sm_landlord wrote:

now that the majority of union jobs are government jobs, there is another dynamic in play.

Interesting; is it really true that the majority of union jobs are with the govt?

Freego Walkabout wrote:

The NY Times, that beacon of superb journalism, is still listing "European Union Moves Toward a Bailout of Greece" on their business page.

The NY Times is actually quite accurate (sorry, no time to translate at this time). There is no way out for Germany after a statement as definitive as this:

Bundeskanzlerin Merkel: Europa steht für Griechenland bereit - Griechenland - Wirtschaft - FAZ.NET

Griechenland kann bei der Überwindung seiner Fiskal- und Wirtschaftskrise auf Unterstützung der europäischen Institutionen und der Mitgliedsländer des Euroraums zählen. Wie Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel am Montag in Hannover sagte, sei Voraussetzung dafür aber, dass sich Athen mit aller Kraft daran macht, wieder auf den Pfad des europäischen Stabilitäts- und Wachstumspakts einzuschwenken. „Jedes Land muss sich zunächst selber helfen“, sagte sie. Anders sei das Vertrauen der Finanzmärkte nicht zurück zu gewinnen.

yagij wrote:

The USG is the largest employer in the nation so it would make sense that it is also the largest union job employer, eh?

How much of military is union? (serious question)

Mish is dumb.

1 currency now -yogi wrote:

Mish is dumb.

Dumb he isn't. Biased yes.

Bubblisimo Gerkinov wrote:

How much of military is union? (serious question)

"Where does an 800-lb gorilla sit?"

Without looking up the numbers (I do more than most) I'd say union non-government jobs have shrunk drastically. Union government jobs have probably not grown much at all.

Mish is a fool if he thinks the "war" will be union versus non-union wage slaves. Mish is a banker, and he is right to be afraid.

Cinco-X wrote:

None-

Should rephrase - was thinking contracters, etc.

OP-ED COLUMNIST; Financial Reform Endgame - NY Times

1 currency now -yogi wrote:

Mish is a fool if he thinks the "war" will be union versus non-union wage slaves. Mish is a banker, and he is right to be afraid.

I agree with you. The tea party movement forgets the little details as the where the percentages are.

Bubblisimo Gerkinov - How much of military is union? (serious question)

None, it's a brotherhood, extended to sisters.
DoD civilians are GS union members, and then you have us blood sucking leaches called contractors. Both union and non.

Bubblisimo Gerkinov wrote:

Should rephrase - was thinking contracters, etc.

Civil Service; probably all of them that are permanent employees, though not temps, ect. Contractors? Probably none of them. Who wants mercenaries that might "go on strike" in the middle of a battle?

I think Mish recently had a large chunk of his investments in long term US treasury bonds and might still have

creditcriminalslovetarp - Thanks for finding the link, I don't navigate CNBC well, heck I don't even have a bookmark for it.
They also pointed out on air that the program was still needed because the housing market still has not improved since the start of the program and was still needed. I translated that to still being toasted.

t r orwell wrote:

a large chunk of his investments in long term US treasury bonds

Even the TGR authors disagree on an inflationary / deflationary outcome.

Maybe Mish hasn't reached Chapter 8 yet.

Cinco-X wrote:

Who wants mercenaries that might "go on strike" in the middle of a battle?

Yeah because the less you pay them, and the less stake they have in the bottom line, the more loyal they'll be to the cause.

Uncle Ar wrote:

But I thought it was an army of one?

If there's only one, how could there be a union? Wouldn't that require at least 3. One to join the other in a union, and one to be management?

yagij wrote:

The USG is the largest employer in the nation so it would make sense that it is also the largest union job employer, eh?

"Largest" ≠ "majority".

Comrade Kristina wrote:

He wishes the war would be between the wage slaves on union and non union stripes

"wishes" is the wrong word, I think.

He has no power to affect the banks, so he's moved to the next best thing.

If you'll notice. Mr. Free Market is no longer content to "let the market sort it all out", it's vastly amusing to me.

China and India will need a lot of oil.

It's either that, or gasoline hedge/investment cronies needs a high price for gas or they go bankrupt.

(just like US banks "need" a high house price otherwise even the US Govt could go down...)

There's enough powerful-people burned by hoarding crude oil when it went to $120+ that I believe they're still trying to push back the realization of that loss. Is the fleet of oil tankers as storage being drawn down at all, or are PBTB just pushing the can down the road?

