| Progressive Calendar 04.03.06 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: David Shove (shove001 tc.umn.edu)
|
|
| Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 16:08:52 -0700 (PDT) | |
P R O G R E S S I V E C A L E N D A R 04.03.06
1. mn911 meeting 4.03 7pm
2. Moyers/Dennett 4.03 10pm?
3. Cam answers all 4.04 9:30am
4. Same sex marriage 4.04 12noon
5. Mpls wi-fi 4.04 6pm
6. Poetry salon 4.04 6:30pm
7. Health care 4.04 7pm
8. Sami/Iraq 4.04 7pm
9. Poetry/MLKing 4.04 7pm
10. Housing/Leg 4.04
11. Ted Glick - Real security?
12. Edward Wyatt - Smithsonian agreement angers filmmakers
13. Mark Weisbrot - The failure of Hugo-bashing
--------1 of 13--------
From: alteravista [at] earthlink.net
Subject: mn911 meeting 4.03 7pm
Mon 4/3, 7pm: Meeting of MN 911 group;
Lori's CoffeeHouse. Cleveland at Buford. 4 blocks S of Larpenteur.
1 block west of the Farm Campus Student Union.
Directions: Hwy 94, N on 280 to Larpenteur, E 1 mile to Cleveland, S 4
blocks to Buford (stoplight). If the street is full, parking in back.
Join over a dozen already committed to investigate and publicize 911
reports, misreports, benefits to power, decline of rights, etc.
--------2 of 13--------
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 17:29:03 -0500
From: Lee Dechert <LDechert [at] tpt.org>
Subject: Moyers/Dennett 4.03 10pm?
[Finally something GOOD on the Rose show! Don't miss Dennett -ed]
Charlie had heart surgery in Paris last Thursday; guest hosts and
elected repeats will continue until he returns in a few months.
Monday, April at 11pm ET. (Topics subject to change.)
{not sure of the exact time here. 10pm?]
Please go to http://www.charlierose.com/ for an updated show schedule
- Tonight's Show
Guest Host:
BILL MOYERS, PBS Journalist
DANIEL C. DENNETT
Philosopher
Author, "Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon"
--------3 of 13--------
From: Cam Gordon <CamGordon333 [at] msn.com>
Subject: Cam answers all 4.04 9:30am
Cam Gordon, Council Member, Second Ward 612-673-2202 (w) 612-296-0579 (c)
Office Hours: I am happy to announce that beginning in February I will be
holding office hours every Tuesday morning in the Second Ward from
9:30-11:00am. The locations will rotate as follows, so that I can meet
with residents in their own neighborhoods:
First Tuesdays
West Bank / Cedar Riverside neighborhood
Hard Times Cafe, 1821 Riverside Ave
--------4 of 13--------
From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Same sex marriage 4.04 12noon
12noon:Stand up against anti-same-sex marriage Constitutional Amendment
Tues April 4
There's to be a hearing at the State Capitol to OPPOSE the anti-same-sex
marriage Amendtment to the MN State Constitution. Stand with
others(banners provided, though you can also bring sings).
12noon ROOM 315 STATE CAPITOL St Paul
--------5 of 13--------
From: Linda Shoemaker <lshoemaker [at] technologypower.org>
Subject: Mpls wi-fi 4.04 6pm
Learn more about Wireless Minneapolis, what it may mean for you and how it
may help bridge the digital divide.
Come to a Wireless Minneapolis informational session.
6-8pm Tuesday, April 4
Plymouth Congregational Church, 1900 Nicollet Ave. S.
6-8pm, Thursday, April 20
Eastside Neighborhood Services, 1700 Second St. N.E., Minneapolis
6-8pm, Wednesday, May 3
Waite House, 2529 13th Ave. S., Minneapolis
Those who attend will have the opportunity to share their ideas and
feedback about what "community benefits" should be negotiated to help
bridge the digital divide.
Additional meetings are being planned. For more information or to sign-up
to receive e-mail updates on the project, visit
www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/wirelessminneapolis.
Linda Shoemaker AmeriCorps Community Technology Empowerment Project (CTEP)
--------6 of 13--------
From: Patty Guerrero <pattypax [at] earthlink.net>
Subject: Poetry salon 4.04 6:30pm
This is Poetry Salon night so bring your poems and we can listen to them.
