The Omega Grub Station--An Uplifting End to 2011

Everyday on my way to work I pass dozens of small (lower case s) businesses.  The Bread Basket Deli.  Motel McGuire's.  Joe's Country Oven Restaurant.  The Hot Spot (not what you might think--sign says they offer coffee and company).  Mel's Grill.  La Bella Salon.  Dawn Donuts (which offered ice cream and lotto--some definite outside the box thinking for a doughnut shop).  Uncle Ed's Oil Shoppe.  And the tiny restaurant mentioned in the title--The Omega Grub Station.

The one thing that always amazes me (other than the fact that they've all survived the Great Recession, lest, sadly, Dawn Donuts which closed in the past couple of weeks) is the gumption it must take to start your own business.  I pass auto shops, electrical shops, and plumbing shops on my way to work, too, and while I imagine it takes a certain gumption for them as well, they're selling a skill that most of us lack (just ask us--we've tackled two minor plumbing problems since we bought our house in the fall and thoroughly botched both).  But what nerve it must take to think to yourself  "I can make coffee good enough and provide a pleasant enough atmostphere that I can make enough money to pay not only the rent on the building that houses my business, but one for a roof over my head as well."  Or to think you can make a breakfast good enough (as The Omega Grub Station's sign proclaims), that enough people will want to buy, so that the fears of failure and bankruptcy and unemployment don't overwhelm your confidence in your abilities.  Or to think you can make doughnuts so good that they will overcome the name recognition and powerful ad budgets of Dunkin' Donuts or Krispy Kreme.   What about health insurance costs?  The safety of working for a large corporation?  Like I said:  lots of gumption.

And it's a good thing, too.  Surprisingly, 99% of American businesses employ less than 500 people--and 52% of Americans work for those companies.  (There's that 1% again!)  Small business provides more opportunities for women and minorities in entry level positions.  And frankly, as I drive past these little businesses everyday I think they are the future of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

William Deresiewicz ran a piece in The New York Times a couple months back that has stayed with me concerning the millenials, those born from the late 1970s through the 1990s.  He calls them Generation Sell, but sees in their desire to run and create businesses that offer real value and transformative products a starting point for the 99%.  In the end, despite conservative misreading of the Occupy movement (and what a surprise that was), isn't that what the fuss was all about?  Businesses that are about people--both customers and employees--as much as profits?  Businesses that bring about all of our better selves?

From Isaiah 11:6:  "Wolves will live with lambs. Leopards will lie down with goats. Calves, young lions, and year-old lambs will be together, and little children will lead them."

The future is in the rearview mirror and gaining on us...and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy 2012!

Peace,
emaycee

Bullet Points--The Year End Downer

Well, here's some bitchin' news:  nearly one half of all Americans are now considered poor or low income.  Remind me again what the American dream was?  Not too hard to figure out why, though:

• There are currently 4.25 job seekers for every job opening.  Despite record corporate profits, private America is not creating new jobs.
• The number of people comprising the middle class in California has fallen to its lowest level since 1980, and is now less than half for the first time (49.7%).  The number has consistently fallen since 1980, which, shock of all shocks, happens to be the year the Great Decimator, Ronald Reagan, was elected President.  So much for the antointettes theories of less government enriching all of us.
• Income inequality is not only a problem in the U. S. but across the globe.  Surprise, surprise, surprise:  overpaying executives does not trickle down to the rest of us.
• Over the last three years, corporate tax dodging has cost states $42 billion.  Wonder how many folks were kept in poverty because social benefits were cut, education funding was cut, and government payrolls were cut so the 1% could get even wealthier....
• Thinking about donating $25 to a beloved Progressive candidate?  Might want to think again:  between 2008 and 2010 thirty corporations spent more on lobbying than they paid in income taxes.  That $25 ought to get you a neat one way ticket to Palookaville.
• Since the start of the Great Recession, the number of households in America that are food insecure (not able to eat three squares a day) has risen 30% to 17.2 million households, or 48.8 million Americans.  What the fuck?  How does this happen in America?  One in six people?  A sign of a great nation is not that business is booming at food banks.

And yet...we're getting a few politicians to talk about the plight of the 99%.  The traditional media is at least acknowledging that income inequality is a growing problem.  The republicans are at least a little scared that the gig is up on their class warfare malarkey.

All the more reasons to keep fighting and writing in 2012.

Peace,
emaycee

Everywhere a sign

Meteor Blades has some interesting charts from 2011--most of which show the path to victory for President Obama:  republicans are for the rich and for fucking the rest of us over.

Think Progress has the top ten craziest economic policy ideas of 2011--I'd like to say these are talking points for running against republicans in 2012 (most of the ideas are truly batshit insane), but with the traditional media we have and the fact that the antoinettes are running the republican party, I'm not sure it would do much good.

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."  Plato

More light, please.

Peace,
emaycee

The ghost of elections future

Rick Snyder has been governor of our beloved Michigan for almost a year now.  It is not unfair to say that it has been an unmitigated disaster for 99% of us.  While unemployment has fallen slightly (and a case can be made that this is more a result of Obama's auto bailout than anything Snyder has done), our seniors are having their pensions taxed,  the time unemployed Michiganders can collect unemployment has been shortened (plus they can be forced to take a lower paying job in lieu of unemployment checks), workers compensation laws have been tilted heavily in favor of corporations, and state and local governments can no longer offer domestic partners benefits.  The one project that could have been good for our state--creating jobs and improving our living conditions--the second bridge through Detroit to Canada, Gov. Snyder failed to get passed.

On the bright side, he did manage to swing a tax cut for big Business that has done nothing so far to either create a major increase in jobs or improve our standard of living..

I mention this because recent polling here in Michigan shows President Obama losing to Mitt Romney, 46-41.  While it's early, one has to wonder what the fuck Michigan voters are thinking.  Mittens and Gov. Snyder are birds of a feather--pampered rich boys whose loyalties lie with the 1%.

In simpler terms:  Rick Snyder ran as "one tough nerd."  In reality, he has been "one complete bozo."  No reason to believe Mittens will be any different.

Peace,
emaycee

When will we ever learn?

While George Bernard Shaw has famously remarked that we learn nothing from history, it's amazing that we can't even learn when it's right in front of our faces.

Hunter from The Daily Kos has an excellent piece (a little long, but worth the time) on the utter failure of austerity measures in the European debt crisis.  Rather than expand economies--the conventional and incorrect wisdom--they've actually contracted the economy and made it worse.  But you cannot pick up a newspaper or watch a news show without idiot after idiot (including plenty of Dems, and our fearless leader, President Obama) saying we have to get the deficit under control.

No, we don't.  We have to get people jobs.  We have to fix our sorry ass infrastructure (how come so many people don't want to leave their children a huge federal debt but seem to have no problem with leaving them with crumbling bridges, debilitated aqueducts, and roads with zillions of potholes, all of which pose a much greater danger than a red balance sheet?).  We need to train and educate the workforce displaced by the Great Recession.

It takes money to make money.  Do that, and the deficit will take care of itself.

Peace,
emaycee

In the rearview mirror

The war in Iraq is over.  While I understand those that served and felt it was worth the effort to set up democracy there, I can't say I feel the same.  My initial thought when the war started--which I opposed from the start--was that a lot of American boys and girls would die for a lot of nothing, and nine years later that pretty much sums it up.  That it also played a major part in destroying our economy just adds insult to injury.

It amazes me how many people will say it was worth it to free an oppressed people (and why were the Iraqis so special?  plenty of oppressed people on this planet).  Anyone want to guess the American people's reaction had that been Bush the lesser's reason for invading Iraq?  Thanks but no thanks is the polite answer.  It was about WMDs, we were told.  Hussein's connection to 9/11.  Our need for safety in wake of 9/11, our thirst for vengeance.

In the end it was just another rich man's war, another in a series of unnecessary wars we have fought since the War to End All Wars, that resulted in lots of American deaths for reasons that are at best dubious, and at worst, a lie.

Peace,
emaycee

Happy Birthday

Wouldn't have known it if I hadn't been sent an e-mail, but the Bill of Rights is 220 years old today.  A couple of sites have bemoaned its dilution or poked a little fun at its imperfections.  It's hard to say what America would be like without them, but one thing I'm pretty certain of is that the odds of  little ol' me typing this blog tonight are considerably lessened without them.

