Important warning about dangers of unsafe heating methods during winter storm
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Dec 23, 2006, 1:31:20 AM12/23/06
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Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition 22 December 2006
ACTION
===========================================
Greetings,
We do not have a champion in the legislature to stop the full family sanction. Policy makers don't want to go against a democratic governor and are concerned she might veto the bill. An idea is being floated to contract with community based agencies, like Community Action Programs, to work with families three months before they would be thrown off welfare and for three months after the full family sanction goes into effect.
|This seems to be a fall back position, not what we should be asking for. To see if we can get the policy stopped, legislators need to hear how much a problem it will be. Use the link below to find out who your legislator is and to get an email link. This should be done by parents, social service providers, anyone who cares about not throwing children off welfare.
Send a relatively short message outlining
* How well do you communicate with your worker? Do you understand what he/she says? Do they listen and believe what you say? Has this caused conflict between you? Could it or did it lead to sanction?
* Has your worker ever threatened you with sanction or with calling CPS? Did they follow through?
* If you have been in sanction or know someone who has been in sanction, do you believe it was justified? Were in sanction because of lack of child care or transportation, or clothing?
* How hard was it to get out of sanction?
* What was the impact on your children? The Governor has created a new Early Learning Initiative to focus on helping young children learn. If you children had been in sanction, would they have benefited from such a program?
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
Please cc or bcc wro...@wroc.org
If we work together, we might be able to convince enough policy makers and their leaders that the governor does not always know what is best for families in Washington State.
Jean
Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition
1820 E. Pine #324
Seattle, WA 98122
206/324-3063
www.wroc.org
Join us for training in how the legislative process works and your role in it, Saturday, January 13, in Seattle 10 am to 1 pm. Call 206/324-3063 for more information
=================================================================
Important warning about dangers of unsafe heating methods during winter storm
Dear community members:
Following the recent windstorms and loss of electrical power, many individuals are placing themselves in potentially fatal danger by INDOOR use of combustion-based sources for indoor cooking or heat.
On behalf of Public Health - Seattle & King County, we are asking you to share information with your clients, members, constituents, or anyone you feel would benefit. We hope to prevent further illness or deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning. It is extremely dangerous to use unvented gas and kerosene heaters and charcoal briquettes indoors.
Please circulate information and documents by word of mouth, e-mail, posting or by handing out the attached flyer. Public Health has provided the flyer in English as well as Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Chinese, and Russian. We want to reach as many people as possible.
Sincerely,
Alan Painter, Deputy Director
Seattle Human Services Department
********************************
Please let community members know about the dangers of using kerosene and gas heaters indoors and using BBQ grills and burning charcoal briquettes inside. These actions can cause the release a poisonous, odorless gas that cannot be seen or smelled but that can kill a person in minutes. There have been an alarming number of people coming into area hospitals with carbon monoxide poisoning and there has been at least one death. Immigrant communities have been the most affected (especially Vietnamese, Somali, and Cambodian).
We urge residents to stay with family and friends or seek out shelters if they do not have power. (Call the shelter status hotline at 206-205-3764, or visit the Red Cross Web site at http://www.seattleredcross.org/help/index.htm )
Please see the press release below for more details:
http://www.metrokc.gov/health/news/06121601.htm
The attached carbon monoxide fact sheets can be found online at: http://www.metrokc.gov/health/disaster/carbmono.htm
Alan Painter
Deputy Director
Human Services Department
700 5th Avenue Suite 5800
PO Box 34215
Seattle, Washington 98124-4215
206-684-0263
alan.p...@seattle.gov
Web:www.seattle.gov/humanservices
Other Storm information and Help
Renters Rights: http://www.komotv.com/news/consumer/4973951.html
===========================================================================
Greetings,
This is one of the many alerts and notices that we get through the office. I don't know if everyone on the list wants this or if just some do. If you do want to receive this notice from the Citizens for Tax Justice, respond to je...@wroc.org and let me know. I will send their notices out to a smaller group of people.
Jean
Welcome to CTJ's Tax Justice Digest
Should Congress Change the Social Security Payroll Tax?
