Mammon category archive
You Too Can Be on Television! 0
At Science 2.0, Edzard Ernst explains how to become a charlatan.
The Fee Hand of the Market (Update) 0
Monopoly: it’s not just a game; it’s a business plan.
Addendum, Later that Same Day:
At The Guardian, Liz Richardson Voyles writes of living with her daughter’s food allergies, which necessitates having EpiPens in the ready. A snippet:
The Privatization Scam 0
Some good news:
Deputy attorney general Sally Yates announced the decision in a memo to Thomas Kane, the acting director of the federal prisons bureau, which was published on the justice department’s website.
(snip)
Yates said in her memo that research had found private prisons “simply do not provide the same level of correctional services, programs, and resources” and “do not save substantially on costs” either. Essential government education and training programs for prisoners “have proved difficult to replicate and outsource” in the private sector, she said.
What Ailes Fox? 0
Pap goes off on an astounding rant. Excerpt:
All he did was tap into the hate in America.
Prepaid Business Reply 0
Thom goes postal:
(When I do this, I always slip in a subscription form for The Nation, especially if it’s a mail from Wingnut Central.)
The Snaring Economy 1
Dan Baker discusses Uber’s exit from Austin, Texas, ostensibly over a requirement that it’s drivers be fingerprinted and have their backgrounds checked. He suspects that was a ruse:
Rather, the issue was likely that Uber is worried about its drivers being labeled as employees. Uber claims that its drivers are independent contractors, not employees. As independent contractors, Uber is not responsible for paying Social Security taxes, nor is it liable for workers’ compensation for drivers who get hurt in traffic accidents. It also doesn’t have to withhold income taxes. And, independent contractors don’t have the right to unionize.
More at the link.
“Up in the Air, Junior Birdman” 2
Daniel Ruth reports that you can now ride your shiny new F-35. Well, sort of:
Follow the link for more on this particular air farce.
Aside:
From the beginning, the F-35 has been little more than the dole for defense contractors.
Cash Cowed 0
At The Boston Review, Donna Murch takes a close look at our for profit prison system. She points out that it is not just the private prison firms that profit; it’s also almost every stakeholder in the criminal “justice” system. This is a snippet from the introduction. The entire article is worth your while.
In states and municipalities throughout the country, the criminal justice system defrays costs by forcing prisoners and their families to pay for punishment. It also allows private service providers to charge outrageous fees for everyday needs such as telephone calls. As a result people facing even minor criminal charges can easily find themselves trapped in a self-perpetuating cycle of debt, criminalization, and incarceration.
(snip)
In an era of fiscal austerity and crisis, mass incarceration has enabled private contractors, municipalities, counties, and states to make money off large numbers of America’s most vulnerable residents. The historical roots of these extractive practices stretch far back in the American past.