#ban car insurance discrimination | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sky-cow0 · 2 years ago

Text

Something that I differ from American leftists is that I think socialized medicine/single payer healthcare would be an absolute disaster in America.

What do you think will happen in the country where a federally funded Covid vaccine was allowed to be patented and now priced however a private, profit-seeking company wants? Where abortion and trans healthcare is illegal in several states and rumor has it they are after birth control? Where politicians think it is a laugh to not fund the government spending they already approved?

Don’t get me wrong, it does work well in other countries and might work well if blue states did it on a state level. But on a national level, it would be a disaster.

The government is paying for it and so politicians feel like they have to morally approve of every healthcare decision you can make. Abortion, trans-affirming healthcare, birth control, and more could be illegal in any facility under the single payer plan. They could ban c-sections and pain killers during labor because “natural is best”. Fat phobia in the medical field would be enforced because the law will say you can’t get certain life saving procedures if you are above a certain BMI. On top of all that, with no market rate to compare to, prices will be inflated to line the pockets of executives who still won’t be taxed and thus the program will run out of money frequently decreasing the quality and availability of care.

The current healthcare system is a shit show. We can’t sit around and do nothing. I’m not saying the status-quo is acceptable in any shape or form. I just think we need to go about a different way to fix it.

The first thing that needs to happen immediately is that healthcare patents should only be filed in order to share the technology/breakthrough/medicine. It can’t be FDA approved without being filed and thus companies can’t have a monopoly on health-saving anything and thus will actually have to compete in the “free market” that conservatives love to pretend exists.

The next piece is to actually enforce the law that medical practices can’t be owned for profit and expand it to cover pharmaceuticals and other health related care items. This needs to be enforced by jail time for the people collecting a profit. Along with this, we need a cap set on pay anyone working in the medical field can receive (the largest amount I would accept is 100x the minimum wage, but preferably a little closer to the executive pay gap in other countries). Accepting higher pay or giving yourself higher pay is punished with jail time and the confiscation of the excess amount (and there can be a grace period for those who don’t pick their own salary and say the accidentally got paid too much).

This would also be part of a larger effort to reduce the executive pay gap where perks must be extended in some form to the lowest employees. If you pay for cars for sales people or the executive suite, every employee gets a transportation allowance that is non-taxable for the individual like the car perk. It will be proportional to the pay vs benefit price (market rate, not depreciated value). Same for food, time allowed for recreation, sick days, health insurance, etc.

Speaking of health insurance, it needs to stop covering preventative care. Health insurance should be like any other insurance you get, for the emergencies: broken bones, heart attack, cancer, etc (and it can’t discriminate based off of pre-existing conditions or medical history or age). Instead, preventive care should be available through medical practices in subscription based care. You pay a fee and can go in however frequently you feel you need to.

Ideally this frees up doctors and nurses to do what they went into the field to do: help people. Health insurance for preventive care frequently means mounds of paperwork for the healthcare provider. Having it cover emergencies would mean that if the care was given it has to be approved and so the paperwork back and forth should be less. Removing the possibility of a profit motive should also allow a sliding-pay scale where doctors give free care to the most vulnerable populations because they can and price according to ability to pay.

And I hope these changes would reform the healthcare system enough so that people can stop dying from preventable causes in a political environment where beliefs trump facts and of you have power you get to enforce your beliefs. I also hope it allows us to move as a society to a UBI due to the compassion it would return to society.

Covid demonstrated that America is more likely to succeed with a UBI than a single-payer healthcare system (see allowing companies to make profit off of federally funded research). With windfall taxes, prohibitions on stock buy-backs, and an executive pay cap dependent on the minimum wage, UBI might be in our future. Then we can stop worrying about AI and unemployment. People can be doctors and only accept donations to cover costs of running the facility. Corporations can’t get people to do dumb and belittling work for a ridiculous number of hours. People can take sick days and stop spreading diseases even if bosses want to be assholes and fire you for doing so.

We just have to stop the cookie clicker game for billionaires. Constant growth is actually toxic. We call it cancer when it happens in human bodies. We need to realize that continually growing profits is actually killing us. We need to stop them before they come for our water and air (profit motive as they already have polluted them terribly). We need to take back healthcare and housing and food.

And taxing every penny over $1 billion is really possible. If they have stocks, those stocks are gifted to the lowest paid employees. If they have houses, those houses will be donated for housing-first homeless programs. If they have art and historical artifacts, they can be given to museums or returned to the culture they were stolen from. Taxes don’t just have to be money. And I bet this tax would do more to stop inflation than anything else.

#us politics #queued #us health system

0 notes

profeminist · 4 years ago

Text

"Gay and transgender people will be protected from discrimination in health care, the Biden administration announced Monday, effectively reversing a Trump-era rule that went into effect last year.

The announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services concerns one of the most notable parts of the Affordable Care Act — the provision in Section 1557 that prevents health care providers and insurance companies from discriminating on the basis "race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in certain health programs and activities."

Effective immediately, the agency says it will interpret that provision to encompass discrimination against someone on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity in health care.

Read the full piece and hear the radio segment (3 minute listen) here

#trans #trans equality #transgender #transgender equality #trans rights #trans health care #transgender rights #lgbt #lgbtqplus #lgbtqia+

182 notes · View notes

coochiequeens · 3 years ago

Text

Women have the right to ask for a women driver. Not a man with altered paperwork.

Adrian Escobedo signed up to drive for Uber Eats to help support his family after his fiancee lost her job. The couple and their 4-year-old son had just moved to Bakersfield. Money was tight.

But after a lunch break on his first day, Escobedo found himself locked out of the app; his documentation had not been approved. Escobedo tried at least 20 times to resubmit the records, which included a photo of his face, copies of his ID and proof of car insurance, he said. Each time, they were denied.

“I was very confused as to what was wrong,” Escobedo said. “I thought I was being messed with.”

Then, looking over his documents, Escobedo figured it out: He is a transgender man, and his appearance in his older driver’s license photo does not match the current photos he submitted, showing his wispy mustache and goatee.

Uber at times has blocked transgender and nonbinary people from driver and delivery jobs by treating their documents as fraudulent, suspending their accounts and failing to rectify the situation, according to interviews with drivers and documentation provided by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, which petitioned the company to restore Escobedo’s account.

Drivers have had their accounts permanently banned, according to documentation of written communications with the company shared by five workers. None managed to get their accounts reactivated through Uber’s appeals process.

One driver had been working for Uber Eats for more than a year without issue. Prompted by the company’s marketing of a new option allowing transgender drivers to update their names and profile pictures, she resubmitted her documents in late August. Her profile photo was rejected as fraudulent, her account was shut down and she was permanently removed from the platform.

Blocked applicants said they spent hours messaging and calling the support desk, often to no end. Some haggled with Uber for days to get their true name displayed instead of their “deadname” from before they transitioned.

At a time when a worker shortage has emerged as a key problem for Uber, the company’s approach pushed all of these drivers to other app-based services, including Lyft and DoorDash, which for years have had policies accommodating name changes for transgender drivers.

The missteps have also undermined Uber’s stated commitment to more inclusive and equitable practices, and highlight the dearth of protections for independent contractors who face discrimination.

Uber spokesman Zahid Arab said that matching profile photos to government IDs is a fraud prevention measure the company undertakes as part of its safety protocols. Arab said in an email that “on occasion, requests can be misrouted and result in a regrettable customer experience which we are working to address.”

“Uber and our partners make every effort to remedy situations like this in a timely manner,” Arab said. “We continue to work on improving internal processes and working with our third party background check providers to help ensure the background check process runs as expected for transgender and nonbinary users.”

Uber is working to reactivate accounts The Times inquired about, Arab said Thursday afternoon. “We’ve worked to train Uber staff to handle all requests with compassion, empathy, and respect. We regret the confusion and pain that is caused when we don’t meet that standard,” he said in an emailed statement.

Pride month

On June 1, as part of its Pride month campaign, Uber announced plans “to create a safer, more inclusive company” for transgender, nonbinary and other LGBTQ+ identifying customers and drivers. The company said it would allow trans and nonbinary drivers to display their self-identified first name, and establish a $60,000 fund to help its drivers cover the costs of updating their legal IDs and records.

Days later, Escobedo’s account was suspended. He asked Uber’s support desk why it had rejected his documents. Escobedo explained that the profile picture he submitted was taken after he transitioned, whereas his driver’s license photo was from before.An Uber Eats representative said the issue was being escalated to a specialized team for review, which would take up to five business days.

More than a week passed. Escobedo contacted the support desk for an update; he got the same response, to wait five business days. Escobedo said the Uber representative told him the company had already contacted him about his case, but Escobedo told The Times he hadn’t received any communication.

In mid-June, he received an in-app message saying he had submitted fraudulent documentation and was banned from driving for Uber Eats. The deactivation decision was permanent, and he would not be allowed to appeal, the message read.

When Escobedo asked which documents were determined to be fraudulent, he received no response.

“They weren’t listening to me. They didn’t believe me,” Escobedo said.

The ACLU of Southern California sent Uber a letter July 1 demanding the company restore Escobedo’s profile and allow him to display his chosen name.

