http://money.cnn.com/...

More scary PR from the Union Busting industry below on labor reform coming from Dems.  Although the PR doesn't say it, most Small Businesses are exempt from Federal Labor law, and ALL Small Businesses would be exempt if Congress adjusted the NLRB's 1959 interstate trade threshold of $500,000 to an inflation adjusted $3.1 Million.  

Mom and pop shops can't afford anti-union lawyers, and tend to play by the rules.  The union busters, chambers of commerce, and the GOP aren't trying to protect "small business."  Their neglect to adjust the $500K exemption proves it.  Big Business are the ones who want to keep $0 penalties for labor law violations, but they also want the support of small business owners by putting more of them under Federal jurisdiction.

The Employee Free Choice Act adds penalties for firing union supporters.  It also levels the playing field for small business as well as law-abiding big businesses against scofflaw corporations.

The unionbusters PR over the fold...

I guess there's something called equal time.

We know John McCain doesn't like to give speeches, because he's horrible with the teleprompter.

But how can he not, when Obama keeps putting the pressure on McCain with his own scintillating criticism's/speeches of the presmuptive Republican nominee.

You can't give a town hall to a small business group, which he's speaking today. You gotta give a speech. Way to put the pressure on him Senator Obama.

McCain started off his speech around 9:45, with that caustic, hilting laugh (as if he was in a town hall,and not a speech, smoozing with the locals off camera), to the point, where he interrupted his self several times (after being interrupted by hecklers at the start).

It seems Republicans are going with 3 key phrases to fight Obama:  terrorism, Rev. Wright & taxes.  

Democrats must FIGHT the tax charge with vigor.  Why?  Because nothing is more of a tax-in-waiting than continuing to spend $12 Billion A MONTH in Iraq.

This morning's NYTimes carries a story (Link to NY Times June 7 story)about the DNC soliciting contributions for the convention from large corporations. In return, according to the article, the "sponsor packages" will include "private sessions with federal officeholders." I'm disappointed that the DNC has not chosen to follow the path that has been so successful so far: reaching out to small donors. I understand that the convention costs lots of money and there's not much time, but small donors have proven their mettle in this campaign so far. Let's ask the DNC to limit the amount any corporation can contribute to the convention fund and give us small guys a chance.

I had an adventure last week when my doorbell quit working.  I decided that a wireless would be in order.  I rent, but as our landlady is a friend, I didn’t want her to pay more than necessary for the replacement.  I know that as a renter, I'm not responsible, but fixing the odd bits here and there have paid off in the end.  Our rent has NOT gone up in the 6 years we've lived here. That adds to the savings, especially in the city.  

My diary is about how we can take being frugal too far and it will cost us more in the end.  Remember, your time is worth something too, as well as gas mileage, etc.

This diary applies mostly to small appliances and minor home repairs.  

As a small biz that supports Obama, I had to resign from the National Federation of Independent Businesses, which gave 96% of campaign contributions to the GOP.  The US Chamber of Commerce, also plans to spend $60 Million to defeat Obama or Clinton.  

US News and World Report recently reported on a group called  the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council opposing the Employee Free Choice Act, which both Obama and Clinton support.  

Most Small Business Orgs oppose enforcing labor rights despite the fact that 3/4 of ALL businesses have NO employees, and 97% of those with employees are so small that you can feed the office with less than 2 dozen donuts.  Hardly the faceless environment where workers lack a voice.

As a small business owner (10 employees), I am a huge supporter of Barack, for the following reasons:

Hi Kossacks,
I just saw the US New and World Report story on the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council opposing the Employee Free Choice Act, which both Obama and Clinton support.

Although most small businesses don't fall under the federal jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Act, there seems to be a lot of fear-mongering from the Right Wing about the EFCA.

I'm wondering how many small businesses support Obama or Clinton and don't mind the enforcement of labor law for businesses that are large enough to fall under Federal jurisdiction.

The criteria for the NLRB to hear a organizing case:
3 employees, that aren't managers or supervisors.
Over $500,000 in interstate commerce.
A violation of the National Labor Relations Act.

If you are a law-abiding small business that supports the enforcement of labor law for larger businesses and your competitors send me a line at info(at)agilepeople.org   I'd like to send out a press release in support of Obama and the Employee Free Choice Act to counterbalance the SBE and other GOP business groups that oppose Democrats.

Original articleby Sherwood Ross via Dissidentvoice.org .

Albuquerque businessman, entrepreneur, and community activist Michael Padilla entered the race for State Senator in District 11.  "It is more important than ever that State Senate District 11 has a hard working and experienced leader that gets things done," said Michael Padilla, a thirty-five year old life-long democrat.  "Our district needs a leader willing to fully commit the time, energy and courage to make sure we are well represented in the state legislature."  

