Todd Akin Teaches Poor Kids A Lesson By Not Allowing Them To Eat

Hearts starve as well as bodies.  But Todd Akin doesn't care about either.  That oughta teach those poor kids for being born poor.  Bet they won't try that again.

Mark Reardon Says Pointing Out Inequalities Is "Class Envy" and "Jealousy"

The Post-Dispatch included an excellent editorial today pointing out the fact that sales of luxury items, such as $2,500 boots and $1,500 face cream, have been increasing even while 17% of Americans are living in poverty during a brutal economic period. The whole editorial is excellent, so I hope your read it, but here's a small sampling:

So for the sake of the economy and, especially, for the men and women working the selling floors of luxury retailers and the showrooms and service departments of expensive automobile brands, we all should hope that the latest spasms of the stock market don't scare upscale Americans into tucking away their Amex black cards.

At the same time, we can't help noticing how far removed a Mercedes S-class sedan is — for gas savings, consider the S400 Hybrid, starting at $91,000 — from Americans who don't know if they'll have a job next week.

We think about families who have no option but to keep squeezing miles out of aging cars that are just a paycheck away from being unfixable — AAA (the auto association) reported this week that a quarter of all Americans couldn't afford a $2,000 car repair bill if they were faced with it.

We imagine couples now living on one income instead of two, worried about meeting the payments of adjustable-rate mortgages. We know middle-aged, middle-class parents who've lived modestly and saved responsibly and wonder from semester to semester if there will still be federal Pell grants and subsidized loans to allow their kids to stay in college.

But of course pointing out the fact that there are economic inequalities rankled KMOX's Mark Reardon, who claimed that it was nothing but "class envy:"


Great to know that such caring and thoughtful people are given their own radio shows. I'm sure it's because Mark Reardon is just so much more intelligent and works so much harder than all of the people who live in poverty, right?

Kick off for Felon's economic rights organization.

The first meeting of Full Citizen will be held on January 22 1 PM at t3026 Cherokee, St. Louis Mo. 63118
The purpose of Full Citizen will be to provide a path back to full citizenship for felons. I say path because it will not, cannot,and should not be and instant process. Regardless of the circumstances that caused one to break the law the public has a reasonable distrust of felons and felons must earn back the trust of the community.

Currently there are approximately nine million felons nationwide.

Under our current system a felon is prohibited from being licensed for 64 professions for life. The felon with a drug offense cannot get federally underwritten school loans for life. The felon cannot get federal school loans for life. The felon cannot get business loans from federally insured banks for life. The felon cannot get a mortgage for life.(Romona says I am wrong on this one but as a Realtor that was my understanding) Thus all of the paths to wealth in our society have been permanently denied to the felon.

Thus a felon has two choices. He or she can live in poverty or he/she can re-offend in the hopes of the big score. Felons younger than thirty frequently re-offend and older than thirty generally settle down into minimum wage part time poverty.

The children of these felons suffer from a variety of social ills. Single parent homes and sometimes no parent homes. Raised by Aunties who may be holding down two part time jobs they have little supervision and even less in the way of successful role models. The sentencing project says that two in three black boys age ten predict they will go to prison. The boys prediction is both logical and self fulfilling.

So the goal is to give parents a route to success and give children a positive role models and a rational expectation of their own success.

To do this voters must be educated to change the law for the interest of those effected and for the interest of society as a whole. Full citizen will utilize video journalism, blogging, and community activism to make a wholesale change to the laws of Missouri and eventually to the laws of all fifty states.

This is a tremendously worthwhile group. Nine million adults and untold numbers of children can be effected. The economic and social cost which can be alleviated are staggering. We desperately need your minds and your labor to correct the injustice which currently guarantees a permanent underclass.

If you have any interest please contact me at Mark.Magas@gmail.com or call 314-497-6475, and if you know how to create an event on Facebook that would be a great start.

St. Louis Activist Events for Nov. 23-29

This week's events:

Monday, Nov. 23, Boom Boom Pow at Washington University will feature a panel discussion on Nuclear Disarmament and Verification.   The event is from 6 to 7 PM in Seigle L004.  PEACE

Also Monday, St. Louis NORML will be holding a Protest Against Marijuana Prohibition from 4 to 6 PM on Grand near Interstate 44. SOCIAL JUSTICE

Also Monday, The Co-op Cafe at Washington University this week features an open mic and Sheila Shahpari from 8 to 10 PM.  COMMUNITY

Tuesday, Nov. 24, check out Tuesdays with Terri Williams, progressive candidate for county council, at the Boogaloo (7344 Manchester) from 7 to 9 PM.  POLITICS

Also Tuesday, Revitalize St. Louis is holding a Fall Class on Cost Control for Rehabbers at the Landmarks Association from 7 to 9 PM.  COMMUNITY

Also Tuesday, ONE Webster is hosting Namaste: A Nepalese Evening which features the amazing story of Dr. Devi Gurung States, who is working to build a hospital in his childhood town of Menang, Nepal.  The event is from 7 to 10 pm in the Webster University Library Conference Room.  POVERTY

Wednesday, Nov. 25, there will be a special director's cut pre-screening of Heartland Transport, a 10-minute film documenting the history Show Me Marriage Equality Bus that took 17 couples from Missouri to Iowa to get married.  The event will be from 7:30 to 9:30 at the Atomic Cowboy (4140 Manchester).  LGBT

Thursday, Nov. 26, Thanksgiving!  Jewish Family and Children's Services is asking people to consider donating canned goods and food items to help stock their food pantry.  POVERTY

Friday, Nov. 27 is the famous Buy Nothing Day protest against mass consumption. SOCIAL JUSTICE

Also Friday, the St. Louis Animal Rights Team (START) is holding a Fur Free Friday demonstration from 1 to 2:30 PM at the corner of Galleria Parkway and Brentwood Blvd. to protest the needless and cruel practices involved in producing fur coats.  Animal Welfare

Also Friday is the Kids Rock Cancer Benefit at the Over Under Bar (911 Washington) from 6 to 10 PM. FUNDRAISER

Saturday, Nov. 30 might be a good day to check out the Fair Trade Market at Manchester united Methodist Church (129 Wood Mills Rd).  SOCIAL JUSTICE

Sunday, Nov. 29, Show Me No Hate is hosting an important rally at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (4431 Lindell) from 11:30 to 1:30 to protest the fact that St. Louis Archbishop Carlson donated $10,000 dollars for the political campaign in Maine to stop same sex couples from being able to get married.  LGBT

Also Sunday is the 6th Annual Rock and Roll Craftshow at the 3rd Degree Glass Factory (5200 Delmar) until 5 PM. COMMUNITY

Also Sunday, the Center for Theology and Social Analysis (1077 South Newstead) is hosting a talk Palestinians Rather Than Palestine by Sandra Tamara at 4:30 PM.  Fair-trade Palestinian olive oil will be on sale as a holiday gift.  PEACE