Robert Reich: Why Work is Turning into a Nightmare

[Brigid]

Or: Fighting Over Scraps

http://www.alternet.org/robert-reich-why-work-turning-nightmare

[woo me with science]

1. K&R

[SomethingFishy]

2. K&R... Just watched his "Inequality For All"

on Netflix. Good stuff.

[Vattel]

3. In some ways we are moving forward in terms of social justice.

But with respect to economic justice, we are moving backwards.

[bvar22]

4. The Working Class/ Middle Class/ & Poor....

...have been losing ground for the last 35 years, Democrat/Republican.....
doesn't matter.

[VanillaRhapsody]

6. If you think THAT you are not paying attention!

Last edited Thu Feb 5, 2015, 08:44 PM - Edit history (2)

THIS is Democratic Underground and WE DO see the difference....

and if so...WHY are you here? If you resent Democrats as much as Republicans? This is a site to support them....there are plenty of places where the criticizing of them exist and is encouraged.....I suggest Google

[Marr]

8. Speak for yourself. /nt

[VanillaRhapsody]

12. I AM paying attention...and I CAN connect dots...

I suggest you give it a try!

[Marr]

20. Mmm- word salad!

Delicious.

[VanillaRhapsody]

22. really? I suggest you re read it then....

THIS is Democratic Underground....a site in support of Democrats!

If you are here to condemn them as equal to Republicans...then you are in violation of TOS!

[zappaman]

40. Welcome to DU!

[greatauntoftriplets]

42. Hey, it's not as bad as her last username.

[uppityperson]

43. Yup.

[jeff47]

9. My economic livelihood is greatly affected by H1B visas.

Democrats in the Senate just pushed through a massive increase in the number of H1B visas. Schumer was the main driver.

Then there's exciting Democratic free trade proposals for everyone else.

Democrats aren't as shitty as Republicans on these issues, but they're still quite shitty. We need to make our party better.

[VanillaRhapsody]

14. so its all about YOU!

sounds Libertarian to me!

[Throd]

28. So voting for your self interests is a bad thing?

Isn't that we deride Republicans for? Voting against their interests?

[VanillaRhapsody]

29. "I would like my flying car now....and since the Democrats haven't give me one yet....they suck!"

Do I have your logic correct?

Insert Sparkle Pony for flying car...if necessary!


I mean....Dammit...Democrats and President Obama haven't done a SINGLE thing that benefits you right?

[jeff47]

31. Wow do you have zero clue

There's a difference between "not getting a pony" and having the party actively work to hurt you. Democrats work too hard at hurting their constituents.

[Throd]

32. Jeff47 isn't grousing over a flying car.

It appears to be a policy that affects his quality of life. If this was a union situation, the H1B people would be derided as "scabs".

[VanillaRhapsody]

33. I understand about the H1B problem....I am also in IT!

but damn...there are LOTS of issues that are JUST or even more important right now....

Have the Democrats and President Obama done ANYTHING that have improved his or her "quality of life" or not?

[Throd]

34. If he can't pay his bills, that would be his most important problem right now.

He gets to decide which is which.

[VanillaRhapsody]

36. How do you know he "can't pay his bills"

I didn't read that....did you?

If he can't see a doctor but he has a broken leg....that would be an even WORSE problem....now wouldn't it?

[Throd]

37. I don't. However it seems to be an issue with him for some reason.

I won't speak for him. However, if you were to ask somebody about whether Democratic policies had improved someone's life and their honest answer was "no", it seems like that would upset you.

[VanillaRhapsody]

49. yes "an issue" thanks for proving my point!

its A issue....not THE issue! There are LOTS of issues....Jeebus! Its not like NOTHING has been done. Connect some dots....

What are they magic and just make Republicans disappear?

[Throd]

51. You don't get to decide for others what is "an" issue and what is "THE" issue.

You're incredibly dismissive of other people's problems if they don't conform to your template. Supporting Democratic politicians and policies doesn't include mindlessly cheering any turd with a "D" logo slapped on it.

