tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-361203772024-03-12T22:53:22.371-05:00PFRMstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-12767505197641821102006-12-07T19:27:00.001-05:002006-12-07T19:27:26.412-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXixaIaPktI/AAAAAAAAAJA/j3EPwqNqFFU/s1600-h/50.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXixaIaPktI/AAAAAAAAAJA/j3EPwqNqFFU/s400/50.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005946048314577618" border="0" /></a>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-33030727237991170922006-12-07T19:22:00.000-05:002006-12-07T19:23:55.285-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXiwiYaPksI/AAAAAAAAAI0/AWrmt9eEQm8/s1600-h/Honk_for_Health_Care_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXiwiYaPksI/AAAAAAAAAI0/AWrmt9eEQm8/s400/Honk_for_Health_Care_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005945090536870594" border="0" /></a>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-42588458341217868662006-12-07T19:12:00.000-05:002006-12-07T19:13:02.949-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXiuB4aPkrI/AAAAAAAAAIo/dQO3kf3jVCQ/s1600-h/longest_night05_12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXiuB4aPkrI/AAAAAAAAAIo/dQO3kf3jVCQ/s400/longest_night05_12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005942333167866546" border="0" /></a>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-45251165480191478952006-12-06T21:00:00.001-05:002006-12-08T10:35:56.617-05:00<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">I Want My Moon Men</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXd54YaPkqI/AAAAAAAAAIc/9OLQqekcft0/s1600-h/Classic+Pic.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005603520377754274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXd54YaPkqI/AAAAAAAAAIc/9OLQqekcft0/s320/Classic+Pic.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">More to come this weekend. <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Leave comments - make me jump with joy.</span> Also the budget for NASA is around $18 billion per year, ive been thinking about this all day, millions of people in this country who are hungry, people still living in FEMA trailers, no universal health care, huge deficit, and we're spending $18 billion on NASA? why? whats the deal?, like I sti</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">ll dont see any moon colonies or moon men or anything, or like a cure for cancer from these guys, what the hell are we wasting our tax dollars on this shit for? I mean th</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">e only thing I ever heard of coming form NASA missions or research and stuff is that stupid tempurpedic mattress (above), wtf?, we seriously need to reevaluate our spending priorities, that stupid bed isn't worth $18 billion.<br /></span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)"><br /></span></div>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-22089296216120465102006-12-03T20:57:00.000-05:002006-12-03T21:02:33.536-05:00<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXOBnQEwHQI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/xK6eU62yp-M/s1600-h/37.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004486122268531970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXOBnQEwHQI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/xK6eU62yp-M/s400/37.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><span style="color:#666666;">wow, pretty much sums it all up, enough said</span><br /><div></div>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-25399475526351883472006-12-03T20:10:00.000-05:002006-12-03T20:48:54.898-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXN1swEwHOI/AAAAAAAAAH4/mWB5rEGvyV0/s1600-h/aaaa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXN1swEwHOI/AAAAAAAAAH4/mWB5rEGvyV0/s320/aaaa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004473022618279138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Tobacco Road</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Jeez Thomas Jefferson wouldn't like this at all.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Trouble brewing according to the <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NYT</span>, seems like another group of anti free-trade America haters is making noise, this time its the farmers, produce farmers to be exact. Apparently faced with tough, if not staggering competition from freed-trade imports, especially China, produce farmers from California to Florida have joined together and are asking for government subsidies, for the first time, ever, at the tune of around $1 billion dollars, the farmers I guess haven't heard of the whole invisible hand or whatever. Things are definitely looking bleak, take garlic growers as an example,</span><br /><blockquote style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">"California growers once dominated the garlic industry in the United States, but imports from China and <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Hong</span> Kong have increased from less than 1 million pounds in 2000 to 112 million pounds last year. This year, for the first time, more Chinese garlic will be sold in the United States than California produces, Commerce Department figures show."<br />It gets worse<br />"Other specialty crop groups are also struggling with foreign competition, in particular from China, which has geared its agriculture industry towards labor-intensive, higher-value fruits and vegetables. China has begun to dominate everything from apples to onions. Chinese exports have also eaten into American growers’ share of markets in Japan and <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Hong</span> Kong for items like broccoli and lettuce."</blockquote><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Wow, first we lost all the manufacturing jobs, now the farms, huh...well, worry not my fellow <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Americans</span>, still plenty of good jobs they cant export, like ...