Author: KJ McElrath

The GOP’s Worst Nightmare: Bernie Advocates Legislation to Make it Much Easier to Vote

The GOP’s Worst Nightmare: Bernie Advocates Legislation to Make it Much Easier to Vote

Posted by | Aug 12, 2015 | |

Because the GOP has become so unpopular in recent years (and it doesn’t take a Stephen Hawking to figure out why), Republicans have had to resort to vote rigging and voter suppression. The reason is simple: the greater the voter turnout, the smaller the chances that Republicans will win. Unfortunately, due in no small part to long workdays and inflexible schedules, a significant number of Americans are unable to get to the polls. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders wants to change all of that. Even though he’s busy on the campaign trail, he’s still introducing legislation that would encourage greater...

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Why Doesn’t Chief Justice John Roberts Want African Americans to Vote?

Why Doesn’t Chief Justice John Roberts Want African Americans to Vote?

Posted by | Aug 12, 2015 | |

US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has had an ongoing vendetta against the Voting Rights Act (VRA) since he arrived in Washington DC as a neophyte attorney, fresh out of Harvard Law School in 1980. His ongoing battle to dismantle the VRA culminated in 2013 with the  Shelby County v. Holder decision. This ruling effectively gutted the VRA, which had been signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson fifty years ago this month. Since then, Chief Justice Roberts and other conservative justices (including Scalia, who has called the VRA “racial entitlement”) have been accused of racism – but...

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Power Morcellators are Killing Women: DOJ Finally Investigates

Power Morcellators are Killing Women: DOJ Finally Investigates

Posted by | Aug 11, 2015 | |

The laproscopic power morcellator is just the latest in a long line of medical devices that have wound up doing far more harm than good – and that were given rapid and ill-advised approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That same federal agency finally issued a warning in late November of 2014 – but only after thousands of women died unnecessarily from what was supposed to be a minor procedure. No actual warning has been issued, however, and many morcellators are still in use. Last week, twelve members of Congress from both parties signed a letter...

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SEC Says Corporations Must Make CEO Pay Public: No More Hiding Their Insane Salaries

SEC Says Corporations Must Make CEO Pay Public: No More Hiding Their Insane Salaries

Posted by | Aug 11, 2015 | |

It’s no secret that the gap between CEO pay and workers’ salaries and wages in the US is obscenely wide. There is more income disparity between those at the top and those at the bottom in this country than in any other part of the industrialized world – and while CEO pay has been skyrocketing, worker compensation has remained stagnant for years. However, getting detailed information on the actual numbers has been difficult. This week, the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a rule that requires a corporation to calculate average worker compensation, then issue a public statement comparing...

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The Demise of Corp Media: The Rise of Social Media: TYT, ROF, Hartmann, Schultz

The Demise of Corp Media: The Rise of Social Media: TYT, ROF, Hartmann, Schultz

Posted by | Aug 11, 2015 | |

Out with the old – in with the new: as the mainstream corporate media is being lowered into its grave, a vibrant new citizens’ media has been rising to take its place. Web-based news and commentary programs are now providing quality, hard-hitting journalism in the tradition of Edward Murrow and Walter Cronkite, rapidly replacing the corporate BS known as “infotainment.” One of the pioneers of the new Progressive media was featured recently in the UK Independent. Cenk Uygur, host and founder of The Young Turks, got started in 2002. Today, his nightly program has racked up 2 billion views...

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