“As a result of having simply sought work using a current image that reflects his true, male identity, he was accused of fraud and permanently terminated from the platform, and suffered attendant economic and emotional harms,” the letter said. “Mr. Escobedo’s termination was an affront to his dignity as well as a likely violation of applicable law.”

The letter also urged Uber to review its records to identify any other prospective drivers or delivery workers “who may have been unfairly excluded from working for the company due to gender-mismatched documentation, and affirmatively communicate with those individuals about restoring them to good standing” by the end of 2021.

Adam Blinick, Uber’s senior director of public policy and communications, responded to the letter July 2, saying that the company would apologize to Escobedo and that it was “undertaking a review” of the issue and would “proactively address” any instances of similar problems the review uncovered.

That same day, the company reactivated Escobedo’s account.

Uber did not respond to emailed questions from The Times about whether it had conducted the review, what it concluded and any corrective actions taken.

A Kansas chapter of the ACLU had sent a similar letter to Uber Eats on behalf of a 41-year-old transgender man in Topeka contending the company’s app effectively outed him as transgender to customers by requiring him to display his legal name, which he said subjected him to harassment and ridicule, made him fearful for his safety and resulted in lower tips and fewer rides.

Hours later, Uber issued an apology and reaffirmed its commitment to making improvements to transgender drivers’ user experience.

‘Express your authentic self’

As part of its Pride initiative, Uber created a page on its website labeled “I am transgender and need account help.” On the page, the company advertised a form allowing drivers to update names or profile photos, to “express your authentic self,” and offered assurance that “a dedicated set of agents” would be ready to handle the request.

So far, Uber has handled some 1,800 requests to change names or profile photos, Arab said, and about a thousand support staff workers have received training in partnership with the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Monty Robinson, 22, based in Philadelphia, saw the new feature in August. Robinson transitioned after starting with Uber more than a year ago, and her photo was outdated. About a week after she submitted the form, the company deactivated her account and said in an Aug. 19 message that her new profile picture was altered or fraudulent.

Robinson works for DoorDash now. Her picture is still outdated. She said she is afraid to ask DoorDash to change it and risk termination from another delivery app.

Calvin Stephano, whose account was also deactivated when he tried to update his profile photo, said Uber’s appeals process doesn’t allow drivers to better understand or further dispute the company’s determination.

Uber initially flagged his photo as fraudulent, but in an Aug. 13 message, the company explained his termination by saying it “noticed a number of irregular trips associated with fraudulent activities.”

The charge made no sense to Stephano. He asked for an explanation in a phone call with a support representative, who told him he had already used up his one chance to appeal and she did not have the authority to override the system and recover his account, Stephano said.

“There was no way to get help. That’s when I thought, ‘This is really messed up,’” Stephano said.

The Uber support representative suggested he make a new account. Stephano didn’t bother trying.

Customer support limbo

Drivers described Uber’s support interface as a brick wall. Messages to the support desk would be elevated to a “specialized team” or were met with scripted responses that didn’t address specific questions or were entirely irrelevant. Review of appeals were said to take three to five business days, but drivers wouldn’t hear back for weeks. On phone calls, support desk staff were ill-equipped to answer questions or said they had resolved a problem, but the fix didn’t stick.

When drivers sought updates, they were assigned new service representatives who would start the process from scratch. After numerous exchanges, four drivers gave up, saying the process seemed futile.

Ajana Orozco, 54, a recent UCLA graduate, received contradictory instructions and explanations from the support desk.

Several service representatives told her to re-upload documents. Each time they were deemed fraudulent and denied.

Another said the account was on hold because it conflicted with Orozco’s existing passenger account.

Yet another representative told Orozco she was having problems because she kept uploading new photos.

“We went around in the same circle.... Here we go again: ‘Wait three to five business days,’” Orozco said. “It seemed like the more I kept calling them, the more they just put me to the back of the line.”

As part of Uber’s response to The Times, the company provided a statement from a woman who said she used to drive for Uber and lauded the company’s accommodations when she started her gender transition. When she explained why she needed a different name displayed, help desk staff were “so kind and changed it for me,” the former driver, Aimee Meredith, said.

But others say Uber’s support desk has made it harder for drivers to take appropriate safety measures.

Sam Moore, 27, of Santa Ana worried that having his legal name visible would out him as trans to customers and potentially put him in danger.

“Orange County is not the most progressive area,” Moore said. “Just being out and trans is enough, I don’t need to deliver that information along with the food when I go to people’s houses.”

But the company refused to display his chosen name. Instead, it kept Moore’s legal name and added “Sam” after it, in parentheses.

Moore furiously tweeted at the company, threatened to delete the app and mentioned he had a lawyer (his mother). Uber then fixed the issue and sent a link to information about its partnership with the National Center for Transgender Equality to help drivers fund name changes on legal records.

“They said, ‘Look how progressive we are’ after I had to fight with them for three days,” Moore said.

One of the drivers who got suspended from the platform because of a failed background check was advised by Uber support desk workers to contact Checkr, the third party service Uber uses to screen new drivers and conduct annual background checks. Uber spokesman Arab confirmed that drivers who temporarily lose access are asked to work with Checkr.

Uber’s website says that although the company relies on Checkr to screen drivers, Uber is ultimately responsible for the decision on a driver’s eligibility. “Checkr does not determine the standards used to evaluate eligibility to partner with Uber and is not involved in the partnership decision,” the website reads.

Lyft and DoorDash also contract with Checkr. It’s unclear whether similar breakdowns occur for transgender drivers working on other platforms.

Checkr did not respond to requests for comment.

Uber directed representatives from organizations advocating for LGBTQ+ civil rights that the company partners with or sponsors to reach out to The Times.

“There are some employers who take reactive measures, but we’ve seen Uber take a proactive approach to ensuring their platform is welcoming and inclusive that we think distinguishes them from other companies,” Samuel Garrett-Pate of Equality California, an organization sponsored by Uber, said in a phone interview.

Locked out

Transgender people face significant hurdles in the workplace. Deadnaming, misgendering and other offenses can trigger gender dysphoria and spur mental health crises. Some opt for self-employment or work in the gig economy, hoping a less formal setup will reduce their chances of experiencing discrimination.

Sometimes, it’s not a choice: Because they are visibly queer, trans people get locked out of employment opportunities at every stage, from resume screenings to interviews. In positions of serious vulnerability, trans people are more likely to take low-wage jobs and put up with harassment and discrimination, said Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Independent contractors are often at an inherent disadvantage. Without traditional employee arrangements, they have less structural support, and they generally lack robust, if any, protection under discrimination laws, said Amanda Goad, director of the LGBTQ, Gender & Reproductive Justice Project at the ACLU of Southern California, who petitioned Uber to restore Escobedo’s account.

“If you’re doing gig work, you don’t get to have sustained relationships with colleagues and supervisors. You don’t have the normal ability to call HR with a question, and people trying to get support through an app get very mixed results,” Goad said.

In California, app-based drivers are governed by a different set of rules under Proposition 22, the 2020 voter-approved law bankrolled by Uber, Lyft and other gig companies that allowed them a carve-out from state law requiring the classification of some contractors as employees.

Goad said the measure’s passage took away strong protections gig workers might have had as employees under California law. For example, California law requires that employers comply with an employee’s request to be identified by a preferred name or gender pronoun, or else they could be held liable for discrimination.

Legal experts said Proposition 22 fails to delineate how discrimination claims by gig drivers would be processed and investigated, raising concerns that courts may not allow the cases to go forth.

Delivery driver Autumn Jean, a Tampa, Fla., resident, originally signed up to work as a delivery driver for Postmates. When the app was dismantled in June as part of Uber’s acquisition of the company the previous year, she tried to transfer to Uber Eats but was permanently deactivated in the process.

“The thing that was so frustrating was seeing [Uber] gallivant on Twitter about all the great things they’re doing for trans people,” Jean said. “Here I am, a trans person trying to make a living, telling you it’s actually impossible to sign up.”

The result, Jean said, whether the company’s actions are intentional or not, “has the effect of being transphobic.”

#Uber #trans people and documents #Women have the right to ask for women drivers

2 notes · View notes

dunnystuff · 4 years ago

Text

Rich's Blog

Hi to all -

Prom Night

Yes, friends, some schools are actually allowing prom night to continue, once again. So, young students can get all dressed up and go for a wonderful night that they will remember and talk about for decades to come. A Rite of Passage that most of us have experienced.

But, wait, what is that I see? As they enter, they are having a colorful stamp placed on their hands, like those you get when attending night clubs or concerts. And, there is more than one color! Look closer - there is one stamp for those who have been vaccinated, and a different one for those who have not. How interesting.

For many years, people have speculated on exactly what 'The Mark of the Beast' was. This was described as being placed on the hand, or the forehead, and unless you displayed this mark, you would not be permitted to buy or sell. You know, you could not enter a store, or travel, or conduct a business, etc. Bar codes were an early candidate, then the 'scattergram' codes. And, later, the 'chips' with your medical history on them, no larger than a grain of rice (similar to the chips we put in our pets, to find them if they are lost). Now, we have 'vaccine passports', with all the same parameters. Why, even Tony Blair, former PM of Great Britain, thinks this would be a wonderful idea. Most of the G-7 also want this. Did you see how happy they were to welcome Biden 'back into the club'? No more annoying Trump, actually working for the interests of the American people, and making Europe pay for its own defense, for example. The money spigot is open again!

