The Vanishing Safety Net:
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF) at 15 Years
with
Tim Casey, attorney, Legal Momentum and longtime welfare advocate

In Aug.1996, Pres. Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and
Work Opportunity Act, replacing Aid to Families with Dependant
Children with TANF as the national welfare program for needy
Americans. 15 years later, the truth is that TANF has shredded
the safety net. It has been a disaster for poor families, most
of whom are headed by single mothers. Benefit receipt has fallen
from three-fifths of poor children pre-reform to just one-fifth of
poor children post-reform, and benefit amounts have plummeted.
The shriveled safety net condemns millions of women & children
to poverty so extreme that many are deprived sufficient food,
housing, and utility services. As TANF turns 15, we'll look at the
necessity to restore and extend adequate benefits and surmise
what is likely to happen to the reauthorization of TANF which
will be before the Congress.
*******************
Domino’s Pizza Delivers Slavery With A Smile
With
Pastor Robert Brashear, Sweatshop Free NY
Carlos Rodriquez, Justice Will Be Served
Vincent Cao, Justice Will Be Served

Domino’s moguls giddily reap profits off the backs of workers,
watching their corporate sales surge to $1.57 billion in 2010.
Patrick Doyle, President raked in $5.7 million in 2010 and
Dave Melton, NYC franchise had $4 million in yearly sales.
Meanwhile Domino’s workers work up to 78 hours a week,
but many are paid for only half of these hours at $4.40
an hour. Now that Domino workers are organizing Domino
who refuses to comply with labor laws is retaliating against
the workers. But, Justice Will Be Served!


http://www.archive.org/stream/BuildingBridgesVanishingSafetyNetDominosPizzaSlavery

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Occupy Wall Street Occupies The Brooklyn Bridge As Tens Of Thousands Say
We’re Here To Take Back The Wealth We Created And They Covet And Control!
With
The 99%

Angry and reeling from the horrific military attack which Bloomberg
perpetrated on peaceful, sleeping protestors fighting for economic justice
in our increasingly unjust and undemocratic country, in a National Day of
Action both to celebrate the 2-month birthday of Occupy Wall Street, and
protest the outrage of the eviction, an incredible, diverse group, poured
into the streets – “all day, all night Occupy Wall Street”! The 99%
delivered a powerful message that the domination of society by a tiny
elite of super-wealthy individuals and corporations, harnessing government
to do their bidding was unacceptable. The days protests were capped off
by a rally and march over the Brooklyn Bridge by tens of thousands
determined to take back and redistribute the wealth of this country to those
who created it – the 99%.
********************

http://www.archive.org/stream/NycsOwsOccupiesTheBrooklynBridge

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Greek Tragedy, Europe’s Achilles Heel?
with
Leo Panitch, Professor of Political Science at York
University, Canada and Editor of the Socialist Register.

As the G-20 economic summit met austerity was sweeping Europe,
the future of the Eurozone was in doubt and then the Greek
government collapsed over its proposed new debt agreement with
the European Union. The deal was reached by European leaders to
stabilize the Euro and to avoid Greek default on its debt to the banks
or its leaving the euro currency zone. Anger among Greek citizens
stems from the proposed agreement’s focus on more austerity to
repay the bank loans leading to increased unemployment. A new
world recession may be drawing closer after the G-20 failed to
agree on fresh financial help for distressed countries.
***************
Hey Union Busting Is Disgusting! -
Joining the Sotheby Workers Protest with OWS

Some 400 protesters in NYC greeted Sotheby's $500 million
auction with a high-spirited, very high-decibel demonstration in
solidarity with its locked-out workers. Despite making record
profits last year, the auction house is demanding wage and benefit
cuts, and the replacement of skilled, union workers with unskilled,
non-union temporary workers.Several unions, including other
Teamster locals, UAW, CWA, LiUNA, TWU, SEIU and UFT were
represented at the demonstration, together with Hunter, NYU
and Columbia University students and faculty, and of course
Occupied Wall Street activists six of whom were arrested in an
act of civil disobedience.


http://www.archive.org/stream/GreekTragedyEuropesAchillesHeelOwsSothebyWorkersRallyAt500

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http://www.archive.org/download/GreekTragedyEuropesAchillesHeelOwsSothebyWorkersRallyAt500/panitchntl.mp3

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Unraveling the Unemployment Insurance Lifeline
with
George Wentworth, Staff Attorney, National Employment Law Project


At a time when U.S. corporations are stockpiling cash, it’s outrageous
that state lawmakers have the audacity to make jobless workers pay
for decades of irresponsible business tax breaks that ultimately
undermined state unemployment insurance finances. But, corporate
lobbyists have ushered through legislative measures, behind closed
doors and with no public debate, of cuts to state unemployment
insurance programs when more people are out of work for longer
than any other period in generations. We have better wakeup and
smell the coffee, realize the consequences of what will be drastic
measures before our unemployment benefits are no longer there
when we need them.
**************
Plus

Occupy Wall Street Protesters including Pulitzer Prize winning
author Christopher Hedges arrested at Goldman Sachs headquarters
in NYC as they chant “Crooks & Thieves, Protected By Police!
The Criminals Are Inside"

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