Category Archives: U.S.

Business/Economics, Opinion, U.S.

Despite bad economy 1 in 3 U.S. workers hate their job so much they want to quit, careers offer diminishing returns

“From the employee viewpoint, not only has the deal been redefined, in many cases, the new deal is not being delivered as promised.”-Mercer

In a report from human resource company Mercer, one in three workers in the United States hate their job so much they would rather quit and take their chances being unemployed.

One of my daughters works for a local Home Depot store, and they have employees quitting almost weekly.  And the local job market really sucks.  By the way, she really likes working at the local Home Depot and thinks there are other issues regarding those employees who quit.

But I’ve been amazed at how many people quit their jobs in these bad times, and the times are getting worse.

According to Mercer, the main reason for employees hating their jobs, is actually part of our economic problem; decreasing pay/benefits, cuts in work hours and the realization that their jobs are dead end careers.  When adjusted for inflation, the average U.S. worker is making $400 a year less than in 1988.  Why bust your butt for diminishing returns?

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? United Nations says government cut backs making things worse

“Austerity measures in response to high government debt in some advanced economies, such as Greece and Spain, are not only threatening public sector employment and social expenditure, but also making the recovery more uncertain and fragile.”-UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

The UN is warning that cuts in government spending will only make the global economy worse.  This comes a week after the International Monetary Fund said the economic crisis was now in the political phase, meaning the private sector had failed.

Interestingly the UN is also blaming the bad economy on global lenders like the IMF.

 

Opinion, U.S.

The U.S. IS a Police State: TSA VIPR Teams could be visiting your home, new war on immigrants

Think the Transportation Security Administration is on the look out for terrorists?  Going by their track record, the TSA is actually working for Immigration, and your home town could be next.

Recently, TSA Administrator John Pistole testified in front of a U.S. Senate committee.  His testimony revealed that the TSA is not conducting searches for terrorists, but instead is helping the Border Patrol, and Immigration & Customs agencies looks for illegal immigrants, under the guise of fighting terrorism.

Not only that, but the searches, carried out by VIPR teams (Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response), are seemingly random and take place anywhere in the country.  As many as 8,000 VIPR searches were conducted last year, and included train stations and public transportation systems that are not involved in international travel.

In one case, at a Georgia train station, the VIPR team set up a false luggage claim area and told Hispanic passengers they had to go through the security screening area to get their luggage.  The VIPR team then had the people pull up their shirts, including the females, and frisked them, including the breasts of the females, right in front of other passengers getting off the train.  VIPR team officials said passengers were told they did not have to be screened, but witnesses said VIPR set up the baggage claim so you had no choice.  On top of that it turns out the baggage was actually in another location.

In San Diego, California, VIPR teams went on a rampage of supposedly random searches of public transportation vehicles, looking for Hispanic teenagers.  Local media reports as many as 20 teenagers, on their way to school, were deported.  Many of those teens’ family live in San Diego, not Mexico.  Several teens immediately came back to San Diego because they have visas.

Sounds like a lot of money is being spent on something with little return for the investment.  But that’s one more issue: TSA boss John Pistole (is that last name fitting for a Police State boss, or what?) was before the Senate because he’s asking for more of your taxpayer money, for more VIPR teams.

Currently there are 25 VIPR teams conducting random searches within the United States.  The TSA wants 12 more teams.  What happened to the TSA’s job of making sure transportation was safe, as in properly maintain vehicles and trained operators?

There are reports that semi-trucks are now being pulled over by VIPR teams, and that you, in your personal car could be pulled over in the future.

Fukushima, U.S.

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Radioactive Tritium leaking from U.S. nuclear reactors

A year long study of U.S. government documents, by the Associated Press, has revealed that radioactive tritium is leaking into groundwater.

Documents show that at least 48 nuclear plants in the U.S. have, or are, leaking tritium.  Tritium is a radioactive form of hydrogen.  The report comes from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

At least 37 of those leaks exceeded government safe levels for drinking water.

It’s not just tritium that’s leaking from U.S. nuclear reactors; cesium and strontium are also leaking.

Strontium 90 was found leaking at Indian Point nuke plant north of New york City.

Cesium 137 leaked from Fort Calhoun nuke plant in Nebraska.  By the way, that reactor was just shut down because the Missouri River is flooding it.

There’s much more about the leaks from U.S. nuke plants in the AP report.  Maybe this explains the increase in cancer rates over the past decades?

Like I said before: Everyone living near nuclear reactors in the United States should make plans to get away.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Great Depression: IMF warns of global collaspe if Europe goes down the economic toilet

“Given the euro area’s role in the global economy, success in addressing the sovereign debt crisis and raising growth has a significant impact elsewhere.”-IMF report

June 21, a new report by the International Monetary Fund says European economic collapse could bring on a Global Great Depression.

All international finance eyes are focused on what happens with Greece.  There could be a domino effect if Greece defaults.  A check of history will show that a similar situation happened prior to the U.S. Stock Market Crash of 1929, which eventually led to the Great Depression in the U.S.

Here’s a little reminder: Germany was forced to pay the United Kingdom and France (and some other countries) huge reperations after losing the First World War.  The U.K. and France owed the United States big time money for saving their butts during the war.  U.S. corporations were banking on that money from U.K. and France, and actually ran their businesses on debt thinking ‘no problem the French and British will pay up’  (it was called “The Roaring Twenties”).  Well, the victors of the First World War made things so bad for Germany there was no way they could make the reparations payments, so they defaulted.  As a result, the U.K. and France defaulted on their payments to the United States.  As a result, U.S. corporations defaulted leading to the Crash of ’29.