[VanillaRhapsody]

78. But WE are a Party....not just "rugged individualists" remember?

there are LOTS of issues...some are more pressing than others.

So like I said....I didn't get my flying car yet....that means everything sucks until i do!

[jeff47]

30. Nope. It's an example.

It's an example showing that Democrats have been ignoring their constituents for quite a long time now. Instead, they've been relying on your favorite slogan, "Not as bad!"

[appalachiablue]

71. +10.

[BrotherIvan]

13. What's the weather like on your planet?

[VanillaRhapsody]

16. the weather on my planet?

why do you ask? What planet are YOU from?

[BrotherIvan]

17. My name is Ivan and I come from the planet called "Earth"

It is pronounced URTH. Greetings!

[VanillaRhapsody]

19. Well isn't that interesting...that makes us neighbors....

I guess that means the weather on my planet is the same as yours!

[BrotherIvan]

23. Venus or Mars?

Peace neighbor!

[VanillaRhapsody]

27. Neither....

I breathe air.

[bvar22]

15. I've been in the Working Class for over 50 years.

I can remember when GOOD jobs with GOOD pay, Benefits, and Job Security were easy to find.

I KNOW who sold out America's Working Class, and they are busy selling out the last vestiges of America's Working Class right now as we speak.

I'm out of it now.... just made it.
Retired, own property & house, no debt,
but I don't believe those that are coming up now will be able to do that.

[VanillaRhapsody]

18. And?

then again...WHY are YOU here?

this is a site in SUPPORT of Democrats....perhaps you took a wrong turn at Albuquerque?

There are other sites that encourage you to criticize Dems....I suggest you Google them!

[bvar22]

25. I am here BECAUSE I am a Democrat.

I do not vote for Republicans.
I don't send them money.
I don't campaign for them.
I don't like them.
Why should they listen to me?


I HAVE been a Democrat for 46 years.
I joined the Party of the Working Class.. The Party of FDR and LBJ.
I give money to the Democrats.
I campaign for Democrats.
I canvas and help GOTV for the Democrats.
I EXPECT to have a voice in my Party.

After 46 years, I have EARNED the right to point out my Party's shortcomings,
and to express my displeasure with the direction the Party has taken since BIll Clinton signed NAFTA, and no keyboard warrior is going to infringe upon that.


Now run along and play.

[VanillaRhapsody]

26. Just voting against Republicans doesn't make one a Democrat ....sorry!

are you pledged to vote for whomever the Dems select in their primary election?

I am guessing no!

So there you go...you ONLY vote against Republicans and cannot fully get behind the Democratic party...so NO you are not one!

If you cannot make that pledge to your fellow Democrats...you are no longer one...I don't care how long...

[think]

38. Hell no. If a candidate sucks on the issues I'll use my freedom of choice. Thank you.

Pledging to a party regardless of the issues is ridiculous and fool hearty.....

[VanillaRhapsody]

46. You see...its not about YOU!...its about supporting the DECISION of your fellow Democrats!

[think]

50. No. It's about quality leadership and choosing to lead appropriately. Marching lockstep is a GOP

mantra.

I could care less about following a party if they aren't providing quality leadership.

If you're looking for blind obedience please feel free to check out the GOP. They love pledges. Just ask Grover Norquist.

The Incredible Life Of Grover Norquist, The Man Behind The GOP's Famous Tax Pledge

BRETT LOGIURATO / DEC. 1, 2012, 6:59 PM

~Snip~

The pledge has been signed by all but 16 of the incoming Republican members of the House of Representatives — and all but 12 of Republicans currently in Congress.

The key component of Republicans' willingness to compromise in any deal, however, includes capping deductions and/or closing loopholes in the tax code — two moves that would violate Norquist's pledge. That has led many Republican heavyweights to begin wavering on the pledge.

Norquist has pushed back this week with a series of television appearances, saying that Republicans will have to answer to constituents — not him — if they break the pledge.

