Sunday, April 26, 2015
According To Fox News, Americans Wouldn’t Join ISIL If Obama Was More Like Reagan
Meanwhile in Fantasy-Land:
Crazy Dr. Ablow and his cracked team of experts...
The Stupid - It Burns!
Republicans wouldn't know what Socialism is, even if it bit them in the ass
by Steve Benen
In the spot, which is airing in New Hampshire, the Republican
says he’s had enough of “Obama-style socialism.” He didn’t appear to be
kidding.
The comment came to mind yesterday reading Dave Weigel’s latest report
on Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who seems annoyed by scuttlebutt about
Republicans nominating a governor, not a senator, for their 2016 ticket.
After Texas Senator Ted Cruz addressed the First in the Nation summit in Nashua, New Hampshire, on Saturday, he headed to a basement conference room for a conversation with young Republicans…. When one audience member asked Cruz what executive experience he could bring to the job, Cruz lambasted the “greybeards” in Washington for coming up with the “senator versus governor” framework in the first place.“Obama is not a disaster because he was a senator,” said Cruz. “Obama is a disaster because he’s an unmitigated socialist, what he believes is profoundly dangerous, and he’s undermined the Constitution and the role of America in the world.”
Let’s put aside the question of whether or not President
Obama’s successful tenure constitutes a “disaster,” and instead focus on
that other part.
They keep using that word, “socialism,” but I don’t think it means what they think it means.
Look, there’s no reason for “socialism” to serve as a synonym
for “stuff Republicans don’t like.” It’s an actual word with a fairly
specific meaning, involving public ownership of the means of production.
And it in no way reflects the Obama era. After corporate
profits reached all-time highs, the stock markets reached all-time
highs, and the sharp drop in the unemployment rate was based almost
entirely on private-sector job growth, I thought to myself, “Well, at
least they’ll stop calling Obama a ‘socialist.’” But here we are anyway,
hearing the same nonsense.
Have we considered the possibility that Republicans literally
don’t know what “socialism” means? Isn’t it plausible that knee-jerk
partisans have relied so heavily on the word for so long that they
simply have lost track of its definition?
Cruz complained
last year, “Right now, the top 1 percent in this country … earn a
higher share of our national income than any time since 1928.” I’m
curious: does the far-right senator believe those are economic
conditions created by “an unmitigated socialist”? Or does Cruz believe
the president is just really ineffective in implementing his socialist
vision?
Boehner Attempts to Undermine the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Republicans are more than willing to waste money to help the rich and
corporations, but money spent protecting the rest of us is "wasteful"…
Because the preamble of
the United States Constitution speaks of “We the people,” rather than
“We the corporations,” Boehner does not quite
reach that proper, patriotic tone when he says, “No more regulation without representation.”
WASHINGTON, DC – Boehner (R-OH) applauded House passage of H.R. 1195, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Advisory Boards Act, which would establish a small business committee to advise regulators throughout the rule-making process:
“One reason small businesses are still struggling is that they don’t have a seat at the table where regulators are making the decisions. This bipartisan plan ends regulation without representation and gives small business owners a real say in the process. We shouldn’t just be listening to the people who create most of the new jobs in America; we should be empowering them to help develop rules that will protect investment and innovation. I’m sure I’m just one of many current and former small business owners pleased we have acted today to hold the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau accountable.”
Did you catch that last part? The CFPB makes
businesses accountable by protecting consumers. Boehner wants to reverse
how this works, and make those who protect consumers held accountable
to businesses.
Which defeats the purpose. Republicans called the
CFPB “unnecessary government overreach” and Boehner appears to think
he’s found an underhanded way to defang federal protection of consumers
like you and me. The claim to be helping small businesses is just
subterfuge.
H.R. 1195, otherwise known as the “Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Advisory Boards Act,” is sponsored by Republican Robert Pittenger, Representative for North Carolina’s 9th congressional district, and introduced on March 2, 2015.
It is, its description tells us, a bill “To amend
the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to establish advisory
boards, and for other purposes.” The details and rationale of the bill
are described here.
In essence, the bill establishes a “Small Business
Advisory Board” which “will ensure small businesses have the opportunity
to provide input to the CFPB regarding their concerns.” This is the
part Boehner is pushing. There is more – the ominous “other purposes” –
but we will get to that in a moment.
