One of the most fierce debates going right now in the political arena is whether to extend the Bush Tax Cuts. While most folks favor extending the cuts for those making under 250k, a fight has been brewing over whether to extend them for the very wealthy, adding $830 billion to our deficit over the next ten years. Now, despite the fact that Republicans are trying to paint themselves as "fiscally conservative" by opposing anything that helps working America because it "adds to the deficit" of course the one thing they are always ready to add to the deficit for is money for the rich. Unfortunately, many Democrats are buying into it as well. However, if they cared about the will of the American people they would scrap them.
Berry Craig is a professor of history at the West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah, a member of AFT Local 6010 and the author of "True Tales of Old-Time Kentucky Politics: Bombast, Bourbon & Burgoo" and "Hidden History of Kentucky in the Civil War."
by Berry Craig, Jul 15, 2010 Kentucky Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo (D) didn’t quite pull a “Happy” Chandler when he told the Lexington Herald-Leader he is “not taking a position” in the U.S. Senate race between fellow Democrat Jack Conway and Tea Party-backed Republican Rand Paul.
This has been a problem for a long time now. China manipulating their currency to cost Americans manufacturing jobs and cause a huge trade deficit for our country. It also drives down wages as greedy corporations take advantage of the virtual slave labor pool that exists among the oppressed people in Communist China. Of course, with so many "leaders" in our Congress like the Senator for Communist China Mitch McConnell it is no surprise nothing has been done. Now, July 13 is National call in day to tell Congress to end Chinese currency manipulation.
You know with all the tea-party anger out there raging against "big government" and "Socialism" something has gotten lost in the mix. These folks are quite simply mad at the wrong folks for the problems that have beset our country. If there is anger should it not be directed at those who caused those problems, crashing our economy and being bailed out?? Especially when those very folks refuse to free lending and create much needed jobs.
The Rand Paul campaign was really proud of the $2500 their campaign received from the National Right to Work for Less Committee. Of course there is a very good reason for that. The National Right to Work Committee is an extremist group and as we all have seen Rand Paul is an especially extremist candidate. He opposes the right of Americans to have and maintain a middle-class and falls into the most helpless realm of corporate apology and welfare condoned by his new mentor, Mitch McConnell. The difference is, Rand Paul was undisciplined enough to tell you how Republicans really feel about you.
We all remember the tragic mining incidents in West Virginia and here in Kentucky earlier this year. One theme that rang true in both instances is that in both cases lax regulation and a tendency to put profits over people seemed to play a major role in the lives lost. While nothing good can come out of the senseless deaths of hardworking Americans, hopefully these instances showed our country that not only in mining, but in every industry in this country it is once again time to get serious about making those who employ workers do all that is possible to protect them. After all, with no workers there can be no profit.
Two things that have taken a lot of heat lately is the Economic Stimulus and the Social Security insurance for America. In front of the federal budget deficit commission he argued that deficit spending is the best way to reduce and stabilize the national debt by stabilizing the economy and creating jobs. Meanwhile, others are defending Social Security against those who would continue to eliminate or privatize it.
When the reckless policies of the previous administration and several before them finally allowed the "robber barons" within our financial institutions to crash the economy once again, they were bailed out nicely and it was profit as usual along the way. For the average American worker though, it has been a different story. Millions are still out of work due to the economic collapse and millions more of a new "lost generation" are living in their parents basements because the jobs meant for them were lost or outsourced.
In my closely neighboring town of Mayfield, Kentucky for years they had a tire plant that produced quality products and middle-class jobs. I knew many in my hometown of Paducah who worked there, and lost their jobs when the plant closed in 2007. Now, as the whole building comes crashing down, Mayfield gets a sobering reminder of what Corporate greed has cost them. The "Rock of Labor" will remind generations of how Mayfield used to have a tire plant that was closed due to the outsourcing of their jobs.
It is no big secret that the middle-class has become an endangered species in this country. It is also no surprise that this has coincided with the war waged upon our unions in this country over the last several decades. Think you have a fair right to join a union?? Think again. Employers are constantly engaging in legal and illegal activities to prevent workers from forming and joining unions to negotiate for better wages, benefits, and lives.
A victory came down today from a federal appeals court for American workers. The court upheld the right of OSHA to that allows that agency to determine how to write and enforce workplace safety rules. It began in Houston when a contractor hired 11 immigrant workers to remover asbestos from a building without providing adequate training or equipment. Even after a city inspector issued a stop work order, the contractor forced his employees to work at night behind locked gates.
We all remember having to bail out the big banks to the tune of $700 billion. In return we got to watch as the big banking institutions froze lending and continued to pay huge salaries and bonuses to the very folks who caused the economic meltdown with their irresponsible and greedy practices. Now, these very banks are spending millions to derail any legitimate financial reforms for America, while continuing to conduct business as usual.
It is no secret that Republicans and even some Democrats have been waging war on our middle-class and our unions for quite some time. As a result we have seen wages stagnate, workers lose rights, and Corporate America run amok with rampant greed while pocketing huge profits, crashing the economy and being bailed out. This is no accident. All of these things have occurred within the war on the middle-class and all of these things have happened as a direct result of the breakdown of our unions and the loss of wages and rights which has taken place as a direct result.
It is no secret that in this current environment with so many workers unemployed, underemployed and making less money that anger is rampant among American workers. It is understandable as working America watches the bankers who crashed our economy costing them millions of jobs get bailed out while in every town in America they are still hurting. This on top of the fact that Corporate America has stagnated wages on jobs they have not shipped overseas to virtual slave markets. Yes, anger is justified and rampant in many unemployment lines and workplaces. However, working America must be very careful of how to channel this understandable anger. You see, just like in past days forces of hatred are seeking to divide workers keeping them from forming a united front to really change this country and their own lots in life.
Democrats should realize that although a healthcare bill was passed most of us thought that it accounted to little more than Corporate Welfare. To see that, one need only look at the stocks of the drug and healthcare companies. While the healthcare bill may be a baby step in the right direction for working America, much needs to still be done and this time a fight will be required to enact Progressive change for working Americans.
Easter is a wonderful time for children in America. Between the Easter egg hunts, and waking in the morning to eat the chocolate left behind by the "Easter Bunny" it can be a thrilling time for children to enjoy with their families. However, many children in our world are not as lucky. You see, aside from getting up and enjoying their chocolate on Easter morning many children are on the other end of the equation. They are forced to slave in cocoa fields to ensure other children in the world get to eat their Easter chocolate.
One of the things we are constantly trying to get across to the American worker on this site is the simple fact that war has been waged on them for the last few decades by corporations and their paid for politicians in both parties. Now besides stagnate wages, outsourcing of the middle-class, and the breakdown of our unions workers at the jobs that are left in America have a new worry to add to the list. Emerging technology in the last few decades have given employers a whole new way to steal worker's rights. By stealing their privacy.
It is no huge secret that in the last few decades American workers are falling further behind. They are losing rights, and have seen their wages stagnate even in periods of economic growth and record profits. Even worse is that with more and more women leading households in our country, their wages are still sagging far behind men who do the same or similar work. Unfortunately, although the issue was addressed in the Senate this past Friday, little note of it was made in the media who are still determined to stay transfixed on the shiny object of any particular day.
We all know how loud, boisterous and idiotic the tea-bagger movement was in disrupting the townhalls last year with their rude behavior and little concern for fellow citizens views. With that in mind proponents of Universal Healthcare are also waging a campaign to be heard. Thousands of them rallied today in Washington D.C. to make their voices heard. It remains to be seen if they will get the same airplay as the opponents of Progress in our country.
Berry Craig 
