* Rachel Maddow on MSNBC noted that Sen. John McCain has been on 21 Sunday news programs so far this year. OMG! Enough of McCain! Why do the Sunday news hosts/producers think that McCain has something to say? It is just the same old bitter words from McCain over and over again.
* I hope that President Obama holds firm on the "fiscal cliff" talks he has been having with John Boehner and Republicans. The President should just remember the words to Springsteen's song, "No Retreat, No Surrender," as he works with the GOP.
* U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH-Democrat) appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show. I'm sooooooooooooooo thankful that Ohio voters re-elected Sen. Sherrod Brown. He always has Ohio's working people in mind in everything he does. Sen. Brown also respects women to make their own decisions about their reproductive concerns.
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* NYTimes:
Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers staged angry protests on Monday, demanding justice after at least 112 people died over the weekend in a fire at a factory on the outskirts of Dhaka where labor advocates found the charred remains of clothing from brands sold at global retailers like Walmart....
...Kalpona Akter, a Bangladeshi labor leader, said she toured the factory after the fire was extinguished and found labels for a variety of global retailers, including Faded Glory, a brand she said was manufactured for Walmart. Ms. Akter said she also found labels for brands sold at leading European retailers....
This is very sad that people died while trying to support their families. I still remember the days when clothes for American stores were made in this country. Clothing is being manufactured in foreign countries where people are working in unhealthy, and dangerous conditions. Here is some information about these garment factories as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor:
....In its study of 143 garment factories in Bangladesh, the Asian-American Free Labor Institute (AAFLI) reported the salary range is 300 to 500 taka per month (about $7.69-$12.82), except for the case of sewing machine operators or ironers who were reportedly paid 750-1,800 taka per month ($19.23-$46.15), and that the children are generally paid less than adults.20 In a recent visit to Bangladesh, a Department of Labor official spoke with children who reported receiving anywhere from 250 to 700 taka per month.21 Children also reported that, like adult workers, they are often paid two to four weeks late, and rarely paid extra for overtime.22 In some factories, the child workers are appointed as "apprentices" or "helpers" for months and are not issued identification/time cards even after completing their apprenticeship period.23 In some factories, the child workers are appointed as "apprentices" or "helpers" for months and are not issued identification/time cards even after completing their apprenticeship period.24 There is no paid leave for holidays, and salary is deducted if the child is absent, or for unproductive periods when the electricity in the factory temporarily goes out. Girls under 15 years of age are preferred in these factories, as they work for less, are more likely to be unmarried with no children or domestic responsibilities, and cause no labor problems...
This is the price of cheap clothing and the avarice of clothing lines and stores that choose to allow these horrible working conditions to continue.