David e. Delk,  Alliance for Democracy – Portland Chapter 503 232 5495 www.afd-pdx.org

About Us  Become a member  Find a chapter  Read Justice Rising, our quarterly journal   Urgent: Read and take action! October 29, 2009 Please forward widely! Dear David ,Today, House leadership introduced its healthcare bill–and they threw us under the bus. No Kucinich Amendment. This amendment would have eliminated a legal hurdle that currently can be used to prevent states from creating their own single payer systems. But this amendment is nowhere in the final bill. And now the Weiner Amendment may never come to the floor for a vote, despite Nancy Pelosi’s July promise. But there’s one last chance to fight back for both the Kucinich and Weiner Amendments. For the Kucinich Amendment, House leaders can call for a “Manager’s Amendment” even when a bill–like this health reform bill–is closed to any other amendments. A Manager’s Amendment is a package of individual amendments agreed to by “the managers,” the majority and minority members of the House who manage their side’s debate on a bill. Here are the House members to call, with Washington and district office numbers–demand that the Kucinich Amendment be included in the House bill.  Speaker Nancy Pelosi: Washington, DC, office (202) 225-4965; San Francisco office (415) 556-4862 Majority Leader Steny Hoyer: Washington, DC, office (202) 225-4131; Greenbelt office (301) 474-0119; Waldorf office (301) 843-1577 Rep. Henry Waxman: Washington, DC, office (202) 225-3976; Los Angeles office (323) 651-1040 Rep. Charles Rangel: Washington, DC, office (202) 225-4365; New York office (212) 663-3900 Rep. George Miller: Washington, DC, office (202) 225-2095; Concord office (925) 602-1880; Richmond office (510) 262-6500; Vallejo office (707) 645-1888 And remind Nancy Pelosi to honor her word and allow the Weiner Amendment to go to a floor for debate and vote. We’ve come a long way in this fight, and regardless of what happens in the next few weeks in Washington, it will continue–both on the state level for single payer and across the country as we continue to take back our government from corporate rule. We thank you for taking action and urge you to spread the word to friends, family and fellow activists: Make the call today for a Manager’s Amendment and for a vote on the Weiner Amendment.  As a member or supporter of the Alliance for Democracy, you’ll receive a monthly e-mail newsletter to update you on our work and alert you to ways you can act to support it. We will also send you periodic “Action Alerts” that pertain to our campaigns and those of allied groups. If you’d like to unsubscribe from our e-mail newsletter or the Action Alerts, please reply to this e-mail with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line or click on the link below. Thanks for your ongoing interest and support of the Alliance! The Alliance for Democracy PO Box 540115, Waltham, MA 02454 781-894-1179 * www.thealliancefordemocracy.org Click here to unsubscribe

David e. Delk, Alliance for Democracy – Portland Chapter 503 232 5495 www.afd-pdx.org

