StrangeSox

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 12:23 PM) Always semantics with you, unless it comes from the mouth of a Republican. Face it, what he said was true, and you helped provide an example. People are gonna vote to keep their free stuff coming from Uncle Sugar. And people who pay no taxes don't really care about lowering the tax rate since it doesn't effect them (that they can see). People will vote for policies and programs they like and may personally benefit from? The nerve! Clearly this whole democracy thing is a failure.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 11:12 AM) Every last thing you just listed in that post above is a f***ing benefit to them. Again, I repeat, stop hiding behind the children like little b****es, which is exactly what they're doing. At least I can respect the LF teachers for their greed and lack of bulls*** surrounding it. Only if you conflate everything as a "benefit" But then I'd ask you to define something that benefits the children that wouldn't benefit the teachers that they could strike over. We should be wanting to make their jobs easier so that they are more effective.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 11:05 AM) Every state, as far as I know, has a workers compensation system. Every state, as far as I know, has a state's attorneys office that takes complaints of issues with businesses. There are a myriad of state and federal laws covering work conditions. People have a number of options to be covered under the law. Whether or not they like their wage is no different than every other person in this country. If you don't like it, move. Get a different job. Go back to school and get a degree in something different. I know, I know. Crab mentality, right? Read some literature on modern life in Appalachia. not everyone has the opportunities and advantages we did growing up. Better in an electricians pocket, supporting the middle class and circulating back t through the economy than in some rich guys offshore tax haven.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 11:08 AM) I do understand what they're striking over, and it's money and benefits. Nope! Go watch those Chicago tonight segments from last week that i linked to.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 11:05 AM) Tell me what I'm ignoring then...it's glaring that you never do. What, exactly, are the teachers doing here that isn't for themselves that, in some way, equates to them making more money, for less or easier jobs? Classroom size and evaluation methodology, rehiring procedures, school nurses and counselors, libraries in every school,ac.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 11:02 AM) Thus decreed StrangeSox, and it was so. That's easy to do. And ignorant. Do you actually want to understand what they are striking over or just keep insisting that it's only about money those greedy assholes.

Thus decreed y2hh, and it was so.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 10:50 AM) The biggest difference here is that every single taxpayer in the City of Chicago has a vested interest here. They should get a say here. In what way? Put all public contracts to a vote? The collective "the taxpayers" is usually not a smart group. See California and all of their unfunded referendums combined with strict tax and budgeting restrictions eg prop 13

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 10:40 AM) All of which have specific labor law and compensation legislation. s***ty job conditions =/= no rights or alternatives. And who is more likely to be able to stand up for their rights? An individual worker or a collective group? And what about fighting for better wages and conditions beyond the bare legal minimum? For many people, though, there aren't alternatives in coal (or timber or factory etc) Towns. You work in the mines or *maybe* in some local store that can only exist because of the mining presence. Until the mine closes and the town is left to decay.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 09:48 AM) http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/18/1...tember-surprise I don't know why, but this cartoon just made me laugh a lot.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 09:45 AM) Yeah, please give me an example of where a company literally owns a town (the bar, grocery store, etc) and employs 90% of the population. Please give me an example of anything close to that in the last 30 years. I can give you examples of hundreds of mine safety violations, worker deaths,a roaring comeback of black lung, environmental destruction and pollution of local water and food sources and continued poverty while mining companies make huge profits.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 09:58 AM) My point was simply this. They're being greedy douchebags just like the LF teachers are being, only the LF teachers are being more up front about it. That is all. But your point is, simply put, nonsense. You are ignoring 99% of the story to make it fit your narrative.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 09:42 AM) Apples and oranges. Banning child labor and sweat shops and reducing class sizes by 3-5 students are two entirely different things. Unions were needed when coal towns raped their workers in every possible way. That never happens now because of the massive shift in labor laws in this country. Unions now are just as corrupt as the employers they are negotiating with. You might want to read about modern life in coal Towns and mine safety records. Or go read those Crooked Timber posts I've linked to as a primer on modern workplace rights and coercion.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 09:41 AM) Wait, that sounds like the opposite of everything that's been said here? Everything I've raid says that the strike has to be about payroll and that they can't strike over "Class sizes and evaluations", so to deal with the toher issues they have to have payroll issues included. Am I wrong? You are correct, it is illegal for them to strike over non-economic issues like classroom size.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 09:31 AM) This is a completely different argument now. There was once a use for such unions, that use no longer exists. They're now corrupted, bureaucratic demonizations of what they were originally created to be. And again, if you can't see that, it's because you're sticking your head in the sand purposefully. Businesses CANNOT and would not, in this country, get away with 7 day work weeks, no-child labor laws, etc...all illegal now, with or without unions. labor bargaining doesn't stop. Look at the nhl and nfl lockouts. Owners value all going up, specially in the nfl, yet they are still trying to extract every last penny. Or what caterpillar is doing to their workers despite record profits and huge state tax breaks. If you really think that unions only negotiate over pay and that they aren't necessary to fight for other workplace rights, I'd suggest that you study some modern labor relations in this country.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 09:26 AM) This was a stupid counter argument. I base it on the fact that this is EXACTLY what unions do via collective bargaining, over and over. You don't need to be a mind reader to see it, either, you just have to open your eyes, which you've shown you won't do with that ridiculous post. You seem pretty oblivious to the negotiations thus far.

Romney's claim clearly backed up by reality. Look at all those hardcore Obama-voting states.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Sep 17, 2012 -> 08:32 PM) There was just an advertisement against the Union. Pretty shocking. I I've seen those for several days now. i don't know why it's shocking, though.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Sep 17, 2012 -> 07:30 PM) You're aware that SS has gone on in the past couple of years for dozens of pages (many in this thread) about how he doesn't like Obama and feels justified in not voting for him? f*** Obama, but he's right. I do have an agenda of pointing out just how epically horrible Bush was.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Sep 17, 2012 -> 07:18 PM) I came here to post that Mother Jones article but I see it's already being talked about. That's kind of a bombshell, IMO. Like "god damn." We found the Michelle "Whitey!" Video but it turns out it was Romney.

Manning with two picks already.banner week for my teams.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Sep 17, 2012 -> 05:03 PM) Jones gave up a hit to the first batter he faced and then he and the rest of the pen retired every single hitter the rest of the game. 14 in a row.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 17, 2012 -> 05:13 PM) Don't you pay FIT on Social Security income? I thought that was one of the Greenspan reforms. I'd imagine they might be low enough to cancel it out with eitc mortgage etc.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Sep 17, 2012 -> 04:35 PM) I don't understand why this is such a problem for so many people. What do they do with their kids the other 180 days/year they aren't in school? There are a lot more options in the summer.