Expanding Health Coverage in Maine with Federal Funds Will Boost the Economy

Expanding health coverage with federal funds will create economy-boosting jobs in states that most need them, according to a new report by the Alliance for a Just Society. The report comes as state legislators debate adopting the Medicaid expansion authorized by the Affordable Care Act. “This report shows that Medicaid expansion will not only expandContinue reading “Expanding Health Coverage in Maine with Federal Funds Will Boost the Economy”

Stronger Together: Rural Communities Ready for Immigration Reform

Last fall, in the final push to convince legislators to pass immigration reform – voices that had so far been quiet, spoke up. They were dairymen, potato growers, and ranchers and business owners. They are the voices of rural America. Small towns and rural communities are the heart and soul of our country. They areContinue reading “Stronger Together: Rural Communities Ready for Immigration Reform”

Alliance On Stage With Pelosi and Raise the Wage

The work of Alliance for a Just Society was very much in evidence earlier this month when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Labor Secretary Tom Perez held a press conference calling for passage of legislation to raise the federal minimum wage. The legislation, endorsed by the Alliance, would bring the hourly minimum wage upContinue reading “Alliance On Stage With Pelosi and Raise the Wage”

Living Wage: A New Battle in the War on Poverty

Fifty years after President Lyndon Johnson announced a War on Poverty in America, more than 46.5 million people in our country, about one out of every seven, still struggle to get enough to eat or have a place to live. The U.S. Census Bureau shows that for people of color, the poverty rate is evenContinue reading “Living Wage: A New Battle in the War on Poverty”

Changes in Rules Mean Big Wins for the Alliance

Conservative intransigence — on issues as wide-ranging as appointing a permanent nominee for the Federal Housing and Finance Authority (FHFA) to implementing key components of the Dodd Frank Financial Reform law — prompted Sen. Harry Reid and Senate Democrats to change the Senate rules around cloture. Previously requiring a threshold of 60 to proceed withContinue reading “Changes in Rules Mean Big Wins for the Alliance”

Sins of Omission Hurt Workers of Color

The U.S. has made a dangerous shift to a low-wage economy where people of color disproportionately hold low-wage jobs. Coupled with an expanding Job Gap in many states, Jobs created by infrastructure investments generally pay relatively well and are accessible to individuals without a college education. Adhering to federal contracting rules and can ensure an increaseContinue reading “Sins of Omission Hurt Workers of Color”

The Realpolitics of Baker, Montana: Grassroots and Integrity Move the Local Elections

  By Sheena Rice, Montana Organizing Project. (posted by David Fleishman) Depending on whom you ask, Baker Montana is either in the middle of nowhere or in the middle of the everything. Although for the answer to be the latter, you would need to be asking someone from Baker. A community of 1,800, Baker isContinue reading “The Realpolitics of Baker, Montana: Grassroots and Integrity Move the Local Elections”