News Release

McCAIN WOULD DRIVE UP HEALTH CARE COSTS FOR FAMILIES, WHILE BENEFITING HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES

Toby Chaudhuri — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:00:00 -0400

WASHINGTON – Sen. John McCain’s health care plan would dismantle the employer-provided system that covers more than 60 percent of non-elderly Americans and drive up health care costs, according to experts responding to the announcement of his proposal today. An average family could see their health care costs as much as double under the McCain health care plan, according to an analysis by the Campaign for America’s Future.

Campaign for America’s Future co-director Roger Hickey, one of the leaders of a new coalition of groups working to fix the broken health care system, said that Sen. McCain’s plan would tax the health care premiums employers pay for their workers, encouraging most companies to stop providing any coverage. Hickey noted that instead of lowering costs, this would force millions of Americans to buy more expensive coverage with inadequate tax credits, greatly increasing the number of families who can’t afford quality care.

“John McCain’s plan must’ve been written by the insurance companies. It leaves them in more control of America’s health care system than ever before,” said Hickey. “John McCain wants us all to buy insurance not as part of a group – like an employee group or a co-op – that can negotiate for better coverage at lower premiums, but as individuals, at the mercy of the private insurance companies. It would leave millions of people with worse coverage, more chronic health problems and higher levels of health cost-driven bankruptcies.”

Most people, even those with good insurance, don’t get the health care they need, contributing to rising health costs. Sen. McCain, however, believes that the problem with health care is that Americans have too much insurance and that if consumers pay for it out of their own pockets, they will in turn force hospitals and insurance companies to become more efficient.

Dr. Jacob Hacker, a professor at Yale University and the author of the “Health Care for America” plan, which Sens. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards used as the basis for their health care proposals, disagrees with McCain’s fundamental premise. Hacker said the real problem is rising health care costs and declining coverage.

“McCain’s proposal doesn’t address either of these problems in a serious way,” said Hacker. “The real problem for most Americans isn’t just less coverage. It’s that they risk losing coverage or they can’t get coverage when they’re unhealthy, particularly in the individual market. McCain’s proposal does nothing to provide that kind of broader health security.”

AFL-CIO political director Karen Ackerman joined Hickey and Hacker on a conference call with reporters today and announced details of a new campaign to explain the devastating effects of Sen. McCain’s health care plan to millions of voters nationwide. The AFL-CIO campaign will include a massive national canvass to 200,000 union households on Saturday, May 17.

“While those with pre-existing conditions simply will have an even harder time finding health care than they do now, insurance companies -- and John McCain’s friends who lobby for them -- stand to make a killing,” said Ackerman. “Working families need a fresh vision and new direction to turn around our country. So far, Sen. McCain has provided neither. We’re working hard to make sure Sen. McCain hears the voices of working families.”

In early March, the AFL-CIO launched a major effort to educate voters about Sen. McCain’s economic record and plans, pressuring him at every campaign event he holds, including this week’s health care events in Florida, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio and Colorado. In the coming weeks, the AFL-CIO will focus on 13 million union voters in 23 battleground states, educating them on exactly who stands to benefit from Sen. McCain’s health care proposals, communicating with voters at the worksite, the doorstep, on the phone, through the mail and online.

# # #

HEALTH CARE COSTS BACKGROUND

$11,765	Average premium cost of the most popular employer-based plan last year [Kaiser Family Foundation]
$5,000	Tax credit for a family under the McCain plan [johnmccain.com]
$6,765	Average additional yearly cost per family under the McCain plan [Campaign for America’s Future]
$3,226	Average amount per worker employers paid for premiums last year [Kaiser Family Foundation]

State of the Union 2008

Toby Chaudhuri — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:22:00 -0500

WASHINGTON -- President Bush is expected to address problems in the nation’s economy while hailing the state of the union as strong tonight, but for Americans worrying about how to make ends meet, the country is headed in the wrong direction, according to numbers compiled today by the Campaign for America’s Future.

