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Showing posts with label corporate greed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corporate greed. Show all posts
Francesca Albanese: Boldly Speaking Truth To Corporate Power
by C.A. Matthews
Serving
as the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Territories
of Palestine is a tough job, and Francesca Albanese knew when she took
on the position that she was bound to make her share of enemies.
However, the vile things coming out of the mouths of genocide-enabler
Donald Trump and his boyfriend, genocide-instigator Benjamin Netanyahu,
about Albanese’s recent work reporting on the economic conditions of the
genocide in Gaza are unbelievable.
Even
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had to get in on the feces-slinging
by “sanctioning” her for standing up for the Palestinian people’s human
rights. He posted on X:
Secretary Marco Rubio @SecRubio
Today
I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur
Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt
@IntlCrimCourt action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and
executives.
Rubio,
a former “human rights attorney”, is coming down heavy on a fellow
human rights attorney? Is this a Monty Python sketch or am I just
dreaming? If it is a dream, it’s a nightmare, that’s for certain.
Will Francesca Albanese suffer personally from US sanctions simply for doing her job? I hope not...
...In
spite of the pressures and threats from bullies such as Trump and
Rubio, Ms. Albanese carries on. She even calmly explained why she’s
under fire for exposing state and corporate complicity in Israel's
genocide:
It's
a sign the system is cracking; it is punching back. But it will only
win if we are scared, if we stop standing with one another.
Good advice. We need to stand with each other and not let the bullies shut us down.
The system is cracking, but it’s possibly not quite the system most imagine...
To
find out what kind of system Francesca Albanese is really taking on
(and just how dangerous it is), please continue reading the rest of this
article on Substack. Just copy or click on this link:
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Most
of us can remember our “first, real paying job.” For Americans,
we were most likely in high school, and a classmate mentioned to us
between classes how their boss was looking for more summer workers
and that we should apply and make some money. I had been babysitting
for our neighbors since I was about twelve years old, but it was very
hit and miss work, and there was a lot of competition on our street.
This was my chance to enter the “real paying job world” at age
sixteen. I road my bicycle a couple of miles from my home to
interview and got the gig. I worked a long,
hot and stormy summer standing
on my feet for eight hour shifts in
a soft-serve ice cream walk-up stand along Main Street and made the
huge sum of $1.25 per hour for about 32
hours of work per week.
Hard to believe $1.25 an hour was considered "good pay,"but that was the state’s minimum wage for “tipped employees” at
that time. All restaurant workers were paid that amount hourly. It didn’t
matter that we didn’t get tipped making ice cream cones for folks
who walked up to the window. We
were still
considered
“food service workers” and paid that lowly wage. I worked hard
that summer and ended up getting a raise—a
whole
$1.35 per hour.
Wow.
I thought I’d had it made.
The
next summer, a friend told me about a job working at a warehouse
clearance
sale
for a national franchised dress shop located in our local “mall,” a
newfangled place built on the east side of town and not located
downtown where a few of the big
department stores were
still
to be found. I
was
overjoyed
when I heard what this job paid—a whole $2.35 an hour! It was the
federal minimum wage. It was what older people made working similar
jobs, so I really felt like an adult at age seventeen. Even though I
spent a lot on clothes with my employee discount of 10% off that
summer, I saved a bit of money that I later used to get ready for
college.
Almost a
half century and many jobs later, the federal minimum wage hasn’t moved
upward all that much when adjusted for inflation. For the past
fourteen years, the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25.
But
why? Corporate profits are up practically across the board or so we’re told
on the nightly news. CEOs get huge bonus packages. “Bidenomics is working,” neoliberals insist.
What’s wrong with us if we’re struggling to get by in the midst
of all this “booming economy” we’re told exists in the US
today?
Maybe
it’s not us who are wrong about the reality of our situations.
Consider
this:
The
federal minimum wage in the United States would be more than $42 an
hour today if it rose at the same rate as the average Wall Street
bonus over the past four decades, according to an analysis
… by the Institute for Policy Studies.