<span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Wal</span> Mart cashier, and um...chimney sweep, and I think they still pay for plasma at the blood bank. Besides, all this completion only goes to benefit the consumer, it helps you Mr. Average American in the form of lower prices on your favorite products, or well...it would, you know if you could afford them, if you weren't working that shitty job at Walgreen's or whatever since the factory shut down and the farm foreclosed.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">READ MORE</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">NYT</span></span> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/business/03farm.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=us">"Imports Spurring Push to Subsidize Produce"</a>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-23205588230792886202006-12-03T19:38:00.000-05:002006-12-08T10:30:13.527-05:00<div align="left"><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXiz64aPkxI/AAAAAAAAAJw/BNvmuacm8TM/s1600-h/fatcat.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005948809978549010" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXiz64aPkxI/AAAAAAAAAJw/BNvmuacm8TM/s200/fatcat.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">Laissez-Faire Is French For Fuck You Poor People</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">Article from CEPR about free trade, good and concise. Basically breaks it down as winners and losers of free trade (I've added a few of my own);</span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)"> </span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)"><br /><span style="color:#990000;">Winners'</span><br />Doctors<br />Corporations<br />Monocle Salesmen<br />Rich People<br />Lawyer's<br />Lexus Dealerships<br /><span style="color:#666666;"><span style="color:#990000;">Losers</span><br />Just about everyone else </span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">yikes, don't agree that unbridled free trade is a good thing? well then your a stupid, uneducated isolationist, and maybe a racist too. Besides increased wage inequality and poverty means shorter lines at Starbucks for the elites, so thats something good in all of this.<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">READ MORE</span><br />CEPR <a href="http://www.cepr.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;id=573&Itemid=45">"</a></span><a href="http://www.cepr.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=573&Itemid=45">Free Trade Arithmetic for Progressives"</a></div><br /></span>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-64417459918461479162006-12-03T13:49:00.000-05:002006-12-03T13:58:35.193-05:00<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXMcZwEwHJI/AAAAAAAAAHA/yy0dhA04BUc/s1600-h/7944843_sa.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004374839665892498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXMcZwEwHJI/AAAAAAAAAHA/yy0dhA04BUc/s400/7944843_sa.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p align="center"><strong><span style="color:#990000;">From Best Buy, Pioneer 60" Flat Screen Plasma HDTV only $6499.99 on sale NOW for only a mere $6173.99 !! 4 year service plan only a minuscule $899.99 !!</span></strong></p><p align="center"><strong><span style="color:#990000;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">WTF</span>, I mean seriously who needs this shit? who buys this? I mean are there really people looking at the 50" Pioneer for $3799.99 and saying, "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">yeh</span>, its nice, but its only 50 inches" Jesus, get a library card or something, freaking <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">psychos.</span></span></strong></p>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-81318048203316419272006-12-03T12:11:00.000-05:002006-12-03T19:12:29.478-05:00<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXMQQAEwHII/AAAAAAAAAG0/dCWKUpVDpAE/s1600-h/pie22.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004361478022634626" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXMQQAEwHII/AAAAAAAAAG0/dCWKUpVDpAE/s400/pie22.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">People For And Against Free Trade/Globalization And Why</span></strong></div><br /><p align="left"><strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">For</span></strong><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong>Libertarians:</strong> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Hahaha</span></span> I'm so rich ha ha ha</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">CEO's</span></span>:</strong> With the increased profits ill be able to afford a bigger yacht!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Ogres</span>/trolls:</strong> Just in general</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">NYT</span></span> columnists:</strong> Because its not like his job is ever going anywhere, its not as if they are </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">gonna </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">say something like "I'm sorry Tom but we found this guy in </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Columbia that will <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">wr</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">ite</span></span> your column for a sack of rice"</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong>Fat people:</strong> Lower <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">tariffs</span> means cheaper <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">European</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">chocolates</span>.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong>Adam Smith:</strong> Invisible hand Bitches!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong>Economists:</strong> I mean it looks good on paper, and besides its not as if they can ever </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">outsource my job to Vietnam.</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> Survival of the fittest baby!</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Ayn Rand:</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">You ever read Atlas Shrugged?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong>Politicians/Elected Representatives :</strong> More <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">corporate</span> profits mean more kickbacks! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Ching</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Ching</span></span>!