So Happy Birthday--and with a special thanks to the littlest Big Man in the history of our great nation:  Mr. James Madison.

Peace,
emaycee

The Big Payback

While I appreciate the effort by Senator Sanders to overturn Citizen's United with a constitutional amendment, and I believe firmly, as Digby notes in the link, that devotion to this cause would be about as important of a movement as liberals could undertake, we are absolutely kidding ourselves that this amendment will ever be anything more than a pipe dream.

It takes a two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate to move an amendment forward.  We couldn't manage 60 votes in the Senate for a measly Public Option in the healthcare debate, and we're going to get 67 for this amendment?  And 350 (approximately) votes in the House?  Of course, two-thirds of the state legislatures could call for a constitutional convention to propose the amendment, but it has never happened in the country's history and considering the conservative strain running through the south, this isn't likely to be the amendment to be the first.

So smart ass, you're probably wondering, what do you propose?  Simple:  attack it like religious right has attacked abortion.  Sue, sue, sue.  If corporations are indeed people, they should have no more rights or privileges than the rest of us.  Start with tax deductions--if a corporation is a person, they should get no more deductions than you or I.  When a corporation is charged with a crime, they should have to stand trial as any other person would.  If convicted, shut down the corporation.  If a person is convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison, he or she doesn't  get to keep going to work.  The possibilities are endless.

My guess is, after a short while of being treated like an actual  person, minus the privileges they're accustomed to, corporate America would be begging to be only a business entity once more.

Peace,
emaycee

A Dyslexic Heart

This is about as disheartening of a poll as I've read in quite some time--64% of Americans think Big Government is a major threat to the future of America, while only 26% think Big Business is.  A mere 8% think Big Labor is a major threat (thank heavens for small miracles).

You have to wonder if there is any hope for the poor and the middle class in America at all.  If after Enron, MCI, Lehmann Brothers, the Wall Street meltdown, Citizen's United, ad nauseum, which resulted in millions of jobs lost and an ever decreasing standard of living for 99% of us didn't make us question the motives of Big Business, maybe nothing ever will.

I've said it before:  Big Government may oftentimes be inept, but Big Business is vrtually always evil.  And when mortals dance with the devil, eventually Mr. Lucifer will get the better of them.

Peace,
emaycee

Welcome to the fight, my friend

Today Time magazine declared the Occupy Movement as the number one story of 2011--considerably surprising, at least to me, as the traditional media is usually a day late and a dollar short on issues that matter to 99% of its readers.

Yesterday, President Obama took the unprecedented step--for him, anyway--of telling a group of Americans in Kansas that the trickle down theory republicans have embraced since I was a young man doesn't work, and never has worked. (He could have asked me--I've known it since the mid 1980s.)

President Obama has let us down numerous times before, and I have no idea if he'll continue on this tack or not.  But I hope he does--win or lose in 2012, I'd much rather do it fighting for what's best about the Democratic Party's ideals than merely paying them lip service and fighting as republican lite.

Peace,
emaycee

Arguing with the irrational

There's a group known as the American Legislative Exchange Council which is basically supported by the likes of the Koch Brothers and Wal-Mart (among others) who write or help to write legislation concerning environmental, health care, and corporate regulation, obviously to the detriment of 99% of us.

This week ALEC noted that it was an acceptable risk for 12-15,000 children a year to ingest rat poison.  They did this for the betterment of d-Con--and not for the betterment of America.  (Want to guess how many d-Con products I'll be purchasing for the rest of my life?  It's the same as the average IQ for republicans:  zero.)  Ingestion of this product leads to internal bleeding, bloody urine, bleeding gums, and blood coming out of the ears of children.

I'm all for the Kumbaya movement, but how do they expect to argue income inequality and for a fair chance for the poor and middle class against people who deem it "acceptable" that 12-15,000 children will be hospitalized yearly with internal bleeding all so d-Con can make a few more fucking pennies?

Peace,
emaycee

When you look up pathetic in the dictionary...

...or bonehead...or braindead....it would have to have excerpts from this article about the losers in Scottsdale, Arizona who are paying money to have their pictures taken with Santa while holding guns.

Look, I've come to accept the fact that in America gun control is never going to happen.  Americans are in love with their guns and have convinced themselves that firearms are their God-given and (mistakenly) Constitutional right.  You want a picture of yourself holding a gun with scantily clad babes surrounding you?  Fine--you're an idiot, but fine.  You want to plaster your facebook page with pictures of yourself holding your slew of weapons?  Fine--good waste of time, but fine.  But fucking pictures with Santa?  What's next, selling the opportunity to have your photo taken with a creche? The baby Jesus, Me, and an AK-47--only $10!

How pathetically sad and mundane does your life have to be that having your picture taken with Santa while holding guns gives you a thrill?  Santa--and Christmas itself--are the very antithesis of guns.  It's about peace on earth and good will toward men.

I'll tell you one thing:  I'll never call myself a loser again.  These fucking bozos are beyond compare in that department.

Peace,
emaycee

Thanks for clearing that up

Apparently, not investing in your company for the long term and laying off workers has another benefit for corporate CEOs:  that money can be used for stock buybacks which raise the price of stocks and help increase CEO bonuses!

I'm not sure which scares me the most about this trend.  It's either the fact that I read the piece and thought, "Holy shit!  That's exactly like the company I work for!" or that I have been saying for years that corporations lip service to "customers" is just so much bullshit because if they could find a way to make more money without customers, they would and now they've figured out how to do just that.

Either way, it's a lose-lose proposition for an awful lot of folks.

Peace,
emaycee

Token numbers

For the first time since Pew began polling the question, less than half of all Americans believe in the superiority of our culture.  Most Americans now believe America is not just in a slump, but on the downside of permanent decline.  I have no idea if these opinions are correct--if history is any judge, America's decline will eventually happen.  The sliver of optimism that makes me a Liberal tells me it is years away still, but I wouldn't place any wagers on it.

I would, however, place wagers on some of the reasons why:

• Child poverty continues to increase in America--one in five American--that's right, fucking American--children are poor.
• 45.8 million Americans are seeking food stamps.  That's 15% of the population of the richest nation on earth--that means as you're walking down a city street, strolling through a busy mall, or sitting at the stadium watching the game that one and a half of every ten people you meet are in need of help to fucking eat.
• For the last two years, over 40% of the unemployed are long-term jobless--a figure unheard of before.  Doesn't stop republicans from trying to suck blood from a turnip in return for Democrats trying to help those long-term unemployed.
• We have fewer jobs--of any sort, let alone ones that make for a decent living.  Pay increased by 20% for the top 1%, but median pay for Americans fell to $26k a year--about $507 a week.  Try buying a home and putting kids through college on that pay.  Hell, funding an apartment and feeding a family would be hard on that shit pay.

I know it's an uncomfortable topic for the 1% and their enablers, but a return to the days of the robber barons will only hasten America's decline.  When a decent home, affordable transportation, a vacation once in a while, basic medical care, and simple sustenance become out of reach for more and more Americans while the richest of the rich continue to be grossly overpaid, it's going to get harder and harder for the poor majority to pick up weapons to defend them, harder and harder to maintain infrastructure for them, harder and harder to run their cash registers, fix their cars, take their blood pressure, and teach their children.

Where economic pessismism reigns for the majority, the death of a nation can't be far behind.

Peace,
emaycee

Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming...

I guess we can be thankful for small favors--at least they're only using pepper spray instead of  bullets from rifles.

It does, though, sum up exactly what the Occupy movement is standing up for--I mean the "police officers" attacking the seated, non-threatening students have all the compassion of those Wall Street jackoffs who got us into our current economic mess.

It's enough to make you sick.

Peace,
emaycee

I nominate Rick Santorum...

...for lying numbnuts of the the week.

I'll believe Santorum's claim of how good suffering is for the human race when Mr. Santorum takes the lead and makes sure his children don't have enough to eat, have toothaches because their beleaguered parents can't afford to take them to the dentist, get sicker and die quicker because medical care is financially out of reach, and end up in dead end jobs because a college education is as affordable as a trip on a rocket ship to the moon.

Until such a time, I'll figure Mr. Santorum is another one of those "Christians" for whom suffering is good as long as it's somebody else, and once outside of the womb couldn't give a shit if the human being lived or died as long as Mr. Santorum still has time to polish his nickels and dimes.

