ShowMeBlog

The American Dream : American Airlines Bankruptcy

  The Star-Telegram has an interesting story on the American Airlines Bankruptcy. 

 

“When AMR Corp. announced its plan Wednesday to terminate all four of its employee pension plans, it joined a long line of U.S. employers that have abandoned what was long seen as a birthright of American workers.

In 1980, 84 percent of Americans working for large or midsize private employers were eligible for a traditional pension, known as a defined benefit plan because it promises to pay a specific benefit based on earnings and years of service. By 2010, that was down to 30 percent, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a not-for-profit research organization in Washington, D.C…”

 

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/02/01/3705574/amr-wants-to-terminate-all-four.html#storylink=cpy

 

  Back when I was young…  A long long time ago… I worked as a welder for a corporation (Hess Trucks).  We made trucks that carried beer, soft drinks and stuff like that.  It was sometime in the 60s I think.  It was a union job of course.  We were UAW members.  The pay was good.  I enjoyed the work.  I did take off my hard hat one time when I was welding under a truck and the workers on top were pounding with sledgehammers and a c-clamp came loose and came down and hit me in the head.  Yes, that is how I became a Democrat.  Hit in the head by a hammer.
  I was in my early 20s then.  The company hired in about five guys and they looked old to me. Very old men.  They all came to work at the same time and all had worked at another company before.  The company they had worked at went out of business.  All of these old guys had been a year or two from retirement age and they all had worked for the company most if not all of their lives.  They lost their company pensions.  They ended up with zero for all those years of work.  They would, of course, get Social Security.

  I remember thinking at the time that it was not right that a person could work for a company and then have them just cancel the pension and say get lost. 
  It looks like after all these years this sort of thing is still happening.
  Thank God for Social Security.
  But we need government regulation in this area and in a lot of areas.  That is one of the reasons for government.

Newt Gingrich wants to do away with child labor laws

  Republicans want to do away with labor unions we all know that…  New Gingrich not only wants to do away with unions he wants to do away with child labor laws.
  Not only do Republicans want to do away with labor unions but everything they have given the United States and the world.  
 
 

“(CNN) - Newt Gingrich proposed a plan Friday that would allow poor children to clean their schools for money, saying such a setup would both allow students to earn income and endow them with a strong work ethic.

Speaking at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, the former House Speaker said his system would be an improvement on current child labor laws, which he called "truly stupid."
"It is tragic what we do in the poorest neighborhoods, entrapping children in child laws which are truly stupid," Gingrich said. "Saying to people you shouldn't go to work before you're 14, 16. You're totally poor, you're in a school that's failing with a teacher that's failing."

Gingrich then proposed a system he said would help those students rise from poverty.

"I tried for years to have a very simple model. These schools should get rid of unionized janitors, have one master janitor, pay local students to take care of the school. The kids would actually do work; they'd have cash; they'd have pride in the schools. They'd begin the process of rising."

Gingrich pointed to successful acquaintances as examples of the benefits of beginning a job early in life…”

 

  He would “allow” poor children to clean the schools.  Yes if you want an education and a lunch at the school you would have to clean the school.
  I am sure sure that kids are going to do a good job of cleaning the school. 
  His plan would also do away with a few good jobs.  That is going to help us all I am sure.  Do away with professional trained janitors and let children used hazardous chemicals.  The children can make sure the floors and stairs are nice as slick with hazardous chemicals. 
  I am sure that children will know about proper storage of chemicals that are a fire hazard.  I am sure little children can run one of those power floor buffers just great.  They will not hurt themselves nor will they damage the floors. Most of all I can not wait to see those kids buffering and tearing the hell out of the gym floors. 

  I know Newt has had three or four wives.  He does not have any children does he?
  I am sure that “poor” kids working as janitors are going to feel a lot of “pride.”  Talk about bullying problems now…Just wait until you got poor kids working at the school cleaning the floors and the toilets.  

  He does not want to improve education.  He wants to get kids to drop out and quit school.
Newt Gingrich could the Republican with the highest IQ, that is running, and he might be the best debater but he is a poor excuse for a human being.
  Shame shame on Newt Gingrich.  Newt go set in the corner with a the dunce cap on your pointed head.

Sandusky’s autobiography titled ‘Touched’

“(CNN) -- For most of the 37 years between 1963 and 2000, Jerry Sandusky was the epitome of a Penn State man.