</span></p><p align="left"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">People who have lots and lots of stock</span>: Oink!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong>Idiots:</strong> Them: With free trade that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">TV</span> at Best Buy is cheaper!</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Me: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Yeh</span></span>, but since with free trade/globalization your working at a job that </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">pays an average of 21% less and shouldering more of your <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">health care</span> costs </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">you wont be able to afford it.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Them: But the TV will be cheaper, right?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><strong>Against</strong></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong>Former Union Workers:</strong> You know Frank, this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Wal</span></span>-Mart shit <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">doesn't</span> seem to pay as much as the</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong> </strong>plant </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">did, you know, before it closed and all.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong>Dad's:</strong> With <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">disappearing</span> borders, suddenly some real <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">competition</span> for that </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">"World's </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Greatest Dad" title.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong>Pretty Much Every American :</strong> Hey, remember when we could afford rent AND food?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><strong>Cute Puppies:</strong> That's right, they hate free trade too.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"></span><br /></p><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"></span>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-727119086635179732006-12-03T10:36:00.000-05:002006-12-03T10:37:55.948-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXLu9wEwHDI/AAAAAAAAAF0/JxYkAt3Rbw0/s1600-h/Ayn_Rand1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXLu9wEwHDI/AAAAAAAAAF0/JxYkAt3Rbw0/s320/Ayn_Rand1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004324880606305330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Pure Evil ?</span><br /></div>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-87619804406203253762006-12-03T09:44:00.000-05:002006-12-03T10:42:36.357-05:00<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXLwYwEwHEI/AAAAAAAAAGE/a0jkF2FfIV8/s1600-h/46.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004326443974401090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXLwYwEwHEI/AAAAAAAAAGE/a0jkF2FfIV8/s320/46.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">Take Two Aspirin's And Go To Hell</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">Article in Washington Post about sick leave, paid and unpaid, most people don't think about sick leave, it's simply understood that if your sick or say a child is sick or injured you can pick up the phone and call in sick, simple as that, but for 3 out of 4 low wage workers its not so simple, 3 out of 4 lack any type of paid sick leave, so if you get sick or injured you either a) come to work anyway or b) stay out home, lose a days wages and possibly your job. Pretty screwed up huh?, especially when you take into account that in other countries paid sick leave isn't a privilege of the elite but a basic human right, "A 2004 Harvard University study reported that 139 countries provide paid leave for short- or long-term illnesses. And 117 of those nations guarantee workers a week or more of paid sick days per year", wow, that </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">doesn't</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)"> make the old US of A look so hot, being one of the countries that </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">doesn't</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)"> offer sick leave and all, I guess we get lumped together with </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">Haiti</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)"> and Estonia or some shit, I guess in the US we're just a little </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">tougher</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)"> then those pussy European </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">countries</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">, if we get a leg amputated the night before we're still in the </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">office</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)"> at 8 the next morning, wow, makes your </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">chest</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)"> just swell with pride, well hopefully </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">that's</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)"> pride. </span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">Some More Fun Facts:<br /></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">Courtesy of the <a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/globalworkingfamilies/">Harvard Project On Global Working Families</a></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)"><br /></span>-139 countries provide paid leave for short- or long-term illnesses, with 117 providing a week or more annually. The U.S. provides only unpaid leave for serious illnesses through the FMLA, which does not cover all workers.<br /></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">- 163 countries around the world offer guaranteed paid leave to women in connection with childbirth. The U.S. does not.