Peace,
emaycee

Going Underground

On November the 8th, the Occupy Wall Street movement polled as being nearly twice as popular as the Antoinettes.  By November 17th, 43% had a higher opinion of the Antoinettes as opposed to 37% for OWS.  Three little words:  what the fuck?

One would have to assume the clearing of Zuccotti Park was probably going to happen eventually (as well as other locales), but the numbers cited above sure had to hasten the actions of the police state, as well as make the powers that be's coordinated actions against the various Occupy movements seem less nefarious.  Conservatives favorite Liberal media whipping boy, The New York Times, immediately went into typical traditional media chickenshit mode and sanitized the military raid on peaceful, Constitution following protestors.

That Chris Hayes reported that a lobbying firm for Wall Street is planning to spread their usual bullshit and make Democrats pay for Occupy Wall Street support--so republicans can do what they do best:  fellate the 1%--also doesn't come as a surprise.  Nor is it a surprise that Antoinette media is lying out its ass with its dirty hippie schtick--one would think some enterprising son of a bitch in the tradtional media would point out that the 60's are long over and that most of us (i.e., those with a brain) have realized that enjoying sex is a good thing, it's okay for women to work, and the Viernam War really was a fiasco.

Look, I agree with Matt Taibibi--one of the true joys of watching the OWS movement is that it is a bunch of ordinary Americans who are just sick and tired of politicans who don't care and everything being just another product to be sold to all of us.  I'm glad the OWS protestors in New York City didn't give up and came back fighting to shut Wall Street down.  But I think we are absolutely kidding ourselves that we're going to Ghandi our way to success with this movement.  For one, the movement lacks a Ghandi (or an MLK)--larger than life leaders are the backbone of any movement.  For another, as this last week illustrates, the 1% have the money, own the media, own the police, have just enough dimwit Antoinettes willing to eat the fatty scraps from their tables, and have no qualms about outright lying or cheating to gain and keep their economic domination.

For fuck's sake, at least Ghandi and MLK only had to overcome hate--we've also got to fight our way through an irrationality that's like Dante's Inferno on steroids.

Peace,
emaycee

A cold, cold heart

From Michigan republican Senate hopeful Clark Durant:

"In regards to the Occupy Wall Street movement, Durant said the protesters should 'go find a job.' In regards to the wealth gap the movement decries, Durant said, 'I think it should be wider.'"

While I think the radical legislation struck by Gov. Snyder and the state gop have improved Senator Stabenow's re-election odds immeasurably (and President Obama's chances here in Michigan as well) by firing up unions and the Democratic base (note that Karl Rove--don't like him, but no political dummy--isn't spending money here, at least yet), it doesn't hurt when republicans like Durant (don't think the republicans here in Michigan are nutty enough to elect him) say things that really serve to underscore the differences between the parties.

People like me and you just don't matter to republicans--they wouldn't pee on you if you were on fire unless they were taking your last nickel as payment.

Peace,
emaycee

Somehow not a great notion

"Both parties have something to be excited about," said Nathan Gonzales, political editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report. "The results point to an extremely close situation ahead of the election in 2012."

I kind of like the fact that the traditional media is pushing its nonsense that both Democrats and republicans were winners in last Tuesday's elections.  Frankly, after the debacles in '09 and '10, it wasn't just a good night for Liberals, it was a stellar night.

For the Dems:

• Total ass kicking in Ohio on SB5--collective bargaining rights for public workers upheld.
• Personhood amendment in Mississippi (pissed off that they're nanobot to the left of Oklahoma) is also crushed.
• Easily hold the state Senate in Iowa.
• Gain a state legislature seat in New Jersey.
• Election day registration restored in Maine.
• Hold Kentucky governor's office with ease.
• State Rep. Paul Scott (republican) becomes the first Michigan legislator recalled since 1983.

For the gop:

• Win share of Virginia Senate--quite a comedown when the republicans are happy with a Senate split in a state that was very recently solid red.
• Hold onto governorship in Mississippi.  In other news, moon still revolving around earth.
• Won some goofy referendum on Obama's health reform mandate--which Ohio voters will change their minds about once it's properly explained to them.

While I don't think the elections of 2012 will be anything like the wave elections of 2006, the traditional media did not foresee the Democratic gains then, and I think they're going to be just as prescient in 2012.  The gop overreached, and there's bound to be some blowback (as well as some Dems reluctantly coming home--the alternative is a bit more scary than frustration should allow).

The longer republicans believe they're invincible, the better for us.

Peace.
emaycee

Workers of the world, rejoice!

A big victory for working men and women last night--SB5, the Ohio bill which stripped public workers of their collective bargaining rights was soundly rejected by voters.  Why is this important?

Because this is your wages without unions:

Any questions?

Peace,
emaycee

A good caining

I only saw a few minutes of Herman Cain's press conference today, but my response was (actually said aloud), "You're a fucking liar." (Followed by me frantically looking around the break room to make sure no one else was in there with me.)  I mean, really, one accuser and you might be willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt.  But five?

And you have to love the bullshit about how it was orchestrated by the Democrats.  Really?  Because I can pretty much guarantee that the Obama re-election campaign staff from top to bottom is praying Herman Cain is the candidate they face in November 2012.

But what really kills me is this idea that somehow this is firing up the republican base because it's all a plot by the "mainstream media and the Liberals."  Horsehit.  Sex sells--Bill Clinton brought on much unwanted media exposure in his tryst with Monica Lewinsky.  And they're just defending their flavor of the month--fair enough (not like we didn't defend Bill Clinton, though in fairness to us Clinton's sexcapades were consensual) but skip the phony persecution complex.

Herman Cain is a pervert--don't blame bogeymen for an inconvenient fact.

Peace,
emaycee

The wrong side of history

One of the most important stories not being given the heft it deserves by the traditional media is the republican war on voters' rights.  They can't win enough elections on the merit of the arguments (since about 70% either aren't sure or are convinced the republicans are completely full of shit), so they'll suppress Democratic voters.  In a word, cheat. 

And--surprise, surprise--their main targets are the least of their brothers:  the poor and minorities.

George Bernard Shaw famously said, "We learn from history that we learn nothing from history."  One has to wonder if the famously dim republicans responsible for draconian voting restrictions thought very much about Indonesia under Sukarno, South Africa under apartheid, Egypt under Mubarak, Libya under Qaddafi, or hell, the American colonies under King George.  Disenfranchising people who have absolutely nothing to lose is a recipe for disaster--as all of the above eventually found out.

Peace,
emaycee

A classic

A reader of Digby's posted this on Hullaballoo today:

"From FDR to Reagan--We hire you, you work hard, we prosper, you prosper.

From Reagan to present--we hire you, you work hard, we prosper."

It literally says it all.

Peace,
emaycee

A little fun

I took this quiz from The Political Compass--it's a little different than the norm, but still fun.

For the record:  I was pretty much a left-wing libertarian.  Hell, I was to the left of any historical (past and present) figure they showed--even Gandhi.  And I was so far to the left of President Obama that...well, let's just say I'd scare the living shit out of any Antoinette.

Peace,
emaycee

Motto citizens

Seems their single-minded quest to do absolutely nothing to create jobs or stimulate the U.S. economy is not enough for the fuck-ups on the right.  Nope, they voted this week to affirm (for the third time, previously done in 1956 and 2002) "In God we trust" as our national motto.  When President Obama questioned the republican resolve on helping ordinary Americans get back to work after the vote, one Tom Price (R-GA) said the vote was important to "remind" Obama about the country's motto.

Hmmm.

Pretty sure the only thing President Obama was reminded of was just how piss ant of a gesture it was, and just how fucking ignorant and incompetent his republican colleagues are.

Well done, ladies and gentlemen of the right!

Peace,
emaycee

Out of the inkwell

There's an old circus clown act where a Volkswagen drives into the big tent and one clown after another comes pouring out of the car--a seemingly endless parade of white faces with big red noses.

