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8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
1/24
2008was theyear under-regulatedmarketsfailed and
Americansvoted forchange.
YeAR iN ReVieWDECEMBER 200
ALSO INSIDE:
The Best and Worstof Public Policy
The DMI Injustice Index
State of the Cities
Eye on the Right
Recommended Reading
8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
2/24
2008
MI staff and interns who contributed to the 2008
ear in Review include: Amy Traub, Christin Cato,
ia Franklin, Matt Graham, Hana Greenberg,
arry Moroz, and Justin Stec.
esign by Randi Hazan / Hazan & Company
over photo: Carl Pendle / Getty Images
nterior photos: Unless otherwise noted, images are
om Flickr and are used under a Creative Commons
cense. The credits listed are usernames.
his page: gordon c, James.Chen, respres / Page
: Jeff Kubina / Page 2: sobergeorge / Page 3:
Margan Zajdowicz (stock.xchange) / Page 4:
gvvnd / Page 5: wildpianist / Page 6: LA Wad /
age 7: noahwesley, gordon c / Page 8: Marshall
stor / Page 9: Jeff Kubina / Page 17: Stefan
aklin (epa/Corbis) / Pages 1819: Wigwam Jones
Page 20: respres / Page 21: Stuck in Customs /
age 22: Coyote2012 / Page 23: LaJ / Pages 24-5: woodsy (stock.xchange)
8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
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The following exchange between Alan Greenspan, former Chairman of theFederal Reserve and Congressman Henry A. Waxman, Chair of the House
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, occurred at a hearing of that
committee on October 23, 2008.
Chairman Waxman: [In your statement, you said] I do have an ideology. My
judgment is that free, competitive markets are by far the unrivaled way to organize
economies. We have tried regulation, none meaningfully worked. That was your
quote. You have the authority to prevent irresponsible lending practices that led to the
subprime mortgage crisis. You were advised to do so by many others. Now, our whole
economy is paying its price. You feel that your ideology pushed you to make decisions
that you wish you had not made?
Mr. Greenspan:Well, remember ideology is a conceptual framework with the way
people deal with reality. Everyone has one. You have to. To exist, you need an ideology.
The question is whether i t is accurate or not. What I am saying to you is, yes, I found a
flaw in the model that I perceived is the critical functioning structure that defines how
the world works, so to speak.
Chairman Waxman:In other words, you found that your view of the world, your
ideology, was not right, it was not working.
Mr. Greenspan:Precisely. Thats precisely the reason I was shocked.
Alan Greenspan is shocked. The rest of us are losing our homes, losing our
retirement savings, losing our jobs as the result of a conservative ideology thatworshipped an infallible market. So ends 2008.
This year we witnessed bailouts for Wall Street and immunity for
telecommunications companies that spied on their customers. We missed
opportunities to save homeowners, invest in infrastructure, prevent global
warming, and let working people take time off to care for their sick. But from the
halls of Congress to City Halls and Statehouses throughout the country, we also
saw the beginnings of a renewed appreciation for the positive role the public
sector can play in improving peoples lives. Although the federal government was
slow to act, Cleveland went after predatory lenders. New York drew the line on
labor standards and said bosses couldnt treat their loyal employees like outside
contractors. And California encouraged a more sustainable model forcommunity growth. Congress did the right thing for returning soldiers and took
action to help offenders coming out of prison reintegrate with society. And in
November, voters turned out in record numbers for candidates promising an
economic approach very different from Alan Greenspans.
In this Year in Review, the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy offers a first
look back at 2008 through the best and worst of the years public policy, on-the-
ground stories from five American cities, an idiosyncratic election timeline, a
recommended reading list for progressives, a hawks eye view of what the think
tanks on the conservative right are up to, and the 2008 DMI Injustice Index, with
a by-the-numbers appraisal of the Bush legacy.
T Yar tUndr-rguatdMart Fad
Contents
The Best and Worst 2
of Public Policy
Presidential Election 10
2008: Highs, Lows
and Opinion Polls
The DMI Injustice Index: 16
The Bush Legacy
Eye on the Right 18
State of the Cities 21
Reading List: 24Ten Progressive
Reads Worth a Peek
8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
4/24DMI / 2008 Year in Review
Good public policy has the powerto move America orward. The Besto Public Policy scours the country
or the most promising local, state,and ederal initiatives proposed orenacted in 2008.
8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
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revenues. Legislation proposed by Senator
Dick Durbin would have stopped the bleeding.
The measure allowed bankruptcy judges to
modify the terms of subprime mortgages
made on a homeowner primary residence,
something they can already do for vacation
homes, family farms, and commercial real
estate. By letting judges reduce the principal
owed to the current fair market value of the
property, change payment schedules and
lower interest rates, the bill would have
helped homeowners afford their mortgage
payments, preventing 600,000 foreclosures
and preserving $72.5 billion in wealth at no
cost to the American taxpayer. Lenders,
meanwhile, would continue to receive
payments, often netting a greater return than
they would through foreclosure. So why did
the mortgage industry lobby so aggressively
against the bill that they ultimately killed it?
The Center for Responsible Lending points to
a mismatch between the interests of investors
who own the loan and servicers who handle
payments (and have little interest in avoiding
foreclosures). For leveling the playing field
between folks who own one home and those
who arent even sure how many houses they
have, the Helping Families Save Their Homes
in Bankruptcy Act finds a permanent home on
our list of the best policies of 2008.
Cacatn Cracdwn
Everyone knows about former New York
Governor Eliot Spitzers shortcomings, but his
prize policies get less ink. One highlight:
Spitzer systematically cracked down on
crooked businesses that cheated their
employeesand the state. Heres the skinny:
a lot of people get hired for jobs, but
employers incorrectly list as many as 10
percent as independent contractors rather
than employees. Misclassifying lets the
bosses save a bundle by ignoring minimum
wage requirements, overtime pay, workers
comp, and Social Security and Medicare
taxes. Employees miss out on benefits, while
the state and federal governments lose tax
revenue. So Spitzer issued Executive Order
17, establishing a taskforce on employee
misclassification to link city agencies that
The BesT oFPUBliC PoliCY
Carng t Ar
Los Angeles has the busiest port in the nation.
It supports a million jobs and a critical flow of
cargo. But its also a dirty place: it fouls the air
throughout the region and contributes to
global warming. Ships, cargo-handling
equipment and freight trains all pollute, but
the worst culprit is dirty diesel trucks. The
problem, though, is that port truck drivers are
independent owner-operators who are already
in the poorhouse due to rising fuel and
maintenance costs and low prices per ton
hauled. Most dont even have health insurance.
