Across the country, immigrant-rights advocates report mounting disillusionment with both parties among Latinos, enough to threaten recent gains in voting participation that have reshaped politics to Democrats’ advantage nationally, and in states like Colorado with significant Latino populations. High hopes — kindled by President Obama’s elections and stoked in June by Senate passage of the most significant overhaul of immigration law in a generation, with a path to citizenship for about 11 million people here unlawfully — have been all but dashed.

Latinos mainly blame Republicans, who control the House and have buried the Senate bill, but they also have soured on Mr. Obama. The federal government has so aggressively enforced existing immigration laws that one national Hispanic leader recently nicknamed the president “deporter in chief” for allowing nearly two million people to be deported. A day after that widely reported gibe in Washington, at Denver’s Spanish-language radio station KBNO (“Que Bueno” to its audience), the host Fernando Sergio devoted his three-hour talk show to asking listeners whether they agreed with the criticism, or “has President Obama done the best he can against Republican opposition?”

“The majority were very angry at the president,” Mr. Sergio said in an interview at the station, where pictures of John and Robert Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Mr. Obama hang on the walls. “People feel like he’s made some promises that he hasn’t fulfilled, that he can do more” — like expand his 2012 order that deferred deportations of young people brought to the country as children, a group known as Dreamers. “If I were a Democratic consultant,” Mr. Sergio added, “I would have been concerned.”

...

The president told them that his secretary of homeland security, Jeh Johnson, would review the deportation system. But Mr. Obama lowered expectations by reiterating that administration lawyers say he cannot take action beyond his 2012 order benefiting the so-called Dreamers. The advocates expressed skepticism.

Over the last two expansions, after-tax (and before tax) profits did better — meaning they claimed more of the nation’s income — than in any of the prior four expansions of comparable length. Yet both compensation and job growth did the worst. What’s going on? Why isn’t profitability creating jobs? Where art thou, job creators?

One response is that profits typically recover before wages or jobs. True, but this far into the expansion — which is now about the average length of all post-war expansions — that shouldn’t assuage anyone’s fears. Another response is to note that the compensation share of national income has been flat or falling for a long time.

...

The implications of the above are as follows. First, we must think broadly about job creators and discount simple links between profits and jobs. If booming share prices and corporate profits lifted the poor and middle class, believe me, we’d know it by now. Second, we should be equally skeptical of arguments about the job-killing impact of taxing and regulating. Such measures should not be taken lightly, of course, but neither should we beggar our fiscal accounts or our environment to protect phantom job creators.

Third, we must pursue policies that increase the bargaining power of those who depend on paychecks as opposed to portfolios. Full employment is the best medicine, as that is associated with both robust profits and paychecks. But in the meantime, a higher minimum wage and the proposed new overtime rules could help slice national income up a bit more evenly.

Norwegian Icebreaker Heads Up the Fox River

As you may have seen on the news, it’s been very cold in Wisconsin …

So cold, in fact, that the State’s Government has borrowed a “Norwegian Icebreaker” to clear the Fox River for fishing and migrating waterfowl.

The Icebreaker is starting near Neenah, WI and is working its way northward.
Here is a picture, as the hard work of ice breaking begins of the Norwegian Icebreaker as it heads up the Fox River…

To the Editor:

We no longer have democracy in Wisconsin, we have a dictatorship not even pretending to be one. Decisions having devastating effects are made on the sly, without debate or public input. The one-two-three punch which keeps us from doing anything about it is 1) the passing of voter suppression laws, 2) extremely-partisan redistricting, and 3) astronomical amounts of money (most from out of state) buying politicians.

MADISON -- After nearly a year of litigation, the Center for Media and Democracy has settled its open records lawsuit against American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) National Board member and Wisconsin State Senator Leah Vukmir.

Senator Vukmir, who had previously insisted that she had no records in her possession and made an unprecedented claim of legislative immunity, is anticipated to release numerous emails from her private email account, and pay $2,500 in damages. This may be the first time a Wisconsin legislator has had to pay damages under Wisconsin's open records law.

"The case shows that legislators who deny open records requests and seek refuge behind improbable claims of immunity will be held accountable by the public, the media and the legal system," said Brendan Fischer, General Counsel for the Center for Media and Democracy.

