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Rolling Stone: Why Occupy Needs To Start Making Demands

It's Occupy Season again. In St. Louis on March 15, and in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park on St. Patrick's Day, Occupy Wall Street activists returned to the streets after a four-month hiatus and were bloodied in mass arrests. Two activists plan a "99% Spring" with the goal of training 100,000 new insurgents. Encampments are sprouting up all over, from Albany, New York to Cardiff, Wales to Boise, Idaho. People putting their bodies on the line in defense of the middle class has become a global fact of life. A year ago, who would have imagined that?

The New York Times: A Jobs Agenda, Anyone?

 There are other ideas worth fighting for. Take, for example, Fix America’s Schools Today, or FAST, an idea that has been incorporated into a House proposal to be introduced this fall by Jan Schakowsky, Democrat of Illinois. Public school buildings in the United States are on average over 40 years old and in need of an estimated $500 billion in repairs and upgrades. A $50 billion school renovation program would employ 500,000 workers (1.5 million construction workers are currently unemployed) and could be easily scaled up. The money could be disbursed through existing federal formulas to all 16,000 public school districts. The initial cost could be largely offset over 10 years by ending tax breaks for fossil fuels, as called for in Mr. Obama’s 2012 budget.

Progress Illinois: Schakowsky: We Must Insure All Americans

Reverting to that status quo, warns U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, is immoral and economically unsound.

TPM: Schakowsky Unveils Progressive Deficit Reduction Plan

A member of the White House's fiscal commission has released her own progressive plan for deficit reduction, after the commission's chairmen unveiled recommendations she vehemently opposes.

The Capitol Fax Blog: There’s Nothing Wrong With Being An Electrician and Politically Active. This Would Be America, After All.

There’s nothing at all wrong with people being an electrician or a handyman and at the same time being politically active. This would be America, after all.

Steve Sheffey: Jan Trumps Pollak at KINS Debate

Quick Summary: Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky proved at last night's debate that she is a strong friend of Israel. Joel Pollak proved that he's a smooth talker who needs to get his facts straight. The format of the debate did not allow Jan to correct all of Pollak's misstatements, but Jan reiterated the need and the reality of strong U.S. support for Israel, and took Pollak to task for dividing the community and turning Israel into a partisan football.

Chicago Sun Times: Jan Schakowsky serves 9th District well

 Jan Schakowsky deserves to be re-elected to Congress from the 9th district because:

1) She best represents the left-of-center political inclinations of her North Side and north suburban constituents.

2) She has proved to be an excellent representative, effective both in the district and in Washington.

Pioneer Local: Schakowsky, Pollak Differ on Extending Tax Cuts for Wealthy

Voters in the 9th Congressional District don't need to cut through political double-speak to figure out where U.S. Rep. Janice Schakowsky, D-9th, of Evanston, and Joel Pollak, her Republican challenger from Skokie, stand on the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts to higher-income earners.

Skokie Review: Schakowsky pleased housing for seniors moving ahead

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan commended Schakowsky for her leadership: "This project, which will create or save 105 jobs in Chicago and provide energy savings for the senior residents, may not have happened without Congresswoman Schakowsky's vote and leadership in getting the Recovery Act passed."

Daily Herald: 9th Dist. hopefuls on opposite sides of health care debate

Schakowsky said also wants to revisit the idea of public option health insurance - which Democrats gave up to get the law passed. The Congressional Budget Office estimates it would save $68 billion over seven years, she said.

"This, at base, for me is a moral issue," Schakowsky said, "that the United States of America, like every other developed nation in the world, says to its people 'We will not let you die for lack of health insurance like 45,000 Americans do right now'."