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New cats. http://www.saskndp.com/mouseland

Ask Fortune magazine about your rights as an employee/contractor? Why don't you ask Fritz the Cat about your rights as a mouse? http://www.saskndp.com/history/mouseland.php3

Fortune magazine makes no secret about representing the interests of businesses and employers. Their answer to you is going to be, "Be glad you have a job, do what your boss says, you miserable groveling wretch."

(Journalism education) I've always said that you can tell whether a journalist is any good by seeing who they interview. Do they interview people from all sides of the issue, or do they just get the people they agree with and tailor the quotes to support the argument they want to make? Anne Fisher http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/25/news/economy/overtime.oncall.fortune/index.htm interviewed two lawyers, one from Aiken Gump and the other from Fowler White Boggs. They're both employer's lawyers whose practice includes fighting unions and union organizing. They're not representing your interests (the employer/contractor), they're representing the interests of the employer. It's in their interest to encourage *all* workers to settle for a bad deal, so that if one or two of you try to demand what you deserve, they can replace you with someone more subservient and cheaper. Here's a Google search for those 2 firms:

Aiken Gump

http://www.akingump.com/services/ServiceDetail.aspx?service=267

Labor-Management Relations

The firm regularly provides advice and assistance to employers in union organizing campaigns and elections, including representation before the NLRB in unit determination hearings; negotiation and administration of collective bargaining agreements; arbitration and litigation of disputes under existing contracts; counseling and litigation in connection with strikes and related issues, such as striker replacement and strike-related violence; and the defense of unfair labor practice charges before the National Labor Relations Board. For those clients needing such assistance, we provide intensive training programs for supervisors on their obligations in union organizing campaigns or similar critical aspects of dealing with employees.

Fowler White Boggs

http://www.fowlerwhite.com/what-129.html

Labor Law/Unions

For decades our lawyers have successfully worked with employers to remain union-free. Our experience includes winning union elections and unfair labor practices cases before the National Labor Relations Board and similar local agencies. In fact, one of our senior lawyers began his career as a litigator for the NLRB. We have also successfully litigated union organizing, picketing, boycotting and violence injunction cases to aggressively defend the rights of employers, employees, and the public. We have negotiated favorable union contracts and arbitrated union grievances under union collective bargaining agreements. Our lawyers frequently advise and work with employers and their managers regarding compliance programs under various labor laws. Our lawyers have been recognized as contributing editors to the leading treatise on traditional labor law, “The Developing Labor Law.”

We have represented multiple national and local clients in labor law issues including:

* Wal-Mart

(/end quote)

Wall-Mart! They're a good candidate for the worst employer in America. Do you want to work at Wall-Mart wages?

If Fisher had instead spoken to lawyers from a kick-ass law firm that represents the rights and interests of employers/contractors http://www.vladeck.com/ she would have gotten a completely different story. (Even the corporate executives go to Vladek when they get screwed.)

IANAL but I've wor

I was excited at last November's election, but I've repented of it now.

Here is a story.

It's the story of a place called Mouseland. Mouseland was a place where all the little mice lived and played, were born and died. And they lived much the same as you and I do.

They even had a Congress. And every four years they had an election. Used to walk to the polls and cast their ballots. Some of them even got a ride to the polls. And got a ride for the next four years afterwards too. Just like you and me. And every time on election day all the little mice used to go to the ballot box and they used to elect a government. A government made up of big, fat, black cats.

Now I'm not saying anything against the cats. They were nice fellows. They conducted their government with dignity. They passed good laws--that is, laws that were good for cats. But the laws that were good for cats weren't very good for mice. One of the laws said that mouseholes had to be big enough so a cat could get his paw in. Another law said that mice could only travel at certain speeds--so that a cat could get his breakfast without too much effort.

All the laws were good laws. For cats. But, oh, they were hard on the mice. And life was getting harder and harder. And when the mice couldn't put up with it any more, they decided something had to be done about it. So they went en masse to the polls. They voted the black cats out. They put in the white cats.

Now the white cats had put up a terrific campaign. They said: "All that Mouseland needs is more vision." They said:"The trouble with Mouseland is those round mouseholes we got. If you put us in we'll establish square mouseholes." And they did. And the square mouseholes were twice as big as the round mouseholes, and now the cat could get both his paws in. And life was tougher than ever.

And when they couldn't take that anymore, they voted the white cats out and put the black ones in again. Then they went back to the white cats. Then to the black cats. They even tried half black cats and half white cats. And they called that coalition. They even got one government made up of cats with spots on them: they were cats that tried to make a noise like a mouse but ate like a cat.

You see, my friends, the trouble wasn't with the colour of the cat. The trouble was that they were cats. And because they were cats, they naturally looked after cats instead of mice.

With apologies to Clare Gillis.

When the Democrats swept into power in Congress I listened to all the liberal commentators talking about how it was Good News and how Things Would Be Different Now and how the Bad Guys were out and the Good Guys were in. And I shook my head and thought of Mouseland.