</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">-At least 96 countries around the world in all geographic regions and at all economic levels mandate paid annual leave. The U.S. does not require employers to provide paid annual leave.</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">-40 countries have government-mandated evening and night wage premiums. The U.S. does not.</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">- At least 98 countries require employers to provide a mandatory day of rest: a period of at least 24 hours off each week. The U.S. does not guarantee workers this weekly break.</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">-At least 84 countries have laws that fix the maximum length of the work week. The U.S. does not have a maximum length of the work week or a limit on mandatory overtime per week.</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">-The U.S. is tied with Ecuador and Suriname for 39</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">th</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)"> in enrollment in early childhood care and education for 3–5 year </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">olds</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">. Nearly all European countries perform better. A wide range of developing and transitioning countries had higher enrollment rates than the U.S., despite being poorer.</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">-The only other industrialized country which does not have paid maternity or parental leave for women, Australia, guarantees a full year of unpaid leave to all women in the country. In contrast, the Family and Medical Leave Act (</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">FMLA</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">) in the U.S. provides only 12 weeks of unpaid leave to approximately half of mothers in the U.S. and nothing for the remainder.</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">- At least 37 countries have policies guaranteeing parents some type of paid leave specifically for when their children are ill. Of these countries, two-thirds guarantee more than a week of paid leave, and more than one-third guarantee 11 or more days. Not us.</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">- 42 countries guarantee leave for major family events; in 37 of these countries, the leave is paid. Not us.<br />...wow...thats some bullshit huh? probably makes the libertarians happy, freaking libertarians.<br /></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">READ MORE</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">Washington Post</span> <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/02/AR2006120200085.html">"Caught the Flu, but No Sick Leave"</a><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">Report From Harvard</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102);font-size:85%;" > </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/globalworkingfamilies/images/report.pdf">"<strong><span style="color:blue;"></span></strong><strong>THE WORK, FAMILY, AND EQUITY INDEX</strong><strong>"</strong></a></span>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-87025773614366493722006-12-02T17:54:00.000-05:002006-12-03T09:36:52.283-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXIEZwEwG8I/AAAAAAAAAEs/beEAEXJCsxU/s1600-h/edbully.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXIEZwEwG8I/AAAAAAAAAEs/beEAEXJCsxU/s320/edbully.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004066976410115010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Savage Inequalities</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NYT</span> Magazine piece on the whole No Child Left Behind mess and the persistent inequalities in our nations schools and children. I personally don't believe race plays a role in standardized test score results or on the kind of education a child receives, I believe it's only really a question of money, namely how much a child's parents have, which is why I am glad this piece focuses more on economic disparities and their tragic results. Heres a thought, maybe using local property taxes to fund schools isn't such a great idea.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">READ MORE</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">NYT</span></span> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/magazine/26tough.html">"What It Takes to Make a Student"</a>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-71120157824985159992006-12-02T17:33:00.000-05:002006-12-03T10:43:16.093-05:00<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXLwjAEwHFI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/Sy7mBH32pD4/s1600-h/250px-Stocks_and_Stripes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004326620068060242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXLwjAEwHFI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/Sy7mBH32pD4/s320/250px-Stocks_and_Stripes.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">With Free Trade: Your Pretty Much Fucked</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">Article from Lou <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Dobbs</span> on free trade by the numbers, and a call on our newly elected Democratic majority to start putting on the brakes to a system <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">that's</span> out of control.</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)">READ MORE</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102)">Lou <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Dobbs</span></span> <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/28/Dobbs.Nov29/index.html">"New Congress Must Show Courage"</a>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-34417120332691279292006-12-02T17:14:00.000-05:002006-12-02T17:18:29.131-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXH7UQEwG6I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/_WZ6i_EFFgo/s1600-h/Skid+Row+Homeless-766888.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXH7UQEwG6I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/_WZ6i_EFFgo/s200/Skid+Row+Homeless-766888.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004056986316184482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">East Of Eden</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Article in LA Times about skid row, its citizens, and the lives they try to eke out there.