ON INCOMES:

-- Median household income in 2000 (inflation-adjusted): $49,158
-- Median household income in 2006: $48,201
-- 8-year increase in median household income in 2001: $6,000
-- 6-year decrease in median household income in 2007: $1,100
[U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 - 2007]

-- Salary of a full-time minimum wage employee without vacation: $12,168
-- Average salary of a CEO of one of America’s top 500 companies: $15.2 million
[Forbes Magazine, May 3, 2007]

-- Number of Americans living in poverty in 2001: 31.6 million
-- Number of Americans living in poverty in 2008: 36.5 million
[U.S. Census Bureau, Aug. 2007]

-- Amount more Americans earned than spent in 2001: +2.3 percent
-- Amount less Americans are earning than spending in 2008: -0.5 percent
[Bureau of Economic Analysis]

-- Total consumer credit debt in 2001: $7.65 trillion
-- Total consumer credit debt in 2008: $12.8 trillion
[Insurance Information Institute]

-- Decrease in median income from 2000-2006 in White American households: $745
-- Decrease in median income from 2000-2006 in African American households: $2,766
-- Decrease in median income from 2000-2006 in Hispanic American households: $1,043
-- Decrease in median income from 2000-2006 in Asian American households: $1,381
[U.S. Census Bureau. Aug. 2007]

-- Median income of African American households in 2006: $31,969
-- Median income of Hispanic American households in 2006: $37,781
-- Median income of White American households in 2006: $50,673
-- Median income of Asian American households in 2006: $63,900
[U.S. Census Bureau. Aug. 2007]

-- African Americans living in poverty in 2006: 24.3 percent
-- Hispanic Americans living in poverty in 2006: 20.6 percent
-- Asian Americans living in poverty in 2006: 10.1 percent
-- White Americans living in poverty in 2006: 8.2 percent
[U.S. Census Bureau. Aug. 2007]

ON HOUSING:

-- Percentage increase in home foreclosures in the last year: 68
[RealtyTrac. Dec. 19, 2007]

ON JOBS:

-- Total number of American manufacturing jobs in 2000: 17,263,000
-- Total number of American manufacturing jobs in 2006: 14,197,000
-- Number of American manufacturing jobs lost between 2000 and 2006: 3,066,000
[Bureau of Labor Statistics]

-- Yearly average number of new private sector jobs created from 1992-2000: 1.76 million
-- Yearly average number of new private sector jobs created from 2001-2008: 369,000
[Bureau of Labor Statistics]

-- Jobless African American workers in Dec. 2007: 9.0 percent
-- Jobless Hispanic American workers in Dec. 2007: 6.3 percent
-- Jobless White American workers in Dec. 2007: 4.4 percent
-- Jobless Asian American workers in Dec. 2007: 3.7 percent
[U.S. Department of Labor Employment Situation Summary, Jan. 4, 2008]

ON ENERGY:

-- Average price of a gallon of home heating oil in Jan. 2000: $1.40
-- Average price of a gallon of home heating oil in Jan. 2008: $3.39
[U.S. Energy Information Administration]

-- Average price of a gallon of gas in Jan. 2000: $1.59
-- Average price of a gallon of gas in Jan. 2008: $3.14
[U.S. Energy Information Administration]

-- Increase in the average price of home heating oil since Jan. 2000: +142 percent
-- Increase in the average price of gas since Jan. 2000: +98 percent

-- Price of a gallon of home heating oil in the winter of 2001-2002 (inflation adjusted): $1.36
-- Projected price of a gallon of home heating oil in the winter of 2007-2008: $3.32
[Energy Administration, Jan. 2008]

-- Amount of U.S. liquid fuel consumption that was imported in 2001: 52.75 percent
-- Amount of U.S. liquid fuel consumption that is imported in 2008: 60.38 percent
[U.S. Energy Information Administration]

-- Exxon Mobil profits in 2000: $7.9 billion
-- Exxon Mobil profits in 2006: $36.1 billion
-- Exxon Mobil’s profit per second during the second quarter of 2006: $1,318
[CNNMoney.com, July 27, 2006; Fortune500 2006]

ON HEALTHCARE:

-- Americans without health insurance in 2000: 38.4 million
-- Americans without health insurance in 2006: 46.9 million
[U.S. Census Bureau, Aug. 2007]

-- Decrease over 2 years in the number of uninsured Americans in 2001: 4.5 million
-- Increase over 6 years in the number of uninsured Americans in 2008: 8.5 million
[U.S. Census Bureau, Aug. 2007]

-- Number of children without health insurance: 8.7 million
-- Number of times President Bush vetoed additional health insurance for children: 2
[U.S. Census Bureau, Aug. 2007]