Heart of America Northwest   Proposed Settlement Agreement Delays Hanford Clean-Up by Decades WA State-USDOE deal fails to include enforceable ban on USDOE using Hanford as a national radioactive wasted dump Attend a Public Meeting Near You! Meetings begin at 7pm Hood River, OR: 10/26* Portland, OR: 10/27* Tri-Cities, WA: 10/29 Spokane, WA: 11/9* Seattle, WA: 11/12* Click here for locations and more information! *Join Heart of America NW for pre-meeting workshops at 6pm Heart of America NW around the web: website blog facebook twitter Heart of America Northwest’s Mission At Heart of America Northwest, our mission is to advance our region’s quality of life through highly credible research, education, and participation of citizens in issues affecting the health, environment, and economy of the Northwest particularly as it affects Hanford. see our website for more information Heart of America NW needs your help Our funding has taken a huge hit in this recession — please consider donating today so that we can continue our research, organizing and lobbying efforts to clean-up Hanford and protect the Columbia River. DONATE NOW to our 501 (c)(4)DONATE NOW to our 501 (c)(3) Every day, radioactive Strontium 90 enters the Columbia River at levels 1,500 times drinking water standards. Worse contamination from the leaky High-Level Nuclear Waste tanks spreads towards the River every day. Please pledge just twenty five cents a day, or a dime a day, for the coming year to stop the contamination!     Dear David, This fall, take a stand with Heart of America Northwest against Hanford clean-up delays and using Hanford as a national radioactive waste dump.  Join us at public hearings in Washington and Oregon and submit comments to let your voice be heard!  We must stand together to remind the WA Governor Gregoire & USDOE to “Clean Up First” – enforce stopping more waste from being dumped at Hanford!  Proposed Clean-Up Delays (and other bad news)  Washington State accepts USDOE’s delays and missed deadlines Hanford cleanup is DELAYED BY DECADES Restrictions on importing off-site waste to Hanford still unenforceable USDOE is still allowed to issue a separate decision next year to import and bury the most radioactive and toxic wastes at Hanford (called Greater Than Class C wastes) Schedules to empty all single shell tanks by 2018 DELAYED until 2040 Schedule to treat all tank waste by 2028 DELAYED until 2047 Waste Treatment Plant “hot-start” date DELAYED from 2011 to 2019 for more information, see Heart of America’s factsheet   Background on the Settlement Agreement   Tri-Party Agreement (TPA) Negotiations began in 2007, when it became clear that the US Department of Energy (USDOE) was going to miss crucial deadlines concerning Hanford’s leaky High-Level Nuclear Waste tanks.  USDOE had proposed to clean out single shell tanks (SSTs) at a rate of only one or two per year – while 140 SSTs remain!  The negotiations fell apart, so the State of Washington sued USDOE in November 2008 to empty the tanks and treat the waste faster, and Oregon State joined the lawsuit in early 2009.  USDOE and the states managed to reach agreements in August 2009. The Proposed Settlement Agreement outlines the conditions of the settlement with Washington. This settlement consists of two parts: a Consent Decree – its deadlines are enforceable in federal court – and a TPA change package.  USDOE and Oregon reached a separate settlement. TAKE ACTION! Attend a public hearing near you and submit comments Public Hearing Dates & Locations: Hood River, OR: 7pm Monday, October 26th Best Western -1108 E Marina Way Join HOANW for a pre-meeting workshop at 6pm Portland, OR: 7pm Tuesday, October 27th Double Tree Hotel near Lloyd Center Join HOANW for a pre-meeting workshop at 6pm Tri-Cities, WA: 7pm Thurs, October 29th Richland Hampton Inn – 486 Bradley Blvd HOANW will be present for the pre-meeting open house starting at 6pm Spokane, WA: 7pm Monday, November 9th Double Tree Hotel – 322 North Spokane Falls Court Join HOANW for a pre-meeting workshop at 6pm Seattle, WA: 7pm Thursday, November 12th Quality Inn near Seattle Center – 618 John St Join HOANW for a pre-meeting workshop at 6pm If you cannot attend a hearing, please submit your comments today to TPACH@rl.gov! Heart of America NW encourages you to send a copy of your comments to Governor Gregoire (WA) and Governor Kulongoski (OR) HOANW’s TOP THREE TIPS FOR COMMENTING: Include in the TPA and the Consent Decree an enforceable ban on USDOE adding more off-site waste until existing wastes are brought into compliance and are cleaned up: the “Clean-Up First” principle. Include the highly radioactive wastes (GTCC) in the ban on burying more off-site waste at Hanford, and make it enforceable!  USDOE’s exclusion of these hot wastes shows USDOE cannot be trusted unless the ban is enforceable. Reject taking until 2040 to empty single shell tanks (SSTs), and empty more than one or two per year between now and 2022. for more tips for commenting, see our blog!     We hope to see you at a meeting in the next few weeks. Remember, every voice counts to protect the Columbia River and the Northwest from Hanford becoming a national radioactive waste dump! Heart of America Northwest

These two ballots were referred to the ballot by a business financed campaign of anti-tax forces. 