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">READ MORE</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">LA Times</span> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tents2dec02,0,988774.story?page=1&track=tothtml">"A fragile fabric on skid row"</a>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-10587341901986092732006-12-02T16:37:00.000-05:002006-12-02T17:10:04.683-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXH37AEwG4I/AAAAAAAAAD8/d8nS6uk473w/s1600-h/banks2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXH37AEwG4I/AAAAAAAAAD8/d8nS6uk473w/s320/banks2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004053253989604226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">My First Time</span><br />I was 15 when I started working for Checker's, it was my first real paying job, which posed a problem, I didn't, not had I ever had a bank account, I was wary of banks and assumed that I would be ineligible from joining one or even cashing my checks at one plus banks kind of intimidated me, Eric, one of my friends at work suggested that I go to the check cashing store just up the street, he along with almost every one else at the store used it, so on payday I walked with Eric to the check cashing store, the place was small, about the size of a bodega, at the back of the store were three women who sat on stools behind a big bulletproof window with speakers for talking (two of the women spoke English, one woman always spoke Spanish), and revolving drawers for exchanging checks for cash, after receiving your money you could, at the same window buy stuff from the store, pay bills, buy stamps, wire money via western union, get a payday loan, set up a cell phone or beeper contract, and buy envelopes, between the back where the women sat and the front where me and Eric walked it were lots and lots of shelves and display cases everything even the shelves were under lock and key behind a kind of plexiglas, filled with lighters, cigarettes, cell phones, knives, watches, sunglasses, beepers, jewelry, bottle openers, and all sorts of other similar goods, the prices for all the stuff seemed high but I couldn't be sure not having anything to really compare it to, there was a fee to cash my check, and another fee if I wanted to pay bills there, but there was no use complaining, what other option did I have, when we left me and Eric went a few stores down to the bar, we bought 2 Hurricane's for $2.00 each for 40oz. bottles, and sit outside ad drink it, since the bar didn't have a problem selling me the beer but usually wanted me to leave right after I bought it since I was a minor.stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-14808685689778178502006-12-02T13:01:00.000-05:002006-12-02T14:39:51.842-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXHKUAEwG1I/AAAAAAAAADY/PLf5Ak4AXLE/s1600-h/37976177_b2cf07df60_o.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXHKUAEwG1I/AAAAAAAAADY/PLf5Ak4AXLE/s400/37976177_b2cf07df60_o.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004003105951456082" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >“To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men” -Abraham Lincoln</span><br /></div>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-75995675099485001442006-12-02T10:43:00.000-05:002006-12-02T12:05:41.468-05:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">B</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">ehind The Counter</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXGyVQEwGtI/AAAAAAAAAB4/r2yATO3Ka28/s1600-h/27album.xlarge1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXGyVQEwGtI/AAAAAAAAAB4/r2yATO3Ka28/s400/27album.xlarge1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5003976739147225810" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">One o</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">f the</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NYT</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> American </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Al</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">bum</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> pieces, this one about Gloria Castillo, 22, who works the night shift at Burger King. Gloria, a married, mother of two, feels as if her life isn't going anywhere, and maybe never will, stuck in neutral, paycheck to paycheck, just treading water, getting older, stuck, trapped, quiet desperation. It's sad, one line in particular stuck with me,</span><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><blockquote>"Gloria Castillo stares out the open window, allowing the wet air to blow inside. “I got dreams,” she says. “I’m a human being.”She looks at the crummy little house across the parking lot with peeling paint. “That would be good too, a little house. I don’t want much.”</blockquote></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">heavy stuff. I used to work in fast food, started when I was 15 working at Checkers (aka </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Rally's</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">), I worked in fast food for four years, Checkers, Wendy's, McDonald's, until when I was 19 I got a job at K-mart, it seemed like such a step up. Fast Food is the hardest job I ever had, it really was, not physically, and definitely not intellectually, but it was hard, unless you've done it you couldn't possible understand, its hard being 19 and meeting a girl, she tells you that she's in her sophomore year at </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Drexel</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> and then asks what you do, its hard putting on that uniform every morning, its hard having people treat you like dirt, an untouchable, the lowest of the low, its hard trying to pay bills with minimum wage, its hard being worried all the time about the rent or medical bills, its hard when people treat you like your stupid, and your so hard on yourself, we live in a society where a person is judged and judges himself based on their job, you feel like you've failed, every day you stand there behind a counter and ask yourself "where did I go wrong", " every time someone yells at you or you cash your check you say "I wish I had done better in school", you feel trapped, like there's no way out, you feel like this is as good as its ever to get, you watch the tv and see the billboards and feel as if the American dream has passed you by, you blame yourself, you hate yourself. </span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">READ MORE</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">NYT</span> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/us/27album.