July 30, 2013

GO, LADY BERNIE!

I know many of you thought I was ranting a bit much about my boredom with the royal baby. And I must admit, creating that petition to major news outlets to ask them to stop the incessant coverage was a bit much even for me. (Is Big Bad Bun the blabbermouth know-it-all admitting that she was wrong--or at least overboard on a subject?) I'm actually glad that the press died down fairly soon in non-tabloid journalism. (Is the queen of preachy gloom and doom actually being positive and...gulp...grateful now?) Well, occasionally common sense will penetrate even my massive wigs and into my thick skull. Bitches, don't get used to it! Then I watched this clip about who is opposing the minimum wage increase that Obama says he wants. It's big businesses like Walmart. Bernie Sanders explains how much stake a company Walmart has in keeping wages low so that it's profits remain astronomical. The combined wealth of the Walmart heirs equals more than 40 per cent of what the rest of the US makes combined. And the wages that the retail giant pays employees are so low that Walmart employees are all forced to be on welfare. That means that you and I are subsidizing the superstore by paying for it's workers' benefits every time we pay taxes. (And anyone who shops there directly subsidizes them, too.) The republicans want to abolish minimum wage and would gladly take advantage of unemployment to hire us for $3 an hour if they could. And many/most of Congress are bought by Walmart and other stores with similar agendas. Need I add that if their employees were making more they'd be spending more, and helping the entire economy? This is what kills me about the royal baby brouhaha. Our nation's founders were sick of the concept of a monarchy, and of a ruling class which reigned over everyone else. Now, though we like to spout off about equality for all and the American Dream, corruption has brought this very system we sought to leave in England back to us. Walmart pays the elected officials who are supposed to represent average americans to keep us poor while making a tremendous fortune. Look, if Walmart is providing a good product at a good price and they've become huge, then more power to them. That's the American Dream. But if they've achieved this by shafting their workers, that ain't gonna work. Ask yourselves if you'd rather have Walmart and similar giants pay it's workers a decent wage or if you'd like to continue as taxpayers footing the bill for their employees' Medicaid, housing subsidies and food stamps. And ask yourselves if the 4.4% unemployment rate and higher wages in Bernie Sanders' state of Vermont might be good for the rest of the country. I don't see how your answer could be no. Please check this short but very informative interview out. The president is actually trying to be progressive for a change. Help him and you'll help yourselves!