At this time of year, when we hear words like "smothered," "drizzled," or "stacked," we're usually thinking of gravy, sauces, and piles of ham or turkey. This year, for many Americans, those adjectives may also apply in several other ways.
For millions of Americans on the East Coast, including near our office in Washington, DC, "drizzled" and "stacked" may refer to the weather and the traffic patterns, including a nasty early winter storm that will make holiday travel a mess. For some of our Republican friends, no matter how much better the HealthCare.gov website is getting, and how much enrollment is increasing, they'll still be dreaming of smothering the program to death in its sleep.
For millions of other Americans - including some of our own family members who either work in retail stores or service retail & restaurant establishments, the words "smothered" and "stacked" refer to how they feel economically, and how they think of the bills they have back home. You can even add "chained" to that list, as so many Americans working low-level hourly jobs worry - now more than ever - that they could lose their jobs at any time.
According to a recent Washington Post-Miller Center poll, more than 60% of working Americans worry about losing their jobs right now, with nearly one-third saying they worry about it "a lot" these days.
That explains, in part, why so many Americans this Thanksgiving will be grudgingly putting on their work clothes and trudging off to work, while their families, friends and neighbors sit down next to empty chairs at the Thanksgiving dinner table.
In case you've missed it, a growing number of retailers this year have decided to cancel the Thanksgiving holidays of their workers, pushing the traditional Black Friday sales into a day that is supposed to be a national holiday for all Americans, not just the comfortable folks who can afford a day off.
Thankfully, not every corporate retail store or restaurant has decided to follow the Ebenezer Scrooge business model.
Stores including Costco, Nordstroms, R.E.I., and Apple have decided that - wherever possible - they are closing their stores for the Thanksgiving holiday and giving their workers a chance to count their blessings.
Those retailers that are forcing their workers to come in on the holiday are also firing up worker's rights groups and unions. As Matthew Fleischer noted in the L.A. Times this month, "the slow creep of Black Friday into Thanksgiving is probably the single most effective public relations gift the labor movement could ask for in the fight for a living wage across America."
For those businesses that do decide to remain open, as Brad Tuttle noted in Time last week, the few shekels the corporations might be able to squeeze out of shoppers may not be worth opening on Thanksgiving next year. Indeed, technology retailer Radio Shack found that out the hard way in 2012, and decided it wasn't worth opening their doors on Thanksgiving this year.
We're pointing this out today not to shame those businesses into closing on Thanksgiving. They've already made their plans for this week long ago.
We'd merely ask that you, our readers, acknowledge that no matter what the job is, if someone is working on Thanksgiving, chances are pretty good they'd rather be at home with their families and friends.
Instead of going out to shop on Thursday, maybe you should stay at home, so that next year, another hard-working American might also be able to give thanks that they also don't have to the work the Thanksgiving holiday.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Peace - A Great Reason For Thanks
We'd originally planned today to discuss the 'War on Thanksgiving' - the effort by retailers all over America to not even wait until the day after Thanksgiving to open. Sadly, that effort is really just another front in the war on working Americans that international corporations have been waging for years. Another major reason to be thankful came up over the weekend, though, and we can't help but address it first this week.
Don't worry - like the workers themselves, who are effectively chained to their jobs, the 'War on Thanksgiving' isn't going anywhere, and we'll tackle that issue tomorrow.
The event that happened over the weekend, though, deserves notice here, both because of the unusual nature of the event, and the reasons for thanks it may give to people not just in America but around the world.
The event we're talking about is the agreement by Iran and six major world powers, including the United States, to freeze key parts of Iran's nuclear program, in exchange for the temporary release of economic sanctions on issues like food and medicine.
Work on the agreement apparently had been going on for months, behind the scenes, with Secretary of State John Kerry taking the lead. Already, as details began to be released over the weekend, business markets worldwide began reacting positively to the details.
The details, in short, include as much as $7 billion in economic sanctions relief over the next six months, including the six nations un-freezing $4.2 billion in Iranian oil assets. The agreement will also allow humanitarian relief, including food, medicine, and medical supplies to flow more freely into and out of Iran again - a major reason President Rouhani of Iran was elected by his people earlier this year.
In exchange for the temporary lifting of sanctions, Iran's nuclear programs are being heavily restricted, and put under outside watch and oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA.
As expected, the typical opponents to a peace agreement of this kind made their feelings known over the weekend. As Evan McMorris-Santoro of Buzzfeed reported, some Republicans ridiculously attacked the deal before details were even released Saturday night. Unsurprisingly, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - who depends on Iran as a boogieman for much of his political power - said the deal is a "historic mistake." Of course, neither the U.S. Congressional naysayers or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is correct.