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"</span>Dreams in the Dark at the Drive-Through Window"</a></div>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-55111675755833012492006-12-02T09:34:00.000-05:002006-12-03T13:43:42.175-05:00<div align="center"><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXLwvAEwHGI/AAAAAAAAAGc/HNrSAbHJxo8/s1600-h/08poverty.xlarge1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004326826226490466" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXLwvAEwHGI/AAAAAAAAAGc/HNrSAbHJxo8/s400/08poverty.xlarge1.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Class Matters</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Article in </span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">NYT</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> that got my blood boiling, apparently West Virginia along with a handful of other states has started a program that "rewards" patients in the states Medicaid (health care for the poor) program who are responsible with extra benefits and goodies, such as medicine and mental health counseling, I'm serious, okay so the way it works is this, West Virginia in an effort to save money on health care costs has instituted a new policy for the states Medicaid recipients, basically anyone on Medicaid</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">"will be asked to sign a pledge “to do my best to stay healthy,” to attend “health improvement programs as directed,” to have routine checkups and screenings, to keep appointments, to take medicine as prescribed and to go to emergency rooms only for real emergencies"</blockquote><div style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" align="left">In terms of what happens if you do or do not sign the pledge and follow the guidelines<br /></div><blockquote style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">"Those signing and abiding by the agreement (or their children, who account for a majority of Medicaid patients here) will receive “enhanced benefits” including mental health counseling, long-term diabetes management and cardiac rehabilitation, and prescription drugs and home health visits as needed, as well as </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">antismoking</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> and </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">antiobesity</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> classes. Those who do not sign will get federally required basic services but be limited to four prescriptions a month, for example, and will not receive the other enhanced benefits...In future years, those who comply fully will get further benefits (“like a Marriott rewards plan,” Ms. Atkins said), their nature to be determined but perhaps including orthodontics or other dental services."</span></blockquote><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">I'm serious. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">...wow...</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;" align="left"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Soulless, morally reprehensible, medically unethical, godless, and just plain evil. </span><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">The legislators in West Virginia, and all those that helped push through this law and supported it and those like it across the country should all be ashamed, they should be so ashamed. I mean really what the fuck is wrong with these people? who thinks this is a good idea? who thinks denying medication to the poor is a good thing?, or that dental services and diabetes treatment are a special perk? these are people, these are human beings, how dare you. Treating the poor like dogs, telling the that they have to sign a pledge promising to not skip appointments, to follow the rules, to be healthy... basically i guess saying that poor people are irresponsible, lazy, and stupid, that they need to be forced to act as adults, that they need to be treated as if they were children. And then if a person has a little to much pride, dignity, or independence to sign this bullshit pledge you punish them? you deprive them of medication, mental health </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">counseling</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">, dental care etc? are you serious, so basically medical care is less of a an essential human right and more of a carrot in which to dangle in front of the donkey, more of a privilege, less of a right. If a wall street banker is 300 lbs and smokes, it doesn't matter, he has great medical care, the best, if a poor person is 300 lbs and smokes, he is scolded and lectured like a poorly behaved child, and then denied medical care. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Someone once said something to the effect that a society can best be judged by how it treats it's neediest citizens. What do you think this program and those like it say about America?, about all of us, about me, about you?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">READ MORE</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">NYT</span> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/01/us/01medicaid.html?ref=health"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"</span>Medicaid Plan Prods Patients Toward Health"</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">SEE ALSO</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">NYT </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/magazine/08wwln_lede.html?ex=1317960000&en=e5b75fecda75bbb0&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">"Pay For Good Behavior?"</a><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;" align="left"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">"</span><span class="body" style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">" -Martin Luther King Jr.