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AUGUST 2002 |
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National Grange Urges Federal Judge to Overturn Pledge of Allegiance Ruling
In a letter to Judge Alfred T. Goodwin, the National Grange expressed its objection
to a recent U.S. Court ruling regarding the Pledge of Allegiance. On July 26th,
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit declared use of the phrase "Under
God" in the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional.
As
stated in the 2002 Legislative Policies, the National Grange adopted the following
policy statements regarding the Pledge of Allegiance and the appropriate circumstances
where reference to a supreme being in a public school does not arise to the constitutionally
prohibited action of "establishment of religion":
"The National Grange strongly supports The Star Spangled Banner as our National
Anthem and its solemn and dignified rendition and the Pledge of Allegiance in
its present form with the words "under God" and "Liberty", and In God We Trust
remaining on our currency and as our national motto. Moreover, we vigorously oppose
all efforts by organizations and individuals attempting to destroy the great traditional
principles upon which our nation was founded." "The
National Grange supports an interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, which allows
schools, or any other governmental authority, to permit religious prayer, such
as invocations and benedictions, as part of any function, but especially at graduation
ceremonies."
If
this ruling is upheld, school children in the following states will be affected:
Alaska; California; Idaho; Montana; Oregon and Washington. By prohibiting this
time-honored expression of patriotism by school children in these states, we will
inadvertently deprive future generations of other traditions expressing our patriotism
and national pride such as the National Anthem, the national motto depicted on
our currency and the Declaration of Independence, which makes reference to our "Creator." Furthermore,
any risk associated with use of the phrase "Under God" imposing a national religion
to which all citizens must adhere are minimal to none. We must ask ourselves if
the risks of destroying time honored traditions and obliterating verbal and written
expression of the values many Americans hold dear are worth taking. The answer
to that for most Americans and the National Grange is no.
top National
Grange Joins Legislators in Opposition to Hughes/EchoStar Merger
The
National Grange has joined forces with rural and public interest organizations,
Republican and Democrat public officials, media companies and state attorney generals
Nixon (MO) and Doyle (WI) to oppose the Hughes/EchoStar merger. In a recent briefing "Potential Impacts on Rural Consumers" the National Grange, Coalition for Rural
Communications Choice (CRCC) and the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative
got together to provide different perspectives regarding the impact this merger
would have on rural consumers and those in the communications industries. If
this merger is approved the only two sources of multi-channel video programming
(MCVP) and broadband Internet access will be available only under a single monopoly,
meaning that choices would be limited to one cable and one MCVP provider. Unlike
their urban counterparts, rural Americans have little or no access to cable TV
services and are limited to the Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) services currently
provided by EchoStar and Hughes Electronic Corporation (DirecTV) for their MCVP
and broadband Internet access. Without the benefit of competition between providers,
rural consumers will be unable to take advantage of reasonable prices, enhanced
customer service or technical innovation. Aside
from negating the benefits of competition, this merger would result in consumer
rate increases. Proponents of this merger claim to have addressed these concerns
by stating that rates could be regulated under a "national pricing plan." Even
if a "national pricing plan" would in fact keep prices uniform nationwide, it
would be difficult to enforce, leaving rural consumers at the mercy of a single
provider. Rural consumers would be held captive to increased subscription rates
set by this monopoly in order to gain profit from those 23 million consumers who
have no other alternative. Not only would a monopoly affect prices and customer
service, it would also determine what types of programming would be available.
If service is unsatisfactory, rural consumers are basically being told to "take
it or leave it" in regard to satellite services. Any "national pricing plan" put
in place by these companies would be ineffectual; this statement is merely an
empty promise to satisfy regulators and appease consumers. A "national pricing
plan" cannot be considered a viable substitute for the benefits consumers enjoy
as a result of competition.
The
National Grange, along with other organizations, have appealed to the Anti-Trust
Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) and several media outlets to block this merger. In recent letters to Attorney
General John Ashcroft and to Michael Powell, Chairman of the FCC, the following
State Granges lent their signatures: North Carolina; Missouri; Illinois; New York;
Pennsylvania; Iowa; Ohio; Montana; Indiana; California; Idaho; South Carolina,
Tennessee; Colorado; New Hampshire; Texas; Vermont; Massachusetts; Delaware and
the Potomac Grange in Washington, DC. By opposing the Hughes/EchoStar merger,
we are ensuring quality customer service, affordability, programming choice and
innovation for rural Americans.
top AG
Reps Tell Congress: "Don't Make Agriculture A 'Cash Cow' For Class Action Lawsuits"
Leaders from the agriculture sector came to Washington to call on Congress
to pass class action lawsuit reform. With literally a "cash cow" in tow, representatives
of America's food chain, including hog farmers, tomato growers, food processors
and a major grocery store chain, gathered on the Mall to ask the U.S. Senate to
pass S. 1712, the Class Action Fairness Act. Also
in attendance were Kermit Richardson, President of the National Grange, Leo Bergeron,
President of the California State Grange and Bruce Croucher, President of the
New York State Grange. "Passage of this bill is necessary in order to safeguard
agricultural industries from frivolous lawsuits that will put dairy farmers out
of business and jeopardize a vital part of our nations economy" said Kermit Richardson. The bi-partisan
Class Action Fairness Act passed the House in March and is currently pending in
the Senate. The legislation makes it easier to move large, multi-state class action
lawsuits from state to federal court, thereby curbing the practice of "venue shopping"
by trial lawyers. The bill also contains a "Plaintiffs Bill of Rights" that includes:
- judicial
scrutiny of settlements in which consumers receive coupons or something of little
value while their attorneys receive millions of dollars in legal fees;
- a
requirement that class action settlement notices be written in "plain English";
- a prohibition
on settlements in which class members actually lose money to pay attorneys' fees;
and the fair and even distribution of damage awards to all plaintiffs.
