In case you missed it, the Obama Administration issued an executive order this week which raises the threshold for salaried workers to be eligible for overtime pay from $23,660 a year to $47,476, which is expected to affect over four million workers. What this means is that millions of working class Americans will no longer be slave labor for Big Business--they're going to have to pay for our time (as well they should).
Naturally, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan announced later this week that he's committed to fighting the new rule.
What the fuck is it with republicans not wanting poor and working class families to make more money? They certainly don't have any problems with CEOs and hedge fund managers making more money.
One can only suppose that the stink from republicans having their noses so far up Corporate America's ass is affecting their ability to think.
Peace,
emaycee
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
How to destroy your legacy 101
Had he not misguidedly run for President in 2000, Ralph Nader's legacy would have been the countless lives he saved with his crusade against the abominable safety practices of the auto industry. His book Unsafe at Any Speed led to seat belts in all cars, better safety standards, sounder designs, and a lot less people (though there are still far too many) killed in auto accidents.
Unfortunately Nader's good works were cancelled out by his costing Al Gore the 2000 Presidential election which saddled us with George W. Bush and cost even more Americans their lives in two disastrous wars, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina, not to mention the financial health of numerous families destroyed by the Great Recession. All of which were the direct result of republican leadership.
Not content with that colossal mistake, Nader has recently praised Donald Trump more than Hillary Clinton, for his stances on trade deals, self funded campaign (not hard when you're a billionaire and he seems a lot more interested in rich people's money now that he's the presumptive republican nominee), and Wall Street (what the fuck?). Nader seems to be under the impression that both parties are equally corrupt and that a Donald Trump Presidency would be no better or worse than a Clinton one.
Nader should do those of us who actually have to live with the actions of the next President a favor and shut the fuck up--apparently he's not wise enough to realize, even after his disastrous candidacy in 2000, that bad candidates do not change America for the betterment of ordinary folks.
And Donald Trump is one brutally bad candidate.
Peace,
emaycee
Unfortunately Nader's good works were cancelled out by his costing Al Gore the 2000 Presidential election which saddled us with George W. Bush and cost even more Americans their lives in two disastrous wars, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina, not to mention the financial health of numerous families destroyed by the Great Recession. All of which were the direct result of republican leadership.
Not content with that colossal mistake, Nader has recently praised Donald Trump more than Hillary Clinton, for his stances on trade deals, self funded campaign (not hard when you're a billionaire and he seems a lot more interested in rich people's money now that he's the presumptive republican nominee), and Wall Street (what the fuck?). Nader seems to be under the impression that both parties are equally corrupt and that a Donald Trump Presidency would be no better or worse than a Clinton one.
Nader should do those of us who actually have to live with the actions of the next President a favor and shut the fuck up--apparently he's not wise enough to realize, even after his disastrous candidacy in 2000, that bad candidates do not change America for the betterment of ordinary folks.
And Donald Trump is one brutally bad candidate.
Peace,
emaycee
Monday, May 16, 2016
Not a magic man
There seems to be this myth out there that Donald Trump has tapped into some sort of mystical energy with American voters and will therefore be a force to be reckoned with this November.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Donald Trump has not tapped into Americans--he has tapped into the republican base. And despite their waving their "Silent Majority" signs at Trump's rallies, the truth is they are an abrasive minority that turn off most Americans and do not possess near enough votes to give Trump a chance in hell this November. Trump is appealing to republicans and right leaning independents--I have yet to see a single Democrat come out for Trump or any data that shows his appeal is to Democrats or left leaning independents. Or anything close to the attraction some moderate republicans had for Bernie Sanders, for that matter.
Yes, Hillary Clinton could lose this election--if she mails it in and thinks she is simply going to be anointed the next President of the United States. Since she's already running ads against Trump and takes every opportunity to criticize the man and his "ideas" I sincerely doubt this will be the case.
Trump is the Bearded Lady or the Three Legged Man at old freak shows--nothing more than a novelty act.