Citizens for Tax Justice has released a new report describing the options to improve solvency of the Social Security program. The question has received attention lately since the President's allies in Congress will no longer be controlling the agenda or the committees that could delve into Social Security solvency. As discussed on CTJ's blog, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said last week that the Administration was willing to begin conversations with all options on the table and "no preconditions." The President's former chief economic adviser, Lawrence Lindsey has said that Bush "may be willing to raise taxes as part of a 'deal' on entitlement reform." As the CTJ report points out, raising the cap that limits how much wages are subject to Social Security taxes is one option that should be considered carefully.
DC: Another "No New Taxes" Pledge Bites the Dust?
The fiscal storm clouds are already gathering for newly-elected District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty. A Washington Post article reports that the city faces an unanticipated revenue shortfall of $300 million over the next two years. No big deal — except that as a candidate seeking to distinguish himself from a crowded Democratic primary field this past spring, Fenty took a "no new taxes" pledge, arguing that that the books could be balanced with that old favorite, eliminating "waste, fraud and abuse." The new projected shortfalls are, of course, only projections — but they serve as a dramatic reminder of the dangers of not leaving all fiscal policy options on the table.
Did the Flat Tax Save Russia's Economy?
On a quick visit to Estonia this week, President Bush repeatedly praised the virtues of that country's flat-rate income tax. Several former Soviet countries have enacted such taxes in recent years, and right-wingers have made a habit of citing this move as a reason for the rapid economic growth in these countries. But anyone who sees a supply-side miracle in the economic growth of the new flat-tax nations should check out this excellent paper from Brookings economists Clifford Gaddy and Bill Gale. Gaddy and Gale find that the post-flat-tax growth in Russia's tax revenues most likely stems not from the use of a flat tax, but from the introduction of basic administrative steps such as income tax withholding and the use of taxpayer identification numbers. One can only hope that this will stop anti-taxers from trotting out the canard that Russia's flat tax was single-handedly responsible for saving the Russian economy.
Right-Wing Tax Foundation Argues for Deduction of Inflation from Capital Gains
Economists often say that income is anything that allows people to consume more. Under this definition, capital gains would seem to be income, and yet they receive a special preference in the tax code — they're taxed at just 15% under the Bush tax breaks, less than half of the 35% top rate on wages. Apparently there are those who believe capital gains are still taxed too highly. The Tax Foundation has released a report arguing that much of the gain a person enjoys when selling a piece of property is really just inflation and not a gain in any real sense. The Foundation recommends that Congress enact a bill proposed by Congressmen Mike Pence (R-IN) and Eric Cantor (R-VA) that would exclude the amount of capital gains due to inflation in calculating the capital gains tax.
Perhaps this would sound like a more reasonable proposal if capital gains, which are mostly enjoyed by the wealthy, were not already taxed at such a low rate compared to wages. But even more troubling are the strange outcomes that would result from this proposal. For example, if one person puts $10,000 in an interest-bearing savings account for 30 years while another person buys property for $10,000 and sells it at a gain 30 years later, only the latter would benefit from this proposed tax break linked to inflation. That's on top of the lower rate for capital gains. Why should income from the savings account — the little guy's form of investment — be taxed more heavily?
Missed a past issue of the Digest? Click here to read past versions.
Don't Forget! Check out the Talking Taxes Blog for the latest in state and federal tax issues.
=====================================================================
NJ poll shows overwhelming support for paid family leave
New Jersey law makers are considering a proposal to add family leave to the state's existing disability program, similar to the program in place in California since 2004. A recent poll shows 78% of New Jersey residents support the program. Poll respondents were told that workers would pay $1 to $2 per week in addition to disability premiums to finance benefits, which would be available for up to 12 weeks with average benefits of $500 per week. As with all the statewide disability programs already in place, the NJ family leave program would apply to all workers regardless of employer size. An article on the poll is pasted in below. Details of the poll are available here: http://www.njtimetocare.rutgers.edu/PDF/PollResults.pdf
Marilyn P. Watkins, Ph.D.