• If you believe that taxes should be fair and paid by both individuals and business, then you need to vote Yes.
• If you believe that social services, education and healthcare have already been cut enough, then you need to vote Yes.
• If you believe that Oregon’s wealthy and corportions can pay a little more because they have received the bulk of the increases in income and wealth over the past 30 years, then you need to vote Yes.
• If you think that enough cuts have been made to Oregon’s budget, then you need to vote Yes.  If these measures fail at the ballot in January, Oregon will experience a very large hole in its budget.  Cuts to education, healthcare, public services will have to be made. 

More information is available from Defend Oregon, www.defendoregon.org

Sign the Pledge to Vote Yes on 66/67
Volunteer for the campaign

Look who provided the funding to get  these measures on the ballot and now recommend a No vote.  

It is the same business and business friendly groups who have benefited from the past 30 years of shifting tax burden from the wealthy and corporations upon the poor and middle class.  This is just another reason to Vote Yes

Albina Fuel $10,000
Assoc. of General Contractors of America $37,500
Assoc. of Oregon Industries $30,000
Cain Petroleum $10,000
Common Sense for Oregon $50,000
Leathers Oil Co. $10,000
Morgan Distributing $10,000
Nat. Federation of Independent Businesses $808,564
Oregon Assoc. of Realtors $10,000
Oregon Automobile Dealers Assoc. $25,000
Oregon Forest Industries Council PAC $25,000
Oregon Local Grocery committee $25,000
Oregon Restaurant PAC $25,000
Oregonians for Affordable Housing $25,000
Pacific Seafood $10,000
WSCO Petroleum Corp. $10,000

Then for funding the No on 66/77 campaign run by Freedom Issues Works PAC (Russ Walker) the property rights group Oregonians in Action $10,000 and Parks Medical Electroniics $100,000. Loren Parks has pledged to give another $200,000.

Also of interest is this story back in April on the fact that “non-profit” Regence Blue Cross CEO Mark is the highest paid healthcare CEO in the state
at close to $900,000. http://www.allbusiness.com/insurance/insurance-policies-claims-insurance/12405107-1.html

David e. Delk, Alliance for Democracy – Portland Chapter 503 232 5495 www.afd-pdx.org

Including the 12 in Portland, 54 people were arrested nationwide.

Regence denies it’s part of problem

Rejected for carpal tunnel

“It’s a positive but I’m concerned with the ageism involved. I’m 44. Next year my premiums are going to go up when I’m 45.”

For an audio version of this story at KBOO.fm click here.

For related articles about Regence click here.

David e. Delk, Alliance for Democracy – Portland Chapter 503 232 5495 www.afd-pdx.org

David e. Delk, Alliance for Democracy – Portland Chapter 503 232 5495 www.afd-pdx.org 

PGE’s Boardman plant: Bad air, worse energy policy

By Steve Duin, The Oregonian

October 03, 2009, 10:10AM

Help me with this:

When Portland General Electric built its Boardman coal-fired power plant in the late 1970s, why did it seek an exemption from the Clean Air Act?

And why is the utility now fighting attempts by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups to hold it accountable to the act’s standards?

I understand why a business struggling to get by would try to cut corners on the environmental front, especially if it can’t pass on the cost of running a clean, green operation to its customers.

PGE doesn’t have that problem. PGE makes a guaranteed profit. PGE lives so high on the hog it stuffed $4.5 million into CEO Peggy Fowler’s pocket on her way out the door.

And by the grace of God and Oregon’s Public Utility Commission, PGE passes all its business costs along to the ratepayers, most of whom clearly do care about clean-air standards.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Ancer L. Haggerty swatted away most of the utility’s objections to the Sierra Club lawsuit, allowing the legal case to proceed.

In his 30-page opinion, Haggerty reminded us that Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality permitted the Boardman plant “with an understanding that the plant would be subject” to the 1974 dictates of the Clean Air Act.

Subsequently, Haggerty notes, the utility asked the EPA in May 1975 if the Boardman plant was subject to those 1974 regulations, given PGE’s argument that “construction” had already begun.

The EPA decided the plant was not. “The decision,” PGE’s Gail Baker noted via e-mail, “meant that PGE did not have to delay construction of the plant to obtain new permits for construction.”

