Tag: Rathke
Voter suppression unmasked and undaunted
by Wade Rathke Wednesday, December 30, 2020 Pearl River. What’s the saying, “if wishes were horses, beggars would ride….” The old Scottish nursing rhyme harkens to the days when the differences between the rich and poor might…
Hey, Congress, lay off ACORN already
by Wade Rathke December 29, 2020 Pearl River Good news! The still President, or as some call him the President-Unelect Donald Trump, went to sign his golf card in Florida and toady South Carolina Senator…
The continued call to organize the South
by Wade Rathke December 26, 2020 Pearl River Ben Speight is a seasoned labor organizer based in Atlanta. I’ve known him for a while, initially as an organizer with the Teamsters locals there. More recently…
Black Lives Matter, the Tides Foundation, and the future
by Wade Rathke December 28, 2020 Pearl River The Black Lives Matter movement erupted after the killing of George Floyd, as demonstrations, perhaps as many as 8500, occurred throughout the country and the world. BLM,…
The new media “left”
by Wade Rathke December 27, 2020 Pearl River Maybe I’m wrong, but over the Trump years, as the media has groped around trying to figure out a way to characterize him and his supporters, the…
Finding solace in the world above
by Wade Rathke December 23, 2020 Pearl River It’s hard to describe the pleasure we feel when we can take ourselves out of this world, but it’s real, and it’s special. It was wonderful that…
Christmas Comes to Congress
by Wade Rathke December 22, 2020 Pearl River Ahhh…it’s the end of the year when sugarplums are dancing in dreams of Congressional representatives in both houses and on all sides of the aisle. It may…
Homeless squatters vs. gentrifiers
by Wade Rathke December 21, 2020 Pearl River Congress passed a skinny stimulus bill for $900 billion to win the “better than nothing” award for 2020. Whoopee! The bill does promise a bit of cash…
Urban highway dividers
by Wade Rathke December 20, 2020 Pearl River Remember way back when, back in 2018-19 in the “before” times, when Amazon was jacking up cities, large and small, to compete for their headquarters location? New…
Labor law and leverage
by Wade Rathke December 19, 2020 New Orleans One of the cabinet positions still waiting for a nomination from President-Elect Biden is the Labor Department, where the devastation of workers’ rights and protections has been…
New York City protects fast food workers
by Wade Rathke December 18, 2020 Atlanta The New York City Council passed two ordinances that could open the door to a new era of job protection for some of the most precarious workers in the…
Renters’ choice, landlords’ scam
by Wade Rathke December 17, 2020 Atlanta Hitting the doors in various neighborhoods and apartment complexes in Atlanta, while talking to people about the runoff election, has been an education. Everyone knows about the upcoming…
Rent squeeze
by Wade Rathke December 16, 2020 Atlanta As the team visits one family after another in apartment complexes in metro Atlanta, after we talk to them about voting, early and by mail, we have been…
On the Doors in Atlanta
by Wade Rathke December 15, 2020 Atlanta The Electoral College licked the envelope and sealed the deal on Joe Biden’s victory for Donald Trump to become the next President of the United States with 306 votes…
The non-profit depression?
by Wade Rathke December 14, 2020 Atlanta A boatload of money is being spent in the Georgia election runoff for the two remaining US Senate seats. Estimates range from $350 to $500 million by the…
ACORN Memories from Dallas
December 13, 2020 Pearl River It was interesting reminiscing with Johnny Clark, ACORN’s former national treasurer, from Dallas, Texas. As part of the 50th Anniversary commemoration of ACORN, Johnny was part of the monthly Wade’s World…
Passage of Corporate Transparency Act is Huge!
by Wade Rathke December 12, 2020 Pearl River Big props to Congresswoman Carolyn Mahoney (D-NY) who has been resubmitting the Corporate Transparency Act every session of Congress since 2009 for staying on the case until…
Republicans create circular firing squad
by Wade Rathke December 11, 2020 New Orleans Ok, fair enough. Maybe I spoke too soon when I suggested that some grassroots Republican officeholders at the state and local level deserved our thanks for standing…
Attorney General is not a legal job
by Wade Rathke December 10, 2020 New Orleans Just in case there are small children, hermits in caves, and others in America outside the borders of normal communication and news channels, it is important to understand…
Vaxxers unite!
by Wade Rathke December 9, 2020 New Orleans Recently, I sat for my annual physical. I’m not sure, but I’ve probably seen my doctor annually now for the last twenty years. Eventually, you work out…
Election results stand, but not for lack of trying
by Wade Rathke December 8, 2020 New Orleans In this time of radical polarization in American politics, I want to make sure there is a clear footnote to the Trump shenanigans that gives some praise…
Puerto Rican earthquakes
Ponce We hadn’t been to Puerto Rico over the last fifteen years. Tickets were too pricey to Mexico and Columbia, so why not see how they have come through the recovery from Hurricane Maria, touch base…
Rathke: Are single use plastics getting a bad rap?
New York City Once the breeze picks up between the canyons formed by New York City skyscrapers, the most common local bird that seems to be floating in the sky when you see something flutter…
Biodiesel, before and after
by Wade Rathke December 7, 2020 New Orleans Over a decade ago, ACORN stumbled into an offer that seemed exciting as a progressive experiment. Friends and relatives of friends and comrades had been bitten by…