That shining image dimmed over the weekend, when police arrested him on seven counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and other charges, including aggravated indecent assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

Sandusky, 67, allegedly engaged in fondling, oral sex and anal sex with young boys over a period of more than 10 years, according to an investigative state grand jury's summary of testimony.

He maintains he is innocent…”

 

  I am not a football fan.  I am not a sports fan.  I never heard of Jerry Sandusky until this story came out.  Hell I never heard of Joe Paterno.  Hell I never heard of Penn State.
  I do think that a person should be innocent until found guilty in a court of law.  But I did read, on line, the police report in this case.
  I am not sure when he goes to trial.  I am not sure when he is going to be locked up.  Right now he is out on bail.
  But if I was Jerry Sandusky I would be looking at ways to take my life.  He is 67 years of age and I do not think he wants to end up in jail. 
  I will not be surprised if we hear that he took his life.

  I hear on the news that Joe Paterno is loved very much in Pennsylvania.  He has been head football coach at Penn State for 46 seasons.  I guess he has been at the school for 61 years!
  Like I said I never heard of the guy until now. 
  But let me say, and remember I am 70 years of age, I saw him on the news today talking about the incident and he is old.  He is very old.  What is it with these people in the world (people like Larry King and others) have they never heard of retirement?  There is a time when people need to take retirement and mostly move the fuck out of the way for younger people. 
  Anyone remember J. Edgar Hoover?  He was director of the FBI from 1924 until he died in May of 1972.
  There needs to be a point when you have old people move over and get out of the way.  I do not care if you are a winning football coach, talk show host, Pope or the head of the FBI.  
  
  Do these people not know about the unemployment rate?  Right now it is over 9%.  There are smart young people out there that want a job.
  
  If you read my blog you know I do not like “VIPs” or people that get special treatment.  That is one of the things about Jerry Sandusky that pissed me off when reading about him.  He had all those extra benefits, perks and access at his old school after he quit.  We see what he did with all those special VIP perks and benefits don’t we?
  
  This entire matter is going to be looked into and there will be all sorts of stories about it and investigations (now) done.
  I can tell you, now, what one of the problems was with all of this.  It was power.  It was EGOs and special treatment. 
  Back many years ago around the early 80s I was offered a job at a community college as a security officer (campus police).  The director told me that he wanted me and that I had the job if I wanted it but he said he had to tell me something.  He then went on to tell me that every time security would try and do something that students would go to one of the college deans.  Then the dean would over rule security.  He said it was very hard to do the job.
  I think that is what took place at Penn State only worst.  Everyone knew that Joe Paterno and the football program ruled.  They knew who pulled strings.  Everyone knew that you better not make waves or buck the system.
  Look what happens when you do not have rules, laws, justice and protection from power.

Ohio voters bitch slap GOP Gov. John Kasich

  Well great news out of Ohio.  Voters repeal the anti-worker law that limited union rights.  The Republican Gov. John Kasich was so happy with himself that he passed a law to limit collective bargaining rights for public workers.
  The bill is like the one passed in Wisconsin in March.
 
  See the CNN story:  Ohio voters repeal law limiting union rights

  In Wisconsin workers are going to attempt to remove Republican Gov.  Walker from office.  He passed the anti-work anti-union law and was so happy about it and you could see that he was thinking that it was going to make him another Regan and that he would move up in the GOP.  Well when he is removed from office after serving only one year in office that should put an end to his ass kissing of the Koch brothers.

  I think these Republicans have gone to far and the American people are pushing back.  The right has such hate for workers.  The Republicans hate workers, hate teachers and just hate everyone except for the 1% bankers and Wall Street people.

  If we can send a message to them they might be a little more careful.

  The American people have won in Ohio and now we just have to hope that they can remove the scab Republican Gov. Walker in Wisconsin.

  But great news from Ohio.
Thank you voters of Ohio.

Woody Guthrie – Union Burying Ground

 

“Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) is best known as an American singer-songwriter andfolk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his guitar. His best-known song is "This Land Is Your Land". Many of his recorded songs are archived in the Library of Congress.^[1] Such songwriters as Bob Dylan,Phil Ochs, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Joe Strummer and Tom Paxton have acknowledged their debt to Guthrie as an influence.