Of course, The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank Act) established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
(CFPB), whose mission it is to “make markets for consumer financial
products and services work for Americans — whether they are applying for
a mortgage, choosing among credit cards, or using any number of other
consumer financial products.”
The CFPB’s core functions are:
- Write rules, supervise companies, and enforce federal consumer financial protection laws
- Restrict unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices
- Take consumer complaints
- Promote financial education
- Research consumer behavior
- Monitor financial markets for new risks to consumers
- Enforce laws that outlaw discrimination and other unfair treatment in consumer finance
You might notice the CFPB protects consumers from
businesses and corporations, big or small. Because, as the Romans wisely
said, “Let the buyer beware.” And the Romans would know. They didn’t
have a CFPB.
We can point out on the one hand that it defeats the
purpose if the businesses consumers are being protected from get to
pick and choose their own regulations. This is not at all a promising
trend for consumers.
Republicans call HR 1195 “bipartisan,” but the bill has 15 Republican co-sponsors to only four Democrats.
The vote yesterday was 235 yes versus 183 no. Only four Democrats voted
for the bill, which tells you just how bipartisan it really is (see who
voted for and against here).
And in fact, as Nancy Pelosi has pointed out,
H.R. 1195 is just “the latest House GOP attempt to undermine the CFPB
which protects hard-working American consumers.” No surprise given the
long history of Republican opposition to the CFPB in the first place and
its attacks on it since.
Far from simply adding a voice for small businesses,
an important aspect of the bill (an amendment by Jeb Hensarling
(R-Texas), is that it cuts the CFPB’s funding by placing a ceiling on
its budget.
One of the bill’s Democratic co-sponsors, Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA), urged opposition to the bill, saying Republicans “put the torch to it.”
The same Republicans who are willing to throw away
billions through government shut-downs, repeated investigations of
Benghazi, suing the president, repealing Obamacare, and pointless other
invented scandals, attack what they call the “CFPB’s bloated, wasteful spending.”
For all their claims to be champions of the middle
class, that is what the Republicans think of spending money when the
money is actually helping Americans like us.
This spending ceiling is something the
administration naturally says it opposes. Not only does the CFPB not
need additional committees, but, says the White House,
“…the Administration strongly opposes H.R. 1195 as amended by House passage last week of the rule for consideration of the bill, which would reduce the cap on the total amount of funding that could be requested by the Director for the CFPB for FYs 2020 and 2025… These reductions to the caps could result in, among other things, undermining critical protections for families from abusive and predatory financial products. If the President were presented with H.R. 1195 as currently amended, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.”
So Obama’s advisors have said they will recommend he veto the bill.
Now he will get his chance.
Delusional Lindsey Graham Has No Chance Of Ever Being Pretender
There is nothing as offensive to most people as an egotist that continuously attempts to enhance or exaggerate their own importance, power, or reputation, and it often is the result of some innocent remark or act of another person. There is no person in America as self-aggrandizing as Senator Lindsey Graham whose self-imposed image as a brilliant foreign policy and international relations genius informs him he can be president. Of course, Graham’s only solution for dealing with the world is fear-mongering Americans into believing that pre-emptive wars and American boots on the ground is what makes America a world leader. Graham has been an avid supporter of George W. Bush’s invasion and occupy foreign policy that embroiled America in two protracted and unnecessary wars of aggression to kill Muslims. Conversely, Graham has been a very vocal critic of President Obama’s successful diplomacy that has kept America out of several wars Graham’s warmongering cohorts promoted relentlessly; particularly against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
On Sunday last, Graham stated categorically that
because President Obama finally relented and agreed to sign legislation
giving Congress a say in reviewing the nuclear negotiations with Iran
that he “doesn’t think there’s a snowball’s chance in Hell that this framework will get approved by Congress.”
Graham went so far as to reveal that he knows the minds of both
Republicans and Democrats in Congress because “no Republican or Democrat
is going to allow that to become final.” That is why the President
should have forced the House and Senate to override his veto of
legislation giving Congress a say in the negotiations; not because
Congress will actually affect the outcome of the P5+1 deal with Iran,
but because it would have shut Republicans like Graham’s bloviating for
the time being.