White Farmers

Way out west, these white farmers filed a lawsuit against the USDA. See, the USDA decided to offer 'loan forgiveness' to farmers, but only if they were not white. Clearly racial discrimination, and the white farmers took offense, as they should. Judge William Griesbach, in Wisconsin, looked at the suit and told the USDA that this was a winner - if they push the suit, they will win. The USDA immediately dropped this racist loan forgiveness program.

Scuba Diver

Michael Packard is a commercial lobster fisherman, who dives to collect lobsters. Dangerous job, as the areas where the lobsters live also attract a lot of other predators - like Great White sharks. But, shades of the story of Jonah, Michael suddenly found himself engulfed in the mouth of - not a shark - but a humpback whale. He was okay for the moment, as he was wearing scuba gear, but had nervous thoughts about his future. However, the whale did not find him so easy to swallow, or tasty, and so went to the surface and spit him out. This was seen by others on the boat. Okay, Michael had a few bruises, and perhaps a bad taste in his mouth, but was otherwise okay. Try telling that story to your insurance company!

AOC

Well, she has had another bad day. Some reporter visited her aunt, in the hurricane wrecked area of PR, and asked her about all that aid money that Trump supposedly denied them. Well, said the aunt, the story is not true. A lot of aid money was delivered, but the crooked politicians skimmed most of it off, and little or nothing got to the people it was intended for. This is typical for Puerto Rico, and a lot of other places. There is so much money being siphoned off by crooked politicians, that the whole place is billions and billions in debt, with no hope of ever fixing their finances. That is a prime reason why they want to become a state - so they can throw their face into the federal trough , and not have to deal with the consequences of their theft.

Greece

Anciently, they had amazing builders and very wise people. The nation built all these wonderful buildings and monuments. They were 'Wonders of the World'. But, something happened, and those people vanished, leaving behind their own version of 'woke' culture. Sadly, these new folks not only could not build new structures, they didn't have a clue how to maintain the ones they already had. In fact, they forgot what they had been built for, and how to use them. We will see the same thing here, in time.

Volkswagen

This car got its start in life in Nazi Germany. It was to be 'the people's car', in a nation where few people could afford cars. Hitler demanded that Mr. Porsche, who designed this car, to build a car that every worker could afford. He even set a price for it - one that was quite low. Porsche tried very hard, but could not find a way to build this car at that price. And, he did not want to run a production line to sell a product that lost money on every sale. What to do? What to do?

Well, they found several solutions. One was to demand that the buyer pay the full price in advance, and then wait for delivery, some day. When not enough people put their cash on the table, the state went to Phase Two. All workers were 'unionized' (all the regular labor unions had been banned by the Nazis), and their 'dues', taken from their paychecks, used to subsidize this production.

Of course, the war came along, and the plants were converted to building military equipment, and no one, not anyone, ever got their 'people's car'. It was one of the greatest scams ever done. But, then, the whole of Nazi Germany was a big theft ring, looting all of Europe to fill their own pockets.

Rich

1 note · View note

theswordofpens · 6 years ago

Text

Political Views (From a regular guy in America)

Hey folks! I know some of us don’t like talking about politics on here, but I thought I’d share my thoughts on a few political topics in the spirit of you guys learning to get to know me. So, without further ado, here we go!

What are your thoughts on Racism in our country? I think Racism is by far the DUMBEST social construct we’ve made. There’s literally zero amount of difference between two different people of two different skin pigmentations and ethnic backgrounds. I believe Racism should be abolished in this country and I think both Nazis and White Supremacists should have to register as a “Public Offender” like sex offenders have to. Why? I can’t begin to tell you how many pictures I’ve seen of hundreds of thousands of different people being murdered in cold blood - all for the sake of saying that a stupid ideology should be the law of the land. In the almost 243 years our country has been in existence, the issue of Racism still plagues us to this day. I think that’s beyond ridiculous. What are your thoughts on Women’s rights and Feminism? This is a very similar problem when it comes to the Racism subject. The only difference is that it’s Sex and Gender Elitism instead of Racial Supremacy. To think that one sex is better than the other (ie Men are superior to Women, vice versa) is foolish and is a dangerous thought process. That kind of thinking has led to the great social division that hinders our country today. Women deserve equal pay for equal jobs and equal hours. Women deserve equality in the hiring process for ANY job or career they wish to pursue. Women deserve paid maternity leave, and it should be illegal for ANY company to fire them while they’re on said maternity leave. And last but certainly not least, WOMEN DESERVE THE RIGHT TO ABORTIONS. PERIOD.

What are your thoughts on Immigration? I think Immigration is what’s built our country today. It’s safe to say that 90% of people who currently live in the US can trace their lineage to somewhere outside of the US. Immigrants should be welcomed with open arms, not concrete walls, chain link fences, barb wire and assault rifles. If anyone comes to our country as an immigrant and wishes to help make our country a better place, I say we should let them. We should help them to find jobs and affordable housing, good education for their children, and ultimately a good life for them to live within our country. We should give immigrants the same treatment we give to ourselves, because really, they’ve become one of us. What are your thoughts on Religion in our country? I don’t believe that any one religion is better than the other and I fully believe in Separation of Church & State. Politics are NOT the proper place for your own personal beliefs, and Religion is NOT the proper place for your own personal agenda. I’ll scream that from the rooftops, if I have to. Politics should be a place of non-biased people with the goal in mind to work together to make our country better. No one religion should get special treatment, and no one of different religious beliefs should be discriminated against. Enough said.

What are your thoughts on Gun Rights & Gun Control? I fully believe in the second amendment right for American Citizens to own and possess firearms. THAT SAID! I also believe in reason, perhaps more so than I do in the second amendment. Former felons shouldn’t have the right to possess or own firearms (unless they go through a rigorous rehabilitation and reconciliation course designed to help and reintegrate former felons back into society). I believe sex offenders and the “public offenders” that I mentioned above should also not have the right to possess firearms. I believe that Americans should NEVER possess weapons that can be considered “tactical.” Tactical weapons belong in the hands of those qualified to operate that kind of equipment in tactical situations (ie SWAT, Police, Military forces, FBI, Secret Service). I think there should be “switch” program where Americans can trade in their tactical weapons to the Federal Government for similar, non-tactical versions of that weapon OR for cash reimbursement. I also think that Firearm owning age should be 21, the same age as drinking.

What are your thoughts on LGBTQIA+ community and their rights? I think they’re just as much human and deserving of the same rights as we are. What, just because somebody isn’t straight or they don’t view themselves within the confines on gender or sex that makes them less than human? The LGBTQIA+ community, and anyone who falls into that category, should have the rights of equal employment, equal hours, equal pay, equal rights, equal abilities to marry, equal rights to medical operations, equal ability to adopt, and equal treatment. Period, end of discussion. What are your thoughts on Stem Cell Research and Possible Cloning? I believe in the medical benefits of Stem Cell Research and how it could vastly improve the lives of many Americans who are suffering without it. I think that Stem Cell Research should not only be made legal, but also that it should receive government funding and that access to Stem Cell therapy should be made open to the common folk. In regards to the Cloning issue, I don’t believe that full-fledged, human cloning should be legal. HAVING SAID THAT: I do, however, believe in the medical benefits of partial human cloning in regards to damaged limbs and organs, and that such treatment and therapy should be available for the general public.

What are your thoughts on political parties? Political parties have their uses, but I don’t think they should have nearly the full endorsement they have today. Political parties and those affiliated with them should be kept at an arm’s length away from American Politics, in a sense. What a person identifies in regards to political parties shouldn’t be as important as what they want to do in order to benefit this country and how they wish to do so. Political parties shouldn’t receive federal funding, as they should be funded by independent sources. Not only that, people who wish to run for an elected office need to pass a written and a multiple choice test in order to prove that they have the proper knowledge and critical thinking skills needed in order to properly lead in the position they wish to be elected for.

What are your thoughts on education? I believe that every American deserves to have quality education from schools in which they attend. I also believe the whole “let's make our students pay thousands of dollars in order for them to take a nose dive into debt and then we won't hire them because they got a degree in something we don't like” is BS. We can't take credit in degrees in this country anymore because it's no longer about how hard you work, but rather, how much did you pay to get the degree? While free college may not be realistic in this country (unfortunately) I do think we should greatly lower the cost of a higher education. Any university you go to should only cost two times of what city or community college costs. That way, instead of driving ourselves into a debt that we can't pay, we can pay off a more reasonable amount and we wouldn't be in the same debt we’re in today.

