August 23, 2004, Time and a half measures (labor pain)
The controversial new Department of Labor regulations pushed through by the Bush Administration and Big Business and opposed by organized labor, disorganized labor, and everyone else, have gone into effect today, screwing around 6 million American workers out of their hard earned overtime pay. The changes involve how the "administrative/professional" designation is made.
In the "fast growing" services sector, this means that, for example, paralegals might suddenly find themselves in the category of key company decision-makers, like the people who can order them to work nights and weekends, only now they won't be paid overtime for it. Or a shift supervisor who is nominally in charge of other workers, though he or she cannot hire or fire them. Or lots of other marginal grunts who will be f***ed at the expense of higher (and lower taxed) company profits and high end incomes.
This is one of the piece de resistance of outrages in its quest to reinstate Dickensian work conditions by the Bush Administration. And yet, where's the outrage? Instead, it would appear that the constant harping by the patently lying and Bush-Cheney campaign orchestrated "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" may affect people's voting decisions, while people who themselves may find themselves f***ed out of overtime pay at a time when expenses (see $49/bbl. oil) have gone up, and their wages are otherwise flat, if they can even hold on to their job. It seems to me that some of the 6,000,000 plus people who will be adversely affected here are in battleground states. Nothing like doing something like this in the middle of a "jobless recovery" in an election year, eh?
(Others have pointed out that in the new media-consolidated "balanced" reporting concept, Hitler would get equal time to denounce Jews, and reports of "Jewish crimes" --see "Reichstadt Building fire"-- would get "equal time" with reports of Nazi atrocities. Well, just watch any of the big pundit shows, and see for yourself; this observation is all too true. Bullshit is bullshit; and yet, the press now gives it "equal time", as if it were "truth". "Journalistic ethics", you know.)
So it seems, an Administration that has (a) plunged us into a war (i) that is bankrupting the nation and has killed nearly 1,000 Americans and (ii) whose underlying basis was a complete and utter lie, (b) adopted non-stimulative tax measures that have nonetheless added hundreds of billions of dollars to current budget deficits, (c) presided over policies that have weakened environmental protections, (d) presided over policies that have weakened worker protections, (e) presided over policies that have led to the first net job losses during a Presidential term since the Hoover Administration, (f) $49/bbl. oil and rising... gets a complete and total pass because it paid a bunch of traitorous whores willing to sell out every man and woman who ever honorably
served this country in service to a deserter chicken-hawk (and war criminal).
Got all that? People have to know where their own interests lie. Yes, I too was creeped out by Senaor Kerry's insistence on making his Vietnam Service not merely a major theme of his campaign, but virtually the theme of his campaign... he was almost asking for the type of cheap, dishonest smear that we are now seeing, because the American people are more interested in theatre "and feelings" than they are in truth (i.e., the American people are, as a general matter, not very bright).
Doesn't matter. Even as the Bush-Cheney spin machine has already said that "Democrats are... er, "will be"... responsible for the Convention protest violence and mayhem" (even as none have even yet taken place... though the GOP planning for the protests of its own Convention is just about complete), and of course, the Swift Boat dirty tricks, none of this will work. Not even the massive cheating in Florida will matter.
There is no good reason for anyone not a multi-millionaire or religious extremist to want to vote for the Chump incumbent. And when there is no good reason, even Americans won't do it. Especially as millions of swing voters should realize they are being f***ed out of their hard earned overtime pay by said Chump.
Finally, finally, another way we can help take this country back is electing Democrats to Congress. One of them is TD friend Mike Jaliman, running for the Democratic nomination in New York's 19th Congressional District (Putnam County, and parts of Rockland, Orange, Dutchess and Westchester Counties). Mike's new campaign web site is finally up. I think his pay-pal campaign contribution button is up too. (I'd consider it a personal favor if you took a gander over there, and maybe sent Mike a few bucks in his uphill battle to unseat a long-time Republican incumbent.) Cheers.
Comments
Looks like the Bush bunch are thinking short-time (it will be difficult to undo what's been done). I myself will be shopping for Victorian-style clothing this week.
Posted by Livin' in Da Citay at August 23, 2004 10:03 AM
I did that site. Thanks for the mention. Yes the Pay Pal works. You've tried it?
I'm still searching for something better though. Paypal makes you sign up for an account to give. Easy, free, but pesty. Any reference on how a good Democratc cause can take money by credit card over the web would be very welcome. And yes the site does need work. I tried to do something with Howard Dean's Drupal. But oh for more time! There's got to be more of us computer guys out there.
Esthetic quality of the site aside though, anyone who reads Mike's issues and proposals there will be rewarded. He's honest, he thinks! It's up to us little guys who believe in right to help.
Posted by JohnL at August 27, 2004 02:37 AM