Unions are not happy with Obamacare

I knew this was coming, this is why I was against the idea of Government-run healthcare insurance in this first place. AFL-CIO boss is supposedly working on it, but I don’t expect much.

Here’s the quote of the day from The Hill:

“We are disappointed that the non-profit health plans offered by unions have not been given the same consideration as the Catholic Church, big business and Capitol Hill staffers,” Unite Here President D. Taylor told The Hill. …

“The Democrats have completely given the store away to the for-profit industry,” Taylor said. “Without any question, we have a scenario set up that ObamaCare has turned all the money over to the for-profit plans and the non-profit plans will fade away.”

“With open enrollment set to begin on October 1, time is of the essence, so we are working hard every day to find a solution to protect our members’ healthcare,” said Tim Schlittner, a spokesman for the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW). …

“The administration has found resolutions for a whole variety of issues and the fact that their biggest supporters will be put at the mercy of the for-profit insurance industry will leave a very bad, bad taste,” Taylor said. “You can’t blame the Republicans on this one. This is a Democratic bill through and through.”

You see now why I was so against Obamacare? Makes sense doesn’t it?

Ouch indeed. But, that’s what they get for supporting and endorsing a President based solely upon skin color. This ought to also be an eye-opener for the organized labor movement as well; that the Democratic Party is really no longer their friend and that the Democratic Party is not looking out for their best interests anymore. It has been this way since the Clinton era and it is still that way. The old American worker first Democratic Party has given away to the internationalist Democrats who see the United States the lens of the world and could honestly care less about the American worker.

Case in point: You don’t see President Obama at these fast food strike rallies do you? No. and you won’t either. President Obama could honestly care less about those people. They were there for him to vote for him and now that Obama is in his second term. He could honestly care less about them at all. I mean, in all honesty the strikes are quite dumb and the unions are only targeting the corporate stores in the mostly minority neighborhoods.

None of the McDonald’s stores in my neighborhood here in Lincoln Park have been targeted at all. Want to know why? Because they are franchise stores and if McDonald’s corporate decided to start paying corporate store employees $15.00 an hour; the franchise stores would NOT have to follow suit. Why? Because they are iindependently owned. McDonald’s corporate does not set wages, the Independent owners do. Unless it is a corporate owned store and there are not too many of them in this area.

So, unless the Government raises the minimum wage in this country, which I happen to feel should be abolished; these protestors, who are being supported by the labor unions —– are pissing in the wind.

(H/T Hotair.com who says, “Ouch.”)

It is official: I leave for 9 weeks of training for new job

I wrote about this the other day, but it is now official.

On the 15’th of this month, I will be shipping off to Indianapolis, Indiana for 9 weeks (!) of training to become an over the road truck driver.

I know, it sounds like forever, but really, it is simply 3 weeks in Indy for classroom and maneuvers practice. Then it’s off with a trainer for 6 weeks of simply driving with a trainer. I will be doing, hopefully most of the 48 states and maybe Canada.

I will be taking the laptop and checking in via wifi at the truck stops each night. I also, once I go solo, will be buying a phone, trucker gps, and a decent freezer cooler. Once get the phone, I will be posting video updates here and over on the youtube channel that I created. I am also thinking of creating a separate blog dedicated solely to trucking. I have a name and a URL for that picked out; stay tuned for further updates on that one.

It feels so good to be finally doing the right thing with my career and more than anything else; getting back to work — after 9 years of being unemployed. 😀

A Thinking Americanist EXCLUSIVE: UAW gearing for a major battle with Detroit’s big 3 automakers

This is an exclusive scoop right here on Thinking Americanist. You will not read this anywhere else, and I am giving this scoop, because I believe people have a right to know.

I was at the union hall today with my Father, today was the retirees meeting and I received some information from someone who is very much in the know of what is going on internally with the UAW and it’s goings on.

Basically, what my source told me is this: The UAW is gearing up for a major protracted battle with the big three when it comes to contracts and benefits for the active and retirees with GM and the other two major automakers. Basically, it boils down to this here; as we all know the big three went through some financial hardships a few years ago. Well, now the hardships are over and the big three are now selling vehicles again and doing rather well for themselves.

What is happening is this here; every time the UAW approaches the big three and asks them about restoring the previous benefits, they are giving the attitude of, “You guys ought to be glad we are still in business and did not just file for bankruptcy and cut you all out of the loop.” Well, needless to say, that is not going to work for the UAW and its members.

