Working Life

A couple of years ago, I spent many hours with Bernie Sanders interviewing him for Playboy magazine (the interview was published in October 2013). I’ve just received permission to post unpublished answers from him–just the nature of the editing process, nothing nefarious, but probably only one-third actually saw the light of day–along with the published part.

Before getting into his actual views, a few things. So, there is no doubt where I stand: Literally, my last comment to him was “If you run for President, I will be there for you, okay?” So, I’m there: I’ll do whatever it takes, whatever I can do, to elect him president.

Second, what struck me–and I think what strikes just about any crowd that listens to him, and the reason I think he will get massive support, is that people believe that he is saying what he honestly believes in. He doesn’t need to put together a team of 200 people to tell him what he should believe in–he doesn’t need ideas to be poll-tested. He actually has a set of consistent beliefs.

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I come here not to particularly urge that a baseball owner/executive be idolized but it’s worth noting what the Chief Operating Office of the Baltimore Orioles John Angelos said following protests on Sunday by thousands outraged by the killing of Freddie Gray

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Only in the United States of America could there be any possibility, on contemplation, to let two huge companies combine their horrendous, price-gouging service. But, alas for them, it ain’t happening.

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Good for Elizabeth Warren. In a respectful but “I’m not backing down manner,” she’s firing back at the president’s nonsense about TPP. And in her own words on her blog. Take this truth: The Administration says I’m wrong – that there’s nothing to worry about. They say the deal is nearly done, and they are […]

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Just a moment to pause and update everyone: going back to 1968, workers have lost more than $357 billion because of the robbery due to the stagnant minimum wage. Here’s the clock.

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Oh, this is left over from Tax Day–not that 15 companies would even know what Tax Day means. Cuz, even if they rake it in, they don’t pay taxes. How special.

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This Friday will mark the second anniversary of the Rana Plaza mass murder of 1,138 garment workers. I use the word “murder” because the collapse of the eight-story building that housed sweatshop garment factories wasn’t some astonishing surprise. It happened because international garment companies–like Benetton, Primark, Matalan, and Mango –exploited people for huge profits, not caring a whit about their conditions in slave-like conditions half way around the globe; those companies happily pocketed billions of dollars in profits and signed deals year after year with sleazy contractors who operated unsafe, dangerous factories.

After a huge outcry following the collapse, an accord was signed between labor rights advocates, international union representatives and NGOs, on the one hand, and garment companies, on the other hand, calling for payments by the companies to upgrade safety and set up a monitoring scheme to try to prevent future Rana Plaza-like mass murders.

But, even just paying a pittance apparently seems beyond the moral compass of these companies who are stiffing the accord’s budget.

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It is not enough to simply say the deal on “fast track” is a bad one. We need to understand, in the details, why what is being sold as a new “improved” fast track is just utter nonsense.

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There are a ton of bad ideas out there in the world of economic policy–mostly, those are dumb ideas having to do with the complete comfort with class warfare, from “trickle down” to “CEOs are job creators” to so-called “Free trade.” It is one of the great astonishing things that, despite the fact that all […]

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The Trans Pacific Partnership is no laughing matter. It’s a fast track to lower wages, environmental disasters and the undermining of democracy. But, hell, I think maybe the president has a sense of humor on all this. Or, on a serious note, he’s unintentionally showing how weak support is for TPP and the odious “fast […]

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