Big Week for Alliance Bank Teams

Alliance for a Just Society bank teams in Washington, Texas, Colorado and Idaho had a busy week, making headlines with everything from birdogging presidential candidates to passing city ordinances.

Romney Action in Seattle – Washington CAN and Working WA teamed up to greet a fundraiser for Mitt Romney in Bellevue yesterday. Protestors mocked the $2500 photo op fundraiser by taking pictures with a life-sized cut-out of Romney and chanting “THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE “ and “HEY YOU MILLIONAIRES, PAY YOUR FAIR SHARE.” Mila Dolan, a Washington CAN leader, gave perhaps the best quote of the day to the press: “We can’t keep carrying the rich. They are too much of a burden.”

Photos from the event: http://www.flickr.com/photos/workingwa/sets/72157629496275507/

And more press:

Seattle PI:  Seattle Protesters Mock Romney Guests

KING 5: Protesters Meet Romney at Bellevue Fundraiser

 

Occupy Austin – The Alliance for a Just Society and the New Bottom Line have been working with bank action teams in Austin, Texas, and have moved nearly $1.5 million in personal accounts from Too Big to Fail banks to local community banks and credit unions. Last week, the Austin City Council passed a unanimous responsible banking ordinance that directs the finance department to research alternatives to the city’s current banker, Bank of America.

Read more about the ordinance here:

Austin YNN:  City council votes to explore banking alternatives for city funds

KUT News: With Occupy-Inspired Item, city may shift banking to credit unions, local banks 

 

Colorado Foreclosure Work: The chain of title legislation that AJS affiliate Colorado Progressive Coalition  (CPC)  introduced this year received the endorsement of a local tea party organization, and is swiftly moving through the house.  CPC is mobilizing to move large numbers of homeowners to the capitol this week for grassroots lobbying and testifying at multiple hearings for the whole foreclosure legislation package. To learn more about how to help, visit CPC’s website here:  http://progressivecoalition.org/

 

Idaho Payday Lending Hearing – An informational hearing happened this week on the rate cap legislation introduced in the Idaho legislature this year. Idaho Community Action Network leaders packed an informational legislative hearing last week about rate cap legislation. The bill is currently being blocked, but with the big turnout in support of the legislation, ICAN was able to identify targets and move into next year’s session in a position of strength.  Tp learn more about this work, visit Alliance affiliate IdahoCAN’s website here:  http://idahocan.org/

 

 

Foreclosure Trustees — Friend of the Big Banks in Statehouses?

In the foreclosure saga that continues to rip communities apart, there are two obvious players: banks and homeowners. But the situation is a little more complicated than just banks versus families trying to hang onto their homes.Continue reading “Foreclosure Trustees — Friend of the Big Banks in Statehouses?”

Broken Hearts, Broken Budgets: ICAN Valentine’s Day Action

Thanks to ICAN Intern Emma Ayers for this report.

February 14th this year, members of Alliance affiliate Idaho Community Action Network (ICAN)  had some very specific valentines to deliver to payday lending stores across the valley.  These over-sized valentines with broken hearts of pink and red symbolized a message and a demand: stop breaking our hearts and stop breaking our budgets.  Continue reading “Broken Hearts, Broken Budgets: ICAN Valentine’s Day Action”

Daley’s View from Washington: The Pope, Bob Dole, and the Financial Transaction Tax

What do the Pope, Bob Dole,  and the Archbishop of Canterbury have in common?  They all support some version of a proposal to tax financial speculation.

How about we try a tax idea that curbs unproductive speculation on Wall Street and raises money to pay for the governmental services?

That is exactly what the Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) does. It is a very tiny tax on the sale of stocks and other investment instruments.

Some version of the FTT has been endorsed by Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, John Bogle (founder of the Vanguard Group), the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Pope. Even Bob Dole and President Bush the Elder endorsed such a tax after the crash of 1987.

So who’s not with the Pope on this one?   Continue reading “Daley’s View from Washington: The Pope, Bob Dole, and the Financial Transaction Tax”

Small Business Owners Say Big Corporations Not Paying Fair Share of Taxes

A new nationwide poll of small business owners’ views on taxes includes some findings that turn K Street lobbyists’ anti-tax talking points on their head. In particular, the poll found that small business owners are up in arms about corporate tax loopholes, offshore tax havens, and corporations and millionaires who don’t pay their fair share.

The nationwide scientific survey of 500 small business owners was commissioned by the Main Street Alliance, Small Business Majority, and the American Sustainable Business Council.   Continue reading “Small Business Owners Say Big Corporations Not Paying Fair Share of Taxes”

Affiliate Highlight: The Montana Organizing Project

Alliance for a Just Society affiliate The Montana Organizing Project (MOP) is a collaboration of diverse community, civic, labor, faith groups, and community members.  Located in Missoula and Billings, MOP works on economic, racial and social justice issues, with the mission of promoting the dignity and empowerment of people with low and middle incomes who voices haven’t been heard in their communities. Led by Project Director Molly Moody and Eastern Montana organizer Sheena Rice, MOP is a statewide organization that primarilyrepresents Billings, Missoula, Bozeman, Butte, rural Eastern MT towns- Baker, Glendive, including communities on the frontier, Havre and Great Falls.  Continue reading “Affiliate Highlight: The Montana Organizing Project”

ICAN Releases Idaho’s Payday Lending Industry Report

From our affiliate Idaho Community Action Network:

On Monday, Jan. 16 2012, during a protest on EZ MoneyPayday Loans at EZCORP 2911 W. State Street in Boise, members of the Idaho Community Action Network released a report titled “Predatory Lenders Trap Idahoan’s in a Cycle of Debt.”

According to the report, Idaho families are: “increasingly struggling to make ends meet. Affordable small scale loans, which could tide families over, are hard or impossible to come by. Finding no alternative, families are turning to “payday” and title loans that come with high interest rates and often wind up trapping them in a cycle of debt.”

To read more about the report, please visit ICAN’s website:  http://idahocan.org/661/idaho%E2%80%99s-payday-lending-industry-report/

Keep Five Million Immigrant Children Out of Poverty

From Reform Immigration For America:

It was only a few years ago that Congress changed the eligibly of a special tax credit for American families, to include undocumented parents with citizen children. This refund, known as the Additional Child Tax Credit, has granted over 2 million families a financial break on the money spent caring for their children.

Now, in attempts to slash spending, Congress is ready to change the eligibility of families for the child tax credit, and block immigrant families from continuing to take part. Legislators would balance the budget on the backs on 5 million children.  Continue reading “Keep Five Million Immigrant Children Out of Poverty”

Medicaid Matters to Idaho

This month, the Alliance for a Just Society, Idaho Community Action Network, and Consortium for Idahoans with Disabilities released Medicaid Matters to Idaho: Real Stories, Real Impacts, Real Communities.This publication describes the human and economic costs of Medicaid cuts and Idaho and shares the stories of Idahoans across the state whose lives and well-being of this program.

Small Businesses Unite Against Citizens United Decision

Two years ago on January 21, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in the controversial Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case. In a divided 5-4 decision, the majority ruled that corporations are free to spend unlimited sums of money in our country’s elections.

There’s been plenty of debate about what this ruling means for our elections and for deep-pocketed special interests. But there’s been virtually no attention paid to what it means for small businesses, or what small business owners think about the Citizens United decision. That is, until now…Continue reading “Small Businesses Unite Against Citizens United Decision”