Every time I think I have seen the worst of them, I get my mind changed. Add in his cousin and that is quite the family.
“Monsters of 2020: Sonny Perdue
He spent the year campaigning for Trump while harming poor people and food workers during a pandemic
Then there were the full-on MAGA-bots like, say, Sonny Perdue, Georgia politician and agribusiness entrepreneur who became agriculture secretary. He spent his 2020 like he spent the other years of his Washington stint: flattering his boss at every opportunity, and lavishing largesse on political allies while undercutting poor people and food-system workers.
Perdue is a kind of an easy-going Southern version of the president he served so zealously. Like Trump, he’s a former Democrat who ascended to political power (in Perdue’s case, Georgia governor) in a stunning 2002 upset. As governor, from 2003 until 2011, he celebrated the state’s legacy of chattel slavery—signing 2009 legislation making April “Confederate History and Heritage Month,” honoring the “more than 90,000 brave men and women who served the Confederate States of America.” He was an early adopter of race-motivated voter suppression, signing into law one of the nation’s first “strict” ID laws.
Purdue’s voter-fraud myth turned legislation merged with another racist
fantasy, also fervently indulged by Trump, that undocumented immigrants
burden taxpayers by siphoning welfare benefits. “It is simply unacceptable for people to sneak into this country illegally on Thursday, obtain a government-issued ID on Friday, head for the welfare office on Monday, and cast a vote on Tuesday,” he declared, backing up his false and harsh words with a crackdown on undocumented workers. His anti-immigrant machinations worked all too well, creating a crippling labor shortage for Georgia’s immigrant-dependent farms and poultry slaughterhouses.”
CROSS-POSTED FROM DEAN BAKERS “BEAT THE PRESS” SITE
Around 1960, I was a New York Post paperboy in the Bronx. I got a new route which for several reasons had the potential to get a lot of new customers. I figured the surest way to win them would be to give them a week free — but (the big but) I also realized that they would be reluctant to get “involved” with some 16 year old going from door to door. So I brainstormed it (got from a Reader’s Digest piece) and came up with free coupons.
Now, it was a different psychology. When they opened the door I stuck the coupon in their hand and said: “This coupon entitles you to a free week of the New York Post.” Now they had money to spend in only one place — and they handed it back to me. 😉
* * * * * *
I see an equivalent glitch in selling Andrew Strom’s proposal for regularly scheduled union ballots at every private workplace. Some deep social instinct tells us (tells most people anyway; myself, I am never short of grandiosity when it comes to thing I can sell something) that if nobody else isn’t talking about something, it’s a waste of time (don’t give it a second thought) trying to talk about it: an endless loop apparently.
My latest ploy to get around that is to paint “everybody else” in a corner and show them there is nothing left but unions and no way left than mandated elections. Briefly, I say EITC transfers a measly 2% of income while 40% of workers earn less than what we think should be the minimum wage — and — that the minimum wage cannot be pegged any higher than the lousiest labor contract (raise as high as 7% labor costs Walmart could pay employees and you put 25% labor costs McDonald’s out of business — and everyone in between).
I just posted a link from a post on my own blog — or tried to — instead this program actually posted the entirety of what my blog post said — not just the link. Reminds me of the other day when I tried to post a couple of links to amusing Christmas Youtubes and the opening pics of the videos appeared themselves.
Also accidentally discovered how to get around this comment program not allowing two paragraphs (for instance) to be follow each other without a space in between. Just write the post on another program that does allow — and copy and paste over here. That should bring said capability with it — so you can write more here.
anne
December 30, 2020 12:25 pm
Around 1960, I was a New York Post paperboy in the Bronx….
[ I can find no such post by Dean Baker using Google. Please post the reference link. ]
Arne
December 30, 2020 2:17 pm
Denis,
I don’t feel painted into a corner. Frankly, I just gloss over “the minimum wage cannot be pegged any higher than the lousiest labor contract.” I am not sure I believe it, but even if you are right, if McDonalds can’t afford to pay a living wage, perhaps it should be out of business.
On Dean Baker’s blog you sometimes have to wait for the moderator to get around to okaying it — maybe if you include links (sort of like more than three links on AB) — sometimes seems like in no hurry.
Be interesting to see now if when I post a link the whole column show up?
I appreciate the link and explanation about waiting at times at cepr.net for moderator acceptance. I have the reference and context now, and as always appreciated your thoughtful writing.
Thank you.
Ron (RC) Weakley (a.k.a., Darryl for a while at EV)
[It is a link to a NY Times article that the Post Comment God blocked when I tried the plain text link and an excerpt a second time after posting it previously on the Covid dashboard for 12/29 thread.]
run75441
January 3, 2021 11:28 am
Ron:
It is how you are C & P-ing. Fixed!
Ron (RC) Weakley (a.k.a., Darryl for a while at EV)
January 3, 2021 10:59 am
Oh that worked well – NOT!
Ron (RC) Weakley (a.k.a., Darryl for a while at EV)
January 3, 2021 1:01 pm
Run,
Thanks.
****************************************
All,
The link is to a worthwhile read prepared by the NY Times editorial board. A year ago I had already formed expectations that we would by now be facing precisely the circumstances which we now face. However, not everyone saw this coming. Difficult logistics are involved that are complicated by gross incompetence and various political constraints that compel the policy making food chain to choke when needed most. OTOH, cold weather has more to do with this than a shortage of vaccine, although vaccine shelf life is becoming an additional constraint. Remember that vaccine is injected into bare skin making outdoor clinics unlikely before spring except in our warmest states. Not all states are created equal in terms of respiratory contagions nor available venues for mass vaccination. Add to that a higher likelihood of refusal in some southern states and the conundrum grows with hyperbolic excitement.