We will first show a short video of US Poet Laureate Ted Kooser. Your
poems can by by anyone.
Pax Salons ( http://justcomm.org/pax-salon )
are held (unless otherwise noted in advance):
Tuesdays, 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
Mad Hatter's Tea House,
943 W 7th, St Paul, MN
Salons are free but donations encouraged for program and treats.
Call 651-227-3228 or 651-227-2511 for information.
--------7 of 13--------
From: joel albers <joel [at] uhcan-mn.org>
Subject: Health care 4.04 7pm
MN UHCAN
Next meeting to plan actions
TUESDAY, April 4, 7PM
Walker church Basement, 3104 16th ave s. (near lake street and bloomington
ave in Mpls)
Items; (your suggestions welcome)
1. Welcome new people, intros, background
2. Reportbacks:
-Networking with 3 organizations now focusing on HC reform
-Legislative bill updates
-precinct caucuses, party conventions support single-payer
-other
3. "Cover the Uninsured' Week, May 1-7, high visibility week,Plan Action
and Challenge scheduled events. (Note that it is impossible to "Cover the
Uninsured" under the existing system because HMOs profit by denying
coverage.
4. Medicare Part D for Disaster,
-Continue networking w/ The Gray Panthers, and now Americans United from
D.C. who helped save social security
-Prepare for Press Conference Wed April 5, 10AM Schneider Drug
-Challenge, & expose HMO,Drug Co.-sponsored sign-up "Forums"
-Prepare for May 15 sign-up deadline, high media visibility day
5. Best first step. Organizing our own Twin City HC Fund Cooperative;
Short Powerpoint. Continue networking with Springboard for the Arts, and
Mn Council of Non-Profits, others? to form Work Group on this
6. other items, ideas to add ?
www.uhcan-mn.org 612-384-0973 joel [at] uhcan-mn.org Joel Albers Minnesota
Universal Health Care Action Network 612-384-0973 joel [at] uhcan-mn.org
www.uhcan-mn.org Health Care Economics Researcher, Clinical Pharmacist
--------8 of 13--------
From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Sami/Iraq 4.04 7pm
Tuesday, 4/4, 7 pm, returning briefly from 6 months in Iraq, former Twin
Cities resident and now Muslim Peacemaker Sami Rasouli speaks at 250 Olin
Rice (the science bldg), Macalester College, St Paul.
eforman [at] macalester.edu
--------9 of 13--------
From: humanrts [at] umn.edu
Subject: Poetry/MLKing 4.04 7pm
April 4 - GO LIGHT THE WORLD: A Sending Forth of Minnesota's Quest for the
Voice Poets. 7pm.
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1200 Marquette Ave., Downtown Minneapolis
Please join us on the 38th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King,
Jr., as we honor young Minnesotans who carry forward his legacy through
the art of spoken word. This amazing group of multicultural writers and
performers give voice to an art form that honors the individual and brings
forward the many stories, experiences, dreams, convictions, and
perspectives of urban youth that all too often go unheard.
This spirit-filled evening will include music and messages from:
-Robert Robinson and the Twin Cities Community Gospel Choir
-The Quest for the Voice Poets
-T. Mychael Rambo, actor, vocalist and arts educator
-Rev. Donald Samuels, Minneapolis City Council Member
During the evening, the poets will also honor the 35 young people
currently participating in the Soulforce Equality Ride. Inspired by Dr.
King and the Freedom Rides of the sixties, the Equality Riders are
traveling across the country seeking to end discrimination against gay and
lesbian students at the 200+ colleges and universities where this form of
discrimination currently exists. Visit: equalityride.com.
The Freedom Rides may have happened some 45 years ago, but we are not all
free yet! We must never stop using our voices in speaking out against
injustice and acts of violence - physical, spiritual or otherwise - until
every last child in this world has the opportunity to do and become all
that she or he desires.
A free-will offering to support the poets' upcoming trip to New York City
to participate in the Brave New Voices' International Youth Poetry Slam
Festival will be accepted. The Quest for the Voice Poet series is a
collaborative effort of Teens Rock the Mic, Minnesota Spoken Word
Association, and Spoken Word University.
For more information, contact Brian Mogren at 612.522.1212.