I have not checked lately, but I was also under the impression that the Government Service union was the largest.

was just gonna post that, here is the release

http://www.fhfa.gov/webfiles/15466/HARPEXTENDED3110.pdf

They should just end the charade now and eliminate the need for mortgage insurance entirely for Fannie/Freddie, to help move them closer to merger with the FHA. Then at least we can stop paying Fannie/Freddie employees private sector salaries for mimicking the work of their public sector counterparts.

Where is the group to support Bunning for trying to prevent unfunded spending?

I thought it was said that there are more government union workers than non-government union workers. For why that statistic is meaningful in any way, you'll have to ask Cinco the linko.

ghostfaceinvestah wrote:

Where is the group to support Bunning for trying to prevent unfunded spending?

What the heck. I'll join it. Got a Facebook link?
.
With all of the distraction of this jobs bill, I'm wondering what is really moving behind the scenes? Israel/Iran strike plans?

1 currency now -yogi wrote:

Mish is a fool if he thinks the "war" will be union versus non-union wage slaves. Mish is a banker, and he is right to be afraid.

Since Mish's false belief system of union workers and pensions are the boils on society's ass, he should live his life accordingly and be stripped of the benefits. Remove the safety features of his cars, home, workplace, appliances, telephone lines, electricity, gas lines, etc stripped to preunionized standards. So, I'm wondering what happens to the stock market when there are no pensions to invest in the shell game?

Union Membership: Largest Unions (2003) - Working Life

NEA - National Education Association 2,679,396
SEIU - Service Employees International Union 1,464,007
UFCW - United Food & Commercial Workers International Union 1,380,507
IBT - International Brotherhood of Teamsters 1,350,000
AFSCME - American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees 1,350,000
LIUNA - Laborers' International Union of North America 840,180
AFT - American Federation of Teachers 770,090
IBEW - International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 700,548
IAM - International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers 673,095
UAW - United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America 638,722
CWA - Communications Workers of America 557,136
USWA - United Steelworkers of America 532,234
UBC - United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America 531,839
IUOE - International Union of Operating Engineers 390,388
NPMHU - National Postal Mailhandlers Union 388,480
UA - United Association of the Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada 325,914
NALC - National Association of Letter Carriers 294,315
APWU - American Postal Workers Union 292,901
PACE - Papter, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Engineering Workers International Union 274,464
IAFF - International Association of Fire Fighers 261,551
HERE - Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union 249,151
UNITE - Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees 209,876
AFGE - American Federation of Government Employees 200,600
AGVA - American Guild of Variety Artists 182,597
UAN - United American Nurses 152,000
OPEIU - Office and Professional Employees International Union 150,882
SMW - Sheet Metal Workers International Association 148,378
BSORIW - International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers 130,928
IUPAT - International Union of Painters and Allied Trades 115,511
BCTGM - Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union 114,618
TWU - Transportation Workers Union of America 110,000
AACSE - American Association of Classified School Employees 109,188
IATSE - International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada 104,102
AFM - American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada 102,000
NRLCA - National Rural Letter Carriers' Association 101,810
BAC - International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers 101,499
TCU - Transportation Communications International Union 101,228
UMWA - United Mineworkers of America 100,570

Comrade Kristina wrote:

I just received my completed, signed loan mod documents back from Saxon. I guess I can celebrate now that I have it in writing and already locked in the fire safe.

If it will be walker accessible I'd love to attend the mortgage burning party.

How much of military is union?

Much of the military of the Netherlands is unionized - last I heard. But that country hasn't been a world power since the 17th century.

Comrade Kristina wrote:

Fantasy...he needs to step away from Rand.

I find the split between Paul and the Cato Institute on immigration interesting. In that sense, even the closest thing to a Libertarian in DC isn't all the way there.

pavel.chichikov wrote:

Much of the military of the Netherlands is unionized - last I heard. But that country hasn't been a world power since the 17th century.

You say that as if the two are unrelated.

hc wrote:

or at least, "must go up in summer", without any shred of doubt or any analysis of factual reasons

There's all sorts of factual reasons gasoline goes up in summer. Supplies of specific mixtures drop for one, plus the royalty payments on the patents of said mixtures.

Mish is a banker, and he is right to be afraid.

E pluribus unam? Or: I'm All Right, Jack?

t r orwell wrote:

Colorado's retirement pension program PERA and its workers filed a class action lawsuit against the state because all retirees from March,1994 or later will not receive a cost of living increase this year instead of the promised 3.5%

Why would they need COLAs this year anyway!?

gave up their colonial empire after WWII

I've heard an eye witness account of what it was like for Dutch nationals in Java at the start of WWII. The illusion of Dutch imperial power was very insubstantial.

Cinco-X wrote:

Why would they need COLAs this year anyway!?

