I can’t help but agree.
What does Julia Roberts hate more than reptiles?
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Government employees forced to live in poverty?
Imagine if that were the reality. In truth this is actually the case for employees of companies who contract with the federal government. Personally I think that if you work full time for a living then you should not be forced to live in poverty.
At the least I would shoot for all employees of federal contractors receiving a living wage.
This is what Melissa Roseboro the creator of a CREDO Action petition had to say about this issue-
This morning, I walked off my job, because what I make — less than $10 an hour — just isn’t enough to pay my rent and support my family.
I work for a U.S. government contractor at the National Air and Space Museum. There are many people like me — they work at places we all love like Union Station. The National Gallery of Art. And while CEOs of government contractors are making millions, we’re paid so little that we can’t possibly make ends meet without public assistance.
The next time I visit one of D.C.’s many attractions I’ll keep this reality in mind.
photo by:
Tony Fischer Photography
Oklahoma Tornado: Labor Responds Swiftly
Quotes of the Day – Pope Francis Edition
When it comes to social justice issues that deal with the economy, the Church is usually spot on.
From Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good-
Francis said that “[t]he worship of the golden calf of old has found a new and heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly human goal.”
The Pope’s speech was so good I’m going to share some more-
“Solidarity, which is the treasure of the poor, is often considered counterproductive, opposed to the logic of finance and the economy. While the income of a minority is increasing exponentially, that of the majority is crumbling,” he said.
“I encourage the financial exports and the political leaders of your countries to consider the words of St John Chrysostom: ‘Not to share one’s goods with the poor is to rob them.’”
This is a message that we must hear. Catholicism is more than just the social issues that many conservatives trumpet. It is also about the social justice issues that many conservatives and free market radicals choose to ignore. I’m not a Catholic but I do appreciate the message that the Pope is trying to convey to the masses.
photo by:
BostonCatholic
Disney’s Brave #Fail
I really dislike what the Disney corporation is trying to do here. In the movie they tell the story of a fiery, independent and tough princess. This is a princess who is having issues conforming to what is expected of her. That’s a great story because it doesn’t limit the role of female characters –whether animated or not–and by proxy the perception of women in the real world. So why did Disney do a complete re-envisioning of the character to be one that is more docile?
The return of John Edwards?
He’s set to speak at a private gathering of lawyers which is closed to the press. There’s also the reactivation of his law license.
A records check with the N.C. State Bar shows Edwards has also reactivated his license to practice law, which had been inactive for more than a decade. The contact number listed for Edwards rings at his old Raleigh firm, where a receptionist said Edwards has not worked for many years.
Despite his past, I always admired that John Edwards was really the only candidate talking about poverty first in 2004 and then again in 2008. Who can forget his speeches on the “Two Americas?”
Whether or not Mr. Edwards should ever attempt to run for public office again is debatable. There are people who will generally dislike him for what he did to Elizabeth Edwards (someone who really championed universal healthcare). Personally, I don’t really know what went on in their private lives so it’s not my place to comment. As to the public charges, a federal jury was unable to agree about whether he illegally used campaign money to aid Ms. Hunter. In the end all I can say is that people make mistakes but oftentimes they can be rehabilitated.
I think that there is still a constituency out there that can use his voice. They are part of that other America, the one without the lobbyists on Capitol Hill or the cash to make campaign contributions let alone pay their rent. They live in poverty and either they’ve been living that way for quite some time now or have recently found themselves there due to circumstances beyond their control.
The fight against poverty and the squeezing of the middle class needs all the help it can get. You don’t need to hold an elected office to make a difference, especially if you posses the talents that Edwards does. If this is all John Edwards did going forward he’d be making a tremendous contribution to society.
via Edwards reactivates law license, speaking at event – Yahoo! News.
photo by:
John Edwards 2008
Amazing 11-year-old from Texas speaks out about bullying
At the age of 34, I can tell you that the bullying I endured first as an adolescent and then as a teenager is something I’m still dealing with today. You are quite vulnerable when you are young because you are still forming opinions about yourself and developing mentally. What happens to you during that time can effect you for the rest of your life. I’m glad that there is a new generation coming up that is finally taking a stand to stop bullying once and for all.
This is how the 1 percent does Disney
Interesting story for the conservative NY Post to be covering. I guess both the left and right can agree on certain things now and then.
“You can’t go to Disney without a tour concierge,’’ she sniffed. “This is how the 1 percent does Disney.”
The woman said she hired a Dream Tours guide to escort her, her husband and their 1-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter through the park in a motorized scooter with a “handicapped” sign on it. The group was sent straight to an auxiliary entrance at the front of each attraction.
Actually I’m surprised. Why even go to Disney World and use these “black market tour guides?” You would think these 1 percent moms would take their children to their own personal islands or something. Or maybe that’s left to the top tenth of the 1 percent in which these Manhattan moms (and dads) are a far way from becoming.
The dark side to capitalism is that if there is a need to be filled, someone will find a way to meet that need if the price is right despite whether it’s moral or not. People are willing to be the victims and others the victimizers in the grand scheme of things. Now society has come down quite hard to regulate capitalism when it comes to drugs, gambling, prostitution and etc., but not when it comes to major corporate crime.
So are these “black market tourism guides” violating some state or federal law? Are they violating company policy? All of that remains to be seen but as to the morality of the whole affair we can certainly look at it in an unfavorable light.
photo by:
Christian Lambert Photography
The LIBOR-like Oil Scandal of Shell, BP and Others
What’s worse, rigging interest rates between banks like in the LIBOR scandal or rigging the price of oil globally?
On Tuesday, the European Commission said it was investigating major oil companies over suspected anti-competitive agreements related to submission of prices to Platts, the world’s leading oil pricing agency and part of McGraw Hill Group.
There is just too much room for greed to seep in. When businesses gut regulation or skirt the law, they get what they want but it comes at a price. They can end up toppling an entire sector.
via E.U. Investigates Shell and Others on Oil Market Pricing – NYTimes.com.
photo by:
Kris Krug
