News: Morning Quick Links | Sojourners

News: Morning Quick Links

Social justice index: USA No. 27 of 31. Democrats in Congress attempt to eat on $4.50 a day to protest potential budget cuts. Republicans shift focus from jobs to God. OpEd: Obama, the G20 and the 99 percent. In Congress, the rich get richer. The Shadow Superpower. And the U.S. sues South Carolina over immigration law.

DAILY KOS: Social Justice Index: USA Number 27 Of 31 OECD Members

A German foundation, Bertelsmann Stitfung, has released a report, Social Justice in the OECD – How Do the Member States Compare? Sustainable Governance Indicators 2011. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development membership is compose of the worlds' major democracies with strong market economies. It's basically the rich nations' club. It has 34 members, three of whom joined after mid-2010 and were not surveyed here.

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THE HUFFINGTON POST: Food Stamps: Democrats In Congress Attempt To Eat On $4.50 A Day To Protest Potential Budget Cuts

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) along with eight other congressional Democrats are eating on a budget of about $4.50 a day to show solidarity with food stamp recipients who receive $32.59 a week. The personal thrift, which is part of a challenge organized by Fighting Poverty With Faith, was reported by Pacifica Patch. The site also listed the food items that Speier was now buying.

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ROLL CALL: Republicans Shift Focus From Jobs To God

Republicans may be trying to focus their messaging on jobs and the economy — and hammering President Barack Obama for campaigning — but they still have time for some red meat base-baiting on the House floor.

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THE HUFFINGTON POST: Obama, The G20, And The 99 Percent (Opinion)

On Thursday, President Obama will meet with leaders of the other G20 countries. On the table will be a proposal to introduce a Financial Transactions Tax (FTT). French President Sarkozy and German Chancellor Merkel will support the proposal. If President Obama is true to his recent words sympathizing with Occupy Wall Street, he will join Sarkozy and Merkel in supporting the FTT. More likely, though, he will oppose the proposal in order to protect Wall Street, thereby continuing his pattern of progressive rhetoric that masks conservative policies.

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THE DAILY CALLER: In Congress, The Rich Get Richer

Members of Congress had a collective net worth of more than $2 billion in 2010, a nearly 25 percent increase over the 2008 total, according to a Roll Call analysis of Members’ financial disclosure forms. Nearly 90 percent of that increase is concentrated in the 50 richest Members of Congress.

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FOREIGN POLICY: The Shadow Superpower

Forget China: the $10 trillion global black market is the world's fastest growing economy -- and its future.

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CNN: U.S. Sues South Carolina Over Immigration Law

Justice Department officials pressed their campaign against an immigration law in South Carolina on Monday, saying the measure passed there this summer unconstitutionally pre-empts federal authority. South Carolina's law also could lead to the harassment and detention of authorized visitors, immigrants and citizens, federal officials argue in court documents.

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