Happy Labor Day! A Tribute to My Father.

My Dad was a veteran and a union man.    

Happy Labor Day!  from Cognitive Dissonance 

(Updated for Labor Day 2013, September 2, 2013)
He wasn't an activist; he wasn't a union steward; he just worked in a union shop for about 35 years. 

He was bright but not educated; he never finished high school, but he was awarded a number of patents over the years.  He was a self-taught man.  In these days of degrees and advanced degrees, someone like my dad would go nowhere.  The garage and his workshop in the basement were filled with every kind of tool imaginable, pieces of wood, metal, odds and ends that he picked up.  He could fix anything, and, for a while when we were really little, he fixed cars out of the garage and also did some electrical work for pay.  After he got his union job, however, he did less of that, content to keep our home, our grandmother's home, and the apartment buildings that my parents owned in good repair.  

He never went on strike, but he was concerned about it a few times; there was always a settlement before the strike date came.  The company he worked for changed owners, was bought out, was sold again, but eventually it became part of what is now Verizon.  

HERE's MORE about my dad and about what it meant (and still means) to be a union member in these United States.

******************************** 

Index to all Jobs & Employment Reports HERE  

The Unemployed: Lazy? Irresponsible spongers?

******************************** 

And, remember, unions wouldn't be necessary if companies paid their employees reasonably, treated them like human beings, and insisted on decent working conditions.. and didn't insist on paying CEO's millions because they are so "worth it".  "Class warfare" didn't start with the workers.

I just came across this article about Labor Day:  Republicans Should Use This Labor Day to Ponder Their Assault on the American Worker--

...And that's what Labor Day has transformed into: Not about the history of labor, respect for union or an opportunity to affirm our commitment to fundamental worker rights, just a chance for some family-friendly fun.

That family-friendly fun, by the way, is made possible by child labor laws, weekends and minimum wage - all progress that was championed by labor unions. But you won't hear about that on Monday, politicians will be too busy discussing how to get government out of the way of Big Business and regular Americans will be too preoccupied worrying about their economic future.

Thanks, Justin Krebs!

For Labor Day 2013, Paul Krugman talks about the loss of respect for the working man, particularly among the Republican right-wing:

No, what’s unimaginable now is that Congress would unanimously offer even an empty gesture of support for workers’ dignity. For the fact is that many of today’s politicians can’t even bring themselves to fake respect for ordinary working Americans. 

Consider, for example, how Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, marked Labor Day last year: with a Twitter post declaring “Today, we celebrate those who have taken a risk, worked hard, built a business and earned their own success.” Yep, he saw Labor Day as an occasion to honor business owners.

But, while we contemplate the state of the American worker, we can appreciate Labor Day.

And to all workers everywhere, whether labor or management, whether union or self-employed:

 Have a good day and remember the middle class life that we all took for granted.  It's still not too late to save it!

Conservatives Put a Spin on Food Stamps

The fact that more and more people need food stamps is gong to "Ruin Your Day".


The title is "Here's a Food Stamp Graph That Will Ruin Your Day".

It shows that the percentage of people who are receiving food stamps has gone up precipitously over the past three years.  


Now, the scary title was found on a right-wing blog, and what will "ruin your day" is the number of people who are now dependent on the government.   


Before I read the article and the comments, I had two thoughts:  First, it's really unfortunate that so many people need to rely on food stamps, and, secondly, thank heavens that the program is in place to help so many.


Then I looked at the graph, and noticed that it was formatted for maximum impact.  The left axis isn't scaled from 0 people needing food stamps; it starts at 26 million.  Instead of the left axis running from 0 to 45 million, it runs from 26 to 45 million.  It makes the increase in food stamps recipients seem much more onerous.     


I had just found the food stamp article and graph after reading this at Huffington Post:  Budget Cuts Kill  the Middle Class 


The Increasing Inequality of Income in our Country


The article at the Huffington Post included this dramatic graph which shows the percentage of total income that is going to the top ten percent over the last 100 years:

You don't need to be particularly skilled in graph reading to notice that the middle class was strongest when the top ten percent received only about 35% of national total income.  This last chart only goes up to about 2007, so it doesn't show the impact of the recession.  


So, keeping in mind that the top earners have received a greater and greater percentage of national income over the past three decades and that the number of people who receive food stamps has gone up dramatically over the past three years, let's look at the spin put on the food stamp graph by conservatives. 


First of all, the USDA has made it easier for people to get food stamps.  Thirty-eight states loosened eligibility requirements.  You no longer have to be down to your last dollar to qualify for food stamps.  This should be a good thing, as you can supplement your low income with food stamps without spending down all of your assets.  This also explains some of the increase.   


People Receiving Food Stamps Like "Being Dependent"?


Now, conservatives see the increased need for food stamps as a bad thing because it shows "government dependency".  They don't interpret it as a graphic representation of the nation's suffering; they complain about people becoming dependent on the government. 


Let's look at some comments:

"Fox Piven must look at graphs like this one and jump for joy. Just look at how many Americans are now dependent on the government for"

"Democrats see this as a plus, more and more people on the dole means more votes and MORE POWER." 