Policy Director
Economic Opportunity Institute
1900 N. Northlake Way, Suite 237
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 529-6370
fax (206) 633-6665
mar...@eoionline.org
www.eoionline.org
Poll finds overwhelming NJ support for paid family leave
By TOM HESTER Jr.
Associated Press Writer
TRENTON, N.J. -- Nearly 80 percent of New Jerseyans support giving workers up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a sick family member or new child,according to a poll released Wednesday. The survey conducted by the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University found 78 percent of respondents supported a paid family leave proposal being considered by lawmakers. Some 16 percent opposed it.
"That is resounding support and we find it very encouraging," said Jon Shure, president of New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal policy group that has joined with a coalition of organized labor and groups that advocate for women, minorities, children and the poor to back the proposal. New Jersey would be the second state to adopt paid family leave. California
lets workers take six weeks off. The poll of 809 residents was conduced from Oct. 29-31 and has a sampling
error margin of about 3 percentage points.
Under the family leave plan crafted by state Sen. Stephen Sweeney, workers who take leave would receive two-thirds of their weekly wages, up to $488 per week. It would be funded by a 0.1 percent charge against a worker's wages.
Businesses oppose Sweeney's bill, but Gov. Jon S. Corzine's office is considering it. The poll found that 23 percent of respondents needed to take time off from work in the past five years to care for either a sick family member or a newborn or adopted child, with 42 percent taking less than two weeks and 22 percent taking three to six weeks. "Most workers are not going to take family leave," Shure said. "Most who do take it aren't going to take 12 weeks, but for those for whom life imposes
the worst-case scenario, there will be income security and peace of mind."
Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.
<http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--familyleave-poll1129nov29,0,2457185.story?coll=ny-region-apnewjersey>
=======================================================================
Nancy Amidei puts out this Policy Watch weekly. It gives a complete summary of what is going on in the state legislature that week and what to expect both in policy and budget (including revenue). Not everyone wants it. If you are interested in receiving, please let me know at je...@wroc.org. I will send her first notice out in early January to the entire list and then only to people who they want to receive it.
WROC is doing a legislative training in Seattle on Saturday January 13 from 10:30 to 1. We will go over the basics of how the legislative process works and practice talking to "legislators." Legislative training will also happen in Olympia and Vancouver. Watch for notices. Our advocacy day is Monday February 19 where we will meet in Olympia and talk to our representatives and senators about the full family sanction, raising the welfare grant, passing through child support to families (does not affect the grant) and increasing access to education and training. Please plan on being there. We will have on-site child care and will arrange car pools for those who live outside the Olympia area.
Jean
Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition
1820 E. Pine #324
Seattle, WA 98122
206/324-3063
877/330-3063
www.wroc.org
POLICY WATCH - 2007 Session
It's almost that time of year again.
The 2007 Session of the state Legislature will convene on January 8 and run til April 23.
In the ATTACHMENTS you will find two items to help you, and people you know, get ready.
-- a list of lobby days reported thus far to POLICY WATCH
-- some USEFUL INFORMATION (how to contact legislators, key dates in the Session, contacts for advocacy groups that monitor the legislature and send regular updates).
Beginning the first week of the Session, POLICY WATCH will also provide updates on the legislative process as it unfolds. It is sure to be an interesting year.
All of these will also be posted at: http://depts.washington.edu/sswweb/policyw/
Nancy Amidei, Director
the Civic Engagement Project
4101 15th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98105-6299
(206) 685-3168
===============================================================================
Seattle Office: 1820 E. Pine Suite 324 | Seattle, WA 98122 | Phone: 206.324.3063 | 1.877.330.3063 | Fax: 206.860.8825 | wro...@wroc.org
Olympia Office: 701 Franklin SE | Olympia, WA 98501 | Phone: 360.352.9716 | 1.866.343.9716 | wro...@wroc.org
Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition 22 December 2006
WROC the NEWS!
"WROC
empowers through education, leadership, and action"
***************************************************************************************************************
Just a reminder that our NEW location for our e-letter is WROC-t...@googlegroups.com
ACTION
ALERTS!
