The Watering Hole, November 4, 2011: Thank Unions its Friday

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We take it for granted that Friday is the end of the work week, but this wasn’t always the case. Collective bargaining brought about the 5-day, 40-hour work week.

Capitalists resisted efforts to unionize, often with deadly force. So, perhaps this Friday, we might take a moment and reflect on the sacrifices made so that we might have a chance at a better life. And, as we do, realize that the Capitalists haven’t given up – they have been working within the halls of power the past several decades to increase their power, wealth and control over the 99%, and have succeeded, slowly but admirably, in causing a steady decline in the standard of living for the 99% over the span of my lifetime.

This is our open thread. TGIF!

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137 thoughts on “The Watering Hole, November 4, 2011: Thank Unions its Friday”

  1. According to Paul Ryan, it’s the ‘Capitalists’ — the wealthy, the job creators — that are the current victims of Obama administration Class Warfare.

    Poor fuckers. I feel so bad.

    • Class warfare began in earnest with the advent of “trickle down” economics. But as long as it’s the rich waging a covert war on the rest of us, it’s ok. It’s only evil, in the minds of their propaganda machine, when the poor seek a more equitable distribution of wealth.

    • Class warfare? The upper 1% is winning. This is from the non-partisan CBO, and it shows adjusted income declines for almost everyone, other than huge increases for the upper 1%. It’s easy to make money when the rules are in your favor.

      http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=12485

      • It’s even easier when you have so much wealth and power that you write the rules!

      • What the hell, the “pro-life” crowd cheers war, the death penalty, and letting someone die for want of health insurance.

    • Republicans have spent so much time in the spin cycle that they no longer are capable of distinguishing between truth and lie. They are all just words and the only context they perceive is MeWinnee. The truly sad and dangerous part is they have been doing this for 30 years and the general public is in a fugue from spin overload. Facts are dead, requiem en pace.

    • “Cong. Walsh and other ‘True Blue Members’ have voted to repeal Obamacare, de-fund Planned Parenthood, end government funding for abortion within the health care law, uphold the Defense of Marriage Act, and continue support for school choice. I applaud their commitment to uphold the institutions of marriage and family.”

      Except, you know, divorce and unwillingness to support his own children. And wasn’t this joker running around Europe with his girlfriend at the same time he wasn’t paying support?

      • I think what they are really saying is he supports the establishment of a fundagelical theocracy in the US and a return of the Inquisition.

    • Could it be possible that all the nasty stuff we have been doing to the environment, the poisons and crap we are constantly dumping that is causing climate change has a parallel with all the poisonous crap the Right has been dumping from their mouths causing mind change? Can the ingestion of talking points cause random disconnects with reality that are responsible for the lack of ability to retain information previously spewed? Ideological Alzheimers?

      • I suppose he could have been referring to his bowel movements. Mormons eat a bland diet…

      • Yes. Orwell outlines this phenomena quite well in “1984″ wherein he writes of double-think and/or double-speak.

      • You mean the Zoo isn’t succumbing to reality blogging where folks are voted off the island?

        I’m chuckling because I recently found my old favorite of Wild Card books has been revived and one of their base lines is about tales of American Hero (equivalent of American Idol). George R.R, Martin and company do a good job of poking fun in their fantasy stories on that topic.

        • I hate those thumbs up/down things because, depending on my mood, I have to go through entire threads voting everyone up or down. :P

  6. Woooeeee! Just had a call opening the door to about $250k of business for the next year. I might have to actually have to work for a living, sort of.

  7. Woooeee also! Monday I am back to work at the company I worked with six and a half years from 2000 to 2007! They just bought two brand new Haas milling machines (US made) and have two more on order. I was moving my tool boxes this morning and I proved that I can transport them in a 944 Porsche if I have to.

    • Right on, house. Do those Haas machines have Mitsubishi controls on them? I know Mazak does.

      • From the Haas website:

        Closed System – Our focus is to provide a robust, dependable control that is seamlessly integrated with the machine. Our closed system is optimized specifically for Haas machines, and does not rely on third-party NC suppliers. When you call Haas, you get a company that takes full responsibility for the entire machine.

        Looks like they do their own thing Hooda.

