Sunday, May 31, 2015

Do all presidential candidates deserve equal treatment by journalists?

31 May 2015

By Derek Donovan
Kansas City Star

"And the 10 candidates whose names have been on Page A1 so far aren’t the only ones in the race. A large number of other parties such as the Constitution Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party and Socialist Party USA will be putting forth their own names...."

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Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/public-editor/article22633320.html#storylink=

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Sixth Circuit Upholds Discriminatory Michigan Ballot Access Law

21 May 2015

By Richard Winger
Ballot Access News

On May 20, the Sixth Circuit upheld the aspect of Michigan ballot access laws for new parties that requires newly-qualifying parties to submit approximately twice as many signatures as the number of votes needed for an established party to remain on the ballot. Erard v Michigan Secretary of State, 14-1873.

The decision is only eight pages and does not even mention the two precedents that say states cannot require more signatures for a new party than it requires votes for an old party. Those precedents are the U.S. Supreme Court decision Williams v Rhodes, and a 3-judge U.S. District Court decision from Massachusetts in 1972 called Baird v Davorem....

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Tuesday, May 19, 2015

7 Ways NYC Mayor’s “Progressive Agenda” Is Like The Communist Party’s Manifesto

19 May 2015

By Ryan Carrillo
The Libertarian Republic 

"New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio last week unveiled a 13-point “Progressive Agenda” which is being called the Liberal ‘Contract with America.’ However, the Progressive Agenda is much more similar to two other platforms rather than the Republican contract with America.

Here are 7 ways that the Progressive Agenda is eerily similar to the Communist Party USA and Socialist Party USA‘s manifestos."



Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Socialists Plan to Use 2016 As Opportunity to Explain What Socialist Means

6 May 2015

By Jamie Fuller
New York Magazine

Bloomberg Politics talked to several socialist groups to see what they thought of Bernie Sanders. Socialist Party USA doesn't think he is the ideal candidate — but its members do love that he loves the word socialist. The group's co-chair, Mimi Soltysik, told Bloomberg, “I think having that word in the discourse — it can help sort of stimulate a positive response, as the stigma wears off...."

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America's Socialists Say Bernie Sanders Can Advance Their Cause

6 May 2015

By Sahil Kapur
Bloomberg News

"But why does the Socialist Party say Sanders isn't a real socialist? Soltysik says democratic socialists believe in 'community control of institutions,' rather than private control; 'local control of the means of production'; and a socialized medical program.

'And we're anti-capitalist,' he said. 'We don't see capitalism as a reformable institution.'"

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Sunday, May 3, 2015

Vote No on Proposal 1: Socialist Party Statement on Michigan’s May 5, 2015 Special Election Ballot Proposal

3 May 2015

Statement by the Socialist Party of Michigan
 
"The Socialist Party of Michigan encourages all working class voters of our state to reject the proposed new road-maintenance funding scheme in the May 5, 2015 statewide Special Election (Proposal 15-1). In response to rising corporate investment concerns over the crumbling state of Michigan’s road conditions, the state legislature’s Proposal asks voters to approve a constitutional amendment to authorize raising the state sales tax from six to seven percent, as well as an additional net increase in motor fuel taxes.

Without even considering any rollback to the state’s 86% corporate income tax cut, let alone any reduction to the 20% of general fund dollars allocated to the state’s prison system; the legislature has crafted Proposal 1 with the intent of further saddling the state’s working class and poor with an even greater disparate share of the state’s tax burden. According to current figures from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the average cost of sales and excise taxes already amounts to 5.1% of household income for Michigan families in the lowest three-fifths of the income range — and 6.2% of household income for families with incomes in the bottom one-fifth. By contrast, the average percentage of household income paid in sales and excise taxes by Michigan families in the top one-percent of the income range amounts to a mere 0.8%...."

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