Category: Income equality

TheVoiceOfJoyce The Guardian was invited to a household in Jackson, Mississippi where the water has stopped flowing once again. This is a city of 150,000 mainly Black residents and the Republican legislature voted down funds to fix the pipes bringing water to Jackson residents. The Federal Government provided $600 million for the project, in December. It’s anticipated that FEMA will begin work shortly. Since 4 members of the Mississippi delegation voted against the Jackson Water Supply Funding, who represents poor Black Americans in their State? Why aren’t all citizens of Mississippi entitled to water?

January 7, 2023

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/07/jackson-mississippi-water-outage-neighbors-helping The same morning, Jackson’s mayor, Chokwe Lumumba, held a press conference to discuss plans to drastically overhaul the city’s crumbling water infrastructure. In November last year the entire system was taken under federal government oversight after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found the city in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The move … More TheVoiceOfJoyce The Guardian was invited to a household in Jackson, Mississippi where the water has stopped flowing once again. This is a city of 150,000 mainly Black residents and the Republican legislature voted down funds to fix the pipes bringing water to Jackson residents. The Federal Government provided $600 million for the project, in December. It’s anticipated that FEMA will begin work shortly. Since 4 members of the Mississippi delegation voted against the Jackson Water Supply Funding, who represents poor Black Americans in their State? Why aren’t all citizens of Mississippi entitled to water?

TheVoiceOfJoyce Three weeks of strikes are bringing scientific Labs and some construction to a halt on California campuses.

December 2, 2022

While megabucks are going to new buildings, the Postgraduates and doctoral students are living in their cars. Our homelessness population is composed of intelligent people, making less then $28,000 a year, doing research in prestigious schools? That’s not acceptable. Add their strike to the 1000’s at Starbucks, Amazon, Trader Joe’s and potentially the RailRoads. How … More TheVoiceOfJoyce Three weeks of strikes are bringing scientific Labs and some construction to a halt on California campuses.

TheVoiceOfJoyce Why are scientists wasting time studying a person’s body weight in order to conclude there’s a correlation between body weight and our Carbon footprint. It’s absurd. Rather then weaponizing peoples food choices and body types, scientific time would be better spent devising methodologies to remove toxins from our water and food and creating a substitute for King Corn. Marginalized people, people requiring inexpensive food, need nutritious food not cheap processed food laced with non nutritious ingredients. Give poor people and the middle classes inexpensive vegetables and fruits and they’ll change their diet. Meanwhile, fight climate change on a large scale, focus on agriculture and bringing back heritage grains.

October 30, 2022

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/29/fat-people-metabolic-food-waste Categories such as “overweight” and “obese” are calculated from people’s BMI, a metric devised in the 19th century and based on white men’s bodies. BMI does not account for differences in body types across race and gender, yet it is “weaponized”, Tovar said, to marginalize people – disproportionately Black women – whose bodies don’t … More TheVoiceOfJoyce Why are scientists wasting time studying a person’s body weight in order to conclude there’s a correlation between body weight and our Carbon footprint. It’s absurd. Rather then weaponizing peoples food choices and body types, scientific time would be better spent devising methodologies to remove toxins from our water and food and creating a substitute for King Corn. Marginalized people, people requiring inexpensive food, need nutritious food not cheap processed food laced with non nutritious ingredients. Give poor people and the middle classes inexpensive vegetables and fruits and they’ll change their diet. Meanwhile, fight climate change on a large scale, focus on agriculture and bringing back heritage grains.

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Unions are striking again this month for higher wages, better staffing, benefits. They’re striking for wages because their wages aren’t enough to keep up with inflation. Profits have risen exponentially at major Corporations and there’s been no trickle down to labor. In hospitals, one nurse for 8-10 patients is a burden, nurses can’t function without a standard of care. Profit driven corporations benefit a few and shareholders and leave workers stressed and overburdened as they try to perform their jobs, understaffed and underpaid. Perhaps there should be one day of Solidarity with Labor, when we all walk out I support of their goals. Henry Ford understood , you had to pay labor a decent wage, enabling Labor to purchase his cars. Today’s oligarchs want all the money for themselves. Unionization is good for Americans and America, the Corporations need labor to survive, now they’re asking for compensation due, support them!