For directions and free parking info, visit: www.ewestminster.org
To hear examples of the poets' work, visit:
http://www.junocollective.org/teensrockthemic.html
--------10 of 13--------
From: Joanna Dornfeld <jdornfeld [at] mhponline.org>
Subject: Housing/Leg 4.04
Dear HousingMinnesota Supporter,
On Tuesday, the House Capitol Investment Committee will put together its
2006 bonding bill. It is important that House Capitol Investment
Committee members hear from you today to urge their support for housing
proposals in the bill. The Senate version only included $25 million for
permanent supportive housing, so we must work together to increase that
dollar amount in the House.
In order for the state to remain on track with its plan to end long-term
homelessness we must invest $33 million in permanent supportive housing
this year. In addition, Minnesota has fallen behind in its investment in
transitional housing. No bonding resources have been dedicated for
transitional housing since 1998. We must invest $10 million for
transitional housing.
Please contact members of the House Capital Investment Committee today.
Tell House members to:
Support $33 million for permanent supportive housing and $10 million
for transitional housing in the bonding bill.
House Capitol Investment Committee
Chair: Dan Dorman (R) 651-296-8216 rep.dan.dorman [at] house.mn
Vice Chair: Denny McNamara (R) 651-296-3135 rep.denny.mcnamara [at] house.mn
Lead-DFL: Alice Hausman (DFL) 651-296-3824 rep.alice.hausman [at] house.mn
Laura Brod (R) 651-296-4229 rep.laura.brod [at] house.mn
Matt Dean (R) 651-296-3018 rep.matt.dean [at] house.mn
Randy Demmer (R) 651-296-9236 rep.randy.demmer [at] house.mn
John Dorn (DFL) 651-296-3248 rep.john.dorn [at] house.mn
Rob Eastlund (R) 651-296-5364 rep.rob.eastlund [at] house.mn
Pat Garofalo (R) 651-296-1069 rep.pat.garofalo [at] house.mn
Larry Howes (R) 651-296-2451 rep.larry.howes [at] house.mn
Mike Jaros (DFL) 651-296-4246 rep.mike.jaros [at] house.mn
Phyllis Kahn (DFL) 651-296-4257 rep.phyllis.kahn [at] house.mn
Margaret Anderson Kelliher (DFL) 651-296-0171
rep.margaret.kelliher [at] house.mn
Jim Knoblach (R) 651-296-6316 rep.jim.knoblach [at] house.mn
Ron Latz (DFL) 651-296-7026 rep.ron.latz [at] house.mn
Tim Mahoney (DFL) 651-296-4277 rep.tim.mahoney [at] house.mn
Mary Murphy (DFL) 651-296-2676 rep.mary.murphy [at] house.mn
Gene Pelowski, Jr. (DFL) 651-296-8637 rep.gene.pelowski [at] house.mn
Neil W. Peterson (R) 651-296-7803 rep.neil.peterson [at] house.mn
Steve Smith (R) 651-296-9188 rep.steve.smith [at] house.mn
Loren Solberg (DFL) 651-296-2365 rep.loren.solberg [at] house.mn Kathy
Tingelstad (R) 651-296-5369 rep.kathy.tingelstad [at] house.mn
Please report any communication to Joanna Dornfeld at (651) 649-1710
ext. 108 or jdornfeld [at] mhponline.org. We will tally the number of calls
that go in!
Joanna Dornfeld Field Manager HousingMinnesota (651) 649-1710 ext. 108
www.housingminnesota.org
HousingMinnesota is an initiative of the Minnesota Housing Partnership.
--------11 of 13--------
Real Security?
by Ted Glick
April 02, 2006
Several days ago the Democratic Party put out "Real Security," what they
call a "bold security agenda" that "stands in stark contrast to the
dangerous incompetence of the Republican leadership. . . Americans want
policies that are both tough and smart and offer real solutions."
What are their solutions? They fall in five areas: Homeland Security,
Iraq, Energy Independence, 21st Century Military and War on Terror.
The best section is the one on Energy Independence where the Democrats
call for "increase(d) production of alternate fuels" and "enhance(d)
energy efficiency and conservation incentives" as a means toward "energy
independence for America by 2020 by eliminating reliance on oil from the
Middle East and other unstable regions of the world." However, while
commendably **not** including nuclear power, their inclusion of expensive,
so-called "clean coal" in the listing of "alternate fuels," and their
silence on both the urgency of the climate crisis and the critical need
for international cooperation, i.e., signing the Kyoto Protocol and
spreading renewable technology worldwide, is problematic.
