Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community

Race to the Bottom GUITAR MAKER FIRES KOREAN WORKERS, MOVES TO CHINA AND INDONESIA The global race for low wages is sinking living standards around the world and is so relentless that even $24-a-day guitar makers in South Korea are not immune from the pressure. continue.... Stop Investing in War, Invest in Jobs Your input to your Congress person is needed as Congress begins considering funding the surge. Why is the Obama Administration requesting $33 billion more in FY2011 to surge 30,000 troops to Afghanistan perpetuating the longest "war" in our nation's history (year #9)? What is the purpose of this war? The Taliban do not pose a threat to the U.S. The corrupt, inept Karzai government is despised by most Afghanis as are the U.S. and NATO occupation forces. Instead of spending $1 million for each U.S. service man and woman being sent to Afghanistan think of investing those resources at home for human programs to address job creation and our deteriorating infrastructure. Immigration reform with economic justice Americans must be honest about the cause of the immigration problem. The truth is we have tolerated a sub-society living in "shadow" communities working for substandard wages, living in substandard housing, and when injured on the job, refused medical care all so we can have inexpensive goods and services. (more....) Write your Congressperson TODAY Dear ________:, Millions in bailouts. Hundreds of billions in profits and bonuses. What more do the big banks want? We. the people, want real financial reform. For starters: * Break up any bank that is "too big to fail. * Close down the casino economy. * Rein in executive pay. * Create a strong and independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency. We know you get a lot of money from the banks. We know Capitol Hill is swarming with their lobbyists. Please remember that you represent us. We are depending on you to keep us safe from Wall Street's reckless greed. Sincerely, Print, sign and send the above Changing the Story UUJEC Study/Action Issues UUJEC's mission is to engage UUs to work in a partnership to fulfill our vision of a peace loving Earth Community with genuine democracy and economic justice for all. To this end we will offer study/action curricula on the important issues of the day. Use these curricula in your congregation and/or community to foster action leading towards an Earth Community that wil benefit all people. 1. Radical democracy 2. Changing our Economic Story in Portland

Take Action for Jobs Our country desperately needs to secure and create good-paying jobs. The emerging clean energy economy has provided us with tremendous opportunity to do just that. If we don't push and take advantage of this opportunity that provides particular promise for manufacturing, the opportunity will pass us by as other nations create these jobs. Join the steelworkers in taking action. Email Newsletter Sign up for the UUJEC internet newsletter. It will come to your email address one or two times a month. It will contain the latest news on economic justice and UUJEC. NEWS Are We Going Down Like the Soviets?(....more) Rape and Spillage (more....) A Victory for the People! (4/11/2010) (more....) The Bush Tax Cuts will expire soon continue.... What's Life Like For the More Than 1 Billion in the World Who Are Hungry? (more....) Why Are We Afraid to Tax the Super-Rich? (more....) Michael Moore: There's Going to Be a Second Economic Crash (more....) No Banker left behind (more....) Fight against unlimited corporate spending on campaigns (more....) Wall Street's 10 Greatest Lies of 2009 (more....) AP POLL: Tax the rich to pay for health bill(more....) End Time for Capitalism? (more....) Have the Very Wealthy Achieved Victory in Their Class-War? (more....) The Fight for Financial Reform (more....) A Guide for David Korten's new book An agenda for a new economy is now available (download....)     YOUR TURN FEATURED ARTICLE: "Changing Our Economic Story" (with David Korten, Chuck Collins, Bob Pollin, Lynn Bernander and Nancy Fabre.) 1. Your Turn - Vol 2, Issue 2 2. Archives

Stunning Statistic of the Week: * $20 billion: Size of fund BP has agreed to create to pay for claims associated with the Gulf oil disaster. * $239 billion: BP's sales and other operating revenue in 2009. * $9 million - $14.5 million: The value of stock in oil and gas companies held by members of the House of Representatives and Senate who are charged with oil and gas oversight. Stand with Chinese workers making Apple iPhones Demand Apple stop the conditions at its supplier factory that led to the deaths: the extreme long hours, poverty wages, humiliation by managers and denial of independent union representation. Apple CEO Steve Jobs refuses to take responsibility, saying last week, "for a factory, it's pretty nice". Send a letter to decision makers like Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Below is the sample letter: Dear _______;, According to independent labor rights organizations, 13 Foxconn workers have now attempted suicide and 1 has died from exhaustion. Workers are working up to 36 hours at a time without overtime pay, being paid poverty wages, and denied democratic union representation. There must be an investigation into Apple's purchasing practices, the payment of living wages, legal working hours, and democratic union elections in Foxconn supplier factories to ensure that workers voices are heard and that they manufacture your products with dignity and respect. Sincerely, Stop Corporations from taking over our Elections On January 21, the Supreme Court rolled back a century of modest limits and ruled that corporations can spend as much money as they want in our elections. This cannot stand. Join our campaign to protest this decision and protect our democracy! Add your name right now to our petition for a constitutional amendment to keep corporations from taking over our democracy! Move to ammend the constitution Rebuild the Middle Class By Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont The United States is in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the 1930s. Workers in Vermont and throughout the country continue to lose their jobs, homes, pensions and ability to send their children to college. The economic pain our country is experiencing did not begin when the financial sector nearly collapsed over a year ago as a result of the greed and recklessness of Wall Street. The decline of the middle class has been going on for many years. (continue....) Balance the Budget & Stop The War To balance the United States budget we need to stop the Afghanistan war. You can help put pressure on the government to stop this war by doing the following. continue....