F A C I N G S O U T H A progressive Southern news report July 15, 2004 * Issue 84 _____
INSTITUTE INDEX * The Two Americas Amount that job growth is lower than Bush Administration predicted in February 2004, in millions: 1.5 Of 13 Southern states, number that have had a net job gain since 2001: 0 Percent of African American teens jobless in June 2004: 77 Percent by which number of millionaires in U.S. increased last year: 14 Percent that financial wealth grew for richest 1 percent from 1983-2001: 109 Percent that it fell for bottom 40% during same time period: 46 Cost of new tax breaks given to richest 1% since 2002, in billions: $197 Cost of state budget cuts and tax increases since 2002, in billions: $200 Amount of lost government revenue each day this decade due to Bush tax cuts, in millions: $300 Sources on file at the Institute for Southern Studies. _____ DATELINE: THE SOUTH * Top Stories Around the Region ONE OF EIGHT VOTERS WILL USE SAME MACHINES AS FLORIDA 2000 The 2000 Florida elections set in motion a makeover of the nation's voting systems. Yet three-quarters of American voters will cast ballots Nov. 2 using the same equipment they voted on four years ago. One in eight will be using the same type of punch-card voting machines blamed for many of Florida's problems. Electronic voting, initially seen as the best way to modernize balloting, is now the subject of questions about its security and reliability. (USA Today, 7/13) http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040713/6359064s.htm PANEL TO INVESTIGATE DELAY FACES CONFLICT OF INTEREST Texas Congressman Tom Delay (R) faces ethics charges alleging he illegally solicited campaign contributions in return for legislative favors and laundered illegal corporate contributions for use in Texas elections. Lucky for him that four of the House ethics committee members charged with investigating DeLay have taken money from him. (Alternet, 7/15) http://www.alternet.org/election04/19241/ EEOC FINDS RACIAL BIAS SURROUNDING LOCKHEED PLANT KILLINGS Lockheed Martin may have discriminated against black employees at its Meridian, Miss. plant by failing to address racial tensions that erupted into a deadly shooting rampage last year, a federal agency concluded. Six Lockheed Martin employees -- five of them black -- were killed and eight wounded by a white employee in July 8, 2003. Plaintiffs say Lockheed knew the white worker was hostile to African Americans. (Clarion-Ledger, 7/13) http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040713/NEWS01/407130346/1002 ATOMIC WASTE TANKS LEAKING IN SC Fifteen tanks holding deadly atomic waste at a nuclear weapons complex along the Savannah River have cracked, rusted or leaked, according to federal inspection reports. Some of the cracks date to the 1950s, but inspection reports say some leaks have been found in the past three years. (Associated Press, 7/10) http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040710/ap_on_re_us/nuclear_waste_tanks_1 COLLEGE TUITION TO RISE 10% State colleges and universities will raise tuition by an average 10 percent for the coming school year, according to new projections by a higher education organization. (Stateline.com) http://www.stateline.org/stateline/?pa=story&sa=showStoryInfo&id=385477 ADVOCATES FOR WAR NOW PROFITING FROM AFTERMATH Lobbyists, public relations counselors and confidential advisors to senior federal officials who pressed for war in Iraq are now collecting tens of thousands of dollars in fees for helping business clients pursue federal contracts and other financial opportunities in Iraq. For instance, a former Senate aide who helped get U.S. funds for anti-Hussein exiles who are now active in Iraqi affairs has a $175,000 deal to advise Romania on winning business in Iraq. (Los Angeles Times, 7/14) http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0714-01.htm THE UNIQUE BRUTALITY OF TEXAS At a time when many other states have been questioning their death-penalty systems, why has the death-penalty machinery in Texas been steaming right along? (The American Prospect, 7/1/04) http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewPrint&articleId=7883 -------------------------------------------------------------- Please Note: Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employees regarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure.
