Posts by Kristina Rizga

Kristina Rizga edits WireTap, AlterNet’s youth-oriented section.

College Kids Get Relief, Congress Passes Cost Reduction Act
Posted by Kristina Rizga on September 28, 2007 at 12:00 PM.

This post, written by Kristina Rizga, originally appeared on WireTap Magazine

Yesterday, Pres. Bush signed H.R. 2669, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, the largest increase in student aid since the GI Bill of 1944. Here's a closer look at some key provisions of the bill, sponsored by Rep. George Miller, (D-California), and Sen. Edward Kennedy, (D-Mass.):

Increasing Pell Grants:

The biggest aid increase would raise the maximum annual Pell grant, the nation's main aid program for low-income students, from $4,300 to $5,400 a year by 2012.

Making It Easier to Repay Loans:

* Ensuring you don't retire in student debt. The program cancels most remaining balances (if there any left) after 25 years. This applies to anyone, who took out federal loans as an undergraduate or graduate student, whether they took them out years ago or recently. (The time period for the 10-year public service cancellation begins October 1, 2007. Project on Student Debt has more details on that.)

*Slashing interest rates on Stafford subsidized loans. The bill would reduce the interest rate on subsidized Stafford loans by half over four years. Subsidized loans go to students who demonstrate financial need. The rate cut would be phased in starting July 1. It would go from 6.8 percent today to 3.4 percent by 2011.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Celebrating Politics through music
Posted by Kristina Rizga on March 8, 2006 at 4:06 PM.

When was the last time you thought of politics as something fun, engaging, and inspiring? Let's face it -- daily headlines about mounting deaths in Iraq, domestic spying, broken health care system and sinking economy are overwhelming and depressing and that's not a good state of mind for fighting long-term battles. Where do we find strength and inspiration in these dark days? Try Music for America.

The San Francisco-based group was started by three pissed off, young guys, who were tired of formulaic and boring ways that dominate political discussions and meet-ups. They wanted to leave more inspired, talk about what can be done, have some fun while at it and see other young faces engaged. So, they started throwing their own kind of meet-ups with a little bit more music, positive messages, and discussions that relate distant D.C. Politics to the lives of students, punks, hipsters, hip-hop, or reggae fans. Online, they now have 60,000 members. Offline, they've paired up with over 200 bands and went on 2000 music concerts across the country to register voters and to talk about things young people can relate to and do to make a difference.

This Thursday, March 9, Music for America will throw their biggest party of the year to celebrate 2006 Icon Award winners, such as the outspoken bands Green Day and Death Cab and Cutie among others. If you live in the Bay Area, check out their After Party. Green Day, Moon Zappa, Nate Query from the Decemberists, Boots Riley from the Coup, MFA staff and hundreds of their members and fans will be there to talk about some positive things in politics and listen to some of the most edgy and inspiring music to recharge our spirits.

If you don't live near San Francisco, you can be there online at Musicforamerica.org from 7-10 p.m. PST, as Bob Bringham blogs live from the event.

Hip hop orgs say, 'Shut 'em down!'
Posted by Kristina Rizga on March 2, 2006 at 3:51 PM.

In light of Associate Press' breaking story and videos revealing that President Bush was warned repeatedly about the possible breach of the levees in New Orleans and didn't act to provide emergency response, dozens of groups across the country are calling for Congress to censure the President (pass a bill expressing strong disapproval and request impeachment investigations).

Within hours of the news, the National Organizing Committee of the National Hip Hop Political Convention, the League of Pissed Off Voters, ColorofChange.org, the Hip-Hop Caucus, the Finding Our Folk Tour and others drafted a petition demanding the Congressional Censure. More on the petition here.

While the implications of these clear and simple facts about our President's inability to govern will not immediately result in impeachment hearings, for folks who are still on the fence, those 34% that still approve of his job, this might be the straw that will break the camel's back. The image of a liar will stick permanently now.

Autistic teen basketball star creates mayhem...
Posted by Kristina Rizga on February 28, 2006 at 11:26 AM.

If someone told me this story without the film footage to back it up, I would dismiss it as one of those highly exaggerated, only-happens-in-fairy-tales-and-Hollywood-movies type cases. But this true story is more inspiring than any Hollywood film I've ever seen.

CBS recently ran a story about Jason McElwain from Greece Athena High School in Rochester, N.Y. Jason, who is autistic, had been the manager of the varsity basketball team for years fetching towels and water for his teammates. But when his coach gave him a chance to play in the last five minutes of the game, he scored 20 points in four minutes and created the biggest party in the history of basketball.

You can watch the video here.

Dream on…

[Thanks, Akim!]

Confessions of a Howard Stern Censor
Posted by Kristina Rizga on February 10, 2006 at 5:56 PM.