Theres no way they can afford to upgrade to
cleaner, greener trucks. So this year, the LA
Harbor Commission mandated that trucking
companies hire the drivers now exploited,
giving drivers a chance to get employee
benefits (and even unionize) and ensuring that
port trucks are owned by folks who have the
resources to retrofit or shift to cleaner
vehicles. Although temporarily delayed by the
Federal Maritime Commission, the program
should get back on track shortly. The whole
move is part of a larger Clean Air Action Plan
that aims to cut overall port emissions 45
percent by 2012. For combining environmental
and economic justice in a way that helps truck
drivers and residents of the LA area to breathe
free, Los Angeles Clean Trucks Program finds
a comfortable berth on our list of the best
public policies of 2008.
hdng nt hm
If you declare bankruptcy, the judge can
modify the terms of the mortgage on your
summer bungalow in Nantucket. But if, like
most Americans, you have only one home and
are at risk of losing it to foreclosure, theres
nothing the courts can do. This problem
should have been addressed yesterday: more
than 3 million homes are expected to be in
foreclosure by the end of 2008. The effects of
these foreclosures have spread, devaluing
nearby houses and eating away property tax
I you declarebankruptcy, the
judge can modiythe terms o themortgage on yoursummer bungalowin Nantucket. But i,like most Americansyou have only onehome and are atrisk o losing it tooreclosure, theresnothing the courtscan do.
8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
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treatment when you get sick. Thats the ideal
at least, and San Francisco is moving towards
it more swiftly than any place else in country.
Uninsured city residents can enroll in the
Healthy San Francisco program for a sliding-
scale fee based on income. Once enrolled,
participants pick a medical home from any
of the 27 participating public and non-profit
health clinics throughout the city. Participants
still dont have insurance that will follow them
throughout the country and the world, but
they do have regular access to health care at
home by the Bay. Yet thats just part of the
program. The other component, in effect for
the first time in 2008, requires that all city
employers with more than 20 workers
contribute at least $1.17 per hour worked per
employee to pay for health care. Employers
can put the cash toward private insurance.
They can contribute it towards the city clinic
system. Or they can set up health care
accounts. But they cant avoid making some
provision for their employees health.
Employer groups sued to stop the plan, but
lost in court. As of October, nearly 31,000
San Francisco residentsout of an estimated
73,000 who were uninsuredget to see a
doctor whenever they need to. For an
innovative approach to expanding health
coverage, Healthy San Francisco gets a hale
and hearty place on our best of 2008 list.
Wat t expctWn Yur expctngFamy lav
What do Liberia, Papua New Guinea,
Swaziland, and the United States have in
common? They and we belong to the small
community of nations without a law
guaranteeing some form of paid time off work
for new parents. The Family Leave Insurance
Act introduced by Representative Pete Stark
looks to change all of that. The bill
establishes an insurance fund to cover up to
twelve weeks of paid leave per year for
employees to care for a new child or a
seriously ill family member, or to recuperate
from a serious health condition of their own.
Leave could also be used for emergencies
that arise from a military deployment. The
deal with taxation, enforcement and labor,
pool their resources, and get a yearly report.
Results? In a recent sweep, the task force
found nearly $19 million in unreported wages,
$3 million in underpayments to workers and
$1 million in unpaid taxes. And, the task force
is around to stay. Governor Paterson recently
continued Executive Order 17 with his own
Executive Ordernumber 9 (now thats a
potion we can welcome). By giving workers
and the state a fair shake from the boss, the
crackdown on misclassified employees earns
a place on the best of 2008.
on Mr Canc
No one benefits when prison gates turn into
revolving doors. Every year, almost 700,000
criminal offenders are released from prison to
reenter civilian life. But two out of three of
them will be rearrested within three years. So
what is the criminal justice system doing to
combat the sky-high rate of recidivism and the
threat that it poses to public safety? In many
cases, the answer is nothing at all. A third of
the nations correctional departments offer no
transitional programs and those that do exist
are often woefully inadequate in preparing and
supporting ex-offenders for life outside the
prison walls. The Second Chance Act,
sponsored by Representative Danny Davis and
Senator Joe Biden, signed into law in April, is
a welcome change of course. The new law
increases drug treatment support systems
and provides access to educational and job
training programs for ex-offenders. The law
also creates incentive programs for employers
who hire former offenders. For helping the
men and women leaving our prisons return to
their communities as law abiding and self-
sufficient citizens, The Second Chance Act
improves public safety for everyone and joins
our list of the best policies of 2008.
haty san Francc
Everyone gets to see a doctor. Not just an
overworked E.R. staffer who will see you after
a five hour wait when youre facing a medical
crisis, but a primary physician who can
provide routine preventive care as well as
very year, almost00,000 criminalenders areeleased rom
rison to reenterivilian lie. Butwo out o three them will beearrested withinhree years.
T Btand Wrt fPubc Pcy
DMI / 2008 Year in Review
8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
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Tamng Txc Ty
Whether a toy car or an action hero, who can
forget their first beloved toy? We played late
into the night and awoke early to find comfort
and imagination in these plastic gems. We
never worried whether we would suffer
because of our imagination. But the presence
of dangerous toxic ingredients in our
childhood treasures (like lead, cadmium, and
plastic softening agents called phthalates)
allowed toy companies profit to come before
our kids. Not anymore. This year the state of
Washington pushed back against toy
manufacturers by passing the Childrens Safe
Products Act. Washington now holds the
strongest standards in the country, banning
toxic chemicals in toys and childrens
products sold in the state. While Governor
Gregoire made some concessions, particularly
for educational toys with internal electronics,
she still showed the kind of courage we should
expect from our leaders. By passing the Act,
Washington also blazed a path for similar
federal legislation (the Consumer Product
Safety Improvement Act was signed into law in
August). Now standards are higher nationwide,
and the nations kids are better off. Because
we shouldnt have to think about long term
brain damage when playing house, the
Childrens Safe Products Act gets lots of play
on our list of the best of 2008.
A Nw Gi B frNw Vtran
The original GI bill of 1944 changed the
American landscape: it stimulated the
economy and fortified the middle class by
providing education and home loans to
veterans of WWII. Like that act, the New GI
Bill, introduced by Senator Jim Webb, offers
critical educational assistance to this
generations veterans. The bill fully covers
college tuition up to the cost of the most
expensive in-state public school. And a
monthly living stipend is supplied so that no
veteran needs to choose between school and
keeping a roof over his or her head. But dont
think that this bill sailed into law through
peaceful seas. Both President Bush and
fund would be financed by employer and
employee contributions equal to 0.2 percent
of annual earnings; businesses with fewer
than 20 workers could opt out of the program
or choose to make a smaller contribution.
