The Digital Dispatch

From NOEBIE.net

Events

Help Pass The LaSalle Street Tax

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lasalle-street-tax

We are now in the twelfth month of an unprecedented budget crisis in the State of Illinois. It’s past time to move toward a progressive system of taxation that will ensure that the needs of the people are met, and the wealthy pay their fair share.

On Tuesday, June 7th, a joint Illinois Senate and House Subject Matter hearing on the proposed LaSalle Street Tax will be held at the Bilandic Building, 160 N. LaSalle in Chicago. The legislation would impose a very small tax on the trading of financial assets such as stocks, bonds, currencies and their derivatives. The average person pays more than six percent sales tax on purchases of daily necessities in our state, and yet the rich speculators pay absolutely no tax when buying or selling on the financial exchanges in Illinois. Although the proposed tax rate is very low, since the number of trades is so large, the LST would raise between 10 and 12 billion dollars per year for Illinois. Here’s a fact sheet on the tax from the Chicago Political Economy Group.

If you’d like to help advocate for this important step forward in Illinois, now is the time. Here’s how you can help.

  1. Fill out a witness slip stating simply that you are a SUPPORTER of the proposed legislation. It only takes a few minutes to complete the slip online saying that you support the bill (not that you’d like to appear as a witness).
  2. If you can spare some time tomorrow, rally with us at a press conference outside the Bilandic Building at 1 PM.
  3. If you can spare a little more time, attend the hearing at 2 PM. It’s scheduled to run until five o’clock, but if you can’t stay for the entire three hours, that’s alright.

If you’re concerned about our pensioners, our schools and effective human services in Illinois, please join in this important struggle.

2016 Kankakee Stand Against Racism

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The YWCA’s Stand Against Racism event was held at the Kankakee Public Library on April 28th. My wife and I both attended. There were perhaps fifty or so others in attendance.

We watched this TED Talk from Verna Myers prior to discussion.

I think all of her points are apt. A society where we’re “colorblind” is obviously the goal, but we can’t get there by pretending it already exists. Moving toward situations that make us uncomfortable is also key to breaking down the walls that divide us.

Her point about the necessity of directly confronting racism, especially around people we love, is important. It’s a lot easier just to turn a blind eye. Although she uses the specific example of family gatherings, I think it’s also crucial to call out racism beyond our friends and families, in our workplaces, our churches and the broader community as well.

One of the participants mentioned the Implicit Bias Test during discussion. If you’re interested in taking the test yourself, here’s the link. Be forewarned that the results may be an eye-opener.

Beyond The Campaign

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What do we do next?

beyond-the-sanders-campaign

If you’re one of the millions who have been invigorated by the Bernie Sanders campaign and want to join the ongoing political revolution, this May 7th forum on movement building beyond the election is for you. We’ll discuss the significance of the Sanders campaign, the meaning of democratic socialism, and strategies for confronting exploitation and inequality at the state and national level. We’ll also offer skills training on coalition building and grassroots organizing. Together, we’ll plan ways to channel the renewed interest in democratic socialism toward a sustainable movement for political transformation. There’s never been a more exciting or vital time to work for change.

The forum is co-sponsored by the Alliance for Community Services, Chicago Democratic Socialists of America, National Nurses United, and Progressive Democrats of America.

There’s more information on this Facebook event page.