There is also a paragraph, one of 27, which refers to "no-bid contracts"
going to "Halliburton, Kellogg, Brown and Root and others with friends in
high places" and makes a reference to "an energy policy that benefits the
big oil interests."
And there is one other paragraph which vaguely alludes to the root causes
of terrorism and the need to "combat the economic, social, and political
conditions that allow extremism to thrive."
Much of the rest of the document could best be described as
militarism-lite. There is absolutely no questioning of the Pentagon/war
budget that has almost doubled since Bush/Cheney took office, not even a
reference to rooting out corruption in military contracting. Instead it
calls for a "state-of-the-art military. . . so that we can project power
to protect America" and a "doubl(ing) of the size of our Special Forces."
It calls for "efforts to stop nuclear weapons development in Iran and
North Korea" with no mention of the need to reduce nuclear weapons
arsenals in general, including that of the U.S. And, of course, there is
nothing about Israel's nuclear weapons or its illegal, brutal occupation
of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, a major source of insecurity-speaking
of "real security"--in the Middle East and the world.
Unsurprisingly, the Democrats are strong on "securing national borders,
ports, airports and mass transit systems. . . screen(ing) 100% of
containers and cargo bound for the U.S.," and "prevent(ing) outsourcing of
. . . our national security infrastructure. . . to foreign interests."
They support "workers on the front lines" like police and firefighters
receiving what they need to do their jobs, and they call for "investing in
the public health infrastructure and training public health workers" to
guard against "biological terrorism and pandemics."
Finally, on Iraq, their main demand is that 2006 be "a year of significant
transition to full Iraqi sovereignty," combined with "the responsible
redeployment of U.S. forces," to where it doesn't say.
Several things are notable about this "Democratic Plan to Protect America
and Restore Our Leadership in the World."
The Democrats completely buy into the terms of debate set by the
Republicans, that the major problem in the world today is "terrorism." DNC
Chairman Howard Dean is quoted in their press release as saying, "We will
not only hunt down the terrorists and provide our troops with the tools
they need to stop future attacks, but we will do a better job of securing
our ports and our nuclear power and chemical plants."
There is no mention of the accelerating climate crisis in this "real
security" document. There is no mention of the massive disparity between
the several hundred, obscenely rich families whose wealth is equal to that
of almost half of the world's peoples, those who make less than two
dollars a day. As mentioned above, it accepts the inordinate role of the
Pentagon when it comes to where our tax money goes and U.S. foreign
policy. And where is the money going to come from for all this protection
of the homeland?
And which "terrorists" are "our troops" going to "hunt down?" It's one
thing to go after Al Qaeda, but it's a well-known fact of history that a
"terrorist" to the powerful is sometimes a genuine freedom fighter to his
or her people and, in the future, a government leader.
The fact is that the militaristic response of the Bush Administration to
the 9-11 attacks, particularly the invasion of Iraq, has done a great deal
to swell the ranks of those prepared to take up arms against the U.S.,
including for some the use of terrorist tactics. There is absolutely no
mention of this in the Democrats' document.
On April 29th in New York City we can make a strong statement that the
path to "real security" for people in the United States and the world is
very different than what the Republicans and Democrats believe. The agenda
of the March for Peace, Justice and Democracy (www.april29.org) is an
agenda that we should be advancing all through 2006 and beyond.
"Real Security" is the latest of many examples that underline the fact
that only an independent, grassroots-based, popular movement, one that
includes Greens, Labor Party activists, other independents and progressive
Democrats, can lead us out of the deepening morass in which we are stuck.
Ted Glick is active with the Climate Crisis Coalition
(www.climatecrisis.us) and the Independent Progressive Politics Network
(www.ippn.org). He can be reached at indpol [at] igc.org or P.O. Box 1132,
Bloomfield, N.J. 07003.
[If you have been a Dem, and the above does not stand for what you do, why
should you stand by and for it? Why sign on to anything they label
"Democratic Party" if it is a sham? -ed]
--------12 of 13--------
Something's rotten in our Capitol's citadel of culture, as you will read
in the following story. People need to object. Call, email, write the
director at the Smithsonian:
Secretary Lawrence M. Small Smithsonian Institution SI Building, Room 205
MRC-016 PO Box 37012 Washington, DC 20013-7012
smalllm [at] si.edu
202.633.1846
--Zoom, Media Mike
***
Smithsonian Networks
April 1, 2006
Smithsonian Agreement Angers Filmmakers
By EDWARD WYATT
Some of the biggest names in documentary filmmaking have denounced a
recent agreement between the Smithsonian Institution and Showtime Networks
Inc. that they say restricts makers of films and television shows using
Smithsonian materials from offering their work to public television or
other non-Showtime broadcast outlets.
