Archive for the 'Minimum Wage' Category

Obama Raises US Jobs Estimate

Posted in Public Affairs, Money Matters, wordpress, Politics, Democrats, liberal, obama, Minimum Wage on January 12th, 2009 by Stanford Matthews

Two and a half million jobs, no wait, three million jobs, no, no, that’s not quite right, four million jobs will be delivered by The One as long as he is allowed to empty what little may be left in the US Treasury. It may be going out on a limb but the view here is most elected officials are lawyers. If you think about trial lawyers of the ambulance chasing variety numbers have no real meaning to them. The amounts of money won for clients bears little resemblance to reality or reason. Putting a value on someone’s loss over a lifetime or similar lawyer’s equation may exaggerate the value of whatever they are trying to determine.

back to school time for politiciansSo it is no wonder the bailout frenzy has created more lawyer’s playing with numbers. It may be a good idea to require elected officials who will have any control over large sums of money to take at least a few classes in mathematics, economics and finance. Barack Obama and many others in Washington are ‘poised’ to raid the Treasury even more than the current Administration and Congress. Not only will the money you have already paid the government in taxes be used but money you , your children and grandchildren ever hope to earn may be at risk. The criticism that overspending in government places the bulk of the burden on future generations is not new. And the ever increasing length of time in which those in Washington have overspent and will continue to overspend finds no one asking one simple question.

How much money can the government spend in a given amount of time before we exceed our ability to ever pay it back and have any expectation of living whatever is defined as a normal, reasonable or typical existence? At what point do we reach a level of borrowing on the future in which the Chinas or Japans of the world no longer offer financing or the terms rise above our capacity to pay? Granted their are differences between what is available in personal, commercial or government finance but the common thread is the math. There have to be limits. We need to know what they are. And we do not need to exceed them or even reach them or get close.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com


10 January 2009

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama says his economic recovery plan is projected to save or create between three and four million jobs by the end of 2010.

Obama girlIn his weekly radio address Saturday, Mr. Obama says more than 90 percent of those jobs are likely to be in the private sector. The remainder are expected to be public sector jobs that will be spared from state and local budget cuts.

Earlier this month, Mr. Obama said his economic stimulus plan would create or preserve up to three millions jobs.

The president-elect says the new figures come from an analysis on the job impact of his recovery plan. Mr. Obama says he ordered his economic team to conduct the study so that Americans can see what his plan will do for them and the faltering economy.

In the report, Mr. Obama’s economic advisors warn the estimates are subject to significant margins of error because they are based on a hypothetical economic package.

The report says Mr. Obama’s plan will put more than half a million people to work on clean energy initiatives and another 400,000 on repairing the country’s roads, bridges and schools.

The president-elect says Friday’s announcement that the country lost half a million jobs in December alone is a “stark reminder” of how quickly Washington must act to revive the economy and create jobs.

Mr. Obama’s proposed stimulus package also includes an extension of unemployment insurance, health coverage and tax cuts for most Americans.

Aides to the president-elect say the plan could cost $775 billion.

Browsing the News at Newsmax

Posted in Public Affairs, Money Matters, wordpress, Politics, GOP, Democrats, lobbyist, ethics, Specter, Justice, Congress, Minimum Wage, Legislation on January 4th, 2009 by Stanford Matthews

James CarvilleYou can usually count on James Carville to provide a quote that gets passed around. In this case he may be offering advanced excuses for more liberal scandals in the days ahead. Does he know something or does it just make sense to ease the burden of the coming scandals? Carville expects a streak of scandals for the Democratic party. His reasoning offered is not complicated. “With two big Democratic elections in a row, Democrats now hold a larger majority — 340 U.S. representatives, senators and governors. Simple math and history point to the fact that the more elected officials a party has in office, the more likely its politicians will get caught up in some sort of scandal.”

That’s great Mr Carville but you should have gone one step further. Just pick the percentage. If there is a 10% chance that would mean 10 politicians out of 100 or 20 out of 200, etc. That would also follow your logic of more politicians, more chance for scandal. Not a large leap for anyone to come up with this prediction. Gee, the more criminals there are the more crime there will be. That’s a tough concept to understand, NOT. Would it be fair to say it’s the percentages, stupid?

Chief Justice John RobertsAt first it appeared that the distinguished jurist Chief Justice Roberts had abandoned any consideration for decorum when publicly ‘begging’ for a pay raise. After a review of his case (snicker, snicker) it turns out he may have a point. “I must renew the judiciary’s modest petition: Simply provide cost-of-living increases that have been unfairly denied,” Roberts said in his annual year-end report on the federal judiciary.

Alone among federal employees, judges will not receive a cost-of-living allowance in 2009. Members of Congress are getting a 2.8 percent boost, worth $4,700. But they refused before Christmas to give an identical increase to judges.

Federal trial judges are paid $169,300 a year. Appellate judges make more, ranging up to Roberts’ salary of $217,400. The salaries pale in comparison to what top lawyers earn in private practice.

Yup, the Chieft Justice has a point. But part of that being a reminder of how twisted the thinking is in Congress does not help his case. The question of pay for services rendered is not a new topic. A popular set of common arguments hold that either you cannot recruit worthy talent without adequate pay countered with you should seek other employement if income is a higher priority than service. Both arguments have flaws but the point is at 200K plus federal benefits and pensions, etc., there are not that many people who will feel sympathy for Roberts or his colleagues.

RINOsShould have known that a story about moderate Republicans being the most popular politicians had nothing to do with their faithful support of conservative principles combined with a statesman-like demeanor and the ability to affect reasoned compromise. Quite the contrary as it would appear their popularity comes from the fact they are targets to be bought off if the Dems cannot overcome the lack of a filibuster-proof Senate requiring a 60 seat majority.

Just like the battles over immigration reform, in this case again, weasel Arlan Specter features prominent in the story. Although he thinks there are so few ‘moderate’ Republicans, sometimes referred to as RINOs, that they could all fit in a phonebooth it is more likely they could easily fill a corporate board room.

The power of moderates is declining in the country: They are fewer in number and the country has polarized,” said Thomas F. Schaller, a political scientist at the University of Maryland. “But in any vote where you are down to one to two votes there are always going to be people in the middle who have decisive power.”

There in lies the rub. If there were no moderates and it never came down to buying off a vote the measure in question would fail because it should. Instead we get the crap legislation that comes with politicians who won’t stand their ground. The same problem is found with pork, earmarks, lobbyists and amendments. All they do is load someone’s wallet for a vote.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

US Unemployment Hits Two-Year High

Posted in Money Matters, wordpress, United States, Minimum Wage, Business on January 6th, 2008 by Stanford Matthews

the checkbook
Stearns report - Download MP3 (447k) audio clip
Listen to Stearns report audio clip

Unemployment in the United States rose sharply last month and government figures released late Friday show the number of new jobs was at its lowest level in four years.  As VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, President Bush is considering more tax cuts in an effort to boost the nation’s sagging economy.

American unemployment rose to five percent last month, the highest rate since 2005.   And new employment statistics released Friday show the U.S. economy added only 18,000 new jobs in December, far fewer than most economists expected.

Following a meeting with his top financial advisers, President Bush said that while the Friday jobs report shows some uncertainty, the U.S. economy remains strong.

“This economy of ours is on a solid foundation, but we can’t take economic growth for granted, and there are signs that will cause us to be ever more diligent and make sure good policies come out of Washington,” he said.

The president says consumer spending is still strong and core inflation is low, but home values are declining and gasoline and food prices are rising.

Mr. Bush warned opposition Democrats in Congress against raising taxes, saying that is the worst thing lawmakers could do. But he did urge them to pass legislation that could help more Americans refinance their homes.

“When Congress comes back, I look forward to working with them to deal with the economic realities of the moment and to ensure the American people that we will do everything we can to make sure we remain a prosperous country,” he added.

