posted on May 13, 2002 08:53:05 PM new
I don't have the link but on TV there was a report about a company that makes trophies and plaques.
The company was using prison labor and I think it was located in Kansas.
Anyway, they announced that the company was closing its factory and moving all production to the prison. It offered some free employees a job in the prison at reduced wages.
This act is absolutely disgusting.
The company owner responded that if he didn't move all production he would have to move production out of the country.
I wish he take his company out of the country, good riddence.
Along those same lines, the Stanley Tool Co. is moving its headquarters to a Caribbean country to avoid taxes and be more competitive.
posted on May 13, 2002 09:08:37 PM new
Well, back in the late 1970's/1980's somewhere there, the Republicans passed a series of bills and provisions that when looked at singly, painted a nice sweet picture, collectively it spelled the doom of American Manufacturing. First, it PAYS corporations to relocate their businesses to foreign soil; next, it PAYS them to re-build their factories on foreign soil; and finally, it PAYS them to train a local workforce to operate those factories. All at Taxpayer Expen$e!
Nice deal, huh?
Then, Bush Senior came up with NAFTA, and that was the real kicker. It actually OVERRIDES THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION when it comes to provisions in the treaty. Helen, this is what I hold against Clinton: he signed the damned document made by Satan himself and has condemned us all to Hell! The so-called New World Order, where Corporations control it all and tell everyone what to do!
Aren't you just thrilled to death with how anti-America Republicans really are?
What? You say that you are a republican and you *FOR* America: not for it's Downfall? Oh, Dear! Tsk! Tsk! Silly You! You're VOTING FOR THE WRONG PARTY, BUBBA!
posted on May 14, 2002 07:05:40 AM new
Prison workers are becoming a scab labor force and are taking jobs away from union workers. Of course the prisoners don't have the right to refuse. Many of the products that they are forced to make are not government related such as license plates. Factories are being closed and unionized workers are losing their jobs.
posted on May 14, 2002 07:19:09 AM new
After losing my job, I really don't have much faith in unions or corporations anymore. Case in point, my former company closes down my center after giving the President of our division a two million dolloar bonus and shelling out twenty-two million for a private jet. They claimed that budget cuts made it necessary to close our center. Well, after shelling out all that money I guess you would need to make some serious budget cuts. The best part of the whole deal is when the president of our division was asked how he could take such a large bonus and then put all the people in Jacksonville out of a job, he replied I didn't give it to me the board of directors did. Then when we closed a site in New Jersey earlier this year, one worker was 1 day away from 30 years which would allowed him to retire with a full pension. Company wouldn't give him one lousy day. Now the poor guy has to work at another job until he is pension eligible. So, I guess what I am saying I am pretty bitter towards all of corporate america right now.
posted on May 14, 2002 07:41:22 AM new
Welcome, doxdoggy! You'll find a good home here. Lotsa bones to chew on! Corporate Bones and the Republican Party that kisses their arse!
posted on May 14, 2002 09:20:07 AM new
Unions weren't designed for job security, unions were designed for negotiating wages and working conditions.
One union shop I worked in had a clause that if you had 10 years service the company could not lay you off.
Well some guys thought they had it made once they got their 10 years in. What they failed to realize is that the 10 year no lay-off clause was only good for the life of the contract, which was for 3 years.
To make a long story short- the work force was reduced from nearly 5000 to 1000 with many workers with 10 years in laid off.
