This is all spot on, I just want to add that the right's plan to gut the civil service is a labor issue in itself; during the lame-duck period Trump issued as executive order establishing Schedule F, which stripped bargaining rights from every federal employee involved in "formulating or implementing policy," which is nearly everyone, and turning all these millions of workers into political appointees, who could be summarily fired without cause.
Biden rescinded Schedule F on day one, but every Republican presidential candidate has vowed to reimpose it.
It's just such an incredible indictment of the United States that the boot stomping on our neck forever thinks it wise to advertise itself. Says some really dark things about the human condition, honestly.
The GOP has promised what they will do to women, the LGBTQ+ community, labor, our democracy, the environment, the EPA, the FDA, the Constitution, the separation of church and state, the FBI, the Justice Department, the freedom to read the books we want, the fight against climate change and so much more. It isn’t good.
Many thanks Hamilton. It is always a pleasure reading your articles. I may disagree about Biden but it is not relevant. In my modest opinion, the main point is to keep on highlighting that The right wing is the worst possible option to any civilised country, here, there and everywhere. Stay safe.
Sep 11, 2023·edited Sep 11, 2023Liked by Hamilton Nolan
Honestly, if I were a business owner who was compelled to pay employees time-and-a-half on Sunday, I would simply announce that we would no longer be open for business on the Sabbath, and anyone who found that inconvenient should ask themselves why they thought they could flout God’s commandments.
This is one of many good reasons it is for the best that I am not a business owner.
(Anyone, that is, apart from the workers who would lose a day’s wages. But we all know that the people who want Sabbath pay enshrined into law aren’t concerned with the plight of the worker.)
"The tiny little Christian aphids that eat the brains of the Republican base also appear to be getting to their Supreme Court clerks. Sad."
Those tiny Christian aphids like Russell Vought see themselves as leading the Christian Counter-Elite destruction of civil service. Ultimately what may trip them up is that everyone wants that position. No one wants to be a mere foot soldier. The clash of Christian ambitions may be the show of shows waiting behind all these machinations.
One almost thinks that the whole point to writing a 900+ page policy tome is knowing that very few people will read it. I mean, I won't, because I already just assume anything from that crowd is a pile of horrible crap, 9 pages or 900. Also, I just can't bring myself to read anything that long these days. I used to be able to. Damn internet killed my attention span.
(I hope that your book is not 900 pages. I max out around 400. 200-300 is optimal.)
Yes, Republicans are wretched. But we'll never get fully representative democracy with Ds and Rs alone. Their appeal is maxed. We need viable alternatives to get non-voters off the sidelines.
Biden actually saved the Rail Unions from a crushing defeat. Had they gone out on strike in November 67% approval of Unions would have turned into 37% within weeks as shelves emptied. No Union leader in his right mind would go on a strike with a tiny fraction of the membership in favor and a tiny fraction actually returning the strike vote. No less drag the other Unions in the coalition along. The house and Senate would have flipped, the rail carriers would have dragged it to the new session and the Contract imposed would be a disaster.
Instead they got great raises and the Biden Administration pushed 5 of 6 Carriers to give them the sick days after the contract had been signed. By far the best friend labor has had with no exception.
In practice, unions take money from your pocket to create a bureaucracy that does not have your best interest at heart and that's why workers are ambivalent about unions in polling. Restoring the American manufacturing base in the interests of national security will give workers real negotiating power. These are MAGA ideas, and that's why the American worker abandoned the Democrat party a long time ago, and Democrat polling with blacks and Hispanics continues to slip.
Your poll does not distinguish between public and private sector union jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2022, the unionization of public sector employees (paid by taxpayers) is at a rate five times greater than private sector employees. Clearly, this not about supporting workers but protecting government bureaucracy.
Workers are workers. The distinction is made only for the purposes of pitting people against each other.
And everything is "paid for by taxpayers" you unbelievable dolt. How dense do you have to be to think getting goods and services from oligarch-owned corporations that make you agree to binding arbitration before they'll sell you a fucking toothbrush is better than going to the government, which at least theoretically has a mandate to serve the public and can be held accountable by them.
There are so many legitimate things to ding Biden on but you know you're dealing with an authentic smooth-brain dipshit when "Twittergate" is the basis of their scorn
This is all spot on, I just want to add that the right's plan to gut the civil service is a labor issue in itself; during the lame-duck period Trump issued as executive order establishing Schedule F, which stripped bargaining rights from every federal employee involved in "formulating or implementing policy," which is nearly everyone, and turning all these millions of workers into political appointees, who could be summarily fired without cause.