Citing newly released data
from the New York State Comptroller, IPS noted that the average Wall
Street bonus has increased by 1,165% since 1985, not adjusted for
inflation.
Last year, the average cash
bonus paid to Wall Street employees was $176,700—75% higher than in
2008 but slightly lower than the 2021 level of $240,400.
The federal minimum wage,
meanwhile, has been completely stagnant since 2009, when it was
bumped
up to $7.25 from $5.15. While many
states and localities have approved substantial pay increases in
recent years, 20
states have kept their hourly wage floors at the federal minimum.
So,
where’s our $42 per hour? I
guess it’s in
the same place where
our $600 went when we were promised $2,000 COVID relief checks when
Biden took office, but
we
only
received $1,400, right?
What’s
a working stiff in the US to do? We
can’t even afford to rent an apartment anywhere in the fifty states working
full-time hours (if you can get them) at $7.25 an hour. There have
been talks and protests centered around raising
the federal minimum wage to
$15
an hour, but
can anyone even afford to rent a decent place to live on that amount?
It’s doubtful. Not
even a $25 minimum wage can help a family rent a home in many cities.
American
workers
do have one
powerful option, but it’s rarely been discussed since Reagan took
office. We have the
ability to strike—if we’re not forbidden
to do so by federal law, such as the case with railroad
workers or air traffic controllers, that is. But so many Americans have been
brainwashed into thinking that a strike will cost them their job and
their health insurance, so they simply won’t
consider
it.
Are
Americans cowards? Not necessarily. I’d say we’re realists. We
know
we have
no safety nets like workers
in other
countries who
are blessed with
universal health care and universal basic income or "UBI" payments. With
no way to provide for our families without our lousy paying jobs,
we’d
best stay put and put up with the harsh treatment of the bosses.
But
are strikes really all that risky for workers? Where
did we get this idea that we the working class are essentially powerless and only billionaires can get what they want? Consider
this:
The
Teamsters Union and UPS have reached a tentative
agreement
on a new contract to cover the 340,000 Teamsters who work for the
package shipping giant.
According to a statement
released by the union, the new contract is “the most historic
tentative agreement for workers in the history of UPS,” promising
wage increases, an end to the two-tier wage system, new air
conditioning in vehicles, Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a full
company holiday, and more.
In the days and weeks to
come, members will debate the pros and cons of the proposal as
thousands of UPS Teamsters vote on whether to ratify the contract.
But one thing seems undeniable: Any significant gains won by
Teamsters against a reluctant employer will have come about because
rank-and-file workers showed the company that they were prepared to
strike.
I
put
that last sentence in italics for emphasis. It bears repeating: Any
significant gains won by Teamsters against a reluctant employer will
have come about because rank-and-file workers showed the company that
they were prepared to strike.
Rank-and-file
workers actually have power? Yes,
we do!
Even the possibility of a strike can motivate a reluctant employer to
sit down and discuss the workers’ grievances and demands. And
if push comes to shove, the workers walk out and give the employers
even more to worry about as the company's profits take a hit and its reputation as being a fair and honest employer is thrown into the dumpster.
Fourteen
years of a stagnant federal minimum wage (with no maximum
wage for billionaires set) and no universal health coverage for all Americans should be a wake up call even for the sleepiest of workers.
Our government doesn’t work for us, the people, but for those who
already have more than enough wealth and power and obviously don’t
give care one bit about how many workers can’t even afford to rent an
apartment or put food on the table for their families. Our government
doesn’t care if we or our loved ones get sick, and we have no way
to afford medical care other than to beg strangers for donations via
GoFundMe.
Face
it, America. It’s time to lose the blind loyalty to both your
employers
and to
our
government. They
don’t have our best interests at heart. And we have the power to
make them see things our way—strike!
RBN's Labor Organizing Summit Part 2 Livestream -- featuring Kshama Sawant. I sat on a panel with other Green Party members and former presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein. (It starts at approx. 3:02 and the video should start there.) Hear what I and other Greens have to say about the labor situation in the US currently. (The answer to many of our troubles is to "Go West!")
