Feb. 4, 2011:NWLP
2/1/11
10:14 AM
Page 10
Filibuster lives on in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. (PAI) — A
campaign backed by organized labor to
curb the power of Senate minorities to
halt virtually every piece of legislation
by filibustering against it went down in
flames Jan. 27.
After eight hours of debate on rules
changes, reform proposals backed by
unions failed not only to get the 67
votes Senate leaders decided they
needed, but didn’t even get a majority
of lawmakers.
Instead, Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), promised to
voluntarily limit filibusters on motions
to debate bills and on presidential nom-
inations.
Some Democrats voted to keep fili-
busters going, remembering when they
were in the minority — or fearing they
would be again. In 2012, Dems must
defend 21 Senate seats, compared to 10
for the GOP. Democrats now hold a 51-
47 seat advantage, plus two Demo-
GREED AT A GLANCE
Corporations are beginning to re-
lease their CEO pay figures for 2010,
and last month brought the official
news that Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger
pulled in $28 million last year, a 30 per-
cent boost over his 2009 take-home.
The Disney board calls the generous
boost for Iger a reward for his “excep-
tional performance” amid a tough eco-
nomic environment. Disney, overall,
netted $4 billion in 2010 profits. Yet the
company is still insisting that Disney
workers making under $9 an hour take
on as much as another $500 per month
in added health care costs ...
Disney workers have been pushing,
unsuccessfully, the last two years for an
advisory shareholder vote on the com-
pany’s executive pay. But that vote will
now be coming anyway. The Dodd-
Frank financial reform signed into law
last summer requires all publicly traded
companies to give their shareholders a
“say on pay,” and last month the fed-
eral Securities and Exchange Commis-
sion okayed new regs that put that man-
date into actual effect. The nation’s top
companies, under the new rules, will
have to hold advisory shareholder votes
on top exec pay at least once every
three years and also disclose, in their
SEC filings, “whether and how” they
took the vote results into account.
Some firms already let shareholders
take advisory votes on top pay. Last
year, at about one in every 10 of these
firms, shareholders turned thumbs
down on the pay plans presented.
(From Too Much, an online weekly
publication of the Institute for Policy
Studies; editor@toomuchonline.org.)
cratic-leaning independents, who are
also up for election in 2012.
The defeats on the filibuster means a
41-person minority in the 100-member
chamber can still bring business to a
halt, or prevent measures from being
debated, even if those measures have
majority support.
One proposal that was voted down
was by Senate Labor Committee
Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), that
would permit limited filibusters, but
with smaller majorities needed to shut
them off each time a vote was called.
He lost, 84-12.
Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and
Tom Udall (D-N.M.), argued for
changing vote requirements and said a
senator who wants to filibuster must ac-
tually stand and talk against it until 60
votes shut down debate. Right now, just
the threat of 41 votes for the filibuster is
enough to keep it going — even when
no one is talking. Their plan lost 51-46.
Curbing the filibusters has been a
particular cause of Communications
Workers of America President Larry
Cohen, chair of the AFL-CIO Legisla-
tive Committee. Cohen has seen fili-
busters and threats block everything
from the Employee Free Choice Act to
extensions of unemployment benefits.
A minority bloc uses the threat of a fil-
ibuster to strong-arm majorities into
agreeing to their demands. That’s how
McConnell combined the Bush tax cuts
for the rich with the extension of un-
employment benefits late last year.
“We commend Harkin, Merkley and
Udall for their efforts, and we and the 60
other progressive groups who worked
on these changes will continue our ef-
forts to get real reform,” CWA said.
In a statement, Merkley said: “We
now have 46 senators on record sup-
porting making the filibuster real. We
will build on that support in the future
EE
R
F
BARGAIN COUNTER
Free classified ads to subscribers
DEADLINE: Friday prior to publication
Published 1st and 3rd Fridays
Now accepting e-mails
Send to: Michael492@comcast.net
Mail to: NWLP, PO Box 13150, Portland OR 97213
(Please include union affiliation)
• 15-20 words • No commercial or business ads • 1 ad per issue
• All lower case (NO CAPITAL LETTERS, PLEASE) •
Ads MUST include area code or they will not be published
A UTOMOTIVE
200 XT YAMAHA motor, front & rear
wheels, kickstand and front end, all for
$65. 503-623-8873
’78 MERCURY COUGAR Brougham, 48k
miles, 2nd senior owner, V-8, 351, air, im-
maculate, $1,500. 503-359-7526
TOW DOLLY, never used, heavy duty
frame, 6-ply tires, 14”, wiring harness with
lights and brakes, $1,250. 503-936-8539
’86 VW VANAGON, runs well, good tires,
284k, 20mpg, manual transmission,
$1,500. 503-380-1104.
’99 CHEV CAVALIER, AUTO, AIR, CD,
137K, well maintained, runs great, $1,900.
503 981-0003
’63 RAMBLE CLASSIC 770, 4 dr, 98k, 3
spd st trans w/OD, white/green, one
owner, garaged, $4,295. 503-357-3771
H OUSING
LINCOLN CITY vacation rental, 3 bdrm, 2
bath, $95/night, sleeps 8, wi-fi, 2 blocks to
beach, 4 blocks to casino. 503-804-7976
ROCKAWAY ocean front 503-777-5076
http://home.comcast.net/~rockaway.beach
5 bdrms, 2 bath, book now for spring break
ROCKAWAY BEACH vacation rental, 3
bed, 2 bath, sleeps 10, 4 blocks to
beach/shops. 503-754-6101
GOLF ANYONE? Bandon, OR vacation
rental, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 blocks to
beach, $150/night. 541-391-9918
LEASE HOUSE, 4 bed, 2 bath, yard,
garage, pets okay, Reed College area, de-
posits, $1,950/month. 503-502-1266
S PORTING G OODS
’03 WINNEBAGO ADVENTURER, 33’,
PAGE 10
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
to restore deliberation to this chamber.
Until the Senate returns to being a de-
liberative body where debate is encour-
aged and obstruction is rare, I’ll con-
tinue waging the fight to make the
institution serve the American people
the way it ought to.”
30K, dr. door, 2 slides, ex cond, $70,000.
503 285-8691
M ISCELLANEOUS
1998 SHOPSMITH Mark V Model 510
table system with scroll saw accessory,
excellent condition, $1,400. 971-506-1949
2 SPACES, underground vaults and dou-
ble marker at Evergreen Memorial Gar-
dens in Vanc, $3,700. obo 369-901-6089
AIR COMPRESSOR, 5hp, 25 gal, $200.
503-289-0066 (Ed, Sr.)
MILLERMATIC 185 wire feed and spool
gun welder, like new, $1,295. 503 643-
6897 (Dale)
W ANTED
JUNK CARS, cash for some, removal of
unwanted cars and pickups. 503-314-8600
OLD WOODWORKING tools, planes, lev-
els, chisels, handsaws, slicks, adzes,
wrenches, folding rulers, leather tools, tool
chests. 503-659-0009
MOTORCYCLES street, dirt, parts, maga-
zines, cash paid. 503-880-8183
COLLECTOR PAYS cash for older toys, oil
paintings, art pottery, taxco silver and
unique items. 503-703-5952
SILVER COINS, US and Canadian, union
brother collector pays top money for all
small amounts. 503-806-6287
1949 or 1950 MERCURY and 1949 thru
1953 Ford engine, trans, running gear or
parts. 503-852-6791
F OR T HE H OME
DESERT ROSE, USA backstamp, over
$2,000 worth, sell for $1,000. 503-286-
3258
FEBRUARY 4, 2011