The ongoing financial crisis over adjustable-rate mortgages continues to affect the overall economy and not just home sales.  There has been a cut in jobs in the building industry and the Labor Department report also shows a drop in factory jobs.

President Bush is considering an economic stimulus package that could include more tax cuts. In a Thursday interview with the Reuters news service, Mr. Bush said he and his economic team are considering all their options and he probably will not decide whether to act until his State of the Union address later this month.

Democratic Senator Charles Schumer is urging the president to take action to avoid what the lawmaker says could be the economy tumbling into recession.
By Scott Stearns
White House
04 January 2008

US Markets Slide After Jobless Rate Rises

Posted in Money Matters, wordpress, United States, Minimum Wage, Business on January 6th, 2008 by Stanford Matthews

wall st
The government reports unemployment in the United States has risen to a two-year high, and that unsettling economic news triggered a sharp decline in financial markets Friday.

The U.S. Labor Department said Unemployment in the United States rose by three-tenths of one percent in December, to an overall level of five percent - the highest jobless rate since 2005.

After the report was aired, U.S. stock prices plummeted. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined almost two percent in Friday’s trading, and the NASDAQ index plunged nearly four percent.

At the White House, President Bush said the U.S. economy “is on a strong foundation” despite those adverse indicators. The VOA White House correspondent says Mr. Bush is considering an economic-stimulus package that could include tax cuts.

Details of the president’s economic plan may not be disclosed until his State of the Union message later this month, but analysts say the U.S. central bank, the Federal Reserve, is now more likely to cut interest rates further, to keep the economy from slowing down too much.

In addition to the rise in unemployment, Friday’s economic report from the U.S. Labor Department showed there was a meager net gain of 18,000 jobs during December - the smallest increase in jobs in four years.

04 January 2008

Wal-Mart lobbies above retail value

Posted in Money Matters, Health, wordpress, lobbyist, ethics, WalMart, Foreign Affairs, Congress, Minimum Wage, Business on December 26th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

Wal-Mart: spend more, lobby harder
Wal-Mart lobbies above retail value
Dec 26, 12:28 PM EST
By DIBYA SARKAR
AP Business Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wal-Mart’s message to America is “Save money. Live better.” Its motto in Washington might best be summed up another way: Spend more. Lobby harder.

The world’s largest retailer spent nearly $1.8 million in the first six months of 2007 and is on pace to break the nearly $2.5 million it spent for all of 2006.

While overall spending on lobbying appears to be slowing a bit, some industries, such as private equity, and companies, such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., are bucking the trend.

Still criticized for pay and benefits that often require employees to seek government sponsored alternatives to group insurance, Wal-Mart’s save money, live better slogan has taxpayers picking up the tab. There support of amnesty and keep wages lower to reduce prices as well as strong arming offshore vendors for their inventory contradict the idea of a well run business that offers quality at competitive prices.

Mega increases in lobbying expenditures may account for the quieter response to Wal-Mart practices in Washington. But don’t take this at face value, read the rest of this report and do a little research about the Walton family business.

British Unease Grows with Foreign Workers

Posted in Public Affairs, Money Matters, wordpress, Politics, Immigration, News Media, America, Britain, Reid, EU, Minimum Wage, Business, Mexico on December 22nd, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

Reid and Pelosi
On Friday night, December 21, 2007 the News Hour on PBS had the public suffer through an excessively long interview with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The only humor injected in this conversation came at the very beginning when Reid was introduced and when ‘welcomed’ to the broadcast replied, ‘thank you for allowing me on..’

TRANSCRIPT

Originally Aired: December 21, 2007
Newsmaker Interview

Senate Majority Leader Reid Weighs Partisan Divides, Security in Iraq

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., discusses how partisan differences have impacted the pace of recent legislative progress on Capitol Hill, the state of the Iraq war and the next steps for the Democratic-led Congress in an interview with Ray Suarez.
Senator Harry Reid


audioRealAudio

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JIM LEHRER: Now, our Newsmaker interview with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada. And to Ray Suarez.

RAY SUAREZ: Senator Reid, welcome to the program.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), Senate Majority Leader: Thank you very much for allowing me to be on your show.

look for justiceIf you have a tendency toward conspiracy theories you could surmise the interview was prompted by Reid. But that can’t be. After all, this is journalism in America. Subjects of an interview don’t influence their selection. Besides the lame inquiry opening the interview pointing to the pathetic performance of the majority, Reid often repeated his claim that the minority blocked Democratic party initiatives 62 times and that it was some kind of record. His claim that the Democratic party supports the troops with their failed surrender strategy may also have annoyed viewers.

But the left’s amnesty agenda masquerading as immigration reform is the topic of this post. It is reasonable to note that those supporting the rule of law and opposing amnesty are not the only ones on the planet displeased by the fantasy of the ‘global economy’. Offshore outsourcing and the importation of cheap labor are trends that only serve the corporate boardroom. The following reference from 2004 adequately addresses a typical sham of the ‘global’ propaganda.

Workers asked to train foreign replacements
By Stephanie Armour, USA TODAY
4/6/2004

When computer programmer Stephen Gentry learned last year that Boeing was laying him off and shipping his job overseas, he wasn’t too surprised. Many of his friends had suffered the same experience.

What really stunned him was his last assignment: Managers had him train the worker from India who’d be taking his job.

“It was very callous,” says Gentry, 51, of Auburn, Wash., a father of three who is still unemployed. “They asked us to make them feel at home while we trained them to take our jobs.”

united we standThe report below from VOA News echoes a sentiment often employed by those who support amnesty for illegal immigrants in the United States. The emotional appeal employed to embarrass or insult opponents of amnesty for illegal immigrants at best succeeds with the latter outcome. That illegals are only here in pursuit of a job or better life and that the US is a nation of immigrants ignores much about the past and ignores other American traditions; not the least of which is playing by the rules.

The situation in Britain mirrors some characteristics of the US problem. They have organized opposition to their immigration problem and a member states the situation only benefits the few. The similarities lend support to the notion that those supporting unreasonable immigration policies do so for personal gain and not the altruistic reasons often claimed in support of the pursuit of bigger profits at the expense of the people and country that made their financial success possible.

British Unease Grows with Foreign Workers
By Sonja Pace
London
21 December 2007

Pace report - Download MP3 (913k) audio clip
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The British government is set to announce a series of measures early next year to tighten restrictions on immigrant workers. A booming economy has attracted foreigners to Britain from many parts of the world in recent years, especially from the new members of the European Union, but also from the United States, Asia and Africa. While many provide a crucial source of labor, their arrival has also sparked an uneasy debate in Britain over a growing migrant work force. VOA’s Sonja Pace has more from London.

The building boom in Britain may be driven by a strong economy, but the work is carried out largely by foreigners.

British government statistics indicate that more than 2.5 million foreign workers have registered in Britain since 2002.

The largest single group of legal migrants has come from Poland. Zbigniew Cwik is one of them. He says when he first came here life was difficult, without his family and long hours.

“The work was from morning to evening so I am just thinking about the work,” he said.

He goes by Zibbi, for short. He originally came on a training course, stayed, found work doing construction and home refurbishments, brought his family over and eventually started his own business.

Many of the newcomers from parts of Europe arrive here by bus, hoping to find a job and a better life. More than 220,000 Polish workers have registered in Britain in the past year. And, in all, some 700,000 East European workers have come here since the 2004 EU expansion, which opened avenues for them to work in Britain legally.

Hugo Brady of the Center for European Reform says migrant workers are behind Britain’s economic boom.

“Really, immigration in this sense as per the 2004 enlargement has been a win-win situation. I can’t think of any situation in Europe in which it has not been beneficial,” he said.

While some work in highly skilled jobs, most migrants do not. They work in construction, in agriculture - they build roads, sweep streets, clean houses, tend gardens and take care of other people’s children.

