Brother Can You Spare a Job?

Comrade Misfit on unemployment figures and reality.

But nobody paid much attention. Just like they didn't pay attention to what would happen when millions of tons of soot were pushed out of smokestacks, or what would happen when tetraethyl lead was added to gasoline or when industrial chemicals and raw sewage were dumped into rivers and lakes. We've had example after example of people throwing shit into the air and water and believing in the "big sky/water, little pollution" theory.

We'll also exterminate more and more plant and animal species, but few people will care. When the last one of any particular species is gone, the predictable hand-wringing will begin.

We never learn, do we?

No. No, we don't. Not even with Horrible Examples.

Furthermore, Tennessee is trying to repeal the law that permitted teachers unions.  Via Southern Beale, who said:

Well, why don’t we replace all contracts with a “handbook,” then? I mean really, if it’s such a brilliant idea for our kids, why not? Let’s have a handbook instead of state contracts, and then when someone doesn’t finish repaving that highway on time, we can say, “oooh you’re in violation of our handbook and we’re gonna ... um ... hmm ... never mind!” I mean really, that’s just the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Is an employee handbook even legally binding?

Here’s the thing. Teachers’ working conditions are our kids’ learning conditions. Shouldn’t the people who are in that classroom every day be the best judge of what those learning conditions need to be?

And here’s another thing: why in the world would anyone want to be a teacher in Tennessee under conditions like this? Wouldn’t you want to teach somewhere else, where you’re not treated like school board chatt[el]?

But that would disturb that pristine childlike innocent ignorance that apparently is valued highly.

And ginmar on the logistics [ETA:  Original is here; ginmar excerpted most of it.] of "giving birth to Barack Obama in Kenya" in 1961.

After Ann delivered the baby, under conditions she never would have in the States, they headed back to Honolulu - one week of constant travel with a newborn, a diaper case, and luggage. Then they had to get Barack Jr. into the country, without a passport. A family passport, perhaps? Sorry, you need a family to get one. The mother was photographed with her child or children, and it was not issued in anticipation. Ann would have to be photographed holding Barack Jr. to be issued one. Perhaps she got him into the States some other way?

 And brief backgrounds of the proponents of this idiocy.  In case you wonder why I am as contemptuous and disdainful as I am.  I wish satire could do the 21st century justice.