- WANTED: A Champion in the legislature to stop the full family sanction
- Important warning about dangers of unsafe heating methods during winter storm
- CTJ's Tax Justice Digest
- NJ poll shows overwhelming support for paid family leave
===============================================================================
ACTION
===========================================
Greetings,
We do not have a champion in the legislature to stop the full family sanction. Policy makers don't want to go against a democratic governor and are concerned she might veto the bill. An idea is being floated to contract with community based agencies, like Community Action Programs, to work with families three months before they would be thrown off welfare and for three months after the full family sanction goes into effect.
|This seems to be a fall back position, not what we should be asking for. To see if we can get the policy stopped, legislators need to hear how much a problem it will be. Use the link below to find out who your legislator is and to get an email link. This should be done by parents, social service providers, anyone who cares about not throwing children off welfare.
Send a relatively short message outlining
* How well do you communicate with your worker? Do you understand what he/she says? Do they listen and believe what you say? Has this caused conflict between you? Could it or did it lead to sanction?
* Has your worker ever threatened you with sanction or with calling CPS? Did they follow through?
* If you have been in sanction or know someone who has been in sanction, do you believe it was justified? Were in sanction because of lack of child care or transportation, or clothing?
* How hard was it to get out of sanction?
* What was the impact on your children? The Governor has created a new Early Learning Initiative to focus on helping young children learn. If you children had been in sanction, would they have benefited from such a program?
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
Please cc or bcc wro...@wroc.org
If we work together, we might be able to convince enough policy makers and their leaders that the governor does not always know what is best for families in Washington State.
Jean
Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition
1820 E. Pine #324
Seattle, WA 98122
206/324-3063
www.wroc.org
Join us for training in how the legislative process works and your role in it, Saturday, January 13, in Seattle 10 am to 1 pm. Call 206/324-3063 for more information
=================================================================
Important warning about dangers of unsafe heating methods during winter storm
Dear community members:
Following the recent windstorms and loss of electrical power, many individuals are placing themselves in potentially fatal danger by INDOOR use of combustion-based sources for indoor cooking or heat.
On behalf of Public Health - Seattle & King County, we are asking you to share information with your clients, members, constituents, or anyone you feel would benefit. We hope to prevent further illness or deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning. It is extremely dangerous to use unvented gas and kerosene heaters and charcoal briquettes indoors.
Please circulate information and documents by word of mouth, e-mail, posting or by handing out the attached flyer. Public Health has provided the flyer in English as well as Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Chinese, and Russian. We want to reach as many people as possible.
Sincerely,
Alan Painter, Deputy Director
Seattle Human Services Department
********************************
Please let community members know about the dangers of using kerosene and gas heaters indoors and using BBQ grills and burning charcoal briquettes inside. These actions can cause the release a poisonous, odorless gas that cannot be seen or smelled but that can kill a person in minutes. There have been an alarming number of people coming into area hospitals with carbon monoxide poisoning and there has been at least one death. Immigrant communities have been the most affected (especially Vietnamese, Somali, and Cambodian).
We urge residents to stay with family and friends or seek out shelters if they do not have power. (Call the shelter status hotline at 206-205-3764, or visit the Red Cross Web site at http://www.seattleredcross.org/help/index.htm )
Please see the press release below for more details:
http://www.metrokc.gov/health/news/06121601.htm
The attached carbon monoxide fact sheets can be found online at: http://www.metrokc.gov/health/disaster/carbmono.htm
Alan Painter
Deputy Director
Human Services Department
700 5th Avenue Suite 5800
PO Box 34215
Seattle, Washington 98124-4215
206-684-0263
alan.p...@seattle.gov
Web:www.seattle.gov/humanservices
Other Storm information and Help
Renters Rights: http://www.komotv.com/news/consumer/4973951.html
===========================================================================
Greetings,
This is one of the many alerts and notices that we get through the office. I don't know if everyone on the list wants this or if just some do. If you do want to receive this notice from the Citizens for Tax Justice, respond to je...@wroc.org and let me know. I will send their notices out to a smaller group of people.