And, not everyone is pleased with the influx. The chairman of the lobby group, Migration Watch UK, Andrew Green says the migrant workforce benefits only a few.

“Polish immigration is great news for the chattering classes, because you get cheap nannies, you get cheap restaurants, you get wonderful gardeners and the plumbers are wonderful,” he said. “If you happen to be a British plumber it’s not so good.”

Migration Watch wants tougher immigration limits.

“We’ve got a million young [British] people who are not in education, not in training, not in work,” he added. “Now it’s even more difficult to get those people into the work force if you’ve got literally hundreds of thousands of bright, young Poles ready to do the job.”

But, Britain also hosts migrants from non-EU states, including from the United States, Asia and Africa. The government is now set to further tighten immigration rules with an Australian-style system for restricting immigration to those with skills the country needs.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said this new point system would help manage the immigration flow.

“This is probably the biggest change in our immigration rules that has been seen for many decades,” he said. “It is precisely to encourage the skills that we need as a country and to discourage the skills we don’t need.”

And so the debate goes on. How many migrants should be allowed in, how long should they stay, do they benefit the economy or do they take jobs away from locals?

Hugo Brady with the Center for European Reform says there is another factor.

“People will always fear the ‘other’ and they don’t like the idea of strangers descending on them even if it is a good thing, even if they themselves have benefited from it,” he added. “Somehow this prejudice remains.”

For the migrants who come here, the priority is to make a better life for themselves and their families. Some plan to return home, others are not so sure.

For Britons, the issue remains an ongoing debate.

John Edwards’ Trade Policy Only Serves His Victims

Posted in Public Affairs, Money Matters, Bush, wordpress, Politics, campaign, election, GOP, Democrats, conservative, liberal, Clinton, Edwards, Foreign Affairs, Congress, Minimum Wage, Business, WTO on August 9th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

EdwardsThe last campaign strategy by John Edwards focused on trade agreements. He has many claims on how he would manage trade agreements. The main thrust seems to fit in with his chosen set of victims. He would oppose any trade agreement that did not meet his opinion on what favors the American worker, American families and possibly the environment.

The North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act of 1993 and records and reports related to it reveal some interesting facts. The bill passed both Houses of Congress which had significant Democratic party majority representation and a White House presided over by a Democratic President. In the House of Representatives, the Democratic majority was 238 Democrats versus 175 Republicans and 1 Independent. The Senate had a Democratic majority of 56 Democrats to 44 Republicans. And as mentioned earlier the President was a Democrat.

Some reports offered here from excerpts in a publication on trade indicate most Democrats were opposed to NAFTA.
It was suggested that the President’s support of NAFTA was relying on a party line vote from the GOP for passage. The roll call vote in the House resulted in passage by a vote of 234 to 200. 75% of Republicans voted for NAFTA. About 40% of Democrats did. Had a mere 18 YEA votes been converted to NAY, the bill would have failed in the House.

The situation in the Senate was also a bit puzzling. All reports reviewed indicated most Democrats were against NAFTA. If that is the case, why did a 56 to 44 Democratic majority in the Senate pass NAFTA with a roll call vote of 61 to 38 with one not voting?

President Bill ClintonBased on President Bill Clinton’s position favoring and working to pass NAFTA as well as a large Democratic majority declining to oppose it along party line and a GOP membership largely in favor of it, if you opposed NAFTA in the past and still oppose it now, neither party will be much help.

In terms of the Democratic side of the 2008 Presidential race there is no reason to believe the Clinton’s position on this issue has changed. The Democratic party’s performance the last time around renders Edwards’ take on trade agreements moot. There is no indication members of the Democratic party would act any differently if Edwards was calling the shots.

Party AnimalsFor the GOP members to largely vote in favor of NAFTA while many conservative voices opposed it may indicate satisfying corporate lobbyists as the reason for supporting it. For Democrats the reason may be the same but to curry favor by voting with the President is another possible reason. Some members on either side of the vote are still members of Congress.

The bottom line suggests that criticizing the GOP for the results of trade agreements is pointless, at least as a campaign tool. The Democratic party’s record on trade agreements is not substantially different. So the discussion related to the 2008 Presidential election need not include trade agreements. This is one area where political party really doesn’t matter. Edwards use of this issue must have overlooked these points. But then it may have been designed only to appeal to his ‘American worker’ victims.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

John Edwards Ignores Some Villains

Posted in Public Affairs, Money Matters, Health, Education, wordpress, Politics, campaign, election, Democrats, Clinton, Public, obama, Edwards, Foreign Affairs, Minimum Wage, Business on August 7th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

As stated on this blog before, John Edwards needs villains. His current villains for his campaign item on trade policy is intended to fit in with his populist approach to attract votes and raise his poll numbers. He has been stuck in third place among Democratic candidates nationally trailing Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama from the start. The villains of his trade policy are corporate CEO’s, Wall Street, former Presidents and the ’status quo of Washington.’ The effort is obviously directed toward a favorable response from organized labor and wage earners in general. Somewhat less directly targeted are foreign countries and international organizations. These are all plausible targets for the source of votes to which he wishes to increase his appeal as a candidate. It does not, however, address the partial contribution to the problem by the very people he is asking for votes. What role does the consumer play in trade policy and corporate decisions to lower costs offshore?

While the villains Edwards features in his trade policy share responsibility for the outcomes, so do the very people he is asking for votes by condemning economic conditions for workers. Why do you suppose this country imports so many products? Why do you suppose corporations engage in offshore operations or other practices that may short change the American worker? Part of it is the American worker as a consumer. The popularity of foreign goods and services as well as company’s featuring these low cost alternatives like Wal-Mart and the presence of foreign ownership of American companies is the direct result of consumers shopping the lowest price. The consumer or the American worker must also share responsibility for this country’s position economically. Few speak to the need for personal responsibility from all Americans in pursuing what is best for this country. Probably due to the risk involved with an indictment of our society in general as responsible for the problems we face, candidates are reluctant to express this fact for fear of losing the very votes they seek by creating more palatable villains for the public.

Everyone is not guilty. Everyone is not innocent. Corporate citizens should be as responsible as the the ordinary citizen for choices and decisions they make that affect others. But focusing on popular targets as the sole source of economic and trade problems is a transparent tactic to attract anger votes. Are there politicians and corporate executives who ignore ethical and legal considerations of their actions? Of course there are. But many of the solutions that the public demands from the public and private sector would not be necessary if citizens took more responsibility for managing their personal affairs.

If we did more to manage our own health effectively, perhaps we would not need such expensive health care. If we focused more attention to the needs of our children, perhaps they would perform better in school. If we limited our discretionary spending and impulse buying, perhaps we would have less difficulty affording the basics of food, clothing and shelter. We may be spoiled and becoming incapable of directing our efforts to the most worthwhile aspects of life. Living in a country where so much is possible may now have us focusing on the trivial and abandoning the basic principles that brought us here. Less attention to the trappings of a successful society and more attention to worthwhile endeavors could solve many of the problems we blame on others.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Again, the Edwards’ campaign piece that inspired this post is available below.

Smarter Trade that Puts Workers First - Remarks as Prepared for Delivery - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Good morning. It’s good to be back in Iowa with all of you today. I was recently here to talk about the fundamental unfairness at the heart of our economy today and what we need to do to fix it. I focused then on our tax code and how we can reform it to honor work, not just wealth. And in the coming weeks I will address the issue of corporate responsibility.

Today, I want to talk to you about one of the most important economic issues facing America - trade, especially its effect on jobs.

Over the past few years, I’ve traveled across this country and met with so many honest, hard working Americans, including many right here in Iowa, who’ve been left behind by our economy.

During one of my trips a couple of years ago, I met Doug Bishop. For years, Doug worked at the Maytag plant in Newton. He worked hard for Maytag day in and day out. And then Maytag decided to cut costs by cutting Doug’s job.

