Republicans Plan To Screw Americans 40 Hours At a Time

Posted by | November 14, 2014 16:49 | Filed under: Contributors Opinion Politics Tommy Christopher Top Stories

Republish
Reprint


In the wake of the Republicans’ midterm election sweep, there has been a predictable Beltway media push for bipartisan compromise, and an equally predictable push to dress up Republican ideas to screw Americans as reasonable proposals. Already, Democrats are weakening in the face of pressure to pass Keystone, or to allow the new Republican majority to handle Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch’s confirmation, but there’s another proposal that Republicans have been shopping around as a way to “improve” the Affordable Care Act.  It’s based on a lie that needs to be called out loudly.

In a post-midterms victory op-ed, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) and soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) promoted “a proposal to restore the traditional 40-hour definition of full-time employment, removing an arbitrary and destructive government barrier to more hours and better pay created by the Affordable Care Act of 2010.”

That talking point has been echoing around Republican-land since the midterms, and to the untrained ear, it sound innocuous enough. I mean, 40 hours is a full-time job, and “restoring” something means it must have been that way before, so how bad could it be to put it back that way? First, do no harm, and all that. If you’re not paying all that much attention, it sounds like they just want to put things back the way they were before, and reward hard-working Americans somehow.

Republicans have been fairly disciplined at keeping this point vague enough to obscure the proposal’s true intent. Well, all except one. See if you can spot him…READ MORE

Click here for reuse options!
Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Tommy Christopher

Tommy Christopher is The Daily Banter's White House Correspondent and Political Analyst. He's been a political reporter and liberal commentator since 2007, and has covered the White House since the beginning of the Obama administration, first for PoliticsDaily, and then for Mediaite. Christopher is a frequent guest on a variety of television, radio, and online programs, and was the villain in the documentaries The Audacity of Democracy and Hating Breitbart. He's also That Guy Who Live-Tweeted His Own Heart Attack, and the only person to have ever received public apologies from both Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.

88 responses to Republicans Plan To Screw Americans 40 Hours At a Time

  1. GG_NV November 14th, 2014 at 16:53

    Expect more pro-corporate, pro-business and anti-people legislation with these group of characters…

    • StoneyCurtisll November 14th, 2014 at 18:28

      “corporations are people my friend”…

  2. ExPFCWintergreen November 14th, 2014 at 16:53

    Bipartisan [bahy-pahr-tuh-zun] adj., 1. representing or characterized by Democrats caving to Teapublican demands; 2. a mythical condition much revered by Village pundits; 3. –ship: of, or pertaining to, the screwing over of the American people.

    • Eric Trommater November 14th, 2014 at 17:32

      It reminds me of what Jack Kennedy said about negotiating with a similar set of ideologues:

  3. GG_NV November 14th, 2014 at 17:53

    Expect more pro-corporate, pro-business and anti-people legislation with these group of characters…

  4. ExPFCWintergreen November 14th, 2014 at 17:53

    Bipartisan [bahy-pahr-tuh-zun] adj., 1. representing or characterized by Democrats caving to Teapublican demands; 2. a mythical condition much revered by Village pundits; 3. –ship: of, or pertaining to, the screwing over of the American people.

    • Eric Trommater November 14th, 2014 at 18:32

      It reminds me of what Jack Kennedy said about negotiating with a similar set of ideologues:

  5. tiredoftea November 14th, 2014 at 16:56

    The nine words every citizen should fear, “I’m a Republican and I’m here to help you”.

  6. tiredoftea November 14th, 2014 at 17:56

    The nine words every citizen should fear, “I’m a Republican and I’m here to help you”.

  7. mea_mark November 14th, 2014 at 17:05

    The mindless low-info intellectually lazy republican base will go right along with the idea because going against ones own self-interest is the republican way.

    • crc3 November 14th, 2014 at 18:29

      “Stupid is as stupid does”-Forrest Gump

  8. mea_mark November 14th, 2014 at 18:05

    The mindless low-info intellectually lazy republican base will go right along with the idea because going against ones own self-interest is the republican way.

    • crc3 November 14th, 2014 at 19:29

      “Stupid is as stupid does”-Forrest Gump

  9. OldLefty November 14th, 2014 at 17:09

    And they deserve the same “bipartisanship” after winning an election with 36% turnout as they were willing to give when Obama and Democrats won with 62 and 58% turnouts.

