“The Fraying of a Nation’s Decency.” Yes, I’ll be removing my Amazon ads as soon as I feel alert enough to do it. Messing with the template takes more skill than just blogging.
“The Phony Solyndra Scandal.” I’m glad someone finally explained what the righties are drooling about now.
Conservatives are still trying to repeal the Voting Rights Act. They never give up.
I don’t have the energy to explain all the reasons why I think Michael Kazin comes across as a clueless twit, but for starters I’d say the Left is not as well organized or as loud as the Right because we don’t have the billionaire bankrollers that the Right has. Or the media in our pockets. Or the army of lobbyists. Or …
Well, we’ve still got Krugman.
It just occurred to me to wonder if Michael Kazin is related to Alfred Kazin.
I liked Nocera’s summary of the Solyndra story. I just wish he’d taken more care with writing the line about how, in modern Washington, the party out of power gins up phony scandals to discredit the party in power.
That’s what happens when REPUBLICANS are out of power. It isn’t both sides that gin up these bogus scandals.
If anything Democrats were too timid about taking on the legitimate Bush scandals.
I don’t want to put all of our eggs in one basket, but I think Elizabeth Warren’s got the right message.
And it’s the message that the Democrats, or at least the one’s not totally in the thrall of Big Business, need to pick-up.
The left’s original goals were living wages and womens sufferage. We succeeded for a while. Women got the right to vote, and for a few decades, we had a growing Middle Class due to those living wages. And as people started to earn enough not to worry where their nex meal was coming from, they started to look at the inequality between races and genders, and, more recently, sexual orientation. And this growing Middle Class scared the powers-that-be, causing the current conservative backlash. Read Thom Hartmann on the subject, if you haven’t already:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_thom_har_060905_thom_hartmann_3b_democ.htm
and
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thom-hartmann/theres-nothing-normal-abo_b_32532.html
I think we need to go back to the message of living wages. And for those screaming that too many people don’t pay “enough” in taxes, well, you pay us more, and we’ll be more than happy to pay more. You can’t get blood from a stone, you know.
Democrats need to leave their Wall Street pimps, and return to their homes on Main Street.
You can be forgiven. You can ALL be forgiven. Just come home…
Re: Amazon
The work conditions do sound bad, and should be improved immediately. I want to continue to use Amazon for two reasons. I live in the country, so buying things requires lots (30 to 80 miles) of driving, a time and money cost that I avoid online. I also use Amazon’s reviews for decision-making. The reports of actual use are often illuminating.
That said, I am sending Jeff Bezos a letter today raising the working conditions issue and the extensive use of temp workers rather than actual direct employment. He has created something worthwhile and offers many people opportunities through used book and cd sales, plus stores and products getting national exposure they would never have had otherwise. He needs to look at the community issue. That is obviously where the failure rests. Doubtless, there was a core of hard-working, committed early employees who built that business and were recognized as individuals, unlike present employees. Amazon is more than just a business, the same way a school is more than just a group of classrooms.
I’d encourage you to keep your Amazon ads up and send Bezos a message about your concerns with the business. It should be a good place. We can nudge them toward that.
I find it rather bizarre that Anand Giridharadas feels the need to diss Unions in the Amazon piece twice, when Unions have very little say about anything these days and are exactly the solution to the problem that he/she describes in his piece. I have an idea. Perhaps the executives at Amazon would discover some of their humanity if the humans working for them shut Amazon down for a week. Perhaps that would help.
Growth Factor: I found his references to unions also to be problematic and very biased. Yes, Amazon was a risk but that chance to make something new is what supposedly drives entrepreneurs and that means taking a risk.
Back when I worked in publishing (I forget for which company) all employees had to take part in an annual one-day inventory at the “local” warehouse. We were teamed with regular warehouse employees. This building had central A/C and platform ladders for people to get to the highest cubicles. It was still hard to look into the cubicles and count the books. (My partner had me hold the checklist and note the numbers he gave me.) It isn’t easy to work in a warehouse.
Another thing about the Giridharadas piece that bothered me is that he apparently feels that businesses ever were more “decent”. Businesses have forever and will forever try to get away with anything that affects the bottom line. The larger the corporation, the greater scope for abuse. Amazon is an example of how little things have changed, rather than that they are worse than before. This is the reason unions were formed and why they need to continue.
Six or so months ago, Amazon’s name turned up in reference to the U.S. gov’t asking companies to not process payments or not to send money to Wikileaks b/c of the publishing of embarrassing documents.
I decided than that Amazon did not need any of my money. Actually, I was not aware of the range of products they sold, so that was an eye opener.
I will use my local bookseller Bob & Mary’s in Troy, OH and maybe pay a few bucks more but keep the $$$ in the community.
I might have agreed with the article on the fraying of decency if not for the attempt at false equivalency by including Chicago teachers who “cling to their union perks” as an example of how little Americans care for one another. Those “perks” that teachers and other public employees are fighting to preserve – a living wage, good health benefits and retirement security – are the bare minimum that all Americans have the right to expect from employment. It’s a symptom of our indecency that citizens begrudge this to one another rather than demanding it for themselves.
I think we need to go back to the message of living wages. And for those screaming that too many people don’t pay “enough†in taxes, well, you pay us more, and we’ll be more than happy to pay more. You can’t get blood from a stone, you know.
Cund — you are so correct about this. I’ve put it in comments at Krugman’s blog and/or column, here, and at other places. I’m not employed right now, so I’m not paying income or payroll taxes. I’d really like to be paying those taxes. But with no income what can I do? (I know you know this situation well.)
PurpleGirl,
Yeah, too well.
And to add insult to injury, I just got denied SS Disability yesterday. It seem’s I’m insufficiently disabled enough.
I’ll probably look into getting an attorney this week. Jobs in upstate NY are scarce, and almost all of them require you to stand.
Stuff to read – just make sure there are no sharp objects or poison within reach.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/25/google-antitrust-microsoft-war_n_976804.html
Cund — I’m sorry for you. I understand the problem with jobs requiring standing. I have back problems and standing for hours or lifting heavy things is hard. I’ve been told by neighbors that I should apply for SSDI but I know that I’m not disabled enough. And I tell them, my speech problems don’t count in the equation.
PurpleGirl,
Thanks.
And, to add insult to injury, my often-repaired front tooth fell out last month, so I’ll make an attractive picture if I ever do get another job interview. 🙂
When it rains, it pours…
And best of luck to you, too.
We could both us some.
And now it comes out that Google is donating to Heritage Foundation and other winger groups. Is there a liberal-leaning (politially, not results-wise) search company?
Serioously, is there a liberal-leaning search company?
“I might have agreed with the article on the fraying of decency if not for the attempt at false equivalency by including Chicago teachers who “cling to their union perks†as an example of how little Americans care for one another”
Yeah I found it puzzling how while writing a story about how a corrupt mega-corporation mis-treats its employees (and customers too I no longer use them, but that’s another story), the author uses the false equivalency argument of how the whole country has lost it’s decency. The message of the article is: don’t put too much blame on Amazon, it’s the same everywhere?