Government regulation: Good

One of the purposes of government is to regulate the overlords (people with money) from abusing the middle class and the poor. A lot of businesses have been attempting to misuse the "internship" position - hiring people to work for them without pay and just a hint that maybe, someday, there might be a paid position for them. There's been some debate in some circles of government that perhaps unpaid internships should be outlawed. Probably, from my standpoint, a good idea.

 From Raw Story...
(Click the link to read more)

Two interns who completed unpaid work on the Oscar-winning film Black Swan have won a landmark case against the studio behind the movie, 20th Century Fox.

Alexander Footman and Eric Glatt had complained they were made to undertake menial work with little or no educational value that ought to have been carried out by paid employees. US law makes it clear that unpaid interns must gain educational benefit from their work experience and cannot be used to replace regular paid workers. Federal judge William Pauley ruled yesterday that Footman and Glatt were in fact "employees" of studio offshoot Fox Searchlight, which oversaw production of Black Swan, meaning they were entitled to legal protection under minimum wage and overtime laws. The judge also dismissed suggestions by Fox that the interns were working for Darren Aronofsky's production company, rather than directly for the studio. Finally, Judge Pauley confirmed he would certify a class action that will explore internships throughout the corporate departments at Fox.

Republicans are messed up in the head.

From Daily Kos and ABC News
(Click on the link to read more of the interview)

House Speaker John Boehner is focused like a laser on jobs:

    STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, we asked-- our viewers for questions for you. And so many came in on the same exact theme. Where are the jobs? What is this Congress doing for jobs?

    BOEHNER: Well, that's interesting, George. Because it really is our number one priority.

And as if to prove the speaker's point, yesterday House Republicans announced they would vote next week on this crucial job creating measure:

    The House will vote next week on a bill banning abortions across the country after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Republicans love the hate.

Written by Christ Hedges for Truthdig.

"Those who retreat into fantasy cannot be engaged in rational discussion, for fantasy is all that is left of their tattered self-esteem. When their myths are attacked as untrue it triggers not a discussion of facts and evidence but a ferocious emotional backlash."

Republicans say one thing, but mean another unfathomable thing only they can understand.

Companies are hoarding their cash

Our corporations are selling us out. But you knew that.

From Crooks and Liars
(Read more by following the link)

Multinational companies based in the U.S. boosted their global work forces in 2011 almost entirely by hiring workers overseas, underscoring the slow growth in the U.S. job market.

... The paltry hiring at home reflects where multinational companies are focusing their attention. Stronger economic growth in overseas markets in Asia and Latin America is driving their expansion, reinforcing their shift toward cheaper labor or closer access to customers.

The U.S. parents of multinational firms account for about one-fifth of total private U.S. employment. Since 1999, employment by U.S. multinationals is down by 1.1 million inside the U.S., while it is up by 3.8 million overseas.

Letter writing.

You might want to create your own letter and send it out.

The economic recovery

I guess I'm normal in that I like to post information supportive of my political positions. And I need to be careful not to become an always "I told you so" person. BUT (here it comes), I've mentioned numerous times in this blog that what the wealthy right-wing wants is to do everything they can to reduce overhead. They want to reduce wages and increase the number of poor people willing to work for subsistence wages. The following chart proves that they are succeeding. As we recover from the 2008 recession, mid-level jobs are being lost and are being replaced by low wage jobs. This is going to destroy our economy for everyone except the wealthy.

The Republican agenda on jobs

Republicans and America

Republicans like to talk about their deep love of America - it was the Republican party that originally coined the phrase, "America - love it or leave it." But have you ever noticed how often they talk about how much they actually HATE about America? And now the talk about secession because they can't have their way? They have really become the party of whiners.

Just thinking about job creation

Has it ever struck you as odd that both Democrats and Republicans bray at the moon most every day about the need we have in the U.S. for small businesses because they are the job creators? And yet almost all tax breaks and incentives are designed to help out mega-corporations like Wal*Mart?

I live near a small community which was populated with a lot of small businesses - a small grocery, a small hardware store, a mom-and-pop drug store, a store that sold yard equipment (lawn mowers, snow blowers,etc.), a pet store and many others.  A super Wal*Mart moved in and all but one of those small businesses folded.

Now, instead of a lot of people making a living off of owning their own business, a few even hiring some others to work for them, lots of those people now work in nearly minimum-wage jobs at Wal*Mart, each of them pulling down food stamps, HEAP and other government handouts because we subsidize those low wages.

If the political parties were serious about supporting small businesses, they would make the BIG businesses pay a living wage so that we don't have to subsidize their cheap prices.

Romney and job creation

The proof is in the pudding - but Republicans don't like facts.

Do they see their own stupidity?

China wants to thank the U.S. Supreme Court - it's good for business (theirs)

Republicans just make shit up...

Robert Reich: Jobs Not Cuts

Where are the jobs? Republican edition

The real world vs. the Republicans' fantasy world.

Who's the job creator?