It is worthwhile to remind Republicans that as Iran’s Foreign Minister Zarif already noted, Republicans cannot stop the deal with Iran. Zarif said “the
current negotiation with P5+1 [Britain, China, France, Germany Russia
and the United States] will result in a Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action. It is not a bilateral agreement between Iran and the US, but one
concluded with five other countries including all permanent members of
the United Nations Security Council, and endorsed by a Security Council
resolution.” It is also not a treaty the Senate has authority to reject.
Now, if all-knowing Lindsey Graham is the
pre-eminent foreign and international policy expert he portrays himself
to be, he would comprehend that the United States Congress has no say in
whether the deal ‘has a snowball’s chance in Hell’ of being approved.
Besides Graham’s god delusion that he knows exactly what is in the minds
and intentions of all Republicans and Democrats, he said that he, and
only he, is qualified to handle Middle East foreign policy.
What Graham actually said was that no-one, not
Barack Obama, not Hillary Clinton, or any Republican is better prepared
to deal with nations in the Middle East, particularly Iran, than Lindsey
Graham. He said “I’ve been more right than wrong on foreign policy,”
and that “the Lindsey Graham worldview and view of foreign policy will
always beat Barack Obama’s view of foreign policy and Hillary Clinton’s
view of foreign policy.” He also said because America has not invaded
the substantial number of countries he wants to invade, and there are
many, “the world is literally falling apart.”
The truth of the matter is that since he has been in
the Senate as a self-proclaimed foreign policy genius and advocate for
several wars against several nations, Graham has been wrong at every
turn. In fact as foreign policy warmongers go, Graham makes crazy “bomb
everybody” warmonger John McCain look like Mahatma Gandhi advocating for
world peace and harmony among nations.
Graham is notorious for trying to scare Americans
into supporting perpetual American wars of aggression against every
nation on Earth except the country where his true allegiance lies,
Israel. In fact, next to Israeli warmonger Benjamin Netanyahu, there is
likely no greater warmonger than Lindsey Graham. The man’s
self-aggrandizing opinion of himself as the wisest foreign policy genius
on Earth is only second to Netanyahu; the foreigner Graham emulates in
pushing for American wars against Muslim nations throughout the Middle
East. Graham, by his own assignation has crowned himself America’s
preeminent spokesman on national security and international relations
issues even though he is always wrong; but that is not how Graham sees
it according to his statement on national television last Sunday.
Graham’s only foreign policy prescription for
America can be summed up as true leadership means having the resolve to
use force as a first choice, and that there is no diplomacy without
bombs and Americans sent in harm’s way. In Graham’s view, not waging
preemptive war is ineffective, a sign of weakness and indecision, and
squanders the ability to strike fear in the hearts of the world’s
population. Graham said the only way to prevent the “world from literally blowing up” is more American wars. Graham subscribes to Netanyahu’s appraisal that “we live in the most dangerous times imaginable.”
Apparently Graham is unaware of World War II, the Cuban Missile Crisis,
the Cold War, or any other eras or events he was alive to remember.
Lindsey Graham has been wrong about everything in
the Middle East from the duration of the Iraq War he claimed would be
over in a year, to the “existential threat to America”
from a non-nuclear Iran. Interestingly, in 2013 he put his foot in his
mouth and slandered the nation he loves above all others, Israel, and said “The last place in the world you want nuclear weapons is the Mideast. Why? People over there are crazy.”
The only place in the Mideast that has any kind of nuclear arsenal is
Israel; something a renowned foreign policy and international relations
wonk certainly should know. But that is Graham’s dysfunction; he is no
more of a foreign policy expert or knows any more about international
relations than a rock.
Graham
claims he is 91% sure he is going to make a run for the White House and
is basing his qualifications on his ability to warn Americans about the
scary and dangerous world because America is not waging wars on several
fronts in several nations at once. Lindsey Graham is never going to be
president, is never going to win the Republican nomination, and
Republicans and Israeli-Democrats are never going to thwart the P5+1
deal with Iran because they are not members of the United Nations
Security Council; period. They are delusional bloviates whose foreign
policy acumen amounts to trying to frighten Americans who, after two
unnecessary Middle East wars, have figured out that Republican
warmongers are the only existential threat in the world.
Georgia City Council Flirts With Theocracy By Flying christian Flag On Government Buildings
A Georgia town is flirting with theocracy after the city council
voted twice against the advice of the city attorney to fly a Christian
flag on government buildings.
Maybe Greg Abbott Showed Scott Walker His Framed Collection Of Koch Checks
From the "Idiots will be Idiots" Department:
Why is Scott Walker putting Koch support at risk?