Lower-income workers would receive their full
paycheck while on leave; others would get a
reduced portion of their usual earnings.
Unfortunately, the bill never came to a vote in
2008. Still, for ensuring Americans can spend
time with their families when it matters most,
without losing a paycheck to do it, we
welcome the arrival of Family Leave Insurance
Act onto the best of 2008 list.
Wn infratructurAttac!
Preventable floods collapsing bridges
breached levies How many cataclysmic
events does it take before we realize that
neglecting the nations public infrastructure
costs lives? The American Society of Civil
Engineers latest Report Card for Americas
Infrastructure gave the nation a D average,
and estimates that $1.6 trillion needs to be
invested into infrastructure related projects
by 2010 just to get the country back on track
for acceptable maintenance. This abysmal
status quo is not only responsible for
catastrophic loss of life and property, but also
for commuters using 5.7 billion gallons of gas
and spending 46 hours a year stuck in traf fic.
Senators Chris Dodd and Chuck Hagel are
taking steps to help improve this state of
affairs by introducing the National
Infrastructure Bank Act. The proposed
National Infrastructure Bank will help states
and localities to launch infrastructure
improvement projects with a federal price tag
of $75 million or more which would usually
fall by the wayside due to prohibitive costs.
While the bill never came to a vote in 2008,
the need continues to grow. By protecting
American lives, the environment, public
health and the economy through stronger
infrastructure, this bill fills a critical gap in
our list of the best policies of 2008.
Preventable oodscollapsing bridgesbreached leviesHow many cataclysmevents does it takebeore we realize thaneglecting the nationpublic inrastructurecosts lives?
8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
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The WoRsT oFPUBliC PoliCY
Bad B? Dprtt Wrr
You wouldnt want to work for the folks who
ran the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in
Postville, Iowa. According to employees, they
hired kids as young as 13 to work dangerous
jobs, ignored overtime laws, physically abused
employees, neglected safety, and turned a
blind eye to sexual harassment. When workers
tried to organize to improve conditions, the
bosses busted up the union. But when the law
finally stepped in, it wasnt the bosses who
faced criminal charges. It was the employees.
On May 12, immigration authorities (known as
ICE) arrested 389 undocumented immigrants
working at the plant, holding many of them in
a building used to exhibit cattle. The bosses,
at first, got a free pass from the feds (although
state labor authorities stepped in later). ICE
has traditionally refrained from enforcement
actions in workplaces where labor standards
were being investigated by other government
agencies. After all, fear of a raid could make
immigrants and their co-workers all the more
reluctant to speak out about illegal conditions
that affect all employees. Thats still the rule
on paper, but the Postville action and other
recent raids seem to suggest a new de facto
policy. These days, bosses with labor trouble
can call the feds and just might find ICE willing
to cart some troublesome employees away
and intimidate the rest. For turning
immigration enforcement into a tool of labor
suppression, the ICE raids rank among the
worst of 2008.
Rct Fud Watr
Although energy drinks are on the rise,
nobody would guess that rocket fuel might be
found in their tap water. For most of us,
quenching thirst doesnt mean we want to
blast off. But perchlorate, a chemical found in
rocket fuel (like the fuel that propels the space
shuttle) and missiles (like those tested by the
Department of Defense) has been found in tap
Senator John McCain vehemently opposed it,
claiming that it would decrease re-enlistment.
In fact, the battle was so fierce that the new GI
Bill had to be included in a war spending
measure to assure passageeven though its
cost for ten years is equivalent to just about
one week of the Iraq war effort overall. The
Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance
Act goes into effect immediately and is sure
to cultivate a new cadre of dedicated students
and future leaders. Because education for
veterans is a sound investment in the future,
and the least we owe the men and women who
volunteered to serve our country, we salute
the New GI Bill as one of the best of 2008.
Cafrna Cutt spraw
So you want to be green and drive less. But if
you live in one of Californias sprawling
subdivisions, theres not much you can do:
public transportation isnt available, you may
live far from where you work and shop, and
even sidewalks and bike lanes are nonexistent.
Multiply that situation by millions, and youve
got an exponential increase in car travel
statewide and a tremendous obstacle to the
Golden States ambitious goals for cutting
global warming pollution. The solution? Create
incentives so that new development is denser
and gets built in proximity to mass transit.
And while youre at it, make sure theres
affordable housing, lots of flexibility for local
governments, and fewer traffic jams. Thats
what California did. On September 30,
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a
bill with the uninspiring name of SB 375,
creating unprecedented links between zoning,
transportation, and housing regulations and
subsidies to overhaul land use planning
throughout the state. The legislation was
supported by an unlikely bipartisan coalition
of real estate developers, affordable housing
advocates, and environmentalists. If all
works well, the state will see more sustainable
neighborhoods and shorter commutes over
time. For showing the nation how to grow
green on a massive scale, Californias law
is zoned for a prime spot on our best of
2008 list.
T Btand Wrt fPubc Pcy
Create incentives sothat new developmentis denser and gets built
in proximity to masstransit. And while youreat it, make sure theresaordable housing, lotso exibility or localgovernments, and ewertrafc jams. Thats whatCaliornia did.
DMI / 2008 Year in Review
8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
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8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
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billion from the federal Treasury to avoid going
broke. The summers gas pain was real, but
this solution was a phonyand one of the
worst public policies of 2008.
Rd iandRun wt scr
In bad economic times, when budgets run
short, states have to make difficult choices.
Some raise taxes and fees; others take out the
scissors and cut spending. Some borrow;
others sell off state property and lay off public
employees. Many do a combination of all of
the above. But few react to a budget shortfall
as poorly as Rhode Island did in 2008. The
Ocean States most recent budget cut services
to the poor, the sick, children and the elderly.
State health care cuts will raise medical costs
for 7,800 poor families and eliminate coverage
completely for 1,000 low-income parents.
Hundreds of kids will be kicked out of early
education programs. College students are
losing scholarships and facing higher tuition.
Affordable housing funds are diminished. $10
million to local municipalities to aid the
elderly, support veterans and fund police has
dried up. The state transit system may have to
cut service by 20 percent, despite increased
demand. The state stopped funding for
repairing deficient bridges. When food banks
and homeless shelters are on the chopping
block, its time to think about raising more
revenue, but Rhode Island legislators ignored
calls to reverse recently enacted tax breaks
for the states wealthy residents. Governor
Donald Carcieri even boasted about his
accomplishment: we have worked together to
reduce spending and balance the budget
without raising taxes. For harsh service
cutbacks to those who rely on state support
the most, Rhode Islands budget massacre is
among the worst of 2008.
