Also on today’s menu:
DNC Gives New Hampshire Another Month To Comply
Board Of Education Approves PragerU Course
UAW Goes On Strike For Higher Pay, Better Conditions
Massachusetts’ former U.S. Senator Scott Brown and his wife, Gail Huff Brown, a 2022 candidate for New Hampshire’s First Congressional District, started welcoming Republican presidential candidates for backyard barbecues in Rye during the 2016 campaign season. Known as the “No BS Backyard BBQ” series, it has given voters an opportunity to hear from candidates first-hand and to ask questions. This year, for the first time, the Browns invited a Democrat: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is challenging President Joe Biden Jr. for the presidency.
The result? Hundreds of people “sloshed through a waterlogged field” on September 13 to meet Kennedy, breaking all previous records for attendance. “I’ve never had a crowd like this, ever,” Scott Brown said.
Kennedy may be the only Democrat on the New Hampshire primary ballot. Biden decided to forgo campaigning in the Granite State after the Democratic National Committee decided not to recognize New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary status.
During his hour-long speech, Kennedy spoke against a supposed “deterioration and disintegration” of the country’s economy, public health, and mental health. He said today’s politicians are lying, and “we need to start telling each other the truth.”
DNC Gives New Hampshire Another Month To Comply
The Democratic National Committee is giving New Hampshire another month to endorse party leadership’s plan for South Carolina to lead off the party’s 2024 presidential primary calendar. South Carolina is where Biden won his first 2020 primary and the DNC says that state better reflects the party’s demographics than New Hampshire, which for 50 years has held the first presidential primary.
DNC Rules and Bylaws Chair Jim Roosevelt said before the September 14 vote, “We want to … continue to work with the New Hampshire Democratic Party toward that goal.”
New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley said, “We have done everything in our power to comply with the DNC’s requests with regard to our primary calendar [but] have every intention of complying with New Hampshire state law from which the primary date is set. We look forward to putting this unnecessary distraction behind us and focusing on electing Granite State Democrats.”
Board Of Education Approves PragerU Course
After tabling a proposal to allow the nonprofit PragerU to offer its financial literacy course to New Hampshire public schools last month, the New Hampshire Board of Education approved the application, 5-0 with Chair Andrew Cline abstaining, after hearing three hours of public testimony, most of which opposed the plan.
Teachers, school board members, parents, elected officials, and advocates on both sides of the issue showed up to weigh in on the decision. Several speakers described PragerU’s application to provide a free online financial literacy course as the proverbial camel’s nose under the tent, leading students to greater engagement with the organization whose stated goal is changing students’ minds.
CEO Marissa Streit says, “PragerU is redefining how people think about media and education. We produce Edutainment — an intersection of education and entertainment. Our content is essential to shaping culture and preserving American ideals.” That content is “grounded in traditional American values that inspire self-reliance, patriotism, and resiliency”, according to the website. The organization has been criticized by academic experts and watchdog groups for its videos and teaching materials that provide erroneous information on climate, slavery, and other issues.
New Hampshire resident Brenda Perkins testified, “You cannot separate the creation from the creator. It is like lighting a match to a slow-burning fuse.”
Board member Phil Nazzro of Newmarket said he was concerned about setting the precedent of using an ideological litmus test to determine who could provide education in the state. He said the way to build critical thinking is to present a broad array of ideas.
Nancy Biederman of New Boston defended the program, saying the PragerU course is not the only course high school students would need to receive graduation credit. “This is a choice, not mandated,” Biederman said. “This is all about political sides and I do not understand why you don’t want them to hear the other side.”
UAW Goes On Strike For Higher Pay, Better Conditions
Workers at three plants owned by General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis (Chrysler and Jeep) went on strike after their labor contracts expired on September 14 without an offer that was agreeable to the United Autoworkers Union. Although the companies had offered most workers a 9 or 10 percent raise, more paid time off, and increased benefits, the union was demanding a 40 percent pay increase over four years, comparable to the increases that company leaders have received.
The Big Three automakers have made $250 billion over the last decade, $21 billion in the first six months of 2023 alone. CEO pay rose 40 percent over the last four years, while workers’ wages have risen only 6 percent. A temporary two-tier wage system that pays new hires substantially less than old ones, implemented during the pandemic, remains in force, and the Big Three have expanded the discrepancy by siting new plants producing batteries for electric vehicles in non-union states where they will not be obligated to pay union wages.
In addition to wage increases, the union has demanded a four-day work week, the return of automatic pay increases tied to inflation, and stricter limits on how long workers can be considered “temporary” staff who do not receive union benefits.
The fight could lead to higher prices for buyers and major disruption for the motor industry giants. Ford said in a statement that the UAW’s proposals would more than double its U.S. labor costs.
The strike involves work stoppages at GM’s Wentzville, Missouri, mid-size truck plant, Ford’s Bronco plant in Michigan, and the Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio. Those plants produce some of the Detroit Three’s most profitable vehicles. Other facilities will continue to operate for now, but the UAW did not rule out broadening the strikes if they do not reach an agreement.
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