Koch checks and the strings attached
Scott Walker Dumped As Koch Candidate After Interview Fiasco
The Koch Brothers are now holding auditions for the GOP Presidential candidate in 2016 after their anointed pick goes rogue.
Ray-Ban Wants Nothing To Do Rand Paul — Tells Him To Remove Sunglasses From Campaign Store
The faux-libertarian must think trademark rules don’t apply to him, because, you know, freedom.
![January 2013 mugshot for William Hilton Paul, son of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). [WKYT-TV]](http://2d0yaz2jiom3c6vy7e7e5svk.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/January-2013-mugshot-for-William-Hilton-Paul-son-of-Sen.-Rand-Paul-R-KY.-WKYT-TV-410x220.jpg)
Dark Red Oklahoma Angers Big Oil And Gas: Energy Practices Causing State’s Earthquakes
As the nation commemorated Earth Day 2015 this past week
with a variety of observances, activities and awareness campaigns, it’s
the perfect time to renew calls for bipartisan cooperation to address
climate change. And I’m also pleased to report a welcome anomaly among
hard-core red states that should set an example for other Republican-misled
governments to follow.
On Tuesday, writer Michael Wines of The New York Times published a piece entitled Oklahoma Recognizes Role of Drilling in Earthquakes. The lead, pardon the pun, was rather seismic:
“Abandoning years of official skepticism, Oklahoma’s
government on Tuesday embraced a scientific consensus that earthquakes
rocking the state are largely caused by the underground disposal of
billions of barrels of wastewater from oil and gas wells.”
Although we should not fall all over ourselves commending overdue common sense, the change is significant for two major reasons.
Oklahoma is a Red State – capital “R,” capital “S.” How Red is it? On January 25 of this year, Randy Krehbiel of the Tulsa World
wrote, “Republicans will hold 112 of 149 seats in the Legislature that
begins a week from Monday, plus every elected statewide office and the
entire congressional delegation. And good luck to the Democrat who tries
to make the two-party argument.”
With over 75 percent of the state’s lawmakers
leaning to the hard right, it is kind of amazing that leadership would
adopt a policy position that stands in direct contrast to the national
party’s official platform on Natural Resources. Just for fun, here is
the section related to Protecting Our Environment verbatim:
“The environment is getting cleaner and healthier.
The nation’s air and waterways, as a whole, are much healthier than they
were just a few decades ago. Efforts to reduce pollution, encourage
recycling, educate the public, and avoid ecological degradation have
been a success. To ensure their continued support by the American
people, however, we need a dramatic change in the attitude of officials
in Washington, a shift from a job-killing punitive mentality to a spirit
of cooperation with producers, landowners, and the public. An important
factor is full transparency in development of the data and modeling
that drive regulations. Legislation to restore the authority of States
in environmental protection is essential. We encourage the use of
agricultural best management practices among the States to reduce
pollution.”
I suppose the GOP forgot to forward this memo to the 97 percent of climate scientists who
agree that our planet is not, in fact, “getting cleaner and healthier.”
Maybe the total falsehood of the assertion is part of the problem.
In light of the party’s mandate that the federal
government illustrate “a spirit of cooperation with producers [Big
Energy], landowners [the landed gentry], and the public [afterthought
peons],” Oklahoma is committing a real act of partisan treason. With its
new position that oil and gas conglomerates are the direct cause of the
state’s devastating earthquakes, up to two 3.0 magnitude tremors per day,
cue the dissatisfaction of energy interests. After Republican Governor
Mary Fallin’s office issued the new guidance this week, Wines writes:
“[The] actions met a mixed response from the oil and
gas industry and the Governor’s critics. The Oklahoma Oil and Gas
Association disputed the Geological Survey’s conclusions, saying in a
statement that further study of the state’s quakes remained necessary.”
Uh huh. However, Democrats are welcoming the new,
fact-based approach. Wines observes, “One of the most prominent
advocates of stronger action on the earthquake issue, State
Representative Cory Williams, a Democrat, said he had been pleasantly
surprised by the change in what he called the state’s ‘head in the sand’
approach to the quake problem.