Jean
Welcome to CTJ's Tax Justice Digest
Should Congress Change the Social Security Payroll Tax?
Citizens for Tax Justice has released a new report describing the options to improve solvency of the Social Security program. The question has received attention lately since the President's allies in Congress will no longer be controlling the agenda or the committees that could delve into Social Security solvency. As discussed on CTJ's blog, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said last week that the Administration was willing to begin conversations with all options on the table and "no preconditions." The President's former chief economic adviser, Lawrence Lindsey has said that Bush "may be willing to raise taxes as part of a 'deal' on entitlement reform." As the CTJ report points out, raising the cap that limits how much wages are subject to Social Security taxes is one option that should be considered carefully.
DC: Another "No New Taxes" Pledge Bites the Dust?
The fiscal storm clouds are already gathering for newly-elected District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty. A Washington Post article reports that the city faces an unanticipated revenue shortfall of $300 million over the next two years. No big deal — except that as a candidate seeking to distinguish himself from a crowded Democratic primary field this past spring, Fenty took a "no new taxes" pledge, arguing that that the books could be balanced with that old favorite, eliminating "waste, fraud and abuse." The new projected shortfalls are, of course, only projections — but they serve as a dramatic reminder of the dangers of not leaving all fiscal policy options on the table.
Did the Flat Tax Save Russia's Economy?
On a quick visit to Estonia this week, President Bush repeatedly praised the virtues of that country's flat-rate income tax. Several former Soviet countries have enacted such taxes in recent years, and right-wingers have made a habit of citing this move as a reason for the rapid economic growth in these countries. But anyone who sees a supply-side miracle in the economic growth of the new flat-tax nations should check out this excellent paper from Brookings economists Clifford Gaddy and Bill Gale. Gaddy and Gale find that the post-flat-tax growth in Russia's tax revenues most likely stems not from the use of a flat tax, but from the introduction of basic administrative steps such as income tax withholding and the use of taxpayer identification numbers. One can only hope that this will stop anti-taxers from trotting out the canard that Russia's flat tax was single-handedly responsible for saving the Russian economy.
Right-Wing Tax Foundation Argues for Deduction of Inflation from Capital Gains
Economists often say that income is anything that allows people to consume more. Under this definition, capital gains would seem to be income, and yet they receive a special preference in the tax code — they're taxed at just 15% under the Bush tax breaks, less than half of the 35% top rate on wages. Apparently there are those who believe capital gains are still taxed too highly. The Tax Foundation has released a report arguing that much of the gain a person enjoys when selling a piece of property is really just inflation and not a gain in any real sense. The Foundation recommends that Congress enact a bill proposed by Congressmen Mike Pence (R-IN) and Eric Cantor (R-VA) that would exclude the amount of capital gains due to inflation in calculating the capital gains tax.
Perhaps this would sound like a more reasonable proposal if capital gains, which are mostly enjoyed by the wealthy, were not already taxed at such a low rate compared to wages. But even more troubling are the strange outcomes that would result from this proposal. For example, if one person puts $10,000 in an interest-bearing savings account for 30 years while another person buys property for $10,000 and sells it at a gain 30 years later, only the latter would benefit from this proposed tax break linked to inflation. That's on top of the lower rate for capital gains. Why should income from the savings account — the little guy's form of investment — be taxed more heavily?
Missed a past issue of the Digest? Click here to read past versions.
Don't Forget! Check out the Talking Taxes Blog for the latest in state and federal tax issues.
=====================================================================
NJ poll shows overwhelming support for paid family leave
New Jersey law makers are considering a proposal to add family leave to the state's existing disability program, similar to the program in place in California since 2004. A recent poll shows 78% of New Jersey residents support the program. Poll respondents were told that workers would pay $1 to $2 per week in addition to disability premiums to finance benefits, which would be available for up to 12 weeks with average benefits of $500 per week. As with all the statewide disability programs already in place, the NJ family leave program would apply to all workers regardless of employer size. An article on the poll is pasted in below. Details of the poll are available here: http://www.njtimetocare.rutgers.edu/PDF/PollResults.pdf
Marilyn P. Watkins, Ph.D.