Doug was lucky. After eight months out of work, he’s back on his feet now, a leader in his community. But many other people in Newton - and across America - haven’t been so lucky. They’re as eager to get back to work as Doug was, but they’re still struggling.

These people did everything our country asked of them. Everything. They had jobs, they worked hard at them, and they provided for their families - and in return, they got the rug pulled out from under them. Who was looking out for these workers in Newton? Who was looking out for their families?

Not Maytag. And certainly not anyone in Washington, D.C.

It hasn’t always been this way. Workers for generations were at the heart of our country. Hard-working men and women have made America the strongest, most prosperous nation in the history of the world. But today, Washington has turned its back on our workers and their futures.

More than ever, workers face an uncertain world where they feel like no one in Washington is doing what they can to help them.

They’re right. Washington isn’t looking out for them. Washington is too busy looking out for big business and protecting irresponsible corporations.

Trade has become a bad word for working Americans for a simple reason - our trade policies have been bad for working Americans. Washington looks at every trade deal and asks one question, and only one question - is it good for corporate profits?

They don’t look at what it will do to workers, to families, to wages, to jobs, or even to the economy. When it comes to trade, the only thing that matters in Washington is the big business bottom line.

And most of big business is only looking out for its profits, not its people. Instead, they should be paying attention to a simple truth - corporations can be successful and responsible at the same time.

We need new trade policies in America that put workers, wages and families first. Not fourth, not third, not second. First. What we need is trade without trade-offs. Trade without trade-offs for workers. Trade without trade-offs for jobs. Trade without trade-offs for the environment.

We need trade without trade-offs for America.

Corporations, and the executives who lead them, need to realize that creating American jobs is not only the responsible thing to do, it’s the patriotic thing to do.

But that’s certainly not what is happening today. America is bleeding jobs.

Since President Bush took office, 5 million jobs have been lost to trade, including many here in Iowa, and 15 million more jobs may move offshore within the next decade. And don’t let anyone tell you it’s just low-skilled jobs that we’ll lose - it’s also many of our country’s high quality service and technology jobs - jobs that require advanced education such as in computer programming, radiology, call centers, and financial analysis.

But it doesn’t begin or end with just the jobs being outsourced to China, India and elsewhere. The negative effects from globalization are ripping through the economy.

Globalization has helped stunt the growth in wages for American workers. Workers in America must now compete every day with workers overseas earning miserably low wages with no benefits. And what’s even worse, big multinational corporations now use the excuse that they have to ship ever more good-paying American jobs overseas in order to compete with the very low wage jobs they themselves created there. In the last few years, wages have fallen for nearly every educational group, all the way up to masters degrees - and corporate profits have nearly doubled.

Rather than create income gains for all, the gains from globalization are mostly flowing to the most fortunate Americans. Globalization is a major reason why income inequality is at its worst since before the Great Depression.

It shouldn’t be this way. And when I’m president, I’m going to tell the lobbyists pulling the strings in Washington and the big corporations that hire them the same thing - their time is over. The system is rigged against regular Americans to guarantee more power for the powerful and more wealth for the wealthy. Well, I’m going to cut the rigging down and end the game.

Washington’s values are all wrong, but the American people’s values are exactly right. We believe in hard work, fairness and opportunity. Just like we always have. And we’re going to restore those values to our economy and our government.

I know the American people want change, real change. Washington isn’t working for them. Our economy isn’t working for them. But by uniting together, we can fix this. We can make sure that working and middle class families again have the opportunities to which they’re entitled.

While CEOs have been sitting in their boardrooms and while lobbyists and Washington insiders having been dining in their steakhouses, I have been on the ground. Meeting workers. Walking picket lines. I’ve walked past far too many manufacturing plants with locks on their gates and weeds in their yards. I’ve heard firsthand from workers how they’re one crisis away - one pink slip, one trip to the emergency room - from going over a cliff. But I’ve also seen firsthand their determination to fight - for their families and for our values.

We’ll need courage and conviction and backbone to go up against these powerful lobbyists and insiders. Half measures and baby steps won’t level the playing field. Triangulation and compromise won’t fix anything. It won’t be easy, but together - you and me and everyone who is sick of listening to Washington say one thing and do another - we can stand up and change this country for the better.

***

And we certainly need change, especially in our trade policies. For years now, Washington has been passing trade deal after trade deal that works great for multinational corporations, but not for working Americans.

For example, NAFTA and the WTO provide unique rights for foreign companies whose profits are allegedly hurt by environmental and health regulations. These foreign companies have used them to demand compensation for laws against toxins, mad cow disease, and gambling - they have even sued the Canadian postal service for being a monopoly. Domestic companies would get laughed out of court if they tried this, but foreign investors can assert these special rights in secretive panels that operate outside our system of laws.

When economists say that trade helps our economy overall, we need to be honest about the fact that it does not help everyone. The true measure of our economy isn’t found only in the size of our GDP or the level of corporate profits - it’s whether middle class families are doing better or worse.

A sure sign that our trade and economic policies are seriously out of whack is our trade deficit. Our nation’s imports have increased by a staggering 50 percent in the past 15 years, and instead of a trade balance, the United States now has the largest trade deficit in the history of the globe - and it just keeps growing. Last year, our current account deficit was more than $850 billion, which is a staggering 6.5 percent of our nation’s entire GDP, and our trade deficit with China alone was $233 billion. That means that we are consuming billions of dollars more in imported goods than we produce - and we are borrowing heavily to pay for them.

Behind all these numbers and statistics are the faces of millions of Americans forgotten in our trade deals. Well, I can tell you that I will never forget them. I saw what happened when the mill that my dad worked in all his life, and that I worked in myself when I was young, closed and the jobs went somewhere else. It wasn’t just devastating to our community economically — it was devastating to the pride and dignity of the people who worked hard every day trying to make a better life for their kids.

Let me tell you, if a CEO thinks the right thing to do is to ship American jobs overseas, to destroy families and communities, then I challenge him to go and look those workers in the eye and have the guts to tell them to their face that they can’t compete. I’ve stood with these workers all across America - and let me tell you, they can compete, because they are the best workers in the world.

The trade policies of President Bush have devastated towns and communities all across America. But let’s be clear about something - this isn’t just his doing. For far too long, presidents from both parties have entered into trade agreements, agreements like NAFTA, promising that they would create millions of new jobs and enrich communities. Instead, too many of these agreements have cost us jobs and devastated many of our towns.

NAFTA was written by insiders in all three countries, and it served their interests - not the interests of regular workers. It included unprecedented rights for corporate investors, but no labor or environmental protections in its core text. And over the past 15 years, we have seen growing income inequality in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Well enough is enough. Americans have paid the price long enough. We need to change our fundamental approach to trade. We need to make American values the foundation of our trade deals, and we need to put workers back at their core.

***

Let me tell you, no one is asking for any guarantees. America has the most open economy in the world, and no one is suggesting that we put up tariffs or go back to protectionism. Any politician who promises to bring back the jobs we’ve lost isn’t telling the truth - no one can bring back those jobs. But with a level playing field, American workers can compete with anybody on earth. And I’m absolutely not suggesting an end to trade.

I am calling instead for an end to lip service. Our leaders in Washington say many of the right things. They even say that they will make sure the gains from trade are shared with everyone. But when push comes to shove, the trade gets pushed forward and the sharing gets shoved off.

We can and we must change this. I believe we need to follow three principles to make sure globalization works for everyone.

First, trade deals must benefit workers, not just big multinational corporations. Today, our trade agreements are negotiated behind closed doors. The multinationals get their say, but when one goes to Congress it gets an up or down vote - no amendments are allowed. No wonder that corporations get unique protections, while workers don’t benefit. That’s wrong.

Imagine trade policies that actually put American workers first. We need fair rules for workers, and we need strong protections for labor and the environment and against currency manipulation. If a deal is good for middle-class families, it’s good for America; if it’s not, it’s not.

