“Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a woman who somehow has managed to degrade further a podium behind which Ari Fleischer once stood, which I never believed was possible, even tried to sell this leaky chamber-pot to the White House press corps, saying that “countless” FBI agents had reached out about how happy they were with Comey’s dismissal. Naturally, this was of some interest to Mueller and his team, so they invited SHS in for a little chat, under oath this time. They asked her about this particular story, and this is what the report says was the answer to that question.
‘Sanders acknowledged to investigators that her comments were not founded on anything.’
There is the entire 2016 campaign and the entire administration summed up in one sentence hallowed by oath. This is a president* not founded on anything, an administration not founded on anything, and an entire government not founded on anything—a great, foul, heaving truthless mass that has been allowed to swallow up the institutions of self-government because many of the people whose responsibility it is to protect those institutions abandoned them to their own fate……
The results are in the report released by Robert Mueller and his investigators on Thursday. It is a document that shows clearly that every guardian of the republic—especially including the people themselves—surrendered it to an international criminal cabal without firing hardly a shot. Also in that report is a challenge: there is one last chance to avert the threat, and it lies with the United States Congress, and with the people who elected its members. Mueller has dropped it all in the country’s lap. He did what he could.
Subpoena them all. Put them under oath and on television. Begin impeachment inquiries on Monday. (You can have the weekend. I’m generous.) Fumigate the entire government because, what we have now, and what Mueller illustrated, is the political equivalent of a plague cell. Fumigate it. Burn its furnishings. This administration is candida auris, the anti-bacterial superbug that The New York Times tells us is running amuck in hospitals.”
Well, Candida auris is a fungus. Variants that are resistant to front-line antifungals (not anti-bacterials, which won’t affect fungi) are emerging in hospitals.
Scenario: Bottom 40% earners double wages (on average) through collective bargaining (some 50% more, most 100%, some 150%). Bottom 40% labor averages 15% of production costs. Doubling wages adds 15% to consumer prices – which bites off 15% of sales – before we factor in new sales from the newly flush 40%.
Common sense dictates that bottom 40ers spend proportionately more of their income buying bottom 40er made products – and (what I call) the mid 59% spend proportionately less on 40er prods. Let’s make that spread 20/10%. (We won’t concern ourselves with the top 1% here.)
85% of previous sales retained. Extra 10% sales from the doubled half of wages (with 15% fewer jobs) adds 8.5%. Sales retained = 93.5%. (Sales actually cascade up a bit from there as added jobs add jobs – but just a bit of eighth-grade math mind candy.)
To make sure we are not picking a sweet spot scenario:
— 10% sales lost to higher prices – 20/10% spending spread – 90% + 9% = 99% sales retained.
— 15% sales lost to higher prices – 40/20% spending spread – 85% + 17% = 102% sales retained.
— 10% sales lost to higher prices – 40/20% spending spread – 90% + 18% = 108% sales retained. (Thinking Card and Krueger anyone?)
Most of American labor can no longer reach their sweet spots. The bottom 40% is never going to reach them by being interchangeable workers in interchangeable jobs.
* * * * * *
In continental Europe, French Canada, Argentina and Indonesia, everybody doing the same kind of work in the same geographic locale may work under a single (sector wide) labor contract – union and non union employees together – thwarting the race-to-the-bottom before it starts.
* * * * * *
The only sure way to restore American labor union density to a healthy level – from today’s pathologically depressed 7% in private (non-gov) employment: Why Not Hold Union Representation Elections on a Regular Schedule? Andrew Strom — November 1st, 2017
“Republicans in Congress have already proposed a bill that would require a new election in each [private] unionized bargaining unit whenever, through turnover, expansion, or merger, a unit experiences at least 50 percent turnover. While no union would be happy about expending limited resources on regular retention elections, I think it would be hard to turn down a trade that would allow the 93% of workers who are unrepresented to have a chance to opt for unionization on a regular schedule.” https://onlabor.org/why-not-hold-union-representation-elections-on-a-regular-schedule/
When you have a flat tire, you fix it; when you have four flats you need a new set of tires. Forty-plus years of busting American unions under the unwatchful eye of the National Labor Relations Act demands a radically new return path to collective bargaining: skip organizing in private workplaces altogether; go straight to regularly scheduled union certification elections. Nothing less looks plausibly workable. Ask the 40%.
I can live with Monday.
“Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a woman who somehow has managed to degrade further a podium behind which Ari Fleischer once stood, which I never believed was possible, even tried to sell this leaky chamber-pot to the White House press corps, saying that “countless” FBI agents had reached out about how happy they were with Comey’s dismissal. Naturally, this was of some interest to Mueller and his team, so they invited SHS in for a little chat, under oath this time. They asked her about this particular story, and this is what the report says was the answer to that question.