This would also be an apt description of the race for the republican nominee to be the next President of the United States.  Note the following:

Abt/SRBI for Washington Post/ABC News. 10/31-11/3. Registered voters (Republicans and GOP-leaning independents). MoE ±5.5% (9/29-10/2 results):

Mitt Romney: 24 (25)
Herman Cain: 23 (17)
Rick Perry: 13 (17)
Newt Gingrich: 12 (9)
Ron Paul: 8 (9)
Michele Bachmann: 4 (7)
Rick Santorum: 1 (2)
Jon Huntsman: 1 (1)

A few months back, Michelle Bachmann was the queen of the republican prom.  Unfortunately, it turned out she was a nutjob.  Then Rick Perry was the shit's favorite turd.  Unfortunately, it turned out he had absolutely no talent for even faking that he was qualified to be President.  Now the great white hope (so to speak) is one Herman Cain.  Unfortunately, it turns out he is a pervert...oh, wait--it's okay in republican circles to be a perv (unless your name is Bill Clinton) as Mr. Cain's numbers have gone up despite the three sexual harassment complaints against him as reported this week.

God only knows who will be the next saviour, but frankly the only candidate who can pass the emaycee test (who has a better chance to be President--me or "insert name of republican candidate"?) is Mitt Romney.  For fuck's sake--I'm not even running and I'm pretty damn certain 7 out of their 8 current candidates have the same odds of being President as I do:  a trillion to one.  And after John Kerry flip flopped his way to failure in 2004, you know the Obama team is salivating at facing Mitt Romney.

The upshot of this?  Barack Obama may be the luckiest s.o.b. on the planet.  Despite a punch drunk economy and a less than enthusiastic Democratic base, he still stands a decent chance of being re-elected.  And if the republicans elect anyone other than "always around 25%" Mitt, he'll probably win re-election in a landslide.

And we'll get to spend four more years bitching about him.

Peace,
emaycee

A nation turns its lonely eyes to you

In a way, you can understand the Antoinette's reaction (though calling Elizabeth Warren a "socialist whore" was, even for an Antoinette, beyond the pale):  the Occupy Wall Street movement is gaining in popularity with the American people thoroughly stomping the Tea Party in approval, the republicans have had control of the house and numerous big state governorships and--surprise, surprise--the economy is getting not better but worse, Warren is a real threat to end the Massachusetts miracle for republicans after a mere two years, the republican primary has rapidly become an increasingly bizarre episode of Bozo's Circus.

The real story of the Antoinette's outburst at the Warren event is the utter graciousness with which Warren handled the heckler, even showing empathy for the poor bastard.  Can anyone in his right mind imagine a republican candidate for a U.S. Senate seat treating a Liberal heckler with such grace?

Didn't think so.

Peace,
emaycee

The Unspectacular

Evil is unspectacular and always human,
And shares our bed and eats at our own table.
                                                                      W.H. Auden


I've felt for some time--since at least Reagan the dullard was President--that all of America's problems begin and end with corporations.  Their money has corrupted our government; their greed has lessened the standard of living for 99% of us.  Anyone who has seen a Wal-Mart (or any other corporation) commercial about the happy family who saved x amount of money by buying some shit or other has to know by now that all Wal-Mart (or any other corporation) really cares about is what's in the family members' purses or wallets.  But they run these commercials and sell their images through groups like the Antoinettes to make themselves seem, as Mr. Auden suggested, that they are just like you and me.

They are not.

If there is any one point that Occupy Wall Street needs to make inroads on it is that there is a clear difference between the 99% and the 1%.  They do not share our beds--they shackle us to them.  They do not eat at our own table--they eat us for lunch. 

They have corrupted the system.  It is our duty to clean it up.

Peace,
emaycee

And while you're at it...

Eric Cantor, the weaselly, greasy wimp from Virginia was in Michigan yesterday at that one time great bastion of Liberalism, the University of Michigan.  I have no idea what he spoke about, and I don't care.  Any republican since Reagan is programmed to say and do the same thing--fellate the wealthy and corporate America, and fuck over the poor and the middle class.  Whoop-de-do.

I mention it only because of the Detroit Free Press headline for the article noting his appearance.  The headline said that Cantor received "cheers and jeers" for his appearance.  While I appreciate that journalists do their best to only present the facts, I wonder...what does one suppose the cheers were for?  Helping to destroy the economy and further the ruin of the middle class during the Bush years?  Getting America hopelessly involved in two absolutely pointless wars that cost us trillions at the expense of our own people?  Kissing Wall Street's ass after it completely fucked up our livelihoods?  Getting elected in 2010 after talking about jobs and then doing absolutely nothing to create them?  Obstructing Democrats at every turn for actually trying to make the economy better?  For lying to the American people again and again to create class warfare and then complaining when the tables are turned?  For sticking us with healthcare that gets more expensive and is less effective than a host of other nations comparable to our own?

Cheering for Eric Cantor is kind of like cheering for getting kicked in the gonads--but then, no one ever accused republicans of being the brightest fuckers around.

Peace,
emaycee

The Song is Over

It's hard sometimes for old farts like me to not view the Democratic Party through rose-colored glasses.  When I hear the words "Democratic Party" it still conjures images of Thomas Jefferson, FDR, JFK, and LBJ.  Politicans who saw the government as a force for good, as a means to protect the poor and the middle class against heartless corporations, politicans who thought giving the less fortunate a leg up made America an even greater nations than it was.  At one time--contrary to any bullshit republican claims today about Democrats and unions--Democrats actually supported unions and didn't merely pay them lip service while continuing to grease their palms with corporate cash.  At one time, we were the party that could be counted on to defend and protect Social Security and Medicare.  We were the party that knew it was part of our better nature to offer welfare and food stamps to those down on their luck until they were on their feet again.

Alas--though there are exceptions--that Democratic Party doesn't exist anymore.  After statements from Sen. Patty Murray that Social Security cuts are on the table from the Catfood Commission II and continued austerity talks from the Democrats, is it any wonder that the Occupy Wall Street movement wants nothing to do with Democrats any more than republicans?  And they shouldn't.

Sure, I'll vote for Democrats in 2012--but it'll only be in the hope that the country will not get any worse under their tutelage than it obviously would under republicans, and not because of hope that they will make the country better.

And that's sad.

Peace,
emaycee

Wishing upon a Star

I suppose such a poll was bound to happen since Hilary Clinton ran such a solid campaign in 2008 and just came up short, but numbers like these showing her crushing Obama's likely rivals in 2012 (and Obama not performing nearly as well) are about as fluffy as a Stay-Puft marshmallow.  I'd be the last person to defend President Obama's record, but anyone who thinks Hilary's agenda would be any better is kidding him/herself.  The Clintons have always tacked to the right side of the Democratic party, and are about as corporate friendly a pair as one will ever find.  God bless them for rescuing the Democrats from the Presidential wasteland in 1992, but thinking that the economy or the country would be on a better track under Secretary Clinton is wishful thinking.

And that doesn't even consider that if there is one American whom the republicans hate more than Barack Obama, it's Hilary Clinton.  One can't even imagine the money they'd throw to defeat her, the scandals they'd cook up, and the stories they'd make up on the fly.

My guess is--though, she, too, would probably win in the end--it would be a lot, lot closer than the numbers they're projecting.

And besides, we've got to play the cards we're dealt.

Peace,
emaycee

Make my cake chocolate, please

As the Occupy movements continue (somewhat surprisingly, to me at least), this piece by Ian Millhiser (entitled, appropriately enough with Halloween just around the corner, "What If the Tea Party Wins?") of the Center for American Progress delineates just how important this movement is, especially as the antithesis to the Antoinettes.  For the Antoinettes, the idea of the United States providing any kind of assistance (FEMA, food stamps, Medicaid) to its people in need, is unconstitutional.  The idea of the government providing any of life's necessities (healthcare via Medicare, retirement income via Social Security, education of any kind) is unconstitutional.  And they won't stop until these programs--and with them, America as a viable nation--are destroyed.

I've had my ups and downs with Bill Clinton throughout the years, but he can always be counted on when the chips are down.  And I think President Clinton knew exactly, from a timing and factually relevant standpoint, what he was saying when he made this point:

"You know, there’s not a single solitary example on the planet, not one, of a country that is succesful because the economy has triumphed over the government and choked it off and driven the tax rates to zero, driven the regulations to nonexistent and abolished all government programs, except for defense, so people in my income group never have to pay a nickel to see a cow jump over the moon. There is no example of a succesful country that looks like that."

