Dear friends,

Nearly five years ago, I came to People For the American Way Foundation with the goal of building a nationwide program to support young progressive leaders — to identify and prepare them for lifetimes of leadership in the movement — as campus activists, community organizers, business leaders, philanthropists, nonprofit directors, campaign directors and elected officials.

We are very used to hearing about welfare mothers and the working poor and how federal subsidies andtaxpayers’ monies are used to support them.  I do not hear much now about the fact that with the higher gas prices and the increases in basic food prices, the subsidies provided by the federal government to those people who are not fully integrated in the economy may not be enough.  What are some of the econ

The question we must address is whether, under these circumstances, the failure to designate the official relationship of same-sex couples as marriage violates the California Constitution.

In 2000, too young to vote, my stomach sank when the Knight Initiative [Added: Proposition 22] — a marriage ban written by a man with a gay son — and an "anti-gang" measure sure to disproportionately target young people of color passed in California.

Organizing around the marriage ban those initiatives was one of my introductions to the world of activism. Now the Supreme Court of my home state has ruled the ban unconstitutional!

Holy Igloo, Batman! The New York Times reports that after an avalanche destroyed the energy transmitters that provide Juneau, Alaska with 80% of its power, the town is suddenly the bastion of green:

There's a great op-ed from the Chronicle of Higher Education I just got forwarded. It lays out the case that many athletic departments (especially those in Division I), when their financial books are opened to the sunlight, are draining immense amounts of money from their parent institutions. Money that could be used to fund scholarships, loan repayment programs, and upgrade academic facilities.

No matter if one loves college sports or not, I think the lesson to be learned here is that when budgets are hidden and undemocratic, abuse runs rampant. Whether or not to heavily subsidize college sports programs should be a collective institutional decision, and not the prerogative of those on top. Students - and especially those on sports teams - should be organizing and demanding participatory budgeting.

I've included the article here:

Yesterday former Democratic Presidential nominee John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama for President. This recent development is particularly meaningful in sending the message to Hillary Clinton that it is time to throw in the towel. The continuing Primary race is bad for everyone in very real ways. First off, Democratic polticians cannot publically berate each other and expect the public to believe later that they will function smoothly when this is all over. The nature of debates thus far has made it impossible for an Obama-Clinton ticket to seem at all good for the country. On the same note, I would entertain the idea of an Obama-Edwards ticket which I've been calling for since the start of the race in 2007.

...and I need help!

Students who are first in their families to attend college are: