one largely private. How?

The capability of newspapers to provide community information is declining. At the same time, informal sources of local information are rapidly increasing.

Libraries and legacy media have always shared a common purpose -- helping us acquire the information we need to be engaged, informed (and entertained) citizens. They used different tools - newspapers, broadcast stations and books. Now the tools are converging - web search, data taxonomies, database creation and analysis, social networks - as librarians and journalists together foster civic literacy and engagement.

Librarians want to expand public access to accurate information, including trustworthy local news. So do journalists. How do we expand libraries as community information centers beyond books - perhaps even beyond their four walls - facilitating and engaging with journalists? What can libraries and journalists do - together - to foster improved access to community information?

Thus, as the tools and mission converge, it's time to ask: "What's possible at the intersection of libraries and journalism that serves the information needs of communities and democracy?"

On Wednesday and Thursday, April 6 and 7, 2011, Journalism That Matters, the American Society of News Editors, the Office of Information Technology Policy of the American Library Association, the MIT Center for Future Civic Media, the Media Giraffe Project at UMass Amherst, the New England News Forum and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute invite you to join in a work session for civic information transparency that builds from and beyond books.

Via a pre-event social network, an evening agenda-setting dialogue, a day of roundtable planning and closing action commitments, we'll discover what's possible at the intersection of public spaces, open documents, citizen reporting and journalistic purpose. Among the questions we may ask:

* What does engagement mean to journalists and librarians?
* What might libraries do to facilitate community social news networks?
* Must free speech be absolute within a taxpayer-supported institution?
* How do we define the boundaries between engagement and partisanship?
* Are libraries poised to become public-access media centers as cable fades?
* Should a library operate a news collective, non-profit or citizen-journalism service?
* How can libraries help preserve a free digital information commons?

REPRESENTATIVE COLLABORATORS

Among our list of collaborators are(alpha order): Joe Bergantino (New England Center for Investigative Reporting), Jessica Durkin (New America Foundation fellow), Linda Fantin, Minnesota Public Radio's Public Insight Network, Fabrice Florin (NewsTrust), Renee Hobbs, (Temple Univ.-Media Education); Marsha Iverson (ALA and King County libraries), Library Leadership & Management Assn. (LLAMA), Alan Inouye (director, Office of Info Tech Policy, ALA), Barbara Jones (ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom); Nancy Kranich (Rutgers Univ., chair ALA Center for Public Life), Lorrie LeJeune and Andrew Whitacre (MIT C4FCM), Leigh Montgomery (SLA news-division chair-elect, Christian Science Monitor librarian), Donna Nicely (Knight Commission/Nashville Public Library), Josh Stearns (FreePress.net), Colin Rhinesmith (Univ. of Illinois) and Bill Densmore, (New England News Forum/Media Giraffe Project/Reynolds Journalism Institute).

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Email jtm@journalismthatmatters.org or call Bill Densmore at the the New England News Forum, 413-458-8001.



ALG Blasts "Gutless" Wisconsin Lawmakers for Fleeing State, Urges State Senate to Pass Right to Work Law

February 23^rd, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government (ALG) President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement condemning 14 Wisconsin State Senators for fleeing the state to avoid a vote on Governor Scott Walker's proposal to end collective bargaining for public pension and health care benefits:

"The 14 Senate Democrats have engaged in a gutless move to flee their states rather than vote up or down on Governor Walker's proposals to balance the budget.  At a bare minimum, they shouldn't be paid.  But if a quorum cannot be reached to work on budget matters, which requires 20 members be present, then Senate Republicans will have to consider other options.

"The Wisconsin Senate, of course, could move forward with a quorum of 17 to pursue legislation minus any budget items.  They should put a straight right-to-work law on the table, which would give all workers in the state the option of whether they want to join a union or not.  They could move it to the floor and have it on the calendar, and then adjourn for a day.  The delinquent 14 Senate Democrats would probably come scurrying back rather quickly to try to defeat the measure.

"But if they did not, Senate Republicans could be even more aggressive with more legislation: lower Medicaid eligibility requirements, saving the state tens of millions of dollars, roll back authorizations for entire departments, enact a sunset rule on all regulations issued by the state government, and require that all regulations that affect more than 50 people be approved by the state legislature.  These are all items Senate Democrat would want to be there to try to stop.

"Ultimately, these 14 faithless senators need to get back to work on the budget.  If Senate Republicans move aggressively, the 'Delinquent 14' can be made to meet their obligations."

Sam Adams Alliance - Engaging Democracy: America's Next Generation, Part I

new podcast from SAM

This campaign season, both the Left and Right claim to have cornered what's best for future generations. We thought the best way to explore what's really best for the next generation was to talk directly to some young people who have a special interest in that topic. To do this, we connected with the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration, and talked to members of their national youth leadership committee. The result is a two-part Engaging Democracy podcast on America's next generation: the students, workers and newsmakers who will inherit tomorrow's USA.   Listen to part I here, or visit the Engaging Democracy page for more podcasts.



Daily News from the Veterans Today Network

Gordon Duff
MARINE VET TALKS ABOUT 9/11 AND AMERICA'S ROLE
IN THE WORLD
The World According to Ken O'Keefe
.............An Amazing Video
My good friend and fellow Veterans Today staff writer, Ken O'Keefe, gives his views on America's role in the world and how media manipulation is destroying, not only the American democracy, but endangering the world.
Read and Watch Video >>>


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