10 REASONS WHY THERE COULDN'T BE A FILIPINO-AMERICAN PRESIDENT

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Sa isa namang lumaganap sa internet, ayon daw sa popular na segment ni Letterman, narito ang “top ten reasons why there couldn’t be a Filipino American US President:”

“10. The White House is not big enough for in-laws and extended relatives.

9. There are not enough parking spaces at the White House for 2 Honda Civics, 2 Toyota Land Cruisers, 3 Toyota Corollas, a Mercedes Benz, a BMW, and an MPV (My Pinoy Van).

8. Dignitaries generally are intimidated by eating with their fingers at State dinners.

7. There are too many dining rooms in the White House—where will they put the picture of the Last Supper?

6. The White House walls are not big enough to hold a pair of giant wooden spoon and fork.

5. Secret Service staff won’t respond to “psst… psst” or “hoy hoy hoy!”

4. Secret Service staff will not be comfortable driving the presidential car with a Holy Rosary hanging on the rear view mirror, or the statue of the Santo Niño on the dashboard.

3. No budget allocation to purchase a karaoke music-machine for every room in the White House.

2. State dinners do not allow “Take Home”.

The top reason why there couldn’t be a Filipino-American US President is…

1. Air Force One does not allow overweight Balikbayan boxes!”

Sa pamamagitan ng viral rants, madaling maipalaganap ang hinanaing hinggil sa isang mamamayan at bansa. Madali rin itong mapulisya. May katotohanan kahit hindi exakto; may pagkaexakto dahil may katotohanan.

Kapag umanggas ng laban sa bansa, racist. At ang buong kasaysayan ng bansa ay hinihimok para ang tukoy na kaaway ay maging pambansang kaaway. Ang problema, hindi tulad kay Danes at ang nauna sa kanya, instantenyo ang pagkaalam ng inaping mamamayan at bansa dahil sa may viral na pruweba ng panlalait, pandudusta, at pang-aapi.

Na-ban pa si Danes sa syudad ng Manila, dineklarang persona non grata. Ang pagkakamali ng referensya ni Kitsch naman ay naalok pa siya ng libreng biyahe sa bansa para maiwasto raw ang impresyon. Bakit gumaan ang parusa sa kolektibong kaapihan ng mga racist?  At sa kaso ni Sieczka, mga diskusyon sa internet, pati na rin ang maraming nagsasaad ng “kapatawaran.”

Ang viral rant ay ampaw na pananalita sa internet. Walang laman dahil walang pwersa ng materialidad, lumalabas na imahinaryo lang ng walang magawa. Kaya roon nagsimula at nagtatapos. Para magkaroon ito ng politikal na pagtuligsa, kailangang ibuyanyang ito sa antas ng tunay (real):  ang sinasaad naman, at least ng video rant ni Sieczka, ay ang failure of governance. Estado ang accountable, at ang kulang sa rant ay ang pag-ugnay sa Philippines equals kanyang estado.

Kaya kung magre-rage against the dying of the light sa video, tiyakin namang masinop ang politikal na pagsusuring magtutukoy sa kultural na accountability. Na tayong mamamayan at bansa ay dinudusta at hindi umaalagwa sa nakakadaot na stereotipo dahil sa estadong nagsadlak sa ating kolektibong kapalaran.

Unang nailathala sa Lipunan+Kasaysayan+Pagkatao kolum noong ika-20 ng Marso, 2012, Pinoyweekly.org.

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The TRUTH will set you FREE.

WHY THE SHARING ECONOMY IS HARMING WORKERS – AND WHAT MUST BE DONE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015

WHY THE SHARING ECONOMY IS HARMING WORKERS – AND WHAT MUST BE DONE

In this holiday season it’s especially appropriate to acknowledge how many Americans don’t have steady work.

The so-called “share economy” includes independent contractors, temporary workers, the self-employed, part-timers, freelancers, and free agents. Most file 1099s rather than W2s, for tax purposes.

It’s estimated that in five years over 40 percent of the American labor force will be in such uncertain work; in a decade, most of us.

Already two-thirds of American workers are living paycheck to paycheck.

This trend shifts all economic risks onto workers. A downturn in demand, or sudden change in consumer needs, or a personal injury or sickness, can make it impossible to pay the bills.

It eliminates labor protections such as the minimum wage, worker safety, family and medical leave, and overtime.

And it ends employer-financed insurance – Social Security, workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, and employer-provided health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

No wonder, according to polls, almost a quarter of American workers worry they won’t be earning enough in the future. That’s up from 15 percent a decade ago.

Such uncertainty can be hard on families, too. Children of parents working unpredictable schedules or outside standard daytime working hours are likely to have lower cognitive skills and more behavioral problems, according to new research.

What to do?

Courts are overflowing with lawsuits over whether companies have misclassified “employees” as “independent contractors,” resulting in a profusion of criteria and definitions.


We should aim instead for simplicity: Whoever pays more than half of someone’s income, or provides more than half their working hours should be responsible for all the labor protections and insurance an employee is entitled to.

In addition, to restore some certainty to people’s lives, we need to move away from unemployment insurance and toward income insurance.

Say, for example, your monthly income dips more than 50 percent below the average monthly income you’ve received from all the jobs you’ve taken over the preceding five years. With income insurance, you’d automatically receive half the difference for up to a year.

It’s possible to have a flexible economy and also provide workers some minimal level of security.

A decent society requires no less.

Dear fellow MoveOn member,

The "sharing economy," also known as the "gig economy," the "on-demand economy," or the "uncertain economy," is exploding—think Uber and Airbnb—but few people are talking about what it'll mean for the social safety net built in this country over the past century. In five years, this new economic trend will encompass 40 percent of American workers.¹ 

That's why it's important that we take action now to figure out how to provide critical labor protections, even as our economy undergoes massive changes. 

Can you make sure your family and friends are talking about what's needed in the "sharing economy" by watching and sharing my latest video with MoveOn? 

We have to help make sure the changing economy works for workers by preventing the elimination of worker protections such as unemployment insurance, health insurance, worker safety, family and medical leave, and more.

Help jump-start this national conversation by watching and sharing this video now.

Thanks for all you do.

–Robert Reich

Source:

1. "The secret number to the sharing economy," TNW News, June 25, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=308312&id=135818-19913724-BHB4VMx&t=3 

ROBERT B. REICH, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies, was Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration. Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. He has written fourteen books, including the best sellers “Aftershock, “The Work of Nations," and"Beyond Outrage." He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause. His film, INEQUALITY FOR ALL is available on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon. His new book, "SAVING CAPITALISM: For the Many, Not the Few" is out 9/29. 

The TRUTH will set you FREE.