Policy Director
Economic Opportunity Institute
1900 N. Northlake Way, Suite 237
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 529-6370
fax (206) 633-6665
mar...@eoionline.org
www.eoionline.org
Poll finds overwhelming NJ support for paid family leave
By TOM HESTER Jr.
Associated Press Writer
TRENTON, N.J. -- Nearly 80 percent of New Jerseyans support giving workers up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a sick family member or new child,according to a poll released Wednesday. The survey conducted by the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University found 78 percent of respondents supported a paid family leave proposal being considered by lawmakers. Some 16 percent opposed it.
"That is resounding support and we find it very encouraging," said Jon Shure, president of New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal policy group that has joined with a coalition of organized labor and groups that advocate for women, minorities, children and the poor to back the proposal. New Jersey would be the second state to adopt paid family leave. California
lets workers take six weeks off. The poll of 809 residents was conduced from Oct. 29-31 and has a sampling
error margin of about 3 percentage points.
Under the family leave plan crafted by state Sen. Stephen Sweeney, workers who take leave would receive two-thirds of their weekly wages, up to $488 per week. It would be funded by a 0.1 percent charge against a worker's wages.
Businesses oppose Sweeney's bill, but Gov. Jon S. Corzine's office is considering it. The poll found that 23 percent of respondents needed to take time off from work in the past five years to care for either a sick family member or a newborn or adopted child, with 42 percent taking less than two weeks and 22 percent taking three to six weeks. "Most workers are not going to take family leave," Shure said. "Most who do take it aren't going to take 12 weeks, but for those for whom life imposes
the worst-case scenario, there will be income security and peace of mind."
Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.
<http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--familyleave-poll1129nov29,0,2457185.story?coll=ny-region-apnewjersey>
=======================================================================
Nancy Amidei puts out this Policy Watch weekly. It gives a complete summary of what is going on in the state legislature that week and what to expect both in policy and budget (including revenue). Not everyone wants it. If you are interested in receiving, please let me know at je...@wroc.org. I will send her first notice out in early January to the entire list and then only to people who they want to receive it.
WROC is doing a legislative training in Seattle on Saturday January 13 from 10:30 to 1. We will go over the basics of how the legislative process works and practice talking to "legislators." Legislative training will also happen in Olympia and Vancouver. Watch for notices. Our advocacy day is Monday February 19 where we will meet in Olympia and talk to our representatives and senators about the full family sanction, raising the welfare grant, passing through child support to families (does not affect the grant) and increasing access to education and training. Please plan on being there. We will have on-site child care and will arrange car pools for those who live outside the Olympia area.
Jean
Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition
1820 E. Pine #324
Seattle, WA 98122
206/324-3063
877/330-3063
www.wroc.org
POLICY WATCH - 2007 Session
It's almost that time of year again.
The 2007 Session of the state Legislature will convene on January 8 and run til April 23.
In the ATTACHMENTS you will find two items to help you, and people you know, get ready.
-- a list of lobby days reported thus far to POLICY WATCH
-- some USEFUL INFORMATION (how to contact legislators, key dates in the Session, contacts for advocacy groups that monitor the legislature and send regular updates).
Beginning the first week of the Session, POLICY WATCH will also provide updates on the legislative process as it unfolds. It is sure to be an interesting year.
All of these will also be posted at: http://depts.washington.edu/sswweb/policyw/
Nancy Amidei, Director
the Civic Engagement Project
4101 15th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98105-6299
(206) 685-3168
===============================================================================
To subscribe or UN subscribe from the WROC list please go to: http://groups.google.com/group/WROC-the-NEWS Do you have an article, story, advice, hints...? Email it to WROC-t...@googlegroups.comSee us online at WROC.org
Seattle Office: 1820 E. Pine Suite 324 | Seattle, WA 98122 | Phone: 206.324.3063 | 1.877.330.3063 | Fax: 206.860.8825 | wro...@wroc.org
Olympia Office: 701 Franklin SE | Olympia, WA 98501 | Phone: 360.352.9716 | 1.866.343.9716 | wro...@wroc.org
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