Taking care of your own

Hawaii has the lowest gun death rate in the country — Hawaii also requires permits with a mandatory 14 day waiting period, an age requirement of being 21 to buy a gun, and bans on assault weapons and magazines with more than 10 rounds.

— Tom George (@TheTomGeorge) June 2, 2022

Republican = Traitor

Peace,

emaycee

 

They're all junior Hitlers

This is violent, fascist, revolutionary, and extreme, and I don’t think our campaigns should get fancy next year coming up with some poll tested “kitchen table” stuff. These people cannot be trusted with the power of the people because it’s unclear they would ever give it back. https://t.co/SmWNbmCwFv

— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) October 16, 2021

The Republican Party Is Now a Fascist Cult Just Like Nazi Germany

Peace,

emaycee

 

Greeks bearing gifts

Fresh on the heels of a report showing it is three times cheaper for U.S. taxpayers if we house the homeless rather than leave them on the streets, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell (D--apparently it's an alternate reality Democratic Party he belongs to) has proposed what he calls "compassionate disruption" to make the lives of the homeless in Honolulu even more miserable than they already are.

"Compassionate disruption" basically entails not allowing the homeless to sit or lay on sidewalks, confiscating their possessions, and conducting sweep arrests for minor offenses, among others.  Really--the kind of stuff Jesus regularly espoused with regard to the poor.

You know what?  I'm beginning to believe that whenever some numb nuts uses the word "compassionate" in a political context (see also, Compassionate Conservatism) real people are going to suffer and take a serious fucking in their everyday lives.

Peace,
emaycee

Going local

Bad news:  In a move that surprised absolutely no one in the entire United States of America, republicans in the Senate blocked a vote on increasing the minimum wage to the mind-blowing sum of $10.10 an hour ($21,000 a year for a full-time job).

Good news:  The state of Hawaii this week joined Connecticut and Maryland in raising its minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, including both tipped and non-tipped workers.

Bad news:  44% of the jobs created over the past 49 consecutive months of job growth have been in low-wage industries (26% in mid-wage industries and 30% in high-wage).  There are 1.85 million more jobs in low-wage industries since the start of the Great Recession, and 1.9 million less jobs in mid-wage and high-wage industries.

Good news:  The city of Seattle this week announced a proposal to raise the minimum wage for its citizens to  $15 an hour.  Crikey--there'd be no low-wage industries in a major U.S. city.  Folks there could actually have a decent standard of living.

Former Speaker of the House and Liberal champion Tip O'Neill was fond of saying that "all politics is local" and if the above good news/bad news tidbits show anything it's that if we want to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 the best way to do it (short of 60 Democratic U.S. Senators and a Democratic House majority) is state by state, and city by city.  Likewise for a living wage.

At least in many states and cities the general idea of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people stands a chance.

Peace,
emaycee