September 26, 2022

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/26/striketober-unions-strikes-us-october Some of the largest strikes in recent weeks in the US have included 15,000 nurses who went on a three-day strike in Minnesota, over 1,100 timber workers in Oregon and Washington, over 4,500 teachers and staff in Columbus, Ohio, more than 6,000 teachers and staff in Seattle, 2,000 mental healthcare workers in California, 1,200 … More AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Unions are striking again this month for higher wages, better staffing, benefits. They’re striking for wages because their wages aren’t enough to keep up with inflation. Profits have risen exponentially at major Corporations and there’s been no trickle down to labor. In hospitals, one nurse for 8-10 patients is a burden, nurses can’t function without a standard of care. Profit driven corporations benefit a few and shareholders and leave workers stressed and overburdened as they try to perform their jobs, understaffed and underpaid. Perhaps there should be one day of Solidarity with Labor, when we all walk out I support of their goals. Henry Ford understood , you had to pay labor a decent wage, enabling Labor to purchase his cars. Today’s oligarchs want all the money for themselves. Unionization is good for Americans and America, the Corporations need labor to survive, now they’re asking for compensation due, support them!

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Is your Hospital a non profit? Don’t bet on it. Providence is a huge Hospital system, located primarily on the West coast and it has a nasty habit of taking Billions in taxpayer monies , in order to be tax exempt. However, as a modern Corporation, it doesn’t play by the rules and charges charity patients, even though those patients are entitled to free care. Patients are harassed at bedside. Hospital employees do the dirty work or lose pay. If pressure doesn’t succeed and a Medicaid patient walks out without paying, then, debt collectors pursue patients relentlessly, destroying patients credit. Meanwhile, the Providence system’s, CEO , made $10 million last year and their endowment is traded on the exchange. That’s the Big Businesses model today, lawless with no enforcement of Rules and regulations. Where are our State and Federal congressional representatives to protect us? Are they soliciting Providence corporate and money to stay in power? They say, Senator Warnock, of Georgia, , can’t be trusted, because he’s a Pastor, better that , then a full time politician on the dole! How is your local hospital treating you? Is it a non profit? There’s a form to fill out if you think you’ve been charged by your hospital erroneously.

September 24, 2022

http://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/business/nonprofit-hospitals-poor-patients.html In February, Bob Ferguson, the state’s attorney general, accused Providence of violating state law, in part by using debt collectors to pursue more than 55,000 patient accounts. The suit alleged that Providence wrongly claimed those patients owed a total of more than $73 million. Providence, which is fighting the lawsuit, has said it will … More AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Is your Hospital a non profit? Don’t bet on it. Providence is a huge Hospital system, located primarily on the West coast and it has a nasty habit of taking Billions in taxpayer monies , in order to be tax exempt. However, as a modern Corporation, it doesn’t play by the rules and charges charity patients, even though those patients are entitled to free care. Patients are harassed at bedside. Hospital employees do the dirty work or lose pay. If pressure doesn’t succeed and a Medicaid patient walks out without paying, then, debt collectors pursue patients relentlessly, destroying patients credit. Meanwhile, the Providence system’s, CEO , made $10 million last year and their endowment is traded on the exchange. That’s the Big Businesses model today, lawless with no enforcement of Rules and regulations. Where are our State and Federal congressional representatives to protect us? Are they soliciting Providence corporate and money to stay in power? They say, Senator Warnock, of Georgia, , can’t be trusted, because he’s a Pastor, better that , then a full time politician on the dole! How is your local hospital treating you? Is it a non profit? There’s a form to fill out if you think you’ve been charged by your hospital erroneously.