posted on May 14, 2002 07:59:27 PM new
of course this is going on why do you think they picked a petty shark like tommy thompson? the democrats in wisconsin never get elected to the governorship because most of the population believes in the right to keep and bear arms and democrats are on a self destruct kick by attacking this right, which is the only reason most people vote republican, the other reason is some bizzare idea that somehow the republicans are pro white, without those 2 vote blocks they would not be able to get elected dog catcher. Now back to tommy. the reason I hit the democrats is the jerks here in la la land never checked to see where tommy got his moola until his third terms ! what a bunch of dorks! Carville they ain't (even if he could play an alien on trek without makeup) sp any how the dem was losing and he had a pi check out ole tommy and guess what his original funding was all from out of state gaming interests. many with crimminal convictions. So tommy won his first election defeating a not too bad fill in who had a state surplus. Thompsons frist act was to not renew the contract for a state investigator working on a state investigation of the activities of florence county, something else the democrats missed entirely. The audit showed mis management of funds in the social services dept the ageing program the houseing and food stamp program the workers comp program, there was strong indications that these people had used their power to force abortions on poor people, the sell the labor of peoiple on workfare programs (before workfare was legal) The were apx 2,500 pages that strongly suggested a muchj more detailed crimminal investigation should start immedialty. Well tommy took care of that he had his goons meet with the atty for the guilt parties and reduced it to a 3 page document that says how hard and innovative the staff of the agency was. there was a lot more a young boy last name gibbons from Iron River Michigan was hitchhiking thru the people with scanners all heard the sheriffs dept take him into custody, guess what he got away, turned up a few days later floating in fischer lake, they took the body out of stae for and autopsy which consisted of the pathologist xraying a body he never took the black plastic bag off of. Charlie Grabski the democratic party head there fought for several years to get a copy of the autopsy reprot It shows a broken neck and broken jaw from drowning. and there was a ton more the walnut engraved gold inlaid desk plate that seator kincaid had on his desk was paid for out of the general relief fund, it went on and on like this the bulder of the nursing home went to prison for fraud, this county now has the highest taxes in wisconsin debted out for the next 35 years and almost all of the money gone. unfortunatly this was not an isloated incident under tommy t. in green bay wis a glove mfr with locations in marinette wis and appelton wi laid off his workers after getting alomst free prison labor. all across wisconsin the poor were set up to be micromanaged, his welfare miracle ? the big lie not a penny saved actually the budget went thru the roof even thought a huge number of the p[oor were thrown in the street, he was smart enough to make sure that the majority were white targeting rural area with poor legal representation first. sitting in the files of the social services dept in wisconsin are the makings of a major block buster movie if there are some reporters with some guts out there. Charlei is dead now gone to cancer but I still flip the bas terds off when I see them out loose from all the things they did.
posted on May 14, 2002 08:27:30 PM new
With these corporate connections.....Philip Morris; Amtrak; America Online; Time Warner; General Electric; Merck; Abbott Laboratories it's easy to see how Thompson would have a problem being the nations's advocate for the health and welfare of all Americans. It's no wonder that he regularly ends up in the middle of skirmishes over contentious issues such as abortion, tobacco regulation, and the extension of prescription drug benefits to the elderly.
posted on May 14, 2002 08:30:49 PM new
Like Ralph nader keeps saying: what we need is a NONE OF THE ABOVE option. With the voting system in place the way that it is, the two parties have both maximized the system to their benefit so well that they never need to put forth an honest, competant Joe or Jane for us to vote for. As long as it stays this way, we'll keep getting the worst crud, bottom of the barrel to choose from in every election in every seat.
Auroranorth, while that is quite true that the Democratic Party took a GIANT Hit for stepping on the toes of the Fourth Amendment, since Bush has been in office, he and the Republican Party has done the same if a lot worse for the Fourth Amendment. You just won't hear Rush Limbaugh crying about it the way he always did (does) against the Democrats. Funny how he is when it comes to the right-wing, huh?
The common point is that both parties are attacking the entire Bill of Rights, weaking it, getting rid of it, in complete definace of the U.S. Constittuion itself as wll as the American People whom the document is meant for. It is their corporate Masters who want to totally control all of us the way that they do to employees, and much worse. So it doesn't matter which party it is that tis doing it, they are all bought out and do their master's bidding. Tweedle-Dee/Tweedle-Dum Politics as Ralph says.