Biden rescinded Schedule F on day one, but every Republican presidential candidate has vowed to reimpose it.
Yes it would be a huge labor issue in its own right that I'd like to write about another time.
It's just such an incredible indictment of the United States that the boot stomping on our neck forever thinks it wise to advertise itself. Says some really dark things about the human condition, honestly.
Believe Them
The GOP has promised what they will do to women, the LGBTQ+ community, labor, our democracy, the environment, the EPA, the FDA, the Constitution, the separation of church and state, the FBI, the Justice Department, the freedom to read the books we want, the fight against climate change and so much more. It isn’t good.
Many thanks Hamilton. It is always a pleasure reading your articles. I may disagree about Biden but it is not relevant. In my modest opinion, the main point is to keep on highlighting that The right wing is the worst possible option to any civilised country, here, there and everywhere. Stay safe.
Honestly, if I were a business owner who was compelled to pay employees time-and-a-half on Sunday, I would simply announce that we would no longer be open for business on the Sabbath, and anyone who found that inconvenient should ask themselves why they thought they could flout God’s commandments.
This is one of many good reasons it is for the best that I am not a business owner.
(Anyone, that is, apart from the workers who would lose a day’s wages. But we all know that the people who want Sabbath pay enshrined into law aren’t concerned with the plight of the worker.)
"The tiny little Christian aphids that eat the brains of the Republican base also appear to be getting to their Supreme Court clerks. Sad."
Those tiny Christian aphids like Russell Vought see themselves as leading the Christian Counter-Elite destruction of civil service. Ultimately what may trip them up is that everyone wants that position. No one wants to be a mere foot soldier. The clash of Christian ambitions may be the show of shows waiting behind all these machinations.
One almost thinks that the whole point to writing a 900+ page policy tome is knowing that very few people will read it. I mean, I won't, because I already just assume anything from that crowd is a pile of horrible crap, 9 pages or 900. Also, I just can't bring myself to read anything that long these days. I used to be able to. Damn internet killed my attention span.
(I hope that your book is not 900 pages. I max out around 400. 200-300 is optimal.)
The book is more like 300 so nothing to fear.
Thank you for the info! I'll read it no matter the length.
Yes, Republicans are wretched. But we'll never get fully representative democracy with Ds and Rs alone. Their appeal is maxed. We need viable alternatives to get non-voters off the sidelines.
Biden actually saved the Rail Unions from a crushing defeat. Had they gone out on strike in November 67% approval of Unions would have turned into 37% within weeks as shelves emptied. No Union leader in his right mind would go on a strike with a tiny fraction of the membership in favor and a tiny fraction actually returning the strike vote. No less drag the other Unions in the coalition along. The house and Senate would have flipped, the rail carriers would have dragged it to the new session and the Contract imposed would be a disaster.
Instead they got great raises and the Biden Administration pushed 5 of 6 Carriers to give them the sick days after the contract had been signed. By far the best friend labor has had with no exception.
In practice, unions take money from your pocket to create a bureaucracy that does not have your best interest at heart and that's why workers are ambivalent about unions in polling. Restoring the American manufacturing base in the interests of national security will give workers real negotiating power. These are MAGA ideas, and that's why the American worker abandoned the Democrat party a long time ago, and Democrat polling with blacks and Hispanics continues to slip.
Workers are so ambivalent about unions that they're more popular than they've been in 60 years: https://news.gallup.com/poll/398303/approval-labor-unions-highest-point-1965.aspx
Why don't you eat a dick after you're done with that boot pal
Your poll does not distinguish between public and private sector union jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2022, the unionization of public sector employees (paid by taxpayers) is at a rate five times greater than private sector employees. Clearly, this not about supporting workers but protecting government bureaucracy.
Workers are workers. The distinction is made only for the purposes of pitting people against each other.
And everything is "paid for by taxpayers" you unbelievable dolt. How dense do you have to be to think getting goods and services from oligarch-owned corporations that make you agree to binding arbitration before they'll sell you a fucking toothbrush is better than going to the government, which at least theoretically has a mandate to serve the public and can be held accountable by them.
I get to choose if I want the toothbrush before I pay for it.
What the fuck does that have to do with whether or not an employee has rights at work
There are so many legitimate things to ding Biden on but you know you're dealing with an authentic smooth-brain dipshit when "Twittergate" is the basis of their scorn
I'm sure this was intelligible in your head when you wrote it