What We're Reading - Super Edition

Written by: Linsey P on Feb 10, 2012 3:20 PM EST

This week’s What We’re Reading: Super Edition takes a closer look at issues for one reason or another are SUPER important to DFA staff members.  These issues affect us all personally and many of them strike at the nerve of political outrage.  

Jim Dean,  Chair
Pick of the Week:

“File this under the Super Unbelievable category.  The story of a successful businessman who got ripped off by mortgage lenders, researched the problem and then went to Fannie, Freddie, and the big banks with the research, thinking that they would heed the warnings and take steps to avoid the meltdown.  All of this happened several years ago. The article is really a shameful indictment of corporate corruption.” 

A Mortgage Tornado Warning, Unheeded
By Gretchen Morgenson

“You might wonder why Mr. Lavalle didn’t speak up. But he did. For two years, he corresponded with Fannie executives and lawyers. Fannie later hired a Washington law firm to investigate his claims. In May 2006, that firm, using some of Mr. Lavalle’s research, issued a confidential, 147-page report corroborating many of his findings.”

Kate Lesniak,  Deputy Finance Director
Pick of the Week:

“Here is a look at why our current tax system in completely and utterly SUPER broken.”

The Zuckerberg Tax
By David Miller

“Our tax system is based on the concept of “realization.” Individuals are not taxed until they actually sell property and realize their gains. But this system makes less sense for the publicly traded stocks of the superwealthy. A drastic change is necessary to fix this fundamental flaw in our tax system and finally require people like Warren E. Buffett, Mr. Ellison and others to pay at least a little income tax on their unsold shares. The fix is called mark-to-market taxation.”

Monique Teal, Campaign Academy Organizer 
Pick of the Week:

“I'm SUPER angry at religious conservatives trying to co-opt my civil liberties. As someone who was born to a teenage mother, access to and use of birth control has nothing to do with my relationship to God and everything to do with freedom.”

Knocked Up: Republican Presidential Candidates’ Plan for American Women
By Adele M. Stan

“For the Republican base, with its antipathy to what it calls "Obamacare," the controversy over birth control is quite perfect. That base, as it exists today, is largely composed of the religious right, which stands in opposition to women's equality, and the Tea Party movement, which was organized by political operators in opposition to the healthcare reform legislation that became law in 2009 as the Affordable Care Act.” 

Laurie Childers, Accountant
Pick of the Week:

“This week am I am SUPER distressed over the escalation of bloodshed in Syria and am fearing war between Israel and Iran.  It is deeply frightening and I feel helpless to do anything about it.  On the good news side a home town girl (she went to high school just down the road) won a Golden Globe award this week.  She says in the interview that you can always tell Vermonters where ever she goes in the world.  "They have fresh air around them".  And Prop 8 in CA is nearly dead after  the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Yeah!  I can not stop governments from killing their own people, but I did find some good news to wake up for.”

Prop 8 unconstitutional: The sanctity of marriage equality
By Susan Brooks

“But I am wholly and completely persuaded that standing up for equality in marriage for LGBT people is a holy act, an act that is worthy of reverence. Sanctity in general means being in a state of being holy, and if there were ever an institution where holiness should apply, it is the right to be married to the person you love.”

Jase Roberts, Technology Director
Pick of the Week:

“I’m SUPER interested in watching how this whole debate unfolds and I’m glad that tech groups are becoming more active in political issues that effect the tech community.”

Coalition of tech, rights groups demand u-turn in copyright debate
By Stephen C. Webster

"Instead of finding new ways to punish copyright offenders, they urge lawmakers to back away from the issue entirely and think of ways that current copyright law can be amended to repair loopholes that sometimes allow content creators to abuse their rights. Some of those abuses have related to companies using the law to crush potential competitors, stifle scientific and digital security research, and censor journalists."

Levana Layendecker, Communications Director 
Pick of the Week: 

“Scott Brown was quoted saying ‘In Massachusetts we have such a strong demand for this because our family and cultural ties...This is kind of a no brainer.’ 

Hmm...If only there were other states that happen to border to the US where there are such strong ‘family and cultural ties’ that it would justify an easier path to citizenship.  Oh Wait!  I will be waiting for similar legislative proposals from Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.  #RepublicanHypocrisy101”

Sen. Brown: Irish immigration bill ‘about to pop’
By Hillary Chabot

“Brown filed the bill, which would boost the number of work visas per year for the Irish to 10,500, last year but struggled to get support. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) filed similar legislation but Republicans balked because it would allow a sort of, ‘backdoor amnesty. It wasn’t going anywhere,’ Brown said.”

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