What are your thoughts on Medical care in this country? Okay, this is a no brainer. Medical care should be free for all Americans. And this, I think, is and should be possible. One of the biggest medical insurers in our country is freaking GoFundMe.Com. (Are you kidding me?) I mean, what more do I need to say? Our medical care system is a joke. They're only interested in squeezing every last dime out of the American people while they're on their way to death. Meanwhile, other countries are living healthy and beautifully. We need a serious overhaul on the medical care system as a whole, and one that mutually benefits the American people.

What are your thoughts on the Drug and Homeless crisis within many cities in our country? Homeless people are still PEOPLE. People addicted to drugs are still PEOPLE. As such, they need our help. They need our help to become better people, or to find a home and a job. They need us to help them to get back on their feet, even if they won't openly admit it. There should be a social program that helps to rehabilitate, house, and educate drug abusers and homeless people. It'll help them to get a diploma or a GED, and it'll help them to find jobs and affordable housing within our country.

What are your thoughts on the prison system? We of our biggest problems is the number of incarcerated people per capita. There is a vast amount of people serving hard time in prison for crimes that shouldn't require them to. A shoplifters shouldn't spend the same time that a man convicted of grand arson should. People convicted of lesser crimes should have a choice of either going into a social program similar to that of the Drug and Homeless rehabilitation program or they could join the military to serve for their time in there and to be released on a simple discharge basis.

What are your thoughts on the Environment? The Earth is our home, whether we wish to recognize that or not. Therefore, we need to treat our home with respect and begin to undo the extensive damage that the Human race has brought onto our planet. We should have a similar trade in system as we should have for tactical weapons, only for the environment we should do so with cars instead of guns. Fossil fuel usage should ultimately be banned within a 5 year plan that will allow Americans to trade in their petrolium-powered cars for green energy vehicles. We can either reimburse them for their cars OR we can give them new green cars in exchange for their old ones. Every single building in the US should be either ran off of solar, wind, or hydroelectricity. Every time we cut down a tree, two more should be planted in its place. Old properties should be buldozed to the ground and made into “green parks,” or places where we can plant trees and flowers to make various communities greener. Any energy source that’s dangerous for our planet should be banned.

What are your thoughts on Foreign Policy? We need to work together in order to not only make our country to be better, but to also make our world a better place. We need to focus on COOPERATION, rather than competition. Competing is for sports; Cooperating is for everything else. The US should be one of the leading example of cooperation and leadership within the world. We should work together to feed some of the less fortunate countries. We should grant independence to our overseas territories that wish to be independent, and we should help to establish their governments and economies to be successful. The former thought of the US being “the best country” is a complete and total lie and we need to get that thought out of our heads. We need to recognize that there are other countries that are better in a lot of other aspects than we are.

What are your thoughts on the Military within our country? Our soldiers are cherished in our country, and rightfully so. They fight hard and give up their lives so that we can live comfortable lives. But sometimes, they are the unintentional pawns in a geopolitical game by self-ran politicians within their own agendas. I can’t tell you how many times I see homeless veterans rolling around a run-down wheelchair with only one leg. There are quite literally thousands of former soldiers within our system that are homeless and are in need of help. We should have a system designed to help our veterans to find jobs immediately after they’re released from the military. We spend more money on our military than the next 26 nations COMBINED, so the way we treat our veterans is not only wrong - it’s atrocious.

What are your thoughts about the economy? Capitalism is said to be one of the leading reasons why the health of our Earth is declining. We focus more on a “every man for himself” kind of ideology when it comes to our economy. We take all the money we can get from the people, and we play game of corperate juggernaut against other companies. This drives prices through the roof, which makes many Americans angry. On top of that, you add in taxes and fees of all sorts and what was once a gallon of milk for $2.50 just jumped up to almost 4 bucks. This doesn’t just affect the costs of grocery, either. Gas prices, textile costs, medicine and medical items - you name it! All of it is charged at ridiculous prices all because the companies at the helm of this economic fashion are money hungry and want to squeeze every last dime out of the American people. To top it all off, the American dollar isn’t worth nearly as much as it used to be, so we keep having to print out more and more. Which lowers the amount even more, and this contributes to a broken system. We need a serious overhaul of how our economy is going to work, and how we can make it fairer for both small companies AND for the American people as a whole.

What are your thoughts about the Social programs we have today? I believe that their intentions are great and the basic idea behind them is good, but they need to be overhauled and reevaluated. There are people who genuinely need financial help (be it for health, domestic, or whatever the reason may be. Medical care should be universal and free. If Americans fall under the poverty line, they should be entitled to some kind of federal help per month that aleviates the cost of their basic necessities. We need to help our country’s poor to have a better chance at succeeding in life. However, we can’t just give out free money and not expect for some people to abuse that financial help. Along with a stronger system of Social Services, we need a system of accountability for each and every case they take on. This kind of overhaul will mutually benefit both the destitute and the more well-off in our society.

Look, these are just my opinions. You don’t have to agree with them. But as someone who’s been a witness to this America, I’ve thought long and hard about what should change within our country. If you don’t agree with me, or if I offended any of you for saying this, then I’m sorry but this is how I feel about it. If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to block me or unfollow me at any time. Thank you all for your time.

#us politics #politics #world politics #my politics #sorry not sorry

29 notes · View notes

darthkieduss · 6 years ago

Text

Reasons I hate Fat Donnie Trump (will update frequently)