</span> </div>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-78232858471625380822006-12-02T09:32:00.000-05:002006-12-03T10:44:56.365-05:00<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXLw7AEwHHI/AAAAAAAAAGo/0JAVFfp1P90/s1600-h/430px-Homeless_-_American_Flag.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5004327032384920690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXLw7AEwHHI/AAAAAAAAAGo/0JAVFfp1P90/s400/430px-Homeless_-_American_Flag.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><p style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0); TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;"><strong>This land is your land This land is my land<br />From California to the New York island;<br />From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters<br />This land was made for you and Me.</strong></span></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"></div><br /><p style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0); TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;"><strong>As I was walking that ribbon of highway,<br />I saw above me that endless skyway:<br />I saw below me that golden valley:<br />This land was made for you and me.</strong></span></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"></div><br /><p style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0); TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;"><strong>I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps<br />To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts;<br />And all around me a voice was sounding:<br />This land was made for you and me.</strong></span></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"></div><br /><p style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0); TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;"><strong>When the sun came shining, and I was strolling,<br />And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,<br />As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting:<br />This land was made for you and me.</strong></span></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"></div><br /><p style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0); TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;"><strong>As I went walking I saw a sign there<br />And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."<br />But on the other side it didn't say nothing,<br />That side was made for you and me.</strong></span></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"></div><br /><p style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0); TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;"><strong>In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people,<br />By the relief office I seen my people;<br />As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking<br />Is this land made for you and me?</strong></span></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"></div><br /><p style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0); TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;"><strong>Nobody living can ever stop me,<br />As I go walking that freedom highway;<br />Nobody living can ever make me turn back<br />This land was made for you and me.<br /></strong></span></p><br /><p style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0); TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;"><strong>-This Land Is Your Land</strong></span></p><br /><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(153,0,0)font-size:78%;" >Woody Guthrie</span><br /></span></strong></span></p></div>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-60320614357259338472006-12-02T08:43:00.000-05:002006-12-02T13:58:59.122-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXGDeQEwGkI/AAAAAAAAAAM/f4dTef-judo/s1600-h/payday+loans.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXGDeQEwGkI/AAAAAAAAAAM/f4dTef-judo/s320/payday+loans.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5003925216719542850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The Neon Wilderness</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">From</span> <a href="http://www.dollarsandsense.org/index.html">Dollars & Sense</a> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Magazine comes a piece by Howard </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Karger</span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> about Americas fringe economy for the poor and what a big and very profitable </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">business</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> its become. The fringe economy </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Karger</span></span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">explains is a wide range of</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">businesses</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> </span><blockquote><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">"that engage in financially predatory relationships with </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">lowincome</span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> or heavily indebted consumers by charging excessive interest rates, </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">superhigh</span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> fees, or exorbitant prices for goods or services" which include "payday lenders, pawnshops, check-</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">cashers</span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">, tax refund lenders, rent-to-own stores, and "buy-here/pay-here" used car lots. The fringe economy also includes credit card companies that charge excessive late payment or over-the-</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">creditlimit</span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> penalties; cell phone providers that force less creditworthy customers into expensive prepaid plans; and </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">subprime</span></span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">mortgage lenders that gouge prospective homeowners". </span></blockquote><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">The</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">article</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> then details the profits and revenues of these fringe economy vultures, the numbers are nothing short of </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">extraordinary</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">, billions upon billions, all based on the idea of robbing, </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">exploiting</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">, and cheating the most economically vulnerable of our society, what a country.