You don't have to take my word for it that the Zombie Ryan budget would turn Medicare into a voucher program, cut useful social spending to the bone, and cut taxes for the super-wealthy so they can not pump it into the economy -- you can also take the word of the Progressive States Network, which compares the Ryan budget to the far superior "Back to Work" budget promoted by the House Progressive Caucus. Or you can view this chart from the National Priorities Project, comparing the Ryan Budget, the "Back to Work" budget, and the Senate Democrats' budget. Or you can read Citizens for Tax Justice's report also comparing the aforementioned three budgets. I think you might have enough information to call your Reps and Senators and tell them a) to oppose the Ryan budget and b) to pass something more like the "Back to Work" budget. Because, hey, we're all about solutions around here!

Meanwhile, after over 100,000 good Americans told the White House that we want to be able to free our cell phones from our networks if we're unhappy with the service we're getting, and the White House agreed, Senators have introduced a few bills toward that end -- S. 467, Ron Wyden's Wireless Device Independence Act, and S. 517, the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, which has seven sponsors. But neither bill is ideal. Mr. Wyden's bill is better, but it only deals with cell phones in the context of copyright law, and S. 517 merely restores the pre-January status quo for another year, during which the Librarian of Congress will decide whether to restore the prohibition or not. So Free Press helps you tell Congress what you want regarding your cell phones and your freedom. Strangely, the Free Press action tool doesn't include the words "network neutrality" -- but you can easily rectify that problem in your comments. (The FCC's weak net neutrality rules from 2010 don't cover wireless networks at all.)

Remember when Pennsylvania chocolatier Hershey tricked foreign students on a federal cultural exchange program into becoming wage slaves? Looks like a couple of McDonald's franchises (also in Pennsylvania, imagine that) just got caught doing something similar. McDonald's packed students from Latin America and Asia eight to a room and then forced them to work as long as 25 hours at a stretch without overtime, threatening them with deportation if they quit. And the students paid $3,000 apiece for the honor! Needless to say, the students got fed up with that state of affairs and, with the help of the National Guestworkers Alliance, staged a surprise strike on March 6. That got the parent company's attention -- they fired the franchisee who organized the exchange program, Andy Cheung, and he sure seems like a real piece of work -- but we might as well strike while the iron is hot. Sum of Us helps you tell McDonald's to pay the guest workers back and ensure their guest worker programs don't go this awry again.

Comments

[Txtist]

That Democrats are too incompetent to propose a budget, of course, is of no concern ..
talk about thieves in the temple: politicians~!

[Alec Mento]

"That Democrats are too incompetent to propose a budget, of course, is of no concern .."

You didn't read the post, did you? If you're not going to read the post, but just regurgitate your right-wing talking points like the words "Back to Work budget" aren't staring you in the face, then you're useless. Take your bottomless rage and hatred somewhere else.