#Republican, duh. #Narcissistic Personality Order #He lost the Popular vote. #No previous political experience #Has unrealistic ideas about how to solve America's problems, such as getting Mexico to pay for a wall to keep illegal immigrants out. #Vice President is a crazy fundamentalist Christian homophobic wackjob who thinks electroshock therapy cures homosexuality and can't be alone with a woman without his wife present. #Believes in unscientific ideas such as the idea that vaccines cause autism (I am autistic so this is a bit personal) #Has made comments alluding to sexual harassment. #Can't let any slight go. Even comments made about his sign. Jeez, Obama simply shrugged off the trolls and haters. #Won't stop bitch-tweeting. #Enacted the separation of children from their parents. #Tried to ban trans folks from the military. As long as they serve our country, who cares? #Suspended CNN's press pass after some tough questioning. #Is imposing insanely high tariffs on imported goods, mostly from China. #Supports unconstitutional profiling of Muslims. #Supports killing civilians in war. “We gotta take our their families” WHO THINKS LIKE THIS? #Posted troops on the border just for political advantage in the 2018 mid-terms. #Is a shameless self-promoter. #Can't admit his own faults. #Believes he's qualified for president because he's rich (said this in 2013) #Has passed insane tax cuts for the rich, which only increase America's budget deficit and national debt. TRICKLE-DOWN NEVER WORKS. #Had to be discouraged from invading Venezuela, who hasn't done anything to us and poses no threat to us. #Gets advice from Fox News. #Pulled out the Iran deal which was working. #Thinks that the way to show strength is by being a dick. #Cheated on every one of his wives and lied about it. We impeached Bill Clinton for it. #Has increased the military budget way too much. We spend $664 BILLION on the military. It doesn't need anymore. #Claimed Obama spied on him by wiretapping the Trump towers. Provided no evidence. #When he is criticized for something, he claims “Obama started it...” *facepalm* #LIES ON A CONSTANT BASIS. I think he lies just to see what his fans will believe... #He won't admit he lost the popular vote. He says "If you deduct the illegal voters." Oh please... #Is undoing everything Obama did just because it was Obama that did it. If he could bring back Osama bin Laden, he would. #WORLD LEADERS ARE LAUGHING AT HIM AND US #He has his cabinet kiss his ass on a constant basis. #He committed campaign finance violations during the election. #He fired FBI Director Jimmy the Giant Comey just because he wouldn't swear loyalty to him and was investigating him. That’s Obstruction of Justice. #Attacked former Attorney General Jeff Sessions for not closing the Mueller investigation. #He said he wanted to lower the minimum wage back in 2015. #The infamous "Mexicans are rapists" Comment. #Attacked the late John McCain for being a Prisoner-of-War. #Gave out a Senator's cellphone number out of spite. #Blamed Megyn Kelly's tough questioning on her period. #He said "Bring back torture EVEN IF IT DOESN'T WORK". (2015) ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! #Tried to have his political opponents locked up. #"Jokes" about being president-for-life. If Obama had "joked" about this, the right would've lost their shit. #Threatened martial law in Chicago. #Praised Protestant bigot Norman Peale, who only opposed JFK simply because he was Catholic. #He violated the Presidential Records Act. #One of his tax cuts gave the poor $40, the ultra-rich $940,000 #He appeals to insecure men. #He and Jeff Sessions said it is ok to discriminate against gay people. #Complains about people not respecting the flag, says the guy who molests it. #Wants North Korean-style Military Parades. #Started that Obama birth certificate bullshit... He only said Obama was born in America in 2016...when it was politically-convenient. (*cough* back-pedaling) #He believes women are beneath him. #Doesn't believe in Global Warming. #Wouldn't stop saying interrupting Clinton in the debates. #Has more in common with the criminal Richard Nixon than anyone else. (Edit: He called for an end to investigations like Tricky Dick did in ‘74) #3.2 MILLION Americans lost their health insurance in Trump's first year. #"A terror attack would help me politically bigly." or we could NOT have a terrorist attack, thank you. #Claimed he would've run into a school shooting to confront the shooter without a weapon. BULLSHIT. #His lawyers say "I can't let him testify because he can't stop lying." #His budget obliterated funding for Science, Education, EPA & labor. #He encourages Republicans to break the law. #Tweeted FAKE photos to convince his fans that the border wall is being built. #Has committed obstruction of justice. (Edit: Confirmed by Mueller) #Said he's in favor of bombing civilians. #He had the USAF bomb an antivenom medical facility in Syria. #He said he only received $1 Million from his father. HE GOT $400 Million. ANOTHER LIE. #He makes everything about himself. Even 9/11. Who makes 9/11 about himself? #Claims he's completely immune to lawsuits over constitutional violations. Nixon said that, but it didn't work for him. #He's driving us to another Great Depression. #He threatened to punish the media if they weren't nice to him. #He calls the press "The enemy of the people" when they don't kiss his ass. #He calls Sean Hannity every night. Sean Hannity is a partisan hack who wouldn't turn on a Republican president even if he found out he was using JFK's Eternal Flame to light farts. He’s so far up Trump’s ass he can taste his lunch. #He still uses his private NON-SECURE cell phone, creating HUGE National Security problems. #He admitted his attacks on the media are just to discredit negative stories. #He claims he has the power to pardon himself. NO THE HELL HE DOESN'T. #Giuliani said Trump can't testify because his memory keeps changing. #THE MOST THIN-SKINNED PRESIDENT. #He is against the protections for pre-existing conditions. HE is a pre-existing condition. #When told Kim Jong-Un is a murderer, he responded "He's a tough guy." #He says Americans should obey him like North Koreans are forced at gunpoint to obey Kim Jong-un. #He trusts brutal dictators, but not our closest allies. #He is jealous of Kim Jong-Un's absolute grip on power. #He lied about the German crime rate to justify his immigration policies. #He suggested destroying the Constitution so he can deport immigrants faster. #Authorized USING LETHAL FORCE ON UNARMED MIGRANTS!!! #Lied to the United Nations, saying poverty in America doesn't actually exist. I PERSONALLY know people who are living in poverty. #He issued a gag order to stop government employees from talking to reporters. #He said, on tape, that if Senator Elizabeth Warren proved she was Native American, he would donate $1 million to a charity of her choice. When she did, and someone pointed it out, he said "I didn't say that." Whether or not he’s obligated to pay, he said he would but now he’s saying he didn’t say it. #Says people who criticize him are a threat to America. #His trade wars have cost 100,000+ American jobs. #People who work for him tend to be convicted of crimes... #Makes slanderous lies about us Democrats. #Told German Chancellor she owes him $1 Trillion even though she doesn't him shit. #76% of the claims Trump makes during his rallies are LIES. #He has committed at least NINE impeachable offenses. #He said he believes Russian president Vladimir Putin over OUR OWN intelligence agencies. #He once said in December 2016, "Fuck the law! I don't give a fuck about the law! I want my fucking money!" #Claimed we've won the war on poverty, so let's cut food stamp programs. No we haven't. #He threatened to nuke the economy to spite China. #He said he'd drain the swamp, yet he was 86 lobbyists on his staff. #He thinks everyone else is as stupid as he is. #Corporations are PRAYING that Trump tweets us into a war. #He told a crowd "reality isn't real" so they should ignore it. #Wages have tanked after Trump's wealthy tax cut. #Nixon was guilty as hell and Trump sounds just like him. #He actually claimed you need a Picture ID to buy cereal....CEREAL...WHO IS THIS STUPID?!?! #He claimed people will die if we don't make cars less fuel efficient. #By August 2018 his lie count topped 4,200+. By May 2019, it’s now 10,000+. #His administration is now allowing more toxic asbestos into our daily lives. #His wife plagiarized Michelle Obama in a speech during the election. #He watches tapes of his rallies to marvel at his own "brilliance", if that's what you call it. More like jerking off to himself. #He said military might is more important that jobs. #He said violating ethics rules to meet with Fox news is in "the public's interest" #Discreetly called for Hillary Clinton's assassination by firearm (”Second Amendment people”) if she had won. #Claimed he would ONLY accept the results of the 2016 election IF HE WON. #Said "Let's fucking kill him" of Bashar al-Assad. Yes, Assad is a bad man, but WE DON'T ASSASSINATE PEOPLE. #He said he wants to separate migrants kids from parents INDEFINITELY. #He acted like a total ass on the 2018 9/11 anniversary. #He denies that 3,000+ Puerto Ricans died in Hurricane Maria. #Pentagon officials had to stop Trump from tweeting us into a war. #American taxpayers spent $77 MILLION on Trump's Golf trips. #Criticized Obama for golf trips...has taken more golf trips in 3 years than Obama did in 8. #Said the FBI is a "Cancer to the country". #His administration cut cancer research funding to pay for child prisons. #Puerto Rico won't get statehood simply because they were mean to him. *His administration said Planet is burning down, so let's just ruin it now. *Says he loves North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. “We fell in love”. *Talked about his dick at the debates. *He is being investigated for tax evasion and fraud. *Hates immigrants, married two Eastern European immigrant, son of a Scottish immigrant and grandson of a German immigrant. *Claimed Iraq War was wrong, yet he has increased troop numbers there. *Compared sexual assault victims to arsonists. #He denied Saudi Arabia financial interests...AFTER bragging about them. #He hasn't condemned Saudi Arabia for their murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. #He mocked decorated Navy SEAL, saying they should've gotten Osama bin Laden sooner. WHAT? #He banned 2 Million Federal workers from discussing his impeachment at work. #He demanded that he leave the G20 during the climate change discussion. #He told about skyrocketing national debt: "I won't be here." when it explodes. #Called a US Senator "The Dick". #*His hush money payments were done ILLEGALLY, with campaign cash. #His cult sent bombs to everyone he criticized. Not saying he's directly responsible but that's how cultist his fans are. #He threatened to bring Saturday Night Live to court simply for making fun of him. Awww poor baby, is someone making fun of you? Good. #Never has a president been under so much investigations except Richard Nixon. #He pulled us out of the Paris agreements. #His 2018 government shutdown lasted 35 days and was over a stupid wall. #He only works 40% of the day. He's the laziest POTUS ever. #He pulled us out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. HE STARTED A NEW COLD WAR. #He won’t release his taxes. If he’s got nothing to hide, why HIDE EM? #He threatened us Democrats, saying he has the support of the police, the military and “Bikers for Trump.” Bikers for Trump=BrownShirts. #Claims that windmill causes cancer and kill birds...Are you fucking kidding me? #His son Donny Douchebag got a crowd to chant “AOC sucks” like the douchebag he is. #Claimed his father was born in Germany. Fred Trump was born in NYC, how stupid can you be to not know where your parents were born... #Claims he should get 2 more years added to his term because those 2 years were “stolen” by the Mueller report. *facepalm-cringe* #He told 4 Progressive non-white Congresswomen to “Go back to where you came from”. 3 of 4 were BORN HERE, YOU FUCKING RACIST #One-uped the “go back to your country” but viciously attacking Elijah Cummings and Baltimore in a racist Twitter tirade. #Extorted the Ukrainian President to investigate Joe Biden (finally being impeached) #He's always blaming everybody else, complaining, never taking responsibility. #"I inherited a mess." You inherited millions of dollars, you whiny...little...BITCH!

#Trump #Donald Trump #Fat Donnie #I hate Trump #Why I hate Trump #Bernie 2020 #Why I'm not a Republican #Impeach the MF #Impeach the MFer #Impeach the Motherfucker #I love Bernie

19 notes · View notes

halcyondaysforyou · 2 years ago

Text

Gender Pricing: Why Women Pay More

It's expensive to be a woman in this country. Collectively, we fork over $426 billion a year on our hair, nails, and beauty products. But glamour aside, for services that we all need - like insurance, housing and healthcare, - women are still paying more than men.

I tapped Lea Goldman, Features and Special Projects Director at Marie Claire Magazine, whose article, "Why Women Pay More" exposes the harsh realities of price discrimination.

"The state of California found, on average, that women were paying a mark-up of about $1,351 that men weren't having t pay for the same goods and services," she says. "We looked at women cross the country...and found that on average women pa $151 billion in extra fees and markups that men don't have to pay."

Some of those marked up items include everyday toiletries, such as disposable razors, shaving creams, shampoos and soaps - all dressed in prettier packaging, but functionally identical to those sold to men. According to one study, researchers examined 200 deodorants sold at major drugstore chains and found that deodorant for women cost, on average, 30 cents more per ounce - and the only difference was the scent.

Some dry cleaners, too, appear to take part in price favoritism, charging slightly higher prices to clean a woman's shirt. According to Goldman's research these dry cleaners claim our tops are more labor intensive to clean and require special machinery.

And the list of perpetrators goes on.

Women have long been aware of unfair price discrimination in the hair care industry, though we seem to voluntarily buy into this practice, spending twice total what men do on their hair. Salons say the time and the artistry involved in a women's mane more than justifies a 10-50% mark-up but then, is it fair to charge more if you have, say, Justin Bieber's, haircut?