Second, our trade policies should also lift up workers around the world. This struggle over fair trade is about more that just what’s at stake for America’s workers - it’s also about what’s at stake for workers in every country. Making sure that workers around the globe are treated fairly and share in trade gains is the right thing to do morally, it’s the right thing to do economically, and it will make us much safer and more secure. That’s what strong labor standards are all about. Making sure that workers have the right to organize and earn a fair wage will not only prevent a “race to the bottom” on labor rights - it will also help build a global middle class that shares in the gains from trade and creates markets for U.S. exports.

Third, we need to address more than just our trade policies in order to restore fairness and opportunity to workers. I talked earlier about some of the adverse effects of globalization - stagnant wages and rising inequality. To help regular Americans get ahead and stay ahead, we need to make sure our children get a quality education and have the chance to go to college. We need to raise the minimum wage, strengthen unions, and help families build assets. And the most important thing we can do to provide security to our workers is to guarantee universal health care in this country. I am proud to be the first major candidate to come out with a plan for universal health care.

We also need to invest resources to ensure that our country keeps its competitive edge in the world. We need to create the jobs of the future right here in America and make sure our workers have the skills they need to fill them. We need to make the Research and Experimentation Tax Credit permanent, invest in life sciences and biomedical research, strengthen math and science education, and create a new energy economy.

There are so many things we can do to put our economy back on the side of the working men and women who make this country great. Our trade policies have a huge impact on whether regular Americans - in Iowa and across the country — have the chance to get ahead in our economy or whether they are left behind.

We need a new era in trade policy. We need “smart trade” policies that American workers can say yes to - trade policies that do more than pay lip service to their needs and that actually make sure prosperity is shared. Trade policies that are as innovative as the American people. And when I’m president, those are the trade policies we will have.

And let me be clear: we will make sure that these policies are in place before we pass a single new trade deal.

In my first year in office, I will spend time working with Congress to get our trade policies straight — policies which ensure that Americans workers finally begin to see benefits from the global economy. And then, when we negotiate new trade deals it won’t just be big multinational corporations whose interests are served - it will also be the interests of American workers, America’s communities, and our global environment.

***

First, I will be a tough negotiator on new trade deals. There are good trade deals and there are bad trade deals, and when I am president it will be crystal clear that we have a president who knows the difference. It is not enough for a trade deal to be popular on Wall Street or show up in economic statistics. My main measure is just this one - after considering the impact on jobs, wages and prices, will most families be better off?

When I’m president, our trade agreements will give workers fair and level playing fields. All our trade partners must meet basic labor standards, such as prohibiting sweatshops and child labor and protecting the right of workers to join unions. These conditions should be the floor, not the ceiling. And they should not be in side agreements, but at the core of the agreements. I will tie unilateral trade preferences and bilateral trade agreements to progress on labor rights. As president, I will also push the World Trade Organization to begin to address labor standards. And I will build on the precedent of the Cambodia textiles agreement, which rewarded progress on labor rights with greater market access.

New trade agreements must also include strong rules on environmental protection and against currency manipulation. As the world’s biggest customer, our trade deals can be vital tools to ensure that progress is made in stopping global warming. They can also be tools to ensure that poor environmental practices do not create unfair competitive advantages. 

Second, I will insist that our trade deals be fairly and fully administered. For free trade to be fair, it must be based on rules, and then those rules must be followed. But right now, many major U.S. trading partners are breaking the rules without any consequences.

As president, I will seek to restore America’s moral leadership of the world, and our trade policies with these countries can help. But we are going to be tough in our negotiations because the overriding obligation of the president of the United States is to put America’s workers, economy and national interests first.

Right now, China, India and certain other nations are each, to one degree or another, combining miserably low wages and poor environmental practices with tax breaks, subsidies, tariffs, low-cost loans, and currency manipulation to advance their trade at the expense of ours. All of this is costing Americans high-quality jobs and threatening millions more.

When I am president, restoring fair and balanced trade with China will be a particular priority. Its massive manipulation of the yuan has continued for years, giving it an unfair advantage against U.S. manufacturers, and its labor and intellectual property protections are grossly inadequate. As a result of the massive trade deficits we run with China - the largest ever between any two countries, more than $230 billion last year alone - China now owns $1 trillion in U.S. assets, giving it great leverage over our economy and our security. This is not acceptable. We need to persuade China’s authoritarian government to commit to the rules that govern the conduct of responsible nations. Our trade policies are a great opportunity for increased leverage over China. And, when I’m president I will make it crystal clear that doing
business with China should not come at the expense of American jobs or our economy - there must and will be balance between our nations when we trade.

As for our good friend India, which has achieved remarkable economic growth in recent years, we still must work hard to get it to adhere to both the letter and the spirit of its trade agreements with the U.S. and to further achieve our shared values, while all the while improving the lives of its millions of citizens.

I know following the letter of any law, let alone trade law, isn’t a priority for the Bush administration, but it will be for mine. In the Edwards Administration, the top prosecutors at the Department of Justice will be responsible for enforcing our trade agreements. Right now, the trade negotiators charged with enforcing agreements seem to think their job is done when an agreement is signed. Signing a trade deal should be the beginning of the process, not the end. And I will insist that we finally begin to prosecute illegal foreign subsidies, currency manipulation, and trade practices.

Fair terms of trade also mean fixing our own tax code so that corporations aren’t rewarded for closing plants and shipping jobs to countries like China. Our government should be encouraging businesses to invest here. Yet, one of the starkest examples that our economy works best for big business instead of regular Americans is that we actually give tax incentives to companies to invest overseas. American companies setting up shop in tax havens often pay little or no U.S. tax. This is not only wrong, it’s unpatriotic. 

I will eliminate the tax incentives that encourage companies to invest overseas rather than here at home. These dollars, if invested in new facilities and in retraining workers and rebuilding devastated communities, can fuel a dramatic expansion of our own economy.

Third, we need much more investment in helping the workers and communities left behind. When we sign a trade deal, we know which industries and workers will likely be affected by greater competition. We need to restore some honesty to the trade debate and not claim, like too many presidents from both parties have done, that trade will help everyone. This is simply not true.

When I am president, every trade agreement will be subject to not only an economic assessment showing how imports and exports will be affected by the agreement, but also to a “community impact assessment.” We need to make sure trade deals produce real benefits that are widely shared, and we need to get a head start on helping any workers and communities who will be hurt by increases in imports or by competition from other countries. Before I ask Congress to approve any new trade agreement, we will have an honest discussion about the real impact of that agreement on towns and communities and workers across our country.

Then we can go into dislocated communities - starting before the jobs are gone - and help them diversify their economies with initiatives modeled on the military base closing commissions, bringing local leaders, employers and unions together to rebuild local economies. We need to be much more aggressive about helping workers and affected communities.

Training is no substitute for good trade policies, but we must help workers gain new skills and get ahead. The problem is that, too often, training programs are completely disconnected from the job market. I will create a broad new Training Works program that ties retraining to real jobs. It will support on-the-job training programs through partnerships among businesses, unions and community colleges. Workers will be trained on-the-job to make sure the jobs actually exist. And to make it worth businesses’ while - and to support high-wage jobs - we will pay part of workers’ wages while they are being trained.

All types of workers are affected by globalization, and all types of workers should be eligible for help getting back on their feet. But Trade Adjustment Assistance, or TAA, now only helps manufacturing workers at plant closings.

Because most unemployed workers who lose their jobs aren’t even covered by unemployment insurance, I will help states modernize their programs. This will give security to 500,000 more jobless workers a year, including more low-wage and part-time workers.

And, as we have seen over the last year, another dark side of trade is the concern over the safety of the foods we eat, the toys our children play with, and even the medicines we take.

Now more than ever, we need to make sure that our trade rules protect American consumers.