The Boardman plant, by the way, began operations in August 1980, more than five years after the effective date of the Clean Air standards.

Baker further argues, “PGE has complied with all regulations associated with the plant throughout Boardman’s 35-year history.”

“Obviously, we’ve brought suit because we disagree with that,” said Aubrey Baldwin, lead attorney for the plaintiffs. “Essentially, that’s the question before the court.”

At the heart of the suit is the Sierra Club’s argument that PGE has made major modifications to Boardman — the largest stationary source of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the state, and second to Ash Grove Cement in mercury spewing — that required permitting and review.

PGE didn’t seek permits, however, and DEQ didn’t care. The agency, Baldwin said, has been painfully inconsistent in “trying to reconcile how they continue to allow PGE to operate Boardman without making it go through new source review, and install (pollution) controls.

“To put it charitably, DEQ has demonstrated over the last decade that they’re open to coming up with creative solutions when industry asks them to.”

PGE is not oblivious to the benefits of appearing green in Oregon, going so far as to propose spending $560 million in pollution controls to keep Boardman in operation for another 30 years.

Those controls, however, would not reduce the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions. The infatuation with keeping Boardman operating, Baldwin said, “is based on the fundamental belief at PGE that coal is part of our future. It’s almost an ideology. It’s irrational.

“PGE can’t identify anyone who would be upset if they cleaned up or phased out Boardman,” she added.

Except, of course, those booster groups for asthma, heart disease and perpetual haze in the gorge.

– Steve Duin

David e. Delk, Alliance for Democracy – Portland Chapter 503 232 5495 www.afd-pdx.org
 

About Us  Become a member  Find a chapter  Read Justice Rising, our quarterly journal Please forward widely! Call the Senate Finance Committee: Public option a step on the road to single payer! The Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote on amendments to add a choice of a public health insurance option to Max Baucus’s bill tomorrow, Tuesday September 29. If your senator serves on the Finance Committee, please call him or her on Tuesday morning and ask for a vote for a public health insurance option.Please take this action even if you are a single payer supporter–as we are! Remember that if a health reform bill gets out of the Senate Finance Committee–the most conservative committee in the more conservative house of Congress–with a public option included, it will show all our legislators that there is strong popular support for health care reform, and help build momentum for single payer. Remind your senator that single-payer is your first choice, too.         Please make the call on Tuesday morning! Senate Finance Committee Democrats MAX BAUCUS, MT JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, WV KENT CONRAD, ND JEFF BINGAMAN, NM JOHN F. KERRY, MA BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, AR RON WYDEN, OR CHARLES E. SCHUMER, NY DEBBIE STABENOW, MI MARIA CANTWELL, WA BILL NELSON, FL ROBERT MENENDEZ, NJ THOMAS CARPER, DE Republicans CHUCK GRASSLEY, IA ORRIN G. HATCH, UT OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, ME JON KYL, AZ JIM BUNNING, KY MIKE CRAPO, ID PAT ROBERTS, KS JOHN ENSIGN, NV MIKE ENZI, WY JOHN CORNYN, TX Go to www.Senate.gov and look up phone numbers of each member or just call 202-224-3121  and ask to be connected to your Senator.

In 2007, the average adjusted gross income of the wealthiest 1 percent of Oregon households surpassed the $1 million mark. That meant that these wealthiest households had tripled their inflation-adjusted income compared to 1979.  By contrast, the typical, or median, Oregon household income remained at around $31,000, about what it was in 1979 in inflation-adjusted dollars. 
 
The income gains of the top one-tenth of 1 percent – a select group of about 1,600 households- were even more impressive. Between 1980 and 2007, this group’s average income grew to $3.2 million.  In 2007 alone, the top one-tenth of 1 percent reported a total of $5.2 billion in income.  that equals the total income reported by the lowest-earning 506,000 households in the state in 2007, about 30 percent of Oregon taxpayers.
 
Not Surprisingly, income has become increasingly concentrated in  the hands of the richest Oregonians, particularly the wealthiest 1 percent.  In 1980, 7 percent of all income in Oregon went to the richest 1 percent of households. By 2007, on the eve of the recession, the top 1 percent collected 18 percent of all income.