Now, many will argue that it's, in fact, men who face price discrimination. For example, some establishments charge more for a man-icure or a man's wax because, they claim, men's grooming takes more time and effort.

This is similar to the reasons a salon might charge more for a woman's hair cut, or a dry cleaner charges more for a woman's shirt: it's simply more work, they say. In fact, what appears to be discriminatory pricing is really just the cost of doing business. So why all the fuss?

Goldman says it's because these price differentials spread much further than just the cost of errands and grooming. "The big ticket items that women pay more for include everything from mortgages, health insurance, life insurance, home repairs, car repairs, across the board all the biggest big-ticket expenses in your life you'll probably pay more for than men," she says.

Perhaps it's no more apparent than in the health care industry where 92% of the top insurance plans charge women more - and that doesn't include maternity services. Starting in 2014, under the Affordable Health Care Act fourteen states have banned gender rating. But in states that haven't made changes, glaring price discrepancies still exist. In Kentucky for example, a healthy woman pays 14% more than a smoking male for the exact same coverage. In Florida, women pay over a thousand dollars more per year in health care premiums; This is because they often have to pay extra to cover inadequate maternity coverage, or take on the brunt of maternity care on their own, an average of $9,600.

These are huge financial burdens with lasting consequences. Let's not forget, too, that women still make less than men, 74 cents for every dollar her male counterpart earns. So how are businesses getting away with this?

There is no federal law banning gender pricing so across the country it really varies by state to state and also by city to city

As a consumer, here's how you can fight back:

First, refuse to patronize businesses that blatantly discriminate. By letting the company know you'll be going elsewhere because of their unfair price differences, it may be enough to get their attention. Maybe they'll change their ways or, at the very least, try to win back your business

Next, no one says you have to pay more for women's products: If it costs less and does the same thing, who cares if you use a man's deodorant or shaving cream? If the fragrance is an issue, get the kind for sensitive skin, which is usually scentless.

Comparison shop. This may sound like an obvious tip, but Goldman says women tend not to be as aggressive in this area as men, especially when it comes to mortgage rates and cars.

Finally, if you suspect you're being charged differently because of your gender, report it. "Contact your local representative be it a mayor, congress person, let them know that you're not okay with it, give them specific examples in an email and letter so they know what they can investigate.

Credits to: Farnoosh Torabi

Date: February 7, 2013

Source:https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tagged/health/author-blog-posts/gender-pricing-why-women-pay-more-032900640.html

#lifehealthadvisors #areteautomation #ethos #women

0 notes

luke-demoverse · 1 month ago

Text

Hey can y’all sign my petition so I can drive

Also can y’all share it too

If not I probably won’t ever be able to drive

Be the change

1 note · View note

deniscollins · 4 years ago

Text

Alphabet Settles Shareholder Suits Over Sexual Harassment Claims

If you were Alphabet’s CEO or HR Manager, would you place confidentiality restrictions when settling harassment and discrimination cases to respect employee policy: (1) Yes, (2) No? Why? What are the ethics underlying your decision?

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has settled a series of shareholder lawsuits over its handling of sexual harassment claims, agreeing to greater oversight by its board of directors in future cases of sexual misconduct and committing to spend $310 million over the next decade on corporate diversity programs.

The settlement, filed on Friday in California Superior Court, also said employees would no longer be forced to settle disputes with Alphabet in private arbitration. Workers had demanded that change after details of sexual harassment cases at the company became public two years ago.

In addition, Alphabet said it would limit confidentiality restrictions when settling harassment and discrimination cases and ban workplace romances between managers and subordinates.

The Silicon Valley company was hit by a wave of shareholder lawsuits after The New York Times reported in 2018 that the board of directors had approved a $90 million exit package for a star executive, Andy Rubin, even after an investigation deemed a sexual harassment claim against him credible. Mr. Rubin has denied the claim and others against him.

Five lawsuits in California were eventually consolidated into one case. One of them, brought by James Martin, an Alphabet shareholder, said board members had allowed illegal conduct to proliferate, ignored their fiduciary duties and had become enablers of sexual harassment and discrimination.

Other shareholder suits are awaiting action in federal court and in Delaware, where Alphabet is incorporated. The federal cases are on hold pending the outcome of the California suits, while the matter in Delaware is in mediation.

Julie Goldsmith Reiser, a partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, one of the firms representing Alphabet shareholders, said the $310 million commitment was meaningful because the tech giant was paying the money directly and it was earmarked to address one of the root problems at the company.

“The settlement fundamentally alters Alphabet’s workplace policies,” Ms. Reiser said. “It feels like we’ve given the company the tools to become a better workplace.”

So-called shareholder derivative lawsuits have sprung up in the wake of “Me Too” revelations of sexual misconduct by executives or prominent employees as a way to try to hold companies accountable.

In similar lawsuits at 21st Century Fox and Wynn Resorts, the damages won by shareholders were paid out by insurers to the companies, instead of to the individuals who sued.

After a sexual harassment scandal at its Fox News division, 21st Century Fox agreed to a settlement that included a $90 million payment from insurers and the formation of an advisory committee to improve its workplace culture.

The settlement with Alphabet also does not direct money to the people who sued, but it does steer funding and policies to prevent the bad behavior from recurring. Ms. Reiser hailed it for setting a new level of corporate governance and accountability, as well as a standard for the rest of the technology industry. The level of board involvement and executive accountability, she said, “goes far beyond what we’ve seen in other settlements.”

As the lawsuits started piling up, Alphabet’s board created a committee of independent directors to investigate the claims, interviewing current and former directors and employees. After the review, the committee determined that it should try to resolve the claims, according to the settlement. Alphabet and its directors denied any wrongdoing in the document laying out the agreement.

The company has undergone a significant changing of the guard in the last few years. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who founded Google more than two decades ago, stepped down from a day-to-day role at the company in late 2019.

David Drummond, a longtime company lawyer who kept his job even after details of an extramarital relationship he had with a woman who worked for him became public, left Alphabet this year. Eric Schmidt, the former chief executive, who was known to appear at company events with women he was seeing in extramarital relationships, left the board in 2019.

“Recent years have involved a lot of introspection and work to make sure we’re providing a safe and inclusive workplace,” Eileen Naughton, vice president of Google’s people operations, wrote in a blog post on the company’s website. “I’m grateful to everyone, especially our employees and shareholders, for providing us with feedback, and for making sure that the way we tackle these vital issues is better today than it was in the past.”

As part of the settlement, Alphabet agreed to form an advisory council focused on diversity, equality and inclusion made up of four executives — including Sundar Pichai, the chief executive — and three outside experts including Nancy Gertner, a retired federal judge. The group will take on a wide range of issues, including hiring and retention, compensation, and how the company responds to and investigates employee complaints.

In addition, Alphabet’s board will receive more information about how the company is handling claims of sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation, and directors will receive regular reports on the compensation of any senior executives found to have engaged in serious misconduct.

Shortly after the report about the payouts to Mr. Rubin and other Google executives accused of sexual misconduct, 20,000 workers staged a walkout demanding changes to how the company treats employees. In response, Google agreed to stop forced arbitration in individual cases of sexual harassment or assault. It later expanded the policy to all employee disputes with the company.

Alphabet said it would now extend the policy to its 11 other subsidiaries, like the self-driving car company Waymo. Some of those businesses have thousands of employees.

Google employees will no longer be bound to nondisclosure agreements preventing them from discussing the underlying facts or circumstances of incidents when settling sexual harassment and retaliation claims. Alphabet said it would “encourage” its subsidiaries to do the same but was not requiring the change.

In an attempt to address past problems of executives dating subordinates, Alphabet said, it has changed its workplace romance policy so that managers are no longer allowed to date employees they supervise. The previous policy “strongly discouraged” such relationships.

Alphabet also agreed that employees who are being investigated over claims of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment or retaliation when they depart Google will not receive severance or other compensation. That is already the case for employees fired for misconduct. Under the new policy, even if an employee is not fired, the misconduct will be taken into account in determining his or her severance, the company said.

#harassment #Alphabet

0 notes

funnydove-blog · 4 years ago

Text

Fashion Victims

Old Money Gals are wise to all the attempts made to separate them from their money, to marginalize their worth, or to minimize their opportunities. They don’t allow themselves to be victimized by anyone or anything. Ever. Not discrimination, not violence, not outdated social mores.

They aren’t victims of these external forces, nor do they victimize themselves.

One aspect of victimization they avoid, and which you’ll avoid, is the self-imposed condition of being a ‘fashion victim’. Let’s look at a few ‘fashion victim’ categories.

The Basic Fashion Victim: this is the woman who dresses in a way that’s too trendy, too provocative, wildly inappropriate, or just plain tasteless, in an attempt to be ‘fashionable’. As a result, she looks ridiculous, insecure, clueless, and too easily influenced by passing trends. For example, an older woman who wears a misdemeanor-high miniskirt and low-cut top like she’s 18 again can be a fashion victim. A 16 year-old who’s trying to dress like a 3-martini-lunch divorcee with highrise hair and industrial-strength mascara can be a fashion victim.

