The very first time I had ever heard the name Blagojevich was on December 8Th. On the 9th the name was already mud (and the subject of many jokes). The curious thing was that his first mention nationally was:
CHICAGO - On Monday, Gov. Rod Blagojevich showed up at Republic Windows and Doors to proclaim support for 250 workers who refused to leave the factory after the bosses shut it down.[Daily News December 9, 2008]
The very next day, THE VERY NEXT DAY he was up on charges! What made this interesting was that I had been following the auto parts strike for some time before. What made this different then every other strike in recent American history was that the workers didn't merely walk out, they TOOK THE PLANT OVER. That's unheard of on these shores. A strike is no big deal for management, in fact other then the inconvenience, it's a great way of getting rid of unionized labor and replacing them with low cost employees. Maybe even very grateful folk who will not cause too much trouble.
Taking over the plant means something. The company can not function, they cannot hire scabs. Now the police may have to be called in. When was the last time you saw armed forces clearing out red blooded Americans who just want to get paid their fair wages? This my friends is a horse of different color. Now we are talking some major damage control, both for the company and for the state. In today's economic climate, this might be considered revolutionary:
Blagojevich on Monday ordered all state agencies to stop doing business with Bank of America to pressure the bank into using federal bailout money it received to help the laid-off workers.
"We hope that this kind of leverage and pressure will encourage Bank of America to do the right thing for this business," Blagojevich said outside the plant [Yahoo News December 8, 2008]
The man was openly taking on the big auto companies and even the Bank Of America.
So maybe I am paranoid, but the timing of the Governors support of the Auto Workers seems a bit more then suspicious. In this case it didn't take the Empire long to strike back. By the way, has anyone heard these tapes we are constantly hearing about?
10 comments:
Excellent point, the same can be said about Spitzer. He was the one prying into Wall Street and then viola! He was busted on breaking the same laws he implemented against company funds use.
Look at Governor Corzine in NJ. He demanded to review the union contract budgets the week before he had that mysterious accident and was almost killed.
Vlad there is a pattern here in Illinois!
Yesh! I completely agree with Juan and Vlads latest post here - something's definately going down here...
In 2005, my company went on strike - which since at that time I was on the salaried side of the fence - I was on the inside looking out. At the time the Army was furious that delivery commitments were not being met (which was due to management vending way too much work out at once) so the company decided that it would be in their best interest to have a strike - which would last 6 weeks. It was pre-planned - in fact, even company calanders were printed up showing 1/2 of Feb and all of Mar as a black block. The Company needed the union workers to go out on strike in order to cover up for poor management at the top level since it's far more convienant to blame "labor" for any troubles - so the workers went on strike (how the union went for this is beyond me) for 6 long cold weeks while we went to work as usual - and partied the whole time - because we knew that by the workers going on strike this would save the top brass.
The company was able to milk the "labor problems" tactic for 2 solid years afterwards - top management got promotions - while the worker's got shit on.
This really bothered me for quite sometime - and is part of the reason why I went back to the union workforce. If there was no strike back in 2005, the top level management would have been fired. Now that would have been a cause for celebration, don't you think ??
So, funny enough in 2009 our contract runs up - and right now as far as I can tell - there's no strike being planned by the company - partly because enough people like myself spread the truth behind why the workers were told to go on strike.
I sincerely believe that this nations government's grand plan is to completely smash the middle class by eliminating all manufacturing jobs - including those in defense. Believe me when I say that US ARMY BlackHawks are not made in the U.S.A. They are only assembled, and it shows that there is a difference between $25.00 and hour union work vs. a dollar a day Chinese or a dollar a week Indian. It wouldn't surprise me if it was announced that we are going to build a plant in Bangladash to help make ourselves more competitive - I wish I was making this up - but I'm not - because cheap is good - but at what cost ??
And then they have the nerve to lecture us about ethics?? Com'on - the avg mid level mamager makes $150K a year, while I don't even come close to 1/2 of that after almost 22 years in the company - which I'm ok with - but don't tell me that I'm the reason the company is not meeting their expectations...
We really need to start paying attention to what's happening to organized labor in this country because this is an indicatation of what fate will be waiting for us. And President elect Obama is not going to solve a thing - because I fear he will not even make it to office - because he want's to put America to work - while the good old boy's don't.
They said on the news today that 96,000 people have been taken off the un-employment roles this month - but they do not tell you how many got jobs vs. how many simply lost their un-employment benifits for whatever reason.
When I got laid off back in 1996, I elected to wipe out what little saving's I had left to go back to school to learn a new trade (heating and a/c) - I did not apply for financial aid - although I was told that I would be eligible for some sort of grant because I was a dislocated worker. Ha!! Unemployment called me like a month later demanding to know what the hell I was doing. Trying to better myself and make myself more marketable to the workforce was my answer. No good was their reply. I lost my un-employment benifits right then and their - and they wanted 4 weeks back from me - but when I lashed out against them and said fuck you about a dozen times - they decided to let me slide on that - which was a good move - because the Bpt. unemployment building would have been in flames if they didn't.
Moral of the story: America may be the land of opportunity but only if you are a foriegner from a strange and oppressed land. If you are here trying to better youself - or if you are trying to get ahead via the manufacturing workforce - which used to be the backbone of this country - forget it - get on welfare instead.
There is no incentive what so ever to do the right thing anymore as far as seeking gainfull employment, if you can live of the system - do it...