It's the story of a place called Mouseland. Mouseland was a place where all the little mice lived and played, were born and died. And they lived much the same as you and I do.

They even had a Congress. And every four years they had an election. Used to walk to the polls and cast their ballots. Some of them even got a ride to the polls. And got a ride for the next four years afterwards too. Just like you and me. And every time on election day all the little mice used to go to the ballot box and they used to elect a government. A government made up of big, fat, black cats.

Now I'm not saying anything against the cats. They were nice fellows. They conducted their government with dignity. They passed good laws--that is, laws that were good for cats. But the laws that were good for cats weren't very good for mice. One of the laws said that mouseholes had to be big enough so a cat could get his paw in. Another law said that mice could only travel at certain speeds--so that a cat could get his breakfast without too much effort.

All the laws were good laws. For cats. But, oh, they were hard on the mice. And life was getting harder and harder. And when the mice couldn't put up with it any more, they decided something had to be done about it. So they went en masse to the polls. They voted the black cats out. They put in the white cats.

Now the white cats had put up a terrific campaign. They said: "All that Mouseland needs is more vision." They said:"The trouble with Mouseland is those round mouseholes we got. If you put us in we'll establish square mouseholes." And they did. And the square mouseholes were twice as big as the round mouseholes, and now the cat could get both his paws in. And life was tougher than ever.

And when they couldn't take that anymore, they voted the white cats out and put the black ones in again. Then they went back to the white cats. Then to the black cats. They even tried half black cats and half white cats. And they called that coalition. They even got one government made up of cats with spots on them: they were cats that tried to make a noise like a mouse but ate like a cat.

You see, my friends, the trouble wasn't with the colour of the cat. The trouble was that they were cats. And because they were cats, they naturally looked after cats instead of mice.

This reminds me of the late Tommy Douglas'(Canadian politician) Mouseland story.

Source: http://www.saskndp.com/history/mouseland.html


It's the story of a place called Mouseland. Mouseland was a place where all the little mice lived and played, were born and died. And they lived much the same as you and I do.

They even had a Parliament. And every four years they had an election. Used to walk to the polls and cast their ballots. Some of them even got a ride to the polls. And got a ride for the next four years afterwards too. Just like you and me. And every time on election day all the little mice used to go to the ballot box and they used to elect a government. A government made up of big, fat, black cats.

Now if you think it strange that mice should elect a government made up of cats, you just look at the history of Canada for last 90 years and maybe you'll see that they weren't any stupider than we are.

Now I'm not saying anything against the cats. They were nice fellows. They conducted their government with dignity. They passed good laws--that is, laws that were good for cats. But the laws that were good for cats weren't very good for mice. One of the laws said that mouseholes had to be big enough so a cat could get his paw in. Another law said that mice could only travel at certain speeds--so that a cat could get his breakfast without too much effort.

All the laws were good laws. For cats. But, oh, they were hard on the mice. And life was getting harder and harder. And when the mice couldn't put up with it any more, they decided something had to be done about it. So they went en masse to the polls. They voted the black cats out. They put in the white cats.

Now the white cats had put up a terrific campaign. They said: "All that Mouseland needs is more vision." They said:"The trouble with Mouseland is those round mouseholes we got. If you put us in we'll establish square mouseholes." And they did. And the square mouseholes were twice as big as the round mouseholes, and now the cat could get both his paws in. And life was tougher than ever.

And when they couldn't take that anymore, they voted the white cats out and put the black ones in again. Then they went back to the white cats. Then to the black cats. They even tried half black cats and half white cats. And they called that coalition. They even got one government made up of cats with spots on them: they were cats that tried to make a noise like a mouse but ate like a cat.

You see, my friends, the trouble wasn't with the colour of the cat. The trouble was that they were cats. And because they were cats, they naturally looked after cats instead of mice.

Presently there came along one little mouse who had an idea. My friends, watch out for the little fellow with an idea. And he said to the other mice, "Look fellows, why do we keep on electing a government made up of cats? Why don't we elect a government made up of mice?" "Oh," they said, "he's a Bolshevik. Lock him up!" So they put him in jail.

But I want to remind you: that you can lock up a mouse or a man but you can't lock up an idea.
The Moral of the Story

"Mouseland" is a political fable, originally told by Clare Gillis, a friend of Tommy Douglas. Tommy has used this story many times to show in a humorous way how Canadians fail to recognize that neither the Liberals or Conservatives are truly interested in what matters to ordinary citizens; yet Canadians continue to vote for them.

The story cleverly deals with the false assumption by some people that CCF'ers (NDP'ers) are Communists. The ending shows Tommy Douglas has faith that someday socialism, which recognizes human rights and dignity, will win over capitalism and the mere pursuit of wealth and power.

http://www.saskndp.com/history/mouseland.html

The story you quote was, a you obviously know, often told by Tommy Douglas. For those who don't know, he was elected the greatest Canadian. http://www.cbc.ca/greatest/ He was an honorable man even when nobody was looking. Even in my darkest most cynical hours, I am forced to admit that there was at least one unimpeachably good politician.