-- Americans receiving employment-based health insurance in 2000: 64.2 percent
-- Americans receiving employment-based health insurance in 2006: 59.7 percent
[U.S. Census Bureau, Aug. 2007]

-- Annual cost of family health insurance premiums in 2000 (inflation adjusted): $7,643
-- Annual cost of family health insurance premiums in 2006: $11,480
[Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust]

-- Uninsured White Americans in 2006: 10.8 percent
-- Uninsured African Americans in 2006: 20.5 percent
-- Uninsured Asians Americans in 2006: 15.5 percent
-- Uninsured Hispanic Americans in 2006: 34.1 percent
[U.S. Census Bureau, Aug. 2007]

ON COLLEGE COSTS:

-- Average cost per year at a public four-year college in 2000: $10,153
-- Average cost per year at a public four-year college in 2006: $13,089
[CollegeBoard, 2007]

-- Average yearly change in tuition costs for public four-year college since 2000: +29 percent
-- Average percent change in median household income during same period: -2 percent
-- Average debt shouldered by 2006 college graduates: $21,000
[The Project on Student Debt, Sept. 2007]

ON IRAQ AND THE MILITARY:

-- Number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq before the “Mission Accomplished” speech in 2003: 139
-- Number of US troops killed in Iraq as of Jan. 2008: 3,907
-- Number of Iraqi deaths after U.S. invasion: 1,139,602
[iCasualties.org., Jan. 3, 2008]

-- Number of US troops wounded in Iraq before the “Mission Accomplished” speech: 542
-- Number of U.S. troops wounded in Iraq as of Jan. 2008: 28,661
[iCasualties.org, Jan. 3, 2008]

-- Amount of total world military spending spent by U.S.: 47 percent
[Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation]

-- Total U.S. military expenditures requested for 2008: $644 billion
-- Total military expenditures of the 10 next top spending countries combined: $446.1 billion
[Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. Includes China, Russia, U.K., France, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, India and Brazil, Feb. 5, 2007]

-- U.S. military base budget in 2001: $297.1 billion
-- US pending military base budget 2008, not including Iraq and Afghanistan: $481.4 billion
[White House Office of Management and Budget, Feb. 5, 2007]

-- U.S. budget spent on military not including Iraq in 2007: 50 percent
-- U.S. budget spent on education in 2007: 6.2 percent
[White House Office of Management and Budget, Feb. 6, 2006.]

-- Number of active duty army divisions rated at the highest readiness levels in 2001: All
-- Number of active duty or reserve brigade in the U.S. considered fully combat ready: 0
[Speaker of the House, Nov. 29, 2007]

ON DEBTS AND DEFICITS:

-- The national debt in 2001: $5.7 trillion
-- The national debt in Jan. 2008: $9.2 trillion
[U.S. Dept. of the Treasury]

-- Monthly U.S. trade deficit in Oct. 2000: $33.8 billion
-- Monthly U.S. trade deficit in Oct. 2007: $57.8 billion
-- U.S. trade deficit in 2000: $380 billion
-- U.S. trade deficit in 2007: $759 billion
[U.S. Census Bureau, Dec. 12, 2007]

-- Value of one Euro in Jan. 2000: $1.01
-- Value of one Euro in Jan. 2008: $1.45
-- Loss of value of the Dollar relative to the Euro from Jan. 2000 to Jan. 2008: 45 percent
[Federal Reserve Statistical Release]

-- Value of an ounce of gold in 2000 (inflation adjusted): $319
-- Value of an ounce of gold in 2008: $892
[GoldPrice.org, Jan. 22 2008]

-- U.S. budget surplus in 2000: +$236 billion
-- U.S. budget deficit in 2007: -$354 billion
[House Office of Management and Budget]

ON PRODUCT AND FOOD SAFETY:

-- Increase in consumer product safety spending from 2000 to 2006: 9 percent
-- Increase in number of U.S. imports from 2000 to 2006: 30 percent
[Consumer Federation of America]

-- Increase in the number of federal food inspections from 2000 to 2006: 8 percent
-- Percentage increase in number of agricultural imports from 2000 to 2006: 39 percent
-- Number of cases of food borne disease outbreaks in 2006: 25,659
[U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Food & Drug Administration, Center for Disease Control]

ON WORLD OPINION:

-- Number of people abroad who viewed America favorably in 2001: 58.3 percent
-- Number of people abroad who viewed America favorably in 2007: 39.2 percent
[Pew Research Center]

-- Number of people in Great Britain who viewed America favorably in 2001: 83 percent
-- Number of people in Great Britain who viewed America favorably in 2007: 56 percent
[Pew Research Center]

-- Number of people in Indonesia who viewed America favorably in 2001: 75 percent
-- Number of people in Indonesia who viewed America favorably in 2007: 30 percent
[Pew Research Center]

-- Number of people in Germany who viewed America favorably in 2001: 78 percent
-- Number of people in Germany who viewed America favorably in 2007: 37 percent
[Pew Research Center]

628,000 Americans Receive Pay Raise Today

Toby Chaudhuri — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0400

WASHINGTON – More than 628,000 of the lowest paid hard-working Americans will be the first of 12.5 million workers to receive a pay raise this week due to the first increase in the federal minimum wage in nearly a decade, according to an analysis by the Campaign for America’s Future. When fully phased in, this increase will mean a pay hike for nearly one in every 10 workers, according to an analysis of the Current Population Survey by the Economic Policy Institute.

The federal minimum wage, which had been frozen at $5.15 an hour since 1997 and had lost 20 percent of its value, will rise to $5.85 an hour on Tuesday. Minimum wage workers will get an additional 70-cent pay increase each summer for the next 2 years, ending in 2009 at $7.25 an hour.

"This is but a first step," said Campaign for America’s Future co-director Robert Borosage, noting that Americans spent more than they earned last year for the first time since the Great Depression.

"American families are struggling to make ends meet. Health and education costs are exploding, and people are working longer hours just to keep their heads above water," said Borosage. "We need an economy that rewards work. Raising the minimum wage is an important first step to insuring that workers get a fair share of the profits and productivity that they help to generate."

# # #

Twenty states have a minimum wage at $5.15 that will increase to $5.85 today due to the first increase in the federal minimum wage in a decade. The remaining 30 states have minimum wages above $5.85 and therefore will not be affected by the first of the three increases in the minimum wage scheduled over the next 2 years.

State	Pre- July 24 Minimum Wage	Post July 24 Minimum Wage	Workers Affected by the $5.85 Increase	Total number of workers that will be affected when the minimum wage increase is fully implemented in 2009 at $7.25
United States	$5.15	$5.85	628,000	12,454,000
Alabama	$5.15	$5.85	43,000	350,000
Georgia	$5.15	$5.85	55,000	526,000
Idaho	$5.15	$5.85	13,000	106,000
Indiana	$5.15	$5.85	34,000	354,000
Kansas	$5.15	$5.85	23,000	240,000
Louisiana	$5.15	$5.85	33,000	366,000
Mississippi	$5.15	$5.85	19,000	202,000
Nebraska	$5.15	$5.85	15,000	136,000
New Hampshire	$5.15	$5.85	8,000	19,000
North Dakota	$5.15	$5.85	6,000	48,000
New Mexico	$5.15	$5.85	16,000	*
Oklahoma	$5.15	$5.85	30,000	245,000
South Dakota	$5.15	$5.85	6,000	65,000
South Carolina	$5.15	$5.85	33,000	325,000
Tennessee	$5.15	$5.85	49,000	350,000
Texas	$5.15	$5.85	173,000	1,771,000
Vermont	$5.15	$5.85	3,000	*
West Virginia	$5.15	$5.85	14,000	133,000
Virginia	$5.15	$5.85	51,000	449,000
Wyoming	$5.15	$5.85	4,000	39,000

* Insufficient data to make estimate

Dr. Jacob Hacker Discusses Growing Economic Insecurity At "the Great Risk Shift" Book Event

Toby Chaudhuri — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500

WASHINGTON - Yale University professor and author Dr. Jacob Hacker discussed the growing economic insecurity facing working families today at a packed briefing to talk about his new book, "The Great Risk Shift." The event was sponsored by the Campaign for America's Future. Dr. Hacker's book describes the increased responsibilities corporations and governments have shifted onto the shoulders of individuals regarding health care, retirement, education and recovery from job loss in America.

"Our leaders say our economy is strong and getting stronger, but for most Americans it has only grown more insecure," said Dr. Hacker. "They speak about an ownership society, private savings accounts and how we will be free to choose. The ownership society is like offering a lead weight to a drowning man on the assumption that now he will have a real incentive to learn how to swim."

