Obama needs to bail out workers

[Forkboy]

By Derrick Z. Jackson

HAVING rolled out Warren Buffett and the economic wizards and Hillary Clinton and the security squad, President-elect Obama needs a press conference to roll out Joe the Plumber. No, not that Joe! That was bipartisanship over the edge when we discovered he was unlicensed, owed back taxes, had no business plan, would have done better under Obama's tax plan than John McCain's, and then campaigned with McCain to call Obama a socialist.

I'm talking about the Joes in chemical plants, the Janes in food plants, the Jamilas on service-center keyboards, and the Josés on construction sites.

One of the Bush administration's final gifts to American workers is a rule to make it even more difficult to prove the dangers of workplace chemicals. Instead of regulating a chemical based on basic human risk to its exposure, the administration would add a requirement that risk data must first be compiled industry-by-industry. The New York Times reported this week that "Administration officials acknowledge that such data did not always exist."

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/12/02/obama_needs_to_bail_out_workers/

[xchrom]

1. i love ya forkboy -- but the author of this article knows -- nobody bailed out

warren buffett.

now did he take advantage of the bail-out?

that's a serious critique of the article. -- they pick out warren -- why? -- it would be like pikcking out martha.

[Forkboy]

3. I agree about the bail out part, but suspect he chose Buffet because he's so high profile...

..in economic circles, and is a name we all know on top of that.

Jackson is one of the better opinion writers I've read, but he isn't perfect. Sometimes the pieces seem a bit rushed. I had the feeling this one was too when I read it, but felt it was good to post anyways because the overriding message is important.

How are you doing? :hi:

[xchrom]

8. i'm fine -- while watching my equity crash around my ears.

but i suspect it will all work out.

[Forkboy]

9. Sorry to hear that.

I hope things turn around for you and everyone in your situation.

[FrenchieCat]

2. In other words, Opinion writer wants Obama to stop Bush......

Although he already tried.

There are certain limitations on being President Elect, if you've got a President still in the White House bent on continuing to do damage on his way out.....knowing full well that Obama can't do much but some yelling at Bush in the meantime.

Too bad Derrick Z. Jackson didn't address the article to Bush.....and called it, "Bush is screwing Joe the worker on his way out".

But I guess Mr. Jackson can only make demands of anyone other than the real culprit, although he writes articles read by hundreds of thousands.

[Forkboy]

4. You should read Jackson more often.

He's one of the best left wing opinion writers we have. I think you missed the overriding point of the piece.

[FrenchieCat]

5. I understand, and I agree that Bush is doing damage on his way out......

and Writer wants Obama to call him out on it.

I'm just saying that with a couple of extra pen strokes, he could have called Bush out himself more forcefully, instead of making Obama as responsible for Bush's actions as Bush.

[Forkboy]

7. And I understand that point.

:toast:

[rvablue]

6. If you read the NYT front page article on Sunday....

you will find that Obama and many others are doing their damndest already to try and stop this.

After reading this article, for the umpteenth time during the past 8 years, I just shake my head and wonder what the hell is going on.....I wonder if anyone in power RIGHT NOW in the Bush administration has a soul........

:scared:

[The_Casual_Observer]

10. The only way they would bail out working people is if things got so bad

that they feared an uprising/revolt/revolution. Even then, the bailout would involve backbreaking
hard ass WPA road building projects or something.