It is an odd thing to be young enough to not assume I'll be getting COLA. I'm lucky if my rising health care premiums don't lower my overall salary.
.
COLA may be the 2nd wave Dodo after the pensions disappear.

Yalt wrote:

The solution: Everyone should be making less money.

Except for me.

I'm doing my part for ya, Yalt.

ghostfaceinvestah wrote:

Just wait until a couple more years of double digit unemployment and rising taxes to pay for public sector salary increases and benefits.

Amen.

Comrade Kristina wrote:

Screw Bunning. Perhaps his hypocrisy on the matter is the problem?

You don't know what you're talking about.

He isn't against extending benefits, he said the UE benfit extension should be taken from TARP funds instead of giving it to bankers. Unless you suddenly have love for bankers I think you'd actually agree with Bunning's position.

Lobbyist Ben Dover wrote:

Cinco-X,
Maybe this helps.
Union Members Summary

Interesting:

Some highlights from the 2009 data are:

--More public sector employees (7.9 million) belonged to a
union than did private sector employees (7.4 million),
despite there being 5 times more wage and salary workers
in the private sector.

--Workers in education, training, and library occupations
had the highest unionization rate at 38.1 percent.

--Black workers were more likely to be union members than
were white, Asian, or Hispanic workers.

--Among states, New York had the highest union membership
rate (25.2 percent) and North Carolina had the lowest
rate (3.1 percent).

I guess that answers the question....

greenchutes wrote:

even the closest thing to a Libertarian in DC isn't all the way there.

They discover that if you aren't part of a gang, you're left out in the cold for the wolves.

It is a comic book type absurdity that a supposedly serious profession like CPA accounting permits OFF BALANCE SHEET ACCOUNTING. The very concept screams and begs that there is something serious, devastating, that will be hidden.

I worked as an auditor for a big-4 firm at the end of the tech boom. I was so disgusted by what I saw that I refused to put money into equities until there was real transparency. Ten years later, I'm still waiting.

js esq. wrote:

Writing this from basement of big Fed Gov't building DC, where I'm now a contractor,

Hoops, is that you in de skies?

Cinco-X wrote:

Cinco-X

Now start looking at public education, Police, fire etc. Nice block of voters in local elections. It really shows up living in a small town. most are greedy as a bankster.

I dont think so. All she said was "Europe is ready to help, but you have to help yourself first". No real iron clad promise.
Merkel is in a big fight to save her coalition government which is now losing in the polls. If her party loses the next crucial local election in May, she will have lost her majority in the upper house. Any money for Greece from Germany is really hard to see, when Greece has been cheating in the past and still wants to keep a higher living standard than the Germans, while having a third world economy.

ghostfaceinvestah wrote:

I don't know about "union" versus "non-union", but I think there will be considerable tension between private sector and public sector employees. Just wait until a couple more years of double digit unemployment and rising taxes to pay for public sector salary increases and benefits.

Agree. The first shots have already been fired by the public sector employees.

Rob Dawg wrote:

Colorado's retirement pension program PERA and its workers filed a class action lawsuit against the state because all retirees from March,1994 or later will not receive a cost of living increase this year instead of the promised 3.5%

Why would they need COLAs this year anyway!?

Their taxes are going way up?

Why? To cover the cost of COLAs?

Cinco-X wrote:

Why? To cover the cost of COLAs?

CO dropped its minimum wage due to deflation so why would the pension folks get a COLA?

No, the first shots were fired by the bankers.

Or did you miss the TARP and TALF trillions?

Did you miss the hundreds of billions in bonuses?

Did you miss the public unions in NJ accepting cuts?

Charles Kiting wrote:

He isn't against extending benefits,

I re- read her comments. She is not saying 'Bunning is against extending benefits'; he has supported bigger programs that were not funded in the past, now he has found religion and holding back his support for a 10B$ program that includes UE beneits, also not funded. That is hypocricy?

Charles Kiting wrote:

He isn't against extending benefits, he said the UE benfit extension should be taken from TARP funds

That's what I thought. The Dems just want to reserve that bonus pool for anything else they may want to throw money away at. A disgrace. Budget panel my ass.

Cinco-X wrote:

Why would they need COLAs this year anyway!?

Their taxes are going way up?

Why? To cover the cost of COLAs?

Schwarzschild radius.

Rob Dawg wrote:

Schwarzschild radius.

:overmyhead:
!?

Never mind; I looked it up....

The civil service class is the least of our problems - pensions for state/county/muni people, h&hs, debt service and military pork all make that a tiny part of the overall picture.

