UMC: A Rebirth for DC

United Medical Center - A Bright Light

United Medical Center is a bright light being hidden under the traditional blanket of DC crony politics.  This wonderful community health resource for a third of DC and equal parts of PG County has been a political football for years now.   As a private hospital (the city has sold it twice and had to buy it back) This political chicanery has been the source of revenue and wealth for a number of friends, relatives, and hangers on at city hall.  The last time it was "forced," into bankruptcy by Ghandi, Inc. it was actually in the black (making a profit) Go figure ...?

The Jackals Gather - Well, they're at it again ... Marion and Catania are like jackals fighting over the prospect of  new economic carrion.  A recent study of hospital operations funded by the city (for whom UMC is actually an agency) recommends reducing it to a "physicians center," meaning Doctors Offices.  Thus eliminating UMC from the city and freeing up more land for DC developers (who don't live or work in DC) to feed from the city trough.

Now, The Truth - The truth is, The UMC is a profitable hospital!  It is functioning as a non profit but it is earning revenue and is in the black.  However, that's not what Ghandi and the Council would have you believe.  The prize there is 17 acres of prime development real estate and someone will get to make a bundle from it.  UMC like most hospitals, must constantly and diligently work on collections.  Third party payers and other insurance carriers try to delay, or deny payments whenever possible.  So, a hospital must have an aggressive and effective collections department.  Ghandi, who has effective control over the board and the administration, refuses to allow UMC to hire such a person to drive the collections.  This leaves UMC with the appearance of insolvency and ripe for the pickings of the jackals in the Wilson Building.

OccupyDC: Pied Pippers for Democracy

What Can YOU Do - Bake occu-PIES!
Frustrated by our lack of ability to effect the comfort and accommodations of the patriots at Freedom Plaza and McPherson Square, my associate, and fellow NCJC board member, Linda Yahr set about to bake a half dozen pies for a theatrical event on Sunday at McPherson Square.   When we got there with a the box of pies Linda went to park the car and I went in search of someone to give them to.  I arrived at the mess tent just as Lunch was being served.  In a moment of inspiration I yelled "... OCCU-PIES for the OCCUPIERS!  It was immediately taken up by the "mike-check" process ... because there are no formal communication systems, every time someone says loudly, "Mike Check," everyone within hearing distance repeats at the top of their voices whatever follows. "... and so it went around the encampment.  "occu-PIEs being served at the lunch tent."  Unfortunately the few pies Linda baked were soon gone!

An Idea is Born!
Still, it fed a few people,  injected a moment of levity, and brought a bright spot in the day ...it has given us an idea!  We could use that play on words to generate interest and possibly to create some much needed revenue.  Suppose we used that hook to get create a logo and license people around the country to use it if they donated half of what they made to the Occupy movement?  Even if we only got the folks in DC to start on it ... this could become a quirky sort of promotion and awareness campaign ... really.

Main Street Knows How to Bake Pies
Here's my idea ... we should tweet and retweet my original tweet (@peloquin) on twitter.  Let's see if we cannot engage the system here to move this along.  The idea being to get the folks who support us (64%) to show that support by baking some occu-PIES!!!

The 99% Crash the 1%'s Party - They GET the Message

Mobile Counter Media

Last night members of The National Capital Jobs Coalition, (NCJC) joined the McPherson Square the Freedom Plaza OWS groups as we brought attention to the 1% as they partied at the DC Convention Center last night.  The Koch Bros held a party at the convention center.  We were not invited.  We did not crash the party, but we did make our presence known.  I've attended many marches in my life.  I marched in Cicero and at the Democratic Convention in 68' ... We joined with The Jobs and Justice movement in January ... This was the first time I have ever seen an effective multi media component in a social justice movement.

This event combined physical elements ( a large pneumatic "Fat Cat," float) and a very hot and relevant video projected onto the side of The DC Convention Center.  Also present and engaged was a New Orleans style marching group complete with trumpets, drums, and flute.  March management also presented a karaoke video that employed a parody of the famous "Buy the World a Coke" commercial.  Here's the link ...it really kicks ass!http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=koch+brothers&aq=3&oq=Koch

After you've seen the video you'll understand how we all need to sing this at every event where we make the point.  The Machine is Definitely Broken!