Bratng W latn
Meet Joe Arpaio, Sheriff of Maricopa County,
Arizona. He calls himself the toughest sheriff
in America, and that reputation has gotten
him re-elected in this conservative region
since 1992. But the crimes hes most
economic gains to both countries. But the
benefits for most Americans are hard to see.
The track record of NAFTA-style trade pacts
doesnt inspire much confidence: while they
may promote economic growth, the gains flow
overwhelmingly to corporate coffers while
middle-class workers may lose jobs and see
their wages decline. The situation is even
worse in a nation that turns a blind eye to
anti-union violence. In essence, this pact
would increase opportunities to outsource
U.S. jobs to a place where wages are kept low
because working people literally fear for their
lives if they stand up for their internationally
recognized rights on the job. There is one
piece of good news: the deal wont go into
effect without approval from Congress. As of
press time, that wasnt forthcoming. For
flouting human rights and labor rights in
pursuit of the right to more easily move
money over borders, the proposed Colombia
trade agreement is hereby ratified as one of
the worst policies of the year.
Ga Tax CutRun n empty
During the heat of summer 2008, as a nation
of drivers groaned under the burden of $4.00
gasoline, politicians saw an opportunity for
some hot air. What the nation needed, insisted
officials and candidates alike, was a summer-
long gas tax holiday. Unfortunately, the
proposal itself was a vacation from reality. The
federal gas tax is just 18.4 cents a gallon, so
suspending it would save most drivers no
more than $10 a month. Whats worse, there
was never a guarantee that tax savings would
be passed on to consumers at alloil
companies could simply raise prices and use
the tax cut to fatten their bottom lines; in fact,
many economists projected that this was the
most likely outcome. Meanwhile, the lost
revenuea projected $9 billion over the
course of the summerwould have been a
blow to the federal Highway Trust Fund, which
finances road repairs and generally keeps the
nations transportation systems running. It
turns out to be a good thing the trust fund
didnt lose that money: even with the gas tax
revenue, the highways needed an extra $8
Whats worse, therewas never a guaranteethat tax savingswould be passed on toconsumers at alloil companies couldsimply raise pricesand use the tax cutto atten their bottomlines; in act, manyeconomists projectedthat this was the mostlikely outcome.
T Btand Wrt fPubc Pcy
DMI / 2008 Year in Review
8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
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plans move costs from employers, who may
previously have paid for comprehensive health
care benefits, to employees, who must now
pay high health care deductibles out-of-pocket.
Studies suggest cash-strapped patients tend
to skimp on needed care as a result. For
generous public subsidies to lousy insurance
plans, Georgias new health insurance law is a
prescription for poor health and one of the
worst of 2008.
N Warrant?N Prbm!
For years, telecommunications companies
spied on Americans without warrants. At the
behest of the Bush Administration, the
companies illegally monitored citizens
private e-mail correspondence, phone calls,
password-protected internet activity, and
other personal communications. The
surveillance violated Americans Fourth
Amendment right against unwarranted
searches and seizures, the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the
contractual rights of private customers who
signed privacy agreements with these
companies. But in July 2008, Congress
announced that it was all good. A new law
reauthorizing domestic surveillance authority
included provisions granting retroactive
immunity from lawsuits to
telecommunications companies that illegally
cooperated with the Bush Administration. In
short, the telecoms could never be held
accountable for their actions. National
security experts were at a loss to explain why
the Bush Administration had to dodge flexible
surveillance laws to gather intelligence in the
first placeor how granting impunity to
private companies would make the public
safer. But Bush insisted, and ultimately
Congress caved. The result sets a dangerous
standard for public and private power that
victimizes ordinary Americansand never
has to answer for it. For undermining the rule
of law and setting a perilous precedent,
theres no need for a wiretap to find out that
this is one of the worst policies of 2008.
interested in arent murders, rapes,
burglaries or assaults: they are violations of
immigration law. And many of the countys
Latino residentsregardless of their
immigration statusappear to be targets. So
says the Mexican American Legal Defense
and Educational Fund (MALDEF), which sued
Arpaio this July for racial profiling. At issue
are the sheriffs broad crime suppression
sweeps through Latino neighborhoods and
locations where day laborers seek
employment. According to MALDEF, residents
who appear to be Latino are stopped on the
slightest pretexta broken taillight, perhaps,
or walking outside the crosswalkor for no
reason at all, and interrogated about their
immigration status. And a stop may be
enough to detain citizens and legal residents
for hours while their immigration status is
verified. What a way to spend an afternoon!
The sweeps have spread fear and mistrust of
law enforcement through the countys Latino
communities, but theres little evidence they
have affected criminal activity. For
discriminatory policing that has nothing to do
with public safety, Arpaios biased crime
sweeps are among the worst of 2008.
Grga Uncvrd
One in five Georgia residents under age 65
lacks health insurance, and most of the
uninsured live in poverty. So one might expect
that the states new health care policy
expected to cost $223 million by 2013would
address this population. Unfortunately, state
lawmakers had a different beneficiary in mind:
the insurance industry. The new law, signed by
Governor Sonny Perdue in May, cuts taxes for
individuals and small businesses that buy
high-deductible health plans and the insurance
companies that sell them. According to the
nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy
Priorities, 67 percent of the benefits will go to
the insurers. CBPP also finds that the policy is
unlikely to reduce the number of uninsured
Georgians. But it is likely to shift some people
with other health care coverage into high-
deductible plans. So whats the prognosis for
those that make the switch? A higher bill for
their medical care. High-deductible health
For years, telecomcompanies spied onAmericans withoutwarrants. At the behesthe Bush Administrat
the companies illegalmonitored citizens pre-mail correspondencphone calls, passwordprotected internet acand other personalcommunications.
8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
12/240 25.0
28.0
31.0
34.0
37.0
40.0
43.0
46.0
49.0
52.0
55.0
58.0
61.0
64.0
AVER
AGEPOLLNUMBERS
Presidential Election 2008: Highs, Lows and Opinion Pol
Obama
Campaign event
Real world event
McC
January 28:President Bush delivers State of theUnion Address, calling for economicstimulus legislation that isntloaded up with measures like anextension of unemploymentbenefits, despite the fact thateconomists see extending benefitsas one of the most efficient meansof stimulating the economy.