Oh, good, the knee jerks are around and I'm warming up the fastball.

pavel.chichikov wrote:

United we stand, but on different levels, eh?

It's a common theme. Mish wants union members to get the same crappy pay as everyone else. Ghost wants Fannie/Freddie employees to be paid like public workers instead of bank employees. LBD thinks teachers are greedy. And that's just in the last few minutes.

I don't see anyone volunteering to take a cut themselves, though.

To prevent crossing a horizon from which there is no return.

rps, my thoughts also. Nobody can place themselves above THE GREAT MESS and be thoroughly objective, ie, w/o a vested interest and no axe to grind.

Cinco-X wrote:

Rob Dawg wrote:

Schwarzschild radius.

:overmyhead: !?

I warned about the subtle dangers of succinct answers last week. Does recursive function work better? Okay, plain old but less accurate death spiral.

Hoopajoops LTD wrote:

js esq. How does it feel going from a big corporate law firm to the basement of a federal building?

After ten months of unemployment, it's great. Though the disorganization and waste of resources is maddening.

JP wrote:

To prevent crossing a horizon from which there is no return.

Umm....like crossing the Rubicon I guess..

OK, but why not use the TARP funds for some other worthy budget item, and let people receive their rent and food money?

Yalt - I don't see anyone volunteering to take a cut themselves, though.

Yalt, a lot of private employees have taken pay cuts, cut's in hours, or laid off already. Tax income has dropped on average around 20%, but the states, counties, etc are still trying to deny the new reality.
I don't think anyone is happy, but the push back from the governments will be to cause the most pain for the public to defend their positions.

Yalt wrote:

I don't see anyone volunteering to take a cut themselves, though.

Didn't Wagner take a voluntary cut before they canned him?

People like me get pay cuts already in empty rental and tenants with no job. Made money last year but am prepared for making less. Can you live on less? Take an honest look at what is happening on the opposite end of the Banksters. Government unemployment should equal private and certainly there should be not pay raises. Here state unions have turned down a pay freeze. They are greedy.

Mish wants union members to get the same crappy pay as everyone else.

Hasn't Buffet said that the class war is over, and that the rich have won?

If true, are lower and middle class workers "the rich"?

Lobbyist Ben Dover
Here state unions have turned down a pay freeze. They are greedy.

Are they asking for more than the market will bear? No? Why are you complaining?

Those are some downright Jasian sentiments, Broward. Are you saying we're a bunch of BBADs here in gringolandia?

Kauai_Kahuna wrote:

Yalt, a lot of private employees have taken pay cuts, cut's in hours, or laid off already.

The bigger cuts come in the form of salaried employees working more hours.

Kauai_Kahuna wrote:

Yalt, a lot of private employees have taken pay cuts, cut's in hours, or laid off already.

As have many public employees. I was referring to this board, not the public generally.

Plus they're leveraged just like most everybody else

Charles Kiting - The bigger cuts come in the form of salaried employees working more hours.

Ah, yes the do more with less angle. We went from having over 30 people in our shop, and now down to 6. Reduced services, and overload the survivors.
It works out well for the penny counters, bad for the end recipients.

Hoops,

My point is and has been Most Americans are not smart enough to be mad. Till we all realize that
we all have to pitch in it fall further apart. Powerful people have us just where they want us. I don't see this happening like past generations. Welcome to coming hell.

Hoopajoops LTD wrote:

js esq., what agency, would you recommend it, and did they make you relocate?

I'm a contractor for a large agency. I'd rather not name it, but it's run by an asian guy with a phd. I already lived in DC.

Hard to say whether I'd recommend it. I've only been here a few weeks, and they haven't really started us on our assigned task yet. The agency is so big that there are numerous offices, each of which has its own culture. I don't know if I'd want to work for this particular program, but I'd love a position in OGC.

But watching it take ten phone calls and two weeks to set up a computer and an email account is absurd. Spend a few weeks in the belly of the beast, and it makes you wary of government programs...

sm_landlord wrote:

Upper middle class is already "rich" for tax purposes.

Richness will be defined down until sufficient revenue is raised.

Dawgifornia's top income tax bracket kicks in at the munificent sum of $47,055.

I think Leeb might be right about oil, but don't forget that he's been hawking oil since the early eighties

noob goldberg wrote:

I should clarify: in terms of remedying our current predicament and permitting the economy to regain solid footing, addressing the stickiness of labour costs would be a fairly low priority.

I'm going to go farther and suggest that we should be doing what we can to increase the stickiness of labor costs. We can argue about how those costs should be distributed but we should not as a society be taking the axe to the incomes of those at the low end right now. Let it trickle up for a change.

jd esq., my big law firm was the same way. I hung out for three weeks doing no work when I started.