Guthrie traveled with migrant workers from Oklahoma to California and learned traditional folk and blues songs. Many of his songs are about his experiences in the Dust Bowl era during the Great Depression, earning him the nickname the "Dust Bowl Troubadour".^[2] Throughout his life Guthrie was associated with United States communist groups, though he was seemingly not a member of any.^[3]

Guthrie was married three times and fathered eight children, including American folk musician Arlo Guthrie. He is the grandfather of musician Sarah Lee Guthrie.^[4] Guthrie died from complications of Huntington's disease, a progressive genetic neurologicaldisorder. During his later years, in spite of his illness, Guthrie served as a figurehead in the folk movement, providing inspiration to a generation of new folk musicians, including mentor relationships with Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Bob Dylan.

Woody Guthrie was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 1997…”

The Texas TSA pat-down bill dies

“AUSTIN -- Legislation to ban invasive pat-downs by federal airport security screeners collapsed in the Texas House on Wednesday as the 82nd Legislature finished a protracted 170-day workathon, including 30 days in overtime…”

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/06/29/3189812/blame-game-ensues-after-tsa-pat.html#ixzz1QlCLAGkR

 

  I wish the fucking bill had passed.  Of course President Obama and the TSA, FAA and Justice Department would not have had the balls to fight it like they should have… They would have gone to court and of course the federal government would have won in court.
  But if I was President of the United States I would have had the TSA and FAA ban all International fights in and out of Texas after 9/11 of 2011.
  Texas would have gone to court right away to prevent it but at the same time they would have done away with the fucking law so fucking fast.

“…The bill, which had a die-hard fan base of largely conservative supporters, would have expanded the federal definition of "official oppression" to prohibit federal employees from improperly touching a person's private areas. Violations would constitute a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a maximum $4,000 fine…”

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/06/29/3189812/blame-game-ensues-after-tsa-pat.html#ixzz1QlDrEzSV

 

  The people that want the pat-down bill passed are so fucking stupid.  The law would not be legal and the courts would toss it out.  Also even if it became a law and went into effect no one would pay any attention to it.
  You would have stupid low IQ right wing nuts screaming in the airports from time to time but no real law enforcement officer would arrest a TSA security person for “improperly” touching someone during a security pat-down.  Police officers do pat-downs every fucking day.  

  I did a “pat-down” on the husband of an ER patient one time.  He was a pain in the ass all the time. He and his wife were coming to hospital ERs all the time to get drugs.  He owned a small business in the area with x number of employees.
  I had worked at another hospital for a year and he had shown up over there and made threats that he was going to kill the ER doctor and staff.  Then later I was back working at another hospital and he and his wife showed up and he was acting in his nutty way..Refusing to stay out of the exam room and then when he went in with his wife he would close the door and the staff asked him to keep the door open.
  I just fucking took him out of the room and did a pat down on him.  He got so pissed off that he left the hospital and as he was leaving he said is this such and such a hospital and it was not the hospital and I told him “yes” and he left.  Right away his wife was ready to be released and he was not there but they called him on his cell phone.  When he pulled into the ER garage I refused to let him get out of his fucking car.
  Now was that “improperly” touching someone?  I don’t think so.. I think when you got a guy saying he is going to kill a doctor and staff because they will not give him drugs that you would be a piss poor police/security person if you did not do a pat down.

  We have not heard the last of the pat down bill in Texas.  I am sure the right wing conservative government hating nuts will bring it up and keep bring it up until they get something passed.  I think anyone with an IQ higher than 40 knows it is not legal and is a stupid law.  So people will water it down until it is just a worthless scrip of paper and pass it just go get the nuts off their backs.  What they should do is tell them you are fucking stupid and get he hell out of my office you piece of shit.

Monument to Labor under water

  Republicans are trying to drown labor unions and the working man and it looks like they are getting some help from the Missouri River.

  Omaha’s Monument to Labor is under water from the Missouri River.

 

  The photo above on the left is before the water came and the photo on right above is now from the flooding.
  I am sure they will recover the Monument to Labor but the Republicans are doing more damage to real working men and women. 

Fake website targets Missouri Coal Company

  Wow this is not only funny but one hell of a activist initiative.  If there is some sort of award for things like this then the activist group should win the award for sure.

 

(CNN) -- A Missouri-based coal company was the victim of a hoax Tuesday after activists set up a fake website saying the company would offer free, custom-branded inhalers to children.

A press release supposedly from Peabody Energy said it was creating a new public health initiative "designed to combat the stigma of asthma among American children." Under the so-called "Coal Cares" initiative, the false statement said, the inhaler actuators would be given to children living within 200 miles of a coal plant, along with coupons good toward purchase of asthma medication.