Ken Burns, whose documentaries "The Civil War" and "Baseball" have become
classics of the form, said in an interview yesterday that he believed that
such an arrangement would have prohibited him from making some of his
recent works, like the musical history "Jazz," available to public
television because they relied heavily on Smithsonian collections and
curators.
"I find this deal terrifying," Mr. Burns said in a telephone interview
from San Francisco, where he is filming interviews for a documentary on
the history of the national parks. "It feels like the Smithsonian has
essentially optioned America's attic to one company, and to have access to
that attic, we would have to be signed off with, and perhaps co-opted by,
that entity."
On March 9, Showtime and the Smithsonian announced the creation of
Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture to develop television programming.
Under the agreement, the joint venture has the right of first refusal to
commercial documentaries that rely heavily on Smithsonian collections or
staff. Those works would first have to be offered to Smithsonian on
Demand, the cable channel that is expected to be the venture's first
programming service.
A Smithsonian official who is managing the institution's content and
production assistance for the venture said yesterday that while the new
arrangement did limit the ability of commercial filmmakers to sell some
projects elsewhere, it ultimately would affect a small number of the works
that draw on the museum's resources.
"It's not our obligation to help independent filmmakers sell their wares
to commercial broadcast and cable networks," said the official, Jeanny
Kim, a vice president for media services for Smithsonian Business
Ventures.
"What it boiled down to is that we don't have the financial resources, the
expertise or the production capabilities," she added, to continue to
provide extensive access to materials but not to reap any financial
benefit from the result.
She said films that made incidental use of a single interview with a staff
member or a few minutes of pictures of elements of the Smithsonian
collections would be allowed.
The Showtime venture, under which the Smithsonian would earn payments from
cable operators that offered the on-demand service to subscribers, comes
as the Smithsonian has suffered financial problems. At a Congressional
hearing on Wednesday, a Smithsonian official said some necessary repairs
to Smithsonian buildings could not be made because of lack of financing.
That led to a suggestion by Representative James P. Moran, Democrat of
Virginia, to suggest that the institution should charge admission, a
proposal that its board of regents has rejected repeatedly.
The Showtime agreement began attracting widespread attention this week as
filmmakers said they had been told that some of their projects might fall
under the agreement. Two Smithsonian curators, who were granted anonymity
because they feared for their jobs if they spoke publicly about the
Showtime venture, said in interviews yesterday that they could not be
certain what kind of projects would be subject to the restrictions because
details of the contract with Showtime had been shared with few employees
below the executive level.
Linda St. Thomas, a Smithsonian spokeswoman, said the details of the
contract with Showtime were confidential and would not be released
publicly. She said the outlines of the agreement had been left
deliberately vague to allow the Smithsonian to consider "on a case-by-case
basis" whether a proposed project competes with its new television venture
or not. A Showtime executive, Tom Hayden, said the deal was not intended
to be exclusionary but was intended to provide filmmakers with an
attractive platform for their work.
One well-known filmmaker, Laurie Kahn-Leavitt, said she had been told
recently by a Smithsonian staff member that her last film, "Tupperware!,"
a history of the creation and marketing of the venerable food-storage
containers, would have fallen under the arrangement, because much of the
history of Tupperware is housed at the Smithsonian. The documentary,
which won a Peabody Award in 2004, was broadcast on "American Experience,"
the PBS show produced by WGBH, the Boston public television station.
"This is a public archive," Ms. Kahn-Leavitt said. "This should not be
offered on an exclusive basis to anyone, and it's not good enough that
they can decide on a case-by-case basis what they will and won't approve."
Margaret Drain, a vice president for national programs at WGBH, said she
feared that public television programs like "Nova" and "American
Experience" would suffer greatly because of the new restrictions.
"These are programs that regularly rely on the collections of the
Smithsonian Institution," she said. "If access is restricted, we are
really going to be in trouble."
She added: "I'm outraged that a public institution would do a
semiexclusive deal with a commercial broadcaster."
