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Author Archives: Jason Collette

Occupy Protests Have Shifted National Dialogue, 2012 Elections Loom

By Jason Collette on December 20, 2011

The Occupy protests that have sprouted up in over a thousand cities nationwide have had a profound effect on the political landscape. Barely four months ago, the dominant narrative was that the country is broke and we have to tighten our belts through “fiscal austerity,” with nary a mention of income inequality and who pays the price of “austerity” policies (hint: not the 1 percent). Today, even Republican presidential nominees are sniping back and forth about who is the wealthiest, and the framing of the 99 percent movement is widely used by politicians and in the media. Continue reading »

Bank of America to Charge Fee to Use… Your Money

By Jason Collette on October 7, 2011

Beginning January One, Bank of America will be charging customers $5 a month to use their debit cards. Back in 2009, small businesses banded together to fight back against ever escalating fees levied by the banks. This was a monumental win for small businesses- these fees amounted to a $16Billion a year transfer of wealth from the nation’s businesses directly to Wall Street. Click here to see how small businesses beat back the big banks. Continue reading »

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Lacks Director: Small Businesses Economy Suffers

By Jason Collette on September 16, 2011

More than a year after the passage of the financial reform, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau still doesn’t have a director at the helm. Robert Cordray, former Ohio Attorney General, awaits confirmation, now stalled by Senate Republicans more interested in abetting the banks and gutting the bureau than in protecting consumers. This is bad not just for people looking to take out loans but for the country’s small businesses, too. Continue reading »

E-verify Hurts Local Economies

By Jason Collette on August 10, 2011

Main Street Alliance members Edgar Andrade of Bushwick, Brooklyn and Jim Houser of Portland, Oregon were joined on a press call Wednesday by Mayor Paul Bridges of Uvalda, GA to address the drastic ramifications of state-based, enforcement-only immigration laws. These laws are being enacted in states across the country, starting in Arizona and spreading to the South. Continue reading »

Oregon Action Hosts Community Forum on Oregon State Bank Proposals

By Jason Collette on January 31, 2011

On Tuesday, January 25th, in Medford, Oregon, tucked into the hills of the Southern Cascade mountains, 28 people came together to discuss a radical concept: a bank that works to pool the resources of the community rather than to extract it and send it to Wall Street investors. Their interest was piqued by the two proposals currently in the Oregon State Legislature to create a state bank, modeled after the Bank of North Dakota, that would be owned and operated by the people of Oregon. Continue reading »

Banks and Foreclosures: Where’s the Accountability?

By Jason Collette on October 21, 2010

Over the past several weeks Bank of America, Ally, and GMAC have announced that they have will be halting foreclosures in the 23 states that require a judge to sign off on foreclosures before eviction. Did this decision come from enlightened bank management who understand what is needed to stabilize the housing market and pull our economy out of the cellar? Of course not. Instead, it was done in response to the damning evidence that recently came to light that banks weren’t reading documents, were forging notarizations, foreclosing on homes that they didn’t own, and outright fabrication of loan documents. As usual the media is missing the real story during this ongoing foreclosure mess. Continue reading »

Maine Small Business Owners Discuss Expiring Bush-Era Tax Cuts

By Jason Collette on September 30, 2010

Early on a Friday morning in September, before setting off on their usual daily tasks, three business owners, all members of the Maine Small Business Coalition, gathered in a cluttered corner of an antiquarian bookstore in Bangor, Maine. Rick Schweikart, Bill Lippincott, and Suzanne Kelly, accompanied by the Chair of the Appropriations Committee in the State House of Representatives, Emily Cain, had come together to discuss a hot button political issue: the Bush-era tax cuts. Continue reading »

Main Street Alliance of Washington Members Meet with President Obama

By Jason Collette on August 19, 2010

On Tuesday, August 17, all eyes were on Seattle’s Pioneer Square as President Obama was in town stumping for Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) in her critical primary race. Obama and Murray held a private meeting at a café with three small business owners to discuss the economy, as well as what could be done to help small business owners drive economic recovery. Of the three business owners in attendance, two of them were active members and leaders of Main Street Alliance, which speaks to the power and importance of grassroots organizing. Continue reading »

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