In closing (sorry I'm taking so long but I felt I needed to get this out) I feel that the U.S. has a lot of nerve telling other countries what's right and wrong about how they are living. I tend to think that right now - we are living in the most corrupt country on the planet - and that it's gonna get a whole lot worse too...
I'd say Happy New Year, except that there's nothing to be happy about this time around - as more and more worker's lose their jobs while the pig's continue to rake in the cash...
If this weren't the waning days of the administration, I'd say this guy would be next to go down:
New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr., on behalf of the New York City Pension Funds, has filed shareholder proposals calling on the Boards of Directors at KBR, Inc. and Halliburton Company - two of the largest government contractors in Iraq - to establish a committee of independent directors to review allegations of financial misconduct and human rights abuses made against the companies’ operations in Iraq.
“It would be unconscionable, and downright unpatriotic, for any American company to profit from the war in Iraq through financial misconduct at the expense of the American taxpayers, and to conduct business with disdain for human rights and indifference to the honorable service and ultimate sacrifice of our military men and women,” Thompson said.
“As large defense contractors in Iraq, KBR and Halliburton should aspire to be leaders of corporate responsibility and establish standards of best practices for other companies to follow. Instead, numerous serious allegations of financial misconduct and human rights abuses have been made against both companies. These allegations are extremely troubling and, at minimum, should be investigated by a board committee of independent directors, which is exactly why the Pension Funds have filed this proposal.”
The proposal filed with KBR - a Houston, TX-based company and the largest U.S. government contractor working in Iraq - was sponsored by the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), Teachers’ Retirement System for the City of New York (TRS), New York City Police Pension Fund, New York City Fire Department Pension Fund and the New York City Board of Education Retirement System (BERS).
NYCERS and BERS sponsored the proposal submitted to Halliburton, also of Houston, TX, and another large contractor working for the U.S. government in Iraq since 2003.
The proposals note that the Defense Department and members of Congress have accused KBR and Halliburton of financial irregularities relating to the company’s contractual obligations, including inflating prices for delivered goods, overcharging and falsely charging for services not rendered.
Didn't the prosecutor, Fitzgerald, seem a bit overzealous? You don't usually see DA's lambasting the innocent-until-proven-guilty accused's morality on national TV. How could there possibly be a fair trial?
One has to wonder what exactly goes on once you are at that level - is the chosen guilty party told so before any of this crap comes down - and then compensated to 'take the hit' behind the scene's - then the rest is all just acting ??
El'Rushmo is totally out to lunch this week - his drug's must really be kicking in because he is totally twisting current events. One caller asked a very legit question: Would this financial crisis have occured if there was no 9/11?? Of course Rush said yes - 9/11 had nothing to do with this current situation - this is all the Clinton's fault...
REALLY ??
Well, one thing I'll give Michael Moore is he exposed that Iraq was/is nothing more than a huge business venture - and since "W" said that Iraq was involved with 9/11 - and he did say that - then one could state that 9/11 was a small 'down payment' in this business venture... I mean, Cheneys company did real well as was mentioned just above...
Rush also stated how bad thing's were during the early 1990's here - but he does not mention that this was during Bush Sr's reign... AND in the same breath he states that Bernie Made-off is a great man who has done nothing wrong - and he is being singled out because of his jewish faith.
All I hear is how companies are letting more and more blue collar workers go - yet it's proven that the cost of labor is minimal at best - it's the cost of the companies overhead which is really to blame.
Well, I'd keep going - but Rush is back on with a new caller - a woman named Sandra with a real southern drawl is asking Rush for his help in understanding something about the election - I think she's having a fit about the new president elect wanting to change thing's. Rush should tell her the truth - which is that nothing's gonna change... instead of that "O" is gonna get 95% of everything he want's...
Don't be afraid says Rush !!
Don't live in a cacoon !!
Don't stop listening to this program - it will make you happy and informed...
RIGHT!!
We can forget about national healthcare - because the insurance / drug companies TRULY answer to no one and are held accountable by no one - they set their rates - and that's it.
Speaking of drug's, Rush must be on speed these days - he's a nervous wreck - fidigity - tapping and hitting thing's - shuffeling papers - babbling and drooling... Yup !! He's a mahavishnu alright.
Good point, nobody's heard the tapes. We'll hear those after they are no longer important (when he's out).
and why would he choose for the U.S. Senate the Giants' wide receiver that shot himself in a nightclub?
Maybe the tapes weren't released because Fitzy knew that the evidence was weak. That way, by implying a slamdunk malicious recording, the trial in the court of public opinion could be tried before the real thing gets relegated to page C17.
The tapes are not being released because this is already old news and nobody cares.
According to Rush's fill in host - Rush is in D.C. discussing his plan to bail out the rich to jump start the economy and to tax the poor to pay for this great plan of his.
So much for the big "O" being a president for the people because El-Rushmo's now in the house...
I had a sinking feeling that nothing would change if the democrats got the presidential slot - because there are way too many special interest groups behind the scenes who are really pulling all the string's - and Rush is their 'almighty' leader.
What a sad day for the working class and poor, mind as well just pack it in and wait for the big bang...
I have to turn off this ultra right wing station - they are totally pro rich and anti poor - and to think our leaders say we live in a Christian Nation - whatever happened to helping the poor?? Wasn't this one of Christ's biggest teaching's??
Another angle is that Chicago is notoriously corrupt. This is just one example in a long, sorry history.
Also, a Republican D.A. going after a Democrat governor?
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