Dr. Hacker's book contains a broad outline of a bold, new plan to provide health care coverage for all Americans as a key step to creating an economy that works for working people. With the health care crisis in America driving growing insecurity, Dr. Hacker's proposal would rapidly get all Americans covered.

The Campaign for America's Future helped Dr. Hacker develop his health care proposal, which would guarantee choice through either traditional private insurance or a new public system that would provide coverage for all. A complete, detailed version of the plan will be published in January by the Economic Policy Institute as part of their Agenda for Shared Prosperity project.

Campaign for America's Future co-director Roger Hickey announced at today's event that his organization is working with a broad range of other groups to move a national debate around Dr. Hacker's plan. Hickey said his goal is to build a groundswell of support for Dr. Hacker's health plan because it is simple, easy to understand, comprehensive and affordable for all.

"In an era of growing economic uncertainty, and with more and more risk shifting on individuals and families, now is the time to be talking about a new social contract," said Hickey. "If we want an economy where people are free to take risks and create wealth, we need to make sure people have more, not less, economic security."

A post-election analysis by the Campaign for America's Future found that beyond the president's failed war policy in Iraq, the midterm elections were also about growing economic insecurity.

# # #

**NOTE: For more information about Dr. Hacker's new book, "The Great Risk Shift,"please visit www.thegreatriskshift.com.**

Democratic Governors Unveil Plan To Create Clean Energy And Boost Job Growth

Toby Chaudhuri — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500

WASHINGTON - Democratic governors called for an ambitious jobs and energy plan today at a news conference sponsored by the Apollo Alliance at the National Press Club. Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., Gov. Edward Rendell, D-Pa., and Gov. Brian Schweitzer, D-Mont., participated in the event with Apollo Alliance President Jerome Ringo and United Steel Workers President Leo Gerard.

The governors used the occasion to tout a plan devised by the Apollo Alliance that would develop renewable power, create oil savings, promote energy efficiency and support smart growth. Gov. Richardson endorsed the plan citing the need for state-level initiatives when there's inaction at the federal-level.

"We need a 'Man on the Moon' effort to end our reliance on foreign energy," said Gov. Richardson. "The Apollo Alliance's four-point plan for a new energy future is a solid roadmap to get this done. It is focused on state efforts because states are the incubators of innovation, especially when there's an absence of leadership at the federal level."

When asked what role energy will play in the 2008 presidential election, Richardson responded, "It is the top issue in the presidential race, the top challenge facing America because it deals with national security."

Governor Rendell, a leader in clean energy alternatives, called for the federal government to adopt a diverse, clean-energy portfolio like the one outlined by the Apollo Alliance and adopted in his home state of Pennsylvania.

"You've heard about Pennsylvania's advanced energy portfolio standards. We are the 21st state to have those advanced standards and we believe ours are the most comprehensive. However, we need national advanced energy portfolio standards, and the Apollo Alliance energy plan calls for that."

Citing the nation's precarious dependence on foreign oil, Gov. Schweitzer identified the Apollo Alliance plan as a roadmap for promoting national security while creating good jobs.

"Today, 65 percent of our energy - the lifeblood of this entire country - is imported, and most of it comes from unstable regions around the world," said Gov. Schweitzer. "We face a huge challenge today, and that's why I applaud the Apollo Alliance because they recognize that we can get this right. We could create hundreds of thousands of jobs for the heartland using less energy. We could produce a billion barrels of biofuels, and we could do it during the next 10 years."

The Apollo Alliance aims to end America's dependence on foreign oil. It was inspired by President Kennedy's original Apollo mission, and has received endorsements from major labor unions, business leaders and leading environmental organizations. Ringo, president of the Apollo Alliance, praised the governors for leading the country toward energy independence.

"Governors have the power to create thousands of good jobs while making us all more secure and protecting our environment," said Ringo. "Our plan captures the best and brightest ideas of these governors."

Gerard, a co-chair of the Alliance, said the public understands the tremendous potential for job growth when a commitment is made to the manufacturing of renewable energy products.

"Many of our nation's new governors campaigned on the idea that states could create good jobs by promoting clean energy," said Gerard. "This plan outlines how to breathe life into that commitment."