And these two things are why, despite the disappointments, we need to keep fighting the good fight, to keep Americans living up to our ideal of "e pluribus unum."

Peace,
emaycee

Trust no one

You know, it's not bad enough that they want to overwork and underpay us, but they've got to insult our intelligence, too.  Apparently USA Today (the gold standard in U.S. journalism, I'm sure) ran a piece featuring wisdom from one Laura Laing, and her book, Math for Grownups.  According to Miss Laing, getting a raise isn't always a good thing (what the fuck?) because, horror of horrors, you may end up paying more in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Please, dear God, can I pay more in taxes?  In fact, I'd like to pay millions more.

Because then, me being a grownup and all, I'd be FUCKING MAKING MORE MONEY!

Peace,
emaycee

St. Peter don't you call me

While the Catholic church has always leaned left on economic issues, this statement from the Vatican today calling for economic equality and stricter financial regulation was a welcome reminder--especially with social issue only Catholics like John Boehner and Paul Ryan leading the republican party these days.  Still...

You have to wonder just how much more effective the church's stance would be if it (and its members) hadn't spent so much time (and political capital) kowtowing to the right over the years for their stances on a woman's womb and who individuals choose to sleep with.  Sometimes when you make a deal with the devil it comes back to bite you in the ass, and the growing poverty rate and the widening income equality worldwide are pretty powerful nips in the fanny.

I just don't think "...give us this day our daily bread..." means the same to greed is good republicans as it does to the rest of us.

Peace,
emaycee

Available for a limited time

I originally had interest in this piece about workers' attitudes because of its opening--which showed that American workers are more discouraged and unhappy than they have ever been before. 

And what a fucking shock that was.

But rather than stop at the initial premise, I read the whole article and came away more than a bit bewildered.  Quote:   "...progress in meaningful work is the primary motivator, well ahead of traditional incentives like raises and bonuses."  Now, I'll be the first to admit that since I read Matthew Stewart's The Myth of Management I've been a big skeptical when it comes to studies on what motivates workers (Stewart uses one Frederick Winslow Taylor, the father of scientific management, as an example--Taylor's studies clearly showed money to be the prime motivator but to appease his corporate benefactors Taylor fudged the studies to show workplace culture--what the fuck?--as the prime motivator).  But still....

The title of the article "Do Happier People Work Harder?" was a bit odd in and of itself--I never went to the Harvard Business School, but I'm reasonably certain that with no study of any kind, the answer to that question would be an unequivocal yes. 

The study was undertaken by the Harvard Business School (Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer)--which makes me even more skeptical.  Just a wild guess, but I'd be willing to bet many of American corporations best and brightest came out of said school (not too many of its graduates end up an Assistant Manager at Wal-Mart, I'd suppose)--and one doesn't bite the hand that feeds by showing that share and share alike is better than greed is good.  I mean really--does anyone doubt the Harvard Business School is a wholly owned subsidiary of corporate America?

"...progress in meaningful work" strikes me as one of those bullshit phrases like "thinking outside the box" or "metrics" that corporations are so fond of using (my least favorite is using the word "issue" for the word "problem"--I'm not Noam Chomsky so this might be a bit simplistic, but abortion and taxing the wealthy are "issues"; the host of glitches your new system has are fucking "problems").  One wonders if the study's authors have ever considered telling the titans of Wall Street that those seven figure bonuses aren't really all that important--they could take a hell of a cut in pay and be a lot "happier" if only they made progress in meaningful work.  It doesn't take Einstein to conclude that should such a statement be made to such a titan, the study's authors could quickly find themselves studying the work habits of the Emperor Penguin in the bowels of Antarctica.

Better still, let's ask the poor souls working for minimum wage which they would prefer:  progress in meaningful work or a raise that doubles their salary from $7.50 to $15.00?  Progress in meaningful work or a bonus of $1000?  What do you suppose the fucking answer would be?

What I hate most about these types of "studies" is the legitimacy given to class warfare at its ugliest.  They are little more than bullshit facades to keep the rich richer and the rest of us buying at the company store.

Harvard should be fucking ashamed.

Peace,
emaycee

They're not laughing anymore

I actually read the entire excerpt  from an Antoinette on the Occupy Wall Street movement (as presented by Digby).  I only made it through the first two paragraphs of Nolan Finley's take on the same subject.  Oddly (for me, anyway) it wasn't anger or disgust that made me stop reading--it was complete and utter boredom.  The pieces aren't really that dissimilar--and both share several traits.  For one, you can feel the apprehension:  the tea party only appeals to the few; Occupy Wall Street has the potential to appeal to the masses.  How do the Antoinettes fight strength in numbers (my guess--strength in cash money)?

Second, both pieces have a feel of just being mailed in, i.e., a fucking yawnfest.  There is nothing in either piece that hasn't been heard before, nothing that isn't anything more than the rantings of some old fart white guy, who thinks he'd be a millionaire if only the government hadn't taken all their money in taxes (never mind that, like most of us, they just weren't talented or smart or lucky enough).

But mostly what they share in common is complete and utter desperation.  Both pieces have the look of a fighter sapped of his energy, throwing weak ass punch after weak ass punch even though he knows he's beaten in some farfetched fantasy that one will land in the sweet spot.  Good fucking luck with that--much like the tea party has lost faith in the ability of government to ease our woes, a solid majority of Americans have lost faith in corporate America to cure what ails us--and by nearly 20% support the aims of Occupy Wall Street over the aims of the Antoinettes.

It's far too early to declare any sort of victory, but it is fun to watch the Antoinettes stagger around and try to explain that, all evidence to the contrary, they are right to a large number of Americans who are working harder (if they're working at all) and having less to show for it (if they have anything left at all).

And to stare mute at a real populist movement.

Peace,
emaycee

Let them eat cake

It's dawned on me of late that by naming themselves and their movement the "tea party" (fuck the acronym, it's just more republican idiocy), they've given themselves an inherent sense of legitimacy. The first image that pops into any of our minds when we hear the words "tea party" (in a political context--in a literary context one might conjure images of Alice in Wonderland) is of the Boston Tea Party, and even the most jaded of Americans has some sense of pride from the history (if nothing else, it's led to our Sunday afternoons being spent drinking beer and watching football instead of having a spot of tea during the soccer match).

The other day while doing a crossword puzzle (I always knew eventually all that puzzle solving would pay off) one of the clues involved Marie Antoinette and her famed quote.  And the first image that popped into my mind while writing the words "Let them eat cake" was of the American tea party.

So...from here on out, in this blog, the tea party will now simply be known as The Antoinettes.

Just a touch on the fitting side.

Peace,
emaycee

There's something in the air...

I have no idea whether the Occupy Wall Street protests will turn into an actual movement or will peter out and become a fond memory for those of us view America as empathetic and not pathetic.  But I must admit, the fear running rampant among republicans is about as heartening of a development as I've seen since the Dems opened a can of whoop ass on the republicans in aught-six and aught-eight.

A little cheese with the whine:

• Eric fucking Cantor, wimp extraordinaire, calling the 99%ers a mob and accusing them of dividing America--why is it that republican protests are patriotic and ours are divisive?  I smell...bullshit!
• Rep. Peter King complaining that if we give it legitimacy it will be the 60s all over again (like that's a bad thing?).  Considering that I've heard members of the 99% Movement repeatedly referred to as "dirty hippies" by the right, it will be by their voices that it is so.  Note to the dumb asses of the right:  the sixties called and it wants its fucking lingo back.
• CNBC--you know, the money "experts" who completely missed the collapse of the U.S. economy in 2008, hell-fucking-o!--calling the protesters freaks and their actions bizarre.  Don't know about you, but I'd take being called a freak by Jim Cramer or Larry Kudlow as a fucking compliment.
• The illiterati in the traditional media--Fox, CNN--doing their best to paint the protesters with the sterotypical conservative brush.
• Scott Brown's utterly lame putdown of the high priestess of the movement, Elizabeth Warren (whose speech arguably stoked the flame and makes one proud not just to be a Liberal, but also a human being) and the may be even worse defense of him by republican spin doctors, asking  Sen. Susan Collins and Sen. Kelly Ayotte to walk the plank for a pig.  Anybody want to wager a guess at how badly Warren beats Brown among women in Massachusetts in 2012?  I'll wager 65-35.