 

  A very very long time ago I worked for the KW Dart Truck Company (a division of Kenworth Trucks) and we made very large trucks (about the size of your house) for the Peabody Coal Company. (And we made trucks for others.  In fact we shipped trucks around the world.)  I was a welder in the body shop.  It was a good union (UAW) job.  
  That was when I lived in Kansas City (Missouri).
   One of my first jobs was working for the Darby Corporation (Kansas City, Kansas) and we re-built railroad cars (coal haulers).  It was a union job (Boilermakers) but it was not as good of a union job because as the company was always telling us “Kansas is a right to work state.”  So we had a few accidents, this was before OSHA, like the time a guy fell and had both legs and an arm cut off by a train.  But the company gave the guy a job as a time keeper!  Harry Darby the owner of the company had been a Republican United States Senator.  Another reason I do like Republicans.

GOP’s Anti-Union Agenda in Congress

“Despite the backlash growing around the country, Republicans in DC are gearing up to strip union rights at the federal, starting with rail and air workers. Huff Post's Amanda Terkel discussed their strategy with Rachel last night.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

“On Thursday, the House will vote on H.R. 658, FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2011, sponsored by Rep. Mica (R-FL). This legislation contains the anti-union provisions discussed by Amanda Terkel. Steve Benen has more here. There's a good chance it will pass. Last week, John wrote how Delta Airlines is apparently bumping paying passengers to fly union-busters to DC to lobby for the Mica bill.
Will the Senate stop the anti-union effort if it passes the House? Will Obama veto it?”

Maine Governor Removes Pro-Worker Mural

“WASHINGTON -- The Maine Department of Labor quietly took down a mural depicting the state's labor history over the weekend, after Gov. Paul LePage (R) sparked controversy last week byordering it removed and saying it was biased against businesses and employers.

“The mural has been removed and is in storage awaiting relocation to a more appropriate venue," said LePage Press Secretary Adrienne Bennett in a statement provided to The Huffington Post. "Workers and employers need to work together to create opportunity for Maine's 50,000 unemployed. We understand that not everyone agrees with this decision, but the Maine Department of Labor has to be focused on the job at hand."

"This is government censorship at its worst," said state Rep. Diane Russell (D), who has been an outspoken advocate on labor rights…”

 

“(CNN) -- Maine GOP Gov. Paul LePage followed through with his decision to remove a mural depicting the history of the workers' movement from the state's labor department lobby, a spokeswoman said Monday.

"The mural has been removed and is in storage awaiting relocation to a more appropriate venue," said LePage press secretary Adrienne Bennett in a prepared statement. "We understand that not everyone agrees with this decision, but the Maine Department of Labor has to be focused on the job at hand."

The controversy over the 36-foot-long, 11-panel mural erupted last week when a LePage administration official announced that the artwork would be removed and that conference rooms dedicated to American labor movement icons would be renamed.

Administration officials said the change was needed to reflect a new image for the department, one not tilted toward organized labor. They said visitors to the lobby had complained that the mural is anti-business.

Maine AFL-CIO president Don Berry called it "a spiteful, mean-spirited move by the governor that does nothing to create jobs or improve the Maine economy."

Last week, acting Maine Labor Commissioner Laura Boyett announced a contest to replace the names affixed to the conference rooms. The names to be replaced include Cesar Chavez and Frances Perkins…”

                                                              

These right wing Republicans are the same type of Republicans that objected to the movies; “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” 
  There is something wrong with these people.  They act like they love America and attack everyone else for being un-American but they hate everything that is good about America.

 

“…LePage's office originally said that the governor made his decision after complaints from businesses owners, eventually pointing to a single anonymous letter, in which the author said that when looking at the mural, he or she felt like it was something from "communist North Korea."

In an e-mail to The Huffington Post, Bennett also pointed to a Sunday blog post by Mike Violette, a conservative radio host in Maine, along with other anonymous statements from employers who support what LePage is doing and believe the mural has helped make the Department of Labor a "militant, angry, business-hating environment."

There have been several protests at the Department of Labor, and one attendee suggested forming a human chain to block the mural's removal. When asked by WCSH 6 what he would do if protesters did indeed form a chain, LePage replied, "I'd laugh at them, the idiots. That's what I would do. Come on! Get over yourselves!"”