Let it trickle up for a change.

But...but...but...try and make me.

t r orwell wrote:

I think Leeb might be right about oil, but don't forget that he's been hawking oil since the early eighties

Oh yeah, I know. He was an "early adopter" of the peak oil meme.

But his new book is especially nightmarish. No doubt that increases his newsletter sales, but his points are worth considering.

Those Apple hippies are traitors to their class.
Apple Urged to Disclose Suppliers After Worker Report (Update2) - Bloomberg.com

Or maybe just savvy free market players.

“Apple can be saluted for its transparency, but mainly will be criticized for the fact that they’re doing in the East what they wouldn’t do in the West,” said Hakim Kriout,

Cinco-X wrote:

How much of military is union?
None-

My ex-girlfriend is a surgeon for the military (Captain) and gets a $60,000 pension starting at age 42. Let's call it "union-like".

greenchutes wrote:

Funny how those "liberals" in Sacramento managed to come up with the most regressive tax structure in the lower 48, ain't it?

And the most liberal of the most liberal in LA and SF have the highest regressive sales taxes on top.

If the is one bit of wisdom i can impart it would be this. Every result of California for decades has been negative yet everyone seeks to replicate the methods and practices of California. Where's the 50 experiments in democracy spreading the best results?

Employees at a southern China-based supplier for computer manufacturers including Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc. earn about 64 cents an hour, and may work more than 87 hours, according to a February 2009 report by National Labor Committee, a Pittsburgh-based worker rights group.

Why would they want a union?
The organizer would probably just get shot or sent to jail in China.

If it happens in government, they promote you.

You'll know you've arrived when you can spend half the day on the phone intriguing for the next post upwards, and the other half in back to back meetings.

js esq. wrote:

I think most Americans are mad; the question is whether they're mad at the right people (and for the right reasons).

Lots are mad but have no clue as to what to do. That is the smart part, it would scare the hell out of them. I go to the local Tea Party gatherings and it is sad. I could get up and speak but it would go right over 95% of their heads. They only understand what they learned in school or nothing. The best comment I heard was an old guy who though the NRA had done a hell of a job keeping guns in Americans hands. The Chinese won't dare invade the US. I bet he doesn't know they own more then a third of it.

noob goldberg wrote:

Now there's an interesting idea. Are you thinking bounded labour costs--both a base and a cap--or just a floor? Or maybe a targeted maximum change % per year?

I was thinking more in terms of tipping the bargaining scales back in the union direction, by enforcing existing unionbusting rules for example. And a negative income tax or guaranteed basic income.

Which is why Bill Gates stated that he prefers Chinese "capitalism ".

Oh, that pesky Commerce Clause.

I'm thinking the insurance companies should pay firemen and policemen salaries since the services of these public workers decrease insurance payouts for damage and theft.

Funny, that's how Benj Franklin set it up in Philadelphia a few centuries ago. If you had insurance you'd put a plaque on the front of your home or business tell the firemen who to bill.

Check out the Philly fireman's museum.

My ex-girlfriend is a surgeon for the military (Captain) and gets a $60,000 pension starting at age 42. Let's call it "union-like".

She's worth it, especially if she's a combat surgeon, etc.

March 1 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. should disclose more details about its suppliers, workers’ rights groups said after the maker of iPhones and iPods revealed some of its contractors had hired underage employees.
...

The Cupertino, California-based company, which visited sites in countries including China, Taiwan and Thailand for its annual survey, said some employees worked excessive hours, while some were paid less than the local minimum wage.

A modern company like Apple would never flout labor laws; that's why we don't need unions any more...

Hoopajoops LTD - If it happens in government, they promote you.

Usually when your a total mess up, that is when your promoted to get you out of the shop and to make you someone else's problem.

But they made up for it and did a century's worth of damage between '02-'06!

More WSJ BS. Darth Murdoch strikes again.

js esq. wrote:

But watching it take ten phone calls and two weeks to set up a computer and an email account is absurd. Spend a few weeks in the belly of the beast, and it makes you wary of government programs...

Ask nova to help expedite the process - I believe he said he was the Tech guy for whichever part of fedgov he is employed by. He probably knows someone who knows someone in your agency.

Yalt wrote:

I was thinking more in terms of tipping the bargaining scales back in the union direction, by enforcing existing unionbusting rules for example. And a negative income tax or guaranteed basic income.

I've thought along similar lines, but much more focused on cooperative action from the business side. There are many places in the business world where power is asymmetrically distributed, and I think there are opportunities to re-level the playing field.