Every time I think I have seen the worst of them, I get my mind changed. Add in his cousin and that is quite the family.
“Monsters of 2020: Sonny Perdue
He spent the year campaigning for Trump while harming poor people and food workers during a pandemic
Then there were the full-on MAGA-bots like, say, Sonny Perdue, Georgia politician and agribusiness entrepreneur who became agriculture secretary. He spent his 2020 like he spent the other years of his Washington stint: flattering his boss at every opportunity, and lavishing largesse on political allies while undercutting poor people and food-system workers.
Perdue is a kind of an easy-going Southern version of the president he served so zealously. Like Trump, he’s a former Democrat who ascended to political power (in Perdue’s case, Georgia governor) in a stunning 2002 upset. As governor, from 2003 until 2011, he celebrated the state’s legacy of chattel slavery—signing 2009 legislation making April “Confederate History and Heritage Month,” honoring the “more than 90,000 brave men and women who served the Confederate States of America.” He was an early adopter of race-motivated voter suppression, signing into law one of the nation’s first “strict” ID laws.
Purdue’s voter-fraud myth turned legislation merged with another racist
fantasy, also fervently indulged by Trump, that undocumented immigrants
burden taxpayers by siphoning welfare benefits. “It is simply unacceptable for people to sneak into this country illegally on Thursday, obtain a government-issued ID on Friday, head for the welfare office on Monday, and cast a vote on Tuesday,” he declared, backing up his false and harsh words with a crackdown on undocumented workers. His anti-immigrant machinations worked all too well, creating a crippling labor shortage for Georgia’s immigrant-dependent farms and poultry slaughterhouses.”
https://www.motherjones.com…
CROSS-POSTED FROM DEAN BAKERS “BEAT THE PRESS” SITE
Around 1960, I was a New York Post paperboy in the Bronx. I got a new route which for several reasons had the potential to get a lot of new customers. I figured the surest way to win them would be to give them a week free — but (the big but) I also realized that they would be reluctant to get “involved” with some 16 year old going from door to door. So I brainstormed it (got from a Reader’s Digest piece) and came up with free coupons.
Now, it was a different psychology. When they opened the door I stuck the coupon in their hand and said: “This coupon entitles you to a free week of the New York Post.” Now they had money to spend in only one place — and they handed it back to me. 😉
* * * * * *
I see an equivalent glitch in selling Andrew Strom’s proposal for regularly scheduled union ballots at every private workplace. Some deep social instinct tells us (tells most people anyway; myself, I am never short of grandiosity when it comes to thing I can sell something) that if nobody else isn’t talking about something, it’s a waste of time (don’t give it a second thought) trying to talk about it: an endless loop apparently.
My latest ploy to get around that is to paint “everybody else” in a corner and show them there is nothing left but unions and no way left than mandated elections. Briefly, I say EITC transfers a measly 2% of income while 40% of workers earn less than what we think should be the minimum wage — and — that the minimum wage cannot be pegged any higher than the lousiest labor contract (raise as high as 7% labor costs Walmart could pay employees and you put 25% labor costs McDonald’s out of business — and everyone in between).
My latest spam on the topic can be found here:
https://ontodayspage.blogspot.com/2020/10/could-card-check-have-saved-us-unions.html
I just posted a link from a post on my own blog — or tried to — instead this program actually posted the entirety of what my blog post said — not just the link. Reminds me of the other day when I tried to post a couple of links to amusing Christmas Youtubes and the opening pics of the videos appeared themselves.
Also accidentally discovered how to get around this comment program not allowing two paragraphs (for instance) to be follow each other without a space in between. Just write the post on another program that does allow — and copy and paste over here. That should bring said capability with it — so you can write more here.
Around 1960, I was a New York Post paperboy in the Bronx….
[ I can find no such post by Dean Baker using Google. Please post the reference link. ]
Denis,
I don’t feel painted into a corner. Frankly, I just gloss over “the minimum wage cannot be pegged any higher than the lousiest labor contract.” I am not sure I believe it, but even if you are right, if McDonalds can’t afford to pay a living wage, perhaps it should be out of business.
Anne,
On Dean Baker’s blog you sometimes have to wait for the moderator to get around to okaying it — maybe if you include links (sort of like more than three links on AB) — sometimes seems like in no hurry.
Be interesting to see now if when I post a link the whole column show up?
https://cepr.net/end-of-the-year-thoughts-on-inequality-and-its-remedies/
Denis Drew,
I appreciate the link and explanation about waiting at times at cepr.net for moderator acceptance. I have the reference and context now, and as always appreciated your thoughtful writing.
Thank you.
We Came All This Way to Let Vaccines Go Bad in the Freezer?
[It is a link to a NY Times article that the Post Comment God blocked when I tried the plain text link and an excerpt a second time after posting it previously on the Covid dashboard for 12/29 thread.]
Ron:
It is how you are C & P-ing. Fixed!
Oh that worked well – NOT!
Run,
Thanks.
****************************************
All,
The link is to a worthwhile read prepared by the NY Times editorial board. A year ago I had already formed expectations that we would by now be facing precisely the circumstances which we now face. However, not everyone saw this coming. Difficult logistics are involved that are complicated by gross incompetence and various political constraints that compel the policy making food chain to choke when needed most. OTOH, cold weather has more to do with this than a shortage of vaccine, although vaccine shelf life is becoming an additional constraint. Remember that vaccine is injected into bare skin making outdoor clinics unlikely before spring except in our warmest states. Not all states are created equal in terms of respiratory contagions nor available venues for mass vaccination. Add to that a higher likelihood of refusal in some southern states and the conundrum grows with hyperbolic excitement.