TheVoiceOfJoyce The representatives of truth and fairness should be concerned. The Internet is not neutral. There is an ultra conservative bias built into the system. The Social Media Platforms are neo liberal. ( no accountability, self regulating and support small government) Therefore, according to existing Law, they can’t change, their power over the data they collect and the content they allow, on their platforms, belongs to them and not us. Congressional misinformation makes them billions. All data that’s controversial, creates influencers and those influencers attract millions, and make millions for themselves, and the Social Media Platforms they choose. You want to preserve our Democracy? You want to stop the Culture Wars? Change Section 230 of the Communication Law and write new Laws, regulating what can be transmitted on Social Media platforms. The worst offender is Meta/Facebook. They won’t willingly relent. Remember Facebook partnered with Cambridge Analytica to understand Facebook’s role in Election & voting decision making. Cambridge Analytica funding came from the Mercer’s, conservative leaning billionaires. TikTok is now removing political parties, politicians and campaigns from their site. Twitter is also stopping political ads somewhat. The others? Only Laws will restore ourDemocracy and decrease culture Wars. Do you want to hear the truth or lies? Do you want Democracy or Corporations to decide what information you see? The Social Media business model , wants no regulation and unlimited power. They have more power and money than anyone else. Do you want them, to make life choices for us? Or, Do you want to be an informed citizen and make your own decisions? We can have a say in Social Media content, by writing Laws to protect our privacy and our Democracy.

September 22, 2022

http://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/midterms-elections-social-media-civil-rights/ Through memos and meetings, the Change the Terms coalition for months had pleaded with Facebook parent Meta, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube to bolster the content moderation systems that it says allowed Trump’s baseless claims about election rigging to spread, setting the groundwork for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to … More TheVoiceOfJoyce The representatives of truth and fairness should be concerned. The Internet is not neutral. There is an ultra conservative bias built into the system. The Social Media Platforms are neo liberal. ( no accountability, self regulating and support small government) Therefore, according to existing Law, they can’t change, their power over the data they collect and the content they allow, on their platforms, belongs to them and not us. Congressional misinformation makes them billions. All data that’s controversial, creates influencers and those influencers attract millions, and make millions for themselves, and the Social Media Platforms they choose. You want to preserve our Democracy? You want to stop the Culture Wars? Change Section 230 of the Communication Law and write new Laws, regulating what can be transmitted on Social Media platforms. The worst offender is Meta/Facebook. They won’t willingly relent. Remember Facebook partnered with Cambridge Analytica to understand Facebook’s role in Election & voting decision making. Cambridge Analytica funding came from the Mercer’s, conservative leaning billionaires. TikTok is now removing political parties, politicians and campaigns from their site. Twitter is also stopping political ads somewhat. The others? Only Laws will restore ourDemocracy and decrease culture Wars. Do you want to hear the truth or lies? Do you want Democracy or Corporations to decide what information you see? The Social Media business model , wants no regulation and unlimited power. They have more power and money than anyone else. Do you want them, to make life choices for us? Or, Do you want to be an informed citizen and make your own decisions? We can have a say in Social Media content, by writing Laws to protect our privacy and our Democracy.

TheVoiceOfJoyce Lawlessness in the Corporate world. This time Blackjewel coal mines has defaulted on wages owed coal miners. They were let go without notice, owed 2 weeks pay and received bounced checks. They took their case to the NLRB, received a $53 settlement last year and have yet to receive payment. Meanwhile, the mines in Virginia, WV, Wyoming and Kentucky are now owned by new operators and the CEO of Blackjewel is finishing a resort in West Virginia. Where is Justice for the Coal Miners? Why weren’t the mines decommissioned for renewable energy? Where is Corporate accountability? Whether it’s Blackjewel or Chipotle, employees are not being paid for work. Where is enforcement of Labor Laws, Litigation? Why should Corporate Power be above the Law?