        Since I’ve been going to shops all over my area, and some will let you take a quick look at their place, I’ve seen mostly Haas and Mazak machines, of the newer machines in use. US companies are moving away from Asian products and European machines are a little more expensive, so they aren’t considered, except when they are specialized applications.

      • 7am to 5:30pm central standard time. I’ve been getting up as early as 4am some mornings, plus we have the time change this weekend.

          • Thanks. I have just become a 99er in the last week, so this was very good news. I’ll still have to explore what my new health insurance will cover, since I was not on a policy for more than 60 days, but at least I can get covered for some stuff.

        • This place is only four and a half miles from my house, which is a commute I had gotten used to over the years. I really wasn’t looking forward to have to drive very far if that turned out to be the job I was offered.

    • Thanks.
      Well, Gary got a job recently, and 5th said he had some kind of work offered.

      The key is to get back to work doing something, because that seems to be high on the list of the places that are hiring, that the applicant has recently been working.

      I was thrilled they let me start at what I was making when I left my last job. They could have offered me less, and I’d have had to take it. I’ll probably get at least 5-10 hours of overtime each week for a while. They had a pretty big crew working today, and Friday is always overtime, due to the four day/ten hour day schedule.

  11. With that big toolbox out of here I can walk through my foyer without inching through sideways. :D

  12. Wonderful news for House and Hooda. Congratulations!

    We think my husbands has survived layoff. His firm seems to be doing it in slow motion, notifying 2 or 3 folks at a time. He has about 30 people working for him and can get no real answers regarding their status. People are predictably upset and little work is being done. I can give one example of someone who is leaving, a pretty talented senior engineer who is just too expensive. He works for a small firm subbing on the contract and makes 200K. His company charges the firm my husband works for 375K. Husband’s firm charges the government customer 400K. Isn’t that a fine example of how privatization saves the government lots of money?

    • It’s also a good example of how government funds supports the private sector (not well done in this case). All those highway construction projects Repubs won’t fund? All that work is done by private contractors (who pay well).

      • Oops, but an interesting thought. There’s an awful lot of work to do around here.

    • Outstanding, are you a member of some cultish group that allows multiple husbands? If so can you send me an application?

  13. Remember the VA republican county committee that sent out the zombie bullet hole picture of the president? Here’s their latest offering, insinuating that the democratic challenger doesn’t support veterans. The fun part? It uses a picture of a Soviet naval officer to represent veterans.
    http://www.tooconservative.com/?p=11038

  14. Hi, gang!

    I’m loving my new computer which allows me to surf about 3-4 times faster than the old one. Computers are a bit like eye glasses. One doesn’t realize just how bad one’s prescription is until one gets new glasses. I have just about everything installed that I want installed, I haven’t lost any data, and now I’m ready to copy my entire music collection into a single file for the first time. It’s a little over 40 gig so it will provide a really good test of the new machine. I’ve only played around a little with windows7 but I would say it’s my favorite Windows. I still don’t like having to mess with antivirus and firewalls but it does seem to look and work great. Still, I really like my Linux operating system because it’s fast, streamlined, and more secure. Since i have more recent experience with a new machine i can probably be more help if anyone else is interested in trying a Linux system.

    It’s another lovely day in the mid 50s. I noticed that there are still a couple blooming dandelions and some blue ground flowers. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen any kind of flower blooming this late in the year. But, today, I’m just going to enjoy a lovely day with the windows open and without worrying about the implications.

    • Hi petelngh. Very good analogy with the glasses. My current laptop is 3 years old. I usually get a new one every 3 years so it’s getting close to that time again. Unfortunately it’s more than just a new computer. I should also upgrade to Visual Studio 2011 and upgrade the tools I use. Not looking forward to it as upgrading the programming language and tools means going through all the code to make sure it still works – a long and painful process.

      What Linux do you use? I had my wife’s old laptop (actually and old one of mine) that started to have bugs in Windows so I put Ubuntu on it. Worked very well – she only surfed and emailed. Then we went and got her a Mac – I didn’t know that the Mac OS is a linux based system!!

      • I’ve been using PC Linux OS(PCLOS) since 2006. It’s always been very stable and has consistently increased the bells and whistles available. What I like best about it is that one has more control of what one installs or activates and then one can make a complete, customized, system back up on a single disk.