# # #

**NOTE: Media representatives interested in a copy of the Apollo Alliance plan, can obtain an electronic copy at www.apolloalliance.org.**

Leaders Call For Truman-style Commission To Investigate Contract Abuse In Iraq

Toby Chaudhuri — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0400

WASHINGTON – Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., joined filmmaker Robert Greenwald today calling for a Truman-style commission to investigate the gross misuse of government funds spent by contractors in Iraq. Sen. Dorgan and Greenwald participated in a news conference on Capitol Hill this morning, where they also released a new report by the Campaign for America’s Future that provides an overview of the profiteering and mismanagement in Iraq.

The report traces a litany of abuses back to the disdain for the mission of nation-building and the cronyism that is the hallmark of the conservatives that dominate our government. The report details votes made in Congress where measures designed to put in place accountability or oversight were rejected by the Republican majority. The report will also be featured at thousands of house parties across the country next month, where participants will view Greenwald’s new film “Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers” and demand that Congress act to establish accountability.

“The federal government has outsourced core government responsibilities in Iraq at the expense of the lives of soldiers and civilians,” said Campaign for America’s Future co-director Robert Borosage. “The conservative ideology of shrinking fundamental government responsibilities and outsourcing them to corporate cronies has reached unprecedented proportions in Iraq. Corporations are cashing in on the crisis, often with tragic consequences. Worse, both the administration and the Congress have simply failed to enforce basic accountability.”

The report documents six notorious companies that spent a combined $3,228,665 on campaign contributions and $7,490,000 on lobbying since the tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001. Halliburton and Titan Corp. gave 89 percent of their campaign contributions to Republicans and only 11 percent to Democrats.

Halliburton has come under special scrutiny because Vice President Cheney was their CEO and still owns stock options in the company. Halliburton dispatched drivers with empty trucks because it was paid by the trip. Titan Corp. and CACI provided translators and interrogators implicated in abuses at Abu Ghraib. Blackwater sent men in understaffed, unarmored vehicles in violation of a contract to a massacre in Fallujah. Becthel failed to complete the construction of a children’s hospital in Basra it was paid $50 million to build.

Later in the day, the Democratic Policy Committee, chaired by Sen. Dorgan, convened a hearing featuring Halliburton whistleblowers describing how Halliburton’s own employees took items intended to go to the troops. Witnesses provided new details of the “Good Friday Massacre” in which Halliburton supervisors sent unarmed American civilians to drive through a combat zone, resulting in the death of six truck drivers and two soldiers.

At 7:15 p.m. tonight the Campaign for America’s Future will host the capital premiere of Greenwald’s new film “Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers” at the Woolly Mammoth Theater. The movie explores the stories of civilians and soldiers in Iraq who have been endangered and killed due to grave mismanagement by contractors.

# # #

**NOTE: An electronic copy of the report is available at www.ourfuture.org. Media representatives interested in attending the Washington premiere of the movie should reserve tickets by contacting Anne Thompson at athompson@ourfuture.org.**

New Report: Senate Democratic Plan Would Create A Half Million New Jobs

Toby Chaudhuri — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0400

WASHINGTON – Alternative energy legislation sponsored by Democrats in the Senate would create 530,000 good, family-supporting American jobs, according to a new report released today by the Apollo Alliance. Half of these would be high-paying jobs manufacturing wind turbines, solar panels and energy efficient vehicles. Another 10 percent would be high-paying construction jobs as Americans go to work building wind farms, energy efficient homes and businesses, and new transit systems.

Today's report includes state-specific numbers illustrating that the Clean EDGE Act of 2006 would create thousands of jobs in every state in the nation, including many of those states hardest hit by the loss of 3 million manufacturing jobs. The Clean EDGE Act alone would replace 8 percent of these manufacturing jobs lost since 2000 in America.

Apollo Alliance president Jerome Ringo said his group has a 10-step national agenda to create energy independence by the year 2015. The alliance represents a coalition of national security, labor, environmental, civil rights and business leaders who are fighting for energy independence from foreign energy sources.

"It's time to kick American into high-gear with a modern Apollo plan that sets America free from dangerous, foreign oil, while creating millions of new jobs," said Ringo.

With gas prices skyrocketing and middle-class jobs getting shipped abroad in the past five years, Senators Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., joined the Apollo Alliance on a conference call with reporters today to release the new report on energy independence job creation.

