September, 2022 archive
A Tune for the Times 0
Mangy comments at the Youtube page:
Donald Trump is one of our most quotable presidents, not for his wisdom, insight or profundity, but merely for the sheer stupidity and absurdity of his pronouncements. Though Mangy Fetlocks likes to write songs that are entirely original, there are times he can’t help but borrow a line or two from perhaps the least articulate president of all time. In the immoral words of our Donald Trump, “In life you have to rely on the past, and that’s called history.”
The Wage Enslavers, Reprise 0
I am reminded of something I once heard a high-ranking union official say. It was many years ago and, unfortunately, I can’t remember the exact circumstances, but I think he was quite correct:
Unions are the creation of management.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
When my kids were little, we would sometimes take them to Chuck E. Cheese. Frankly, the pizza was–er–less than desirable, but the games were fun.
Back then, in the olden days, nobody ever pulled a gun on us while we were playing skee ball.
We are a broken society.
The Wage Enslavers 2
Sam and the crew talk with an ex-Starbucks employee* about Starbucks’s union-busting tactics.
Aside:
When I worked for the railroad, I worked in a union shop and, for the first few years, in a union job. I know from personal experience that when employers and unions work together in good faith, it benefits everyone.
I can attest that nobody disliked bad employees more than their union reps. Even though the reps might be obligated to defend them in disciplinary hearings under the terms of union membership, the reps do not want the extra headaches that bad employees give them. (I could go on, but I doubt that my two or three regular readers would be interested in the arcane intricacies of railroad disciplinary procedures; I will just mention that one of the classes I taught as a trainer schooled supervisors in how to do discipline correctly.)
Even when I was no longer in a union job, I proudly paid my union dues until I left the railroad.
___________________
*He’s an ex-employee because he got fed up with the union-busting and quit, which may well be what Starbucks would like to see happen more often.
“Quiet Quitting”: No There There 0
A couple of days ago, I mentioned that I think the “Great Resignation” is more myth than movement. Now comes Laura Yuen, who argues at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that “Quiet Quitting” is much the same. Here’s a bit of what she says (emphasis added):
The framing is also objectionable. Are setting professional boundaries and prioritizing your family, your relationships or your health really “quitting”? If you are performing all of your work duties, the very bullet points listed in your job description, how is that akin to not doing your job?
Read the rest. It is worth your while in these times when memes seem to obliterate evidence and tweets trump (you will pardon the expression) truth.
All or Nothing at All 0
Der Spiegel takes an in-depth and ominous look at Putin’s latest steps in his attempt to cast himself as the new Peter the Great.
I’m not going to try to summarize of excerpt the piece. Just go read it.
QOTD 0
Ryan Stiles, in the voice of Lewis Kiniski:
This is America. The land where if you’re dumb enough, anything is possible.
A Notion of Immigrants 0
Writing about Florida Governor DeSantis’s kidnapping and transportation of immigrants (again, most of whom, if not all, were legally seeking asylum and abiding by the rules), Leonard Pitts, Jr., gets to the heart of the matter (emphasis added).
Follow the link for the evidence.
Precedented 0
Political science professor Solomon D. Stevens argues forcefully that failing to hold persons accountable for their actions sets dangerous precedents. He cites as an example President Gerald Ford’s decision to pardon Richard Nixon. Here’s a bit:
Follow the link for the complete article.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Yet another oxymoron “responsible gun owner” shows us that politeness can be child’s play.
Guns and stupid, guns and stupid.
They go together like love and Cupid.
Let me tell you brother,
You can’t have one without the other.
A Notion of Immigrants 0
Just when you think America’s bigots and racists have reached the bottom of the pit of vileness in which they dwell, they dig deeper.
Backfire 0
At Above the Law, Liz Dye takes a deep dive into what’s happening with the case of the documents that Donald Trump stole from the government. A snippet:
(snip)
But now that US District Judge Aileen Cannon has appointed Judge Dearie as special master, the former president finds himself in the position of the dog who caught the car: staring at the prospect of actually sinking his teeth into the bumper or getting run over.
Follow the link for her reasoning.
Aside:
I find it pretty clear what Trump was trying to do. He was trying to do what he has always done with his bankruptcies and unpaid creditors: tie things up in court hoping that his foes would eventually just go away or, at worst, settle for pennies on the dollar.
I’m sure he failed to consider the implications of the special master.
I don’t think he does implications.
(Slightly reworded 2022-09-23 22:05)
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Yet another random act of politeness . . . .
Thus passeth another day in the NRA’s Garden of Bleedin’.
The Indignity of Honest Work 0
Jim Hightower has a suggestion for executives who are concerned about the “great resignation” (which methinks is more myth than movement, but that’s just me). Here’s a bit of his article (emphasis added):
Seriously? Memo to CEOs: Try decent pay and benefits, rational scheduling, meaningful goals, real teamwork and personal respect. In a word: Dignity.
Via the Progressive Populist.
