I posted many press releases from NYC Comptroller Liu office related to cost cutting investigations his office has spearheaded. I see him as a fiscal conservative making sure our tax dollars are put to good use and that NYC pension are not only run efficiently but also protected. At first I was surprised when FBI agents recently announced possible misconduct by one of his campaign fundraisers, but then again I would assume his investigations have and will create enemies. Is this hardball politics as usual?
In any event, it seems as if he is not laying low but instead upping the anti by supporting a "Stand for Freedom Rally" in Washington DC on December 10th. The rally is in response to nation wide measures that make it more difficult to register to vote under the pretext that "lax" registration requirements increase the potential for voter fraud. The DC rally will start at the headquarters of the Koch brothers, who many point the finger at when complaining about big money corruption in American politics. Some of the major organizations supporting the march include the NAACP, SEIU 1199, National Action Network, UFT, National Urban League, N.Y. Civil Liberties Union, National Council of La Raza, Advancement Project, Asian-American Legal Defense Fund, and the Hispanic Federation.
To read more about the rally and the underlying issue please do read or visit the web address included below. If you cannot attend the rally and are interested in supporting the initiative, you can show your support by signing their petition electronically once logged onto the web site.
Gregory
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New York, NY - Comptroller John C. Liu stated the following in response to questions about the “Stand for Freedom” march and rally on Saturday, December 10, UN Human Rights Day:
“At a time when our nation faces profound issues, we should be enhancing voting rights and participation. Instead, it is simply shocking how voter suppression measures have only intensified. Worse yet, this coordinated attack on voting rights seems well-oiled by New York's wealthiest.
“The political landscape across the country has been altered dramatically in recent years, threatening to bring back the specters of government-sanctioned discrimination and second-class citizenship. Stand for Freedom on Saturday, December 10, UN Human Rights Day, to protect the American Dream and the unalienable right to vote.”
Background
On December 10 — UN Human Rights Day — Comptroller Liu will join a coalition of civil rights leaders to protest the attacks on voting rights by state legislatures across the country. The “Stand for Freedom” march and rally will begin at 61st Street and Madison Avenue at the headquarters of leading voter suppression funders, The Koch brothers, and will conclude across the street from the United Nations at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 47th Street and Second Avenue.
In dozens of states, new rules will create a modern-day poll tax by requiring voters to obtain and present official photo ID in order to cast a ballot. While voters in some states can request free photo IDs from state motor vehicles departments, they must still pay to obtain underlying documents, such as birth certificates, necessary to get the photo ID, possibly discouraging them from voting as a result.
In many of these same states, new laws significantly cut early voting and Sunday voting opportunities and strip the right of reformed criminal offenders to vote. Reports show these laws disproportionately impact African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, Native Americans, seniors, students, working women and immigrants.
More information about the December 10 Voting Rights March and rally and the issues can be found at www.stand4freedom.org.
For more on the Koch brothers mentioned above here is a clip from the Rachel Maddow show.
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