Arun Gupta - Poverty, Politics, Progressives
On November 15, 2014 The Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party had a panel of experts talking about "Poverty, Politics, Progressives." Arun G...
By: John MBChoices
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Arun Gupta - Poverty, Politics, Progressives - Video
U.S. Rep Mark Pocan deserves all the praise, and more, he received as a true progressive champion and the top vote-getting Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives in the November 2014 election in a recent Capital Times editorial.
In addition to the issues cited by the Cap Times, Pocan deserves kudos for his work as an outspoken champion of student loan debt reform.
There is no doubt that supporting student debt reform is good politics for Rep. Pocan, whose congressional district is anchored in Madison and features the states flagship public university. But it is also a smart for progressives in Wisconsin and nationally, with 40 million Americans, including nearly 1 million Wisconsinites, directly affected by student loan debt that now exceeds $1.2 trillion.
Beyond the direct impact of student loan debt on borrowers, in his maiden speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, Pocan noted how the ripple effect of the $1.2 trillion student loan debt crisis touches all of us through its significant, negative impact on our economy. Our research at One Wisconsin Institute, cited by Pocan, found that over $200 million in new vehicle sales are lost annually in Wisconsin due to student loan debt, and that student loan borrowers are far more likely to rent versus own their home.
More recent data has borne out Pocans concerns and emphasized the need for reform. A recently released analysis of the class of 2013 reveals that Wisconsin has risen to fourth highest in the nation for percentage of students graduating from college with student loan debt a sobering 70 percent and their average debt load was over $28,000.
The good news is that Pocan has gone beyond simply raising awareness in the media and among his colleagues about the student loan debt crisis and getting it on the consequences if left unchecked. He has proposed common-sense solutions that one would hope will be able to break through the partisan gridlock that mars modern politics.
Pocan, along with fellow Wisconsinites Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Rep. Ron Kind and Rep. Gwen Moore, have been at the forefront of the call to change the law to allow student loan borrowers to refinance their loans, just like you can a mortgage.
Pocan has also authored a bill to eliminate the marriage penalty for married taxpayers deducting interest paid on student loans from their federal taxes. Another of his bills would allow student loan borrowers receiving debt relief, who meet the conditions of their payment plan, to be exempt from taxation on the amount of the loan that is forgiven.
Student loan borrowers have done the right thing. Weve worked hard to get our education or job training and we took on the personal responsibility to pay for it. We arent asking for a bailout, just system that treats us fairly and allows us the freedom to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Progressives would be wise to watch Pocans advocacy for student loan debt reform there are 40 million Americans watching and waiting for someone to speak to them about this critical issue that stands between them and the fair shot at the middle class that they have earned.
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Analiese Eicher: Progressives should follow Pocan and lead on student loan debt reform
The All Progressives Congress has described the police invasion of the National Assembly on Thursday last week as an equivalent of a coup, calling for an independent inquiry to determine who ordered the invasion and for what purpose.
The party believes that this will help to prevent a recurrence and also meting out the necessary punishment to those behind the invasion.
In a statement in Lagos on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said using weapons to attack an arm of government and preventing it from carrying out its functions amounted to a coup.
It described the tear gas allegedly fired into the National Assembly by policemen as a chemical weapon.
APC said, We are demanding the independent inquiry in view of the seriousness of the armed attack on the National Assembly and the danger it poses to our democracy. We are also alerting the international community to the happenings in Nigeria and urging them to show interest because of their investment in the countrys democracy.
The tepid denial by the Presidency of its involvement in the senseless attack is not enough to stop the finger-pointing at it (Presidency), especially because no one, not even the Inspector General of Police, will have the temerity to stop the nations number four citizen from entering the National Assembly without an express order from the President.
This is why we have continuously held President (Goodluck Jonathan) responsible for last weeks show of shame.
It noted that the IG was a tool in the hands of a President that had perhaps done more than any other President before him to truncate the nations democracy.
The statement added, We make bold to say that President Jonathan has worked assiduously to put Nigerias democracy in jeopardy, whether in Rivers, where he backed a misguided Police Commissioner to usurp the constitutional duties of an elected Governor, or in Ekiti State, where he has so far refused to condemn the so-called impeachment of the Speaker by seven Peoples Democratic Party members in a 26-member House of Assembly.
Also, apart from the half-hearted and belated denial, the President has not condemned the attack on the National Assembly by the police. A President that is conversant with the dictates of the constitution, which he swore an oath to protect, would have gone ahead to make a national broadcast to condemn the police invasion of the Assembly and even promised to get to the root of the matter.
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APC says House invasion, a coup, seeks independent probe
Toni Atkins - Poverty, Politics, Progressives
On November 15, 2014 The Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party had a panel of experts talking about "Poverty, Politics, Progressives." Assemb...
By: John MBChoices
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Toni Atkins - Poverty, Politics, Progressives - Video
The All Progressives Congress presidential aspirant, Rabiu Kwankwaso, on Friday held a closed-door meeting with the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, at his Hilltop presidential residence in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.
His meeting also with Obasanjo was not unconnected with his presidential ambition in 2015.
Kwankwaso had earlier met with the executive council of the Ogun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, where he sought their support to win the partys ticket at the primaries.
He said, Let me assure you that APC in 2015 will have the capacity to curtail the problems in the North-East and recover seized states from Boko Haram. By the grace of God, change is necessary in 2015, lets join hands.
Kwankwaso, who lamented the security crisis in the country, said thousands of Nigerians had been displaced, turning them to refugees in neighbouring countries of Chad and Cameroun.
The Kano State Governor, a former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, pointed out that for peace to return to the country, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party must be voted out.
He also appealed to the Ogun State Chapter of the APC to put its house in order in the interest of the party and forthcoming general elections.
Chairman of APC in the state, Mr. Roqeeb Adeniji, said the party would give him the necessary support.
He said the party was well grounded in the state, in spite of the crisis which led to the exit of some members, but added that the party would work to bring back those who had left.
Adeniji said despite the crisis the party was going through, they would win the governorship election convincingly and also repeat the same feat at the federal level by winning the Presidency.
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Obasanjo, Kwankwaso meet in Abeokuta behind closed door