In this diary from earlier in the week I detailed how Whirlpool is a profitable company that has taken millions of dollars in federal money, but yet has still decided that American workers are too fat and sassy to enjoy those profits with. Hence, they are closing their plant just over the river from my state of Kentucky in Evansville, Indiana putting 1100 middle-class, hardworking Americans on the unemployment line. Now, Central Indiana Jobs with Justice needs our help.
Across the Ohio River from Kentucky in Indiana is the city of Evansville. For years, American workers have made quality appliances at the Whirlpool factory there. Now, Whirlpool has decided to close this factory down and put 1100 more Americans out of work. It it even more outrageous the circumstances under which they plan to do so.
There are many reasons being floated about for the loss of Ted Kennedy's seat. While the media will spin it how they want it as a lifelong Democrat I know what has happened. Our leadership has become almost as beholden to special interests and Corporate money as Republicans and it has made our party just as despised as the Republicans.
One thing that has been lost in the shuffle through decades of free trade zealously is the simple fact that it matters where things are made. With the loss of millions of manufacturing jobs and the closures of hundreds of thousands of factories the ability of our country to innovate and to make the products we consume has been greatly diminished. This in turn has shrunken our middle-class to disasterous levels.
We have been detailing at some length of the diminishing opportunities faces the young in this country. Not only the diary just linked, but an earlier one here. Now, as if young Americans needed it even more disturbing news is coming out about how the policies of the last several decades, some supported by both parties are killing opportunity for young workers and threatening to make them the first "Lost Generation" in our history who actually will make less and be worse off than their parents or grandparents.
It appears Sarah Palin is trying to shore up her foreign policy credentials for a possible run in 2012. After dodging ethics complaints by resigning and becoming a facebook fixture, Caribou Barbie appeared in Hong Kong to speak to investors about governance and economics among many things. I guess she is ready to lay a foundation to outsource the rest of our middle-class jobs to China in case something horrible happens, like her being elected President.
One thing that most Americans have always agreed on is that they hope their children will have more opportunities and will not have to work as hard as they did. For many generations of Americans they could rest assured that this would happen and each new generation found more opportunity and built more wealth than the one before. However, starting in the 80s with the disaster of "Reaganomics" and culminating in the George W. Bush years, young and middle-aged folks of these generations are almost assured of ending that trend. New reports are showing that they are losing wealth at an alarming rate and their wages and incomes have dropped dramatically.
With the outsourcing of our middle-class jobs to virtual slave markets to take advantage of oppressed people, one of the consequences has been that we have taken advantage of child labor to produce profits as well. While this practice sadly will never be completely ended, our country should make a concerted effort to end the importation of goods that exploit children in their production. According to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, this practice is still all too commmon.
One of the key components to the American Dream has always been that one generation wants their children to be more secure than they were. For many generations this pattern seemed to play out nicely as the middle-class was created and thrived. However, Corporate control of our elected officials and government has reversed that trend. With outsourcing, and other cost-cutting measures young workers today face huge challenges and very well may see their their own future security be less than their parents.
With American everywhere struggling in our stagnate economy President Obama has come up with a long overdue idea of raising revenue. Sure to create a firestorm in the business community, the President is seeking to end some tax loopholes for businesses that sheild their profits offshore. This plan could wreap huge dividends in the next decade.
You would think that after recieving almost $200 billion from the American taxpayer that Bank of America would simply love Americans. However, it now appears that Bank of America should change it's name to Bank of India and come begging and groveling to the people of that country for a bailout. That is because after recieving hundreds of billions of American taxpayer dollars, Bank of America has decided to create jobs- in India.
Mitch McConnell was re-elected last year despite the attempts of Kentucky Progressives. We apolegize to the rest of the Enlightened world. However, one country we need not apolegize to is Communist China. Yes, it seems when Kentucky lost an election, the Chi-coms gained a valuble Shadow Senator who just sits in Kentucky's seat and represents all the wonderful things that Communism in China stands for.