Food imports have doubled in the past decade, and Americans now eat three-quarters of a pound of imported food every day. However, less than 1 percent of imported food is inspected.

As president, I will enforce mandatory “country of origin” labeling for food and other consumer products so that Americans will know who is making the products they are buying. The big meat packers have blocked this law for too long. I will give the FDA all the authority and resources it needs to keep tainted food and products out of our country and out of our homes.

We will strengthen enforcement to ensure that safety standards are being met, and we will enforce “zero tolerance” and immediately freeze the specific import of any food, toys, medicines, or other goods that threatens the health of our children and families. We will not let them in until we know they are safe, because the health and welfare of our children are more important than cheap toys.

We must make sure that trade is not only smart and good for America’s economy and workers, but safe for American families. Regular families - their safety and their best interests - should come before the interests of multinational corporations. That’s what safe and smart trade is about.

You know, some people as they listen to my new smart trade vision for America will accuse me of being a protectionist or anti-trade. They would be wrong. I believe in smart and safe trade, just not trade that helps American multinationals but hurts America.

And, let me tell you, you can protect the interests of American workers and still trade. We can grow our economy, and create good jobs and trade responsibly, fairly and safely. With smart trade policies, we can make sure American workers compete on level playing fields. With smart trade policies, we can create a new future where even more workers and their families have a chance to achieve the American Dream.

I know we can make trade and our economy work for regular workers, but real change must first begin with ending - once and for all - the influence 
lobbyists have on trade policies and on our government. It’s time Washington worked for the American people, not for lobbyists and insiders. It’s time that
the president stood up and fought for American workers. It’s time to have a
president that always - always - puts the interests of the American people first.

So today, I’m again calling on all federal officeholders and candidates from all political parties to join me in putting an end to the money game in Washington by simply refusing to accept any form of campaign donation from federal lobbyists going forward. It’s really just that simple. We need to send a message to all of the lobbyists in Washington: Your money is no good
 here, and we’re not going to take it anymore. We don’t need you, we’ve got
 the American people on our side.

***

What I’ve just said today isn’t going to be popular with the special interest groups, lobbyists or Washington insiders. But this isn’t about being well-liked. This is about doing what’s right.

They’re going to try to distract you and me from the issues that matter - issues like health care, poverty, jobs and economic fairness.

And it’s these insiders in Washington who are going to attack us to try to keep people like me from speaking out, but they won’t succeed. Because I’m going to fight with every breath I have. Because this isn’t about me or them - it’s about you, your family, your children, and how those who run for president are going to fight for real change to create a better America where all of us can go as far as our hard work and God-given talents will take us.

That’s the kind of president I will be.

As Harry Truman said, “The ultimate test of any presidential decision is ‘not whether it’s popular at the time, but whether it’s right…If it’s right, make it, and let the popular part take care of itself.’”

We know we don’t have to live in an America where hard-working men and women are struggling to get by. Where we pass trade deal after trade deal that rip apart communities. Where good people like those who worked at Maytag do right by their country and are still left out in the cold.

That’s not our America. Our America says if you work hard, you’ll have the chance to get ahead and leave your kids a better life. That’s the One America we’re fighting for. That’s our America. And together, I know we can make our One America a reality because the real power of America isn’t in Washington, it’s with the American people. It’s with all of you.

And that is why when I’m president, real change is coming.

Thank you. God bless you. God bless America.

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Will Trade Policy Lift Edwards’ Poll Numbers?

Posted in Public Affairs, Money Matters, wordpress, Politics, campaign, election, Democrats, Clinton, Justice, obama, hillary, Edwards, Foreign Affairs, Minimum Wage, Business, Legislation on August 7th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

EdwardsBarack Obama and John Edwards are trailing Clinton enough that both have taken on new topics recently in an attempt to get a ‘bump’ in the polls. While Obama is still working his foreign policy blunder, Edwards has chosen another populist theme to attract voters at the YearlyKos and union gatherings. Both of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s rivals raised awareness of large lobbyist donations she has received while emphasizing their own refusal to accept those contributions.

Edwards is currently focusing on trade policy. The initial headlines focused on ‘harmful imports’ like the lead paint on toys made overseas. Edwards suggests these harmful imports must not be allowed to enter the country. If he is trying to win the support of organized labor by focusing on jobs, why did he not offer a solution for the American company having the toys made offshore? He says the import of harmful products must be stopped but no mention was made about offshore manufacturing or simply importing products rather than creating jobs making them here.

He has several campaign pieces outlining his new trade policy ideas. In the August 6th presentation of ‘Edwards unveils plan for smart and safe trade policies…’ he says these issues cannot simply be popular with Wall Street and must be judged by their effect on jobs, wages, prices and the families.

campaign messagesIf you read the first bullet point of his proposal, what does he offer. The first claim is he will ‘be a tough negotiator’. Your first question should be how do we measure that vague promise? Who decides what defines ‘tough’? And also who decides what a bad trade deal is? It is also difficult to determine what ’strong’ means when applied to labor and environmental standards and what one can conclude about ‘fighting’ currency manipulation. The first bullet point crafts a simplistic message that offers no real solutions or clear definition of performance.

The second bullet point offers DOJ enforcement of his self-defined strong labor and environmental standards and eliminating tax breaks for companies moving offshore. Is he suggesting trade agreements are not currently enforced? And does he not need to get Congressional approval for changes to the tax code? Bullet point two is no more helpful than bullet point one.

It sounds like bullet point three is expecting bullet point one and two to fail. If the tough trade negotiator is successful in the business, labor, environmental aspects of agreements why would there be a need for assisting dislocated workers and other problems described?

Bullet points four and five are really one bullet point. How are those import ideas going to work really? It is essentially a labeling program that may already exist at least in part. It would be helpful to have Mr Edwards explain the details of implementing the selective elimination of imported items, piece by piece, as well as the cost and difficulty of an effective process to accomplish his goal. This country spends billions on protecting against terrorist activities and other threats. Just how much the Edwards’ plan will cost and how it gets paid for is a matter he conveniently omitted.

There is much missing from this unveiling. Whether by design or omission it gives support to the notion that this is merely a marketing scheme to foster higher numbers in the polls and nothing more.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

A copy of the press release that ‘unveils’ the trade policy of John Edwards appears below.

Edwards Unveils Plan For “Smart And Safe” Trade Policies That Put Workers And Families First
Aug 6, 2007 11:30 AM

Will discuss how trade policies can benefit regular families, not just multinational corporations

Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Today, Senator John Edwards proposed his plan for “smart and safe” trade policies that will benefit working and middle class families instead of just big multinational corporations. Edwards believes our trade policies should give workers a level playing field. As president, he will insist on pro-worker provisions in new deals, hold trade partners to their commitments, invest more in dislocated workers and communities, and ensure that imports are safe. Edwards believes that the U.S. should not enter any new trade deals that do not meet these tests.

“Trade has become a bad word for working Americans for a simple reason - our trade policies have been bad for working Americans,” said Edwards. “We need new trade policies in America that put workers, wages and families first. It is not enough for a trade deal to be popular on Wall Street or show up in economic statistics. My main measure is just this one - after considering the impact on jobs, wages and prices, will most families be better off?”

Current trade policies include special privileges for corporations, and make it more difficult working Americans to compete in the global economy. As president, Edwards will make sure we have smart and safe trade policies that help families and strengthen our economy. Edwards will:

* Be a tough negotiator who will reject bad trade deals. Edwards will make sure trade deals help regular families, include strong labor and environmental standards and fight currency manipulation.
* Demand a level playing field for trade. Edwards will assign top prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice to the job of enforcing trade laws, including the stronger labor and environment standards he will negotiate. He will eliminate tax incentives for corporations to move offshore.
* Revamp trade assistance to help dislocated workers and communities. Edwards will create a new “Training Works” initiative, help communities recover from mass layoffs and strengthen the safety net for workers who lose their jobs.
* Ensure the safety of imported food and drugs and enforce mandatory country-of-origin labeling, letting families choose the origin of their food. Edwards will also enforce a “zero tolerance” rule and immediately freeze the specific import of any food, toys, medicines, or other goods that threatens the health of our children and families.
* Require Country-of-Origin labeling so that consumers have the option of choosing safe, American-raised meat and poultry and American-grown produce.

