Moving Ideas Newsletter

Feeling broke these days? Well, you are not alone. Join us for a lively discussion with Tamara Draut, author of the new book "Strapped: Why America's 20 and 30 Somethings Can't Get Ahead" about the financial challenges facing young professional and working adults and what needs to happen to create more opportunities to grow the middle class. Have a question for Tamara? E-mail it to [email protected]. The event is presented by MassINC, Onein3 Boston, and Demos, with support from the New Community Fund, State Street Bank, and the Boston Redevelopment Authority. MassINC events are free and open to the public. When: February 2, 2006 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with a reception to follow Where: Jury's Hotel 350 Stuart Street Boston, MA RSVP:

Join AcademyHealth and Health Affairs to hear leading experts from the Administration, academia, Congress, and the health industry provide in-depth analyses of critical health care issues confronting policymakers. Among the topics to be addressed: reducing disparities in health care, patient safety, improving services for mental health and substance use disorders, public and private sector perspective on responsibility for America's health care, preventing and managing chronic conditions in children, pay for performance, MMA implementation, and a newly added session on rebuilding the Gulf Coast health care system - post Katrina. NHPC Participants include federal and state policymakers, policy researchers and analysts, health industry executives, clinical decision makers, research funders, and health services researchers. When: February 6-7, 2006 Where: Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel For more information and to register, visit: www.academyhealth.org/conferences/nhpc.htm

On January 27, join me, and my friend Nathan onboard the Esperanza, for a national conference call and whale watching party. Tell your neighbors, your friends, your family, and your local grocery store shoppers, that buying Gorton's directly contributes to commercial whaling. We've made it easy for you to get involved. Just register online, and we'll send you everything you'll need, including fact sheets, stickers, postcards and video footage of our confrontation with Japanese whalers. Then join me, and my friend Nathan onboard the Esperanza, for a national conference call. We'll answer any questions you have about the campaign, and together, we'll make a plan to get THOUSANDS of postcards to Gorton's signed at grocery stores across the country. So please, register right now - your actions today could help us save whale populations around the world. Sincerely, John Hocevar Oceans Campaigner

IPS is having an Open House "to show off our new digs." IPS projects Break the Chain, the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development, Cities for Progress, SALSA (Social Action and Leadership School for Activists), and Sustainable Energy and Economy Network are also members of the Moving Ideas Network and are located in the same office as IPS. Join them for their Open House.

On January 26, Florida Veterans for Common Sense will sponsor an evening with Professor Harvey Kaye (author of Thomas Paine and the Promise of America) at the University of South Florida. This promises to be an interesting and educational event, and VCS recommends their members in Florida check it out (and, if you haven't already, consider getting involved with the chapter)).

Hear first-hand from the "mother of the freeze" as we commemorate 25 years of action and advocacy against nuclear weapons. FREE and open to the public When: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 6:30 p.m. Where:

The budget conference agreement contains a little-noticed provision that would require all citizens applying or reapplying for Medicaid to produce a passport or birth certificate to prove they are U.S. citizens. This new requirement, besides being unnecessary and costly, would almost certainly create significant enrollment barriers for millions of low-income citizens who meet all Medicaid eligibility requirements.

This book examines the politics and practices of noncitizen voting in the United States, chronicling the rise and fall -- and re-emergence -- of immigrant voting in the U.S. In addition to making the case for noncitizen voting, this book takes a close look at the politics of and actors in recent campaigns that successfully reestablished noncitizen voting, others that failed, and ones that are currently underway.

The economy added 108,000 jobs in December. While this is considerably less than generally expected, November's job growth was revised up by 90,000 to show a gain of 305,000 jobs. The two month average growth of 207,000 jobs is a healthy pace of job growth and probably better reflects the current state of the labor market.

Jared Bernstein puts the announcement of the creation of 108,000 new jobs in December in an historical context for the year and compares 2005’s performance to similar periods in prior recoveries. His analysis reveals that, comparing this recovery to recoveries that have lasted at least this long, the rate of job growth over 2005 was half that of the historical average.

The influence-peddling scandals of felon and former lobbyist Jack Abramoff have cast a pall over Capitol Hill and brought the integrity of the federal government into question.

Media Matters for America has compiled the top myths and falsehoods advanced by conservatives and Alito supporters -- and often repeated in the mainstream media -- that effectively obscure his record and distort concerns and questions raised by his critics.

The Governmental Operations Committee of the New York City Council held hearings on the Voting Rights Restoration Act, which would allow about one million noncitizen residents 18 years of age or older to vote in New York City elections if they have been lawfully present for six months. This page includes the legislation, testimony, and links to media coverage.

Campaign for America's Future and Public Campaign Action Fund released a television ad, radio ad and a billboard that will be seen by at least 2 million people in the home districts of Reps. Tom DeLay and Bob Ney.

A guide on some of the tricks Alito and his Bush administration handlers are most likely to deploy.

A comprehensive report on Judge Alito that examines his record and judicial philosophy.

This book critically looks at the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, airport security, the politics and propaganda of war, civilian and military deaths, government defense and non-defense spending, civil and economic liberties, and much more.

This report includes new research summaries on housing mobility, guidelines for improved housing voucher policy and program management to promote choice, and a section on "new constituencies for housing mobility."

OneWorld's editors take a look back at the people who made a difference in our world in 2005.

CommonWealth magazine has released a special extra edition entirely devoted to growth and development in Massachusetts.