Basically the IMF is saying we are in a similar situation with the current debt crisis in Europe.

International, U.S.

Proof Syrian “freedom movement” is anything but: third mass grave found with bodies of Syrian soldiers

On June 20, and for the third time, a mass grave was found which held the bodies of Syrian soldiers.  This does not sound like something “peaceful protestors” would do.

This latest mass grave had 29 Syrian soldiers, who had been decapitated, and showed signs of torture.

Earlier this month two mass graves were found, containing the bodies of at least 80 Syrian policemen.

The graves are being found near a town called Jisr al-Shughour,  near the Turkish border.  Turkey is a member of NATO and has recently agreed to allow an increase of NATO troops in Turkey.

To me, this sounds like the Turkish government is encouraging Kurdish separatists to go on the war path against the Syrian government, to help “Western” plans to destabilize and overthrow the Syrian government.  Of course, U.S. media goes on and says it’s “protestors”.   There are legitimate protestors, but peaceful protestors don’t go around as trained paramilitaries killing government forces, then burying them in mass graves.

International, U.S.

Iraq and Afghan war vets suffer from lung problems, military doctors back it up

A New York Times report says as many as 80,000 U.S. war vets suffer from lung problems like asthma and bronchitis.

The report says the problems began while ‘in theater’ (while deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan), but have continued since returning home.

Causes could be anything from dust storms to toxic chemicals being used on U.S. military bases.  U.S. military medical personnel are calling for an investigation: “I’m concerned that this exposure is not getting the serious review it needs.”-Captain Mark Lyles, Center for Naval Warfare Studies in Newport, Rhode Island.

International, U.S.

The U.S. created four million Iraqi orphans & one million widows, so far

According to the Iraqi Ministry of Women’s Affairs, by 2008 there were one million Iraqi widows, no thanks to the United States.

Their report also blames the more than two million Iraqi deaths on the United States.  On top of that, as of 2008 there were four million children orphaned by the U.S. occupation.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry released a report that says as of 2008, more than 800,000 Iraqis had been disappeared.

There is still more than 50,000 U.S. military personnel in Iraq.  They were supposed to leave at the end of 2011, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been working hard to convince the Iraqi government to allow the U.S. forces to stay.

 

 

Fukushima, U.S.

Government & Corporate Incompetence: U.S. Nuclear Reactors disasters waiting to happen

The Associated Press spent a year going over government documents concerning the safety of U.S. nuke plants; the conclusion is that a disaster of epic proportions is very likely.

The reason is that U.S. officials, like the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, have been relaxing safety standards just so the aging nuclear reactors could be re-licensed.  In other words, what the AP found was that if today’s U.S. nuclear reactors were required to meet 1970s safety standards, most would fail.  The most common problem at the nuclear plants are leaking valves.

Recently, one Senator from Tennessee, Lamar Alexander, tried to say the U.S. nuclear industry had a record of safe operations.  However, the NRC, even with it’s relaxed safety standards, has filed more than 200 safety alerts since 2005.  In 2008 the NRC admitted that 70% of potentially dangerous situations resulted from relaxing of standards in order to get the plants re-licensed.

Another surprising find, the Associated Press noted that not a single serious investigation into the safety of nuclear plants has been officially undertaken, not even by the NRC.  It appears what government, and the nuke industry corporations have been doing, is trying to find ways to re-license reactors without meeting safety standards!

Here’s the modus operandi of U.S. government, and the corporations running the nuke plants:  Old parts fail causing accidents, or jeopardizing re-licensing.  Instead of ‘coming up to compliance’, corporations work with government agencies to ‘dumb down’ existing safety regulations.

Another revelation: Most U.S. nuclear plants were supposed to be replaced with brand new plants, once their original 40 year licenses expired.  That never happened.

What’s the motivation behind the scandal?  Billions and billions of dollars being made by providing almost 20% of the United State’s electricity, using outdated and cheaply maintained nuke plants.

There is so much more in the AP report.  Everyone living near nuclear reactors in the United States should make plans to get away.

Business/Economics, U.S.

Who the Government works for: Supreme Court screws 1.5 million Walmart employees

The United States Supreme Court stopped a class action lawsuit against Walmart.  A sexual discrimination claim could have affected 1.5 million employees.

In a 5 to 4 ruling the Supreme Court ruled there was not enough evidence to proceed with a lawsuit.  Originally Walmart was faced with thousands of smaller lawsuits, but lower courts agreed to merge the claims into one big class action lawsuit.

The main evidence of discrimination against women is the fact that 70% of Walmart hourly paid employees are women, yet less than 1/3 of salaried management positions are held by women.

Justice Ruth Ginsburg offered encouragement to the plaintiffs: “Walmart’s delegation of discretion over pay and promotions is a policy uniform throughout all stores…” and that plaintiffs should work to provide overwhelming proof of such.

Early reports said the Supreme Court voted against the lawsuit because chances were good Walmart would lose, and it would cost Walmart tens of millions in settlements.  Walmart has a track record of losing lawsuits, not just in the United States, but around the world.

In the words of Telly Savalis: “Who loves ya baby?”  It’s not your government that’s for sure.