Twenty Questions: Social Justice Quiz

Twenty Questions: Social Justice Quiz

Twenty Questions: An Eye-Opening Social Justice Quiz
(Click the link above for the Answers)


by Bill Quigley

1. In 1968 the minimum wage was $1.60 per hour. How much would the minimum wage be today if it had kept pace with inflation?

2. In 1965, CEOs in major companies made 24 times more than the average worker. In 2003, CEOs earned how many times more than the average worker?

3. The US is composed of 3,066 counties. In how many of the nation's 3,066 counties can someone who works full-time and earns the federal minimum wage afford to pay rent and utilities on a one-bedroom apartment?

4. How much must the typical US worker must earn per hour hour if they dedicate 30% of their income to housing costs.

5. How many million workers in the US earn poverty-level wages of less than $8.20 an hour?

6. What are Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota and Tennessee?

7. What are Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia?

8. In 2001, the average financial wealth for black householders was about what % of the average for white households?

9. The median financial wealth for blacks is how much of the corresponding figure for whites?

10. Over the entire 28 year history of the Berlin Wall, 287 people perished trying to cross it. In the ten years since the Clinton administration implemented the current U.S. border strategy with Mexico, how many people have died trying to cross?

11. Where does the US rank worldwide in the imprisonment of its citizens?

12. In 2004, the direct reported US military budget was how much for each second of the year?

13. In 2003, the US military budget was how many times larger than the Chinese budget, the second largest spender?

14. In 2003, the US military budget was how many times as large as the combined spending of the seven so-called "rogue" states (Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria)?

15. The difference in income per head between the richest nation and the poorest nation in 1750 was about 5 to 1. Today the difference between the richest nation and the poorest nation is what?

16. Of the 6.2 billion people in the world today, how many live on less than $1 per day, and how many live on less than $2 per day?

17. The richest 1% in the world receive as much income as what percentage of the poorest?

18. The Congress under President Bush has been more generous in helping poor countries than under President Clinton. In 2003, the US increased official development assistance to poor countries by one-fifth. Where does the US contribution rank in the top 22 countries in proportion to our economy?

19. Americans give how much per day in government assistance to poor countries?

20. Americans spend how much on soft drinks each day?

More Good News -- This Time from Georgetown University

GU Office of the Senior Vice President | A Just Employment Policy for Georgetown University

Sometimes it's easy to get discouraged and feel hopeless about the future. That's why I'm so thrilled when I get news about terrific victories like this one. Everywhere there are people who care, working hard every day to effect positive change. Every day there are reasons to rejoice, too. Celebrate!

Social Security Success Stories - TrueMajorityACTION

Social Security Success Stories - TrueMajorityACTION

Here's a chance to post your Social Security story. I read through many of the stories posted. True Majority - a terrific organization - will make sure these stories reach our elected officials. The stories are powerful, true, and deeply moving -- for example:

Jennifer from Allison Park, PA wrote:

I may only be 30, but I know how important Social Security is. Several members of my family worked for a major hospital in Pittsburgh. In 2002, that hospital went bankrupt. Because it was registered as a religous institution, the pension fund was not insured (a loophole)...and now, there are a thousand people in Pittsburgh that are trying to build a pension when they are 45, 55, even 65 years old. What they thought they had worked for is gone. The bankruptcy court is providing two minimal checks which are not enough to build a substantial investment. The employees that were on a pension (such as my mother and aunt) have been given "x" amount of years of pension funds. What happens if they live past "x" amount of years? Where would they be without social security?

Gambling with Social Secuity is not an option. Americans need a guaranteed safety net. I know because there are many examples I can give you of people who thought they had a guranteed pension and "poof" it was gone. What would happen if their social security was cut?

Keep up the fight! Reform does not mean destroying the system!

Post your story now!

Take Action: Call For ABC News To Drop Wal-Mart As "Only In America" Sponsor

Take Action: Call For ABC News To Drop Wal-Mart As "Only In America" Sponsor

Here's a quick action you can take--

Wal-Mart is a sponsor of Good Morning America’s “Only in America” series, a patriotic series about Americans who make this nation better and stronger. With this sponsorship, ABC News provides Wal-Mart both a format and visual framing to perpetuate a long-term myth—that Wal-Mart possesses a unique American patriotism manifested in practices that promote American values, respect workers, and privilege American-made products. There could be no greater distance between “Only in America” and the reality behind Wal-Mart’s image machinery.

Wal-Mart’s use of its “Only in America” sponsorship is simply another cynical attempt to deceive customers about Wal-Mart’s responsibility for sending more jobs overseas than any other American corporation and lowering U.S. wages.

Call on ABC News President David Westin to drop Wal-Mart immediately as a sponsor of this segment, and to take down the company’s internet ads which further attempt to connect Wal-Mart with the “Only in America” slogan.

OY! what's next? R J Reynolds sponsors "Fit Forever: Healthy Choices"????

MARCH 8 House Concert Outstanding!

A packed house celebrated International Women's Day at Jim and LLouise's lovely home in Friendship. Proving beyond all doubt that 'the kids are all right,' Evan Greer, Ryan Harvey, Mark Gunnery, Tom Frampton and Darren 'Deicide' Kramer took turns swapping songs and poems with me. Check out their website. A very enthusiastic audience sang along, bought lots of CDs and contributed generously to the Lee Fogarty Resilience Trust. If you missed the fun, but would still like to help Lee, information appears below on how you can contribute.