Edwards believes that in order to ensure that our trade policies and our economy work for regular Americans we need to end the influence of lobbyist money in Washington. He renewed his call for all federal officeholders and candidates from all political parties to join him in refusing to accept any form of campaign donation from federal lobbyists.

Pelosi in July: New Misdirection for America

Posted in Public Affairs, Money Matters, Health, Terrorism, wordpress, Politics, Democrats, Immigration, Pelosi, Foreign Affairs, Congress, Border Control, Minimum Wage, Military on July 31st, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

crossposted at:

Maggie’s Notebook | Conservative Blog

FaultlineUSA

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to spread the far left liberal agenda as documented by press releases from her own taxpayer funded website. This is the third installment of Pelosi in July. An entire month’s worth of propaganda from someone charged with performing her duties in the public interest. The first reference is yet another statement equating the Democratic party’s support of amnesty for illegal aliens as some great contribution to the American melting pot and claiming it poses no risk or threat to the country Pelosi is supposed to protect. The final irony is she made the statements while hosting an immigration workshop for prospective applicants for citizenship the legal status of which are still unknown. Pelosi said….

“While Democrats supported bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform that would have kept America safe and united families, Republicans resorted to obstruction. In contrast, Democrats will continue to move in a New Direction with strong border security, effective law enforcement, immigration reform, and the full implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations.

“Today’s event makes clear that America gains strength from its newest citizens and immigration reform will ensure that America keeps growing stronger.”

Among other things that was a pitch for continuing chain migration and a claim that the defeated amnesty legislation would have no risk attached. All Pelosi was concerned with is providing cheap foreign labor for her law breaking employers and law breaking illegals at the country’s expense both in money and safety. This is a reminder that legal immigration when properly controlled is fine. Illegal immigration is not and that is one thing wrong with the Democratic party. They embrace amnesty. That is simply wrong. Arguing it is the American dream is also wrong.

Pelosi’s July 21st press release supporting import restrictions on Burma is cheap politics for anyone. Making a political statement that takes one side of an issue in a foreign country by threatening import restrictions in this case is meaningless. Does refusing imports from ‘Burma’ (currently called Myanmar) hurt anyone other than the very people the restrictions are designed to support? Like Americans cannot live without imports from Myanmar.

Pelosi again refers to minimum wage as some Congressional accomplishment. Another failed initiative from the failed 100 hour agenda only passed as a compromise to complete the Supplemental Appropriations bill sponsored by Democrat David Obey. To get the money to continue to support the troops, the Bush Administration agreed to the minimum wage addition which is a round robin of money shuffling that stiffs the average taxpayer. Force employers to raise the minimum wage and give the employers tax breaks to offset that. Say hello to costs passed on to consumers whether there are tax breaks or not. Not to mention it does nothing to lift people above minimum wage. Another failure of family, education and politicians in this country. We should fix that some time.

Pelosi’s take on the 9/11 bill is also wrong, right out of the gate. The bill will do nothing to protect America. The most it can do is authorize spending and specify how that money will be spent. There is absolutely nothing about a spending bill that protects anyone. Part of the problem with Congress is they think passing legislation fixes everything. It fixes nothing. Immigration law that is not enforced fixes nothing. 9/11 related legislation fixes nothing unless there is a meaningful follow up procedure for measuring and correcting problems and enhancing any success there might be. Just passing a law and forgetting about the problem it was claimed to solve, again, does nothing.

That anyone in government needs someone to remind them to do their job is disappointing at best. That again the buck was passed when reports of gross negligence became public about not providing adequate health care for military personnel is arguably criminal. As large and expensive as the United States government has become, the fact that active duty and retired members of the United States armed forces could be neglected and to the degree they are is a travesty beyond description. The scrambling to find a scapegoat and not admit failure and offer pathetic excuses and fixes for this problem is also an indicator of what is wrong with government and the politicians that run it. That includes all parties.

The remainder of Pelosi’s July press releases are either more political posturing, pandering or obligatory remarks on notable events or memorable persons. This is the substance of the Democratic party’s claim for a new direction for America. Empty slogans and empty promises followed by more political posturing and the continuation of the swamp that won’t get drained and the culture of corruption that will be maintained. So Nancy, how’s that new direction working for you?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Rosemary’s Thoughts, DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, Adam’s Blog, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Webloggin, The Amboy Times, Leaning Straight Up, Conservative Cat, and Pursuing Holiness, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

John Edwards Wants $9.50 Minimum Wage

Posted in Public Affairs, wordpress, Politics, campaign, election, Democrats, Edwards, Minimum Wage on July 25th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

press release from the Edwards campaign:

Edwards Challenges Democratic Candidates To Support His Call To Raise The Minimum Wage To $9.50 An Hour
Jul 24, 2007 2:00 PM

Chapel Hill, North Carolina – As the national minimum wage rose to $5.85 per hour today, Senator John Edwards challenged all the Democratic presidential candidates to support his call to raise the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2012.

“Half a loaf is not enough for working men and women, but that is just what Washington—including my fellow Democrats—is giving them on the minimum wage. At $5.85 per hour, the minimum wage remains a national disgrace. Even next year’s scheduled increase is not enough to keep a single parent with one child working full-time out of poverty.

“I again challenge other Democratic presidential candidates to support my call for a minimum wage of $9.50 an hour by 2012 so that the minimum wage will equal half the average wage, and to support indexing it to keep up with the cost of living. It is one of the most important tools we have to lift working families out of poverty and begin to make a dent in the inequality that defines the Two Americas.”

“The American people are already there. When Congress hesitated before, I was proud to be part of the effort to mobilize voters in six states to act while Washington twiddled it thumbs. It is time to stop vacillating and triangulating, and start standing up for the people who deserve fair compensation for their hard work.”

Romney is Right, Dems Not Ready to Lead

Posted in Public Affairs, wordpress, Politics, campaign, election, Democrats, Clinton, hillary, romney, Pelosi, Reid, Edwards, Minimum Wage on July 23rd, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

Mitt RomneyIf you think Mitt Romney’s comparisons of the Democratic party’s Presidential candidates are far-fetched, consider this. For as far back as you may care to go in history, the Democratic party has always focused on their patented mantra centered on the word hope. In order for this mantra to work you need a voter base comprised of people who feel hopeless or view themselves as oppressed or in some way treated unfairly.

While stating they want to lift people up, they do everything they can to keep them down. To lift people up would reduce or eliminate their voter base over time. Some current campaign examples that would indicate this are available for each candidate. The Edwards’ campaign is the most obvious and needs no explanation. He has recently promoted a poverty tour. The women’s vote should be a natural for Clinton but Obama ranks higher among college educated women while Clinton appeals to what has been characterized in the polls as needy women. Obama has not centered his campaign on the needy yet he has found plenty of opportunity to generalize social injustice and a more subtle brand of Edwards’ two Americas.

More than you might think, Romney’s description of Democratic party candidates is on point and correct. In Congress, Reid and Pelosi pushed hard for minimum wage increases which do nothing more than sustain a base of lower income wage earners thinking the Dems are helping them out. Rather than lift up lower wage earners, it merely continues the trend, burdens the successful and does nothing to solve the problem. The Democratic party candidates are not ready to lead.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Romney says top Dems are not ready to lead

July 23, 2007
NASHUA, N.H. — Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney took aim at Democratic rivals Sunday, calling them all unprepared to lead the country and comparing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s economic plan to that of socialist Karl Marx.

