Author: southwerk

I am a 53 year old teacher. I have double major in Speech and Criminal Justice resulting in a Bachelor's degree from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma and a law degree.

The Ethics Sage Wants the Politicians in Washington Gone!

On By southwerkIn business ethics1 Comment

In his blog post –  Throw the Republicans and Democrats Out of Office, Steven Mintz calls for us to throw the rascals out. And he’s right. I support him 100% in his call to vote out the current incompetents.

Here are his lead in paragraphs but to get the real flavor, you need to go and read the whole thing (and, of course, put the site on your favorites!).

Steven Mintz

Politicians have lost sight of their main responsibilities — to serve the public interest, honor the public trust, and be faithful to their constituency. It’s the latter that can get them into trouble as is the case with the current budget deliberations. The republicans are driven by conservative views and the Tea Party principles based on balancing the budget, cuts in spending especially from entitlement programs and no new revenues. If this is the Tea Party manifesto then it should start to drink caffeinated coffee. This is not the time to pursue a balanced budget amendment given the government has failed to deliver one for at least the last 14 years and we are still fighting two unwinnable wars. 

The Democrats want no balanced budget amendment, limited cuts in spending programs and new revenues by raising the tax on taxpayers making over $250,000 in income. There needs to be changes in social security such as expanding the retirement date to a minimum of 65 years and a maximum 70 years. I would also recommend a slight increase in the 2.5% tax on Medicare which is low in comparison to the 6.25% rate for social security. We have an aging population that now lives longer than in the past and a slight increase in the Medicare rate is justified given the higher Medicare costs to the government.

My own opinions on our current politics have been featured in so many of postings I don’t feel the need to add to this. Besides this particular soap box belongs to the Ethics Sage.

James Pilant

My Friend, Steven Mintz, Continues the Good Work of Fighting Workplace Bullying

On By southwerkIn business ethics3 Comments
Steven Mintz

This is from the Ethics Sage’s latest post – What to Do if You Are the Target of a Workplace Bullier –

Workplace Bullying refers to repeated, unreasonable actions of individuals (or a group) directed towards an employee (or a group of employees), which are intended to intimidate, degrade, humiliate, or undermine, or which create a risk to the health or safety of the employee(s) including physical and emotional stress. The purpose of this blog is to help you identify whether you are the target of a bullier. If so, you should act immediately. This blog provides some resources to use to resolve the issues and stress it can cause in the workplace. The longer you wait to deal with the issue, the more difficult it becomes to achieve a successful resolution of the matter because the negative treatment becomes endemic to the workplace culture and other employees accept it as part of the group dynamic.

The Ethics Sage is willing to do more than talk about the subject. He is willing to offer advice while protecting your privacy. Go here to reach him.

James Pilant

Human Rights Facts (229): Tens of Thousands of U.S. Citizens Die of Poverty Each Year (via P.a.p.-Blog)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

The data is for 2000 but as all of us familiar with the economic data know, we live in worse times. But don’t expect any concern from Congress or the President. They are scurrying to the commands of the tens of thousands of lobbyists in Washington. The poor are generally unable to deploy lobbyists and their campaign contributions are small, very small.

James Pilant

Human Rights Facts (229): Tens of Thousands of U.S. Citizens Die of Poverty Each Year (source) Poverty kills, it seems. As if it's not bad enough in itself. Although death is often multicausal, a study has tried to estimate in how many cases poverty is a contributing factor: For 2000, the study attributed 176,000 deaths to racial segregation and 133,000 to individual poverty. The nu … Read More

via P.a.p.-Blog

* if Obama pulls this off, and today it begins to look as if he might, his political acumen will jump to legendary status … and the country will reap enormous benefits from his reasoned, intelligent, informed and courageous leadership … UPDATE … the one clear winner from all this seems to be President Obama (via POLITICAL observations & opinions)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

You could not find a purer example of beltway thinking. Here we have the talking heads concept of politics, who is winning the battle of the airwaves. Strangely enough, the terrible pain inflicted by this monstrous agreement is absent from the deal.

Here read this –

UPDATE
Jay Newton-Small at TIME.com writes (8/1/11) …

the one clear winner from all this seems to be President Obama.
If the bill passes, he can now claim the mantle of fiscal conservatism – a surefire defense to ubiquitous Republican accusations of socialism and big government.
If the debt ceiling were breached and the economy tanked, he likely would’ve borne the greatest political price.
But by swooping in and making the deal at the last minute, Obama can say he saved the day.

******

This guy gets paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to write what passes for wisdom in the nation’s capital. This kind of press, this kind of bizarre, “who is winning” excited discussion, is one of the reasons we are in such an economic mess. Who wins? Everybody in this nation lost when a threat to destroy the nation’s credit is successfully used as a bargaining chip.

Go back and re-read it. He doesn’t even realize how satirical, how ridiculous this sounds outside the beltway. Reality has no significance in the world of Washington. It’s just out here in the sticks where the penalties are felt that we talk about the actual elements of the agreement (if we can find out what they are).

