‘Commentary’ Archives
Tax Fairness Matters!
From the series Raise Your Voice! By PETER MOLENAAR Peter Molenaar From the most recent post from Americans for Tax Fairness coalition*: “The numbers don’t lie, but corporations sure do… that’s why we just released a damning new report that pulls back the curtain on 12 of America’s largest corporations, exposing a web of tax dodging, executive excess, and worker exploitation.” How then is it possible that many of us regular folks live in MAGA land? Our East African immigrant neighbors are a wiser lot, many having been recruited to work for Amazon. Indeed, over a five-year span, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos-–earning $3.5 M per hour—watched his personal fortune increase by $115 billion, while wages inched up to the “scrape-by level”. Yet, one worker I contacted while phone banking from the Labor Centre stated: “I remain on the fence!” I expect, sooner or later, our overheated planet will blow him off! Sadly, over the same five years, Boeing aircraft [...]
Networking: The Mother of All Mixed Blessings
from the series Peace House Community Journal... By MARTI MALTBY Marti Maltby I recently traveled to Breezy Point, in northern Minnesota, to speak at a conference. Since the trip involved five hours of driving, I made sure I had some audiobooks to pass the time. I started listening to Taking the Work Out of Networking: An Introvert’s Guide to Making Connections That Count by Karen Wickre, and within an hour I had an idea for the next presentation I wanted to give at a conference.As an introvert, the idea of networking doesn’t appeal to me. Imagining myself walking up to strangers at a party to convince them to do something for me makes my skin crawl. Fortunately, the audiobook helped me reframe my thinking, pointing out that “networking” doesn’t just mean convincing others that they want to help you. It can be as simple as asking a friend if they know any good restaurants. In other words, my view of networking was far too narrow.I should have realized this earlier, [...]
