Low Wage Workers Are Getting Screwed

It turns out low wage workers are more likely to get taken advantage of by their employers. A recent study (payed for by the Ford, Joyce, Haynes and Russell Sage Foundations) finds that employees in low wage jobs are more likely to be asked to work off the clock and not get paid. If they get hurt at the job, they are talked out of claiming workman's compensation.

From The Times:

“'The conventional wisdom has been that to the extent there were violations, it was confined to a few rogue employers or to especially disadvantaged workers, like undocumented immigrants,' said Nik Theodore, an author of the study and a professor of urban planning and policy at the University of Illinois, Chicago. 'What our study shows is that this is a widespread phenomenon across the low-wage labor market in the United States.'"

They also discuss how people were penalized for trying to create a union or complaining about salary.

It is amazing how employers take advantage of those most vulnerable in our society. What a sad state of affairs for this country.

Reading Supreme Court Justice Stevens' Tea Leaves

Well, it seems that Stevens hasn't hired his alotted 4 clerks for the 2010 session. A lot of people read into this as his eventual retirement. From The Times:

Stevens "has so far hired just one law clerk for the Supreme Court term starting in October 2010, a court spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday. That may be an indication that Justice Stevens, 89, is considering retiring next year."

That would set up another nomination and another round of the right going crazy. Something we really don't need right now.

Repubs On Committe Not Working On Compromise

It seems that the "Gang of Six" (the gang of 3 dems and 3 repubs trying to find a health care bill compromise) has two GOP members not trying to find a deal. Infact they are flaunting their opposition to their own bill.

Repub Sen Chuck Grassley is trying to get campaign money in opposing the health care bill.

Then you also have Repub Sen Mike Enzi trashing the bill as well.

Both members are supposedly working with Baucus in trying to make a compromise. What a bunch of crap.

It seems more and more likely repubs are exposing their true intentions of destroying Obama's bill. It needs to be passed via reconciliation.

2010 Midterm Election Might Not Be Good For Dems

A new article out has dems losing many house races in the 2010 midterm election. From Politico:

"Some of the most prominent and respected handicappers can now envision an election in which Democrats suffer double-digit losses in the House — not enough to provide the 40 seats necessary to return the GOP to power but enough to put them within striking distance."

It is hard to predicte 13 months in advance so Obama has his work cut out for him. He needs to get health care passed and start working on less contreversial bills but this does not mean dems will lose bad. It is just that things are looking that way.