Skip to main content

Time Out for Corporate Greed

Image
By
My reaction to the sit-in factory workers in Chicago is "right on."

My reaction to President-elect Obama's statement of support of those same factory workers is "I'm so proud I campaigned for you! I'm so proud you put the walk in the talk!"

I believe we are headed for a serious economic situation and an equally unprecedented rising up of previously complacent Americans.

I've watched in horror and dismay at all the financial powerhouses crumbling followed by the auto industry flying in on a corporate jet with their hat-in-hand for a bailout. This is at the same time as I recently learned a mom of a freshman at my son's high school was laid off back in October. Even as I co-organize a group of St. Louis County Obama Supporters to give to local food pantries, the Merrill Lynch CEO, Mr. Thain, is demanding a $10 MILLION bonus for destroying the company. His rationale, "it would've been worse." Give me a break.

Tell that to the people, middle class people, who are lining up to receive bags of groceries from the food banks they used to support. Tell that to the over 2 million Americans out-of-work. The 6.7% unemployment figure is misleading because it doesn't include the part-timers who can't get full-time work and the many at-home-moms with school-aged kids who want to work but can't. What about the bonus or bailout for them?

I'm immensely supportive and proud that President-elect Obama didn't mince words or hesitate to give his support and approval of the camped-in workers. They are not asking for a bonus or handout, they are asking for the vacation and severance pay THEY EARNED and they deserve! They are the real heroes of America.

I expect to see a peaceful rising up of more such workers, perhaps in my backyard of Fenton, MO with the recent layoff announcements. Even the companies that are doing this because their profit is less than expected so they are sending out pink-slips as holiday presents. When will greed be crumbled? I believe now.

So does Rob Kall over at OpEd News. He is equally proud and concurs. This was a most progressive statement by President-elect Obama.

This may be a Merry Christmas after all. Corporate America be on notice, we are watching and we are responding. Greed has no place in the new paradigm.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thoughtful dialogue is appreciated.

Popular posts from this blog

Hannah's Song

By
We came together last night and sang Hannah's song. Family from California was in town, it was the night before Aunt Hannah's Home Going Celebration. We met at my house late in the evening to fellowship, remember, hug, eat, and laugh. Thom felt the love in the room and I'm sure his mom would've appreciated us doing what she did all her life - love. Aunt Hannah was a gracious woman. Her gentle spirit, sparkling eyes, and constant smile will be remembered. She has left us physically, but never spiritually. The laughter was like music in Thom's ear. For the first time in weeks I saw my cousin relax. He has been in a tornado for the past four weeks from his mother's diagnosis to her death. Even in her final stage, Aunt Hannah was granted her desire. She asked to not suffer long when it was her time to go, she had been a caregiver her whole life and I'm sure her prayer was for her son. In the last days of her life, she still greeted well wishers with a wa...
1 comment
Read more

Brothers, Can we Talk?

By
 I'm a Black woman, born of a Black woman and a Black man. When my mother died, it was my father who nurtured me and instilled in me a sense of pride of self, of my race, of my abilities to do whatever I put my mind to do. He never imposed limitations on me as a Black woman. The only caution he ever gave me was to not burn my candle at both ends and to be mindful of my health, I am an asthmatic. He never stopped me from trying anything and always encouraged me. Daddy was a strong Black man who introduced me to Shirley Chisholm when I was a little girl. He reminded me of the fortitude of my late mother's quest for gender equality in the workplace and of the namesake who marched at Selma.  He is the one who gave me my pseudonym, Tayé. Daddy was a strong tower of empowerment and fought all the way to his last breath for social, gender, and racial justice. It is in remembering my father this morning that I'm asking the brothers, can we talk? What is it, especially those of my g...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ashes to Ashes

By
 This is Ash Wednesday. For a lot of Catholics and Anglican Christians, it begins the holy season of Lent. We remember we are but dust and to dust we return, ashes to ashes.  It is a somber reminder of our humanity and the finality of life. We are a mere breath. Today, as a Hospital Chaplain Resident, I am imposing ashes on patients, family, and staff. It is a visible marker of a shared faith and belief. We look with anticipation to the finished work of salvation on the cross and in eager hope of the resurrection. As my day progressed, I noticed how much hope was in the eyes of the ones giving and receiving this reminder of our existence. It was both a somber moment and a joyful moment. Two things can exist at the same time. Like the world we find ourselves in. Even as it seems like the darkest, certainly the darkest I’ve known in my six decades on this earth. Completely imperfect as a nation, there was still a glimmer of light until the nightmare became reality. We wonder abo...
Post a Comment
Read more