working class

I have volunteered to be on the Host Committee for a fundraiser for one of the most amazing women I have ever met: Diane Benson running for Congress in Alaska. And she has been outraising her Republican opponent! Yes, folks, we have a real shot at getting rid of yet another corrupt Bush/Abramoff Republican and replacing him with a true working class American patriot.

Join me on March 18th for a fundraiser to benefit Alaska Congressional candidate Diane Benson. The event will be held at the home of Barbara and Morris Pearl, 1020 Park Avenue (corner of 85th Street) from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM.

Our special guest speakers for the evening will be our local Congresswoman, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, and Jon Soltz, Co-Founder and Chairman of VoteVets.Org and a veteran of the Iraq War.

Diane Benson is a true American from a working class background, a former teamster and commercial fisherman, whose son lost both his legs serving in Iraq.

Diane Benson is very strong on important and progressive issues such as ending the Iraq War, veteran's benefits, developing and conserving the environment and extending quality health care and insurance to all. She is also a staunch supporter of the SCHIP program and of legislation to control the pharmaceutical industry.

8am in Puerto Rico

This is what, in theory, we have been doing for the past 7 days here in Puerto Rico. We have allegedly gone to the beach each day, played and enjoyed ourselves.

The reality is that, as part of the new working class, I have been squeezing in vacation time around my work schedule. I will blog about all the things I have been working on while here, but I just have to say that in spite of how difficult it is to have to work while being in a remote part of the island and alone with the kids, I am happy to be here. It's good to be back home.

Iowa has done what the US Congress has yet to do: get a minimum wage increase completely enacted. Federally, the Democrats in the House fulfilled their pledge of enacting a minimum wage increase within the first hundred hours. But Senate Republicans have been holding it up.

In Iowa, though, a minimum wage increase has been enacted by both houses and signed in by the new, Democratic Governor. Once again this long overdue help to America's working poor was done by Democrats who have gained a new position of strength in Iowa.

From State Representative Elesha Gayman's newsletter:

MINIMUM WAGE HIKE SIGNED INTO LAW

Governor Culver is expected to sign the first bill produced by the new Democratic majority, a hike in the minimum wage. The bipartisan-supported bill passed the House on Tuesday, the Senate on Wednesday, and is expected to be signed by Governor Culver on Thursday.

The increase will be in two steps, from $5.15 to $6.20 on April 1, 2007, and to $7.25 on January 1, 2008. This is a total increase of $2.10. The minimum wage has not been increased since September 1, 1997, almost ten years ago.

This is just the first step in the Democrat’s “Plan for Prosperity,” which seeks to balance the interests of workers and businesses. Other goals to reward hard work include: 1) expanding job training opportunities for high-tech workers of the future, 2) allowing small business to pool their workforces so they can obtain cheaper health insurance, and 3) reducing commercial property taxes.