Moving Ideas Newsletter

In this issue: Tax Cut Measure Guarantees Increasing Deficits; Nonprofits Urge Supreme Court to Protect Grassroots Communications; Revised Nonprofit Anti-Terrorism Guidelines Expected; and more.

Connecticut’s Legislature passed an unprecedented campaign finance reform bill combining restrictions on special interest groups with full public financing.

In a landmark ruling following an appeal from a full trial, the New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld Santa Fe’s living wage law -- one of the nation’s first local wage laws to apply citywide.

An appropriations bill signed into law by President Bush directs the U.S. Census Bureau to study a new way to count people in prison: using their pre-incarceration addresses rather than their prison addresses.

Thirty-one leading faith-based groups sent a letter to Congress urging it to lift an onerous restriction on legal aid organizations that prevents them from providing privately financed assistance to families in need.

Join Demos in welcoming Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson, co-authors of Off Center: The Republican Revolution and the Erosion of American Democracy, and their groundbreaking explanation of the Right's new might-and why this troubling state of affairs can and must be changed. Hacker and Pierson tell a disturbing story of how American political institutions were captured and distorted by party chieftains, unresponsive power brokers subverting the popular will, and legislation written by and for powerful interests. They call for new reforms to increase the political resources of the middle and to make elections more competitive and politicians more accountable. When:

Please join Amnesty International USA from 3:00-4:00 PM Eastern on Tuesday, December 13 to talk with Monica Campbell, a freelance journalist based in Mexico City, who recently interviewed Mexican environmental activist and former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience Felipe Arreaga after his release from 10 months of unjust detention for murder. http://www.amnestyusa.org/askamnesty/live/display.php?topic=47

Last week Hillary Clinton co-sponsored a Senate resolution calling for the banning of the burning of the American flag and the New York Times said, "Hillary panders yet again." In her quest to become president Hillary is moving further and further to what she calls "the center" and what we call the right. This Tuesday, President Bill Clinton will be hosting a fundraising dinner for his wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, at the New York Hilton Hotel. The tickets range from $500 (a simple place at a table) to $4,200 (this premium will get you a photo with Bill and Hillary) and the money will be pouring into Hillary’s campaign coffers. But we can’t support a candidate who doesn’t have a strong anti-war message. CodePink New York will be outside the gala fundraising banquet with our ongoing anti-war message: HILLARY—YOU’RE NOT LISTENING; BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW! When: Tuesday, December 13 at 6:30 p.m. Where: Outside the New York Hilton, Sixth Avenue between 53rd and 54th Participating groups:

Presented by True Majority and the National Priorities Project

Featured Speaker: Congressman David Hobson (R-Ohio) Congressional Scholar Donald Mathews divided legislators into two categories, "work horses" and "show horses." Congressman David Hobson is definitely in the former category. As Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and the Second Ranking Republican on the Defense Subcommittee, Hobson attracts relatively little press attention but plays an enormous role in shaping government policy in a variety of venues. Despite widespread criticism of Congress in recent years for its failure to conduct effective oversight, Hobson has continued to ask tough questions and stand his ground until he gets sensible answers. As a result he has had major impact on government policy in a variety of areas. Most recently, he has forced the Bush Administration to rethink its strategy on development of a nuclear charged bunker buster bomb. Representative Hobson will speak at the Center for American Progress on how his subcommittee forced the Department of Energy to go back to the drawing board and what we can learn about Congressional oversight from that experience. Hobson is also expected to touch on a number of other topics before his subcommittees, including current U.S. policy in Iraq, reconstruction of the southeast Louisiana levee system and U.S. efforts to secure nuclear weapons and materials overseas. When: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 Program: 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Admission is free. Where: Center for American Progress 1333 H Street, NW 10th Floor Washington D.C. 20005 Nearest Metro: Metro Center or McPherson Square RSVP:

Between 2001 and 2004, more than 1,188 Guatemalan women and girls have been brutally murdered. Just 9% of these murders have been investigated by the police. In post-civil conflict Guatemala, violent crime and homicide are on the increase generally, but the rise in killings of women is far out of proportion. Thus far, most killings of women occur in urban areas, targeting women between 13 and 40 years of age. Most victims come from poor sectors of society – domestic employees, shop or factory workers, or migrants from neighboring Central American countries. Talk with experts about this brutal violence against women in Guatemala and learn what you can do to stop it. For more info and to submit a question in advance, click here. When:

to honor Senator Tom Harkin, Senate author and longtime champion of the Americans with Disabilities Act and to explore The Supreme Court—What's at Stake for People with Disabilities The Working Luncheon Briefing by Tom Goldstein, a leading Supreme Court advocate and author of the respondents’ brief in Tennessee v. Lane, on the high court's approach, past and future, to the civil rights of people with disabilities, followed by a panel discussion in response to audience questions. Gordon Peterson, Master of Ceremonies and Panel Moderator Anchor ABC7/WJLA and producer of Inside Washington

Can you make radical change for social justice and work a 9 to 5? Join Demos and The Building Movement Project for an important panel discussion with NYC-based young activists on the meaning of leadership, activism and the role of nonprofits in current and future social change movements. This panel will also be highlighting the release of Letters from Young Activists, a timely and critical collection of young authors that force us to dig deep and evaluate the future of social justice movement work through the visions of young people today. Co-sponsored by Building Movement, this event will also highlight Up Next: Generation Change and the Leadership of Nonprofit Organizations, their most recent report detailing generational shifts in non-profits and includes the responses of younger leaders around the country, along with suggested methods for successful, productive changes in leadership. Joining us will be authors Kenyon Farrow of New York State Black Gay Network, Gabriel Sayegh of Drug Policy Alliance, Nilda Laguer of Urban Mana and Mervyn Marcano of Right to Vote. This event will be moderated by Monifa Bandele, Field Coordinator at Right to Vote Campaign and participant in Building Movement's Generational Leadership Listening Sessions. When: Thursday, December 8, 2005 12 - 2pm Where: Demos 220 Fifth Avenue 5th FloorNew York, NY Located near corner of 26th St. Take W or R train to 28th St. Register:

You are invited to join the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law at our Annual Working Luncheon to honor Senator Tom Harkin Senate author and longtime champion of the Americans with Disabilities Act and to explore The Supreme Court—What's at Stake for People with Disabilities The Working Luncheon Briefing by Tom Goldstein, a leading Supreme Court advocate and author of the respondents’ brief in Tennessee v. Lane on the high court's approach, past and future, to the civil rights of people with disabilities, followed by a panel discussion in response to audience questions. Gordon Peterson, Master of Ceremonies and Panel Moderator Anchor ABC7/WJLA and producer of Inside Washington When: Thursday, December 8, 2005 11:30 am Reception 12 Noon Luncheon Where:

Based on a comprehensive database of child care fatalities, this report found that paid child care is very safe overall. Centers are the safest form of paid child care.