Sunday, February 27, 2011

What can I do?

First, here is some background....

With information that some high profile, anti-union billionaires are behind the move to discredit and remove unions, people are wondering how to stop this. The group, Americans for Prosperity, is being bankrolled by two brothers who are determined to destroy the unions of public employees as well as their lives. The excerpts from article below, reveal how the Koch Brothers, Americans for Prosperity, and their advisers supported Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

NYTimes:


....Tim Phillips, the president of Americans for Prosperity, told a large group of counterprotesters who had gathered Saturday at one edge of what otherwise was a mostly union crowd that the cuts were not only necessary, but they also represented the start of a much-needed nationwide move to slash public-sector union benefits....

....What Mr. Phillips did not mention was that his Virginia-based nonprofit group, whose budget surged to $40 million in 2010 from $7 million three years ago, was created and financed in part by the secretive billionaire brothers Charles G. and David H. Koch....

....Even before the new governor was sworn in last month, executives from the Koch-backed group had worked behind the scenes to try to encourage a union showdown, Mr. Phillips said in an interview on Monday.... 

Did Ohio Gov. John Kasich and the Ohio GOP have similar help from the Koch Brothers, Americans for Prosperity, and their people in crafting the legislation to destroy unions in the state?  With the money that came from the Koch Brothers, is Kasich just trying to pay them back with his attacks on unions? Are there Koch people in Ohio still advising Kasich and the Republicans on what to do and what to say?

Raw Story indicates that the financial holdings of wealthy Koch Brothers are being targeted by "Anonymous" to stop their political agenda which is going on in Wisconsin and Ohio:

..."Anonymous hears the voice of the downtrodden American people, whose rights and liberties are being systematically removed one by one, even when their own government refuses to listen or worse - is complicit in these attacks," they continued. "We are actively seeking vulnerabilities, but in the mean time we are calling for all supporters of true Democracy, and Freedom of The People, to boycott all Koch Industries' paper products. We welcome unions across the globe to join us in this boycott to show that you will not allow big business to dictate your freedom."

In the US, those products were listed as Vanity Fair, Quilted Northern, Angel Soft, Sparkle, Brawney, Mardi Gras and Dixie. For Europe, they were Demak'Up, Kitten Soft, Lotus / Lotus Soft, Tenderly, Nouvelle Soft, Okay Kitchen Towels, Colhogar, Delica, Inversoft and Tutto.

All were produced by the "Georgia-Pacific" company, and all bear the logo....

 A "To Do" List:
In summary, there are a few things you can do to stay informed and get involved:

1. Read and discuss everything you can on the legislation (SB 5) that seeks to end collective bargaining.

2. Boycott products produced by Koch Industries and "Georgia Pacific" products. (see list above)

3. Call the governor's office:  Gov. Kasich (614) 466-3555
   Ohio Senate: 1-800-282-0253 (466-8842 in Columbus), State Senators
   Ohio House:  1-800-282-0253 (466-8842 in Columbus), Ohio House Members

4. Do you know someone who is a union member?  Ask them how you can help support their campaign against this legislation.