"Americans are looking forward to a future where we buy fuel produced in the Midwest instead of the Middle East," Stabenow said on today's call. "We've known for a long time that investing in alternative energy would create thousands of good-paying jobs in Michigan, and this report is further confirmation. These jobs would benefit many parts of Michigan's economy, boosting our manufacturers, farmers, automakers and research centers."

"Investing in new fuel technologies will not only help break our fossil fuel dependence in favor of cleaner, more reliable alternatives, but will also create thousands of new family wage manufacturing jobs," said Cantwell, co-chair of the Apollo Alliance and a member of the Senate Energy Committee. "This report proves that betting on American ingenuity and technological expertise is far better than continuing to gamble on the future good will of unfriendly Middle East regimes for our energy needs."

# # #

**NOTE: Media representatives interested in an electronic copy of the Apollo Alliance report can obtain a copy at http://www.apolloalliance.org/ **

APOLLO ALLIANCE REPORT:ESTIMATED NUMBER OF JOBS CREATED BY STATE

--Alabama, 7,815--Alaska, 806--Arizona, 8,172--Arkansas, 5,451--California, 53,751--Colorado, 7,504--Connecticut, 6,290--Delaware, 1,259--District of Columbia, 685--Florida, 23,064--Georgia, 16,995--Hawaii, 1,181--Idaho, 1,952--Illinois, 25,863--Indiana, 19,727--Iowa, 5,632--Kansas, 5,318--Kentucky, 8,287--Louisiana, 5,669--Maine, 1,867--Maryland, 7,262--Massachusetts, 13,072--Michigan, 29,318--Minnesota, 10,379--Mississippi, 3,952--Missouri, 13,782--Montana, 10,379--Nebraska, 2,769--Nevada, 3,328--New Hampshire, 3,071--New Jersey, 13,214--New Mexico, 2,235--New York, 27,154--North Carolina, 17,459--North Dakota, 852--Ohio, 25,634--Oklahoma, 5,342--Oregon, 6,748--Pennsylvania, 25,965--Rhode Island, 1,960--South Carolina, 10,705--South Dakota, 1,553--Tennessee, 11,976--Texas, 37,566--Utah, 4,045--Vermont, 1,411--Virginia, 13,425--Washington, 8,092--West Virginia, 3,076--Wisconsin, 16,586--Wyoming, 831

Report On Katrina: Conservative Policies Failed In The Rescue And Rebuilding Of The Gulf Coast

Toby Chaudhuri — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0400

NEW ORLEANS, LA. – Conservative policies turned the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina into a year-long tragedy for the Gulf Coast and the nation, according to a new report released today by the Campaign for America's Future. House Democratic Caucus Chairman James Clyburn, D-S.C., endorsed the report's findings from New Orleans, La., on a news conference call conducted today by the Campaign for America's Future.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., joined Rep. Clyburn on today's call with Campaign for America's Future co-director Robert Borosage and ACORN New Orleans lead organizer Stephen Bradberry.

The Campaign for America's Future report finds that the federal government's failure to prepare, respond and rebuild stems from conservative policies which shrunk indispensable government services, promoted cronyism over professionalism, outsourced government responsibility to the private sector and backed pay-to-play politics.

"We do know that Hurricane Katrina, one of the greatest natural disasters in American history, became a catastrophe because of the systematic failure of a conservative government," says the report, co-authored by Borosage.

The teleconference participants pointed to an array of troubling indicators from the region indicating the failure of the federal government's response: 350,000 people have yet to return to the New Orleans metro area, and only 56 of 128 public schools in New Orleans are enrolling students this fall.

Rep. Waters said she flew down and met with New Orleans residents trapped in the convention center in the days immediately following the hurricane.

"The Bush administration has bungled the federal response to Hurricane Katrina," said Rep. Waters. "Over $110 billion dollars has been set aside by Congress for assistance and reconstruction in the region, but less than half has actually been spent. Much of the money that has been spent has gone to out of state contractors, without competitive bidding. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of families who want to rebuild and recover are still waiting for their federal money one year later."

Rep. Clyburn, chairman of the Democratic Caucus, who is currently visiting the Gulf Coast with 25 members of Congress, reported from the region that recovery is lagging behind expectations.