Did you notice censored words during this year's Rolling Stone's performance for NFL's halftime show? Lyrics that haven't been bleeped out for half a century. Ever wonder who's pushing those buttons? And who makes those decisions?

Dead Air Dave has been hitting the omnipotent button of the dump machine since 2002. He was in charge of removing all those mischievous words from The Howard Stern Show, as dictated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In this recently published, fascinating interview with him on FMQB.com, he talks about the changes in the censorship of commercial radio in the post-Janet era.

The most absurd outcome seems to be the banning of words like 'piss' while racial slurs continue unabated. On the brighter side, Dear Air seems inspired by the rise of Sattelite Radio.

Dead Air Dave also produced a short documentary about his experiences as the supreme bleeper.

[via Rockrap.com]

Last Day to Save Student Aid
Posted by Kristina Rizga on January 31, 2006 at 11:18 AM.

Tomorrow, February 1st, Congress will take a final vote on the Budget Reconciliation Bill. If passed, this bill will cut $12.7 billion dollars from student loan programs. This will be the largest cut to student aid in history. It will add on average of $2,000 to each student's debt each year.

American students already graduate with more debt than students in any other industrialized country. Two-thirds of college students now graduate with loans, and their average college debt is nearly $20,000 -- an increase of more than 50 percent since the early 1990s.

These cuts affect everyone -- dems, republicans, greens, independents -- especially low-income students and anyone who wants to go into lower-paying positions after school, such as teaching, social work, or public sector.

The United States Student Association, the League of Young Voters, Campaign for Our Future and hundreds of other organizations across the country are calling for a National Day of Action today.

For more information on how to stop this bill, please visit Ourfuture.org or Usstudents.org.

Here's your chance to show how to filibuster!

"Operation Offset"
Posted by Kristina Rizga on September 29, 2005 at 3:32 PM.

"Operation Offset" is what the Republicans are calling their new budget cut plan to pay for Hurricane Katrina. [LINK]

Most of the proposed cuts target the elderly and the poor, heavily targeting Medicare. Senior Journal.com reports:

"In a stunning announcement yesterday, the Republican Study Committee recommended shifting a big portion of the cost of Hurricane Katrina to the backs of America's senior citizens. Recommended program cuts impacting seniors include delaying the Medicare Prescription Drug Program, increase Medicare Part B Premium from 25% to 30%, impose a home health co-payment of 10%, reduce Medicaid administrative spending, increase allowable co-pays in Medicaid, block grant Medicaid acute services."

The new plan also eliminates all federal funding for energy conservation, the "Energy Star" program, energy efficient vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, high-speed rail, and light rail.

No more federal money for PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts. Nothing at all. Here's why:

"Eliminate Federal Funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting CPB. ... CPB and PBS continue to use federal funding to pay for questionable programming, such as a documentary on sex education funded by the Playboy Foundation. Additionally, much of the programming on PBS, such as Sesame Street, could bring in enough annual revenues to cover the loss of federal funding. Savings: $5.6 billion over ten years ($2.2 billion over five years)"[LINK]

Also facing cuts are AmeriCorps, the "Even Start" program, security and anti-drug funding for inner-city schools, all federal loans to graduate students, the Global AIDS Initiative, the EPA, the Center for Disease Control, pensions and healthcare plans for retired federal workers, job programs and revitalization funds for poor neighborhoods, the school lunch program, and community health centers.

As American philosopher Lily Tomlin says, "No matter how cynical I get, I just can't keep up!"

Saudis warn Iraq may face civil war
Posted by Kristina Rizga on September 23, 2005 at 1:08 PM.

It's not every day that you see a Saudi foreign minister going against the Bush administration's assessment of Iraq.

While the White House continues to offer a generally upbeat assessment of Iraq, The New York Times reported this morning that "Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, said Thursday that he had been warning the Bush administration in recent days that Iraq was hurtling toward disintegration, a development that he said could drag the region into war."

"Prince Saud's statements, some of the most pessimistic public comments on Iraq by a Middle Eastern leader in recent months, were in stark contrast to the generally upbeat assessments that the White House and the Pentagon have been offering."

"There is no dynamic now pulling the nation together," he said in a meeting with reporters at the Saudi Embassy here. "All the dynamics are pulling the country apart." He said he was so concerned that he was carrying this message "to everyone who will listen" in the Bush administration."

(Thanks for the lead Gerry.)

More tax cuts -- what?
Posted by Kristina Rizga on September 20, 2005 at 1:37 PM.

One of the biggest strengths of the Conservatives -- something I often envy -- is their ability to stay on the message and repeat it over and over and over again in the media. (Progressive media must do that more often -- we spend limited resources on stellar investigative reports that rarely get reprinted or discussed for greater critical mass and social impact.)

