Coal is the single most dangerous form of energy and, despite many claims by industry spokespeople, is not clean and cannot be cleaned. While industry front groups are spending millions of dollars convincing Americans that CO2 emissions from coal can be tucked away safely, all evidence shows the contrary, that doing so is technically dubious, extremely expensive, and environmentally disastrous.
Young people will welcome these criminals that deal in coal, the most deadly weapon of mass destruction! We will let them and anyone watching know that young people don’t want coal to have a role in the New Energy Age, that we demand fair worker transition programs for coal miners, clean energy for the nation, and stable climate for future generations!
If you live in the D.C. area, sign up here to help organize the welcoming reception. If you’d like to walk around and sign people up with some old school tabling or canvassing, you can find a handy sign-up form here.
The Feminist Majority Foundation’s Campus Program (let’s call them Campus FMF) and Change.org have teamed up on a new campaign to both expose Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPC’s) on campus, and end federal funding for “fake clinics” and abstinence only programs.
A study by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in the House of Representatives found that 87% of the clinics they examined provided false or misleading information about the health risks of abortions and the effectivness of contraceptives. Despite these issues, states will be able to channel millions in federal funds to CPC’s under the Hatch amendment, which was slipped into the health care bill.
Everyone can take action online now. Students can get even more involved, however, by joining Campus FMF’s campaign. They have put together a great toolkit that can help you find and expose less than truthful clinics that are targeting students at your campus, and push for clear “truth in advertising” policies to protect your classmates.
By now, almost everyone has heard of the Credit CARD Act of 2009. This bill, which just went into effect, finally created some basic consumer protections for credit card borrowers. While these companies are doing their best to find new and creative ways to stick it to their customers, the bill stopped some of the worst abuses, and made sure that credit card companies could no longer treat college students, whom they courted aggressively, differently from the rest of the population.
There is a provision in the bill that many people have not heard about, however, and it could be a real help to student journalists, student government, and anyone else who is trying to make sure that colleges, credit card companies, and alumni associations are not taking advantage of students. This provision, championed by Pennsylvania Rep. Patrick Murphy, requires schools to disclose agreements that they have with credit card companies allowing them to market to students. It also allows any individual to request this information. (more…)
Tomorrow, students from around the country will be taking action against budget cuts to education, and all of the tuition hikes, enrollment caps, cuts to statestudentaid, lay-offs, wage cuts, furloughs, and other problems that they have caused. Here at Campus Progress, we hope that college administrations, state governments, and Congress are paying close attention: students are hurting, angry, and organized. You can see if there are actions planned in your area here.
There are already some great ways to follow this mobilization (for example, http://studentactivism.net/ has a great maps and a great blog), but I wanted to add two more options (below). We will also be posting some updates on this site tomorrow.
Ben Miller at the Education Sector has a great post up today explaining how student loan giant Sallie Mae has inserted itself (with help from a corrupt Bush administration official) into virtually every nook and cranny of the federal student loan system. The result is that they can squeeze money from taxpayers regardless of whether the loan is paid or put into default.
Basically, there are three different kinds of private actors involved in the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP – the larger and more expensive of two federal student loan programs):
Lenders: These organizations raise and lend money to students. The government gives them subsidies and promises to pay 97% of the loan if it goes into default.
Guaranty Agencies: These organizations administer the guarantee against default for lenders, and prevent default on federal student loans. They are also paid by the government to do collections or rehabilitations on defaulted loans, which, as many have pointed out, is a conflict of interest. They typically contract this work to a…
Collections Agencies: These firms are contracted by guarunty agencies to track down borrowers in default, and collect as much of the outstanding debt as possible.
Yesterday dozens of people blocked the street in from of the Department of Homeland Security building in Washington, DC to protest inaction on immigration reform. The Detention Watch Network posted this video of the action:
On New Year’s day, a small group of students started a their journey—on foot—from Miami, FL to Washington, DC to raise awareness about the DREAM Act and other progressive immigration reforms. These courageous students, who were brought to the US as children, did not want to see their futures, and those of their classmates, put in jeopardy because they lack a viable path to citizenship.
The students are working with a group called Students Working for Equal Rights (SWER), which is asking for help with this effort (especially if you live in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, or DC). They need people to organize a reception, donate, offer places to stay, etc.
SWER has received an Organizing Grant from Campus Progress as part of the Action Alliance program. The program awards $200-$1,500 to youth-led organizations that are working on progressive issue campaigns or projects that will help build the progressive youth movement.
The Nation just published our article on the fuzzy math that student loan companies are using to manipulate the debate on the student aid bill. Here is an excerpt:
Lately, Sallie Mae executives have been paying visits to Capitol Hill to make their case against SAFRA, claiming it will mean thousands of jobs lost. They are even bringing workers from their call centers on these visits to argue that their jobs should be spared. This activity seems to be having an impact on certain members of Congress, who, with the unemployment rate being in the double digits, are sensitive to the idea of losing any more jobs in their state or district.
Every person’s job is important. There is no minimizing the loss of a job and its impact on a family, especially during the current jobless recovery.
But there is something objectionable about a company manipulating data and its own workers to preserve the corporate welfare on which it has long thrived.
On Wednesday, Dec. 2nd, Campus Progress, the US Students Association, and US PIRG sponsored an event about the college affordability crisis, student organizing for affordable and accessible universities, and the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act.
Much of the discussion centered around the 32% fee hikes in California, and the student reaction to that decision. Check it out:
Funding our Future is a campaign to pass a progressive federal budget for 2010 and ensure that our nation.s key economic choices invest in our education, spark reform of our health care system, and address climate change through cap and trade and clean energy investments. Click here for more info.
On April 14th, 2009 at 9:30 AM, coal barons are finally testifying in front of Congress about the “The Role of Coal in a New Energy Age.”
By now, almost everyone has heard of the 
The Nation just published