~Snip~

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-grover-norquist-pledge-signers-list-fiscal-cliff-republicans-tax-2012-11?op=1#ixzz3QvdNXiAN

[VanillaRhapsody]

63. Its about an election we call our PRIMARY...where WE decide what that is...

Left Leaning Independents do not have to like it...

[think]

67. "You're either with us or you're with the enemy"

Look where all that lock step thinking got us....

[NaturalHigh]

59. Do you support all of the decisions of your fellow Democrats?

For example, a great number of Democrats agree with the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, as does the Democratic party platform. Do you support that?

Your replies in this thread have been insulting.

[VanillaRhapsody]

60. Lets look at it this way...

A primary election or electoral college is an election that narrows the field of candidates before an election for office. Primary elections are one means by which a political party or a political alliance nominates candidates for an upcoming general election or by-election.

Primaries are common in the United States, where their origins are traced to the progressive movement to take the power of candidate nomination from party leaders to the people.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_election


You either support the party....which means the MEMBERS ....or you dont


Do you believe in Unions?

[VanillaRhapsody]

47. Honest to GOD do you not know what a Democratic Primary election IS?

Do you believe in Unions by the way?

I am not guessing by the way....if you are NOT supporting whomever your fellow Democrats choose in a Democratic Primary election...YOU are an Independent by default!

[scarletwoman]

53. As if I would ever bother justifying myself to the likes of you. nt

[VanillaRhapsody]

54. Rioooght....

says the person that just lost the argument!

[TheKentuckian]

45. You are utterly impotent in dictating who is what and a joke with the lame Grand Inquisitior act.

An ongoing self mockery and a negative for anything you claim to be for because of it.

[VanillaRhapsody]

48. Its not about being a dictator....its about supporting your fellow Democrats decision...

do you believe in Unions?

[TheKentuckian]

74. Yup and when leadership makes a bum deal I see no obligation to vote yes.

I could vote that turkey down over and over no matter how leadership pushes it and vice versa.

When it is time to vote for leadership one can go their own way no matter how popular the favorite is.

[VanillaRhapsody]

79. tough...we are a party...not a bunch of "rugged individualists"...

this is not Libertarian Underground....there are LOTS of issues....and Rome wasn't built in a day.

[NaturalHigh]

52. Your version of a political party kind of sounds like a cult.

I was watching a show about Scientology earlier. Your rants are similar to theirs.

[VanillaRhapsody]

55. Its not a cult....its a party

do you believe in Unions?

Your rants sort of sound like an Left Leaning Independent....or Libertarian...

[NaturalHigh]

56. Yes, I believe in unions...

and I believe that I own my vote. It has to be earned.

[VanillaRhapsody]

57. Yeah....that is what Unions do too...whether you like it or not....

this is a UNION of Democrats...and we have something called a Primary ELECTION....where WE decide who we support.

UNITED (as in UNION) we stand...divided we fall. One for all and all for ONE!

[NaturalHigh]

61. Have it your way.

When I go in the booth, I'll vote my conscience, and I won't be consulting you for your opinion. I don't subscribe to the Borg-like way of thinking that you seem to want.

[VanillaRhapsody]

62. then just like I said...YOU are an Independent...

Independent....NOT Dependable....its elementary my dear!

[NaturalHigh]

65. That works for me.

I've always been a registered Democrat, but I'm fine with being called an Independent.

I notice that you didn't answer any of my questions, as is your wont. You might notice that you don't garner much support with rants and insults.

Now goodbye.

[VanillaRhapsody]

66. And THIS is Democratic Underground....

I have addressed your questions....you just don't like the answers...

[NaturalHigh]

68. You are welcome to report me to the administrators...

if you think I don't belong here.

[VanillaRhapsody]

69. I didn't say that....its just that Independents....are not Democrats....

we are here for a reason.....your gripes with the party....are not so significant now. You marginalized yourself...

[appalachiablue]

70. +10.

[Ramses]

64. you are talking with someone/thing this is doing performance art

Notice closely who comes in a supports this. The goal is to get hides on members here, not for any type of discourse

[WillyT]

41. Um... Robert Reich Was The Secretary Of Labor Under Clinton... I Thought You Were A Democrat.

You... of all people, should know that.

Robert Bernard Reich (/ˈraɪʃ/;[1] born June 24, 1946) is an American political economist, professor, author, and political commentator. He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and was Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich

[MoonRiver]

76. I interpreted his post to indicate that people in both parties are losing ground.

Unfortunately poor/unemployed people who continue to vote for the Republics despite overwhelming evidence that they are hurting them, drag the rest of us down.

[tularetom]

77. Just because a politician calls him or herself a "Democrat"

doesn't mean they support the traditional role of the Democratic party.

Looking back at the Clinton administration, for example, it's beginning to appear more and more like an extension of the Reagan/Bush Sr. era. Policies adopted in the late 90's are partially responsible for the recession that occurred in 2008.

[VanillaRhapsody]

80. Yeah lets take a look.....but you want to take a myopic look....

not the complete picture....

[VanillaRhapsody]

5. So how do we stop this trend....if technology is driving it?

[Octafish]

7. Great article, even if he doesn't mention debt peonage for college.

Every. Word. Gold.

There are still only twenty-four hours in a day. When "downtime" is turned into work time, and that work time is unpredictable and low-paid, what happens to personal relationships? Family? One's own health?...But the biggest economic challenge we face isn't using people more efficiently. It's allocating work and the gains from work more decently.

Thank you, Brigid!

PS: Hope he runs for President.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. The society based on production is only productive, not creative. Albert Camus

[nationalize the fed]

11. Meet ChihiraAico

The mass replacement of workers by droids is coming like an autonomous freight train and there is little to no discussion of what to do about it.

But that's not new, those who shoved NAFTA down the throats of the American people knew that the reasonably high paying manufacturing jobs would disappear. "Flip Hamburgers or sell insurance" they said. (they actually said that.) Well soon droids will be flipping hamburgers and selling insurance.

A receptionist that doesn't take breaks or need health insurance. And that's just the start.

There are 330 million people that will all of a sudden not be needed for anything but to pay taxes they can't pay because they have no work at all.

[nichomachus]

21. Right now, in large companies

About one-third of the work force is "contingent," i.e. Not regular employes, but temps, contractors, etc., who are let go when the task or project they're working on is either completed or reaches a certain stage. In some of these companies, it's as high as 50 percent -- and employers want to bring it even higher.

I have been doing research on this. And it's not a secret. Execs love to brag about how they "drive out cost."

One common term for these workers is "statement of work" workers -- or SOWs.

[Art_from_Ark]

35. "Statement of work" workers

A term that was contrived, no doubt, because it fit the acronym SOW.

[appalachiablue]

72. +10. No certainty or security. High tech autocratic feudalism. Not much life.

[WillyT]

24. Thank You Doctor Reich !!! - That's Why I Posted THIS Earlier This Year:

DULink: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024353349



& Rec !!!

[ND-Dem]

58. "Amazon takes a healthy cut of every transaction." = OH, what a fucking surprise.

This is the logical culmination of a process that began thirty years ago when corporations began turning over full-time jobs to temporary workers, independent contractors, free-lancers, and consultants.

It was a way to shift risks and uncertainties onto the workers - work that might entail more hours than planned for, or was more stressful than expected.

And a way to circumvent labor laws that set minimal standards for wages, hours, and working conditions. And that enabled employees to join together to bargain for better pay and benefits.

The new on-demand work shifts risks entirely onto workers, and eliminates minimal standards completely.


I hope Jeff Bezos dies a terrible death. I wondered who was responsible for "Mechanical Turk". It figures that ugly little baldie is. He looks like he came from another planet.

[WillyT]

73. Kick !!!

[Blue_Tires]

75. kick