‘Sanders acknowledged to investigators that her comments were not founded on anything.’
There is the entire 2016 campaign and the entire administration summed up in one sentence hallowed by oath. This is a president* not founded on anything, an administration not founded on anything, and an entire government not founded on anything—a great, foul, heaving truthless mass that has been allowed to swallow up the institutions of self-government because many of the people whose responsibility it is to protect those institutions abandoned them to their own fate……
The results are in the report released by Robert Mueller and his investigators on Thursday. It is a document that shows clearly that every guardian of the republic—especially including the people themselves—surrendered it to an international criminal cabal without firing hardly a shot. Also in that report is a challenge: there is one last chance to avert the threat, and it lies with the United States Congress, and with the people who elected its members. Mueller has dropped it all in the country’s lap. He did what he could.
Subpoena them all. Put them under oath and on television. Begin impeachment inquiries on Monday. (You can have the weekend. I’m generous.) Fumigate the entire government because, what we have now, and what Mueller illustrated, is the political equivalent of a plague cell. Fumigate it. Burn its furnishings. This administration is candida auris, the anti-bacterial superbug that The New York Times tells us is running amuck in hospitals.”
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a27198446/mueller-report-congress-impeachment/
https://www.justice.gov/storage/report.pdf
Link to the pdf of 448 pages
“candida auris, the anti-bacterial superbug”
Well, Candida auris is a fungus. Variants that are resistant to front-line antifungals (not anti-bacterials, which won’t affect fungi) are emerging in hospitals.
Otherwise a good post.
Scenario: Bottom 40% earners double wages (on average) through collective bargaining (some 50% more, most 100%, some 150%). Bottom 40% labor averages 15% of production costs. Doubling wages adds 15% to consumer prices – which bites off 15% of sales – before we factor in new sales from the newly flush 40%.
Common sense dictates that bottom 40ers spend proportionately more of their income buying bottom 40er made products – and (what I call) the mid 59% spend proportionately less on 40er prods. Let’s make that spread 20/10%. (We won’t concern ourselves with the top 1% here.)
85% of previous sales retained. Extra 10% sales from the doubled half of wages (with 15% fewer jobs) adds 8.5%. Sales retained = 93.5%. (Sales actually cascade up a bit from there as added jobs add jobs – but just a bit of eighth-grade math mind candy.)
To make sure we are not picking a sweet spot scenario:
— 10% sales lost to higher prices – 20/10% spending spread – 90% + 9% = 99% sales retained.
— 15% sales lost to higher prices – 40/20% spending spread – 85% + 17% = 102% sales retained.
— 10% sales lost to higher prices – 40/20% spending spread – 90% + 18% = 108% sales retained. (Thinking Card and Krueger anyone?)
Most of American labor can no longer reach their sweet spots. The bottom 40% is never going to reach them by being interchangeable workers in interchangeable jobs.
* * * * * *
There’s all ways to do things.
In Mexico — you cannot hire scabs: “when a union officially declares a strike, ‘a workplace cannot be opened.’”
https://onlabor.org/todays-news-commentary-march-4-2019/ (last item)
Interesting article on the ways Japanese labor law differentiates between employees and independent contractors – more by income level.
https://onlabor.org/employees-or-independent-contractors-insights-from-japan/
In continental Europe, French Canada, Argentina and Indonesia, everybody doing the same kind of work in the same geographic locale may work under a single (sector wide) labor contract – union and non union employees together – thwarting the race-to-the-bottom before it starts.
* * * * * *
The only sure way to restore American labor union density to a healthy level – from today’s pathologically depressed 7% in private (non-gov) employment:
Why Not Hold Union Representation Elections on a Regular Schedule? Andrew Strom — November 1st, 2017
“Republicans in Congress have already proposed a bill that would require a new election in each [private] unionized bargaining unit whenever, through turnover, expansion, or merger, a unit experiences at least 50 percent turnover. While no union would be happy about expending limited resources on regular retention elections, I think it would be hard to turn down a trade that would allow the 93% of workers who are unrepresented to have a chance to opt for unionization on a regular schedule.”
https://onlabor.org/why-not-hold-union-representation-elections-on-a-regular-schedule/
When you have a flat tire, you fix it; when you have four flats you need a new set of tires. Forty-plus years of busting American unions under the unwatchful eye of the National Labor Relations Act demands a radically new return path to collective bargaining: skip organizing in private workplaces altogether; go straight to regularly scheduled union certification elections. Nothing less looks plausibly workable. Ask the 40%.