Staying on message works brilliantly most of the time, except in emergency situations like Katrina. And this is the weakness of Conservatives. They are not good at adjusting their messages in crisis situations.

On September 16th, President Bush again rejected Democratic pleas to reconsider his proposal to extend tax cuts. Bush's position is that to reverse the tax cuts would amount to a tax increase.

Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I don't see how on earth President Bush is going to be able to make a continued case for permanent tax cuts without seriously hurting his party in the 2006 congressional elections. And it's a shame that it's taking Dems so long to bring this issue to the forefront of the public consciousness. President Clinton -- a fiscally conservative Democrat -- already made a case against tax cuts in the mainstream media for them. All they need to do is repeat, repeat, repeat ...

This is a great issue to illustrate the weaknesses of conservative ideologies when it comes to governing. If we don't have a rainy day fund during Katrina -- the rainiest day of them all -- further tax cuts are irresponsible, even criminal. Our top decision-makers are not fit to govern. It's a simple message that should be repeated over and over and over again.

A quick refresher: President Bush has enacted tax cuts for the past four years, including a $1.35 trillion cut over 10 years signed in 2001. He wants Congress to make this cut permanent. For the majority of Americans, the tax cuts meant very little. The Center for American Progress reports that "By next year, for instance, 88% of all Americans will receive $100 or less from the Administration's latest tax cuts." Meanwhile, next year's budget deficit will be around whopping $567 billion.

Growing health care crisis
Posted by Kristina Rizga on September 14, 2005 at 5:00 PM.

My boyfriend and I were visiting my family in Latvia this summer where he got sick right away with a hardy European flu his American immune system couldn't handle. We didn't have health insurance, but as symptoms got worse I dared to call the doctor. To my surprise, the cost of a visit at home was $30. The cost of Lithuanian antibiotics that cured him? $3. Similar antibiotics at Walgreens? $50.

It makes sense then why the average American paid $5,267 on health care in 2002, compared with an average $1,821 in other industrialized nations. And it's not because our medical lawsuits are out of hand, as many Republicans like to argue. As AlterNet reported, recent research shows that health care increases come from high prices not costs. In other words, pharmaceutical companies charge more for the same drugs and health care companies charge more for the same services.

These rising prices contributed to the fact that even more Americans went without health insurance last year. And it means that more folks lack routine preventative care, resulting in expensive hospital visits for more serious problems.

According to a recent data by the Census Bureau released on August 30, there are 800,000 more Americans without health insurance this year than there were in 2003. Lack of insurance was much more common among those with low incomes.  Some 24.3 percent of people with incomes below $25,000 were uninsured, almost triple the rate of 8.4 percent for people with incomes over $75,000. And more depressing findings -- African-Americans (19.7 percent uninsured) and Hispanics (32.7 percent) were much more likely to be uninsured than white, non-Hispanic people (11.3 percent).

Luckily, the number of uninsured children didn't grow. The government health insurance programs such as Medicaid and SCHIP enrolled more children in 2004 and offset the reduction of private insurance plans for children.

There is no simple solution to this problem, but I am planning to channel some of my rage into next congressional elections coming up in November 2006. And I asked my dad to mail me some Lithuanian antibiotics.

If you are in college or are planning to enroll
Posted by Kristina Rizga on September 12, 2005 at 4:19 PM.

The Student Aid Action just reminded me that on September 26th, the Congress is considering a proposal to cut federal financial aid programs by nearly $9 billion dollars. If this cut passes, it will be the largest cut to student aid in history, forcing the typical student borrower to pay an additional $5,800 for his or her student loans and further closing the door on affordable college opportunities.

When the U.S. government can spend $1 billion on military operations in Iraq every day, we should be able to find a fraction of it for helping low-income students.

As I've mentioned in previous entries, student debt in the U.S. has risen dramatically in the last decade. Two-thirds of college students now graduate with loans, and their average college debt is nearly $20,000 -- an increase of more than 50 percent since the early 1990s.

American students already graduate with more debt than students in any other industrialized country. Financial Aid cuts affect low-income students and growing debt overall closes opportunities for graduates that want to go into lower paying positions, such as teaching and social work.

Take Action -- make a quick phone call before September 26th and urge your representative to oppose this proposal. Visit Student Aid Action website for instructions.

Ways to Help Children
Posted by Kristina Rizga on September 8, 2005 at 12:11 PM.

Among the millions of displaced Katrina survivors, there are now thousands of homeless children with emotional and physical scars that need immediate care and attention.