February 1:The Department of Laborannounces that the nation lost17,000 jobs in January. This is thefirst drop in employment in nearly
five years, and a clear sign ofdifficult economic times to come.Construction and manufacturingare among the sectors losing thegreatest number of jobs. At thispoint, 1.38 million Americans havebeen out of work for at least sixmonths without finding a new job.
February 13:Federal economicstimulus legislationsigned into law. Thebill gives tax cuts tobusiness and rebatechecks to households,but does not extendunemploymentbenefits.
March 10:Gas prices hit a new peak of $3.27 a gallon.Analysts widely predict that prices at thepump will exceed $4.00 a gallon during thesummer months. According to the FederalHighway Administration, Americans drove11 billion miles less in March 2008 thanthey had the previous March, the sharpestyearly drop for any month since the agencybegan recording. Rising prices for food addto a budget squeeze for consumers.
March 14:The federal government bailsout investment firm BearStearns, subsidizing its takeoverby JP Morgan Chase. BearStearns collapse is traced to its
heavy investment in mortgage-backed securities, which areplummeting in value as the realestate market declines.
April 23:A Senate filibusterkills the LillyLedbetter Fair PayAct. The bill wouldhave restoredAmericans abilityto sue for wagediscriminationafter this right wascurtailed by theSupreme Court.
May 15:California SuCourt rulesthe state mrecognize ssex marriag
January 3:Senator BarackObama winsIowa caucus.
January 8:Senator JohnMcCain winsNew Hampshire
primary.
January 30:Candidates JohnEdwards and RudyGuiliani drop outof the presidentialcampaign.
February 5:Super TuesdayMcCainemerges as Republicanfront-runner. SenatorHillary Clinton winsmore states, Obamamore delegates.
March 4:McCain secures Republicannomination. Clinton winsOhio, Texas.
March 18:Obama respondsto criticism ofhis relationshipwith Rev. JeremiahWright with amajor speech onrace relationsin America.
April 6:Speaking at a fundraiserin San Francisco, Obama implies that joblosses lead small-town voters to get bittecling to guns or religion or antipathy towapeople who arent like them
April 15:McCain calls for summer-long suspension of federalgas taxes.
April 26:Clinton winsPennsylvaniaprimary.
May 6:Obama wCarolina
January 26:Obama winsSouth Carolinaprimary.
8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
13/24Chart represents averages of head-to-head McCain vs. Obama polls as calculated by RealClearPolit
June 6:The Bureau of Labor Statisticsannounces that unemploymentspiked to 5.5% in May. A Senate
filibuster kills major legislationto address global warming.
June 12:Supreme Court rules thathabeas corpus claims applyto Guantanamo detainees.
June 18:Bush asksCongress toend the federalban on offshoreoil drilling.
June 29:Bush signs a warspending bill thatincludes a 13-weekextension ofunemploymentbenefits and aNew GI Bill witheducation benefitsfor recent militaryveterans.
July 9:The Senateapproves anexpansion offederal wiretapauthority, grantingimmunity totelecom compa-nies that allowedwiretappingwithout a warrant.
August 8:The OlympicGames begin
in Beijing.
September 29:The U.S. House ofRepresentativesfails to passlegislation bailingout Wall Street.The Dow JonesIndustrial Averagefalls 778 points onthe following day.
October 10:ConnecticutSupreme Courtlegalizes samesex marriage.
October 30
The CommeDepartment the sharpestconsumer spsince 1980.
September 5:The Bureau ofLabor Statisticsannounces thatunemploymentreached 6.1% inAugust, its highestrate in 5 years.
October 3:Congress passes, and Bushsigns legislation providing a$700 billion bailout of WallStreet firms.
September 14:Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy after the federagovernment refuses to offer a bailout similar to thoseprovided to Bear Stearns, AIG, Fannie Mae and FreddIt is the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history, with tcompany facing unprecedented losses from its investin mortgage-backed securities.
July 30: Bush signs the American HousingRescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act intolaw. Home foreclosure activity has nowincreased 55% and housing prices have fallena record 17.5% since July 2007. The legislationestablishes a voluntary program for lenders torefinance mortgages and receive a guaranteefrom the Federal Housing Administration. Thebill also extends an unlimited line of credit tothe quasi-governmental housing financeagencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The lawdoes little to stem the tide of foreclosures andfails to stabilize either the housing market or thenations credit markets.
June 3:Obama wins enough votesto secure the Democraticnomination for President.
June 7:Clinton suspendsher campaign andendorses Obama.
June 19:Obamaannounces hewill forego publicfunding of hiscampaign.
July 9:The Washington Timespublishes article in whichMcCain advisor Phil Grammsays the U.S. is a nationof whiners in a mentalrecession.
July 18:Obama begins anine-day trip toEurope and theMiddle East.
August 8:McCain forcefully reacts against theRussian invasion of Georgia, implyingObamas weakness on foreign policy.
August 16:At a Presidential Forumin California, McCainsuggests that anyonemaking less than $5 milliona year is middle class.
August 20:During a media interview,McCain is unable to statehow many houses he owns.
August 23:Obama selects SenatorJoe Biden as hisrunning mate.
August 25:DemocraticConvention begins.
August 29:McCain selectsGov. Sarah Palin ashis running mate.
Sept. 4:RepublicanConventionends.
September 15:McCain announces that despite turmoilon Wall Street, the fundamentals of oureconomy are strong.
September 24:McCain suspends his campaign towork on bailout legislation.
September 26:First presidential debate.
October 7:Second presidential debate
October 1:Obama and McCain vote infavor of legislation bailingout Wall Street.
October 15:McCain invokes the Plumber in fpresidential deba
October 19:Former Secreof State Colinendorses Oba
NovembVoters elBarack OPresiden
There was the election news, and then there was the real world. This special election feature tracks both, illuminating howcampaign happenings (top of the page) and real world events (at bottom) interacted and may or may not have influenced tpolls between Senators Obama and McCain (red and blue lines in the middle).
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How will Americas 43rd President be
remembered? This year DMIs Injustice
Index marshals hard-hitting statistics
for a by-the-numbers assessment of
George W. Bushs presidential legacy.