Coming soon, the first book from The Revolution Continues blog: The Little Red Book of Revolution
How can you get your e-copy? The easiest way is to subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack as a paying subscriber. Choose what level you'd like to subscribe at via the buttons on any post online at: https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com
I
was given the task to write something about the meme above. At first, I
thought it had very little to do with what’s currently going on in
our world, and nothing to do with championing progressive causes,
mostly because it mentioned
a kids’ holiday, Halloween. But the more I considered what the meme was
saying beyond its obvious message—that Americans, on the whole,
rather stuff themselves with candy and party in funky costumes than
meet the basic needs of others—the more I realized my assignment could probe much deeper issues, and many more sensitive topics than you might first suspect.
But
yeah, first off, the illustration is a sad indictment of
the lack of empathy most Americans and Westerners have for their fellow
human beings. We pretty much enjoy telling the rest of the planet,
“You hungry? You need food? Go feed yourselves! Oh, did we let our
military-industrial complex prosper at the expense of your lives and
livelihoods? Destroy your crops and homes? Cremate your schools and hospitals and kill millions? Well, what’s a few
drone bombings among friends?”
And
with friends like these who needs enemies, right?
That’s the rub—Americans have been tricked into thinking they’re
“friends” with just about everyone on the planet, including the
people they
treat with contempt. Americans avoid looking in the mirror to see the “enemies” they
truly are. Americans believe they should receive all the “treats”
or good things in the world even after they realize how they've been tricked by corrupt
capitalists who never had any intention of sharing treats outside their class. Americans act out this lie whenever they mimic this evil elitist behavior
by tricking—or threatening to trick—other peoples on the planet into being
friendly with us so we can screw them over later.
Not to rain on your Halloween festivities, but it
doesn’t work that way in the real
world, Americans. People who manipulate, lie, ignore, or otherwise trick others for their own gain aren't nice people. They're called a-holes.
Nobody
deserves a treat for tricking others—especially if the trickster has
woken up and has observed these evil American behaviors both at
home and abroad. Furthermore, you don’t get a day off from being an
a-hole just because once in a while you donate a few bucks to
somebody’s Facebook charity request.
Uh-uh. It doesn't count. You’re still an a-hole
because you actually think your token act of charity is going to change things for the better for the majority of the
planet’s wretched. Glad
it made you feel good for about ten seconds to give ten bucks to Feed the Children, but unless you’re out slaving each and
every day to make sure little ones never hunger again, you
don’t get to forget about them and their suffering.
Ever.
So grow
up and grow a pair! Stop bellyaching when someone points out how we’ve destroyed the lives of millions of ordinary human beings by propping up their fascist regimes. Knowing this ain't taking away from your buzz! You take away from your own buzz
because you know deep down you’re selfish for
even daring to think your “right to party hearty” is anywhere on
a par with the rights of others to have enough to eat and to live with
dignity.
Halloween
is the ultimate capitalist lovefest in so many ways. Most of the plastic toys and costumes Americans use to celebrate come from sweatshops in China and other nameless countries full of workers exploited by the capitalists of both the East and the West.
To top it all off, Halloween celebrates
the virtue of hoarding: “Look at all the candy I got!”
It celebrates excess: “I’m
going to pig out on all these Snickers bars tonight until I get
sick!” And for the older crowd: “I’m going to seduce all the
ladies at the costume party in my sexy vampire outfit and then suck the beer
keg dry!”
It celebrates narcissism: “Look at my expensive new
costume! Don’t I look pretty, handsome, scary, trendy, whatever? Look
at me, me, me, nobody but me, and give me more, more, more!”
Yeah, a holiday can’t get more capitalistic and less compassionate than that.
Added
bonus for the neo-libs, you don’t even have to expose your true nature to the world openly during the orgy of Halloween. You get to hide your inner-capitalist behind a
mask or crazy make-up. Really clever! Your inner-warmonger can roam
free as well in the moral darkness created by the Wall Street cult of
greed and DNC corruption.
That Hillary Clinton rubber mask and polyester pantsuit really suit you,
too.