While
in Washington, the agriculture leaders distributed a letter to Senators' offices
signed by 394 agricultural organizations and companies asking for passage of the
Class Action Fairness Act. "Class
action reform would not only limit lawsuits to Federal courtrooms ensuring the
same standards for everyone and simplify our current legal system, it ensures
that the consumers would receive significant benefits from future settlements." Said Kermit Richardson. The
ag group's visit to Washington was hosted by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal
Reform and the Food Marketing Institute. In addition to the press conference on
the Mall, the group attended a briefing at the White House and met with members
of the Senate.
top National
Granges Supports Tax Credit and Renewable Portfolio Standard for Energy Policy
Bill
In an effort to encourage the use of alternative forms of energy,
the National Grange is urging both the House and the Senate to extend the Production
Tax Credit (PTC) and support the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) in their versions
of the energy policy bill. Both the House and the Senate bills include an extension
of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for renewable energy development until December
31, 2006. Renewable
energy projects, such as wind power, will promote significant economic development
to rural America, providing a way in which farmers can supplement their income.
For example, a farmer can earn extra income through leasing arrangements in which
a section of his land can be used to place the towers needed to create wind energy.
By allowing the use of his land for wind towers, or turbines, at about $55 an
acre, a farmer with a 250-acre farm can expect to increase his income by $14,000
a year. The turbines used can provide power to a large geographical area while
taking up only two to three acres of farmland, allowing farmers to earn extra
income yet still have plenty of space to grow crops and raise cattle. Income
benefits derived from wind power are not limited to farmers. Examples cited by
the American Wind Energy Association (AWAE) include the town of Spirit Lake, Iowa
where the local school is earning savings and income from electricity generated
by a turbine and the district of Forest City, Iowa where a turbine erected as
a school project is expected to save $1.6 million in electricity costs over its
lifetime. Although
the PTC in the current energy bill has been very helpful in spurring new utility-scale
renewable development, small wind energy systems do not receive any tax benefits.
The Senate version provides a tax credit for some small wind systems, however,
with the cap for credit limited to $2,000 per unit, it will not have significant
impact. In addition to the bill cap being too low, it is limited to residential
systems and cannot be applied to business applications, such as family farms.
A more effective approach would be to apply the credit to residential, small business
and family farm applications.
The
National Grange also supports a RPS provision in which 10 percent of all energy
production in the form of renewable energy by 2020, with one major modification.
The RPS included in the Senate bill seeks to set an achievable national standard
by creating a market in which renewable energy technologies compete with each
other, such as utilizing both wind power and one of the many other sources of
renewable energy including, but not limited to, solar power, hydropower and the
use of ethanol. When environmental conditions result in decreased output from
turbines, rural Americans will have an alternate source of energy on which they
can rely. Supporting
these provisions as part of the energy policy benefits not only rural, but all
Americans on different levels: renewable energy sources are abundant because they
are in never ending supply; they are cost-effective and can create jobs; they
are protective of the environment in that they do not contaminate the land with
toxic waste disposal, pollution or oil spills and empower us by encouraging self-reliance
in generating our own power as opposed to being dependent on other countries to
provide us with oil. By supporting these provisions set forth in the energy policy
bill, the federal government can lead the way in encouraging the use of renewable
energy sources, thereby preserving our environment, creating more jobs and enhancing
the quality of life for all Americans.
top Writing
Grange Resolutions - It's Easier Than You Think!
One of the real benefits
of Grange membership is the opportunity that membership gives to every Grange
member to have an effective voice regarding the issues that affect their lives.
Each of the National Grange's current 1200 separate policy positions started as
resolutions that were written and adopted by a local Grange chapter somewhere
across the nation. Even so, some people are still intimidated at the idea of writing
a Grange resolution. They shouldn't be. It isn't that difficult. Two
years ago, the Michigan Grange News published an article that explains how to
write a resolution in a way that is both intuitive and easy to understand. As
our State Granges and the National Grange are all preparing to hold their annual
conventions this Fall, we decided it would be a good idea to reprint a version
of the Michigan Grange News resolution writing article in the hopes it will help
generate greater interest in grassroots participation in our Grange legislative
program.
Resolution
Example TITLE
OF YOUR RESOLUTION Whereas,
this is where you identify one problem that needs to be addressed or solved; and
Whereas, only
place one reason or fact that supports your argument in each whereas paragraph;
and Whereas,
only put facts in the whereas paragraphs that make it easier for the reader to
understand the purpose of your resolution; Therefore
Be It Resolved, that this is where you clearly state the primary action that you
propose to solve the problem you identified in the whereas paragraphs, and Be
it Further Resolved, that any secondary actions to address the problem are placed
here.
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