American homeowners continued to lose a great deal of wealth – $192.6 billion – due to the foreclosure crisis in 2012, and those losses had a disproportionate impact on people of color.
Donate
Take These Chains Off My CPI (Consumer Price Index)
The deficit crowd cheered when the President included a concept called “Chained CPI” in his 2014 Budget. This is a proposal to change the way the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is calculated. This change is about as wonky as wonk-dome can get, but here’s a try. Currently the CPI grows based on overall increases in the cost of goods. The Continue reading
Tax Havens for Big Business? Small Business Owners Say ‘Not so fast’
Multi-Partisan small business owners spoke out earlier this month, further distinguishing their interests from those of Big Business. Wednesday, in his post “Has the Budget Crisis Du Jour Got You Down?” Bill Daley pointed out that if Congress were to close one tax loophole on offshore accounts, it could be enough to create a ‘job stimulus’ program the country has Continue reading
Introducing Chain of Title in Colorado and other Protections for Homeowners.
A term that apparently means nothing to the banks of Colorado and the Alliance affiliate, Colorado Progressive Coalition is set to make the banks understand just what that phrase means. But for homeowners: it means a lot more. A chain of title is the sequence of historical transfers of title to a property. The “chain” runs from the present owner Continue reading
What's Happening
Wasted Wealth Report
The foreclosure crisis destroyed wealth on a large scale in 2012– with a greater erosion of wealth in communities of color.”
Data show profound disparities in the rate of lost wealth in communities of color in a nationwide report “Wasted Wealth” authored by the Alliance for a Just Society.
Read the full report and see 17 city break out reports at www.wastedwealthreport.com
With our Partners Home Defenders League and the New Bottom Line we are pushing this data into the mainstream to drive home the reality that the foreclosure crisis is not over.
You can also download the national report here: Wasted.Wealth_NATIONAL“
Daley’s View: Mission Achieved: Deficits Falling, Health Costs Slowing!
We should take a moment to open our ears to the crooning of conservatives, in particular to their repeated incantation that we have to cut healthcare spending in order to cut the debt. Continue reading
Poll Finds African Americans Support Immigration Reform
Just some of the findings in a poll of 805 African Americans.
Margin of error +/-3.5%.
On May 1, 2013, Lake Research Partners released its recent polling results on attitudes toward immigration among African Americans and found that 70% of Black voters support a proposal that includes a roadmap to citizenship. Continue reading
Colorado: Judge Rules that Homeowner Has the Right to Fight Impending Foreclosure…in this case.
A win for homeowners in Colorado! Alliance affiliate Colorado Progressive Coalition has been working for two years to pass “Show Me the Note” legislation, which forces banks to prove they own the deed to a home before they can foreclose on it. On Monday, U.S. District Judge, William Martinez, ruled that the unsworn testimony of an attorney for a foreclosing party was not enough to foreclose on Lisa Brumfiel, of Colorado. Continue reading
Maine Mothers, Children Visit Sen. Collins in Support of Immigration Reform
Maine mothers and their children visited the office of Senator Collins in Portland to deliver a crucial message to Maine’s Senior Senator: No mother in this country should have to worry about having her family torn apart by our broken immigration system.
Maine People’s Action and its members are actively fighting for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. They recently held a rally on May Day, and have been successfully placing grassroots voices in front of elected officials.
May Day Immigration Actions Sent Clear Message to Congress
Last Wednesday, the nation celebrated May Day, and for the seventh consecutive year immigrant rights and immigration reform were the focus. Immigration Reform has taken on new life as the Senate, the President and the people of this country take bold steps toward fixing a broken immigration system. Our nation cannot keep 11 million people living in fear.
Summer 2013 Public Policy Internships
Now accepting applications for Alliance Summer internships.
An internship with the Alliance is an opportunity to expand your horizons, on issues — like social justice, income inequality, health care access, and immigration — that impact millions. Interns will have the chance to work on important, tangible public policy products that will have immediate impacts. Continue reading
New Bottom Line’s 16-Month Campaign Takes Giant Step Forward To Removing:
“The biggest roadblock to our country’s economic recovery”
Re-Posted with permission from The New Bottom Line
Since early 2012, New Bottom Line has driven the campaign to get President Obama to dump Ed DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Today, the organization celebrated the news that the president finally made a nomination for the permanent director of FHFA. New Bottom Line also urges Congressman Mel Watt to support principal reduction at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in his new position, as well as supporting the vital role they play in ensuring homeownership and rental housing opportunities for all communities. Continue reading
Small Business Owners Support Immigration Reform with Roadmap to Citizenship
Small business owners across the country are weighing in on the immigration debate. Their message: small businesses support immigration reform with a roadmap to citizenship.
At May Day rallies tomorrow, around the country, small business leaders will be addressing the crowds; speaking up for comprehensive immigration reform. It seems a good moment to remind ourselves where exactly small business owners stand on this issue. Continue reading
Austerity versus Dignity for Senior Citizens: A Case for Strengthening Medicare
It seems we keep referencing Bill Daley’s recent post Has The Budget Crisis Du Jour Got You Down?. Maybe that’s because it gives you have a pretty good sense of the impending debt lid crisis that
is due to hit in July, and that we need to be ready to push back against efforts to cut Medicare and Medicaid as the debate over the budget deficit heats back up.
Frankly, we need to move austerity off the table.
Continue reading
Has Budget Crisis du Jour Got You Down?
The debate about the national economy seems to have slipped into the shadows. You may be breathing a sigh of relief. Shadows on the budget are inevitable with the Congress focusing on immigration and the press focusing on the attack in Boston.
Native Organizers: Trained in Seattle for a Week and Built Nationwide Solidarity for the Future
Last week, a group of 22 Natives from all over the country came together with a willingness to learn from each other, stand in solidarity with one another, and challenge the systems of inequity that threatens the health and welfare of our elders and youth.
In mid-February, Alliance for a Just Society began to recruit participants for their four day Native Organizer’s training hosted in partnership with the Praxis Project and Communities Creating Healthy Environments initiative. The response was unprecedented! Continue reading
The Housing Crisis in Pueblo, Colorado
Community Rally Hits One Consistent Message: Get Rid of Ed Demarco
Fred and Sophia Patterson have a mortgage that was bought from Bank of America by Freddie Mac. When Mr. Patterson had his identity stolen, he lost everything, and asked for some assistance. The Pattersons accepted a temporary loan modification and continued to pay the adjusted monthly amount, Continue reading
Ashland, OR: Another Victory for Local Banking
Oregon Action! nailed another victory to move municipal money out from under major banks. After many months working to engage local municipalities on responsible banking practices, OA! moved the Ashland City Council to unanimously pass a resolution authorizing the city to move some of its money out of Wells Fargo and to establish accounts at local credit unions. The amount they have moved is at the fullest extent insurable by law.
More importantly the ordinance sets in motion the process for the city to establish responsible banking criteria for banking services contracts.
Oregon Action and the Oregon Banks Local Coalition has been working for over 3 years to encourage state and local municipalities to begin the process of moving their money– what advocates call divestment– out of the big banks and into more locally controlled institutions. Divestment from major banks to local banks increases economic dividends for municipalities and the state.
Since Oregon’s banking landscape is dominated by the large banks, encouraging local banking by our cities is of three goals for this movement:
- Keep more Oregon money in Oregon,
- Bolster the local banking sector, and
- Increase small business lending.
Ashland now joins other victories and current initiatives in Corvalis, Portland, Gresham, and Clatsop County.