        • Nice. There is just so much out there outside Microsoft and Mac. Maybe when I do get a new laptop I’ll put Linux on this one as my home and travel laptop.

          • if you do? feel free to ask for input. I’m not an IT specialist but my best friend is and I’ve spent some time ripping into the guts of an operating system. I’ve found PCLOS to be pretty simple to install and, at least this time with the new machine, the sometimes tricky job of setting up partitions without having to reinstall Windows went smooth as silk. if you play with code you should be able to do it in your sleep.

            • Pete was very helpful during my attempt to run Linux on my laptop. I eventually got it installed, but it was old enough that some of the features I really wanted (which PCLOS certainly could provide) just can’t run on a laptop from 2005.

    • You’re going to enjoy the new machine. Windows 7 doesn’t bother me, but I have to use Chrome, because IE just won’t cut it on a lot of stuff.

      Your weather is a lot like mine. 56 right now and calm and sunny. My leaves are mostly turned, the Dogwoods are red and the Maples are red and yellow.

      • I use FireFox with both operating systems and really like it. I was even pleasantly surprised that I was able to load bookmarks from my old machine to the windows & box even though I didn’t have Windows of any kind on it.

  15. On the job front …
    My daughter and her husband just returned from a trip to Houston. Seems daughter has received a job offer there from an analytical chemistry lab owned by a woman who was formerly a chem prof at the University of Colorado. Her current ‘boss’ at UC (she’s teaching eight labs there this year) recommended her to his former colleague, and the interview apparently went smashingly for two or more hours. They want her to start in May or June or as soon as she can get there, with a starting salary at around $50K per annum. Needless to say she’s excited. I feel sorry for anyone having to move to Texas for any reason whatsoever, but her hubby’s family lives in Houston and he’ll start up another branch of his computer repair business there, so all looks well for the moment at least, in this otherwise jobless economy. Of course, the most fortunate one of all is the woman who hired her — she’s getting a dynamo for an employee!

  16. In other local news; there seems to be a subtle shift in how the local “librul media” is talking about Batscat Bachamnn. The last few local stories about her increasingly bizarre statements are now talking about “gaffes” and “errors” rather than couching their reports in terms like “the outspoken Representative deflects attacks”. If nothing else good comes out of this election season i would be delighted if they stop making excuses for her insanity.

  17. Wow it is a Fabulous Friday – we should make it an international holiday!

    We have our first snow of the season and many fender benders. Thank the Hindu gods I work at home!

    • Driving in snow is never pleasant but the first snow of the year is the worst. I’m guessing that you have the same phenomenon as we do here where 90% of people forget how to drive on slick roads over the summer.

      • Driving in snow. I have a rear wheel dive S10 that does wonderful donuts in parking lots. Front wheel and all wheel drive may be safer but rear wheel drive is much more fun.

        • I’ve had many cars that would rather spin in circles than go straight ahead. the worst was a 1973 Dodge Dart with a 318 V-8. I had to drive that bitch about 30 miles in an ice storm towing a boat. now? I have a 1988 Mazda 323 with a stick. it’s like a heated snowmobile.

      • Oh yeah. And at least 90% of the 90% have lived through many winters here and elsewhere. And then we get the numbskulls that bitch about clearing the snow off the roads even though the snow started at rush hour.

        • I’ve never understood the phenomenon myself. I’ve also never understood why they don’t get the salt trucks out when that first snow is imminent. One of the reasons that the first couple snow storms get so treacherous is that there isn’t a buildup of salt/sand. I’ll even be generous and say that a few of those 90% are caught by surprise by spots that would have salt/sand later in the year. Still, by my standards, I would say that at least 70% of the 90% have no business behind the wheel at any time. Too many people don’t seem to realize that driving is the one thing most of us do every day that has a serious potential for killing someone else.

  18. I was born a poor black child, Then I heard the word of Jebus. I tried to love all those poor, unfortunate folk but the Republicans showed me they were just trash and I listened to my Jebus and he said rich folk are smarter than poor folk and I sort of wondered whether I could read right or they could talk right. In the end it was easier to listen to talk than to think.