Other than I have no idea who or what Fox Piven is, why would anyone jump for joy that more and more people have a low enough income to qualify for food stamps?  Do the right-wingers really think that people enjoy being "dependent on government"?  Democrats are happy that people are struggling?  Only in bizarro-conservative right-wing world. I tend to think that most people would rather have a decent-paying job.

  We need to place limits on these programs. We can’t support participants forever. Break the cycle.

What cycle?  People are getting food stamps who have never gotten food stamps before.  Obviously, then, this is not about a cycle.  Of course, the writer of this remark thinks that if we let people starve, they will suddenly find work in a nation with 28,000,000 unemployed or underemployed. Or maybe the poor will demand that the "government wage" (right wing rhetoric for minimum wage laws) be reduced so that they can all work for $1/hour.  

 The 14% graph is his base for 2012 and the house should introduce a bill to exempt people on government assistance from voting. Call it the Conflict of Interest Act. It will get some headlines and put the issue front and center where we can make the case of Obama spending policy and jobless economy

Great. Let's go back to the days of poll taxes and such and only let people with means vote. Really sick thinking going on here. Also really dangerous thinking; that only people with decent jobs should be able to vote. 

By this "Conflict of Interest" act, then nobody in Congress should vote either, right?

Then a poster called the Democrats the "Party of food stamps" and talked about Republican policies that create jobs.  O.K., what policies, Republicans?

Finally: 

Its all Bush’s fault

This was posted sarcastically, but it is probably truer than blaming this on Obama.  The decimation of the middle class has been going on for decades now; the recession just made it more obvious to a greater number of people.
  

The Assault on the Homeless: No Soup for You!

Johann Hari, writing in the Huffington Post, describes the plight of a homeless man in the UK:

"The day after his wife's funeral, Steven Dent walked out of his house, "and I just kept walking," he says. "I walked and walked. I never stopped. I couldn't stand to look back, or to stop moving, ever again." Now, four years later, he sleeps most nights under a

Millionaires and Suckers

Heard around the Internet recently:


"There are two kinds of Republicans:  Millionaires and suckers."


Makes sense.. Why else would anyone vote against their own self-interest?


Thanks, signgrrl!

Gloomy about Retirement? Get GOP-out!

"Gloomy about retirement­, listless, no energy, right wing corrupt governors got ya down? Use GOP-out, the proven formula to get even the most stubborn tea stains and Koch can rings out of your life! Seriously vote the GOP/teapup­pets out of office, expose their corrupt business masters (Murdoch, Koch, etc) and restore the laws that protect us from these predators (Glass-Ste­agall, Sherman Anti trust etc). But YOU have to do it! Get them out and save our Country, do it and don't stop!"

Great comment on this thread article about workers being fearful of retirement at Huffington Post:

GOP-out.. It's cheap:  Just say no to the GOP!

Alternate unemployment Rate is 18.6%

Some figures about the February's unemployment rate:


How many who don't have jobs would be working? How many aren't working by choice?"

The following are unadjusted numbers for February 2011: 

• There are 100,758,00­0 in the civilian noninstitu­tional population (over age 16) who aren't working. Of these people, 14,542,000 are unemployed and actively looking (in the last four weeks). There are in addition 6,405,000 who are unemployed and want work but haven't looked in the last four weeks for some reason. 

• That's a grand total of 20,947,000 unemployed people who want to work. leaving 79,811,000 who aren't working because they don't want to work. This would include people taking care of their kids, retirees, trust fund babies, students, etc.

• Additional­ly, there are 8,633,000 people who are working part-time jobs but want to work full-time jobs. Therefore the total of unemployed and underemplo­yed is now 29,580,000­. 

That's 29,580,000 out of a population out of a potential civilian labor force of 159,040,00­0, or 18.6% unofficial employment rate.


(The potential civilian labor force includes those who are working, whether full or part time, (138,093,000) and those who are unemployed, either officially unemployed (14,542,000) or who "want work" (6,405,000) for a grand total of 159,040,000.)

We haven't included people who are working temporary jobs but want permanent jobs, people who have taken big cuts in pay and benefits in their new jobs, and small business owners who are working micro-busi­nesses earning a few hundreds a month.


To add a bit of perspective, in mid-February, only 9,236,000 were receiving any kind of unemployment benefits.  That means that less than 64% of the "official" unemployed are receiving benefits, and less than 44% of the "alternate" unemployed are receiving benefits.  


That should put to bed the right-wing talking point that extended unemployment benefits are keeping people from working.  Over half of the people who are unemployed and "want work" aren't getting a dime in benefits!  

Wisconsin and the Middle Class

"Walker may have found the great straw breaking the back of middle class apathy.  By attacking unions, Walker also attacked the middle class and the middle class of America is reacting.  The middle class of America is reacting to the death panels of Jan Brewer as well and let's not forget the arrogance of Florida's Republican governor refusing jobs paid for from the national treasury. Let's not forget about Boehner defunding services that benefit the middle class.  Yes, by attacking the American worker, the straw that breaks the apathy of the silent majority has been broken as as evidenced in Madison this afteroon, we are speaking and we will be recalling and we will be voting."

Another great comment at Wisconsin protesters Refuse to Quit at Huffington Post ; this one from Cacey.