This faux pas is not really about age, though: it usually occurs when a woman doesn’t have a sense of who she is, or has undervalued herself. This sartorial misfire is always cringe-worthy, sometimes humorous, and often sad.

Note: I don’t make fun of people who dress in their own unique style or are on the road to refining their style. Other people are not so kind and nonjudgmental. Pay attention, get your thoughts and look together. Avoid being a Basic Fashion Victim. (Remember the words of Coco Chanel, who noted, ‘Fashion says, ‘Me, too.’ Style says, ‘Me only.’)

By most standards, this type of ‘victimization’ seems pretty benign. Let me expand on the concept so that you can make better choices and not become a more serious kind of victim.

The Financial Fashion Victim: the woman who is victimized by the excessive prices she pays for clothing and cosmetics. Women pay eye-watering amounts for blouses, pants, skirts, and jackets that often have less fabric and require less work to create when compared to men’s garments.

While the quality varies from poor to artisan, the mark-up remains the same…staggering. For clothing, this means many women are victimized economically when they need to make a purchase. The Old Money Gal’s solution is to selectively buy quality items made of natural fabrics (wool, cotton, linen, silk). Lean toward traditional, classic styles so that your newer items can be easily mixed and matched with your older items. Shop less. Take care of your garments. You know that the fashion industry introduces new clothing styles and lines every season (winter, spring, summer, and fall) for a reason. The reason they do this is to get new merchandise in front of you, get you into a retail store or online, and get you to purchase new things on a regular basis. The end goal is to take the money from working women and put it in the pockets of multimillion dollar conglomerates. While these big companies charge you big bucks for their goods, they often pay their workers (often women) a few dollars a day to work in sweatshop conditions overseas to make these clothes.

You can’t address every problem in the world—just don’t be a part of a problem if it’s at all possible. Don’t be complicit. Don’t be an enabler. Don’t be a co-conspirator. Research online and learn about the reputation a retailer has with regards to labor practices and community involvement before you buy. Be wise. Shop informed.

Shop like an Old Money Gal: when you need to, not when you’re feeling depressed, not when you’re feeling happy, not because you want to ‘treat’ others, not when you’re feeling powerful, not when you’re feeling unattractive, not when you’re having relationship problems, not when you’re feeling worried, not when you just got a pay raise or promotion, and not when you’re simply feeling bored.

Note: be the best global citizen you can be. Know your vendors. Be the savvy, financially independent woman. Invest in yourself. Acquire the best. Save money at every opportunity, both as a sound financial practice and as you shop. No shopping sprees and no credit card purchases. Budget, budget, budget.

SAVING FACE The Health Fashion Victim refers to the woman who is victimized by the toxins found in the beauty products she buys and uses. This issue is an enormous one, given the size of the cosmetics industry in the United States. (Recent statistics suggest that American women outspend women in every other country in the world on beauty products.)

As with everything you purchase, it’s important to know the ‘true costs’ of owning and using a product. For example, if you buy a yacht, you not only have to pay for the vessel. You must pay for insurance, maintenance, fuel, crew, and a place to dock it. The same issues apply to the acquisition of an exotic car, a serious fur coat, or piece of jewelry. Steep as they can be, the ‘true costs’ of these purchases are only financial.

With beauty products, we’re talking about your most prized possession: your health. So, I’m going to specifically address some of the toxins found in cosmetics sold in the United States in hopes that you become more aware about the ‘true costs’ of some of the choices you make when you purchase beauty products.

Again, these are the costs you pay, not just with the ‘purchase price’ of the product, but the price you pay with your health. According to recent reports, European authorities have banned 1,373 substances from cosmetics sold to European women. The United States Food and Drug Administration has, by contrast, banned only 8 and restricted only 3. (Think about that.) Researchers have linked some of these chemicals to various health issues due to their known or suspected effects on hormones in the human body.

The question you may want to ask yourself is this: if European government officials have banned this many substances from the cosmetics that can be sold to their citizens —most of whom are women and young girls—shouldn’t you care enough about yourself and your daughters to investigate, become informed, and ban these same toxins from your life?

Before I discuss in detail the hazards associated with many cosmetics on the market today in the United States, I want to discuss makeup’s health effects on our young women and girls. I’ll refer to ‘tweens’—girls between the ages of 10 and 12—and teenagers first.

It’s important to be aware that more teens and tweens are wearing makeup than at any other time in history. Sadly, today’s American teens and tweens have been brainwashed to believe that they have an ‘image’ to create and maintain. For many, that image includes masking their faces in makeup every day. Many of them absolutely refuse to leave home without it.

Many teenagers in North America have a daily makeup ritual that includes lipstick, powder, blush, foundation, mascara, eyeliner, nail polish, and perfume, not to mention skin lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and hair color treatments. In fact, experts estimate that a typical young girl now walks around with at least a dozen beauty products on her body. As the makeup layers add up, so does her exposure to dangerous chemicals, and that’s very bad news for a young girl’s health.

0 notes

emilyiannielli · 4 years ago

Photo

Trump supporters are all delusional! I almost died because of trump when he fucked the post office which resulted in my not receiving my insulin which put me into a diabetic coma and I died but my wife called police/paramedics who rushed me to NUMC and the doctors and nurses hooked me up to a ventilator, oxygen and intravenous for 2 weeks keeping me in the hospital for a month! I have compromised vision and now need a rollator to get around and can no longer drive a car! I also lost a very good friend, a transgender American soldier to suicide who left behind a wife and 6 year old daughter because of Trump transgender soldier ban! I fucking hope Trump dies from coronavirus that no good fuck! I almost died because of him and I lost a good friend because of that fat fuck who discriminated against transgender people like me and my friend who died because of him and I have a 21 year old autistic son who would have been devastated if I died! Joe Biden is a very honest upstanding experienced politician and Trump is a fucking asshole responsible for the deaths of 186k Americans to the coronavirus because he doesn’t fucking care and he wants to eliminate payroll taxes which I paid into all my working life which now allows me to pay my mortgage and covers my medical costs with my social security disability and Medicare that my autistic son and I rely on for our survival in addition to my LTD! If asshole Trump takes away our social security I will lose my house, my son will not be able to stay in his group home and I’d be forced to commit suicide to save my family from homelessness with my $1M life insurance policy which will pay out even with my suicide because I own it over 20 years! Joe Biden is a good man and would never do that as president! Trump is a fucking murderer and anyone who votes for him is allowing him to hurt and kill millions of Americans! God help you all! Fuck @realdonaldtrump! I hope he fucking dies of coronavirus because I almost died because of him when he forced me to go without insulin for 3 days forcing me into a diabetic coma because of his sabotaging the US post office! @joebiden @kamalaharris for President/Vice President 2020! (at The White House) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEpV8kpnsuu/?igshid=1r5mcwp8tghzk

0 notes

denisehil0 · 5 years ago

Text

Africa’s essential truckers say they face virus stigma

NAMANGA, Kenya — They haul food, fuel and other essential supplies along sometimes dangerous roads during tough economic times. But Africa’s long-distance truckers say they are increasingly being accused of carrying something else: the coronavirus.

While hundreds of truckers have tested positive for the virus in recent weeks, the drivers say they are being stigmatized and treated like criminals, being detained by governments and slowing cargo traffic to a crawl.

That has created a challenge for governments in much of sub-Saharan Africa, where many borders remain closed by the pandemic, on how to strike a balance between contagion and commerce. Countries are struggling to reach common ground.

“When I entered Tanzania, in every town that I would drive through, they would call me, ’You, corona, get away from here with your corona!’” said Abdulkarim Rajab, a burly Kenyan who has been driving trucks for 17 years and recalls when drivers were being accused of spreading HIV during that outbreak.

Rajab and his load of liquefied gas spent three days at the Kenya-Tanzania border, where the line of trucks waiting to be cleared stretched into the distance and wound around the lush hills overlooking the crossing at Namanga.

Tanzania closed the border there this week, protesting Kenya’s efforts to re-test all incoming truckers, including those who even had certificates showing they had been tested in the previous 14 days. It was the second time the frontier was closed in less than a month and was taken after many Tanzanian truckers with negative results started testing positive at the border.

Many truckers must sleep in unsanitary motels and interact with many people, increasing their risk of contagion. They’re often stuck for days at a border waiting for virus test results, mingling in crowded parking lots.

Some told The Associated Press they try to elude authorities or switch off their phones when they enter Uganda so they can’t be ordered to pull over. More than half of the country’s 507 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday have been confirmed among truckers.

New government orders largely confine truckers to their vehicles and have designated rest areas along highways to limit contact with residents. Authorities say the restrictions are necessary, but the truckers see them as biased and unjust.

When a driver takes a bathroom break, “the people in the area start chasing him, saying, ‘You want to leave your COVID here.’ That’s discrimination,” said Byron Kinene, a Ugandan who heads the Regional Lorry Drivers and Transporters Association.

Several Kenyan truckers driving through northern Uganda to South Sudan on May 30 made a distress call after locals threatened them as they sought to park, Kinene said.

Health authorities in East African countries don’t have enough tests for their population, so they focus instead on highly mobile truckers.