2008
InjusticeIndex:The Bush Legacy
DMI / 2008 Year in Review6
Date that the United
States invaded Iraq:
3/19/2003
Cost of the Iraq War
through 2008:
$567 billion
Approximate cost of
the privately funded
George W. Bush
Presidential Library,
whose manager insists
it will discuss thewar upfront:
$250 million
Year the library is
set to open:
2016
Year by which the No
Child Left Behind law
mandates that all
students nationwide
must achieve grade-
level proficiency inreading and math:
2014
Number of societies
on earth that has ever
succeeded in achieving
universal student
proficiency, according
to testing expertRobert Linn:
0
Amount by which No
Child Left Behind has
been underfunded
since its inception,
according to Senator
Tom Harkin:
$70.9 billion
Number of points the
Dow Jones Industrial
Average dropped on
September 29, 2008:778
Overall change in
stock market wealth
between October 2007
and October 2008:
-$8.4 trillion
Date President Bush
signed legislation
phasing out the
federal estate tax:6/7/2001
Increase in the number
of U.S. millionaires
since that year:
928,000
Increase in the
number of Americans
living in poverty since
that year:4.4 million
Cost of all Bushs tax
cuts from 2001 to
2007:
$1.3 trillion
Date President Bush
announced that his tax
cuts would encourage
more investment andstrengthen the
foundation of our
economy so that every
American who wants
to work will be able to
find a job.:
5/28/2003
Rank of the business
cycle that included
these tax cuts
compared to allbusiness cycles since
1949 in terms of
employment growth:
last
Rank in terms
of investment:
last
Percentage differencein viewership of the
episode with the Bush
cameo, compared to
the shows season
average:
-27%
Approximate proportionof Americans who
approved of Presidents
Bush handling of the
Presidency in October,
2008:
1 in 5
Proportion of
American adults
currently incarcerated
in a prison or jail:
1 in 100
Date on whichPresident Bush
commuted the prison
sentence of I. Lewis
Libby, the Vice
Presidents former
Chief of Staff, who was
convicted of perjury
and obstruction of
justice:
7/2/2007
Percentage change inthe number of full
time staff monitoring
hazardous goods at
the Consumer Product
Safety Commission
during Bushs tenure:
-16%
Percentage change inthe number of federal
investigators who
monitor employers
compliance with
minimum wage,
overtime, and child
labor laws during
Bushs tenure:
-23%
Opening weekend box
office gross of Oliver
Stones Bush biopic W:
$10.6 million
Opening weekend box
office gross of Michael
Moores 2004
documentary
Fahrenheit 911, whichintensely criticized the
Bush Administration:
$23.9 million
Number of days during
his presidency that
Bush spent on vacation
at either Camp David or
his Texas ranch, as of
August 2008 (including
partial days off):
916
Total number of years
in Bushs presidency,
if these vacation days
are subtracted:
5.5
Proportion of U.S.
workers who have
no paid vacations
or holidays at work:1 in 4
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Weve barelyscratched the surface.What about global warming andthe environment? Illegal spying,torture, and extraordinary rendition?
Immigration, transportation,and civil litigation? Share yoursuggestions for additional statistics
that convey the legacy of theBush years on the DMIBlog athttp://www.dmiblog.com
Date on which
President Bush
received a presidential
daily briefing entitled
Bin Laden determined
to strike in U.S. while
in the midst of a
month-long vacation:
8/6/2001
Date on which a FEMA
report warned that
Hurricane Katrina could
greatly overtop levees
and protective systems
in New Orleans,
displacing more than a
million residents, a
warning which came
when the President was
again in the midst of amonth-long vacation:
8/27/2005
Date of a second
warning, from the U.S.
Department of
Homeland Security, that
Katrina would likely
lead to severe flooding
and/or levee breaching:
8/29/2008
Date that President Bush
told ABC I dont think
anybody anticipated the
breach of the levees.:
9/1/2005
Date on which George
W. Bush announced
I believe were
overextended if we
dont stop extending
our troops all around
the world and nation
building missions,
then were going to
have a serious problem
coming down the road:10/3/2000
Date on which the
United Nations chief
weapons inspector, Han
Blix, informed the U.N.
Security Council that he
had found no evidence
of weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq,
although inspection
and monitoring efforts
would continue:3/7/2003
Proportion of U.S.
public schools that
are failing to meet
No Child Left Behind
standards as of
October 2008:
2 out of 5
Percentage increase
in overall school
performance when
previously uninsured
children were enrolled
in public healthcoverage, according
to a California study:
24%
Change in the number
of children with health
coverage during
President Bushs
tenure:
-78,000
Percentage of
President Bushs total
vetoes that blocked
expansion of childrens
health insurance:
20%
Number of times he
cited the superiority
of private insurance
programs in his
message explaining
the first veto toCongress:
5
Year when President
Bush made privatizing
Social Security the
centerpiece of his
State of the Union
Address, assertingthat your money will
grow, over time, at a
greater rate than
anything the current
system can deliver.:
2005
Change in the real
median income of
non-retiree households
since 2000:-$2,010
Estimated home
equity lost by
American families with
the bursting of the
housing bubble:
$4 trillion
Year that subsidiaries
of the U.S. Treasury
Department struck
down laws in Georgiaand New Jersey that
were intended to rein
in predatory lending
and prevent
foreclosures within
those states:
2003
Year in which the
Federal Reserve
issued its own rules
to rein in predatorylending and prevent
foreclosures:
2008
Number of home
foreclosure filings
in the first three
quarters of 2008:
2.2 million
Number of
surrounding homes
likely to suffer price
declines as a resultof this number of
foreclosures according
to the Center for
Responsible Lending:
40.6 million
Date on which President
Bush appeared on the NBC
game show Deal or No
Deal, joking that he wasthrilled to be anywhere
with high ratings:
5/21/2008
Percentage of BushSupreme Court
appointees who ruled
that factory worker
Lilly Ledbetter would
get no recompense
from her employer
despite proving 20
years of pay
discrimination:
100%
Number of judgesBush appointed to
the Supreme Court
as president:
2
Number of Supreme
Court Justices who
ruled to stop the Florida
recount in Bush v. Gore,
effectively handing the
2000 election to
George W. Bush:
5
Date on whichVice President Dick
Cheney announced
history will be the
judgeand history,
I believe, will say, job
well done.:
10/3/2008
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T Cmpttventrpr inttut
Competitive Enterprise Institute fellow Steven
J. Milloy is quick to decry what he regards as
fear-mongering by environmentalists, but
hes perfected the technique himself. The
lights may soon go out in Washington, D.C.
he warns ominously in one article, And it
could happen where you live too. Your
electricity is in danger, Milloy writes, because
of environmentalists who want to conserve
energy before building more coal-fired power
plants. Environmental zealots, Milloy
explains, want to continue their anti-energy
jihad against essentially defenseless coal-
based electricity producers. Milloy comes to
the rescue of the poor vulnerable coal
industry by suggesting that they deny the
scientific consensus on human-induced
global warming all together. After all, thats
what he and his $3 million organization do,
with generous support from the oil industry.
