Cupcake Royale Owner to Congress: Move Forward on Health Care

Cross-posted from Main Street Alliance Congressional testimony may seem a long ways away from cupcake baking, but not for Jody Hall. Hall, owner of Seattle’s fast-growing Cupcake Royale and a leader with the Main Street Alliance of Washington, traveled to Washington, DC on May 31 to testify about health care reform before a House committee.

Two Banking Regulations on Small Business Wish List

Mere days before National Small Business Week kicked off it was revealed that JP Morgan Chase and CEO wonder boy Jamie Dimon lost $2B (now $3B by some estimates) on derivative trades meant to mitigate risk. This was a stark reminder for small businesses that nearly 4 years after the economic collapse wreaked havoc onContinue reading “Two Banking Regulations on Small Business Wish List”

Move to Amend is Moving In Oregon

From the Main Street Alliance Website: Main Street Alliance of Oregon has been surveying business owners throughout Oregon and is finding strong interest in electoral reform. Currently around eight in ten business owners feel the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, freeing corporations to spend unlimited sums of money in elections, is bad for small business.Continue reading “Move to Amend is Moving In Oregon”

City of Portland Moves Closer to Divestment

From Ron Williams, Executive Director, Oregon Action Alliance for a Just Society affiliate Oregon Action testified in front of the Portland City Council on May 9th in support of a local ordinance that would divest money out of Wells Fargo and into local community banks and credit unions. 

Daley’s View from Washington: Minority Health Month Cheers and Jeers

Bill Daley is the Federal Issues Policy Director at The Alliance for a Just Society. May was Minority Health Month and a couple of things happened that deserve a bit of attention. And it’s also important to note that not enough happened and more attention is needed.

Student Loan Interest Rate is a Political Distraction

Student loan interest rates have taken center stage in the latest partisan political debate. In response to the economic crisis, the federal government reduced the interest rate for Stafford Loans from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. But that was only temporary.

Alliance for a Just Society leaders shut down the Wells Fargo Shareholders Meeting

  The next step in our campaign to take on the big banks pay and win relief for homeowners is to disrupt business as usual at shareholder meetings across the country. The goal of these actions is to build off the fall mobilizations and the Occupations to keep up the street heat holding the 1%Continue reading “Alliance for a Just Society leaders shut down the Wells Fargo Shareholders Meeting”

Straight Talk on Taxes with Small Business Owners

It’s tax season. And that means tax policy is at the center of the public debate. So are claims about how changes to the tax code will affect small businesses. To separate fact from fiction, the Main Street Alliance released a pair of new “straight talk” fact sheets addressing topics relating to small business andContinue reading “Straight Talk on Taxes with Small Business Owners”