A Specially Produced Video Made it's Point

Stand up and be proud!  We are ready for Prime Time.  

The Tea Party - They are Weak Tea

If there ever was a question about the focus and dedication of this movement, the professional, well produced, and on message video should close the door.  This is no amateur production.  We will become a force that both parties will need to address.  Compared to this The Tea Party is WEAK!

Solidarity with Occupy Washington DC - Jobs and Justice

A Formal Endorsement.

Last January 14th on the holiday commemorating Dr. King's birthday, The National Capital Jobs Coalition marched from his new monument (still under construction at the time) to the Lincoln Memorial, site of the "I  Have A Dream," speech.  We marched with our friends Dr. Paul Zeitz, Linwood Martinez-Bentley, Jeff Wolf, Tizzy Giordano, Linda Yahr and a host of others.  We stood on those historic and majestic steps and rededicated ourselves to his vision of Jobs and Justice.

Today we join in solidarity and add our voices to vox populi,  Citizens all over this country are rising up in outrage over the bare faced theft of our nations wealth by a minority of 1% of our population.  We have watched our vote essentially co-opted by corporations  As lobbyists dictate fiscal and foreign policy.  We have watched as Congressmen actually changed laws to allow the few to get their hands more deeply into our pockets.  All parties, Democrat and Republican have been suborned by this voracious global greed machine.   All of it made possible by the bargain basement sale of our representative democracy and its conversion to a republican oligarchy.

The National Capital Jobs Coalition finds the goals of our brothers and sisters on Freedom Plaza and at McPherson Square entirely consistent and congruent with our policies of equal opportunity, transparency, and personal and political integrity.  These are qualities noticeably missing from today's model of governance.  Therefore we formally advocate and endorse OSW (Occupy Wall Street) movements as we firmly believe it represents and exemplifies the moral will of the people.

Finally A First Source Bill that Can Work!

Reformed DC First Source Jobs Bill clears

Committee on Housing and Workforce Development

Establishing the highest residency hiring requirement in District History

Washington, DC-

Following introduction last January, a public hearing last spring, and over 30 subsequent meetings with diverse constituencies including; the non-profit sector, organized labor, community activists, businesses, and governmental agencies, the Committee on Housing and Workforce Development, chaired by Councilmember Michael A. Brown, At-large, has passed bill B19-50 “District of Columbia Workforce Intermediary Establishment and Reform of First Source and Living Wage Amendment Act of 2011.”

Highlights of the legislation, crafted to place DC residents into DC funded jobs are:

·         Creates a bifurcated policy that preserves the 51% new hire requirement on projects receiving government assistance between $300,000 and $5 million and applies enhanced industry-specific First Source hiring and reporting requirements by total hours worked on projects receiving $5 million or more in government assistance. 

"Total hours worked is much better than the prior Legislation which left so many DC workers out in the cold and encouraged out of city workers to moonlight our jobs."

·         Increases the focus to include projects and services that are not construction related.

·         Strengthens monitoring and compliance by updating reporting requirements, by including additional pro-rated fines for not reaching specific hiring requirements and by providing the Mayor debarment authority for repeat violators. 

"Compliance will be the big battle.  This is where the special interests will try to weaken and hamstring the legislation.  We need to keep up the pressure to assure these well thought out provisions are NOT edited out of this Bill."

·         Allows beneficiaries to double-count hours worked by District residents who are “hard to employ”, whichbenefits the business and the worker.

"An excellent provision as many of our unemployed citizens are "hard-to-employ" and will need full time mentors"

·         Allows beneficiaries to “roll-over” excess hours worked on past projects.

·         Establishes a workforce intermediary pilot program that will coordinate new and existing training opportunities to match job seekers to businesses and projects with job openings.

The Council of the District of Columbia will conduct a first reading of the Reform of First Source bill on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at their legislative meeting.