1 currency now -yogi wrote:

A modern company like Apple would never flout labor laws; that's why we don't need unions any more...

Just exactly what kind of "punishment" is anyone suggesting for failing to confirm a handful of supposed 16yos were in fact only 15?

broward wrote:

32-hour workweek does all that without legislation.

I should have included it in my list.

greenchutes wrote:

But they made up for it and did a century's worth of damage between '02-'06!

Yup, went all Democrat Party on our sorry asses.

bearly wrote:

bearly

I agree with the dumb as a box of rocks. They won't see their damage till their pie is gone.

bbartlog wrote:

Unlikely. $60K pension at 42 is ridiculous

And yet it is available to ANYONE, who takes the oath, achieves rank, and completes the 20 years.

Well, seeing as how we hadn't had a Democratic president since Carter, it was just a way of redressing that whole yin-yang thing.

pavel.chichikov wrote:

Resolved: The Federal government is too big, the states too weak, but it's too late to do anything about it within a time frame that would save the Republic.

The Great Republic of Dawgifonia recognizes the stranger from the Sorrowed Lands to speak before the Body for a period of at least 3 minutes and longer at the whim of the Chair. Testify Brother! Come forth and give witness. Speak well and earn citizenship here.

The woman became a qualified military surgeon at the age of 22? 32?

The Purple Fascist Party.
You betcha'

Blackhalo - And yet it is available to ANYONE, who takes the oath, achieves rank, and completes the 20 years.

As long as your not openly gay, can pass a pretty simple basic training, and sign your life away to be used as the good citizens of our country see fit.
Most people don't consider it because of that whole blank check thing.

Thanks, Dawg, but I'd have to study up for quite some time before being ready to present a good case. You'd want to be able to argue that proposition before the Supreme Court.

Hoopajoops LTD wrote:

think you're looking for some sort of label that is the combination between corruption, cronyism, capitalism, and financial oligarchy.

Reagan's Trojan Horse

Charles Kiting wrote:

What scares me is California's new experiment on eliminating free speech.

Why do you think they wear cool sunglasses?

Uncle Ar wrote:

js esq: just make sure to have the TPS report delivered to your manager on time and you are good to go.

I keep a spare pile, already filled out, in my briefcase.

Fortunately, one of the advantages of being a contractor is that you're not accountable for anything other than your hours. We can't sign off on government business, we just make recommendations to the people who can.

HomeGnome wrote:

The Purple Fascist Party.

I just call 'em the Kleptocrats.

1 currency now -yogi wrote:

A modern company like Apple would never flout labor laws; that's why we don't need unions any more...

Apple hasn't, it's their suppliers that have. Those companies are operating in sovereign countries.

Unions in the US can't fix that problem.

Unlikely. $60K pension at 42 is ridiculous

• Becomed a commissioned officer at 21 out of college, serve 20 years, maybe make Lieutenant Colonel (army), and make 40% of your average of the last 3 years pay. Pay of about 75 - 80k right now, so roughly 30-32k a year in pension at age 41 or so. It's a hard 20 years though for most and takes more than 20 years out of you, esp. with the current steady diet of deployments. With VA benefits and what-not, get's you up to around 45 or 50k/year. Surgeons get added bonuses and pay so they would likely get a better pension.

Yalt wrote:

I don't see anyone volunteering to take a cut themselves, though.

If I raise my hand, will you try not to laugh at me? I suck at this Winner Takes All game

Rob Dawg writes:
You feeling underrepresented? Imagine being a conservative.

You don't feel represented by the efficiently distributed, perfectly synchronized talking points of the elected leaders of the conservative movement? They pay perfect lip service, after all.

I believe there is a dual mindset for most conservatives, one side being dominant to the other, depending on the times. One is authoritarianism and blind allegiance; you can tell when this mindset is ascendant when conservatives repeat phrases and narratives they've been told and seem to derive the same psychic satisfaction that normal people gain from saying something original. The other mindset, the productive one, the one I respect and await for, is the iconoclastic idealist. Goldwater had it, Ron Paul has it, the Republican party used to embody it. It is exemplified when conservatives justifiably reject a soft, populist policy for the harder, realistic, more sustainable, but less palatable alternative. This is the high-minded side of the conservative coin, the one which rejects what is comfortable for what is necessary.

I respect conservatives of the latter, and loathe conservatives of the former. Longwaver is a good example of an authoritarian conservative, in my opinion.

Lobbyist Ben Dover wrote:

I agree with the dumb as a box of rocks. They won't see their damage till their pie is gone.