James Pilant

* if Obama pulls this off, and today it begins to look as if he might, his political acumen will jump to legendary status ... and the country will reap enormous benefits from his reasoned, intelligent, informed and courageous leadership ... UPDATE ... the one clear winner from all this seems to be President Obama ****** UPDATE Jay Newton-Small at TIME.com writes (8/1/11) … the one clear winner from all this seems to be President Obama. If the bill passes, he can now claim the mantle of fiscal conservatism – a surefire defense to ubiquitous Republican accusations of socialism and big government. If the debt ceiling were breached and the economy tanked, he likely would’ve borne the greatest political price. But by swooping in and making the deal at the la … Read More

via POLITICAL observations & opinions

NYT: Debt Limit Deal “A Nearly Complete Capitulation to Hostage-Taking Demands of GOP Extremists” – 8/1/11 (via Tarpon’s Swamp)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

This is an accurate description of the situation. I am hoping for much more savage denigration of the current holder of the Oval Office. I am going to do some of it myself.

James Pilant

The liberals at the New York Times don’t like the Debt Limit Deal President Obama and Leaders of Congress have agreed to. That’s always a good sign. Here’s some of their bluster in an editorial published this morning: NEW YORK TIMES: There is little to like about the tentative agreement between Congressional leaders and the White House except that it happened at all. The deal would avert a catastrophic government default, immediately and probably … Read More

via Tarpon's Swamp

Campaign for America’s Future: Extremists Won (via Beaver County Blue)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

The author explains why the budget deal is a disaster. I agree with everything in the article.

The biggest disaster is to our chances of rational government. The President has handed the House or Representatives a sledgehammer to pound him to mulch anytime they want something.

James Pilant

Campaign for America's Future: Extremists Won Capitulation By Robert Borosage The raw deal on the budget ceiling has been cut. The Tea Party terrorists – the extremist faction willing to hold the economy hostage to get their way – have won. The Republic, common sense and decency have been trampled. With the economy deeply depressed, 25 million people in need of full time work, the raw deal will impede any recovery. It precludes any serious action on jobs from the federal government. It will … Read More

via Beaver County Blue

The world’s greatest newspaper on the debt deal (via An und für sich)

On By southwerkIn business ethics2 Comments

The coverage in the mainstream press is as usual focused on the winners and losers in Washington, the “horse” race. This, of course, leaves out any real consideration of the agreement’s victims because after all, if there is anything more totally devoid of interest among the beltway elites, it is the middle class American. After all, they are not “job creators.” So, the actual terms of the agreement (blackmail) are not that big a deal unless you are a victim.

James Pilant

Last night, I arrived home to find that Obama and Congress had apparently reached a deal on the debt ceiling. As you all know, I've been following this story obsessively, so naturally I wanted to know what the deal was. So I clicked on the story and started reading. Markets were watching, Obama had a tough job selling it to his more liberal colleagues, Boehner would have a balancing act trying to draw in enough Democrats while not losing Repulica … Read More

via An und für sich

Professional politicians made up of mostly lawyers con men (via str8media)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Yeah. Pretty much.

We have a brand new national catastrophe. There is no way to sugar coat it, no way to improve the sound of it. Middle class Americans are going to suffer a further decline in benefits, job security and educational potential while the “bond” market is protected (although it was doing just fine).

James Pilant

Professional politicians made up of mostly lawyers con men WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and Republican congressional leaders reached historic agreement Sunday night on a compromise to permit vital U.S. borrowing by the Treasury in exchange for more than $2 trillion in long-term spending cuts. Most of you don't get it but are too blind to see even if it was laid out in front of you, their plan is to bankrupt this country, this vote fixes nothing.  Please ignore your party loyalty and think about ou … Read More

via str8media

Battling Plagiarism and Student Evaluations (via Diary of a Mad Professor)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

A college professor battles plagiarism. Good story – good read.

In my classes, I have 100% opinion papers. The students have to explain their thinking about an important issue. I don’t think it makes plagiarism impossible but it does make it more difficult.

James Pilant

There was an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education recently about a professor would was diligent about dealing with plagiarism, only to find that it affected his course evaluations and eventually his reappointment. I knew it was only a matter of time, when I would be kicked in the behind with the same problem. Yesterday, my Department Head contacted me about my fall schedule and he said he noticed my evaluations were not as strong as in th … Read More

via Diary of a Mad Professor

Small Boats Sunset wallpaper – The Attack of The Serious People (via The Long Goodbye)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

This is a thorough analysis of the debt ceiling crisis. I enjoyed it. I hope you do too.

James Pilant

Small Boats Sunset wallpaper - The Attack of The Serious People Small Boats Sunset wallpaper   For better or worse the debt ceiling debate has turned into a horse race story. The closer any political event can be framed into a horse race context the better most of the media likes it … Boehner has a plan, talks break down, Reid has a compromise, tea toddler Republicans pull back. So ABC's report of a tentative debt ceiling compromise might mean something for the next few hours and then disappear into th … Read More

via The Long Goodbye