PoliticusUSA Features Excellent Article On Inequality, Anti‑Union Activity, Driving Down Wages

Tim Libretti at PoliticusUSA offers "Trickle-Down to Keep-the-Worker-Down: It’s Not the 'Skills Gap' Driving Down Wages," a worthy post on exactly what its title suggests.

For most of my life, certainly all of the working part of it, there has been an ongoing and effective attempt to sabotage unions and the kind of contracts they negotiate on behalf of workers. Most of the sabotage is either by outright oligarchs who own huge corporations... or by Republicans on behalf of those fat cats. (Recently a few Democrats have gotten aboard that train; keep your eyes open!)

(Admittedly, not that last one yet...)

Take it from a lifelong worker recently retired: we don't appreciate what the bastards have done.

(H/T Avedon.)

The Guardian US Employees Vote... Unanimously... To Unionize

Some people just know how to do it right!

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OT, Stella is leaving today for a three-day visit with her brothers and their spouses. This will be the first encounter either of us has had with commercial air travel since, well, since before 9/11/2001, if I recall correctly. [CORRECTION: I remembered at least one other flight Stella made, about the time we moved to Our House.] I don't envy her that encounter, but at least I'm not going along, and Stella, unlike me, is diplomatic enough not to make any sarcastic remarks to the official pokers/prodders, which might be beyond my personal restraint. Meanwhile, the kitties and I are going to find the house mighty quiet until Stella returns...

Ten A Dozen Essential Ideas For Fixing The American Economy — Robert Reich

Robert Reich has completed, not his scheduled ten, but an even dozen videos succinctly expressing the great ideas essential to making the American economy more robust for all its participants and transforming American society into one more committed to equality of treatment of all its members under the law.

The 12 Videos appear (in reverse order) in the right-hand column of Reich's blog, and each video runs about 2-3 minutes. I can't think of a better way for an adult or adolescent American to spend about a half hour than in watching these videos. (In addition to his insight, Reich has a great hand as a cartoonist, which he exercises along with voiceovers on the current topic. You'll have fun learning some excellently framed talking points!)