The Attorney General's office withdrew their claim of legislative immunity as part of the settlement agreement.

Senator Vukmir had previously asserted that she had "fully complied with the public records law and [had] produced all records subject to this open records request" and had described the lawsuit as a "unfortunate and largely misunderstood matter."

That was not the case. After numerous court filings debating the issue of legislative immunity, the Attorney General decided to settle the case. An independent review of Senator Vukmir's personal email account was then conducted.

"The Wisconsin press plays an important role as the guardian of the state's strong open records law," said CMD Executive Director Lisa Graves. "It is important that legislators and our state's constitutional officers understand that rash assertions of immunity and a disregard for their duties under the law will not be treated lightly."

CMD filed suit against Vukmir in May of 2013 after she refused to disclose records pertaining to ALEC's Spring meeting. At the time, ALEC had begun stamping its materials with an extraordinary "disclaimer" asserting that documents it sends to legislators are not subject to any state's public records law, and distributing bills and other material via an Internet dropbox, which makes the records more difficult to access through public records requests. Because Vukmir is on the National Board of ALEC, attended the Spring meeting, and even sponsored a bill at that meeting, CMD was convinced that she held records responsive to our request.
In September, after Senator Vukmir's staffers made headlines by berating and chasing CMD's process server, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's office took the unprecedented step of asserting that Vukmir is entirely immune from civil suit and her obligations under the open records law based on a novel reading of the Wisconsin Constitution. This legal argument, if it were upheld, would undermine the public records law, since legislators could never be held accountable for their failure to comply with their duties under the law.

As part of the settlement agreement, Vukmir acknowledges that the ALEC "disclaimer" has no force of law in Wisconsin, and that records held on a dropbox are subject to the public records law.

The Center for Media and Democracy is a small investigative reporting group located in Madison, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council presented the "Citizen Openness Award" to CMD in 2012 for a lawsuit securing access to records being kept in the personal email accounts of legislators. CMD is best known for its award-winning "ALEC Exposed" investigation. After CMD published 1,000 ALEC bills and other documents at ALECexposed.org, ninety corporations and non-profits, including Wal-Mart, Coca Cola, Kraft, McDonalds, GM, and GE, have stopped funding ALEC.

CMD also publishes PRwatch.org and the wiki SourceWatch.org. Its investigations have been featured in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Washington Post, on Bill Moyers & Company, CNN, MSNBC, and more.

View the settlement agreement here.

The assumption is that if you eat fat, of any type, it will make you fat. In my opinion, fats should have never been called fats in the first place — they should have been called lipids, a name that’s a little easier to swallow. Our major nutrients, then, should have been referred to as carbohydrates, protein and lipids. But since the name of this nutrient is not changing anytime soon, it’s important to learn about the role fats play in helping us to create balanced diets. Not all fats are created equal, however. Be careful about the types of fats you choose and if you’re trying to lose weight, you may even need to eat less of the good ones.

Avocado-oil-nutsAccording to the American Heart Association, when eaten in moderation and in place of saturated or trans fats, “good” fats – mono and polyunsaturated – like those found in California Avocados, nuts, and certain oils may help to lower cholesterol levels. Avocados also act as “nutrient boosters,” allowing the body to absorb essential fat-soluble nutrients like vitamins A, D, E and K. And for us foodies… fats also provide a creamy consistency and a rich flavor.

One of my favorite ways to add good fats to my family’s menu and simultaneously provide plenty of flavor as well as peace of mind, is to cook and bake with California Avocados.

Let’s take a closer look at why you should be adding avocado to your plate:

Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds. That’s a food that multitasks!

75 percent of the fat in avocados is unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats), making them a great swap for foods high in saturated fat. Try some in the company of sliced turkey, arugula, sliced tomatoes and whole grain bread.

If you enjoy baking, here’s a tip that will help makeover some of your favorite recipes: subbing avocado for butter or shortening, like in this recipe for Avocado Zucchini Bread, can reduce the calories in a baked good. As a comparison, 2 tablespoons of avocado = 50 calories, while 2 tablespoons of butter = 204 calories.

