MORNING MESSAGE
Remembering Julian Bond
Robert
Borosage: America lost a giant this weekend when Julian Bond left us at 75.
And CAF lost a friend, a founder, a mentor and a guide. Julian lived a large
life, devoted to making America better. And we all are beneficiaries of his work
and his wisdom.
Roger
Hickey: For those of us becoming active in the movement — especially those
of us in the South — Julian Bond was an absolute hero. He had the courage under
fire of the SNCC organizers. And he stood up to the whole Georgia power
structure not only against racism but also against the war in Vietnam. He was
cool.
Trump Plan Attacks Immigration
Donald
Trump issues first position paper on immigration. NYT: “[Trump] called for a
wall to be built along the southern border [funded] largely through increasing
fees on border movement between the United States and Mexico … Mr. Trump’s
proposal also calls for strengthening the ‘enforcement arm’ of the Immigration
and Customs Enforcement office, to be paid for by ‘eliminating tax credit
payments to illegal immigrants.’ … He proposed enforcing the nationwide e-verify
system, ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants and
increasing the prevailing wage for the temporary H-1B visas.”
“Dream
plan” for anti-immigrant voters. Bloomberg: “The plan attacks legal and
illegal immigration from all angles. It leaves no option except for mass
deportation of the estimated 11 million people in the country illegally … He
seeks to slash legal immigration by imposing new burdens on employers that want
to hire skilled foreign workers under the H-1B visa program…”
Republicans
coalescing around raising the retirement age. NYT’s Paul Krugman: “…Jeb Bush
says that the retirement age should be pushed back to ’68 or 70′. Scott Walker
has echoed that position. Marco Rubio wants both to raise the retirement age and
to cut benefits for higher-income seniors … What’s puzzling about the renewed
Republican assault on Social Security is that it looks like bad politics as well
as bad policy.”
Clinton Tries To Impress The Left
Hillary
leans left on policy, says The Hill: “The trend leftward reached a new level
last week, when Clinton introduced a sweeping $350 billion proposal to reduce
the burden of exploding tuition debt for millions of college students and
graduates –– a provision included in the Progressive Caucus’s budget … Clinton
has also adopted proposals on immigration, education, voting rights and criminal
justice that are winning strong reviews from leading liberal Democrats.”
But
refrains from fighting for $15. W. Post: “Obama and Clinton have both
expressed support for raising the federal minimum to $12 an hour … [And neither]
has spoken critically of a $15-an-hour federal minimum. But recent comments from
the candidate, and from officials in Obama’s administration, suggest Clinton and
Obama may be worried that such a large increase could prove too much for some
parts of the country to bear.”
Germany To Vote On Greece Bailout
Merkel
backs Greek bailout. NYT: “Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday that she
expected theInternational Monetary Fund to take part in the new bailout for
Greece, as she sought to head off opposition to the aid package in the German
Parliament.”
“Economists
Say Greece Should Get Debt Relief” reports Bloomberg: “A whopping 92 percent
of respondents said Greece should receive some form of easing of its debt burden
… The Bloomberg survey of 42 European economists was conducted Aug. 7-14.”
Economy Still Divided By Race
“Racial
wealth gap persists” despite educational gains. NYT: “From 1992 to 2013, the
median net worth of blacks who finished college dropped nearly 56 percent
(adjusted for inflation). By comparison, the median net worth of whites with
college degrees rose about 86 percent over the same period, which included three
recessions — including the severe downturn of 2007 through 2009, with its
devastating effect on home prices in many parts of the country…”
Pinellas
County, Florida schools collapse after school board votes end racial integration
policies. Tampa Bay Times: “In just eight years, Pinellas County School
Board members turned five schools in the county’s black neighborhoods into some
of the worst in Florida. First they abandoned integration … Then they broke
promises of more money and resources. Then — as black children started failing
at outrageous rates, as overstressed teachers walked off the job, as middle
class families fled en masse — the board stood by and did nothing.”
Progressive
Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to
activists. Progressive Breakfast is a project of the Campaign for America's
Future. more
»