 
Looking at this same question nationally, according to figures from the Congressional Budget Office, in 1980 the top 1% received 7.5% of after-tax income.  By 2006, that percentage had increased to 16.3.  Looking at a slightly different grouping, we see that the top 20% received 42.8% of after tax income in 1980 but increased that percentage to 52.1% by 2006.
 
So I think the wealthy can pay a little more.  It is only fair.
 
And naturally it almost goes without saying that corporations have been paying a lower percent of state revenues for the past several decades.
And it continues to decrease.   According to the OCPP, corporations paid 6.3 percent in income tax revenue in the 2007-09 budget cycle that ended in June, but nowhere near the 18 percent share that corporations paid in the 1973-75 biennium. 
 
So I think that corporations can afford to pay a bit more in terms of an increase in the corporate minimum tax.
 
Please read the following email alert from our friends at Tax Fairness Oregon and pledge to Vote NO on the two tax referral measures when you vote. This will save you from receiving mailings from the Yes campaign (yes, you will want to vote Yes to continue funding for state services and for schools) and save the campaign money. 
 
Also, consider volunteering for the Yes campaign. Go to www.defendoregon.org to connect up with the campaign.

David e. Delk, Alliance for Democracy – Portland Chapter 503 232 5495 www.afd-pdx.org 

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Pledge to Vote YES for Tax Fairness! Oregon can no longer afford to allow most corporations to pay just $10 a year in income taxes. Take Action Dear David, Today, a well-funded group led by tobacco lobbyist Mark Nelson appears to have turned in enough signatures to force an election this January on the important tax fairness bills passed by the legislature earlier this year.1 The effort to undo these reforms was spearheaded by large corporations – big oil, big pharmaceuticals, big banks, and big developers. They have now given over $1 million so that Oregon’s corporations can still take advantage of the 1931 loophole that allows them to avoid paying their fair share.2 We need you to fight back. In order to uphold these measures and preserve Oregon’s critical services, now is the time to get involved in the Vote YES for Tax Fairness campaign.  DON’T BE FOOLED: As a former kindergarten teacher, I know something about the importance of making things easy to understand.  When it comes to taxes in Oregon, big corporations are going to spend a lot of money trying to make this issue complicated, but it is so simple I could teach the issue to a room full of five-year-olds: corporations should pay more than $10 a year in income tax. Please pledge to vote YES for Tax Fairness so that we can close the shameful loophole that allows two-thirds of corporations in Oregon to pay just $10 a year in income taxes. For too long, rich CEOs, highly paid lobbyists, and corporate lawyers have gotten away with not paying their fair share; while middle-class Oregonians have seen their services cut, and their state fees (such as tuition) have increased. In this time of economic crisis, Oregon can no longer afford to let big business not pay their fair share. Can we count on you to vote YES for Tax Fairness this January? If you take the pledge we will add your name to our side’s do-not-mail list. This will save our allies crucial resources and cut down on environmentally wasteful mailings. This is going to be a tough fight, but I know with your continued support we will win. Sincerely, Jody Wiser Tax Fairness Oregon P.S. Are you on Facebook? Please join our Tax Fairness Oregon fan page! Sources: 1. “Activists file for ballot measure to repeal new taxes,” KGW, September 25, 2009 http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_092509_news_anti_tax_measures.1b5e4d2f7.html 2. Oregon Secretary of State, https://secure.sos.state.or.us/eim/publicAccountSummary.do?filerId=13851

On the first day of an intended year-long test to see if Cascade Locks well water was suitable for raising fish, well water pumped into a test pond contained chlorine due to an equipment malfunction, and all of the privately purchased rainbow trout fry in the pond were killed. Nestle says (see below) it is working to “ensure there are adequate protections to avoid this, or other potential problems, in the future.”

The loss of the fish on the first day and Nestle’s subsequent commitment to only “ADEQUATE [my emphasis] protections … in the future” are very revealing, especially when considered in the context provided by their behavior in other communities across the country (see my Sept. 2 post below for documentation and action suggestions).