Did you know that in California Avocado, the greatest concentration of beneficial carotenoids is in the dark green fruit closest to the peel? To get to the nutrient-rich fruit directly under the peel, one should nick and peel the skin from the fruit.

Avocados can be a meal chameleon – they can play a role in any meal whether it’s breakfast (with eggs), lunch (on a sandwich), dinner (atop a salad) or as a snack or spread (guacamole dip).

INTRODUCING THE SCOOP: THE FIRST CALIFORNIA AVOCADO COMMISSION BLOG

Here at The Scoop you’ll find delicious recipes, avocado nutrition facts, answers to common avocado-related questions as well as direct access to a growing list of experts; including chefs, registered dietitians, California Avocado growers and bloggers.

Throughout the California Avocado season (from Spring through Fall) we’ll also be doing giveaways, contests and more – right here, so be sure to stay tuned for those.

...


Zac, when do California avos reappear in stores? I'm tired of the tasteless imports that ripen so poorly.

Totally agree. It partially depends where you are located, but California Avocado growers are already starting to pick, and we have seen some fruit already in stores. As we get into April (mid-late) volume and shipments to retailers will pick up. If you want to let me know where you are I can do a little digging and find out where/when you can find them!

The assumption is that if you eat fat, of any type, it will make you fat. In my opinion, fats should have never been called fats in the first place — they should have been called lipids, a name that’s a little easier to swallow. Our major nutrients, then, should have been referred to as carbohydrates, protein and lipids. But since the name of this nutrient is not changing anytime soon, it’s important to learn about the role fats play in helping us to create balanced diets. Not all fats are created equal, however. Be careful about the types of fats you choose and if you’re trying to lose weight, you may even need to eat less of the good ones.

Avocado-oil-nutsAccording to the American Heart Association, when eaten in moderation and in place of saturated or trans fats, “good” fats – mono and polyunsaturated – like those found in California Avocados, nuts, and certain oils may help to lower cholesterol levels. Avocados also act as “nutrient boosters,” allowing the body to absorb essential fat-soluble nutrients like vitamins A, D, E and K. And for us foodies… fats also provide a creamy consistency and a rich flavor.

One of my favorite ways to add good fats to my family’s menu and simultaneously provide plenty of flavor as well as peace of mind, is to cook and bake with California Avocados.

Let’s take a closer look at why you should be adding avocado to your plate:

Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds. That’s a food that multitasks!

75 percent of the fat in avocados is unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats), making them a great swap for foods high in saturated fat. Try some in the company of sliced turkey, arugula, sliced tomatoes and whole grain bread.

If you enjoy baking, here’s a tip that will help makeover some of your favorite recipes: subbing avocado for butter or shortening, like in this recipe for Avocado Zucchini Bread, can reduce the calories in a baked good. As a comparison, 2 tablespoons of avocado = 50 calories, while 2 tablespoons of butter = 204 calories.

Did you know that in California Avocado, the greatest concentration of beneficial carotenoids is in the dark green fruit closest to the peel? To get to the nutrient-rich fruit directly under the peel, one should nick and peel the skin from the fruit.

Avocados can be a meal chameleon – they can play a role in any meal whether it’s breakfast (with eggs), lunch (on a sandwich), dinner (atop a salad) or as a snack or spread (guacamole dip).

INTRODUCING THE SCOOP: THE FIRST CALIFORNIA AVOCADO COMMISSION BLOG

Here at The Scoop you’ll find delicious recipes, avocado nutrition facts, answers to common avocado-related questions as well as direct access to a growing list of experts; including chefs, registered dietitians, California Avocado growers and bloggers.

Throughout the California Avocado season (from Spring through Fall) we’ll also be doing giveaways, contests and more – right here, so be sure to stay tuned for those.

...


Zac, when do California avos reappear in stores? I'm tired of the tasteless imports that ripen so poorly.

Totally agree. It partially depends where you are located, but California Avocado growers are already starting to pick, and we have seen some fruit already in stores. As we get into April (mid-late) volume and shipments to retailers will pick up. If you want to let me know where you are I can do a little digging and find out where/when you can find them!