Of course, theres no evidence that anyone
has actually faced a blackout caused by
environmental activism. Whats more, coal-
fired power plants present human health
risks beyond the carbon emissions that
contribute to global warming; its toxic
mercury emissions can lead to brain damage
and nervous system disabilities among
adults, children, and developing fetuses. But
thats another fact to obfuscate another day.
Well-unded right-wing thinktanks have succeeded in shapingthe nations political debate ordecades. Eye on the Right castsa critical looks at the argumentsand agendas these organizations
peddled in 2008ideas all toolikely to become the conservativemarching orders o 2009.
DMI / 2008 Year in Review8
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parenthood, Marshall shows no interest in
extending these lessons to young men. Public
policies like paid family leave and universal
preschool that the rest of the world uses to
make it easier for parents to balance work
and family also go unmentioned. Instead,
girls need more encouragement to develop
this character of self-sacrifice... Now
celebrating its 35th birthday, the Heritage
Foundation enjoys a $43.6 million annual
budget to promote its successful agenda of
deregulation, tax cuts, hawkish foreign policy
and, yes, shockingly retrograde messages for
young women.
T hvr inttutn
The Hoover Institutions endowment may have
grown to $437 million, but the ideas of
Herbert Hoover never go out of fashion at the
think tank he founded. Hoover Institution
fellow John F. Cogan teams up with American
Enterprise Institute fellow R. Glenn Hubbard
to insist that in the midst of economic
turmoil, the nation must both balance the
budget and retain the staggeringly costly
Bush tax cuts. In a Wall Street Journal editorial
in April, Hubbard and Cogan warn of the
horrors to come if the Bush tax cuts are not
extended. Taxes would choke off the
[economic] recovery, they insist without
evidence. But most upsetting, if tax cuts
expire the promise of higher revenues would
encourage Congress to continue its profligate
spending. Which spending is that? The
giveaway is that the authors define any
spending growth not for defense or homelandsecurity as excess. Sure, retaining the tax
cuts while balancing the budget would require
the nation to change entitlements to slow
their cost growtha slick way of advocating
cuts in our Social Security benefitsbut
dont worry: increasing the size of the
Defense Departments procurement budget
by 25 percent would add just 0.1 percent to
annual federal spending.
T Amrcan entrprinttut
Landlord trying to illegally evict you? Abusive
ex-spouse about to get custody of the kids?
You need a lawyerfast. But if you cant afford
to pay out-of-pocket, and your case isnt
potentially lucrative enough to hire
representation on a contingency basis, you
may be out of luck. Legal aid programs are
too under-funded to meet the need. So every
day, Americans with important claims related
to their health, housing, sustenance, child
custody, and safety are forced to go to court
without legal counsel; frequently, they lose
their case. Dont worry, says the American
Enterprise Institute, those people are probably
liars who are unworthy of representation
anyway. AEI Resident Fellow Ted Frank argues
that providing access to a lawyer to low-
income people in important legal matters
a right that is also called Civil Gideonis a
socially wasteful proposal that would make
it difficult for judges to determine who is not
one of the liars (apparently, he means those
rich enough to pay a lawyer). Worst of all,
according to Frank, Civil Gideon could provide
elderly tenants free legal help to avoid
eviction. If that happened, these low-income
seniors might be encouraged to intentionally
refuse to pay rent. With annual revenues of
$28.4 million, AEI has no problem making
rent, or hiring lawyers for that matter. Too bad
they use those resources to prevent the rest of
us from attaining justice.
T hrtag Fundatn
Has all the focus on expanding young
womens educational and professional
horizons obscured their path to the married
life they dream of? frets the Heritage
Foundations Director of Domestic Policy
Studies, Jennifer A. Marshall. While its easy
for young women to become rocket scientists,
according to Marshall, girls need to
understand more about how to become good
wives and mothers. While ostensibly talking
about issues of work-life balance and how
some [career] dreams come with conditions,
in the form of delayed marriage and
th giy i h h h dfi
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hmd ciy xc.
Environmental zealMilloy explains, wanto continue their anenergy jihad againsessentially deenselcoal-based electriciproducers.
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T Cntr frimmgratn stud
The name may sound impartial and even
academic, but the Center for Immigration
Studies is anything but. True, this anti-
immigrant organization uses less hateful and
inflammatory rhetoric than many of its
counterparts, but the overall goal remains the
same: terminating virtually all immigration,
legal or otherwise, to the United States.
Scratch the surface of the studiously objective
language and some familiar right-wing
preoccupations with race and culture turn up
quickly. In an essay in the National Review
Online, for example, CIS Executive Director
Mark Krikorian excoriates GOP presidential
nominee John McCain for being an ideological
multiculturalist. Krikorian argues that McCain
has not flip-flopped convincingly enough.
Because McCain opposed English-only ballot
initiatives, supported bilingual education
programs for students learning English, and
has not taken a hard line against affirmative
action in Arizona he strike[s] at the coherence
of the American nation. Whats more, McCain
dares to have more evolved views on American
identity than Theodore Roosevelt expressed in
1918. The Center for Immigration Studies
boasts of being the nations only think tank
devoted exclusively to immigration, but
gratuitous attacks on McCains liberal
stances on global warming and judges
suggest a far broader right-wing agenda.
T Cat inttut
You might imagine that the meltdown of the
nations financial sector would have prompted
some soul-searching in the halls of this
libertarian think tank. After all, the
consequences of the deregulation and lack of
public oversight that Cato has spent decades
advocating for are devastating the American
economy. Right? Not so, says Cato. It isnt lax
regulation of irresponsible lenders that
brought down the economy, but planners
trying to socially engineer our cities. Thats
right: zoning ordinances caused the financial
crisis. In an essay with the uncompromising
title Why Government Planning Always Fails,
Catos Senior Fellow Randal OToole makes the
case that government efforts to protect open
space and fund mass transit systems are the
real causes of the housing bubble because
these government interventions can increase
home values. The upshot? We need toll roads,
privatized transit systems, and an end to
zoning and environmental laws that weaken
individuals rights to do whatever they please
with their property. And by the way, we know
that New Deal planning did more to prolong the
Depression than to end it. Well then. Hope
they have a sound investment strategy for their
$23.5 million in assets.
T Manattan inttut
Forget about raising the minimum wage or
expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Neither can impact poverty in this country
because, according to Manhattan Institute
Fellow Steven Malanga, In America, the
poor dont work. Call the Census Bureau!