    Oh wait….

  10. OldLefty November 14th, 2014 at 18:09

    And they deserve the same “bipartisanship” after winning an election with 36% turnout as they were willing to give when Obama and Democrats won with 62 and 58% turnouts.

    Oh wait….

  11. Eric Trommater November 14th, 2014 at 17:27

    I think we need to to phase out part time work completely in this country. It’s fine to have a few part time jobs for students or the disabled people but the idea of Americans raising a family on a part time job based economy is a murder/suicide in the making. Not finishing college should not be a requisite for not having a roof over your head.We should restore the 40 hour work week. In the lower paid jobs, especially in the retail sector, it is almost impossible to find full time work anymore and the idea of keeping two part time jobs is now impossible because no one will hire or keep someone who can’t be available for prime shopping times, such as weekends. The Affordable Care Act didn’t cause this problem but the 30 hour provision codified it into law to the point where my weekend job actually has a penalty system for people who work even one minute past 29 hours in a week.
    In the end the tax payer ends up picking up the tab for this system as wave after wave of part time workers put more and more pressure on the social safety net. We are subsidizing these employers by allowing them to keep their employees bellow subsistence wages. We have also taken away the dignity of work by making part-time work and living in squalor acceptable. This should be a liberal cause.

    • R.J. Carter November 14th, 2014 at 17:31

      A nice plan, but it would effectively halve the work force of current part time employees as employers decide which four-hour-a-day people to let go and which one’s to promote to full time. Pity the president in place when these unemployment numbers get released.

      • Eric Trommater November 14th, 2014 at 17:34

        . . . or we could like, I don’t know, make stuff again like we did when I was a young man and never had a problem finding full time work. Just saying.

        • R.J. Carter November 14th, 2014 at 17:48

          Like an oil pipeline, maybe? :-)

          • StoneyCurtisll November 14th, 2014 at 18:23

            An oil pipeline, (Canada XL) isn’t going to provide any long term jobs to anyone in the US..
            Especially those who now are working less than 40 hours a week at Walmart or Micky D’s…

            • crc3 November 14th, 2014 at 18:28

              Only an estimated 100 permanent jobs…that’s all. So…in spite of what the Teapubs say about jobs creation from Keystone…ain’t happening….

              • Dwendt44 November 15th, 2014 at 00:08

                The estimates I’ve heard/read say 35-50 at best. Not counting clean up crews.

                • crc3 November 15th, 2014 at 09:56

                  Even more reason to shut down the pipeline…

            • neworleans878 November 14th, 2014 at 19:50

              YOU LIE! It will provide plenty of jobs cleaning up the inevitable spills! All paid by Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Taxpayer, of course.

            • R.J. Carter November 16th, 2014 at 12:47

              …which, of course, are long term jobs?

        • fahvel November 15th, 2014 at 06:04

          oh how simplistic to imagine a society that makes and uses its own products made with pride with their own hands – how foolish when there are skinny hungry people far away who will do it for you while you ignore the slow decay of your own technocracy. – trying to be partially ironic but the whole thing pisses me off and I’m not even directly affected.

      • StoneyCurtisll November 14th, 2014 at 18:20

        Who works 4 hours a day?..
        Maybe the retired who try to supplement their social security entitlement that doesn’t cover the cost to living?

        • R.J. Carter November 16th, 2014 at 12:48

          Part time job. 29 hours a week / 6 days (assuming 1 day off) = almost 5 hours a day. Every part time job I ever had was 4 hours a day.

    • mea_mark November 14th, 2014 at 20:55

      Really they just need to figure out a better way to deal with employers that don’t want to insure their employees. This whole rule feels to me like something that was thrown in at the end without a whole lot of thought into how it would actually affect things and that if it didn’t work it could just be fixed. Unfortunately the republicans don’t fix things, they destroy things. It is easier to sell reasons for destruction to their mindless unthinking base.

    • Tommy6860 November 14th, 2014 at 22:24

      That isn’t what the GOP intends in their wording, if you think they are actually proposing that employers have to give 40/week, they are not. They are simply making a standard for the purpose of getting healthcare benefits (and this possibly could mean other perks as well), and will be dependent on working 40hrs. It will not mean employers have to offer 40hr weeks. Employers then can offer employees less hours and not be subject to the healthcare law. All this proposal will do is throw a million+ people of their healthcare coverage while leaving savings for the greedy.