As President Obama noted correctly Saturday night in his public comment on the accord, this deal is "an important first step" in both preventing Iran from making nuclear weapons and in U.S.-Iranian diplomatic relations. It's only a first step, though. Some of the toughest diplomatic work lies ahead in the next six months.
That said, there are two critically important actions many people already seem to have overlooked in this story. Iran and the United States are talking publicly, diplomatically, for the first time in decades. Further, through diplomacy - not by sending military troops - President Obama and his administration have lessened the potential for nuclear armed conflict coming from Iran.
We understand the skepticism that many have about this agreement, but we think now especially is a time when Americans should be looking at the positive, and not the negative. Neither U.S.-Irainan diplomatic relations or a lowering of potential nuclear clonflict are small accomplishments. Both will make for a more peaceful world.
If those aren't some very good reasons for thanks, we're not sure what is.
Don't worry - like the workers themselves, who are effectively chained to their jobs, the 'War on Thanksgiving' isn't going anywhere, and we'll tackle that issue tomorrow.
The event that happened over the weekend, though, deserves notice here, both because of the unusual nature of the event, and the reasons for thanks it may give to people not just in America but around the world.
The event we're talking about is the agreement by Iran and six major world powers, including the United States, to freeze key parts of Iran's nuclear program, in exchange for the temporary release of economic sanctions on issues like food and medicine.
Work on the agreement apparently had been going on for months, behind the scenes, with Secretary of State John Kerry taking the lead. Already, as details began to be released over the weekend, business markets worldwide began reacting positively to the details.
The details, in short, include as much as $7 billion in economic sanctions relief over the next six months, including the six nations un-freezing $4.2 billion in Iranian oil assets. The agreement will also allow humanitarian relief, including food, medicine, and medical supplies to flow more freely into and out of Iran again - a major reason President Rouhani of Iran was elected by his people earlier this year.
In exchange for the temporary lifting of sanctions, Iran's nuclear programs are being heavily restricted, and put under outside watch and oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA.
As expected, the typical opponents to a peace agreement of this kind made their feelings known over the weekend. As Evan McMorris-Santoro of Buzzfeed reported, some Republicans ridiculously attacked the deal before details were even released Saturday night. Unsurprisingly, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - who depends on Iran as a boogieman for much of his political power - said the deal is a "historic mistake." Of course, neither the U.S. Congressional naysayers or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is correct.
As President Obama noted correctly Saturday night in his public comment on the accord, this deal is "an important first step" in both preventing Iran from making nuclear weapons and in U.S.-Iranian diplomatic relations. It's only a first step, though. Some of the toughest diplomatic work lies ahead in the next six months.
That said, there are two critically important actions many people already seem to have overlooked in this story. Iran and the United States are talking publicly, diplomatically, for the first time in decades. Further, through diplomacy - not by sending military troops - President Obama and his administration have lessened the potential for nuclear armed conflict coming from Iran.
We understand the skepticism that many have about this agreement, but we think now especially is a time when Americans should be looking at the positive, and not the negative. Neither U.S.-Irainan diplomatic relations or a lowering of potential nuclear clonflict are small accomplishments. Both will make for a more peaceful world.
If those aren't some very good reasons for thanks, we're not sure what is.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Actions And Consequences
As we head toward a weekend that we hope is filled with plenty of rest, we're pausing today to give a warning about unintended consequences, both in the past and the present.
Although right-wing media and politicians are crying the world's largest puddle of crocodile tears, as James Downie noted in the Washington Post yesterday, Republicans have only themselves to blame for Senator Reid and Senate Democrats using the so-called 'nuclear option' on Thursday.
The nuclear option is really just filibuster reform, a result of a long crusade by many, as Greg Sargent noted. It will have the benefit for all Americans of unclogging Congress a bit, as the minority party - currently the GOP - can no longer unilaterally obstruct virtually everything that comes before the Senate. Judicial appointments especially will likely zoom through now, as President Obama is finally going to be allowed to complete the constitutionally mandated part of his job in which he appoints new judges to the Federal bench.
As our staff discussed among themselves yesterday, and as everyone from Molly Ball to Ian Millheiser agreed, Republicans gave Democrats no choice but to blow up the old filibuster rules. Even while Republicans were stomping their feet and threatening heavy repercussions, as Paul Waldman made clear, the cries of vengeance coming from the right ring hollow, since Republicans would have likely done the same thing if they were in charge of the Senate - and they likely would have done it a long time ago.