Funny thing is, as demonstrated by thereisnospoon, the tea party may have fallen on its own sword by making protests viable again.

I don't think this necessarily helps the Dems in 2012--the movement seems pretty disgusted with both parties (thanks President Obama!)--but anything that further delineates the differences between those of us who think America should help the have nots more than the haves certainly can't hurt.

Peace,
emaycee

On Troy Davis

Like so many, I signed countless petitions for Troy Davis.  I sent countless letters that those much more committed than I were gracious enough to compose.  I even said a Hail Mary for him while the Supreme Court was considering a stay of his execution. 

It didn't matter.

And all I will take out of Troy Davis' execution this evening is an even stronger conviction that the government should remain solely a force for good, and has absolutely no business taking the life of any human being under the auspices of our very fallible legal system.

Peace,
emaycee

Of wars and rumors of wars

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
                                         Matthew 24:6


Kos called Andrew Breitbart's random musings a "psychotic break."  I'm not so sure--I think Breitbart's hopes are shared by most, if not all, of his like-minded allies in the tea party.  I truly believe most people in the tea party would like nothing better than to get out their guns and shoot all the Liberals, and take back the country that exists only in their puny minds.  Contrary to their wishes, that civil war will never happen:  the monied interests who pull their strings and call the real shots would never--repeat, never--let a civil war get in the way of their making money.  That being said, a few points on Breitbart's comments:

• Breitbart notes that they've "got the guns."  Apparently, Brietbarts mind is too small to grasp the fact that should it come to that, Liberals would have no fucking problem getting guns, too.  Getting guns in America is about as hard as getting sand in the fucking Sahara Desert.
• Breitbart says the military would be with them.  I have no doubt that some in the military would be with them.  But as a whole?  Not fucking likely--the military has strategic plans for dealing with global warming; the military is not counting on drill, baby, drill to solve our oil problems.  In short, the reason our military is so successful is because its leadership is full of well-educated people--and they aren't about to support a group full of illiterate dupes.
• How many supporters, do you suppose, would last in their "cause" when it became brutally obvious that they were fighting to save the wealth of the few, who would never share with the grunts their success?
• And in the end, what does it say about the tea party and its supporters that the only way they can foresee their ideas becoming mainstream would come at the end of a barrel of a gun?  Somehow I can't imagine the Founding Fathers pursuing the ideals that made this country what it is by pointing a gun at their fellow Americans and saying "Believe our way or die!"

Unless things change, though, I do believe Brietbart will get his wish of a civil war.  As we've seen in the Middle East, you can only feed the poor shit sandwiches for so long before they attack and try to stuff them down the throats of those who have so much.  With almost 1 in 6 Americans living in poverty, Breitbart and his monied backers should beware:  there is no soldier like a soldier with absolutely nothing to lose.

Peace,
emaycee

I Want to Believe

So...President Obama actually sounded like a Liberal today--basically calling Boehner an idiot, threatening a veto if the wealthy don't get taxed, and dismissing Republican claims of class warfare (thank God--we've been losing that battle since that idiot Reagan got elected).  A day after that numbnuts Paul Ryan goes on Fox and tells us how the President is dividing Americans (talk about the pot calling the fucking kettle black--republicans have been dividing America for the last thirty years), the President fires back and fires back hard.  Granted, his wish list has zero chance of being enacted with the republicans in the House, but at least we can go to the American people and actually show a difference between our party and theirs.

Am I dreaming?  Are we going to get burned by Obama the conciliator again?  A lot of people seem to think President Obama has turned a corner, but his Presidency has been an utter disaster (for Liberals) thus far.  It's nice to see the President fight back--and stand up for the values we voted him into office for--but for now, I'm going to hope for the best but still expect the worst.

I'll say one thing, though--if Obama keeps this up, it's going to be a lot easier to vote for him in November of 2012.

Peace,
emaycee

Hey, can I vote for this guy?

I came to this piece (it's short and well worth the two minutes it takes to read) on the President's jobs speech before Congress a bit late, but approximately one week later, I have to admit Mr. Cole was very prescient.  I like his addendum even better.  Why don't we Liberal ever get real candidates like this?

One of the reasons humor is, well, humorous, is that it hits close to home.  Mr. Cole's piece puts a stake through the heart of the matter.  This is what has become of President Obama and the hope we had:  a bitingly sarcastic piece that's funny because of how truly sad it is.

What the fuck--at least we've kept our sense of humor.

Peace,
emaycee

Punching a redneck

I've been on a one man crusade lately that we Liberals need to learn to punch back, to take the fight to conservatives.  Digby has a nice piece that more or less says the same thing--we spend way too much time trying to explain ourselves, to educate others, and be rational in our positions.

I honestly don't see anything wrong with, when it comes to any position we hold, flat saying, "Fuck you, it's what we believe.  Don't like it?  Tough shit!"

It's certainly bolder than the geek route, and as the past couple of years have shown, we can't be any worse off than we are now.

Peace,
emaycee

Waiting for the great leap forward

The news is in on poverty from the 2010 census, and the results are not pretty.  More Americans--46 million--now live in poverty than in the 52 years the census has been tracking the poverty level.  That is 15.1% of the people who live in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world.  The next time you're taking a walk, count ten people that you pass--of those 10 people, 1.5 live in poverty (defined, by the way, as $22,000 a year for a family of four--what the fuck?  I'd love to see the family of four who basks in riches at $23,000 per year).  Even sadder, 22% of American children live in poverty.  For all the republicans chatter, God only knows how much worse it would have been were it not for the social safety net previous (and more compassionate) generations passed.

Our median income fell 2.3%--seems those of us bemoaning the shrinking middle class had good reason to do so.  The minimum wage is woefully inadequate--it isn't even keeping up with the minimum wage of the fifties.  Almost fifty million Americans are without healthcare.  If you're a republican, that is apparently reason to cheer. 

And here, here is what is wrong with America today, what will be her ruin:  no one--and I realize Obama's jobs bill will help part of this, but it is not the bill's objective--on the Presidential campaign trail is talking about the level of poverty in America, no one is asking for a war on poverty, no one wants to eradicate it, or lessen it, or make it a centerpiece of their plan for America.  A country that cares so little for its poor will either face their wrath, or the wrath of the greater good.

Swear to God, had Jesus not already exited his tomb, he'd be rolling over in it now.

Peace,
emaycee

Thanks, but I'll pass

If Labor Day is one of my favorites days of the year, this is one of my least.

A moment of silence or remembrance for those who were killed or gave their lives in service to their country and fellow Americans on 9/11/01 is certainly a noble effort.  As for the rest...you can have it.

For newspapers and edutainment channels, it's become just another way to make money.  Frankly, after ten years there is neither anything new nor anything of genuine interest to add.  They should save their "what the day means to you"  stories for the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, MLK Day, or Labor Day.

In many respects, Bin Laden's efforts have succeeded. Thanks to republicans, Americans are more divided than ever since 9/11--and that division is downright rancorous.  Our moral compass has been shattered:  we let a President lie us into an unnecessary war that killed thousands of Americans and never held him to account; we turned a blind eye to torture and are a lesser nation for it.  We chewed up and spit out our precious freedoms, enacting civil rights killing measures like the Patriot Act and giving the Presidency untold power to spy on us.  Ten years ago, the tea party would  not have been considered mainstream--they would have been called what they are:  a lunatic fringe hell bent on the further destruction of America.

But Bin Laden's greatest success has been the financial ruin that is the American economy since 9/11.  Over a trillion dollars has been spent on two largely failed wars yet one quarter of our children now live in poverty.
Billions have been spent on Homeland Security and further increasing an already bloated Defense budget, yet our roads and schools are falling apart.  In fear, too many Americans helped to elect people who promised to protect them but whose main objective was to lower the standard of living for the many and imcrease it for the wealthy few.  Unemployment in America is over 9% and underemployment is over 16%, yet Sen. Kyl is threatening to quit the Catfood Commission II if there are any more cuts to the Defense Budget.  Want to guess the odds of one of the six Democrats on the Super Committee threatening to quit over cuts to the Social Safety Net?  Thanks to Citizens United, corporations can now effectively buy our elections--too many of us shrug our shoulders because, hey, we can still afford the cable and cell phone bills and never mind the shrinking middle class, the backbone of our country, and the fact that most of us are a medical crisis away from financial ruin.

