.............Todd began protesting before the invasion in 2003............
Lobbying the CT Legislature to build 650 new units of Supportive Housing to combat homelessness and help people recover.
On the set with Marsha Karpp, host of "Camera's Rolling" on WHC-TV after an interview on music and socialism in West Hartford, CT.
With Joe Bageant, author of "Deer Hunting With Jesus: Dispatches From America's Class War" at the Vachon Family home in Salem before a 3 day speaking tour in Eastern CT.
On the air, being interviewed by John Murphy on 91.7 WHUS in Storrs.
With CCLEFT students who organized a discussion on Class and Politics at Conn College.
With the CTVA after discussion about Seperation of Church and State with Joe Bageant
..
Watch the entire 28 minute interview on Music, Activism and Socialism
Influences
Sounds Like
NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE SAVES MONEY AND LIVES:
THIS ENDLESS WARFARE SPENDS MONEY AND LIVES:
Visit The Official Campaign Webpage at www.votevachon.com ____________
The Campaign Blog is www.vachonforcongress.blogspot.com
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
................. HERE IS MY STANCE ON SOME OF THE KEY ISSUES.......................
..................................................................................................................
THE IRAQ WAR: I would vote in favor of all legislation to immediately end the illegal occupation of Iraq. If no such bill arises, I will write legislation to do so. In the event that there would not be enough support to pass such a bill, I would vote against ALL bills to fund the further continuance of this unjust war. Ending the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would save thousands of lives, both U.S. men and women in uniform as well as innocent civilians who are always the greatest losers in any war. Furthermore, the amount of money tied up in this quagmire could go to fund essential domestic programs including: universal healthcare, expansion of mass transit, repair of outdated infrastructure, R&D of alternative energy sources and public funding of elections to rebuild a truly democratic electoral system.
.................................................................................................................
HEALTHCARE: I will vote to create a not-for-profit, single-payer, National Health Insurance plan, like HR676, as a logical first step towards making a socialized health care system based on universal coverage, salaried doctors and health care workers with revenues derived from a steeply graduated income tax. The program must include full standard and alternative medical, dental, vision, and mental health coverage for all, publicly funded through progressive taxation and controlled by democratically elected assemblies of health care workers and patients. The National Health Program should extend, and replace, Medicare and Medicaid and be Prevention-Based. See More On This.
..................................................................................................................
ENVIRONMENT: I would vote to immediately increase fuel efficiency standards, end government subsidization of the oil and fossil fuel industries and sign on to Kyoto and other international agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. No new coal plants, no new nukes. Drastically expand our use of wind, solar and other renewable forms of energy. With other large nations like China and India trying to mimic our “development” we need to be good role models and lead the way to a sustainable future.
..................................................................................................................
ELECTIONS: I will vote to reform our broken electoral system by eliminating all private funding of elections. Only an equal, publicly funded election can serve democracy. The need to raise exorbitant amounts of cash from wealthy donors and corporate interests in our current system leaves the vast majority of people without a candidate to represent their interests. “The Best Democracy Money Can Buy” must stop now. Fair and equal access to OUR public airwaves must be provided to all eligible candidates from all parties or independent. We are currently living under, as Gore Vidal once said, “One Party With Two Right Wings.”
..................................................................................................................
COST OF LIVING: I will vote to create a “living wage” not a minimum wage. Too many Americans toil endlessly, working second and even third jobs just to make ends meet. All full-time jobs should guarantee a salary large enough to afford a respectable lifestyle: Decent Housing, Healthy Food, Reliable Transportation, Daycare if wanted and Higher Education for our Children. The current minimum wage is a joke, it is a handout for large corporations and a slap in the face of working people. Small and Independent Family businesses could be assisted in fulfilling the living wage with revenue raised by reinstating the long lost taxation of big business.
..................................................................................................................
IMPEACHMENT: I will Vote in favor of House Resolution 333 to impeach the current administration. Bush and Cheney must be held accountable for their crimes against humanity, perjury and misdemeanors. The precedent being set for the future of our executive branch is despicable. If these actions are not addressed and their initiators held accountable I fear the further erosion of our democracy to a point of complete nonexistence.
See The Articles of Impeachment.
.................................................................................................................
EDUCATION: I will vote to repeal the greatly flawed No Child Left Behind Act. I am in support of full and equal funding of public education; for the restoration of a comprehensive K-12 curriculum, including art, music, world languages, and physical education; for an end to all public funding of private schools; and for free tuition and full-time teachers (not "adjuncts") at the post-secondary level. I oppose merit pay for teachers, standardized testing, competition between schools within the same district, the sale of on-campus advertising in order to raise funds, and the increasing dependence of post-secondary institutions on corporate funding. See More On This.
..................................................................................................................
TAXATION: I will vote for a steeply graduated income tax and a steeply graduated estate tax, as well as a maximum income of no more than ten times the minimum. I oppose regressive taxes such as payroll tax, sales tax, and property taxes, but call for the restoration of the capital gains tax and luxury tax on a progressive, graduated scale. Tax the Rich. Tax Corporations. Tax Casino Capitalists. Reinstate the middle class. Fund Social Programs.