Climate change is one of the issues where it’s
always better to act late than never. It remains to be seen if the
practices of oil and gas companies can be altered to reverse the
ecological damage done in the State of Oklahoma, and party leaders
deserve continued rebuke for a failure to impose a moratorium sooner. In
fact, they may never get around to imposing it at all. But if words are
powerful and can change the constituent conversation (which they can,
as it took years of disingenuous proselytizing from Republicans to talk
the EPA-creating party of Nixon back into the dark ages), then Oklahoma
may have just taken a great leap forward in saving itself.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
The Daily Drift
Hey, wingnuts, yeah we're talking to you ...!
The Truth Be Told is read in 203 countries around the world.
Republicans have defective DNA according to Science ... !
Today is - DNA Day
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Europe Should Protect People, Not Borders
by Maximilian Popp
The mass deaths of refugees like those seen this weekend on the
European Union's external borders is not a consequence of politicians
looking away. We are in fact causing the problem with our Fortress
Europe policies. More
Kochs' acquisition of the Republican Party nearly complete
by Joan McCarter
The Koch brothers' takeover of the Republican Party is very nearly
complete, and if they have their way, it will be by the end of 2016.
They've anointed the five presidential candidates that are their finalists and they've got their plan in place
for getting one of them elected, along with a Republican Senate.
Politico got the documents and the interviews with the people who know.The documents detail plans to beef up the network's state-of-the-art data system, and pay hundreds of staff embedded in local communities across the country in preparation for get-out-the-vote efforts that are unprecedented from a third-party group. The plan comes with a $125 million 2015 budget for Americans for Prosperity, the most robust arm in the network of small-government advocacy groups helmed by the billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch. That’s the most the group has ever spent in a non-election year and the documents call the plan "beyond the biggest, boldest, broadest effort AFP has ever undertaken." It calls for the creation of new chapters in Alabama, Idaho, North Dakota and Utah—continuing a move by the group to invest in deep red states where it can focus on pushing aggressive reforms to scale back union power and government regulation, rather than winning or protecting GOP majorities.That they're moving into deep red states just demonstrates that they're ready to complete their acquisition of the Republican party. It's not enough to have allies among the GOP—the GOP must be assimilated wholly into the Kochs' machine. To that end, they are going to be using the bulk of their money against Democrats, again. Getting involved in the Republican primary isn't really necessary—they've already assured the fealty of the eventual nominee.
The presidential race is not AFP's focus, said Phillips, the group's president. "We're focused on advancing a long-term shift at every level of government towards a culture of freedom. And we're not just fighting for the fun of it—we intend to win." In a letter to major donors accompanying the briefing document, Phillips boasted that "no group is as effective at organizing, educating, mobilizing, and rallying citizens as Americans for Prosperity."That includes the RNC, which if it isn't just a subsidiary of the Kochs, will be after 2016. So far, only Montana Republicans have been successful in standing together against the Kochs in any fight. Republicans might not recognize it at the moment, but they are in an existential fight with the Kochs, and they're losing.
Obama Stressed Fighting Climate Change During Earth Day Visit To Florida Everglades
President Barack Obama visited the Florida Everglades on Wednesday
to highlight the urgency of tackling climate change. It will be the
President’s first trip to the Everglades. The Florida marsh is imperiled
by rising ocean levels. In addition, the swamp served as a symbolic
backdrop for Obama to contrast his policies with those of the Republican
presidential hopefuls, as two of the most prominent GOP candidates, Jeb
Bush and Marco Rubio, are from Florida.
President Obama highlighted his environmental record during his visit.
He will discuss his support for Everglades restoration, as well as his
efforts to cap carbon pollution. He also emphasized the role our
nation’s public lands play in reducing carbon emissions into the
earth’s atmosphere.
President Obama pointed out that
climate change threatens not only the natural beauty of the
Everglades but also that it poses a threat to South Florida’s economy
that depends on tourist spending. He also mentioned that
rising sea levels also potentially endanger underground aquifers,
which provide drinking water for millions of Florida residents.
The White House maintains that they did not choose
to stress climate change at the Everglades to explicitly draw contrasts
with Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio. Bush and Rubio intend to roll back
environmental protections designed to address climate change as
burdensome and unnecessary. While Republicans have sometimes joined with
Democrats to give lip service to preserving the Everglades, they have
seldom promoted policies consistent with protecting the 1.5 million acre
natural area.
Rising sea levels threaten not only the Florida
Everglades, but also a number of cities along the Florida coastline.