“We are concentrating on hot spot areas. We are picking many (truckers) who are positive,” said Pontiano Kaleebu, who heads the Uganda Virus Research Institute, the government testing agency. “This is not unfair. This is the reality.”

The testing at the border is often slow, frustrating and risky.

“The challenge is the number of people who come. They are so many,” said Aggrey Keya, a Kenyan lab technician at the Namanga border.

Taking samples raises the possibility of getting infected, Keya said. Processing the samples can take two days, along with another three days for truckers to clear customs and immigration. Some drivers report waiting for up to a week.

The East African Community regional bloc said May 30 it wants to monitor truckers via mobile phones and issue certificates declaring their health status. But the measure can’t be implemented until each country sets up a co-ordinating office and gets the necessary equipment, and no start date has been set.

That means countries like Kenya and Tanzania, which have responded differently to the pandemic, will continue their own restrictions.

Tanzania hasn’t updated its number of virus cases since April 29. While its president claims the virus has been defeated, African health authorities want its government to be more transparent and the opposition fears a coverup. Officially, cases remain at just over 500 while the opposition says the real number could be in the tens of thousands.

Neighbouring Kenya and Uganda have enforced strict measures. The countries are on major transport corridors that serve a large part of central and southern Africa. Some trucks coming in from the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa head for South Sudan, which is emerging from civil war.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said banning trucks is “suicidal” in a region where delivery by other means, including air and sea, is underdeveloped.

Some truckers have staged protests on the highway leading to the Kenya-Uganda border recently, citing alleged mistreatment in Uganda. The four-day protest, during which truckers deflated their tires, caused a huge traffic jam inside Kenya.

Feeling harassed, some truckers refuse to co-operate with authorities, switching off phones or giving the wrong contact address if their sample tests positive, said Ndugu Omogo, head of the Uganda Professional Drivers Network. He said some drivers have been mistreated when arrested.

Ally Akida Samwel of Tanzania, waiting at the Namanga border post to haul maize to Kenya, said some officials refuse even to touch a trucker’s documents, asking they be read aloud instead.

“On the other hand, drivers themselves are scared of getting the coronavirus from the people, so most prefer to sleep in their trucks and not hotels,” he said. “I stop and cook on the roadside, and I am on my way. If you are scared of me giving you the coronavirus, I am also scared of you giving it to me.”

___

Muhumuza reported from Kampala, Uganda.

Rodney Muhumuza And Tom Odula, The Associated Press

Do you need a Car Accident Attorney in The Greater Toronto Area?

Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers is a leading Toronto personal injury law office. Our attorneys feel it is their duty to aid you to find the federal government and health companies who can likewise help you in your road to recovery.

Neinstein Injury Attorneys has actually handled serious personal injury claims throughout Toronto for more than 5 decades. Its locations of proficiency include medical, legal, and insurance issues connected to health-related negligence, car collisions, disability claims, slip and falls, product liability, insurance disputes, and a lot more.

Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers

1200 Bay St Suite 700, Toronto, ON M5R 2A5, Canada

MJ96+X3 Toronto, Ontario, Canada

neinstein.com

+1 416-920-4242

Visit Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers https://neinstein.ca/about-us/ Connect with on Linkedin Watch Neinstein on Youtube

Contact Daniel Michaelson at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers

#Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers #Ontario Personal Injury Lawyers #Greg Neinstein #auto accident attorneys

0 notes

quakerjoe · 8 years ago

Text

When Trump Voters Say They “Suffered For 8 Years Under Obama,” Here’s The Perfect Response.

One of many, many infuriating parts of having Trump as the President is the insufferable smugness of conservatives. When they're not telling you to "suck it up, snowflake" or trying to sell you fake news, they're gloating: "We suffered for eight years under that tyrant Obummer. Now it's your turn."

One man, Scott Mednick had enough with his Republican acquaintances and penned this powerful response:

"I am surprised you would wish suffering upon me. That, of course, is your right, I suppose. I do not wish harm on anyone. Your statement seems to continue the 'US v THEM' mentality. The election is over. It is important to get past campaigning and campaign rhetoric and get down to what is uniting, not dividing and what is best for ALL Americans.

There will never be a President who does everything to everyone's liking. There are things President Obama (and President Clinton) did that I do not like and conversely there are things I can point to that the Presidents Bush did that I agree with. So I am not 100% in lock step with the outgoing President but have supported him and the overall job he did.

And, if you recall, during the Presidential Campaign back in 2008 the campaign was halted because of the "historic crisis in our financial system." Wall Street bailout negotiations intervened in the election process. The very sobering reality was that there likely could be a Depression and the world financial markets could collapse. The United States was losing 800,000 jobs a month and was poised to lose at least 10 million jobs the first year once the new President took office. We were in an economic freefall. So let us recall that ALL of America was suffering terribly at the beginning of Obama's Presidency.

But I wanted to look back over the last 8 years and ask you a few questions. Since much of the rhetoric before Obama was elected was that he would impose Sharia Law, Take Away Your Guns, Create Death Panels, Destroy the Economy, Impose Socialism and, since you will agree that NONE of this came to pass, I was wondering: Why have you suffered so?

So let me ask: Gays and Lesbians can now marry and enjoy the benefits they had been deprived of. Has this caused your suffering?

When Obama took office, the Dow was 6,626. Now it is 19,875. Has this caused your suffering?

We had 82 straight months of private sector job growth – the longest streak in the history of the United States. Has this caused your suffering?

Especially considering where the economy was when he took over, an amazing 11.3 million new jobs were created under President Obama (far more than President Bush). Has this caused your suffering?

Obama has taken Unemployment from 10% down to 4.7%. Has this caused your suffering?

Homelessness among US Veterans has dropped by half. Has this caused your suffering?

Obama shut down the US secret overseas prisons. Has this caused your suffering?

President Obama has created a policy for the families of fallen soldiers to have their travel paid for to be there when remains are flown home. Has this caused your suffering?

We landed a rover on Mars. Has this caused your suffering?

He passed the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Has this caused your suffering?

Uninsured adults has decreased to below 10%: 90% of adults are insured – an increase of 20 Million Adults. Has this caused your suffering?

People are now covered for pre-existing conditions. Has this caused your suffering?

Insurance Premiums increased an average of $4,677 from 2002-2008, an increase of 58% under Bush. The growth of these insurance premiums has gone up $4,145 – a slower rate of increase. Has this caused your suffering?

Obama added Billions of dollars to mental health care for our Veterans. Has this caused your suffering?

Consumer confidence has gone from 37.7 to 98.1 during Obama's tenure. Has this caused your suffering?

He passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Has this caused your suffering?

His bi-annual Nuclear Summit convinced 16 countries to give up and destroy all their loose nuclear material so it could not be stolen. Has this caused your suffering?

He saved the US Auto industry. American cars sold at the beginning of his term were 10.4M and upon his exit 17.5M. Has this caused your suffering?

The deficit as a percentage of the GDP has gone from 9.8% to 3.2%. Has this caused your suffering?

The deficit itself was cut by $800 Billion Dollars. Has this caused your suffering?

Obama preserved the middle class tax cuts. Has this caused your suffering?

Obama banned solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons. Has this caused your suffering?

He signed Credit Card reform so that rates could not be raised without you being notified. Has this caused your suffering?

He outlawed Government contractors from discriminating against LGBT persons. Has this caused your suffering?

He doubled Pell Grants. Has this caused your suffering?

Abortion is down. Has this caused your suffering?

Violent crime is down. Has this caused your suffering?

He overturned the scientific ban on stem cell research. Has this caused your suffering?

He protected Net Neutrality. Has this caused your suffering?

Obamacare has extended the life of the Medicare insurance trust fund (will be solvent until 2030). Has this caused your suffering?

President Obama repealed Don't Ask Don't Tell. Has this caused your suffering?

He banned torture. Has this caused your suffering?

He negotiated with Syria to give up its chemical weapons and they were destroyed. Has this caused your suffering?

Solar and Wind Power are at an all time high. Has this caused your suffering?

High School Graduation rates hit 83% – an all time high. Has this caused your suffering?

Corporate profits are up by 144%. Has this caused your suffering?

He normalized relations with Cuba. Has this caused your suffering?

Reliance on foreign oil is at a 40 year low. Has this caused your suffering?

US Exports are up 28%. Has this caused your suffering?

He appointed the most diverse cabinet ever. Has this caused your suffering?

He reduced the number of troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Has this caused your suffering?

Yes, he killed Osama Bin Laden and retrieved all the documents in his possession for analysis. Perhaps THIS caused your suffering?

From an objective standpoint it would appear that the last eight years have seen some great progress and we were saved from a financial collapse. Things are not perfect. Things can always be better. We are on much better footing now than we were in 2008.

I look forward to understanding what caused you to suffer so much under Obama these last eight years."

This article by appeared by Natalie Dickinson in Occupy Democrats on February 22, 2017.

http://www.voices4hillary.com/when-trump-voters-say-they-suffered-for-8-years-under-obama-heres-the--2280512289.html

584 notes · View notes