So, as you can very well imagine the UAW is gearing up for a majorly huge battle for better contracts and the restoring of the former benefits and they are also going to push for all these new workers to get wages on par with the workers who have been there for years. The stuff I heard was that the UAW is prepared to walk out and strike to get what they want and they are not afraid to make it a long-term thing either.

I will refrain from my normal commentary on stuff like this; because quite simply; I just want to give you all the facts of what I heard.

However, I do have an open message to the UAW: I hope you all know that what it is that you are doing; and please, whatever you do, do not do what the union that represented Hostess employees did. That was nothing more than unmitigated foolishness. My Father worked for General Motors for 31 years, and for him to lose his pension over something, like a union’s obstante stupidity is inexcusable. Please, choose wisely.

Another Republican talking point about Obama’s healthcare law proven wrong

This is good news for people like me, who will soon be working for a living again, and will most likely need help from this new healthcare law.

The Story:

One of these days, a dire prediction about Obamacare will come true. Today isn’t it.

The Administration on Thursday released new information about the “Federally Facilitated Marketplaces.” Under Obamacare, every state must have an exchange—a place where people without employer-sponsored insurance can find insurance. Some states are running their own exchanges. Others are asking the federal government to do most, or all of, the work. Those federal-run exchanges are the FFMs.

To be successful, exchanges must have enough plans to generate some competition. The whole idea of the exchanges is to let people shop around, seeking the best combination of benefits, service, and prices—just as they might shop for a car, an accountant, or any other good or service. Yes, that’s probably more of a conservative idea than a liberal one. But, for competition to take place, insurers must participate. And conservatives have predicted the insurers would stay away, because of Obamacare’s supposedly onerous regulations and a fear that the whole system is doomed to collapse.

Even liberals like me have worried how the insurers might act—and, sure enough, some carriers really do seem wary. But plenty aren’t. On Thursday, the administration announced it expects the FFMs to have more than sufficient competition. At least one new insurer will be offering plans in about three-fourths of the FFMs, according to the administration, and 90 percent of “target enrollees” (people the administration is hoping will use the exchanges) will be able to choose from at least five different insurers. Given the poor state of competition that exists in many states today, the administration says, that’s a big improvement.

The data is preliminary and sketchy—and the improvement may not be as dramatic as the administration made it sound. “I would characterize it as modest plan competition,” Caroline Pearson, vice president for health reform at Avalere Helath, told Sarah Kliff of the Washington Post. “In most markets, there seems to be a bit more choice than what’s available in the market today. But we’re certainly not seeing a wild influx of plans into the market.”

via Obamacare Insurance Options: Looks like exchanges will have plenty | New Republic.

Believe me when I tell you, I am not a huge fan of President Obama and I was not too keen on the idea of “Obamacare.” However, I will tell you this, if anyone knows all about the cost of rising healthcare in this Country — It would be me. I had to cancel my health insurance that I was getting through the COBRA program. It just kept going up and finally, I simply decided to stop putting out that kind of money; and this was back when I was working full-time as a straight truck driver.

Needless to say, I am glad to hear that the Republicans might just be wrong on this little issue here. 😀

Oh, and by the way, I have some pretty darned good reasons for feeling this way too. 😡

Others: News Desk, The Plum Line and Wonkblog

Video: Migrant Farm Workers fired because they didn’t want to burn alive

More of that abusive crony capitalism that I detest…..

The Video:

The Story via NBC LA (H/T to Raw Story)

More than a dozen farm workers in Southern California were out of a job after walking out of the fields last week, forced indoors because of heavy smoke from a massive wildfire burning nearby.

“Oh, yeah, the smoke was very bad. That’s no doubt about that,” said Lauro Barrajas, of the United Farm Workers.

As the blaze, dubbed the Springs Fire, continued to grow in Camarillo May 2, farm workers 11 miles south in Oxnard said they started to feel the effects of the smoke in the strawberry fields.

The ashes were falling on top of us, one of them explained, adding “it was hard to breathe.”

Air quality in the region was at dangerously poor levels and 15 workers at Crisalida Farms decided they could not handle it any longer. They left, even though their foreman warned them they would not have a job when they returned.

When they went back to the fields May 3, the farm fired them.

Barrajas, who is a representative of the UFW, said the workers contacted him for help, even though they were not members of the union.

Union representatives met with the farm’s upper management and applied a union rule.

“No worker shall work under conditions where they feel his life or health is in danger,” Barrajas said.

In a statement to Telemundo, the farm representative said the workers left without permission while orders still needed to be filled. The company offered to pay them for the hours they’d worked.