While politicians in the Midwest can perhaps ignore rising sea levels
for years to come, Florida Republicans may not be able to enjoy that
luxury much longer if their constituent’s homes start sinking into the
Atlantic.
President
Obama’s visit to the Everglades on Earth Day served as a reminder
to Americans how critical the issue of climate change has become. Now
it is up to the nation to take the action needed to fight it. That fight
is not just a fight for the future of the Florida Everglades, but also
for the future of Florida’s coastal human settlements as well.
70% of Wingnuts say Climate Change is not man-made
by
Katie Sola
A Gallup poll
released Wednesday shows just how resistant some Republicans are to the
science of climate change. In polling conducted over the past five
years, 59 percent of self-identified conservative Republicans said they
don't believe that climate change is happening now, and 70 percent said
they don't believe humans are responsible for it.
Gallup asked about 6,000 Americans of diverse political ideologies whether the effects of global warming would be felt in their lifetimes, in future generations or not at all.
Forty percent of conservative Republicans deny that global warming will ever happen, while an additional 19 percent believe that will only affect future generations. However, a May 2014 governmental report found climate change is affecting all areas of the United States.
Although there's a wide scientific consensus that climate change is caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, most conservative Republicans reject the idea that there is a link between pollution and rising temperatures. They are the only political group to have a majority not believe in the connection.
Leaders within the party have also voiced skepticism about climate change. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is running for the 2016 Republican ticket, has said he does not believe in global warming. Presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has said he doesn't believe humans cause climate change. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a potential candidate, has said he isn't convinced either.
Gallup used live telephone interviews to reach both landlines and cell phones of a random sample of 6,154 adults from across the country. These results represent the aggregated responses from 2010 to 2015.
Gallup asked about 6,000 Americans of diverse political ideologies whether the effects of global warming would be felt in their lifetimes, in future generations or not at all.
Forty percent of conservative Republicans deny that global warming will ever happen, while an additional 19 percent believe that will only affect future generations. However, a May 2014 governmental report found climate change is affecting all areas of the United States.
Although there's a wide scientific consensus that climate change is caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, most conservative Republicans reject the idea that there is a link between pollution and rising temperatures. They are the only political group to have a majority not believe in the connection.
Leaders within the party have also voiced skepticism about climate change. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is running for the 2016 Republican ticket, has said he does not believe in global warming. Presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has said he doesn't believe humans cause climate change. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a potential candidate, has said he isn't convinced either.
Gallup used live telephone interviews to reach both landlines and cell phones of a random sample of 6,154 adults from across the country. These results represent the aggregated responses from 2010 to 2015.
Obama Outsmarts Republicans With Planned Executive Action To Raise Wages For Millions
President Obama has outsmarted Congressional
Republican obstructionists with a planned executive action that will
raise the wages of millions of American workers.
President Barack Obama is preparing to do what the U.S. economic recovery has been slow to accomplish: raise the wages of millions of Americans.His administration is drafting new rules on who qualifies for overtime compensation, forcing more businesses to pay time-and-a-half after 40 hours of work. Many employees now earning as little as $23,660 a year — below the federal poverty line for a family of four — aren’t entitled to overtime pay because they are considered managers.
Millions of workers in the service sector have been
victimized for years by the tactic of being labeled a manager, but not
receiving commiserate pay for the position. By not paying managers
overtime, corporate giants can keep wages artificially low. With a
stroke of President Obama’s pen, millions of workers will be paid for
the extra hours that they are currently working for free.
Managers at fast food restaurants like McDonalds and
retail stores often work 50-70 hours a week for a salary that leaves
them below the federal poverty line. One of the fastest ways to rebuild
the middle-class is to make sure that the system is fair, and workers
are being paid for the hours that they are working. The executive action
won’t apply to all managers, just those who are earning under a defined
amount. Some officials at the Department of Labor want the limit to be
set at $51,000. Democratic Senators are urging the President to go as
high as $56,680.
Republicans are breaking out their widely debunked
claims that raising wages kill jobs, but the change will be very popular
with workers and provide an immediate boost to the economy. President
Obama and his pen are going to make things better for millions of
Americans.
If businesses counter Obama’s move by hiring fewer
managers, they will play into Democratic hands by feeding the growing
movement for higher wages. Either way, businesses will end up paying
their workers a more livable wage.