      Also, there are benefits for many who work less than 40hrs but 30+ hrs/week and it allows a flexible lifestyle.

      • Dwendt44 November 15th, 2014 at 00:06

        I’m familiar with a retail company that has no employees that work 40 hours a week. They work full time employees 35-39 hours depending on days of the week worked (it’s open 7 days a week).

  12. Eric Trommater November 14th, 2014 at 18:27

    I think we need to to phase out part time work completely in this country. It’s fine to have a few part time jobs for students or the disabled people but the idea of Americans raising a family on a part time job based economy is a murder/suicide in the making. Not finishing college should not be a requisite for not having a roof over your head.We should restore the 40 hour work week. In the lower paid jobs, especially in the retail sector, it is almost impossible to find full time work anymore and the idea of keeping two part time jobs is now impossible because no one will hire or keep someone who can’t be available for prime shopping times, such as weekends. The Affordable Care Act didn’t cause this problem but the 30 hour provision codified it into law to the point where my weekend job actually has a penalty system for people who work even one minute past 29 hours in a week.
    In the end the tax payer ends up picking up the tab for this system as wave after wave of part time workers put more and more pressure on the social safety net. We are subsidizing these employers by allowing them to keep their employees bellow subsistence wages. We have also taken away the dignity of work by making part-time work and living in squalor acceptable. This should be a liberal cause.

    • R.J. Carter November 14th, 2014 at 18:31

      A nice plan, but it would effectively halve the work force of current part time employees as employers decide which four-hour-a-day people to let go and which one’s to promote to full time. Pity the president in place when these unemployment numbers get released.

      • Eric Trommater November 14th, 2014 at 18:34

        . . . or we could like, I don’t know, make stuff again like we did when I was a young man and never had a problem finding full time work. Just saying.

        • R.J. Carter November 14th, 2014 at 18:48

          Like an oil pipeline, maybe? :-)

          • StoneyCurtisll November 14th, 2014 at 19:23

            An oil pipeline, (Canada XL) isn’t going to provide any long term jobs to anyone in the US..
            Especially those who now are working less than 40 hours a week at Walmart or Micky D’s…

            • crc3 November 14th, 2014 at 19:28

              Only an estimated 100 permanent jobs…that’s all. So…in spite of what the Teapubs say about jobs creation from Keystone…ain’t happening….

              • Dwendt44 November 15th, 2014 at 01:08

                The estimates I’ve heard/read say 35-50 at best. Not counting clean up crews.

                • crc3 November 15th, 2014 at 10:56

                  Even more reason to shut down the pipeline…

            • nola878 November 14th, 2014 at 20:50

              YOU LIE! It will provide plenty of jobs cleaning up the inevitable spills! All paid by Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Taxpayer, of course.

            • R.J. Carter November 16th, 2014 at 13:47

              …which, of course, are long term jobs?

        • fahvel November 15th, 2014 at 07:04

          oh how simplistic to imagine a society that makes and uses its own products made with pride with their own hands – how foolish when there are skinny hungry people far away who will do it for you while you ignore the slow decay of your own technocracy. – trying to be partially ironic but the whole thing pisses me off and I’m not even directly affected.

      • StoneyCurtisll November 14th, 2014 at 19:20

        Who works 4 hours a day?..
        Maybe the retired who try to supplement their social security entitlement that doesn’t cover the cost to living?

        • R.J. Carter November 16th, 2014 at 13:48

          Part time job. 29 hours a week / 6 days (assuming 1 day off) = almost 5 hours a day. Every part time job I ever had was 4 hours a day.

    • mea_mark November 14th, 2014 at 21:55

      Really they just need to figure out a better way to deal with employers that don’t want to insure their employees. This whole rule feels to me like something that was thrown in at the end without a whole lot of thought into how it would actually affect things and that if it didn’t work it could just be fixed. Unfortunately the republicans don’t fix things, they destroy things. It is easier to sell reasons for destruction to their mindless unthinking base.