"The Bush administration has made a lot of promises and failed to follow through. The people of Louisiana and Mississippi have waited long enough for the help they need to rebuild and recover," said Rep. Clyburn. "Democrats want to lead the Gulf Coast in a new direction by working to improve housing, health care, education and other vital needs."

As President Bush struggles to stave off criticism for the administration's failed emergency response, he marked the one year anniversary of Katrina's landfall with a major policy address today in New Orleans - where he made his first appearance four days after the storm ravaged the city last year.

As President Bush jokingly reassured Mayor Tommy Longo of Waveland, Miss. that "the check is in the mail," during his address in Biloxi yesterday, tens of thousands of people in the Gulf region wait desperately for federal relief funds for homeowners that just began to trickle in a few weeks ago.

A new report released by Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) on today's call shows that community organizations have had to step in and provide relief in the absence of federal action.

"The decisions have come down to a choice between humanity versus market share, and unfortunately the present administration has chosen to go with market share at the cost of homes and lives," said Stephen Bradberry, ACORN lead organizer in New Orleans.

This morning ACORN filed suit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency in federal district court in the District of Columbia for failing to adequately explain to hurricane evacuees why their housing benefits are being terminated.

# # #

**NOTE: The report, "Hurricane Katrina: Natural Disaster, Human Catastrophe" is available at http://home.ourfuture.org/reports/stl_confailure_katrina.pdf.**

Mayor Villaraigosa To Highlight Bold Plan For Clean Energy And Good Jobs In Los Angeles

Toby Chaudhuri — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0400

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will join Apollo Alliance President Jerome Ringo, Councilmember Herb Wesson and members of the Los Angeles Apollo Alliance on Wednesday to announce the city's commitment to leading the fight for energy independence and job creation by promoting a green, sustainable and equitable economy.

Mayor Villaraigosa will also sign the "Apollo Challenge" and launch the Apollo Green Building Initiative, a bold plan to lay the foundation for an equitable and sustainable economy in Los Angeles by "greening" existing, deteriorating city-owned buildings while also creating good jobs that pay livable wages for low-income residents.

The Los Angeles Apollo Alliance is part of the broader nationwide Apollo Alliance that unites nearly 16 million union members and 11 million environmental organization members across the country to create new jobs, new energy and new independence for America by investing in the domestic clean energy sector.

-- Villaraigosa Announced Partnership With Apollo Alliance

WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2006 at 5 p.m. PST

WHERE: Holman United Methodist Church, 3320 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif.

PARTICIPANTS: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles, Calif., Jerome Ringo, president, Apollo Alliance, Councilmember Herb Wesson, 10th District

New York Leaders Join Forces To Fight For Energy Independence And Good Jobs

Toby Chaudhuri — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0400

ALBANY, N.Y. – New York labor, business, environmental and community leaders launched a new coalition at a news conference today, challenging candidates for public office to endorse bold plans for clean energy that create good jobs across the state. The coalition, called the New York Apollo Alliance, released a 10-point plan outlining methods to further reduce oil dependence, promote renewable power and make buildings and vehicles more energy efficient.

The new coalition includes the Environmental Business Association of New York State, the Sierra Club, the United Steelworkers, the New York State United Teachers, and others. A group of about a dozen officials from the alliance announced the group's formation at the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

"New York has historically been one of the nation's leaders in renewable energy and efficiency and we are proud they have joined us in this fight," said Jerome Ringo, president of the Apollo Alliance. "It is time for the public to rise up and challenge our leaders to commit to freeing America of its dependence on foreign oil and to creating good American jobs, and the people of New York are helping lead the way."

"Despite rising gas prices, war in the Middle East and growing signs of global warming, we've seen precious little effort from Washington to promote renewable power or cut oil use," said Chris Ballantyne, the Sierra Club's senior regional representative. "It's time for voters to know where candidates stand on this pivotal issue."

"Investments in clean energy and more efficient infrastructure could make up for a significant share of the 130,000 manufacturing jobs lost in New York since 2001," said Ed Murphy, executive director of the Workforce Development Institute. "A significant investment in renewable power components is the wave of the future in the manufacturing sector."

The New York Apollo Alliance is the eleventh state chapter of the Apollo Alliance, a national coalition of labor, environmental, social justice, and business groups united in the fight for clean energy and good jobs.

# # #

**NOTE: Media representatives interested in more information about the Apollo Alliance should visit www.apolloalliance.org.**