Patriots Day?  No, thanks--I'll say a prayer for the innocents and heroes killed on 9/11/01 and spend the rest of my time working on the progressive values that make America greater and not so much on the lip service that has lessened our country over the past ten years.

Peace,
emaycee

Look for the union label

This day--Labor Day!--is right up there with MLK day (take the virtual tour of the new memorial--the Beautiful Boy loves it) as one of the best days to be a Liberal.  Everyone (not counting the traditional media) wants to remind us all just how much unions have done for us--and how we need to get back to where we started from.

The biggest lie American workers have been fed in the last thirty years?  That post-industrial prosperity was right around the corner.  It isn't ever happening--and as Mr. Meyerson notes in his piece, that prosperity isn't coming back until we get back to that which made us great:  manufacturing.  And I might add, with a healthy dose of union labor leading the way.

Did you know that Daily Kos has a new site devoted to Labor?   This piece by Laura Clawson (who has done a lot of wonderful pieces on the labor site) is a call to arms to setting the record straight.  Because of corporate lies and traditional media incompetence, a majority of Americans believe Unions make the standard of living worse for non-union workers.  Nothing could be further from the truth--today Think Progress gave us a handy-dandy chart (in addition to a nice cheat sheet on everything unions have done for all of us--the usual suspects:  the weekend, health benefits, an end to child labor, a robust middle class) which clearly shows that as Union membership has waned, so have middle class wages. 

And this year we had...Wisconsin.  From small things mama, big things one day come...

And speaking of music this year brought us Tom Morello's "Union Town" and the Dropkick Murphy's "Take 'Em Down" (in support of the Wisconsin workers).  There's even this--the commercial from which I stole this post's title.  Hell, there's even a site devoted to union songs.

There is no Business Day or Corporate Day.  No one writes songs about the glory of business or the free market, and if they did, very few would give a fuck.

There's a reason for that:  it's called having a soul, and those of us who proudly support Unions, and those who belong to them, and those who believe in looking our for their least of their brothers, have got one that's shining as bright as the sun in all its glory.

Peace,
emaycee

Bullshit platitudes...a minor bit of philosophy

In the past couple of years, one continually hears either a fellow worker or, worst case scenario, your asshat boss, say the following (or some variation thereof):  "Be thankful you have a job."

There's another saying--it's been around for a while, but I seem to be hearing it more often lately (again, or some variation thereof):  "Life is not about the end result, but the journey itself."

As to the first:  Only be thankful if you have a good job, or at the very least, a job you enjoy doing.  Accepting happily a shit job just because you have one leads to shit wages, shit benefits, shit treatment, and eating plenty of shit from your boss.

As to the second:  this bullshit platitude is often said by people who are much better off financially than you.  It is like secondhand smoke, a stealth killer of your financial well-being.  It is class warfare at its most fetid.  One does not climb Mt. Everest for the journey--one climbs it to make it to the top.  Acceptance of this bullshit will lead to...see above paragraph.

Thus endeth the lesson.

Peace,
emaycee

Raising our fists won't be enough

I can't say that news showing that 25 U. S. corporations paid more to their CEOs than they did in taxes is surprising in the least, and while I appreciate it getting the space and outrage it deserved on so many of the sites I read, space and outrage aren't going to end it or put any kind of a dent in it.  And I can guarantee you won't see any complaints from any traditional media outlets.

What to do?  It will be interesting to see what the UAW does in its current contract talks with Ford, as Bob King has mentioned on several occasions that the rank and file are not happy with the $26.5 million bonus Ford CEO Alan Mulally got after the Ford workers granted concessions too numerous to mention to help keep the company afloat--and that they want their share.  The members have authorized a strike, and I hope they keep that threat front and center--one has to doubt that Ford is going to want a strike as their fortunes continue to improve.

As for the rest of us wage slaves...stealth drops in productivity.

Can't hurt.

Peace,
emaycee

The smile of a girl

I felt pretty good about Obama's chances in 2012 after reading that Allan Lichtman, who has developed 13 keys that decide who is going to win the Presidential election and whose system has never been wrong since he first debuted it in 1984, said Obama was going to win election easily, having 9 of the 13 keys in his pocket (and needing only six to win reelection).

That was until Obama caved a-fucking-gain to Boehner over the timing of his speech and then his administration did everything it could to make itself look as boob filled as possible.  I can't say it much better than Kos did, but the Obama administation is failing on a massive level to show any sign of life when it comes to dealing with republicans.  A republican debate?  Months before the Iowa caucus, when about 2% of Americans will even be watching...against the most significant problem facing this country, job creation, and the bozos running Obama's administration caved again? 

Despite the title, the grumblings by Hunter in this piece (a little long but well worth the effort) are anything but pointless and its hard to argue with him that there is nothing being done by Democrats to take care of the working class despite it being an issue tailor-made for them, a third party would only ensure further republican gains, and giving money probably is a waste of effort.  Still..if we give up, it's only going to get worse.

Sure would be nice, though, if President Obama and his handlers would occasionally throw us a bone so we could at least have some hope to latch onto.

Peace,
emaycee

The plan of attack

It's become brutally obvious over the past couple of weeks that the republican plan of attack (which can be neatly seen in this--another idiotic and factually challenged piece by Nolan Finley--ask anybody who wasn't wealthy how Reagan's economy boomed, it didn't) is to blame it all on Obama (majority of Americans aren't buying it) and to talk about how tax cuts and deregulation--both of which failed miserably under Bush the lesser and Reagan--will turn it around.

I mention this because it's becoming almost scripted (hell, it probably is scripted)--Cantor says it, Boehner says it, letters to the editor say it...but there's little push back from the administration.  While I wish Obama had been much bolder--and hope he is this Thursday--he still can strike back and he needs to hurry before the republican bullshit becomes the common wisdom.

The republicans created this mess--and as the massive mistakes voters made voting for republican governors in New Jersey, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Florida show, if we don't keep reminding voters of this we are going to doom ourselves to an even worse standard of living than we're currently getting from republican leadership.

Peace,
emaycee

The number of the beast

As Gov. Snyder continues his crusade to turn Michigan into the cultural, political, and economic wasteland that is North Dakota (screw their low unemployment numbers--the reason it's low is because no one wants to fucking live there!), it serves as a reminder that despite all my despair over Democratic (and specifically our Weinie-In-Chief, President Obama) shortcomings I'll be getting in the voting booth in November of 2012  and pulling the lever once again for the good (well some of them anyway) guys. 

Governor Snyder should also serve as another warning to all those moderate Democrats, and moderate Independents, on the dangers of voting for republicans who claim to be different--be it Bush the lesser's claim of being a "compassionate conservative" (horseshit!) or Rick Snyder's claim to be merely a lovable nerd who has Michigan's best interests at heart (ditto!).  Here's what Snyder hath wrought just in the last week...

• Never mind that they did nothing to cause the economic calamity that is Michigan (the clueless leadership of the Big 3 get much of that credit), thanks to Snyder and his minions, Public Workers in Michigan (read:  unions) will be paying considerably more for their healthcare after already taking huge paycuts.  (Aside:  this improves the quality of life here in Michigan exactly how?)
• Once again disregarding that they had nothing to do with the collapse of Michigan's economy, over 11,000 Michigan families will be kicked off welfare in the coming months despite Michigan being in the grips of the worst economy since the 1930s thanks to republicans and their continued fellating of businesses in Michigan who aren't creating jobs for us.  (Once again:  this improves the quality of life in Michigan exactly how?)
• Despite Michigan voters overwhelmingly voting to allow the use of medical marijuana (63% to 37% is about a big of an ass kicking on a referendum as you're going to see), Snyder's AG Bill Schuette (or Bill Shitty as we refer to him in our household) has fought tooth and nail to see that it cannot be implemented.  Who cares about all those banks who destroyed our economy while breaking the law and misleading Michigan's citizens?  Let's go after that poor guy with cancer who's using a little marijuana to ease his pain.  (Need I even ask how this improves our lives?)

You can't argue with the idiots who are the true believers in the republican party,  but we would help ourselves immensely to spend the next fourteen months reminding everyone else just what a Rick Perry or Mitt Romney presidency would mean--by simply telling them to look out their window at the declining standards of living the republicans are giving us right now.