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">READ MORE</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Dollars & Sense</span> <a href="http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2006/1106karger.html">"America's Growing Fringe Economy"</a>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-84373731025647164822006-11-26T12:12:00.000-05:002006-12-02T12:16:30.256-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXG02QEwGvI/AAAAAAAAACM/tGRSzGIJpy0/s1600-h/cartbw.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_okCKY8m5oUo/RXG02QEwGvI/AAAAAAAAACM/tGRSzGIJpy0/s400/cartbw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5003979505106164466" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;" class="sqq">“Those who produce should have, but we know that those who produce the most - that is, those who work hardest, and at the most difficult and most menial tasks, have the least.” - Euene Debs</span><br /></div>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-66649193501474571292006-11-26T11:54:00.000-05:002006-11-26T12:02:44.214-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/1849/4409/1600/847187/walterreuther.bmp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/1849/4409/320/213677/walterreuther.bmp.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">American Hero </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Walter Reuther</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">One time head of the UAW and one of the most influential labor leaders in American history. Reuther fought for every American not just auto workers, influencing presidents and policies, a leader in the American civil rights movement, a man who believed that a just and equitable society was possible, but you had to fight for it.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">READ MORE</span><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Reuther">Wikipedia article</a><br /><a href="http://www.time.com/time/time100/builder/profile/reuther.html">Time 100 article</a><br /><a href="http://www.reuther.wayne.edu/exhibits/wpr.html">Wayne State University</a>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-1378044112303162582006-11-26T11:09:00.001-05:002006-11-26T11:09:42.494-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/1849/4409/1600/873147/6-class-struggle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/1849/4409/400/574521/6-class-struggle.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-5306201391196846032006-11-26T10:53:00.000-05:002006-11-26T11:03:16.190-05:00<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/1849/4409/1600/234078/free.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/1849/4409/400/756802/free.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Just got a holiday flyer in the mail from these guys, really like the "American Dream Starts here" slogan, not to mention the whole supporting the troops stuff, very patriotic, because if there is one thing the troops and actually every American needs this holiday season its easy financing terms for "custom wheels"</span><br /><br /></div>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36120377.post-34778234229489191102006-11-26T10:11:00.000-05:002006-12-02T13:16:13.219-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/1849/4409/1600/169770/Scrooge%20McDuck%20-%20Christmas%20Carol.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/1849/4409/200/770946/Scrooge%20McDuck%20-%20Christmas%20Carol.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">In Touch With The Common Man</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">From Yahoo News, all about how our elected representatives don't really seem to be very representative of us, "The wealth of the incoming class will hardly raise eyebrows in the Senate, where about half of the current 100 members are also millionaires and the average net worth is $8.9 million, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington. By contrast, less than 1% of the U.S. population has a net worth of $1 million or more". The Piece also informs us that in 2006 a Senator is paid $165,200 a year, wow, thats not too shabby, especially since half of all Americans make less then $33,000 per year, plus those Senators get that nice health care too, its a hell of a racket. So to summarize, half of all Senators are millionaires, they make $165,200 a year, and Congress was unable or unwilling to pass a minimum wage raise this summer. I honestly believe that if the members of Congress feel, as they have apparently felt since 1997 (last time there was a minimum wage increase) that $5.15 an hour is acceptable, that it's a living wage, then they should have to live on it, I mean why not, nowhere is it written that we have to pay these guys $165,000, thats our tax dollars they pay them, shouldn't we have a say?, in the same period that Congress has refused to raise the minimum wage they have given themselves $28,000 in pay increases<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/20/politics/main957660.shtml"><span style="font-size:78%;">1</span></a>, where is the outrage? Its no wonder it seems like those in Congress don't care about average Americans, they don't, why would they?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">READ MORE</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Yahoo News</span> <a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/weekend/senator_1.html">"Meet Senator Millionaire"</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span class="sqq">“The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.”</span></div>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333430098524181600noreply@blogger.com0