Category: Uncategorized

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California & New York To Raise Mimimum Wage To $15

California and New York become the first two states to implement $15 an hour minimum wage.

From the Washington Post:

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed into law a measure Monday that will hike the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2023 — making the Golden State the second in the nation to legislate a wage hike to that level. The first came minutes earlier in New York, where Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) signed a similar piece of legislation, implementing staggered wage hikes throughout the state over the next several years.

In a pair of statements, President Obama commended both Cuomo and Brown, describing the increase as a step in the right direction.

“Since I first called on Congress to increase the federal minimum wage in 2013, 18 states and more than 40 cities and counties have acted on their own — thanks to the strong leadership of elected officials, businesses, and workers who organized and fought so hard for the economic security families deserve,” he said in the statement on New York — and echoed in nearly identical language later on California’s minimum wage hike. “Now Congress needs to act to raise the federal minimum wage and expand access to paid leave for all Americans.”

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The Truth Hurts: Instagram Party

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Instagram PartyYou just gotta watch it again. #instagrampartyPosted by The Ryan and Amy Show on Tuesday, July 14, 2015

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Supreme Court Hands Big Loss To Conservatives On Voting Districts

Conservatives lost big today in a seldom-seen unanimous ruling from the Supreme Court on how voting districts are drawn.

From The New Civil Rights Movement:

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a rare unanimous decision, has just ruled that states may rely on total population, and not just eligible voter population, when redrawing voter districts. Conservatives in Texas argued that only eligible voters should be relied upon when redistricting, claiming the U.S. Constitution forbids counting immigrants, children, and prisoners, who are not legally eligible to vote.

“The plaintiffs alleged the Texas legislative map effectively diluted the representation of citizens in rural, Republican-leaning areas in favor of Democratic-trending cities like Houston, where the population includes immigrants and children who are ineligible to vote,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“As the Framers of the Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment comprehended, representatives serve all residents, not just those eligible to vote,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who authored the decision, wrote.

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Monday Music: The Beach Boys “God Only Knows”

Easily one of my favorite songs.

Someone mentioned The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” to me recently, so I went in search of a YouTube video, and here the Boys are – from all the way back in 1966.

I literally can’t listen to the tune just once. The rolling motif – by the band’s unstable yet brilliant Brian Wilson – builds to such aural awesomeness.

Happy Monday!

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Sometimes You Get Stuck

 
I’ve been a little lighter with posts on The Randy Report lately as I’m currently directing and choreographing a musical production in Palm Springs for the next few weeks.
I spent yesterday in the dance studio alone prepping for a few numbers. 
Every now and then, I get “stuck” – the next step takes a minute to come.
But eventually, it always does. 

Today will be a full day of rehearsals in the studio.

Happy Sunday everyone!