For language of the bill, visit- http://dccouncil.us/images/00001/20110121162550.pdf

New Green Jobs Initiative - The Family Fish Farm Network

New Green Jobs AND Community Economic Development


We have consistently and repeatedly made the case for new industry and new jobs here in The District.  Time and again our entreaties have fallen on deaf ears.  So, as we explained in our last post, we are going to take the initiative and create new green jobs.  We can neither wait for WalMart who will most likely cost us more jobs than it brings, nor can we expect any large scale manufacturing to move here to DC.  Honda is NOT going to build a plant here in Washington, DC. (I used to be Technical Training Manager for Honda America Manufacturing)  The Family Fish Farm Network will help solve a number of societal, environmental, and economic problems faced by our city as a microcosm of urban poverty and disintegration.


What is," The Family Fish Farms Network."
... and what are we trying to accomplish?

"A Network of Urban Farms, Owned and Operated by the people who live in our communities"

We plan to create a national network of small,  highly productive and profitable aquaponics urban farms These farms will produce high quality seafood based protein (fish, bivalves, and crustaceans) as well as,  in a small physical footprint.  Food will be grown in the same community where it is consumed.  Each of these urban farms will be interconnected through the  Internet. see: familyfishfarms.blogspot.com

The Farms will be operated by a worker/owner team and supported by a centralized administration. This will provide quality standards, training and national branding and marketing team.  The Family Fish Farms Network www.thefamilyfishfarmsnetwork.com will be a sustainable, profit making social business with the following goals:

• Run as sustainable, profitable, and just business
• Eliminate farm source pollution
• Save fresh water
• Cut the carbon cost of food
• Create NEW Green jobs

The Family Fish Farms Network will consist of a network of discrete urban farms each producing one or more varieties of seafood and vegetables that are organic quality and fresh from harvest to the table.  This preserves the perishable enzymes and trace minerals often lost in packaging, long transport times, and through chemical and mechanical processing.   Approximately 25 Million Americans do not have access to such fresh food!  There is a significant pent up demand for fresh local food.

To learn more about The Family Fish Farm Network Go To:familyfishfarms.blogspot.com

Community Economic Development AND NEW Green Jobs

Our Mission Mandates New Job Creation

Last year in response to the rampant unemployment, the economic crisis, and the unfair employment practices of many employers, a group made up of Clergy, Organized Labor, and Community Activists and under my leadership formed The National Capital Jobs Coalition to support the new First Source Legislation (dcfirstsource.blogspot.com). In our attempt to create more public awareness and participation in a solution, we conducted public awareness sessions, picketed select construction sites, testified before City Council, and on several occasions, met with the framers of the new law.  So far, not much has changed and unemployment continues to rise.

The City is NOT Happening here!

With unemployment in double digits and seemingly on the rise, there is an urgent need to create hope and opportunity. This initiative is intended to create new green jobs.  In addition it is intended to enlist community support and involvement.  In seeking a practical solution, we are committing our abilities and resources to the enrichment of the lives of our neighborhoods and communities.  With this goal in mind, we are announcing the formation and prospective launch of:  The Family Fish Farm Network, Inc.  

Family Fish Farms will be a for profit corporation that will bring a NEW and innovative business model to Washington DC.  The initial plan is to build and operate a network of Aquaponic farms within our neighborhoods and communities (social and faith based)  These urban farms will provide local high quality organic fresh seafood and vegetables.  The farms will be owned and operated by the persons within our community.  This business model is intended to provide jobs, pride in ownership, and a necessary source of clean, fresh, local food.  In addition to this, our goal is to reinvest a large percentage of the profits into the respective communities by helping fund education and training programs for our youth.  It is our further intention to provide both organizational and financial transparency.

This is Crowd Sourcing !!!

Finally, we are reaching out to our entire community to help fund and implement this plan. In the near future, we will be announcing a series of meetings to be held in wards 4, 5, 7, and 8 as they are the most affected by unemployment. At these meetings we will present our plan, welcome community feedback, and seek your participation. Please visit our website www.familyfishfarms.com. This will be one of the mediums that we utilize to communicate our plans and to engage the energy and participation of the community. There will also be a blog.  Our goal is to create decent green jobs in DC.  It is our plan to make this a sustainable community economic development project.   Our goal is to build strong communities one business at a time!

We are willing to take the risk … if we can get some help.  Please let us know your thoughts.