September 21, 2022

http://www.theguardian.com/global/2022/sep/21/blackjewel-coalmine-workers-three-years-bankruptcy In July 2019, about 1,700 coalminers working for an affiliate of one of the largest coalmine operators in the US, Blackjewel, found their paychecks had bounced. Many were left with bank accounts in the negative while bills and late fees piled up. Blackjewel then filed for bankruptcy and abruptly shut down its mines in … More TheVoiceOfJoyce Lawlessness in the Corporate world. This time Blackjewel coal mines has defaulted on wages owed coal miners. They were let go without notice, owed 2 weeks pay and received bounced checks. They took their case to the NLRB, received a $53 settlement last year and have yet to receive payment. Meanwhile, the mines in Virginia, WV, Wyoming and Kentucky are now owned by new operators and the CEO of Blackjewel is finishing a resort in West Virginia. Where is Justice for the Coal Miners? Why weren’t the mines decommissioned for renewable energy? Where is Corporate accountability? Whether it’s Blackjewel or Chipotle, employees are not being paid for work. Where is enforcement of Labor Laws, Litigation? Why should Corporate Power be above the Law?

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce In a first step to giving fast food workers a voice in wage and benefit negations, California Governor Gavin Newson has signed a new Law into effect. The Law effective , 1/23, would give fast food workers a seat at the Corporate table in all municipalities where they work. 500,000 workers will be represented by this Law and Fast Food chains are trying to overturn their rights thru a Referendum. Don’t buy the Fast Food Chains arguments. They’re not being harmed. They’re right to abuse and underpay staffing is their issue. Finally, one sector of Corporations will be legally accountable for their actions. Wages won’t be withheld, the abuse has to stop and people may earn a living wage and have a say in their work place environment. As an employee of a Corporation, wouldn’t you want a living wage and better working conditions? Wouldn’t you want a seat and a voice at the Corporate table? Support the Fast Food workers, vote for them not Corporate Power and let Californians craft more Laws favoring Labor. Labor isn’t responsible for inflation. Corporate Power and Greed are inflationary. #Support Labor.

September 18, 2022

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/18/california-labor-law-fast-food-industry-referendum There are about 500,000 workers in the fast-food industry in California who will be represented under the law. It also provides a pathway for local municipalities to create their own similar councils overseeing the industry and to report to the statewide council. The law only applies to fast-food corporations with at least 100 retail … More AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce In a first step to giving fast food workers a voice in wage and benefit negations, California Governor Gavin Newson has signed a new Law into effect. The Law effective , 1/23, would give fast food workers a seat at the Corporate table in all municipalities where they work. 500,000 workers will be represented by this Law and Fast Food chains are trying to overturn their rights thru a Referendum. Don’t buy the Fast Food Chains arguments. They’re not being harmed. They’re right to abuse and underpay staffing is their issue. Finally, one sector of Corporations will be legally accountable for their actions. Wages won’t be withheld, the abuse has to stop and people may earn a living wage and have a say in their work place environment. As an employee of a Corporation, wouldn’t you want a living wage and better working conditions? Wouldn’t you want a seat and a voice at the Corporate table? Support the Fast Food workers, vote for them not Corporate Power and let Californians craft more Laws favoring Labor. Labor isn’t responsible for inflation. Corporate Power and Greed are inflationary. #Support Labor.

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce The Republican Party has been crafting State Laws by relying on Industry & Lobbying groups, like ALEC, to craft bills that make it illegal to protest a pipeline or other fossil fuel projects, punishable by 10 yrs in prison? Aren’t these Laws, in 24 States, curtailing our right to protest and freedom of speech? Why would you vote for Laws crafted by industry to curtail your rights under the Constitution? Why aren’t amicus briefs being filed against these industries & Lobbying groups? How many Americans have lost their lives to pollutants? Fires? Flooding? Heat? Do you want non elected officials to craft the Laws of your State? If not, vote out every Republican and preserve your Constitutional rights. Industry control of GOP STATE GOVERNANCE doesn’t end with denying us clean air and water, they also support gun manufacturing over the rights of citizens, they’re against funding education and have harmed women by denying them the right to reproductive healthcare. Do you think Corporations should have more rights than “We the People”?