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Outsourcing Preferred Over Immigration

Posted in Money Matters, wordpress, Politics, conspiracy, ethics, China, India, Foreign Affairs, Minimum Wage, Business on July 16th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

wall streetWave the flag. Show pictures of American history. Applaud the contributions of immigrants in the US. So the author introduces a trip down memory lane. He mentions the Chinese being instrumental in building the transcontinental railway as a promotion for importing foreign labor. The Chinese who are familiar with it may have a different view of building the railway. The Czechs, Slovaks and Jews may have different recollections also. How the people providing the labor were treated is left out of the discussion. How offshore sweat shops and the practices of companies like Wal-Mart promote substandard working conditions in other countries is left out also.

And this is corporate America’s threat to the American people. Allow us to ignore you and abuse imported labor or we will simply ignore you and abuse labor offshore. There is no noble intention in these claims by business of a global economy and their need to survive. They are surviving quite well and always have by ignoring their responsibility to the countries in which they practice their philosophy. Whatever it takes. And as far as offshore labor is concerned. One should only have to mention Bhopal since it is in India. Businesses get to treat their workers worse in other countries and at slave labor rates. That is why it is the preferred option between importing labor to the US or outsourcing. Why settle for lowering wages by importing labor when you can pay next to nothing and avoid all those pesky labor and environmental laws that risk your bottom line?

BhopalTake a hard look at India and China and other locations where American business has outsourced. Then discuss what the intentions of big business really are. As for the historical anecdotes about immigration the world is not a static place and policies allowed in times past are not necessarily as glowing as represented nor practical in the modern world. It may be that American business would like to return to the days of fewer laws that inhibit their natural tendency to cheat and the desire to be something of a robber baron with unimaginable wealth amassed on the backs of mistreated labor and an unsuspecting nation.

Stanford Matthews
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Andelman’s Angle

Outsourcing Vs. Immigration
David A. Andelman, 05.29.07, 12:00 PM ET
From America’s earliest days, when there was work to be done, businesses and the government brought workers to the job site to finish it. Chinese built the Transcontinental Railroad. Poles, Czech and Slovaks built the U.S. steel industry. Jews filled New York’s garment center.

Today, rather than bringing workers to the jobs, more often the jobs are going to the workers. Outsourcing has become the preferred method of getting the work done for a broad swath of American manufacturing, technology and service businesses.

The Global Economy Myth

Posted in Public Affairs, Money Matters, wordpress, conspiracy, United States, China, India, Minimum Wage, Business, Japan on July 15th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

Importing labor, ignoring your ownThe IndUS Business Journal was the source of a search engine result on immigration. However it was the hit’s description that was of interest and the source of the article was only noticed while viewing the result. It is another example of focusing on the plight of prospective immigrants specifically from South Asia with the case made for the sterling credentials, wide variety of success of South Asian immigrants to the US and their contribution in billions of dollars of entrepreneurial startup businesses.

The question that never seems to be asked in stories like these is why didn’t these immigrants have this success in their country of origin? The myth of the global economy based on the words of American business leaders who speak to it is about a race to a goal. While arguing the need for the best and the brightest from around the world and the willingness to extend the American dream to countless immigrants invading the US or outsourcing American jobs to foreign nations, the real objective is nothing so noble.

From the perspective of corporate America, why limit yourself to dominating the economy of just one nation. The economic trend after the world was devastated by WWII resulted in nations like Germany and Japan becoming economic powers in the decades that followed. Each decade brings more and more countries out of the ‘third world’ and into competition with the former world’s leading economic powers. China is probably the most well known current contender to join the ranks of emerging economic powers to challenge the US.

biz should support their own countryIf you are unwilling to challenge the competition with sound principles, truly innovative development in products and services and sincerely foster the human potential in your own country, the ‘global economy’ is a must sell. Abandon the nation instrumental to your success. Convince your government of a false need and betray your country. Attempt to defeat your foreign and domestic competitors by acquiring the foreign labor pool whether the most skilled and educated or those willing to work for less than your own citizens.

This has nothing to do with supporting the tradition of a nation of immigrants. This is all about business. And every proponent has a financial interest that drives their argument. The source of the article accompanying this post is nothing more than a special interest group promoting their own best interest in this economic scam.

Stanford Matthews.
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Immigration battle wages; government loses hope

7/13/2007
BY CHRIS NELSON
They are engineers, financiers, attorneys and physicians. They have won Nobel prizes, flown in space and hold executive-level positions at some of the largest and most influential companies in the world.

South Asians have contributed more to America’s economic might than perhaps any other ethnic group, but for those individuals lacking U.S. citizenship or a green card, the question remains — who gets to stay?

In the post-Sept. 11 era, where security concerns have led to tighter immigration policies, the answer is simple — very few. And in most instances, luck is the determining factor over whether one stays or goes.

Worker’s sponsor not liable for murder

Posted in Money Matters, wordpress, Immigration, ethics, Law, Justice, Safety, Public, Minimum Wage, Business on July 14th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

Justice Served?Something that might not come to mind when thinking about illegal immigration was raised in a story about a ‘legal’ who is charged with and plead innocent to murder. The question was raised as whether the H2B visa sponsor for this individual should be held liable in some way.

Holding a visa sponsor liable for criminal acts under any circumstances might be difficult. But it does bring to mind that sponsors of visa applicants should be held liable for recklessly accepting foreign workers entry to this country or other negligent practices related to this sham pursuit that is nothing more than an unfair labor practice. And this is not a pitch for labor unions.

Some say it is an employer’s right to search for the least expensive labor they can find. While there is understandably no economic parity between industrialized and non-industrialized countries, applying free market principles to the labor market across international borders is unfair. The reason it is unfair is while most commodities are often protected by each country subsidizing them in some way, that is not the case with labor. It is a one way street as you don’t hear about Americans tripping over themselves to exit the country and take jobs in the third world. What no one tells you is the visa labor market in the US will never stop. You will always have demand for American jobs in other countries.

They also won’t tell you that the poor immigrants yearning to be free will do what everyone else does. Once admitted to this country and earning likely substandard wages, they will also migrate to better paying jobs as time goes on and will have to be replaced with a new visa or illegal worker. That is why sponsors of visa applicants should be held liable.

Whether or not they should be held liable for criminal acts of their sponsored applicants will be determined if the concern is ever raised loud enough and someone makes a federal case out of it. That was part serious, part humor. What is not part serious or part humor is what the subject of the referenced article was charged with and the event that brought the charges.

ThinkingThis 46 year old H2B visa holder was arrested after police literally followed the trail of blood to his apartment from the home of an eighty-one year old widow who was murdered. He faces murder, burglary and weapons charges. One of the murdered woman’s three sons found her. Even one crime, especially one this serious, should be part of the illegal and legal immigration discussion but is only raised by a few. The proponents of open borders, immigration and all related policies do not care to bring this up as it may shed sunlight on sham practices.

One last note should raises this question. Do employers seek foreign labor to save money, pursue greedy profits or are their business models or interests failures to begin with requiring extreme actions to remain viable? My point is, if you cannot survive in business due to the cost of labor there may be more wrong with you than anything else. If one claims they need to pay substandard wages or they have jobs Americans won’t do, maybe the problem is with the employer and no one else.

Stanford Matthews
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Worker’s sponsor not liable for murder

Herald News
Friday, July 13, 2007
By PAUL BRUBAKER
GARFIELD — If Gabriel Romero Sanchez is convicted of murdering an 81-year-old widow, the employer who sponsored his temporary work visa would most likely not bear any responsibility for the crime, immigration attorneys said Thursday.

Sanchez faces murder, burglary, and weapons charges after the death of Angelina Costa. Costa, whose funeral is today, was discovered dead in her home at 246 Gaston Ave. by one of her three sons on Sunday. A trail of blood led investigators to Sanchez’s apartment at 248 Gaston Ave., and he was arrested that night.