  19. Geeze, and I thought Mitt’s quote was weird…

    “I am the Koch brothers’ brother from another mother,” Herman Cain told a crowd at a Koch-funded Americans For Prosperity gathering in Washington Friday.

    • He Actually Said That???

      Works in Primaryville, but wait till he sings that tune in GeneralTown.
      Toast. What a dumbass.

    • In a normal time and with a normal political party KochCain would be long since gone from the race along with pRick Prayerry, Newt, Batscat, and Santorum. Newt isn’t as insane as the others but he panders to the insane. The rest are positively dangerous to an extent that makes Dubbya sound like an effing genius. And yet? It wouldn’t take much of a scandal from Mittens’ camp to put any one of them back in line for the nomination. Heck! the mere fact that KochCain has not collapsed in the polls shows just how desperate the GOP is for anyone but Mittens. It’s more than a bit distressing that the nominee from one of the two parties will have to prove that he/she is crazy enough to win the nomination.

    • The clown-fest continues…

      Cain is attempting to dig a hole in the swirling water.
      It’s not working “Herb”.

    • Tonight the Defending the American Dream or Defunding the American Dream or whatever it’s called event will feature a tribute to Ronald Reagan dinner followed by a screening of “Atlas Shrugged”. Really. They’ll also be getting a visit from OccupyDC.

      • gawd what a boring evening that would be.

        Will they be shining holograms of The Saint Ronnie and The Sinner Ayn? (after all she did accept the evil socialist money).

      • Republicans are masochists. Anyone who can view or listen to anything involving Ayn Rand and cheer truly hate themselves.

  20. Question for long term unemployed Republicans…

    You really want to elect this KochSucker?

  21. It is interesting. America is no longer about America. The things that built our society are now no longer viable. Things like truth or decency or honesty are throw away pieces of crap. Spin rules.

    ” I hit that person because they disagreed with me. They thought people should be nice to one and other and I had to smack them because being nice is totally in conflict with my religious concepts unless the people I have to be nice to totally agree with me.”

  22. This is just sickening. Real churches do assist the attenders – with real care and compassion.
    These charlatans are still attempting to prey on the followers, even after bankrupting the ‘church’.

    Bankrupt church wants donations for pastor’s sick wife ferried in limo

    An email sent recently by Crystal Cathedral administrators said that Schuller and his wife, Arvella, “would appreciate meals over the next three to four weeks.” It added: “They are to be sent to the church in order to be transported to Arvella. The limo drivers could pick up the dinners or meet in the Tower Lobby around 4:30 p.m.”
    … the email asked that the food be low in sodium and include items such as fruit, meat, soup and eggs.
    … A spokesman for the church, John Charles, said the food request was in keeping with the church’s commitment to Christian charity. “As Dr. Schuller always says, ‘Find a need and fill it,’” he said. “I think that’s what we were trying to do here.”

    But Canfield sees things differently. “These are millionaires who have limos and chauffeurs,” he said. “Why in God’s name would they want the congregants to deliver meals? It’s ludicrous.”

    • It’s also damned sad that they don’t want their own parishioners to come to their home with the meals.

    • A classic example of how the 1%ers minds work.

      Hey, we haven’t squeezed these bastards for their last nickel, quick, think up some other way to get blood from those turnips!

    • The appeal comes weeks after a lawsuit charged that the founder of the Crystal Cathedral house of worship, Rev. Robert Schuller, and his family had been paying themselves lavish salaries and other benefits while the church was in financial straits.

      “They’ve completely depleted the church’s funds,” one member, Bob Canfield, told the Orange County Register. “But they have shown that they have absolutely no remorse for what they’ve done. They’re still being chauffeured around in limos. We, the congregants, have nothing.”

      At least the congregation (or part of it) is outraged, rather than rolling over and giving the “pastor” more money.

    • Reading up a bit on this “pastor” is really pretty disgusting. He seems to be another example of those who convince themselves that God has “chosen” them. Such people tend to have no shame.

    • Please send your low sodium, highly nutritious donations to the limo that your God has provided to the dork who has convinced you that his wife and/or family is somehow more important than your family.

      • y’know, rat poison is said to be very low in sodium and highly nutritious? Sure! God said so!