I have a relative that's a union rep for a large oilsands construction project. As soon as oil dropped from $120 to $40, the company tried to pull every trick in the book to slash labour costs. He said that the union had reduced company costs by at least 30% right off the bat, but the company was trying to cut them right to the bone.

His response: "We'll negotiate that stuff with them, but not yet, it's too early to start negotiating those sorts of harsh concessions."

And sure enough, within a few months oil recovered to $70+ and everyone is happy. Had they made those concessions immediately, they would have been locked into a 3 or 5 year contract worth very little (and making the union extremely unpopular with its members) and the oil company would have added another 30% to their profit margins.

Companies bring this union ignorance upon themselves, as far as I'm concerned. I have never seen a company build up a pot of cash so that they can continue paying their employees full salaries during extended industry downturns. Even Potash corp, who had revenues in the billions and had their greatest year in history in 2008, laid off almost their entire workforce at the very first hint that demand was shrinking. They had billions and billions in the bank, but that didn't even buy their employees an extra few weeks of work.

If the company is not going to take care of the employee, can you blame the employees for banding together into a union?

The only logical progression after "Globalism" took hold was our descent to Third World Shithole status. I keep reading (even here) how everyone makes to much (teachers, unions, postal workers etc) so my question just how little should we all be making? 2 bucks an hour? Would that insure our Utopia? The fact is productivity is off the charts and REAL wages have gone nowhere for decades. Let's all sit around and pretend that isn't the case while we bitch about what some other poor working fool makes.

BIL is a full bird ealry 40s Med corps]

Daughter of a friend is a full colonel, MD, pathologist. He's coming over for dinner on the week-end. I'll inquire.

Does 60 K at 42 mean that when she retires subsequently she's in line for it?

It take years to qualify as a surgeon, especially with a specialty. At 22 she must have been in Med school.

Are you up to a buffet lunch at Hearst Castle with Chief Justice Broward and Minority Member Hoops before the public show trials?

Maybe,as long as it isn't a sushi lunch.

pavel.chichikov wrote:

It take years to qualify as a surgeon, especially with a specialty. At 22 she must have been in Med school.

It is all based on date of enlistment, and that starts at med school. Plus that 60K does not include the MASSIVE retention bonuses for officers in a medical field.

pavel.chichikov wrote:

It take years to qualify as a surgeon

I was a juror in an accident case where one doctor / witness became a doctor through war-time service in a surprisingly short period. I wish I could remember the exact numbers.

pavel.chichikov wrote:

Maybe,as long as it isn't a sushi lunch.

Ditto. And not in CA.

A congressman just died after surgery at a Naval hospital. When he got sick post-op, they took him to a non-military hospital.

Just sayin.

Comrade Kristina wrote:

I cannot say I've ever had a good experience with a military doctor.

I am reminded of the 'lipless wonder' Frank Burns character from MASH.

RIP!

Which is worse - bankers or terrorists wrote:

My ex-girlfriend is a surgeon for the military (Captain) and gets a $60,000 pension starting at age 42. Let's call it "union-like".

Good one; she makes 1/4 of what surgeons make on the outside, and you call it union-like. Also, are you sure about the pension on retirement? I thought they did away with that back in the '80s, and now required one to wait until 65 to collect the full pension; just my recollection. I could be wrong....

Comrade Kristina wrote:

our descent to Third World Shithole status.

We don't reach Shithole status until tanks surround the White House to elect a new president.

Like Russia did with Yeltsin.

dr munch wrote:

A congressman just died after surgery at a Naval hospital. When he got sick post-op, they took him to a non-military hospital.

A standard method for lousy hospitals to keep down their mortality rates is to ship dying patients to better hospitals.

Bush v Gore was probably farther from the spirit of the Constitution than a straightforward attempt at a coup involving tanks, which failed, incidentally.

The End Game is getting closer. Important read.

A Dark Day for the Mortgage Industry « HousingWire

"Leaving the more complex accounting minutiae aside for now (i.e., is a nine month forbearance a troubled-debt restructuring, thereby requiring a charge-off?), my comment is this: this proposal represents a dark day indeed for the mortgage industry, because it brings with it the distinct possibility of nationalizing our housing stock."

"But this proposal from the MBA reaches a much darker level. What do you really think happens when Uncle Sam is in deep for investor advances, and millions of U.S. “homeowners” have been allowed to stay in their homes for next-to-nothing in payments?

It’s a question I’d rather never see an answer to."

broward wrote:
We don't reach Shithole status until tanks surround the White House to elect a new president.
And the voting booths have separate exit lines depending on your party or presidential candidate, some of which have death squads waiting.