Padilla went on to add, "I will provide solid leadership that can stay ahead of public safety trends, economic changes, educational requirements, environmental impacts, and desperately needed infrastructure enhancements."

Padilla concluded by saying "Our families in Westgate, the South Valley, and Los Padillas have been paying taxes for over 100 years, and we have been forgotten and ignored, I will stop this immediately and make sure we get our fair share."

There's a huge discussion going on right now about the recent report about the Clinton campaign stiffing several (at least) vendors out of their fees--a catering company, a family-owned hotel, and a cleaning company, specifically. The amounts seem to mostly be in the sub-$10,000 range.

This may seem like a copycat diary, but I'm not out to rip on Clinton in particular; I just wanted to make a more general point to all political campaigns as a small vendor (who's been stiffed a few times myself).

America's Middle Class have long been disorganized and divided by the GOP.  The GOP are able to confuse a large number of the middle class to support Republicans even when it is not in their best interest.  Democrats could help the middle class to organize and unite, but haven't yet.  Democrats have allowed Republican's to keep the people divided, and a key division is on labor rights.  Republicans frame "labor rights" as "union rights" and not beneficial to non-union employees.  Keeping the middle class from identifying with labor rights has been a Republican victory.

Middle class entrepreneurs are also manipulated by the GOP.  Though small business owners do not overwhelmingly vote GOP, their associations contribute up to 97% of their political donations to Republicans.  Not surprisingly Republicans love the Small Business Associations, but not so much their members.  Although small businesses would benefit by supporting labor reform and regulating their big business competitors, they are mislead by the Small Business Associations and support the GOP party line.

John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO, said 2 years ago:

"Today, the Employee Free Choice Act has 208 co-sponsors in the House, including 10
Republicans, and 42 in the Senate -- and we will pass it while George Bush is in office."

http://www.goiam.org/...

Since then the EFCA, which adds penalties for labor violations, passed the House but stalled in the Senate over a Republican blockade over a small change in "card check" organizing campaigns, and has been abandoned until 2009 by unions and democrats.

Currently unions can be organized or decertifyed by signature cards instead of secret ballots.  Republicans only want to be able to decertify unions using signatures, calling union card check organization "undemocratic."  This position is a double standard, but is a convincing spin by Repubs.

Sweeney and Democrats in the Senate could easily shift the debate to the enforcement of current labor law.  Instead, they are letting the Republicans have a free ride this November by keeping the general public confused about the technical aspects of forming a union.

A word to the wise: Anything you read about healthcare reform coming from The Lewin Group should go directly in the garbage can.  

Here's why.

The players and stakeholders who intend to derail healthcare reform have sprung into action.

They're organized, funded, very lethal, and as you'll see from this diary, masterfully concealed under layers of corporate shields.

Please keep the following chart in mind as you read this:

NFIB>THE LEWIN GROUP>INGENIX>UNITEDHEALTH>AHIP

I'm going to connect a bunch of critical dots, and the  chart above, will make much more sense after you've read everything.

This information will also come in handy as the take-no-prisoners war for healthcare reform moves into high gear.

All of this is intended to give you a small taste of what's to come.

Too harsh? Sure, a little. It might be more accurate to say: "Iowa local government official to small businesses: I don't care enough to know the difference about the details of how you have to deal with an exorbitant and unfair fee that we both pay by dint of operating a merchant credit card account."

Well, that wouldn't be quite so catchy! But there is some real irony here -- that local official whose ignorance of the credit card industry that's irked me, is in fact a county Treaurer. A job title where one should, you'd think, know better; I explain in the extended entry.

According to Bloomberg News, Hillary Clinton is the favorite among small business leaders who normally lean Republican.  This resonates with me as an MBA and a small business owner(actually, it's my husband's business, which I am in the process of stepping away from, but I helped him develop it, and plan to open my own business in the near future).  Hillary has crafted plans that work for small business, particularly her health plan, which allows business owners access to affordable health care for themselves and their employees, while also exempting the truly small business from financing health care for their employees.  The study also finds a majority of small business owners are in support of regulated health care.

In an age of corporate consolidation and dispropotionate power, Dennis Kucinich is the candidate most willing to face the problems threatenting the American dream head on by leveling the economy and supporting growth and stabalization in the small business sector. As Kucinich notes:

The challenge before us today is whether we can maintain a government of the people, by the people and for the people, or whether we will timidly accept the economic, social, and political consequences of a government of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations.