American Labor #299
By Hank Silverberg
Commentary
It's time again to celebrate the American worker.
Many others work for modest income because they are doing something they like. They are giving back to society because they either enjoy it, or feel obligated to do it. Teachers, Firefighters, Journalists and Social Workers come to mind here.
But this week it doesn't matter if you are a bricklayer, doctor, or nuclear physicist.
Your labor is being celebrated.
This week also celebrate the right to collective bargaining. Unions took a big hit during the early part of this century, with many people forgetting their historical importance over the last two centuries.
Unions, as a bargaining unit or as a unit with leverage, gave our great-grandparents or grandparents the 40 day work week, relatively safe workplaces, a restriction on child labor, a federal minimum wage (which now needs to be raised again), and in many cases, health benefits partially paid by your employer.
If you traveled this weekend you most likely saw at least one construction site. American labor built bridges, tunnels, airports, highways, hospitals and schools. Our entire society was built by American labor, either the actual builder or someone else who does other kinds of work and pays the taxes to construct our society.
We hear a lot this election season about lifting people out of poverty and bulking up the middle class. But the politicians don't do this. The American worker does.
Remember this when some politician makes a promise to make your life better: he or she may suggest ideas and allocate some of our tax dollars to fund it, but it is the American Worker who will make your life better.
News You May Have Missed/Commentary
Much has been made here in the United States about the anti-Israel protests which have taken on a terribly nasty anti-Semitic tone. It all centers on the war in Gaza, which by any measure has produced heavy casualties on both sides in an endless, tragic saga that has no apparent end or solution.
What has not been reported much is the growing anti-war protests within Israel. Tens of thousands of Israelis crowded the streets on Sunday night after six more Israeli hostages were found dead in Gaza. The protestors were chanting "Now, Now!" about bringing the remaining 100 or so hostages home. But the target of the protest was not Hamas or Palestinians in general. It was right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whom they blame for his inability to reach a cease-fire agreement. A big work stoppage is also planned this week for the same reason.
At the same time, there is growing violence on the West Bank, mainly because of Netanyahu's aggressive settlement policies which have put more Jews in the midst of the Arab population where they are not welcome.
Hamas, of course, has been uncooperative with any cease-fire agreement, and may be so decimated that agreeing on one may be impossible.
The line between combatant and civilian has never been clear in Gaza, where Hamas uses its own population as cannon fodder.
Leadership on the two sides remain far apart. And at the same time, Hamas ally Hezbollah has been raining rockets down on northern Israel at a steady pace, dislocating thousands of people and increasing the death toll in Israel.
Netanyahu is caught in a hard place. If he weakens his stand on Hamas, the hard-right coalition that put him in power will likely collapse, something that has never happened in Israel during a war. His political future was in doubt before the war and will not likely last long when and if the war ends.
The entire mess has Jews and Palestinians killing each other in horrific numbers, while the real villain in all this--the government of Iran--sits back and relishes in the chaos. Iran continues to provide more arms to both Hamas and Hezbollah and is stirring up trouble wherever and whenever it can.
I wish I had a solution. I don't.
All this puts the United States in a rough position while our diplomats try to mediate a cease-fire. The United States will never abandon Israel, despite cries from conservative Jewish groups in the U.S. that such support is waning. But at the same time, all of us can't help but abhor the death toll on both sides.
News You Can Use!
Election fraud of a different kind is cropping up all around the country right now. It's not an attempt to
What they want is personal data, like your Social Security number, phone number, address, or even your passwords.
Fake voter registration links are the most common approach. Here's what to watch out for:
Someone claims you are not registered to vote, and tries to get you to re-register over the phone. None of the 50 states, nor DC, allow you to register to vote that way. There is an online way to to it, but the best thing is to go in person to the local election office, or in some states to the DMV, where they handle the forms. If you do go online, use unsolicited links.
Sometimes you will be encouraged to register at an event, like a festival or farmer's market. They will want you to fill out the forms right there. Don't do that. Take the forms home and then deliver them to the election office or DMV personally, or mail them in to the elections office. There are too many eyes at that table who can steal your information, even if it is a legitimate voter registration drive.
On other election issues: Be suspicious of all robocalls supposedly from a candidate or donation site. One tactic to prevent you from voting is a robocall telling you that your voting place has been changed. Call the local elections office to check that one out.
Secondly, cybercriminals are using fake audio of candidates to get campaign contributions, or an actual human call encouraging you to donate. They can also come as texts or emails. Check out certified sites online or check with the local campaign office of your candidate on how to donate.
Robocalls can also be used to steal your money. If you get one of these calls, just hang up. Cybercriminals can use just a few seconds of your recorded voice to recreate it and use your voice to authenticate a call to your bank or credit card company.
Finally there are those annoying polls or surveys that hit your phone almost every day now. Be careful there, too. A legitimate poll may ask your political affiliation, your age and race. But that's as far as it should go on personal information. Do not provide them with address, email address, Social Security number or birthday. A legitimate poll won't ask for those. And it's a good idea to avoid answering any question about your annual income. Scammers look for people with money in the bank.
You can find out more from the AARP warning in the link below.
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2024/election-season-scams.html
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
This week's dumb quote comes from Chris LaCivita, Donald Trump's Campaign Manager.
He was trying to justify Mr. Trump 's clear violation of federal law about political activities at Arlington National Cemetery, claiming that a female employee of the Department of Defense who tried to stop the politicking at a grave site was wrong.
“For a despicable individual to physically prevent President Trump’s team from accompanying him to this solemn event is a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hollowed [sic] grounds of Arlington National Cemetery. Whoever this individual is spreading these lies are dishonoring the men and women of our armed forces, and they are disrespecting everyone who paid the price for defending our country,”
Sorry, buddy. The Army totally backed the employee pointing out the federal law. It was Trump who was breaking the rules and dishonoring the same war dead he was supposedly there to honor. It doesn't matter if he was invited. Some of the graves shown in pictures of Trump and his party, were not related to the people who invited him. Arlington National Cemetery has very strict rules about what happens at gravesites. Every reporter and politician in D.C. knows that, and private citizens are told that as they enter. As usual, Trump thinks laws don't apply to him.
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