More than 60 individuals rallied outside the Capitol today in Albany to support the proposed increase in the welfare grant, which has not been risen in NY in 18 years. The groups however opposed the cut in SSI benefits and wants lawmakers to tax the rich and Wall Street to help resolve the state budget deficit. They also supported a proposal to weatherize one million homes, which would create 30,000 jobs while reducing climate change.

A group of concerned New York citizens announced today that they are launching a campaign to have Governor David A. Paterson appoint long-time consumer advocate Ralph Nader to the US Senate. There are no real residency requirements for US Senate. Nader’s supporters noted that while President elect Obama has made a big point of naming many of his former Presidential opponents to Cabinet positions, he has not yet offered a position to Nader, who finished third in the general election. Obama’s first public interest job, which he credits for training him as an organizer, was with a group that Nader helped established, the New York Public Interest Research Group.

Gov. Paterson has proposed an 18% sales tax on soda and other non-fruit beverages as an anti-obesity tax which would raise $400 million a year. The revenues would however just be used for "health care" purposes rather than funding anti-nutrition measures. Nicholas Kristof lays out the public policy arguments for such a tax. Others argue that this is a regressive tax, hitting low and middle income consumers hardest, while Paterson is avoiding raising the personal income tax on the wealthy. Elie Ward of the American Academy of Pediatrics said that "soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks are the leading single contributor to obesity. Raising the price of this liquid candy will put children and teens on a path to a healthier diet. "

Numerous human service, education and community groups faulted Gov. Paterson today for failing to make the rich bear a fair share of the burden of resolving the state budget deficit. "Increasing fees and enormous cuts in state spending on education, healthcare, and state services could be mitigated if the Governor had simply chosen to listen to the people of New York State who have been calling for an income tax increase on the wealthiest 5% of New Yorkers," said Ron Deutsch of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness. Mark Dunlea of Hunger Action Network said "We appreciate the Governor's leadership in proposing the first increase in the basic welfare grant in 18 years, even though the proposed hike will keep them in severe poverty. But we have to oppose taking money away from disabled and poor senior citizens by cutting SSI benefits." Medicaid Matters NY strongly supports the health care reforms proposed by the Governor today. MMNY applauds the Governor's continued commitment to improving health care for all New Yorkers, including expansion of Family Health Plus and elimination of some of the barriers to getting and keeping coverage, particularly in tough economic times. Karen Scharff of Citizen Action said: Scharff, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York. “President-Elect Obama is leading the way by proposing a bold stimulus package to jump-start the economy. Unfortunately, Governor Paterson is taking a very different approach: cutting education, and other critical state investments, while refusing to ask the wealthy who benefited from the boom to make any contribution.”

GOvernor Paterson releases his 2009-2010 state budget a month early, trying to resolve a $12 billion state budget deficit. His is proposing big cuts in payments to hospitals and nursing home; more than $4 billion in various forms of taxes (e.g., an anti-obesity tax on soda) but not a income tax hike on the rich; a slowdown in increased spending on education; eliminatin of the STAR rebate program on property taxes; elimination of 5000 state jobs; and a hike in state welfare benefits. The Governor would also impose a sales tax on clothing under $110.

Gov. Paterson, after 18 years of inaction, has proposed a welfare grant in next year's state budget. Groups will rally at the Capitol for the annual People's State of the State rally to support that as well as a single payer universal health care; green living wage job creation; affordable housing; medicaid reform; and the millionaires tax. Music will be provided.

As food banks scramble to respond to a dramatic increase in demand this holiday season, while unemployment surges and farmers face plummeting crop prices, a broad sector of groups are calling on the incoming Obama administration to put hunger and the global food crisis front and center on its list of top priorities. The groups called for fair prices for farmers and consumers; environmental sustainablity; and the right to food.

Single Payer New York, a coalition of doctors, nurses, labor, faith, and community groups, called today upon President-elect Barack Obama to propose a single payer universal health care system for the U.S. The groups urged Obama to reject a Massachusetts style plan that mandates that individuals purchase health insurance.

The industrialized, globalized food system is based on oil. It is under threat because of the inevitability of "peak oil." It is also under threat because it is more vulnerable than traditional agriculture to climate change, to which it has contributed. Industrial agriculture is dependent on chemical fertilizers. Chemically fertilized soils are low in organic matter. We need an alternative. Biodiverse, organic farms and localized food systems offer us security in times of climate insecurity, while producing more food, producing better food, and creating more livelihoods.

One must note the awesome disparity in treatment for the auto industry and Wall Street. Government agencies have thrown literally trillions of dollars at the financial sector, with very light conditions, and virtually no discussion of industry salary structures (aside from limited restraints on top executive compensation). By contrast, there has been endless fulmination about supposedly excessively generous wages for unionized auto workers, and much more severe financial and oversight conditions proposed for an industry bailout. General Motors now has a market capitalization of $2.8 billion. Ford's market value is $6.1 billion. These are relatively small amounts compared to the $25 billion the companies are requesting -- and they are likely to come back for more later.

Prof. Stephen Zunes writes that For those hoping for a dramatic change in U.S. foreign policy under an Obama administration -- particularly regarding human rights, international law, and respect for international institutions -- the appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State is a bitter disappointment. Indeed, Senator Clinton has more often than not sided with the Bush administration against fellow Democrats on key issues regarding America’s international legal obligations, particularly international humanitarian law." The Green Party of NYS strongly condemned the appointment, saying that "By choosing Clinton, Obama either has failed to understand or, more likely, has simply decided to ignore the will of his constituents, who overwhelmingly oppose the war."

The push for universal national health care faces a widening schism between single-payer and public-private advocates. Both sides are pushing for universal health care, but the more purist single-payer advocates believe that any approach that retains the insurance industry is doomed to fail. They also point out that the internally commissioned surveys by groups such as Herndon Alliance that argues that single payer is not politically feasible is in fact contradicted by the polls results from independent and media groups. The big money however is with the moderates who push for a role for private health insurance while also attacking it as a big problem.