..................................................................................................................
AGRICULTURE: I will vote to support a system of ecologically based, diverse and sustainable, organic agriculture founded on family farms and farming cooperatives. Institutions that will guarantee full workers' rights to their employees, uphold all environmental and safety standards, and treat their live-stock in a humane manner. I support the creation of socially owned enterprises in the areas of transportation, storage, and processing of agricultural goods, controlled by boards comprised of farmers, farm workers, and community members. I am opposed to genetically modified crops and the cloning of animals.
..................................................................................................................
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: I will vote in favor of funding to expand mass transit. This can effectively address two problems at once: 1. Reduction of harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and 2. Creation of a new industry for employment to replace our current reliance on a military based economy. In Eastern CT, an elevated rail system should be constructed above our major travel routes, Rte.2 and I-395. As a public work project this would create tremendous job opportunities in engineering, construction, operation and continued maintenance. Train stops and commuter lots could be placed at the existing exits.
.................................................................................................................
ROUTE 11: I will vote in favor of the completion of Rt.11 so long as the plan is engineered to minimize or eliminate any threats to natural habitats in it’s course. With proper funding, I’m confident that modern engineering is capable of devising a plan to do this successfully. Rt. 85 is extremely overcrowded and it is dangerous for commuters as well as residents who live along it or on intersecting side streets.............................................................................
Todd, picking local organic tomatoes with his daughter Marley.
Working in the shop. Todd and his father enjoy making chidren's toys and furniture.
VACHON FOR CONGRESS, CT 2nd District's Friend Space (Top 31)
VACHON FOR CONGRESS, CT 2nd District has 457 friends.
MLK marchers confront racist Lou Dobbs at CNN Cuerpo: I just returned from the freezing and dynamic March Against Racism held here in New York City to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr's birthday.
Despite being one of the coldest days so far this winter (27 degrees with a wind chill around 0), and despite being on a weekday holiday that many workers don't get off, more than 1,500 people marched. We stuck it out for almost 30 blocks from Madison Square Garden, new home of racist radio shock jock Don Imus, to CNN headquarters in Columbus Circle, home of immigrant-basher Lou Dobbs.
Photobucket
The fact that so many people turned out in spite of the weather was thrilling. So was the composition of the crowd -- Black, Latino, Arab, Asian, Native and white, women and men, queer and straight, young and old. The chants included everything from "Free the Jena 6" to "End the Siege of Gaza." We also learned that the march by white supremacists in Jena, LA, brought out only a dozen Klansmen, while counter-demonstrators (including from New York) numbered over 300.
Best of all, though, was near the end -- as the march was filling up the block outside CNN headquarters. The arrogant, slicked-down Lou Dobbs and his posse of beefy bodyguards crossed the street as if they were going to try to take over the stage and give the racist yet another platform.
Photobucket
Well, Lou Dobbs quickly learned otherwise. This wasn't a crowd that was going to let him turn its cause into a media stunt. While the crowd chanted him down, Million Worker March leader Brenda Stokely was on the mic, denouncing Dobbs, his Time Warner bosses and the corporate sponsors who keep his foul mouth on the air.
In his arrogance, Dobbs actually did a service to the demonstration, since the confrontation means there will probably far more coverage of it in the mainstream media.
To read more about the march and to get involved in upcoming activities to mark the
Children are sewing clothing for Hanes, J.C. Penney and Wal-Mart in Bangladesh. The children tell us they are 11-14 years old. The companies say they are "malnourished adults." Who do you believe?
Visit the NLC website and decide for yourself.
The Canary Effect: in-depth look at devastating U.S. policies on Indigenous Peoples
"The Canary Effect takes an in depth look at the devastating effect that US policies have had on the Indigenous people of America. Using beautifully crafted imagery it presents a chilling case to what many believe is an ongoing genocide of the American Indian. Featuring interviews with some of the leading scholars and exponents of Indigenous struggles, alongside revealing insight from those who work and live on reservations today, The Canary Effect creates a link between the past and present in a unique way never before explored on film. .."
View clip and trialer online at http://www.myspace.com/thecanaryeffect
(in NYC screening on Wed Dec 6 7PM at Bluestockings (for directions www.Bluestockings.com)
The FCC wants to lift media ownership rules and open the floodgates to wholesale consolidation of local newspaper, radio and television outlets.
The FCC needs to hear from you before they hand over local media to concentrated giants like News Corp., General Electric and Clear Channel. Big Media's drive to control local outlets stifles the competition, localism and diversity that are the lifeblood of a democratic media system.
Use the address below to file your comments with the FCC. Use the text or write your own comments about how greater media consolidation will affect your community.
The NYC-CT connect is in effect! Yo, hope that you had a good time on Friday. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, so we'll have to make sure to get up soon and hang on the reals. Give my love to the fams! Peace. Far
I'm getting crazy like mayday on the microphone /
they phone tap your home and maybe someday tap your dome /
peace to ESP, from the 2Fly, those two guys /
Shirpas ever lurking, and you knew I'd /
drop a little rhyme for any partner of my partner in crime /
subbeet completes the cipher, and I hype ya up one time
