Gabriel Arana at The New Republic writes—Fifty Years After Stonewall, Many States Still Lack LGBTQ Protections:
In the Northeast, along the West Coast, and in a couple of states in the Midwest, LGBTQ people can not only get married, they enjoy, by and large, standing equal to those of their straight counterparts. In these places, it is against the law to fire someone for being queer, deny them a lease, kick them out of a home, or refuse them service at a business just because of sexual preference or gender identity. But this is not the case in 30 states, where, 50 years since Stonewall, protections against the most basic forms of anti-LGBTQ discrimination simply don’t exist.
They don’t exist in Missouri, where Mary Walsh worked in the telecommunications industry for 30 years before retiring with her wife, Bev. The couple, who married in 2009, thought they had found the perfect place to spend the rest of their lives together when they came across Friendship Village, a retirement community in St. Louis. But after sending in their deposit, the facility told them they could not move in because they were a same-sex couple. [...]
During the Obama administration, queer people in states without specific LGBTQ-rights laws garnered limited protections when then–Attorney General Eric Holder issued a memo extending Title VII of the Civil Rights Act—which forbids discrimination “on the basis of sex”—to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. This empowered federal agencies that enforce anti-discrimination laws to offer some recourse to LGBTQ people who’ve been fired, kicked out of their homes, or refused service at a business because of who they are.
Under the Trump administration, however, these agencies have, one by one, reversed course. Upon taking over the Justice Department in 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions promptly threw out the Obama-era rule. Other federal agencies have followed suit. [...]
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QUOTATION
“The owner of the means of production is in a position to purchase the labor power of the worker. By using the means of production, the worker produces new goods which become the property of the capitalist. The essential point about this process is the relation between what the worker produces and what he is paid, both measured in terms of real value. Insofar as the labor contract is "free," what the worker receives is determined not by the real value of the goods he produces, but by his minimum needs and by the capitalists' requirements for labor power in relation to the number of workers competing for jobs. It is important to understand that even in theory the payment of the worker is not determined by the value of his product.”
~~Albert Einstein, Why Socialism? (1949)
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BLAST FROM THE PAST
On this date at Daily Kos in 2008—SCOTUS Overturns Millionaire's Amendment:
Remember the Millionaire's Amendment? Basically, it says that if a candidate self-funds his House or Senate campaign beyond a certain level (and the math is complicated) and makes the race less competitive, the challenger can start raising funds at twice or even three times ($6900/election) the contribution limits otherwise applicable, and the self-funder becomes subject to various mandatory disclosure requirements regarding his use of his own funds.
Well, based on today's 5-4 Supreme Court decision authored by Justice Alito, it's just a memory now. Since I can't imagine Congress acting anytime soon, in the 2008 cycle millionaire self-funding candidates can spend to their heart's content without there being any recourse for their opponents.
Essentially, what killed this law was that the raised contribution limits applied were only available to the challenger, and the Court found this to be unduly discriminatory
On today’s Kagro in the Morning show: Greg Dworkin and Joan McCarter are both back to round up the latest atrocities—and we mean atrocities—and to remind us of the upcoming debates, and Donald Trump's record as a rapist. A world record, many people are saying.
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