Someone has disappeared the more than
9 million working poor Americansand the
families theyre trying to raisefrom
Malangas set of statistics. But maybe that
doesnt matter. Malanga, and many of his
colleagues at the $12 million a year
Manhattan Institute, are really concerned
about a subset of Americans in poverty:
poor girls without a high school education
having children by a man who wont marry
and support them. Despite welfare reform,
some of these single mothers with young
children arent in the workforce yet. Yet in the
Manhattan Institutes worldview, theres no
point in improving their access to childcare
or education and job training either because,
in the words of MI City Journal editor Andrew
Klavan, beating poverty in America
nowadays is largely a matter of personal
behavior. Instead, Klavan suggests making
movies that teach the value of staying in
school and getting married. Bring your
own popcorn.
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d h bgh d h cmy,b p yig ciy gi
cii.
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T Prdatr stat: hwCnrvatv Abandnd t FrMart and Wy lbra sud T
Bk by Jm K. Gbih
Free markets make for a great slogan. But
in practice, the free market policies of the
Reagan era deregulation, privatization,
balanced budgets, tax cuts, free trade, andtight monetary policy have spectacularly
failed to produce the promised benefits to the
public. Today, these ideas are no more than
cover for a corporate republic that
manipulates government to benefit powerful
private interests. Now, Galbraith argues, it is
up to liberals to stop kowtowing to the myth
of the free market and publicly recognize the
positive role government must play in meeting
the challenges before us.
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d afghi v f amic
A soaring Army suicide rate. Rising substance
abuse among troops and veterans. Family
stress so severe it leads to divorce. These are
among the first signs that the nation is not
adequately assisting soldiers with serious
mental health injuries from the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan. With nearly half a million troops
expected to return home with psychological
wounds, the scope of the problem is enormous.
One in three Iraq War veterans faces severe
psychological damage from combat-related
depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress
disorder. Yet the IAVA reports that for many
veterans, treatment for these injuries is
virtually inaccessible. Supporting the troops
means the Defense Department and Veterans
Affairs must stop covering up mental health
problems and provide improved screening andtreatment quickly.
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Bk by v J
The nations two greatest challenges,
according to civil rights and environmental
activist Van Jones, are poverty and the
environmental crisis. Green jobs can solve
them both. A substantial public investment in
the green economy will produce hundreds of
thousands of jobs weatherizing homes,
constructing wind farms, planting green
roofs, and the like. Public policy must ensure
that these are good jobs and that members
of disadvantaged communities receive the
support and training necessary to attain
them. Do it right, and green jobs will help
to fully engage low-income people and
communities of color in the vital effort to
save the planet. After all, the green economy
should not be just about reclaiming thrown
away stuff. It should be about reclaiming
thrown-away lives.
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Metropolitan areas are the engines of
American prosperity. How can the next
president use that insight to benefit the
nation? Brookings argues that to unleash
the potential of a metropolitan nation,
Washington needs to lead on issues like
climate change and globalization where
metropolitan areas cannot go it alone;
empower metropolitan areas to deal with
local issues by encouraging problem solving
that reaches across city-suburb boundaries;
and effectively collect and disseminate the
data necessary to promote the most effective
policies. The result is a coherent and rational
approach to policymaking. Lets hope
Washington is listening.
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These tax cuts will pay for themselves. How
many times have you heard that whopper
from a conservative candidate or pundit? The
idea is that cutting taxes will stimulate so
much economic growth that public revenue
will actually increase. This would be a pretty
TeNPRoGRessiVeReADs WoRThA Peek
Re
adin
glist20
08
DMI / 2008 Year in Review4
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neat trick if it worked. Unfortunately, it
doesnt. This succinct report crunches the
numbers from the Bush years and previous
administrations and finds that tax cuts lose
revenue, and when they are deficit financed,
they can also contribute to poorer economic
performance over the long term.
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Corporations can move jobs and investments
anywhere in the world, but if working people
try to cross borders they are likely to be
marginalized and exploited. This penetrating
analysis explores U.S. immigration and
globalization through the lens of Fekkak
Mamdouhs real life experiences as animmigrant working at the World Trade
Centers Windows on the World restaurant
and as an organizer in New Yorks restaurant
industry. The conclusion? Immigrants and
citizens have a common interest in increasing
power for working people in the U.S., and
equalizing global opportunity so that people
worldwide dont need to abandon their homes
and homelands to have a decent life.
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The media focuses on the red-blue divide, but
DMIs poll finds that middle-class Americans
share a broad consensus on public policy:
they support a universal health insurance
plan, requiring employers to provide paid
family and medical leave, making it easier for
employees to join labor unions and allowing
bankruptcy judges to change mortgage
payments to keep homes out of foreclosure.
But the middle class may find it difficult to
hold their Congressional representatives
accountable on these vital issues: although
most try to follow Congress, they seldom hear
from their reps, and dont actually know how
they voted on issues of importance.
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Americas broken health care system has
been making us all sick for some time. This
report shows that the situation has
deteriorated substantially on President Bushs
watch. At last count, nearly two-thirds of non-
elderly U.S. adults struggled to pay medical
bills, went without needed care because of
the cost, were uninsured for a time, or were
underinsured. That adds up to 116 million
Americansa constituency for reform if ever
there was one.
excutv exc 2008: hw AvragTaxpayr subdz Runaway Payrp by sh ad, Jh Cgh,
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Ah, the life of the hedge fund manager. Not
only do the top 50 guys (yes, mostly guys) in
that august profession rake in 19,000 times
what the typical U.S. worker earns, but they
get tax subsidies from the rest of us to do it.
This report documents how highly paid
money managers and CEOs enjoy taxpayer
largess to the tune of more than $20 billion
per year and suggests policies to end the
public assistance windfall for billionaires.
hw t Ru t Wrd: T CmngBatt ovr t Gba ecnmy
Bk by Mk eg
Should the world be run by multinational
corporations or U.S. military force? Mark
Engler argues that the power struggle
between those two visions of globalization
provides a unique opportunity for those
seeking none of the above. Progressive
movements in the U.S. and throughout the
world can take advantage of the clash among
elites to press for a democratic globalization
based on economic justice, human rights,
and self-determination.
8/6/2019 Drum Major Institute: 2008 Year in Review
24/24
T Drum Majr inttut fr Pubc Pcy
The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy is a non-partisan, non-profit think tank
generating the ideas that fuel the progressive movement. From releasing nationally
recognized studies of our increasingly fragile middle class to showcasing progressive
policies that have worked to advance social and economic justice, DMI has been on the
leading edge of the public policy debate. Founded during the civil rights movement,
DMI equips those on the frontlines with the tools to more effectively advance an agenda
of social and economic justice, including research, model policies, policy-driven Web
sites, and even young talent. For more information, see
hp://.dmmjii.g
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