Peace,
emaycee
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Donald Trump has not tapped into Americans--he has tapped into the republican base. And despite their waving their "Silent Majority" signs at Trump's rallies, the truth is they are an abrasive minority that turn off most Americans and do not possess near enough votes to give Trump a chance in hell this November. Trump is appealing to republicans and right leaning independents--I have yet to see a single Democrat come out for Trump or any data that shows his appeal is to Democrats or left leaning independents. Or anything close to the attraction some moderate republicans had for Bernie Sanders, for that matter.
Yes, Hillary Clinton could lose this election--if she mails it in and thinks she is simply going to be anointed the next President of the United States. Since she's already running ads against Trump and takes every opportunity to criticize the man and his "ideas" I sincerely doubt this will be the case.
Trump is the Bearded Lady or the Three Legged Man at old freak shows--nothing more than a novelty act.
Peace,
emaycee
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. LXXII--Los Lobos: Will the Wolf Survive?
Sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men, and all that, so this week's Jukebox is going to be short and sweet.
Los Lobos. Started in the early 70's, out of East Los Angeles. Five of the original six members are still with the band. Their music is called Chicano Rock, though I'd consider it more roots rock. Breath of fresh air when their album came out in 1984 after several years of new wave sounds. Career continues to this day. Released 22 albums thus far, won Grammy Awards, and nominated for a (well-deserved) spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Number one hit with their cover of Ritchie Valens' bitchin' hit, "La Bamba." Had the good fortune to have good tunes in great movies--La Bamba, Desperado, and Bull Durham.
Released in 1984 on their LP How Will the Wolf Survive? (and how clever was it to use the word "how" to differentiate between album and song?) which is one of Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums of All Time. Song title came from a National Geographic documentary about wolves struggling to survive--though "Will the Wolf Survive?" is ostensibly about a Latino male trying to make a living in America, it's also a metaphor for the band's struggles to be successful in America as well. It's got jangly guitars, rat-a-tat drumming, heartfelt vocals, and a compelling story. What more could you ask for?
Side note: Hadn't heard the song in years--it was just as good as I'd remembered it (which isn't always the case).
Liner notes: "Battered drums and old guitars/Singing songs of passion...."
Hopefully we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next week...
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
Los Lobos. Started in the early 70's, out of East Los Angeles. Five of the original six members are still with the band. Their music is called Chicano Rock, though I'd consider it more roots rock. Breath of fresh air when their album came out in 1984 after several years of new wave sounds. Career continues to this day. Released 22 albums thus far, won Grammy Awards, and nominated for a (well-deserved) spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Number one hit with their cover of Ritchie Valens' bitchin' hit, "La Bamba." Had the good fortune to have good tunes in great movies--La Bamba, Desperado, and Bull Durham.
Released in 1984 on their LP How Will the Wolf Survive? (and how clever was it to use the word "how" to differentiate between album and song?) which is one of Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums of All Time. Song title came from a National Geographic documentary about wolves struggling to survive--though "Will the Wolf Survive?" is ostensibly about a Latino male trying to make a living in America, it's also a metaphor for the band's struggles to be successful in America as well. It's got jangly guitars, rat-a-tat drumming, heartfelt vocals, and a compelling story. What more could you ask for?
Side note: Hadn't heard the song in years--it was just as good as I'd remembered it (which isn't always the case).
Liner notes: "Battered drums and old guitars/Singing songs of passion...."
Hopefully we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next week...
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
And another one...
The Supreme Court last week told Corporate America to go fuck itself--they won't hear the fast food industry's lawsuit against the city of Seattle and it's $15 minimum wage.
In a nutshell, the people voted and the people won.
Republican ideas and policies cannot win at the ballot box--so they've resorted to litigation with stacked courts to screw the American people.
And imagine how much worse it will get for us if Donald Trump gets to appoint the next two or three Justices to the Supreme Court.
We'll be like a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.
Peace,
emaycee
In a nutshell, the people voted and the people won.
Republican ideas and policies cannot win at the ballot box--so they've resorted to litigation with stacked courts to screw the American people.
And imagine how much worse it will get for us if Donald Trump gets to appoint the next two or three Justices to the Supreme Court.
We'll be like a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.
Peace,
emaycee
Another reason we need to keep the White House
As if we needed one...
