Louisiana Senator Proposes Openly Racist Amendment Kicking Ex-Cons Off Food Stamps
Many of us are wise to the racist private prison pipeline for people of color in the US. Black men have been incarcerated at higher rates than white men for decades. Thanks harsh immigration laws, brown men and women now make up the highest proportion of our federal prison system.
To add insult to injury, Senator Vitter has proposed an amendment to the farm bill which would prohibit anyone convicted of a crime from ever receiving food stamps during their lifetimes.
So, a 19-year-old man who serves prison time and returns to society rehabilitated would never be allowed to get subsidized food while he is trying to rebuild his life. What is his likely course of action? More crime? It could happen.
This amendment is openly racist. The only benefit would be to the private prison industry.
Read more about this in this story from Colorlines. Then call Senators Flake and McCain.
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It was truly a honor to meet Nevada State Senator Patricia Spearman (center) in October and to confer with her regarding our efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in Arizona. Spearman led the successful Nevada efforts to ratify the ERA in 2017. Here we are with activist and NOW leader Dainne Post after the ERA workshop at the We the People Conference in Phoenix. There are a lot of Arizona women who are ready to make history in 2018. Watch my blog here and my Facebook page here for ERA updates.
PDA Tucson Coordinator Jim Hannley speaks against both the crowd management ordinance and the urban camping ban at the City Council meeting.
Pamela Powers Hannley, Progressive Democrat for Arizona House, LD9
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#RedForEd teachers and supporters in the Arizona House Gallery, 2018.
Arizonans for New Economy co-directors Jim Hannley and Pamela Powers Hannley with UA Tech Park VP Bruce Wright.
In the 1980s, the Tucson Weekly called Tucson the “Baked Apple”.
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Congressman Ron Barber and Pamela Powers Hannley at Cyclovia
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The Living Economy event was very informative; we had a great time hob-nobbing. My husband Jim is a small business owner and a member of Local First Arizona. I have owned two small businesses in the past– Powers/Queen Associates and Wind Dancer Design. We support Local First Arizona and buying/investing locally. We believe that supporting local small businesses with low-interest loans through a public/private partnership between a public bank and community banks and credit unions is the sustainable route to improving our local economy. Trickle down economics doesn’t work; it’s time for new ideas.
Ironically, I posted this blog post on the anniversary of this election on June 19. 1970ish.
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Jobs with Justice marching with Occupy Tucson in support of postal workers.
We often hear that corporations need migrant workers because Americans “don’t want to do these jobs.” When I hear this statement, I picture farm workers picking vegetables. Recently, I toured two dairies and an animal feed packing plant in Pinal County. The photo above from the Zinke Dairy shows a giant cow milking carousel. Nine migrant workers milk 4000 cows three times a day at this dairy. Legislators watched the two men pictured here– working at a brisk pace– bend over and pick up, lift, and attach large electronic suction cups to the cows as they ride the carousel around the giant facility. This level of automation is the wave of the future for industrial jobs.
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I have a background in research. Help me build Tucson’s tech industry and grow our own local businesses.
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