Progressive Victories in 2013

Moyer preaches to the choir (Photo credit: Clyde Bentley)

15 Wins for the Progressive Movement in 2013 (via Moyers & Company)

In politics, as in sports, you can’t win ‘em all. With a divided government and a House of Representatives firmly in the control of tea partiers, it was a tough year for progressives in Washington – one marked by the painful cuts of sequestration…

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Georgia Asks Employers to Rat Out Job Seekers Who Fail Drug Tests

Master Sgt. Urbano Sosa demonstrates the job of an observer for a UPL collection exercise. As observer, maintaining a direct line of sight with a specimen bottle at all time helps to ensure a proper chain of custody and prevents tampering or altering of a specimen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The state of Georgia has publicized a rule asking employers to tattle on unemployed job seekers who test positive for drug use when applying for work. The Georgia Department of Labor rule is the latest in a flurry of state programs that impose drug tests on safety net applicants and sanctions on those who fail the tests. The Georgia rule was prominently featured on the state’s Department of Labor’s website last week.*

As I wrote last month, the problem of jobless folks abusing drugs is a concocted one that works to stigmatize the safety net programs so that they can be undercut. In an interview with Colorlines.com, the Georgia Department of Labor said it did not collect data on the number of people who have previously been booted off the jobless rolls for drug use. 

Drug testing policies have been all the rage among conservative legislators since the start of the recession. At least 30 states considered bills in the last year that would have had unemployment or welfare applicants peeing in a cup. 

In April, Georgia passed a law requiring all welfare applicants to take a drug test. A similar law passed by the Florida legislature last year was struck down as unconstitutional in a federal court, but Georgia lawmakers refused to heed the warnings and passed the law anyway. The welfare law will go into effect on July 1

Read More

Related articles

• Georgia Drug Testing Policy Not Catching Jobless Druggies So Far

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• Georgia Asks Employers to Rat Out Job Seekers Who Fail Drug Tests

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• Georgia testing policy not catching 'jobless druggies' so far

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• Georgians who fail drug test could lose unemployment benefits

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SB 1070: High court has already decided, but process maintains suspense

Minneapolis protest against Arizona immigrant law SB 1070 (Photo credit: Fibonacci Blue)

The U.S. Supreme Court might issue its opinion on Arizona's controversial immigration law, Senate Bill 1070, as early as Monday. Or next Thursday. Or, heck, maybe sometime in July.

Despite what you may have heard, nobody knows for sure.

So, as they have for weeks, folks with a stake or keen interest in the ruling -- politicians, immigration advocates and, yes, journalists -- will fire up their computers at exactly 7 a.m. Arizona time to see if today's the day.

So what's the holdup?But here's the thing: The Supreme Court already has decided the case, and they likely did so two months ago.

There's plenty of politics involved in writing, negotiating and tweaking that opinion. And while nobody -- or at least nobody willing to talk openly -- knows what's happening with the SB 1070 case behind the Supreme Court's closed doors, we do have a general understanding of the justices' process.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/2012/06/18/20120618sb-1070-high-court-already-decided-process-maintains-suspense.html#ixzz1yWLPnZDn

Related articles

• SB1070 ruling could come Thursday

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• Undocumented parents prepare to leave American-born children behind

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• AZ awaits court ruling on SB 1070

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• Jan Brewer: Immigration announcement was a "pre-emptive strike" against SCOTUS SB 1070 decision

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• Gov. Jan Brewer Issues Executive Order Ahead of SB 1070 Decision

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SEIU Launches Largest Field Campaign In Union's History For 2012 Election

SEIU Members and Volunteers Will Target Communities of Color, Working Families and Union Households to Win Presidential and Down-Ballot Races

Stern & Burger join union members in ABA march (Photo credit: SEIU International)

Washington, DC--(ENEWSPF)--June 19, 2012.  The Service Employee's International Union (SEIU), the nation's fastest growing union with 2.1 million members, today is launching the largest and most-targeted political field campaign in the union's 91-year history to re-elect President Obama and win other key elections in eight battleground states.

The union will be targeting union and non-union members--with an emphasis on African American and Latino communities, younger voters, union households and other working people--on an unprecedented scale. By Election Day, the SEIU field campaign intends to connect with voters by making 13 million phone calls, knocking on more than 3 million doors and holding more than 1 million conversations across the country, with the majority of the work focused in Colorado, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.

