The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Friday, October 7, 2005
The nights are getting colder… the leaves are turning color… and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is restarting! We’re reviving the old favorite for a new go-round. We’ll try to keep the fires of indignation well-stoked to keep you warm as the weather cools. We welcome any tips and suggestions at nodakpc@btinet.net (the subject line should reference GBU).
To recieve the GBU via e-mail, please email us at the same address as above.
The Good: Lots of people showed up at the rallies on September 24 when Rove came to Fargo. We protested his presence, the Iraq war, and Social Security privatization. Citizen activism is the cornerstone of democracy in America and we appreciate everyone making their voice heard.
The Bad: Governor Hoeven has not come out with a position on Social Security privatization yet. The governor came out with a position on the John Roberts nomination; with as huge a deal as Social Security is to North Dakota, wouldn’t it make sense for him to have an opinion on that federal action as well? We’ve asked in letters and a meeting with his staff, but we’ve been stonewalled so far. Meanwhile, other elected ND officials are taking positions…
The Ugly: North Dakota has the highest rate of underemployment – people working more than one job – in the country, according to a report from early September from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ten percent of North Dakotans work multiple jobs.
The Bad: The outmigration problem is hitting North Dakotans where it matters: our pocketbooks. The taxable incomes of people who left North Dakota between 1993 and 2004 was almost $900 million. The population is growing, up almost a thousand last year, but…
The Good & Ugly: Courageous people are working for justice and power as they seek to change the UND “Fighting Sioux” logo, considered offensive by several tribes. Unfortunately, the folks who are trying to change the logo are being dismissed by UND and those with power. What this issue has done is take away the thin veil that covers up ugly, un-talked about attitudes towards American Indians. When people do not even understand how offensive UND's position of marginalizing people is, then it is pretty much impossible to make good progress on any of the issues we are tackling. Visit www.und.edu/org/bridges for more information.
The Ugly: Wal-mart is building two super-sized stores and a Sam’s Club in Bismarck and is planning more in Fargo. There are similar hits occurring to Dickinson, Minot, and other communities. The union-busting, community-destroying behemoth leaves bones of local businesses behind as it cruises through. Check out walmartwatch.com for more information.
The Good: President Bush said Social Security reform is dead – it’s a “long-term issue,” though with the pounding he took, no politician should touch privatization with a 10-foot pole. And that’s the way we like it. With your help, we did our part to stop privatization, but don’t worry – if it comes back, we’ll be back on top of this issue, and we hope we can count on your support as well!
The Bad: President Bush signed the executive order taking away community “prevailing wage” standards for construction workers down in the Katrina disaster area, hitting workers right where it hurts the most now – their wallets. Visit unionvoice.org/campaign/protect_workers to sign a petition protesting the Bush Administration’s callous move.
The Good: Our new website is finally up! Check for more frequent updates and new content in the following weeks at ndprogressive.org – especially the calendar, where we’ll be putting up information about progressive events around the state!
Upcoming Events
ND Peace Coalition – October 7-8 in Grand Forks – ndpeace.org
Dakota Resource Council’s Annual Meeting - October 22 in Minot - drcinfo.com
ND Human Rights Coalition Annual Conference – October 27-28 in Fargo - ndhrc.org
NDPC’s Leadership Council – November 19 in Bismarck – ndprogressive.org
If you have an event you’d like listed in The GBU, please email nodakpc@btinet.net.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly is brought to you by:
The North Dakota Progressive Coalition * 410 E. Thayer Ave. Suite 2 * Bismarck, ND 58504
(701) 224-8090 * nodakpc@btinet.net * ndprogressive.org
Editor: Ryan Gustafson
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For previous editions of The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, please visit the archive.