Later, the company settled with the union and offered to rehire all 15 workers. But only one worker returned.

This is why I believe illegal immigration should be stopped. Because of stuff like this here, it is abusive and exploitative for Farm Owners to force workers to stay in a field with fire that close to them.

Furthermore, I believe it says a good deal about the Farm Workers Union to step in, even though these guys were not even union members and come to their defense. I believe it also says a good deal about the farm itself, when the workers say, “No thanks!” when offered their jobs back. Again, I believe this is one of the biggest reasons why the illegal immigration problem in this Country must be stopped. Because of stuff like this here.

I end this, with a word from one of the workers:

One worker said while it hurts to lose work, one’s health is more important.

Indeed, it is and I commend these workers for standing up against abusive employers and I commend the Farmer Workers Union for standing up for them — that is the American way.

I have often written on this blog about the good and bad of the Unions. This is the case of the good side of the labor movement.

Others: Crooks and Liars and The Informer

Oh yeah, it’s a nightmare alright

I have one thing to say about this below — Welcome to my world.

The Story:

Close your eyes and picture the scariest thing you can think of. Maybe it’s a giant spider or a giant Stay Puft marshmallow man or something that’s not even giant at all. Well, whatever it is, I guarantee it’s not nearly as scary as the real scariest thing in the world. That’s long-term unemployment.

There are two labor markets nowadays. There’s the market for people who have been out of work for less than six months, and the market for people who have been out of work longer. The former is working pretty normally, and the latter is horribly dysfunctional. That was the conclusion of recent research I highlighted a few months ago by Rand Ghayad, a visiting scholar at the Boston Fed and a PhD candidate in economics at Northeastern University, and William Dickens, a professor of economics at Northeastern University, that looked at Beveridge curves for different ages, industries, and education levels to see who the recovery is leaving behind.

via The Terrifying Reality of Long-Term Unemployment – Matthew O’Brien – The Atlantic.

I have been unemployed for 8 solid years. Now, some of that, is my fault. I got into some of that HERE, when I wrote about my job hunting. But, some of it; is simply the bad economy here in Michigan and as of 2008; the entire Country.

One part that I quibble with on this piece, is this here:

It’s time for the government to start hiring the long-term unemployed. Or, at the least, start giving employers tax incentives to hire the long-term unemployed. The worst possible outcome for all of us is if the long-term unemployed become unemployable. That would permanently reduce our productive capacity.

We can do better, and we need to start doing so now. We can’t afford long-term thinking in either the short or the long-term.

Okay, let me break this down here:

Our Government is broke. They hardly can afford the people that they have now! They are having to cut hours and staff to stay afloat. So, that is out.
As for the tax incentives; I just do not think that incentives would even remotely work. What the employers would do, is hire the people; declare it on their taxes and then turn around and let the people or fire them for silly reasons.

What will work is a strongly worded piece of legislation that would make it illegal for employers to discriminate against those, who have been unemployed longer than six months and make damned sure the law is enforced to the hilt. With fines and loss of business license being the penalties for the infraction.

Let me clear here; I am not in favor of big Government statism at all; however, there are times, when, because of the actions of crony capitalists, Government has to take action to protect the American people, namely long-term unemployed Americans, like me — from being discriminated against, for the simple crime of not being able to find a job. My reasons for not being able to get a job in the field that I trained in are explained here. Yes, I whacked a pole, trying to make a turn out of a parking lot; that was in 2003. I should have been able to find work with a trucking company locally or at least regionally. I have not, why? Because no one locally or regionally is hiring, outside a big company around here, which is notorious for screwing its employees.

Again, I agree with what this man is saying is this article; I simply just do not believe his solutions are the right ones.

The Working Class under Obama: Screwed, as always

This comes via InstaPundit, who snarks:

HOW’S THAT HOPEY-CHANGEY STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA?

Gallows humor, I like it. Hee hee

Reason Magazine reports the following:

If the labor participation rate had remained where it was in 2008, points out Investors Business Daily, unemployment would have recently risen to 11.1 percent.

By the way, I am one of those people, who basically left the job market, because there simply are not any jobs around here.

Some more lovely news, via Investors Business Daily:

Small businesses, who employ the bulk of American workers, don’t plan to hire additional staff, in another sign the job market is deteriorating again.

The National Federation of Independent Business said Tuesday that confidence among small firms dropped, with its index dipping to 89.5 in March from 90.8 in February.