Copyright 2006The New York Times Company
[More theft of the people's property by well-heeled heels. How much of
this will we put up with? Or will we just sit here and let them do it to
us until there is nothing left? -ed]
--------13 of 13--------
The Failure of Hugo-Bashing
By Mark Weisbrot
ZNet Commentary
April 04, 2006
http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2006-03/28weisbrot.cfm
It was yet another public relations coup for Venezuela: Vila Isabel, the
samba club sponsored mainly by the Venezuelan government, won the parade
competition in Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval last week. A float with a giant
likeness of Simon Bolivar, combined with thousands of ornately costumed
participants parading down the avenue, trumpeted the winning theme: Latin
American unity.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just last month called for "a
united front" against Venezuela, continuing a long-term policy of trying
to isolate the country. But Washington has been spitting into the wind.
Venezuela's influence in the hemisphere has continued to rise while the
U.S. has succeeded only in isolating itself more than at any time in at
least half a century. It might be worth asking why.
First, Venezuela is a democracy -- despite the best efforts of the Bush
team to use President Hugo Chavez's close relations with Cuba's Fidel
Castro as evidence to the contrary. Its elections are transparent and have
been certified by observers from the Organization of American States, the
Carter Center and the European Union. Freedom of speech, of the press, of
assembly and of association prevail, at least as compared with the rest of
the hemisphere.
In fact, most of the media remains controlled by the opposition, which
attacks the government endlessly on major TV channels. It is the most
vigorous and partisan opposition media in the hemisphere, one that has not
been censored under Chavez.
Like all of Latin America, Venezuela has governance problems: a weak
state, limited rule of law, corruption and incompetent government. But no
reputable human rights organization has alleged that Venezuela under
Chavez has deteriorated with regard to civil liberties, human rights or
democracy, as compared with prior governments. Nor does the country
compare unfavorably on these criteria with its neighbors in the region. In
Peru, the government has shut down opposition TV stations; in Colombia,
union organizers are murdered with impunity.
>From a Latin American point of view, Venezuelans should have the right to
choose their own president -- even one who sometimes insults the American
president -- without interference from the United States. And Chavez's
anger at Washington, from Latin Americans'point of view, appears
justified. U.S. government documents released under our Freedom of
Information Act indicate that Washington not only supported but was
involved in the military coup that temporarily overthrew Venezuela's
elected government in April 2002.Here in Washington, there is a "Monty
Python" attitude toward the coup: "Let's not argue about who killed who."
But in Latin America, a military coup against a democratically elected
government is still considered a serious crime. To top it off, Washington
continued to finance efforts to recall Chavez and, having failed
miserably, still regularly presents him as a threat to democracy in the
region.
With oil at nearly $60 a barrel, Venezuela has used its windfall proceeds
to win friends in the hemisphere, providing low-cost financing for oil to
Caribbean nations. When Argentina needed loans so that it could say
goodbye to the International Monetary Fund, Venezuela committed $2.4
billion. Venezuela bought $300 million in bonds from Ecuador. Washington
has historically had enormous influence over economic policy in Latin
America through its control over the major sources of credit, including
the IMF, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development
Bank.Venezuela's role as a new "lender of last resort" has reduced that
influence.
Chavez's opposition to the "Washington consensus" on economic policy has
fallen on sympathetic ears in a region that -- since 1980 -- has suffered
its worst long- term economic failure in a century. Over the last 25
years, income per person in Latin America has grown by a meager 10%,
according to the IMF. This compares with 82% from 1960 to 1980, before
most of Washington's economic reforms were adopted. And Venezuela's
government has kept its promise to share the oil wealth with the poor. The
majority of the country now has access to free healthcare and subsidized
food, and education spending has increased substantially.
Meanwhile in the U.S., while Vila Isabel was winning the Rio Carnaval,
Connecticut became the eighth American state to participate in the program
by which Citgo Petroleum Corp. provides discounted heating oil for poor
people. Citgo is owned by the Venezuelan government. In the contest for
the hearts and minds of the hemisphere, Venezuela is clearly winning.
[Mark Weisbrot is co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy
Research, in Washington, DC.]
Center for Economic and Policy Research, 1611 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite
400, Washington, DC 20009Phone: (202) 293-5380, Fax: (202)
588-1356,Website: www.cepr.net
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