        • That might be a bit on the extreme side of severe but there are plenty of non fatal additives that would teach them a lesson. That assumes, of course, that their chauffeur doesn’t do double duty as a food taster.

    • A spokesman for the church, John Charles, said the food request was in keeping with the church’s commitment to define charlatanry in the guise Christian charity.

    • If one is simple enough to believe that God has some sort of need for earthly spokespersons one should send lots of money to make sure they can afford things you can’t. And if you can’t send money, send support.

  23. Amazon may have finally sunk their Kindle hook in me. Amazon Prime members (me) can now borrow books if they have a Kindle. And the Kindle prices are pretty low (if I don’t mind a few ads). Hmmm, do I?

  24. Ya’ll know God hates a sinner. How many people can read the last five words of that sentence and see the stupidity involved? God hates. Is there something that is the absolute opposite of an oxymoron?

  27. 9-9-9

    The harassment settlement between the woman and NRA trade group (Cain) was signed in September 1999.

    Just sayin.’

          • We had a Godfather’s Pizza here years ago. I think we tried it once and it sucked. The other day I got on their website to see if there were any near here now. There’s one in Florence, probably near N. Alabama University, one in a small town called Leesburg that’s on my route to Atlanta when I go there, and the rest are 100 miles away in Nashville.

      • Jay Leno says he thinks Cain’s tax thing is something he came up with back in his days with the NRA when he was experimenting with various women, trying to try something called “sixty-nine-nine-nine.”

        Makes sense.

  29. Quote of the Day II:

    “You know what, Mike Bloomberg? FUCK YOU. People are not protesting for their own entertainment, you asshole. They’re protesting because millions of people were robbed, by your best friends incidentally, and they want their money back. And you’re not everybody’s Dad, so stop acting like you are,” – Matt Taibbi, responding to this video on the question of who caused the financial collapse:

    • Mike, my dad would have kicked your ass on any street you care to mention and never broken a sweat. As his son, I am grateful that Dad did the heavy work.. I get to just chuckle.

  30. White House Rejects Solyndra Subpoena

    The White House is pushing back on a congressional subpoena of its records regarding its dealings with the bankrupt green tech company Solyndra, CNN reports.

    The white house calls the subpoena too broad and a “fishing expedition.”

    This is a developing story.

  31. Come Monday, I get to play knight errant. The company has failed, or rather it’s toadies have. They sold a machine and now can’t support it. In the eleventh hour the local company is in search of someone who can fill the void and save their day. In 30+ years I have not worked on a machine that has not performed as it was promised to do. I hate fulfilling someone else’s promise but I do like making something happen that others have failed to produce.

  32. I wonder if I should get a couple beers tonight, now that I have a way to replace the funds?

    I already have all the pizza I need in the fridge.

  33. Life is so wondrous. I seem to have inherited the responsibility to make a very expensive machine designed to do something I have no clue about. The customer has invested a fair amount of money in making it happen but the manufacturer in CA seems to have no real desire to make their machine work.

    Funny part is I have no idea what the verdamnt machine is supposed to do except that it has something to do with potato chips.

    • This is the same machine in the other comment, the one you have to get working where others have failed?

      I can commiserate. You should try repairing a Porsche after the tractor mechanics have been butchering it!

      • My life has been making machines work, House. Or work better. I have spent my life doing this. Some companies have benefited from my efforts. One owns my patents. I make machines work for now because I do it better than most.

      • I hear you. I have people who want to make machine produce any number of things. Like making a Porsche be the engine in the next shuttle. They have a fantasy…I tell them the reality. Most hate me.

    • Your nimble fingers and excellent grey cells will figure it all out.
      Sounds as if you enjoy a challenge and this is just why they chose you!

  34. Ed Schultz spells out with clarity what Republicans have become

    We are at an ideological cross-roads in this country. We have an income inequality in America that we have never seen before. I’m going to be throwing a chart up here every night for you to explain exactly who they are in very baasic terms and what they are doing to destroy our economy. destroy, sabotage, may I go so far as to suggest and flat out say that the Republican party in this country, they are playing the game of economic terrorism on the American economy and the American middle class.

    • He’s hammering that again tonight with Robert Reich helping him. Reich actually sounds angry when talking about it.

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