Unbeknownst to many Americans, far too many businesses are now adding arbitration clauses to their terms of doing business with them. Credit card companies, iTunes, banks, and numerous others are basically saying, as a consumer, you have to agree to take any issues with them to an arbitrator instead of a court of law and jury of your peers or they won't do business with you. The reason? You guessed it--you'll win a lot less often and win a lot less money than you would before a jury of your peers. It's a fact that class action lawsuits punish bad business practices more and result in better ones. It's basically a rigged game.
The last two jobs I applied for--including the one I have now--required me to agree to arbitration for any disputes before I had so much as put my name on an application form (so much for me believing either of these employers gave two shits about me as an employee!). We recently bought a used car and I was surprised to find when I got home that I had agreed to arbitration though no one at the dealership had spoken one word to me about it (make sure to read the fine print kiddies!).
Last week, Elizabeth Warren's brainchild, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau put forth a rule that bars financial firms from having mandatory arbitration clauses. The CFPB does not need either the President's signature or the votes of the republican controlled Senate and House to pass this rule. While this is only a start, it is hoped that eventually it will lead to an end to arbitration clauses of any stripe.
Should republicans win the White House, within the first ten minutes of taking office (probably a slight exaggeration) they will disband the CFPB--and with it, any chance we consumers have against Big Business.
Remember, Elizabeth Warren created the CFPB because she cares about us, not Corporate America.
Republicans cannot make the same claim.
Peace,
emaycee
Unbeknownst to many Americans, far too many businesses are now adding arbitration clauses to their terms of doing business with them. Credit card companies, iTunes, banks, and numerous others are basically saying, as a consumer, you have to agree to take any issues with them to an arbitrator instead of a court of law and jury of your peers or they won't do business with you. The reason? You guessed it--you'll win a lot less often and win a lot less money than you would before a jury of your peers. It's a fact that class action lawsuits punish bad business practices more and result in better ones. It's basically a rigged game.
The last two jobs I applied for--including the one I have now--required me to agree to arbitration for any disputes before I had so much as put my name on an application form (so much for me believing either of these employers gave two shits about me as an employee!). We recently bought a used car and I was surprised to find when I got home that I had agreed to arbitration though no one at the dealership had spoken one word to me about it (make sure to read the fine print kiddies!).
Last week, Elizabeth Warren's brainchild, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau put forth a rule that bars financial firms from having mandatory arbitration clauses. The CFPB does not need either the President's signature or the votes of the republican controlled Senate and House to pass this rule. While this is only a start, it is hoped that eventually it will lead to an end to arbitration clauses of any stripe.
Should republicans win the White House, within the first ten minutes of taking office (probably a slight exaggeration) they will disband the CFPB--and with it, any chance we consumers have against Big Business.
Remember, Elizabeth Warren created the CFPB because she cares about us, not Corporate America.
Republicans cannot make the same claim.
Peace,
emaycee
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Please proceed
Apparently, one of Donald Trump's "strategies" for his Presidential campaign is to attack Bill Clinton for his past sexual indiscretions. While I'm not going to defend Clinton's behavior, I do find this tack a bit bizarre as Trump himself does have quite the checkered past when it comes to sexual peccadilloes.
In the end, though, what this really is is red meat to fire up the republican base which still hates the Clintons with a passion. And it's easy to see why: the Clintons, with their eight years of peace and prosperity for all of us, proved that frankly Democrats are much better at running America than republicans.
And after Bush the Lesser got us into two disastrous wars and ushered in the Great Recession, Barack Obama once again showed how adept we are at running a nation.
So as far as I'm concerned, Trump can bring up Bill Clinton all he wants--seems to me the American people are wising up as to which party truly has their best interests at heart.
Peace,
emaycee
In the end, though, what this really is is red meat to fire up the republican base which still hates the Clintons with a passion. And it's easy to see why: the Clintons, with their eight years of peace and prosperity for all of us, proved that frankly Democrats are much better at running America than republicans.
And after Bush the Lesser got us into two disastrous wars and ushered in the Great Recession, Barack Obama once again showed how adept we are at running a nation.
So as far as I'm concerned, Trump can bring up Bill Clinton all he wants--seems to me the American people are wising up as to which party truly has their best interests at heart.
Peace,
emaycee
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