Oppose this project now, and support other projects to create sustainable jobs and options in Cascade Locks and other communities.

Best,

Joe

=====

Further Fish-Raising Tests Postponed
Friday, September 4, 2009

The City of Cascade Locks and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) are investigating a water exchange that would enable the hatchery to use city well water in addition to spring water for its operations at the Oxbow site. In return, the city would have spring water to sell to Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) for bottling purposes.

As part of the due diligence, ODFW has asked NWNA to demonstrate that the city well water is suitable for raising fish. A year-long test was designed, and began yesterday, September 3. Water from a city well was piped into a test pond with rainbow trout fry purchased from a private hatchery. Unfortunately, an ineffective check valve from the city’s chlorination system accidentally allowed chlorinated water to be pumped into the test pond. As a result, all the fish perished. Chlorine, often used as a disinfectant in public water systems, is fatal to fish in very small quantities.

NWNA is working closely with ODFW and private consultants to conduct a complete assessment of the pumping equipment and system to ensure there are adequate protections to avoid this, or other potential problems, in the future.

Both NWNA and ODFW agree that additional testing will not be completed until both are confident it can be safely implemented. At this point, we don’t know when that will be. Please check back at this site for updates.

Nestle Waters in the Pacific Northwest – Project Updates
http://www.nestlewaterspnw.com/projectUpdates.aspx

=====

Sent: Wed, 2 Sep 2009
Subject: Public Meeting on Nestle’s Cascade Locks Proposal, Action Suggestions, Resources

All,

In mid-June, The Oregonian reported that Nestle Waters North America is proposing a $50 million water bottling plant in Cascade Locks in the Columbia Gorge 45 miles east of Portland. Nestle proposes to tap some (100 million gallons per year) of the spring water that gushes from the ground and supplies an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife salmon and steelhead hatchery, and replace it with water drawn from the wells that supply Cascade Locks. Nestle proposes to then bottle, ship and sell the spring water as Arrowhead and Pure Life water.
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/06/nestle_eyes_columbia_gorge_spr.html

In late June, OPB’s Think Out Loud hosted a revealing program on the current situation in Cascade Locks and Nestle’s
proposal. Below find an excerpt from the Think Out Loud website on the program:
http://www.opb.org/thinkoutloud/shows/bottling-it-cascade-locks/

… “Cascade Locks is a town of roughly 1,075 people that has been losing jobs for decades and closed its high school earlier this month. The $50 million Nestle facility would bring with it an estimated 45 new jobs and would almost double the town’s property tax revenue.

Opponents of this proposal say that the Nestle jobs won’t go to current Cascade Locks residents, and that Nestle’s presence will drive away tourists who would otherwise come to visit the beautiful scenery. The facility would also bring a continuous stream of truck traffic to the town, and some residents worry about negative consequences for the environment.

Nestle Waters has faced similar opposition before from communities around the country, fighting legal battles in several states. Nestle last year canceled a contract to build a water bottling plant in the town of McCloud, California, after years of vocal opposition from many in that community.” …

Guests on the program included:

* Katelin Stuart: Cascade Locks resident
* Brad Lorang: Mayor of Cascade Locks
* Debra Anderson: President of the McCloud Watershed Council
* Dave Palais: Natural resource manager for Nestle Waters
* Mark Schlosberg: Western regional director for Food & Water Watch

NESTLE SPONSORED PUBLIC MEETING – WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 7 – 9 PM, CASCADE LOCKS

On Wednesday, September 9th, Nestle will sponsor a public meeting from 7 to 9 pm at the Port Pavilion, 355 Wanapa, in Cascade Locks. Information on this Nestle coordinated event is available at the link below. According to Nancy Matela and David Delk of the Alliance for Democracy, a representative from from both the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Water Resources Department will also participate in the meeting and Q & A.
http://www.nestlewaterspnw.com/projectUpdates.aspx

RESOURCES ON NESTLE’S BEHAVIOR IN OTHER COMMUNITIES, AND THE BOTTLING AND COMMODIFICATION OF WATER

Below find a number of resources on the threats created by Nestle’s proposal, Nestle’s behavior in other communities, and the issues raised on many levels by the bottling and commodification of water.