"Our boots-on-the-ground effort will be bold and targeted," said Eliseo Medina, SEIU International Secretary Treasurer. "Far too much is at stake this election cycle. We are using our human and capital resources to stand by candidates who will stand up for working people and not return the country to failed policies of the past. We know our communities can make a difference when they go to the polls."

The field campaign is part of SEIU's broad political program, which includes aggressive paid and volunteer GOTV efforts; large-scale civic engagement initiatives with community partners in the African American and Latino communities; major paid media campaigns; and coordinated voter education and voter protection programs to inform people of their rights. The political program's goal is to elect candidates who support working people and the 99% agenda: create good jobs here at home, rebuild an economy where everyone pays their fair share, invest in healthcare and other services for those in need and create a fair pathway to citizenship for every immigrant worker.

The launch of the SEIU field program comes on the heels of a joint SEIU/Priorities USA Action $4 million Spanish-language TV and radio ad campaign in Colorado, Florida and Nevada. An ad released yesterday as part of that campaign features Mitt Romney's hostile immigrant rhetoric while a round of ads released last week highlights Latinos' reactions to Romney's own words on jobs and other key issues.

To view ads launched Monday, visit: http://action.seiu.org/page/content/06152012/
To view ads launched last week, visit: http://action.seiu.org/page/content/06092012/

Related articles

• Pro-Obama super-PAC, SEIU launch $4M ad blitz targeting Latinos

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• Mitt Romney's Blunders Used Against Him In Ad Campaign Aimed At Latinos

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• SEIU Spanish-language ad appeals to Latinos, bashes Romney

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• Mitt Romney Wants Latinos to Remember Their High Unemployment Rate Under Obama

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• SEIU Passes Trans Healthcare Resolution & Builds Progressive Partnerships

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Center For Progressive Leadership 2011 Political Leaders Fellowship

The Center for Progressive Leadership is extending the application deadline for the Arizona Political Leaders Fellowship.  We have received great nominations and incredible applications, but we know that there are more determined, passionate progressive leaders out there who want to take their leadership to the next level.  Maybe it’s you or someone you know.

• Apply to be a 2011 Political Leaders Fellow
• Nominate Someone for the Program

Through training, coaching and projects, the program gives up-and-coming leaders the skills and networks they need to advance progressive political change in their communities. To find out more about the Fellowship, CLICK HERE. Take a few moments to nominate someone you believe is the kind of leader Arizona needs. If you are the kind of leader your community needs, apply now.

The new application deadline is Monday, December 13th.

Please let us know if you have any questions. Contact us at 602-254-1495 or Arizona@progressiveleaders.org.

CPL Newsletter

State Director & Vice President of all State Operations Message

Dear Alum:

Since our last alumni newsletter, there have been a lot of happenings here in CPL-Arizona and in the other states we operate in as well.

The Wisconsin office opened in early July with the hiring of Tracy Williams-Maclin as state director.  Tracy comes to CPL with a wealth of experience and expertise standing behind her.  Some of her previous positions include serving as the Senior Program Officer for the Greater Milwaukee Foundation; Director of the Office of Multicultural Relations for Cardinal Stritch University; and Assistant Director & Program Manager of Education and Training for the Milwaukee Urban League. A past fellow and graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Education Program, she most recently completed the NYU Women of Color Policy Network Fellowship. She earned her Bachelor's of Science from Northern Illinois University and her Master's of Science in business management from Cardinal Stritch University.  In addition to being engaged in a number of projects and Boards dedicated to social justice, she serves as an adjunct professor at Concordia University.  We are thrilled to have Tracy on-board and invite you to meet her if you're ever in Milwaukee.

Our recent graduating class of Fellows produced two very successful fundraising events in Phoenix and Tucson.  Christine Pelosi, daughter of Nancy Pelosi, was an excellent keynote speaker on August 5th at the Wyndham in Phoenix, with over 100 people in the room.  And Congressman Grijalva had some 60+ guests in Tucson sitting on the edge of their seats as he shared his views on the impact of the conservative right movement.  All in all, our Fellows raised almost $20,000 that will be doubled by a matching grant and applied to our scholarship and sponsorship fund.
Approximately one-third of you, our alumni, showed your support with donations and encouraging Fellows to complete their PPLPs (remember those!).  Thank you for not only supporting this fundraising project of our Fellows…but for supporting our Fellows!

