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If the Republicans actually start kicking working able people off welfare like that always threaten to due I wonder if they would still get votes? In most rural KY counties fully 30 to 50% of adults get SS disability. In my family about 1/3 of working age adults get it and all of them could work. The honest truth is working conditions for non elite Americans generally is bad and anyone that can would prefer to not work. Plus SS has much better insurance coverage for almost no co pays. Free counseling, nearly free meds, etc.
How bad are work conditions in America? Well I a have a college degree and a decent office job. My company has done / does the following...
1. Fired a coworker who got a medical condition (she started having seizures) and couldn't work for a couple weeks. She's a single mom who used all her PTO when her kid was sick. Since she was forced to resign and didn't give a two week notice her 5 vacation days weren't paid back, they were worth $100 a day. She came in when ever she could. If you ask me that's barbaric.
So if I get a rare cancer I loss all medical coverage and the years of faithful work mean nothing
2. If I go and work 7 hours then get sick and have to go home I am forced to use a full 8 hour PTO day. That means no unused PTO buyback at years end, or one less PTO day to use when I'm sick. In effect any work I did before going home was UNPAID LABOR.
3. Saturdays are considered a regular work day. I get 10 vacation days per year but work 20 Saturdays per year. Even if you take 5 days off you are expected to work the Saturday before and after or get written up
4. My company has ZERO retirement.
Moral of the story: I would be better off being on SS Disability rather than working a starter college grad job. I'd have less stress, insurance no matter what, be able to afford counseling, and absolute financial security. Many people say "Why bother?" and give up on working
This is why millenials vote Democrat. We have no job security even when we have a job. We get 50k of loan debt only to make $13 an hour at a crap job. Thanks Baby Boomers!!
I have given this post some serious thought and, my friend, you're problem has nothing to do with politics.
As an outsider, I see Kentucky's move as more of a Libertarian vote. Going against the status quo. Something has to stop this spending train and it is either going to be the voters or an economic collapse.
And to be honest, the vote put Kentucky on my radar for relocation.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
11,974 posts, read 25,489,236 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hogsrus
I have given this post some serious thought and, my friend, you're problem has nothing to do with politics.
You figure it out
I do understand that in the free market workers can leave bad companies to ones that are better to work for... but that's easier said than done. I've been trying for a month with no success, and I live in a large metro area, have a college degree, and a lot of job skills. What if your small town has only one factory? Should everyone leave?
I'm not really into party politics, but I do believe we need more basic labor laws in this state and nation. If you want to really grow jobs then limit the amount of mandatory OT and force . If you want less people living off of SS then add laws that make working more bearable. My family members who now are on SS previously worked at Fruit of the Loom in terrible conditions. So now they'd rather draw a check despite being capable of working.
I want as little gov't regulations as possible. Sadly my experience is that rich people only care about money and will treat workers like dirt until gov't steps in. I'm a huge fan of companies that treat workers well w/o regulations, places like Trader Joe's, Hobby Lobby, and Chick Fil A. They all pay way above minimum wage and are still profitable.
The reality in rural America is most people are choosing to get on SS and not work the low paying jobs in their area. Currently 40% of working age Americans are not working, and a lot of it is by choice. (Otherwise we'd have massive crime and bread lines) I hear talk about welfare reform and I'm for that. But you have to address work conditions too. Republicans won't touch this any more than Democrats because most moochers live in Red States
Calto, I would advise you to wonder why nearly 400 bills, most of which were passed by bi-partisan majority in the House of Representatives, can't get a hearing in the US Senate. It's not McConnell's call, but rather Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who is blocking debate.
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I love the way the Democrats can call a white horse a black horse and people believe it.
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Politically, there is little that McConnell could do for the US or the people of Kentucky. There was a super-majority during the first two years of Obama, that is how only Democrats voted for Obamacare. Not one Republican voted for Obamacare.
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Then Reid changed the rules of the Senate which have been in effect since the early 1800's requiring 3/5 majority of the Senate to end debate. It was a rule that Democrats used time and again during the 1990's and early 2000's to stop good people from being appointed and good bills from being voted on.
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To better answer your question of the good he has done. One is he saved family farms (most Kentucky farms are still family owned). He negotiated a $5,000,000 threshold before a 35% death tax is imposed on inherited property. Small business owners, who actually did build their business, many who did it in-spite of the government, can expect their children to keep the business if they want it. This doesn't sound like much until you realize that most Americans are employed by small businesses.
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Is McConnell perfect, heck no! Did he become wealthy while in the Senate? Well, yes, if you consider that like John Kerry, he married while in the Senate to a very rich lady.
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It is a joke in Kentucky that no one will be voting for the challenger. The only way the challenger can win is if enough people vote "against" McConnell. She is so inept.
No one ever mentioned the good applicant David Patterson because he wasn't funded well enough. He seemed to have a better grasp then both McConnell and Grimes. Other then staying out of other countries problems, as much as I would love to say keep your nose in your own business you just can't as a world power.
Do Kentucky voters still like Mitch now that he has so much power? I wish I lived in Kentucky so I could personally vote the guy out...however I know that you guys must love Mitch since he keeps getting re-elected.
During the Obama years, Mitch complained about how the majority party was excluding the minority and how wrong that was. Now that Mitch is in charge of the Senate, he's taken it a step further. Look at the whole Health care debacle. I bet you I could meet with a bunch of you and hash out a consensus on health care, regardless of politics. I have friends who are on the complete opposite political spectrum as me, and we can still agree on much regarding health care. I hate that it has become so toxic politically that people in power can't work together and come up with a consensus that works for 99% of Americans.
The one and only time I was in Kentucky I met some nice people and came away with a very positive impression. I still remember that time fondly and know that Kentucky is not Mitch and Mitch is not Kentucky.
Do Kentucky voters still like Mitch now that he has so much power? I wish I lived in Kentucky so I could personally vote the guy out...however I know that you guys must love Mitch since he keeps getting re-elected.
During the Obama years, Mitch complained about how the majority party was excluding the minority and how wrong that was. Now that Mitch is in charge of the Senate, he's taken it a step further. Look at the whole Health care debacle. I bet you I could meet with a bunch of you and hash out a consensus on health care, regardless of politics. I have friends who are on the complete opposite political spectrum as me, and we can still agree on much regarding health care. I hate that it has become so toxic politically that people in power can't work together and come up with a consensus that works for 99% of Americans.
The one and only time I was in Kentucky I met some nice people and came away with a very positive impression. I still remember that time fondly and know that Kentucky is not Mitch and Mitch is not Kentucky.
At today's Fourth of July parade and festival in downtown Lexington, I was told by the nice ladies at the Fayette County Democrats booth that their "Ditch Mitch" bumper stickers were very hot items, and that they could have given away hundreds more than they had on hand. Those they had were gone within an hour following the parade. Lots of disgust for Mitch was being voiced.
The Democrats were registering new voters at their booth - non-partisan, confidentiality assured - and seemed to be a popular stop for many of the many July 4 celebrants. It was a damp, warm, sticky day, so hand-held fans reading "I'm a Democrat Fan" were also very popular - saw lots of them being put to use.
Admittedly, Lexington is a very blue city in a largely red state - but people seemed very determined to get out the vote next time and to change things in both Frankfort and D.C.
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Mitch is in charge