To those who don't focus on politics regularly, the Democrat's filibuster reform may not seem like a huge deal at first. However, as Ezra Klein explained after the vote on Thursday, the unintended consequences of the change to Senate rules could affect a great many things.
A single action that caused massive unintended consequences is exactly what happened fifty years ago today, when President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed on a sunlit street in Dallas, Texas.
As we look through the images, audio, and video of that day fifty years ago, we can't help but notice how the right-wing's hatred of President Kennedy in the 1960s looks a lot like the vitriol they direct at President Obama today.
When it comes to the violent removal of a President from office - something that many right-wing extremists in conservative media have been openly endorsing for years now - we like to believe, in their hearts, that those angry Americans truly do not wish a horrific chain of events like that ever comes to pass again, no matter what hate-filled bile comes out of their mouths.
Look at the hell that was released when President Kennedy was assassinated. Those on the conservative right, many of whom were racists then and still are now, did not expect the civil rights movement to come from the White House of Texas native Lyndon Johnson. The women's movement that followed also caused those conservatives angst they still have to this day. The election of Richard Nixon as President would also arguably never have happened without Kennedy's death.
Kennedy's death also caused massive unexpected changes on the left, the biggest being Vietnam. Kennedy's death also led to Nixon's presidency and Watergate. The ripple effects from those events caused massive changes that are still being felt today, in areas from our all-volunteer military, to the massive NSA spying issues, to Nixonian policies which strengthened corporations, and weakened unions - which in turn lead to the massive inequality gap we're slogging through today.
The 'nuclear option' that was used in the Senate this week didn't kill anyone. Like the assassination of President Kennedy, however, we may all be feeling the unintended consequences for many years to come.
Time will tell.
Although right-wing media and politicians are crying the world's largest puddle of crocodile tears, as James Downie noted in the Washington Post yesterday, Republicans have only themselves to blame for Senator Reid and Senate Democrats using the so-called 'nuclear option' on Thursday.
The nuclear option is really just filibuster reform, a result of a long crusade by many, as Greg Sargent noted. It will have the benefit for all Americans of unclogging Congress a bit, as the minority party - currently the GOP - can no longer unilaterally obstruct virtually everything that comes before the Senate. Judicial appointments especially will likely zoom through now, as President Obama is finally going to be allowed to complete the constitutionally mandated part of his job in which he appoints new judges to the Federal bench.
As our staff discussed among themselves yesterday, and as everyone from Molly Ball to Ian Millheiser agreed, Republicans gave Democrats no choice but to blow up the old filibuster rules. Even while Republicans were stomping their feet and threatening heavy repercussions, as Paul Waldman made clear, the cries of vengeance coming from the right ring hollow, since Republicans would have likely done the same thing if they were in charge of the Senate - and they likely would have done it a long time ago.
To those who don't focus on politics regularly, the Democrat's filibuster reform may not seem like a huge deal at first. However, as Ezra Klein explained after the vote on Thursday, the unintended consequences of the change to Senate rules could affect a great many things.
A single action that caused massive unintended consequences is exactly what happened fifty years ago today, when President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed on a sunlit street in Dallas, Texas.
As we look through the images, audio, and video of that day fifty years ago, we can't help but notice how the right-wing's hatred of President Kennedy in the 1960s looks a lot like the vitriol they direct at President Obama today.
When it comes to the violent removal of a President from office - something that many right-wing extremists in conservative media have been openly endorsing for years now - we like to believe, in their hearts, that those angry Americans truly do not wish a horrific chain of events like that ever comes to pass again, no matter what hate-filled bile comes out of their mouths.
Look at the hell that was released when President Kennedy was assassinated. Those on the conservative right, many of whom were racists then and still are now, did not expect the civil rights movement to come from the White House of Texas native Lyndon Johnson. The women's movement that followed also caused those conservatives angst they still have to this day. The election of Richard Nixon as President would also arguably never have happened without Kennedy's death.
Kennedy's death also caused massive unexpected changes on the left, the biggest being Vietnam. Kennedy's death also led to Nixon's presidency and Watergate. The ripple effects from those events caused massive changes that are still being felt today, in areas from our all-volunteer military, to the massive NSA spying issues, to Nixonian policies which strengthened corporations, and weakened unions - which in turn lead to the massive inequality gap we're slogging through today.
The 'nuclear option' that was used in the Senate this week didn't kill anyone. Like the assassination of President Kennedy, however, we may all be feeling the unintended consequences for many years to come.
Time will tell.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)