The
basic issue behind this executive action is fairness. Workers deserve
to be paid either a salary that reflects their hours or compensation for
the actual hours that they are working. With one stroke of his pen,
President Obama will outsmart his Republican opponents and deliver a
victory for millions of workers.
Senate Cafeteria Cook Goes On Strike To Draw Attention To Low Wages
The U.S. government should only award federal contracts to companies that pay American workers a living wage.…
A cook who serves U.S. Senators in the Senate cafeteria walked out Wednesday and penned a blistering editorial published in The Guardian,
that highlighted the low wages he receives while he serves some of the
world’s most powerful people. Bertrand Olotara’s op-ed not only cited
his poor rate of pay, but he also called into question a lot of campaign
rhetoric that implies that people who work hard and play by the rules
will get ahead. Olatara described his plight with these words:
Every day, I serve food to some of the most powerful people on earth – including many of the senators who are running for president: I’m a cook for the federal contractor that runs the US Senate cafeteria. But today, they’ll have to get their meals from someone else’s hands, because I’m on strike.I am walking off my job because I want the presidential hopefuls to know that I live in poverty. Many senators canvas the country giving speeches about creating “opportunity” for workers and helping our kids achieve the “American dream” – most don’t seem to notice or care that workers in their own building are struggling to survive.I’m a single father and I only make $12 an hour; I had to take a second job at a grocery store to make ends meet. But even though I work seven days a week – putting in 70 hours between my two jobs – I can’t manage to pay the rent, buy school supplies for my kids or even put food on the table. I hate to admit it, but I have to use food stamps so that my kids don’t go to bed hungry.
Olatara continued by noting that he worked hard,
played by the rules, and even obtained a college education. He then
mentioned that his foreign-based employer, Compass Group, had renewed
its contract with the U.S government, despite the fact that the
multinational company does not pay a living wage.
Olatara then added,
that he and many of his co-workers were going on strike to make sure
that federal contracts are awarded to companies that pay a living wage,
offer benefits like paid leave, and allow collective bargaining, so that
workers don’t have to strike in order to be heard.
U.S. Senators earn a minimum salary of 174,000
dollars a year, plus additional money to cover expenses for food,
lodging and travel. Most of them were independently wealthy before they
entered the Senate. It shouldn’t be too much to ask that the employees
serving these men and women of wealth and power, at least be paid enough
money to cover their rent and put food on the table at home. The U.S.
government should only award federal contracts to companies that pay
American workers a living wage.
While
U.S. Senators will probably find it inconvenient that the Senate cook
is out on strike, their discomfort pales in comparison to the pain felt
by workers all across America, who work two or three jobs to try to make
ends meet because their employers fail to pay a living wage. Hopefully
this strike will not just draw attention to the plight of low-wage
workers, but also that it will lead to substantive change. Then perhaps
the Senate cook can not only continue to feed U.S. Senators, but he can
also feed his own family as well.
Taco Bell Lobbyists Send Congress 6,000 Thank You Tacos For Fighting Unions, Healthcare Laws
It’s not unheard of for politicians to give special considerations to
interest groups based on perks, but selling out thousands of workers
for some...
***
Well, Karma works fast. Their 'thank you reward' will have them moving even faster ... to the nearest facilities! Repeatedly!
Republicans Delays Benghazi Report Until 2016 Proving It’s All About Politics, Not Those Who Died
If only the GOP was this adamant about getting to the bottom of the
tragedy on 9/11/01, but wait… that was under Republican leadership, and
Bush was instead made a hero. It’s always about politicizing tragedies
to their favor…. always.
Boehner Goes Bonkers With Claim That Obama Is Covering Up The Facts On Benghazi
“Benghazi facts” have become John Boehner’s Weapons of Mass Destruction lie
Boehner went off the rails
by putting on his tin foil hat and claiming that President Obama
is making it impossible for Republicans to get to “the facts” on
Benghazi.
Boehner said:
I think the Benghazi Committee is doing fine work,
and they’ve got a whole lot more work to do. They could clean this up a
whole lot quicker if the administration and former Secretary Clinton
were in a position to actually cooperate with the committee and turn
over the type of information that we’ve been seeking for some time, but
the administration has made it virtually impossible to get to the facts
surrounding Benghazi, so when we have the facts, we’ll have the report.”