Nestlé fact sheet: “Undermining Local Control of Water” 2009
http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/sites/default/files/Nestle%20Fact%20Sheet%202009%20FINAL.pdf

Alternet article archives on Nestle
http://www.alternet.org/tags/nestle/

Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation v. Nestle Waters North America, Inc.
http://www.justice4michigan.org/files/hfp_nestle_case.pdf
http://www.savemiwater.org/

Bottled Water – Food & Water Watch
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/bottled

Alternet article archives on bottled water
http://www.alternet.org/tags/bottled%20water/

Think Outside the Bottle – Corporate Accountability International
http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/content/think-outside-bottle
http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/content/communities-think-outside-bottle
http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/water-news

The conclusions emerging from the above evidence — to me, at least — are clear and leave no doubt that Nestle’s Cascade Locks proposal should be strongly opposed. My only regret is that this strong opposition won’t necessarily be coupled with the strong promotion of the sustainable job and community enhancing options that Cascade Locks, like many other communities, sorely needs. But those promotional activities will have to proceed on a separate track — Nestle’s proposal affects much more than just Cascade Locks and needs to be defeated.

WAYS TO DEFEAT NESTLE’S PROPOSAL INCLUDE:

1. Attend the Nestle sponsored event on September 9 in Cascade Locks and raise the important questions with Cascade Locks officials, Nestle, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Oregon Water Resources Department.
2. Share your views in writing, over the phone, or via email with all of the above.
3. Review the evidence in the resources above, and write a concise, powerful letter to the editor.
4. Sign-on to the “Keep Nestle Out of the Gorge” online petition sponsored by Food & Water Watch at:
http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/t/741/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=2071

Best,

Joe

ADDENDUM: WILL THIS BE CASCADE LOCKS SEVERAL YEARS DOWN THE ROAD?

Excerpt*:

“It’s been nine years now since Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation first went to court to stop Nestle from pumping millions of gallons from a rural Michigan wildlife preserve….

The case could have been over in 2003, when a judge determined that Nestle’s withdrawal of 400 gallons of water a minute was having a negative impact on several local streams and ponds, and called a halt to the pumping. But the pumping never stopped. Nestle appealed and hired its own scientists to produce studies that validated its operations. To counter Nestle’s efforts, the community has had to continue to hire lawyers and experts and the fees are piling up. Nestle has run the community dry in more ways than one.”

*David v. Goliath: Help Michigan Citizens Protect Their Water from Nestle’s Bottling Operations – Leslie Samuelrich – Corporate Accountability International 7/1/09
http://www.alternet.org/story/141052/

His healthcare speech suggests that he will not.  In his healthcare address to Congress last week, he said that single payer healthcare (which removes the for-profit health insurance companies from their all powerful position) would not be considered and he said that he supports forcing all Americans to buy insurance. A token few, maybe 5% by his estimate, could use the public option.
 
Note that then a day or so later House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate leader Harry Reid said that they were no longer tied to a public option at all.  It was no longer a deal breaker.  Teddy Partridge as well as David Sirota then revealed that on the same day, United Healthcare’s, one of the largest health insurance companies in America, chief lobbyist announced that it would hold a fund raising event for her – $2400 plate for individuals, $5000 plate for PACs.  I am sure there is no connection between the two events. 
 
I am attaching a pdf of the salaries of executives of the major American health insurance companies.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to pay for these bloated CEOs?  Let’s keep calling our representatives and senator to support Rep. Anthony Weiner’s in his attempt to replace all the language of HR3200 with the Conyers bill  (HR676) for Single Payer Healthcare, improved Medicare for All.  Also, while calling, support Rep. Kucinich’s proposal to allow states the right to implement their own single payer plan.  Remember that is how Canada got single payer, one province enacted it and then the rest of the nation followed. 

David e. Delk, Alliance for Democracy – Portland Chapter 503 232 5495 www.afd-pdx.org

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