Did you know that you are a commodity? You are no different from a bushel of wheat or a barrel of oil. You have no rights, no hopes, no wishes and no goals. You may be bought or sold, used or discarded. If you don’t like that attitude, you need to understand that, according to the Republican view, that is exactly what and sadly all you are. Steve King (R-IA) expressed this view while trying to strip union workers of their rights.
Late last night on the House floor, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) spoke in support of a Republican amendment to the Department of Homeland Security funding bill that would exempt DHS construction projects from a law requiring federal contractors to pay laborers the prevailing wage and benefits for the area. That law, known as Davis-Bacon, serves to protect union laborers from being drastically underbid by non-union contractors. In effect, the law prevents a ‘race to the bottom‘ in federal contracting bids, which in turn protects working-class wages in the building trades.
But not according to Steve King, who once again likened the law to anti-gay legislation decried by Democrats and argued that it is an unacceptable intrusion into the free market, where "labor is a commodity just like corn or beans or oil or gold, and the value of it needs to be determined by the competition, supply and demand in the workplace."…[emphasis added]
Inserted from <Political Correction>
Here’s the video:
Fortunately the amendment did not pass, so Davis-Bacon is safe for now.
We have two choices. The first is to remove Republicans from power. The second is to decide which commodity you are.
12 Responses to “What Commodity Are You?”
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American non union workers are a commodity…fertilizer=shit=lowering the wages that my grandfather fought to achieve for his kid and his kids kid. Business has always looked at us like we who labor either in unions or not as expendable shit, replaceable and now in this economy you get an engineer who has been out of work, savings gone, 401(k) cashed out at a penalty, house in foreclosure and I guarantee you he will go to work for minimum wage. which then drives all other wages to that or below. You can agree to less than minimum wages if you so choose which is all a part of the back room whispered never to be spoken about aloud in public by any politician. Even the blue dog is for this practice.
Did you know that a non union Toyota worker was in ’09 making $1.50 more than GM line workers in TN? Know why? To Keep the unions out of the plant because though their wages were comparable their retirements were not. Toyoitome figures a penny at the front end is better than a dollar at the end when it is needed the most. Fuck them and re0unionize this country. There is no non unionized employee who will work harder than a unionized employee or do better work other than one reason…NO JOB PROTECTION.
Which is why everyone is either a PT or a contract employee even at the places that have unions now. Right to work laws are bullshit!
And if Republicans break the unions, how long eill if be before all auto workers are paid $1.50 per hour?
What a douchebag! Well, if that’s the case, let’s apply that to the defense contractors too. We’ll see how much they like that!
Good idea, Lisa.
Translation — we need more construction workers to work for $2 an hour.
You’re undercut already, Blue. I said a buck and a half. 😉
To republicans we are a commodity. The only people are the wealthy 1%. The rest of us are here to make them more wealthy, just another raw material that nature has provided for the republicans to take advantage of.
Exactly, Jerry.
Well, if I HAVE to be a commodity, can I at least be a kumquat?
So you’re an exotic fruit, Nameless?
I’ll be cat litter, so I can dig myself to bury Republicans. 😈
Yes! We may be a commodity, but republicans are crap!