There have been seven previous Congressional
investigations in Benghazi, and all have found no wrongdoing on the part
of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, President Obama, and the White
House. Boehner’s suggestion that the White House is witholding facts
from Republicans is nothing more than blatant conspiracy mongering.
Speaker Boehner wants the American people to believe that the truth is
out there.
Speaker Boehner ignored the fact that a two-year investigation into Benghazi by the Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee found
that the CIA and the military acted appropriately and that there was
also no wrongdoing by Obama administration appointees.
Boehner was trying to blame former Sec. Clinton and
President Obama for the obviously partisan timing behind the release of
the report. The Gowdy led investigation into Benghazi was designed to
impact the 2016 presidential election. It has always been a foregone
conclusion that the latest investigation is nothing more than House
Republicans trying to influence the 2016 election.
The idea that Hillary Clinton and the White House
are hiding facts that seven previous Congressional investigations failed
to uncover is flat out crazy. Boehner’s comments illustrate how
desperate Republicans are to come up with something to stop Hillary
Clinton.
If John Boehner has to sound like a mentally ill conspiracy theorist in order to attack Clinton and Obama, so be it.
Rand Paul Asked About Military Coup Conspiracy Theory
As Rick Santorum found out
earlier this year in Charleston, GOP presidential hopefuls should get
ready to field questions about bizarre conspiracy theories, not just
from activists but also influential conservative talk show hosts in
early primary and caucus states like Iowa.
For example, Iowa-bas... MORE
Rand Paul Says It's 'Sexist' To Think He Was Being Sexist With Female Reporters
The Ceaselessness is Astounding
In an interview with Iowa
talk radio host Simon Conway yesterday, Sen. Rand Paul pushed back
against claims that he has a pattern of interrupting and acting rudely
towards female reporters, saying that the real sexists are the people
who criticize his treatment of women journalists.
“The funny... MORE
Keith Ablow: Obama Is To Blame For Americans Joining ISIL
The Obama-hating loons over at Fox News are always finding something
to blame the president for, no matter how far-fetched or ridiculous. Texas Republicans Remove Public Integrity Unit’s Power To Investigate Or Prosecute Texas Republicans
Texas republicans voted to give themselves immunity from
investigations conducted by the state’s Public Integrity Unit.
No really…
No really…
Ted Cruz Thinks Hymens Should Grow Back So Men Can Keep Track Of Infidelity
… and this man heads the Senate Science Subcommittee? Kansas Republicans To Tax The Poor To Pay For Disastrous Tax Cuts For The Wealthy
It’s been three years since Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and his
Republican gang enacted steep tax cuts for the rich that have ravaged
the state. But now they think taxing the poor is the solution to the
problem.
Brownback’s HMO Tax Hikes Hit Major Speed Bump: A Furious HMO
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) proposed $136 million in taxes on
health maintenance organizations as a way of closing the state’s budget
hole. Now, that proposal is in danger thanks to an angry managed health
care company —Aetna, Inc.
Pregnant Fast Food Manager Fired For Not Reimbursing Money Stolen In Armed Robbery
A pregnant fast food manager was fired after $400 was stolen from the
restaurant at gunpoint — because she would not pay the money back.Palin Stalling In Suit Settlement ...
You'll Never Guess Why
According to the documents, William Dunnegan, the attorney for North Jersey Media Group, which publishes The Record of Bergen County, says that on Dec. 22, 2014 - four days after the two sides agreed in principle to settle the case - lawyers for SarahPac, Palin's campaign organization, "asserted that there must be a broad confidentiality clause.""We have confirmed with our client, and accept your offer of a $15,000 settlement," Palin attorney Brian Farkas wrote in a Dec. 18, 2014, email that Dunnegan filed with the court. "We assume that this will include a mutual confidentiality/non-disparagement clause in the stipulation of discontinuance."
"Shortly thereafter, Palin's counsel, Ronald Coleman, Esq., told me that Palin required a confidentiality clause because her political action committee did not want any hint of a compromise associated with her name," Dunnegan writes.
Dunnegan included with his filing several emails exchanged with Palin's lawyers regarding the settlement.
NJMG sued Palin, the former governor of Alaska, in 2013, claiming she and her political action committee infringed the publishing group's copyright. The photo appeared on Palin's Facebook page beneath her photograph and the words "Never Forget."
NJMG claimed Palin was using the photograph "to promote Sarah Palin and to raise money for SarahPAC," the lawsuit says.
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