    • Tommy6860 November 14th, 2014 at 23:24

      That isn’t what the GOP intends in their wording, if you think they are actually proposing that employers have to give 40/week, they are not. They are simply making a standard for the purpose of getting healthcare benefits (and this possibly could mean other perks as well), and will be dependent on working 40hrs. It will not mean employers have to offer 40hr weeks. Employers then can offer employees less hours and not be subject to the healthcare law. All this proposal will do is throw a million+ people of their healthcare coverage while leaving savings for the greedy.

      Also, there are benefits for many who work less than 40hrs but 30+ hrs/week and it allows a flexible lifestyle.

      • Dwendt44 November 15th, 2014 at 01:06

        I’m familiar with a retail company that has no employees that work 40 hours a week. They work full time employees 35-39 hours depending on days of the week worked (it’s open 7 days a week).

  13. Boehner-Monkey November 14th, 2014 at 17:53

    Oh crap, you mean I have to do something else besides obstruct the President now?

    • tiredoftea November 14th, 2014 at 19:30

      No, you just have to spend more time doing it for the same salary.

  14. Boehner Monkey November 14th, 2014 at 18:53

    Oh crap, you mean I have to do something else besides obstruct the President now?

    • tiredoftea November 14th, 2014 at 20:30

      No, you just have to spend more time doing it for the same salary.

  15. StoneyCurtisll November 14th, 2014 at 18:15

    If it were not for unions and collective bargaining rights, we would all be working 12-14 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week..
    That was the standard during the industrial revolution days before labor became organized.

    • Larry Schmitt November 14th, 2014 at 18:27

      With no health care, no time off (don’t show up, don’t get paid), no saftey equipment (can you say black lung?), shopping in the company store. If corporations are people, my friend, they are the meanest, least generous people you’ve ever met.

    • Hirightnow November 14th, 2014 at 18:55

      At least you’d get to spend time with your wife and kids…

    • Tim Coolio November 14th, 2014 at 21:52

      And low pay, dangerous working conditions, hardly any breaks or vacations, child labor, republicans want to take American workers back to that era again.

  16. StoneyCurtisll November 14th, 2014 at 19:15

    If it were not for unions and collective bargaining rights, we would all be working 12-14 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week..
    That was the standard during the industrial revolution days before labor became organized.

    • Larry Schmitt November 14th, 2014 at 19:27

      With no health care, no time off (don’t show up, don’t get paid), no saftey equipment (can you say black lung?), shopping in the company store. If corporations are people, my friend, they are the meanest, least generous people you’ve ever met.

    • Hirightnow November 14th, 2014 at 19:55

      At least you’d get to spend time with your wife and kids…

    • Tim Coolio November 14th, 2014 at 22:52

      And low pay, dangerous working conditions, hardly any breaks or vacations, child labor, republicans want to take American workers back to that era again.

  17. KB723 November 14th, 2014 at 19:18

    I’ll bet my Boss is behind these Shenanigans!!! I have been working there for 8 years and he thinks my job is a part time job, hmmm, maybe he needs a new Calculator???

  18. KB723 November 14th, 2014 at 20:18

    I’ll bet my Boss is behind these Shenanigans!!! I have been working there for 8 years and he thinks my job is a part time job, hmmm, maybe he needs a new Calculator???

  19. Blue2016 November 14th, 2014 at 19:42

    I just look at the gloating and threats from the GOP sort as if they are marinating themselves for Hillary or Liz to feast on in 2016 :)

    • fahvel November 15th, 2014 at 05:59

      cute – but until the dems can become a unified group who sincerely represent what they may have said to get elected and work like sob’s with the pres – your dreams of hillary and liz or whatever, are pure bs – get your cans in gear and stop the self aggrandizing and cheap shots at the repugs and do something real and loud and start right now.

  20. Blue2016 November 14th, 2014 at 20:42

    I look at the gloating and threats from the GOP sort as if they are marinating themselves for Hillary or Liz to feast on in 2016 :)

    • fahvel November 15th, 2014 at 06:59

      cute – but until the dems can become a unified group who sincerely represent what they may have said to get elected and work like sob’s with the pres – your dreams of hillary and liz or whatever, are pure bs – get your cans in gear and stop the self aggrandizing and cheap shots at the repugs and do something real and loud and start right now.

1 2

Leave a Reply