After six long months, It's official. Al Franken is the new Senator from Minnesota.Welcome to the circus Mr Franken.
I understand Al is expected to take a seat on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. That should be interesting. He has a long history of supporting the unions and has advocated for serious Health Care reform.
What I am pleased about is his support for the Employee Free Choice Act. This issue has strengthened the movement to allow workplace representation to organize. His delayed seating at the U S Senate finally brings us closer to securing 60 Senate votes to make this happen.Ask anyone you know who has a blue collar job, in manufacturing, nursing, bus drivers and even our municipal workforce...Where would you be without a strong unified support base that represents your needs as an employee?
From what I've read, the comedian days of Al Franken are in the distant past and the serious business of fixing this country's problems are a sobering and daunting task that he and the rest of our elected should be focused on.
Lets hope that the embarrassing actions in the NY Senate never rub off on any other governing body and that the U S Senate achieves something substantial. I know we enjoy the fact that New York State leads the way in so many proud initiatives, but this is one issue we wish no-one was watching.
To add your name to the growing grass roots movement to support the
EFCA, just Write your representative and senators today.
I know that not everyone of my readership is thrilled about making any changes to our national healthcare system and the increase in workforce representation, but these are the fundamentals that provide security for a great many citizens here in America. Lets get to work people.
6 comments:
Pathetic. Minnesota should be embarrassed & ashamed of themselves.
He is a nasty bastard with no qualifications & is a disgrace to the Senate.
1st a wrestler for a governor & now this nasty clown,,, what do Minnesotans have against qualified officials. ????
to 6:47, some of us actually like Al Franken. He speaks his mind and he's smart as a whip. I think he will do just fine. You just dont like his philosophy...perhaps. but able to serve his people? Yes
Most of the top comedians, whether one "approved" of thier individual style (I liked him as a comedian as well) or not... have been pretty brilliant. I'm glad that Franken is in. He is someone that is "out there" - intellegent - and cares (this has always come through to me) about this country. NS
Yes! In your face, Rush Limbaugh!
Regarding the Employee Free Choice act. Our current laws deny workers their basic freedom to form unions and bargaining power in the workplace.
I really do hope that Franken's arrival can expedite the process getting this through Congress.
The rhetoric about Franken's stance on other issues should be weighed one at a time as they come up. This one is a no-brainer.
TRB
Anyone who listened to Franken for more than a minute on NPR or Air America knows he's more the intellect than most in the Senate.
I remember hearing him in 2000 on NPR addressing sub-prime lending,long before most of us knew what it was. We're very lucky he left the laff market...smitty
Post a Comment