Facing South/19 May 2004

[Michael Hoover <hooverm@xxxxxxxxxx>]

F A C I N G   S O U T H
A progressive Southern news report
May 19, 2004 * Issue 80

INSTITUTE INDEX * Election for Sale
Number of "Bush Rangers" who have raised $200,000 or more for Bush campaign: 208
Number of "Bush Pioneers" who have raised $100,000 or more: 303
Number of Kerry "Vice Chairs" who have raised $100,000 or more: 60
Number of "Bush Rangers" in 2000 who were appointed to federal posts: 90
Number who were given ambassadorships: 21
Number who were given Cabinet positions: 4
Sources on file at the Institute for Southern Studies.
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DATELINE: THE SOUTH * Top Stories Around the Region

SCHOOL INTEGRATION SLIPPING IN THE SOUTH
Fifty years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision, the South is one of the least segregated regions in the country. But in a trend sweeping Southern towns like DeKalb, Georgia, schools that once were all-white, then fully integrated, are segregating again, this time with African-Americans. (Chicago Tribune, 5/17)
http://tinyurl.com/2x5yl

FEDERAL POLICIES DEVASTATING STATE AND LOCAL BUDGETS
A new study from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that federal policies such as tax cuts and unfunded mandates have cost states and localities over $175 billion over the last four years. States hit the hardest, as a percentage of their overall budgets, are Florida, Nevada, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Colorado, South Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 5/12)
http://www.inthesetimes.com/comments.php?id=690_0_1_0_C

AUTO WORKERS UNION LOSES TOYOTA BATTLE IN KENTUCKY
In a much-watched battle, the United Auto Workers withdrew from a campaign to organize 7,100 workers at a Toyota plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. The defeat was a setback for the UAW, which is setting its sights on the rapidly growing auto sector in the South. (Detroit News, 5/18)
http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosinsider/0405/18/a01-156198.htm

PRIVATE MILITARY CONTRACTORS LINKED TO PRISON ABUSE SCANDALS
Two private military contractors are being investigated for their role in torture allegations at the Abu Ghraib prison, Iraq: CACI International, Inc., of Arlington, Virginia, and Titan of San Diego, California. (CorpWatch, May 7) 
http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/PID.jsp?articleid=10828

FLORIDA TOWN COMPROMISES ON RENAMING STREET AFTER MLK
Zephyrhills, Florida -- a small town northeast of Tampa -- has reached a compromise after a bitter battler surrounding renaming a street for Martin Luther King, Jr. The city council voted to rename the street last fall, then rescinded the decision after community protest. The compromise officially changes the street back to its previous name, while leaving up signs commemorating King. (Associated Press, May 18)
http://tinyurl.com/2ohvj

BUNDLES OF INFLUENCE
Over a third of contributors to President Bush's re-election campaign are "Rangers" like Mark Guzzetta, a prominent Florida developer, who have corralled $200,000 or more for their candidate. What do they expect in return? (Mother Jones, 5/1)
http://tinyurl.com/2lszo

THE HIT MACHINE FROM VIRGINIA BEACH
Music producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo have written so many hit songs, they have to time their release so they don't clog up the airwaves. A recent survey found that 43% of songs played on hit U.S. radio are produced by the duo. (The Age, 5/15) 
http://tinyurl.com/2u48h
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