The American Dream Movement

    By AmericanDreamer on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 12:13pm |

    I mentioned this the other day, as a possible constructive outlet for disapproval of decisions being made in Washington.

    Have any here made contact with this group?  Participated in any of its activities?  Have insights or additional information about it to share?  

    Here are a few links:

    Here's their website: http://www.rebuildthedream.com/

    Here's more on Van Jones: http://vanjones.net/index.php?p=bio, and some other info on him here: http://vanjones.net/

    Cheryll Contee (Jill Tubman), "Van Jones' Rebuild the Dream Movement Outpacing Tea Party Momentum?", July 20, 2011, Jack & Jill Politics, at: http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2011/07/van-jones-rebuild-the-dream-movement-outpacing-tea-party-momentum/

    Rachel Weiner, "Can Liberals Start Their Own Tea Party?", June 23, Washington Post website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/can-liberals-start-their-own-tea-party/2011/06/22/AGTWYthH_blog.html

    Jason Abbruzzese, "Van Jones Kicks off American Dream Movement with Energetic Rally and Speech at NYC's Town Hall", June 24, 2011, at AlterNet: http://www.alternet.org/news/151418/van_jones_kicks_off_american_dream_movement_with_energetic_rally_and_speech_at_nyc's_town_hall_

    Ari Berman, "Van Jones Previews the American Dream Movement", June 23, 2011 at The Notion, The Nation's blogsite, at: http://www.thenation.com/blog/161617/van-jones-previews-american-dream-movement

    Comments

    Letter to the President on Jobs, released by the Center for Community Change August 30, and signed by numerous organizations: http://www.communitychange.org/page/a-letter-to-the-president-on-jobs

    Among other things it calls on the President to support U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky's (D-IL) bill which would create more than 2 million jobs, reducing the official unemployment rate by about 1.3 percent.  From the letter:

    With 25 million Americans out of work, or only able to find part-time work when they want and need full time jobs, aggressive action is needed. Representative Jan Schakowsky’s "Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act" is an example of the kind of bold step that we need to take as a country and that you should include as part of your broader jobs agenda. It would decrease unemployment 1.3 percent by directly creating more than 2 million jobs, including jobs for construction workers to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and for educators, health care workers, firefighters, and police, to strengthen our communities. 

     The letter also endorses the Contract for the American Dream that DanK referenced a couple of weeks ago:

    Recently, more than 130,000 ordinary Americans joined together to create a vision to rebuild the American Dream. The ideas they laid out in the Contract for the American Dream are the best way forward for our country. They include investing in American infrastructure, education, green technology, and healthcare; a return to fairer tax rates; ensuring that workers have living wages and the right to organize; and keeping our democracy accountable and responsive to the American people. This is how to keep our country, our democracy, and our economy strong.
     
    The Contract for the American Dream is here: http://contract.rebuildthedream.com/
     
    Also on the Contract for the American Dream, the Center for Community Change's website links to this July 27 advocacy piece, "Jobs and the American Dream Movement" in The Hill (oriented to the U.S. Congress, referred to informally as "The Hill" in Washington, DC, and its concerns), by the Center's ED Deepak Bhargova: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-a-budget/173861-jobs-and-the-american-dream-movement

    by AmericanDreamer on Thu, 09/01/2011 - 9:11am

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