September 14, 2022

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/14/rightwing-lobbyists-at-heart-of-anti-protest-bills-in-republican-states Republican-led legislatures have passed anti-protest laws drafted by an extreme right corporate lobbying group in a third of all American states since 2018, as part of a backlash against Indigenous communities and environmentalists opposing fossil fuel projects, new research has found. The American Legislative Exchange Council (Alec) helped draft legislation criminalizing grassroots protests against … More AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce The Republican Party has been crafting State Laws by relying on Industry & Lobbying groups, like ALEC, to craft bills that make it illegal to protest a pipeline or other fossil fuel projects, punishable by 10 yrs in prison? Aren’t these Laws, in 24 States, curtailing our right to protest and freedom of speech? Why would you vote for Laws crafted by industry to curtail your rights under the Constitution? Why aren’t amicus briefs being filed against these industries & Lobbying groups? How many Americans have lost their lives to pollutants? Fires? Flooding? Heat? Do you want non elected officials to craft the Laws of your State? If not, vote out every Republican and preserve your Constitutional rights. Industry control of GOP STATE GOVERNANCE doesn’t end with denying us clean air and water, they also support gun manufacturing over the rights of citizens, they’re against funding education and have harmed women by denying them the right to reproductive healthcare. Do you think Corporations should have more rights than “We the People”?

TheVoiceOfJoyce What can citizens do when their leader spreads disinformation maliciously, causing the death of many? In Brazil, the police have charged Bolsonaro with the crime of spreading false information about Covid. He called it a cold, 680,000 Brazilians died. He disparaged wearing a mask. Stating masks killed people during the Spanish flu. The opposite was true. He linked AIDS to Covid? There is no link. These remarks were broadcast over Social Media, before they were deleted. It was too late for many in Brazil. Once Disinformation spreads, its hard for people to understand the truth. There’s an election coming up in Brazil. Brazilians should vote Bolsonaro out of office. He has plundered the Amazon, been responsible for the deaths of 100,000’s , destroyed the World’s largest Carbon Dioxide trap. Social Media, without Regulation, gives Disinformation & misinformation a “ mega phone” ! The millions made byDisinformation & misinformation is their reward. Has your life been harmed by lies and misinformation? Look around?

September 12, 2022

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/18/jair-bolsonaro-covid-misinformation-charge-brazil-police That alleged crime, which is punishable with up to six months in prison, relates to a notorious social media broadcast in October 2021 which was subsequently removed by YouTube and Facebook. In the deleted transmission, Bolsonaro falsely claimed face masks – the compulsory use of which he repeatedly flouted – had been responsible for … More TheVoiceOfJoyce What can citizens do when their leader spreads disinformation maliciously, causing the death of many? In Brazil, the police have charged Bolsonaro with the crime of spreading false information about Covid. He called it a cold, 680,000 Brazilians died. He disparaged wearing a mask. Stating masks killed people during the Spanish flu. The opposite was true. He linked AIDS to Covid? There is no link. These remarks were broadcast over Social Media, before they were deleted. It was too late for many in Brazil. Once Disinformation spreads, its hard for people to understand the truth. There’s an election coming up in Brazil. Brazilians should vote Bolsonaro out of office. He has plundered the Amazon, been responsible for the deaths of 100,000’s , destroyed the World’s largest Carbon Dioxide trap. Social Media, without Regulation, gives Disinformation & misinformation a “ mega phone” ! The millions made byDisinformation & misinformation is their reward. Has your life been harmed by lies and misinformation? Look around?