It's an age where many Americans worship an orange clown as chief executive and
give him a pass on his “high crimes and misdemeanors”—since we all want to commit tax fraud and serial groping at least once in our lives, right? The rest of the world shouldn’t expect us to act
like adults and accept blame for our horrible actions or lack of
positive actions. No, we’re eternally spoiled children, living in our
parents’ basement and expecting more treats.
No
trick—if we don’t all stop thinking about our own creature
comforts and stop abusing our natural resources, there won’t be any treats for anyone ever
again. The Halloween candy bag of Earth will run dry just as our rivers suffering
from climate change-driven drought are even now running dry.
Americans need reminders from
time to time like this simple Halloween meme. We’re not alone on this planet. We just ain’t. We must share our hoard of goodies and take care of the planet and all its peoples before it's too late.
BIO: Redd can't abide those people who carried "We'd be having brunch now if Hillary had won!" signs after Trump's election. These self-centered idiots are part of the problem and not the solution. The only solution is to wake up and stay awake and take care of your fellow human beings. Anything else is societal suicide.
***
This is huge – we just released a new update to EWG’s Tap Water Database,
adding in two more years of test results. You can use this
one-of-a-kind tool to learn about contaminants in YOUR drinking water
and what you can do about them.
We’ve worked for months on this update, collecting data from nearly
50,000 water utilities across all 50 states, cataloging over 270
contaminants and pairing all of this data with EWG’s consumer-friendly
tips for safer drinking water.
Just head to the homepage
and type in your ZIP code to get started. Then make sure to check out
these great resources to learn more about the tap water in your home and
across the country:
When we compiled 32 million water records from all 50 states, we
learned a LOT about drinking water in America. Check out our top
findings in this short video.
Once you’ve identified the contaminants of concern in your drinking water, make sure you check out EWG’s Water Filter Guide to find the type of filter that works for you and is certified to remove the contaminants in your tap water.
Check out EWG’s Guide to Safe Drinking Water to find quick tips from EWG’s researchers to help you choose safer drinking water at home and on the go.
***
There’s a lot of complicated information floating around about health care -- some of it’s true, some of it’s not, and a whole lot of it can feel too complicated to understand what’s happening and how it affects us.
Well, we just launched a new resource to help fix that!
We want to make sure Health Care Voters like you have the facts you need to make informed decisions and teach your friends and family about the health care issues in America. Too many people don’t understand why health care costs are rising and how to join our fight to make them affordable -- resources like this are essential to changing that.
The GOP will never stop trying to take away our health care. But if everyone knows the facts, then we can fight back with the truth and hold them accountable for their actions in the voting booth.
Thank you for fighting alongside us,
The Health Care Voter Team
***
From Jewish Voice for Peace: AnyVision’s technology is designed by ex-Israeli defense staff and
deployed by the Israeli military to surveil Palestinians and destroy any
semblance of their privacy.
They are turning the West Bank into a constantly-monitored technological prison – and Microsoft is helping them do it.
AnyVision's facial recognition technology identifies and tracks the faces of people in East Jerusalem. (Source: NBC News)
Microsoft has invested millions in AnyVision, even though their work
appears to violate each of Microsoft's own principles of use for facial
recognition tech. Microsoft can’t afford this potential stain on their image – so we’ve put together a site they can’t ignore.
Microsoft has been trying to position itself as an ethical leader in
Artificial Intelligence since at least 2018, when it committed to follow
“six principles to guide [its] facial recognition work.” The company
has vowed to refrain from using facial recognition technology where
there are “inadequate safeguards to protect democratic freedoms and
human rights.”
Spurred by NBC's investigation and the growing movement opposing the
misuse of facial recognition technology, Microsoft said that it will
proceed with a third-party audit reviewing AnyVision's board and
compliance process. “If we discover any violation of our principles, we
will end our relationship,” a spokesman for the corporation said.
We need to bring more pressure NOW and let Microsoft know
that tens of thousands of people think that AnyVision’s mass
surveillance project goes against their principles.