As mentioned in the last newsletter, CPL implemented the first of its long-term tracking process which will be on-going.  We began with two and five year graduates of the Political Leaders Fellowship in all of our states.  Here are some of the highlights from the survey:

38% work full-time in progressive political, organizing, advocacy or policy work Nearly 50% have been actively involved in electoral campaigns (federal, state legislature and local) as a volunteer 1/3 of the alumni who participated in the survey serve in either elected or appointed leadership positions 67% are considering running for an elected office in the near future and 25% have run for office since graduating 81% say that the Fellowship had a high or very high impact on their political and leadership skills

At present, we are recruiting for Class V of the Political Leaders Fellowship; upgrading curriculum for our Local Progressive Candidate Training Program; and developing new programs that we hope to introduce in 2011 - including advance training for graduate Fellows.  We'll keep you posted.

As always, thank you all for your untiring support. 

Phoenix Based SGB Media Group Announces Major Strategic Alliances During 2nd Quarter

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Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) August 14, 2010

Phoenix based SGB Media Group's CEO and Group Publisher Stephen G. Barr announced today the formation of five new strategic business partnerships during the second quarter of 2010. Citing an avalanche of new business orders for social media marketing services and proprietary social network development.

"We've been at the social network development game now for ten years and used to have people say we were crazy and that Facebook, and Twitter were just passing fads but now we've had to outsource some of the specialty tasks to newly formed strategic alliance partners in order to keep up with demand." says Barr. Barr went on to say "Each of the new strategic alliance partners were carefully selected by myself personally as we now will be reflections of each other's brands and reputations within the business community which is something we take very seriously."

Strategic business partnerships we formed with the following entities:

talentPOD, LLC - Scottsdale, AZ - A social media marketing company that specializes in the development and ongoing administration of proprietary social networks for the nonprofit and community focused organization sectors utilizing the full capacity of cutting edge, emerging technologies benefiting local, state, national and international communities. Social relevance and impact are the cornerstones of our inspiration. Formed in 2008 by Bill Stalnaker, CEO and Joe Stalnaker, CTO and Barr now assuming the position of Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO). talentPOD, LLC has over 200 websites currently in development as well as several national accounts to be announced at the end of the third quarter.

The Prowess Group, LLC - Scottsdale, AZ - An e-commerce and venture capital group comprised of industry and community leaders with international associations for manufacturing and distribution of specialty and emerging technology products with special interest give to sustainable, environmentally friendly products. The group is aggressively seeking out "green brands" to develop and market via a state of the art shopping cart software which will also be marketed buy the group. They seek to open up new international product distribution channels to also further promote international economic recovery and cooperation. Barr is a partner and Social Media Director.

SelfSelfless, LLC - Scottsdale, AZ - Self Selfless is a channel designed to help you and your loved one enjoy a deeper level of intimacy through sexual exploration and the increased awareness, ability, and communication that sexual exploration offers. Our desire is to present you with sexual instruction and information in a respectful, sensitive, and serious manner. Think of Self Selfless as your virtual sex therapist, where your questions and concerns will be addressed with the privacy and understanding you expect and deserve. Self Selfless will provide instruction and information aimed at improving intimacy between couples as well as help you feel comfortable with yourself, your body, and your desire for physical and emotional pleasure. We want to empower you with the knowledge, confidence, and ability to engage in sexual self-pleasure and the pleasuring of another without fear or guilt, achieving a level of intimacy and passion that will resonate through all aspects of your life. Barr is a Sexpert, will host the interactive online forum as well as Social Media Director.

Dr. Alex Loyd's "The Healing Codes" - Naples, Fl - Author of the Amazon Bestseller "The Healing Codes".
The Healing Codes activate a physical function built into the body that consistently and predictably removes the #1 cause of illness and disease from the body . . . stress. A key point to remember is that our bodies are designed to maintain optimal health! Every time we have a health problem, we should be asking, “What stress is causing this and how can I eliminate it?”. Stanford University Medical School, and numerous health experts, say the number one killer on the planet is stress. Most physical and nonphysical health problems have long-term, physiological stress as their origin. The CDC also estimates that 80% of all health care dollars are spent on illnesses related to stress. Barr has assumed the position of Publicist and Social Media Director.

Webuildyoursocialmedia.com - Scottsdale, AZ - A full service social media marketing firm located in North Scottsdale. WBYSM provides live webinars and one-on-one coaching to help clients convert their prospects to loyal customers. People are choosing to work with people they are "connected" to.Their goal is to help the small business entrepreneur achieve measurable success in the Social Media era and part of their team is comprised of developers and designers. This gives them the unique ability to develop state of the art blogs, websites, Facebook applications, widgets and more. Barr will be Senior Business Development Officer.

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via prweb.com

Posted via email from The Social Media Marketing Report