Peace,
emaycee

Why do I still subscribe to a newspaper?

It's really rare in the pages of the Detroit Free Press to find a columnist more ignorant than the Detroit News' Nolan Finley (who, thankfully, we're only tortured with once a week).  Step up on the stage....Tom Walsh!  You've won the coveted "I'm Even More Ignorant than Nolan Finley" award for the month of August!

Really--according to Mr. Walsh, to fix our economy we merely need to fix our culture.  It's simple--our freedom to divorce has brokered an "easy come, easy go" attitude that has undermined our commitment to living up to our obligations.  Needless to say, the best Mr. Walsh can come up with to lend credence to his theory is a chat he had over coffee with an old friend.

Thank God he cleared that up for all of us....

I appreciate that Mr. Walsh is a business columnist and thus tends to see everything in black and white, in its simplest terms (trust me, I've been in business for almost thirty years and there aren't a lot of brainiacs in corporate America--and the higher up the corporate ladder you go, the worse it gets), but this is a new low in moronic rants.  It's one thing to know someone's peeing in your coffee, it's another thing to drink it anyway.  Bottoms up, Mr. Walsh!

If anything, I'd say the cause of American's economic downturn...just off the top of my head...would be, oh, I don't know...horrendous decisions by America's banking leaders, the fact that none of them are in jail for having mislead the American people and crashing our economy, unfettered greed, the growing income disparity between America's welathy elite and the rest of us,  the merewordscannotdescribe horrendous leadership of President Bush the lesser, weak regulations against businesses, republicans in the House and their actions to do absolutely fucking nothing to create jobs despite campaigning on it in 2010,  the disastrous and un-American tea party...you get the gist.

One thing is for certain though:  the ease with which one can get a divoce had absolutely fucking nothing to do with it.

Peace,
emaycee

Fighting back

A short while ago I wrote that the time had come for Democrats to take off their mittens and fight back.  I'm happy to report that at least one Democrat constituency and one Democrat are willing to start.

The best sound for the Marathon County Central Labor Council's (just as cool:  the name sounds like it could have been the name of a one hit wonder band from the sixties) decision to tell republicans to fuck off and that they are not welcome to their Labor Day march...would be that short mocking laugh that Nelson from The Simpsons utters whenever a particularly funny mishap occurs.  The major surprise here is that republicans are shocked by this--I mean, how fucking ignorant can they be?  They just think they're going to put a knife in the back of the American working people and we're just going to forget it?  Five little words:  Fuck you, next idiot please!

The other would be Rep. Maxine Waters telling the tea party that they can go "straight to hell" and she'd be happy to take them there.  How cool is that?  Especially since I've seen numerous pieces by republicans complaining how uncivil her statement was.  What the motherfucking fuck?  Their reaction shows their fear--republicans know if we fight back they're fucked.  You know you've done something right when a relative moderate like Leonard Pitts is championing your statement.

Good times, indeed.

Peace,
emaycee

Free market, my ass

I found this piece by David Atkins on his healthcare travails to be of some interest because I had a similar encounter with the "best" healthcare system in the world earlier this year.

After several days of being sick with the flu, I began to feel a tightness in my chest and was having some difficulty breathing.  I felt so weak that just trying to stand was a Herculean task.  I was at work, so I called the Beautiful Girl (I was too weak to even think about driving) to have her pick me up and take me to the emergency room.  Once there, I told them my symptoms, and--no surprise--was admitted immediately.  I spent the rest of the evening with a series of nurses taking my blood pressure and a number of doctors coming in to talk to me (one of whom looked like she'd just left a goth convention, which isn't exactly comforting when you're very sick--Wednesday Addams is a cute character but I don't want her for a doctor).  The following morning they ran all the usual tests--and could find nothing to explain my symptoms.  After approximately 24 hours, they sent me home saying all was well.

I went to bed fairly early the evening I came home--if you've ever been in an ICU ward, they wake you on the hour and this particular one was about as warm as a fucking igloo, so I didn't find it particularly odd that I was tired.  I slept for ten hours, and felt well when I woke...for about an hour.  And then I proceeded to feel worse and worse, until eventually I went back to bed.  I woke up and told the Beautiful Girl that something was seriously fucked up with my body and asked her to drive me to the local clinic.  Once I got in to see the doctor, he listened to my chest and had an x-ray taken of it.  About fifteen minutes later, he walked in the room and said, "Two more days and you would have been in a lot more trouble."  In a nutshell, my lungs were full of fluid and I was on the verge of having pneumonia.  He gave me a steroid shot and a prescription for some antibiotics.  I literally started feeling better within a couple of hours.

Here's the kicker:  my visit to the hospital (including doctor's fees) totalled over $12,000 (of which $1500 came out of my pocket).  Twelve thousand fucking dollars to completely fail me as caregivers.  It wasn't as if this was some fucking episode of "House" with some bizarre and exceedingly rare disease.  I had the flu--my lungs were full of fluid.  One would think this wasn't particularly out of the ordinary.

The bill from the clinic?  $150--I paid a $30 co-pay and went on my way.

And like Mr. Atkins, this is where healthcare in America is failing all of us.  I--and the insurance company--paid seriously good money for an utter failure.  There was no recourse for this failure.  There is no accountability for this failure.  And I seriously doubt that those who created the free market envisioned a system wherein failure would be rewarded.  And the worst part is we just accept it.  I mean, if you went into Wal-Mart and one of their managers told you the new Cheesey Doodles were great so you bought them but when you got home you found they tasted like oak bark, you'd take them back to the store and get your money back.  Why do we accept any less from medical providers?

Figure that out and you might actually do something to help the staggering increases in healthcare costs.

Peace,
emaycee

Going nowhere and nowhere fast

This is Bill Clinton's legacy--his "reform" of welfare shredded the safety net for times of economic downturn (e.g., now) to the point where only 1/3 of families living in poverty (4.5 million) are currently eligible.  Under the old system, 75% (13.5 million) would have been eligible for income assistance.  That's 9 million families that are suffering needlessly thanks to Clinton, with nothing--absolutely fucking nothing--to show for his misguided attempt to kiss republican ass.  One-fourth of our children now live in poverty--which, for some odd reason, really makes me hope there is a God so that at the end of Bill Clinton's days He can boot Bill in the ass and ask him just what the fuck he was thinking.

I'd like to think some smart s.o.b. among Obama's advisers would put this on a placard and hold it in front of the President's face and ask him if this is the America he'd like to see fifteen years from now, if making life worse for least of our brothers was the legacy he wants to have, but I've pretty much given up hope that there is anyone of intelligence in President Obama's circle, let alone anyone with enough of a heart to give a shit about the nation's poor.


Peace,
emaycee

When the levee broke

You have to be of a certain age (early to mid-forties and older) to remember that there was a time when...

• There was no risky 401k plan to aid your retirement years--you had a guanteed pension.
• Your contribution to your health care expenses...was a big fat zero.  That's right--your employer covered it all.
• If you did a good job, you got a raise every year.  And it was usually better than the rate of inflation, to a point where your family could actually get a little bit ahead every year.
• You had plenty of co-workers--there were actually three people to do three people's jobs, not one.

And then came the infamous decision by Ronald "The Great Fucking Idiot" Reagan to fire the striking air traffic controllers and destroy their union (PATCO).  It's been all downhill for the American worker ever since the day, thirty years ago this month.  Corporations have basically taken the tack since that all workers are expendable, that they can be broken (bullshit--I've been doing my job for thirty years and I will flat guarantee you that I can fuck over my employers in ways they've never imagined and not by doing anything that could get me fired), that they can be underpaid and overworked, that they should be thankful they have a job and shut the fuck up.  It was Mr. Reagan's cavalier decision that led to the explosion in income equality, that began the erosion of the middle class, that brought on an America where 25% of our children now live in poverty.  The only people helped by Reagan's actions were the wealthy and mega corporations.

And republicans lionize this man?  Want to know my thoughts when Mr. Reagan passed away?

          "Good--now the mother fucker is rotting in hell where he belongs."

Thirty years.  Don't know when, don't know who, but someday some bright young man or woman is going to lead the charge to start those of us in the working class on the road back to prosperity, and we can look back on Mr. Reagan's actions as an embarrassment of American history.

Peace,
emaycee