The share of firms planning to grow employment minus the share planning to shrink it fell to a net 0%, the lowest in a year, from 4% in the prior month.

The survey also found business owners were no more pessimistic on the economy, but the balance of sales expectations swung to -4% from 1%. Small firms also were more inclined to shrink inventories and less inclined to think now is a good time to expand.

The NFIB index comes days after the Labor Department said nonfarm payrolls grew by just 88,000 in March, after averaging gains of more than 200,000 in the earlier five months.

The latest jobs report seems to indicate a pattern of strong winter hiring followed by a spring or summer slump will be repeated this year.

“After another false start, small-business confidence has sputtered and stalled again,” said Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB’s chief economist, in a statement Tuesday. “For the sector that produces half the private GDP and employs half the private sector workforce — the fact that they are not growing, not hiring, not borrowing and not expanding like they should be, is evidence enough that uncertainty is slowing the economy.”

You have to understand, this is what Barack Obama and the Democrats want. They want people like me, the working class; to depend on Government. They do not want people like me working. They would rather I depend on Government and get some sort of Government assistance. Remember, Obama said, “I am interested in those high tech jobs” during the last President debate. The truth is, President Obama does not give two rips about the general labor types or the unskilled workers. The only people that the Democrats care about is:

Union Workers – Actually, he really does not care about them either. He just is obligated to them, because of the legacy of the labor movement of the past. Also too, because there are still some high rolling donors among the labor movement still to this day. So, the Democrats do still have to pay their respects; all the while selling their jobs overseas.
High Tech Jobs – This is because 90% of the tech job workers are immigrants and they. of course, are going to support a President, who gives them what they really want; which is amnesty. The other 10% of them are upper income liberals, who live in cities, like Ann Arbor, Michigan; fresh out of college and filled to the brim with liberal, socialist indoctrination.

This right here, is why I cannot find at least a local dirt hauling job around here. One, because the house construction business around here is basically bust, since the crash of 2008 — Which was caused by the stupidity of the Bill Clinton and the Democrats in the 1990’s. Two, because of what I have pointed out above. You have to have a reason for hauling that dirt around and if the economy is in the condition it is in, no one is going to want to have a house built or anything else for that matter; and companies who provide this service are not going to hire anyone extra, due to the fact that it might cost them in taxes.

This above, is why it looks like I am simply going to have to suck it up, pack up my bags, tell my parents goodbye; and get in a truck for a big company and basically be a slave for 2 years, working for crap wages. Once I get through the refresher, and running with a trainer, I should start making a decent wage; that is, if I actually get the miles. I would love to own my own truck and trailer; and pull loads off of a load board. However, that requires a good deal of capital, or in layman’s terms; a whole shitload of money, which I simply do not have. Oh, and another thing too; I am simply not interested in going into a ton and mean A TON of debt to start a trucking company. Since deregulation, the trucking industry is so stacked against a small time operator, that it simply is not worth the hassle anymore.

In short: I would be better off working for a big company. It is the way it is anymore, here in good ‘ol ‘merica. Sad Rolling Eyes Loser Doh

Remembering Cesar Chavez

Cesar Chavez with Walter Reuther, back when The UAW, AFL-CIO, and UFW, each respectfully were actually worth a damn.

Honestly, I really do not know what this here is all about. However, I will say this, most Neoconservatives hate unions, which is why Google is getting poo-poo’ed by the so-called right. On the other hand, Pat Buchanan has always written pieces that defended the American and Detroit auto workers; and yes, Unions. The UFW is not what it once was; that is because the left shifted from being a protectionist sort, when it came to the borders of this Country, to an open borders sort of political entity. As with the UAW, it’s strength has been sapped by globalists, who would sell America’s soul for the making of a quick dollar.

Both of these fine men have left us; what they have left, sometimes greatly disappoints me. Some of it, was their own doing. Some of it, was simply a changing of the times, and was due to the advance of globalism. Either way, it is sad to see three once powerful organizations, which were created simply for the preservation of the dignity of the middle class in this Country; now turned into a shadow of their former selves, by people who put evil agendas ahead of the American people. Those people exist on BOTH SIDES of the political aisle and they exist in the very organizations themselves.

Walter Reuther’s and Cesar Chavez’s America has long past us by; it has been replaced with a new, more frightful America. One where fascism and oppression of Religion and Freedom of Speech are the norm; in the so-called “land of the free and home of the brave.” It is has been replaced by an America, where unneeded and unwanted War is now called “Necessary Military Action.” A Nation that was once the envy of the World, for its prosperity and wealth; has now been replaced by a Nation that is 16 trillion dollars in debt and whom its industrial base has been shipped overseas.