The total number of displaced kids appears well above 200,000 according to the New York Times estimate from September 7. In addition to basic needs for food and shelter, children need to find new schools where the classroom routine will provide a welcome relief from the chaos and trauma they experienced in the past week. Many schools can also provide much-needed counselors and immunization.

The resettlement of both K-12 and college students began last week and the Department of Education needs your help. Some historians argue that the Department is experiencing its worst crisis since its creation after the Civil War.

Here are a few ways you can support displaced children:

• If you or your school can donate text books, school supplies and clothes, you can post that information on the Department of Education's online bulletin board.
• Save the Children provides places to gather, play and learn for children awaiting resettlement, and also facilitates the search for missing parents.
• The United Way of America will try to buy school supplies for every displaced student.
• Connect for Kids -- a Washington D.C.-based non-profit youth resource center complied a helpful list of the various benefits that are available for homeless students, such as free meals, financial aid, transportation and more. Some of those groups need your assistance.

If you know of any additional resources that assist displaced children, please let us know.

The revolution will be televised
Posted by Kristina Rizga on August 17, 2005 at 12:48 PM.

The Worcester-based Participatory Culture Foundation just released free, open-source software for video -- DTV -- that allows individuals to create their own alternative TVs on their computers. DTV also allows millions of independent video bloggers and makers to bypass mainstream distributors and reach their viewers for free.

In a world where a new blog is created every three seconds, it’s hard to keep up with and filter such massive amount of information. DTV helps to view our favorite video content or ‘channels’ -- without visiting their website every day -- and learn about the new comers to the open source community.

This type of software might be covered in the “10 Things that Changed the World” specials in the next decade. The distribution barriers have been higher for video than for other mediums. Even short video files, lasting just a few minutes, can be many times larger than an average MP3 music file. With the inclusion of RSS feeds, it is now easy to share and view video content.

DTV turns into a DIY TV hub or aggregator on your computer with easy archiving and viewing tools. It takes no more than five minutes to download the software. DTV has an intuitive interface and flexible folders for ‘channel’ management. And it already comes with a few independent news channels that you can subscribe to, like the Media Matters’ daily updates of the right-wing, well ... nonsense. Like when Jim Dobson compared embryonic stem cell research to Nazi experiments.

Art in Action
Posted by Kristina Rizga on August 15, 2005 at 12:50 PM.

Every serious movement needs a band.

Social change takes years, often without an end in sight. Luckily, there are socially conscious musicians who help keep that hope and perseverence alive. Both the civil rights movement and the Vietnam war protests became more visible, personal and bigger with the help of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, a "We Shall Overcome" song created by African American textile workers, and Harry Belafonte, among many others, who often accompanied Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Operation Ceasefire" is a new coalition of concerned musicians determined to drum up the fight against what they believe is a misguided and immoral occupation of Iraq. Representing the breadth and diversity of the anti-war movement, "Operation Ceasefile" will bring some of the world's best punk, hip-hop, electronic and indie musicians to D.C. for a free, day-long concert on September 24. The concert will feature Thievery Corporation, Le Tigre, The Pharmacists, The Coup, Head-Roc, Ted Leo and many more. Activists Wayne Kramer, MC5, and Greg Palast will speak. The concert is a part of the larger four-day rally in Washington D.C.

For more information on the concert and rallies, click here.

We are mad as hell
Posted by Kristina Rizga on August 12, 2005 at 12:04 PM.

...and we are not taking it anymore,” says Cindy Sheehan on Huffington Post:

"Over 700 people showed up at the Camp yesterday. There were more people, flowers, cards, mail, interviews, laughter, heartache, camaraderie, excitement, and just sheer work."

Cindy Sheehan is still the biggest story in the blogworld. The tide is turning and it's swelling with some conservative supporters. Daily Kos finds a post from a life-long conservative (Cunning Realist), who is outraged by the right wing smear campaign:

“There are so many side issues of shamelessness and crass opportunism in this story it makes my head spin. Think about the gall of a political and media machine "accusing" a private citizen of changing her mind (imagine that!) about an elected and supposedly accountable public official."

Alex Keyssar via Huffington Post reminds us:

"For those of us of a certain age, it's hard not to be reminded of the mother's marches against the Vietnam war in the 1960s; busloads of middle-aged women were a lot harder to dismiss than shaggy haired radical protestors ... But those mothers marches made a difference, contributing to the swelling of popular opposition to the war. ... If there were a military draft now, I suspect that President Bush would be encountering protesting mothers every time he appeared in public."

I think Bush has cornered himself by now; it’s a no win situation for him. If he meets with Cindy Sheehan after such an extended, callous refusal, he appears weak and will potentially invite even more protesters. Besides, nothing will sound heartfelt at this point. If he doesn’t meet with Cindy, his polls will continue to plunge. Thank you, Cindy.