,rade kristina im so glad for you.

1 currency now -yogi wrote:

Calling them "suppliers" at arm's length doesn't get Apple off the hook.

Awful slippery slope.

So if I work at a company that buys nuts and bolts to build a car, should they be responsible for the labor practices of the nut and bolt manufacturer in a foreign nation? At what level is this practical and enforceable?

Get realistic. Some of the suppliers to Apple are performing very low level products and services, and others performing a much higher level.

I am a firm believer in we deserve what we tolerate, and those in Asia and the US have tolerated this for far too long. I'm on your side, but there is a better and different way to fix the issue.

broward wrote:

A standard method for lousy senators is to ship them to a military hospital.

I thought he was earmarked for a competent hospital.

Lobbyist Ben Dover wrote:

That is where they both are wrong.Market price should swing all cost both ways. Why not make wages float. Good time the workers will work their butts off and every body makes money. Prices and demand drop so do wages and profits. The game of screwing each other has to stop.

You and I are in agreement on that point, but it's a very tricky one to implement. Workers require some secure base pay so that they can meet their personal obligations (food, shelter, etc), and companies require some stability in project costs. It's an interesting tightrope to walk.

ghostfaceinvestah wrote:

"But this proposal from the MBA reaches a much darker level. What do you really think happens when Uncle Sam is in deep for investor advances, and millions of U.S. “homeowners” have been allowed to stay in their homes for next-to-nothing in payments?

Good Grief!

km4 linked:

After the Tape: New Frugality? Not So Fast - Real Time Economics - WSJ

The reasons for the stall are twofold: For one, rebounding wealth since the recession’s depths has helped provide some support for consumer spending. Secondly, weak income growth has left other consumers with little choice but to spend proportionally more of their incomes, particularly in light of still-tight credit conditions.

How are those healthcare premium increases workin' out for ya?

thank you fudge_hend good link

bbartlog wrote:

present value of a 32K annuity over (expected) 35 years

LOL that sounds like you're assuming we have some kind of inflation over the next 35 years in something besides oil. LOL, ok.

And by business I really mean governance.

That would be extremely difficult and fraught with problems and dangers. We have an excellent system in theory and law.

Cinco-X wrote:

Good one; she makes 1/4 of what surgeons make on the outside, and you call it union-like. Also, are you sure about the pension on retirement? I thought they did away with that back in the '80s, and now required one to wait until 65 to collect the full pension; just my recollection. I could be wrong....

Idk, that's just what she told me, and she's not the type to invent the story. I really don't know, we're not talking at the moment.

I do know what she makes a year which I won't share, and based upon what I just saw what the average 2009 salary for a surgeon, it is probably 30% lower than the private market.

Blackhalo wrote:

The do the design engineering, and marketing only.

Well aware of that

It's all the more reason they can't do this internally in the US, and why they are so dependent on outside suppliers.

This is not that unusual to use outside suppliers, even large companies that have the internal capabilities use outside suppliers to avoid having to increase capacity for what is often temporary upturns in production.

greenchutes wrote:

I think Hoover was somewhat conservative.

WRONG! Most of FDR's programs were just extensions or expansions of Hoover's programs. The man was not a conservative!

Which is worse - bankers or terrorists wrote:

I do know what she makes a year which I won't share, and based upon what I just saw what the average 2009 salary for a surgeon, it is probably 30% lower than the private market.

Free association yielded this:
YouTube - Weird Al Yankovic-Like A Surgeon

Jonathan writes:
How are those healthcare premium increases workin' out for ya?

KEEP YOUR GOVERNMANT HANDS OFF MY MEDICARE, STINKIN LIIIIIIBERALS. FREE MARKET HEALTH CARE IS THE BEST HEALTH CARE! DEATH PANELS!

I had a military dentist give me a filling in the wrong tooth! I got done with the appointment, got my feeling back in my teeth, and realized my tooth still hurt like hell! I went back and had the correct tooth filled, I guess we could consider the other filling a PM, in military parlance I wasn't very amused at the time!!

pavel.chichikov wrote:

We have an excellent system in theory and law.

I look forward to being the first to put them both into practice.

Rob Dawg wrote:

I look forward to being the first to put them both into practice.

do you have a valid birth certificate?

Spent three days there because they wanted to extract the maximum insurance payout after an allergic reaction to insect venom - numerous stings. They claimed I might have had a heart attack

Too cynical of me I guess and you were actually there... but the hospitals are happy to game the diagnosis codes if they can, and the amount they make on just having you in a room for three days is pretty large.