America is a much darker and sinister place, than it was in the days of Walter Reuther and Cesar Chavez; and the only persons that are to blame for it; is our owned damned selves.

May Walter Reuther and Cesar Chavez both rest in peace; and may the memory of what they both stood for, in their day, never been forgotten.

(Image via the Walter Reuther Library Collection)

apologies for silence

I just really have not been feeling the need to write anything as of late. My mind has been occupied with other things here as of late. Namely trying to get back into the truck driving business. I applied for a major company and am waiting to hear back. I will be applying for another here tomorrow.

What this means is that I will be most likely on the road for 30 days on end, and home for a few days and then off again. A refresher course will be needed, it is mainly for the insurance companies; which I happen to think that reform is highly overdue, especially with the trucking industry, it should fall under labor department rules and regulations. Trucking is exempt from those rules and regulations; for better….or worse. 🙁

What this also means that my internet access and my ability to write will be limited, while I am refreshing myself to the art of driving a semi-truck and until I am able to afford a smart phone. I am hoping against hope, that my truck will have some sort of internet with the Qualcomm system in it. But, I will not hold my breath.

It just really pisses me the hell off that I have been out of truck for 10 years now. In 2003, I went to school to get my CDL-A and instead of being smart and getting with a good company and going over the road for two good years and actually learning to drive a fucking truck; like you are supposed to — stupid me, goes out and gets with some small time operator, because I want to stay near home. Anyhow, I ended up with a person who was a bigger idiot than me; and I promptly get into a fucking accident with my truck. Luckily, no one died and I really did not damage anything, except for an errant light pole that happened to be in my way.

The good thing, the idiot truck owner; who was really a moron, lost his authority to pull loads and is no longer in business. The bad part is this; All of this happened back in 2003-2004. I have not drove a truck since then. To any and all trucking companies, I am basically considered a high risk and would not be hired. Insurance companies would not insure me at all. So this means, I have to go with a company, like Swift Transport, or one that has a trucking school to go to a class to teach me something that I already know how to do —- drive a truck. 🙄

After this, then I have to ride with someone, who is considered a trainer, for as long as the company thinks that I need to do it; all the while paying me chicken feed, while the trucking company keeps the profit. It is called legalized slave labor and it does piss me off a great deal. 😡 Not to mention that fact, that I might end up with some AIDS infested faggot or some cowboy, who thinks going down mountains at 90 MPH is a cool thing to do. Now as for the faggot comment. A bit of person revelation here: When I was 9-year-old, someone tried to molest me; basically a kid in Jr. High, caught me in the bathroom at school and wanted me to give him a BJ. I reported it, and he was expelled. Ever since then, I have been leery about being around men in close quarters, like sleeping.

Either way, it is the route that I have to go; because I really, outside of a miracle, do not have any other choice at this point. That is if I even can get hired by a company at all.

So, as you can see, my mind is in other places at the moment. I will try to keep everyone informed about what is going on. This writing is not paying anything anymore; and I have to get out from under my parents. Living here is not easy anymore. I’ll just put it like that.

Pray for me — much, please.

Update: I almost forgot to add this following: Add to all this above, that I have two 60-something year old parents. 68 and 65 and I am an only child. I am all they have. When something bad goes down. I am the only thing they have to be there for them. 🙁

So, Where are the jobs Governor Snyder?

Nothing Unusual, my ass. 😡

(LANSING, Mich.) — Unemployment went up in all of Michigan’s major labor markets, including in the Detroit area, but officials say this is nothing unusual. The Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget released a report on Thursday stating that in December the unemployment rate for the Detroit-Warren-Livonia market stood at 10.2 percent, up from 9.7 percent in November. Overall, Michigan’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 8.9 percent from November to December. —- Detroit Unemployment Rate Increases In Dec. 2013, Joblessness Steady Across Michigan

I have been unemployed since 2005. Nothing unusual my ass! I have to ask our lying piece of crap Governor. Where are the jobs? I voted for you, and then you turned around and lied to every Independent voter and passed “right to starve.” So, Governor? Where are the jobs? 🙄

There aren’t any jobs, at least nothing that I am qualified for, that is. 😡 I thought this new Governor was going to bring in the jobs, I guess I was lied to, just liker Obama lied to the Democrats, this joker lied to us here in Michigan too. Never trust Democrats or Republicans; ever. They lie too much.