Long time feminist and friend Lee Fogarty suffered a devastating loss when her home along with many of her possessions were destroyed in a mudslide on January 6th.
To top off losing her home it turns out that the state of PA does not require insurance companies to cover damage caused by land movement. This means her insurance is paying for nothing - not the house, furniture or any of her lost possessions & she is still responsible for the mortgage. Adding insult to injury, Lee had to pay to have the house demolished immediately and the vacant land reseeded for the spring.

In an effort to help Lee start anew, friends have established the Lee Fogarty Resilience Trust to accept donations on her behalf. The trust is held by Dollar Bank and Lee is the sole beneficiary. Unfortunately the laws governing charities do not enable us to set up the account to permit donors to declare a tax deduction. Please consider making a donation. Donations may be sent to:

Lee Fogarty Resilience Trust
c/oDollar Bank
PO Box 5492
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

COALITION OF IMMOKALEE WORKERS - WE WON!

CIW - 2005 WE WON!!

IT'S OVER... AND WE WON!
Amidst the growing momentum of the 2005 Taco Bell Truth Tour and after nearly four years of a national boycott, the CIW and Taco Bell have reached a historic agreement!

Here are some wonderful photos from our celebration in Louisville...

Where to Send Your Relief Dollars for the Tsunami

Please read this interview with one of my favorite journalists, the internationally acclaimed and respectedAllan Nairn. If you send your aid dollars to the International Red Cross, unfortunately your donation will be given to the Indonesian government, that, up until the date of the earthquake, was set on annihilating the people of Aceh by military means. The East Timor Action Network has been doing exemplary work in this region for decades - it's a very trustworthy recipient of your aid donations.

Help my pal, Jazz Legend Eric Kloss

Eric Kloss,a fantastic Pittsburgh jazz musician, is really between a rock and a hard place. You can help him out by clicking on the link above.

Who Da Bitch Now? - The Controversy Returns

I want to post a response to a very heartfelt and sincere complaint about one of the songs on my CD Have You Been to Jail for Justice? that I received from Willy, who writes:

"The first song is great, the reason I bought the album, but MAN- the
who the bitch now song - sickens me and makes me lose all respect for
you and your work. Condoning violence is wrong, even to violent
people - a terrible message for someone representing those seeking a
just world!"


My response:

This is by no means the first sincere complaint I have received about this remarkably complex and disturbing song by my friend Eric Schwartz. I was totally shocked and startled into stunned silence the first time I heard Eric perform it informally to a crowd gathered under a tree at the Kerrville Folk Festival. I didn't laugh either, although the large crowd found it utterly hilarious. I couldn't get the song and its imagery out of my head. I had Eric play the song for me again alone and we talked about it some. I discussed it with friends who had heard it, and were also anxious to talk about the experience of hearing this song. After a few days of this, I realized that this 2 and half minute song had provided me with three days of intensive reflection on the sufferings of James Byrd, Matthew Shepard and Abner Louima -- and provoked hours of reflection on the subject of retribution. I've always been a sucker for songs that make me think.

If you listened to the entire album I hope you noticed that the theme of this recording is jail. All sixteen new songs (and two of the four bonus tracks) include references to prison. I wanted to do an album that dealt specifically with the many aspects of life in prison after reading an article that pointed out that the US has more people in prison per capita than any nation on the planet except possibly China. We have 2,000,000+ people behind bars. Being a great admirer of Gene Debs, I despise prisons and believe that they create more problems than they solve.

That being said, I believe everyone (inlcuding me) has rejoiced -- if only for a few moments -- when hypocrites are chastised. When the pious and self-righteous Jimmy Swaggart is discovered in a rent-by-the-hour motel with a prostitute, I think most people say "Aha!" -- It certainly doesn't mean that they condone prostitution or exploitation of women. And while in our nobler hearts, I'm sure that we all wish Jimmy spiritual growth and other good things, we wouldn't be humans if we couldn't appreciate the irony of his situation. This is exactly what Eric is calling our attention to in this song. If we become too self righteous to appreciate irony, we may be heading for a fall ourselves.

It was the first song that brought you in, and the eighth song that turned you off. (I hope you listened to the last twelve songs...) "Who Da Bitch Now?" has introduced a lot of people to my music and they listen to the other nineteen songs on the recording. It's a trade off. Not every song will resonate with every person. I've had people tell me they hate "Joe Hill" or "The Internationale." The music itself goes from folksy to urban to reggae to Celtic to polka. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person who totally enjoys all the songs and styles on this recording. I think Eric Schwartz is a very skilled writer. When I sing it, I'm applauding the verdict - the public acknowledgment that what they did was wrong wrong wrong.

That being said, I promise that one of these days I'll put "Have You Been to Jail for Justice?" on an anthology of inspiring songs and leave "Who Da Bitch Now?" for my compendium of "Songs that Always Get Me in Trouble." (I've had quite a few of them over the last 30 years... some of them seem quite innocent now.)

So, Blogmates, let the discussion begin... Your comments are welcome.

Have You Been to Jail for Justice in Denmark?

Danish Preview Article

Har du været i fængsel for retfærdigheden?
Så vil jeg trykke din hånd
For en lig- og sitdown er måder at tage parti
Har du sunget en sang for frihed?
eller har du gået strejkevagt?
Har du været i fængsel for retfærdigheden?
Så er du en ven af mig

That is "Have You Been to Jail for Justice" in Danish... It's not intended as a sing-a-long ... it's more of an explanation of what the song is about ... My friend Gerd Berlev did the translation/interpretation ...

you can click the link for the full story, and picture.......