Damn it, I was thinking of this as a "How did they try to screw up the US government today" thread.
Don't worry about it, I don't have any particular problem with people piping up about crazy Federal legislature in the works, I'm just trying to maintain my own helm here. I would prefer it be stuff that tramples on local or state "rights" and territory, but NPR is kinda a local and state thing, since NPR is hardly the only radio station in the country that survives solely due to public funding. A great many rural stations could go off the air as well.
Alright, so, here's the Federal thing I wanted to throw in. I don't really know how much implication it would have for localities, save that it totally bypasses whatever laws particular states may have regarding collective bargaining rights in the workplace. But that's a pretty universally hot topic right now. And the Republican controlled federal House has cast its lot in with the numerous state governments trying to penalize unionized or collectivized labor, in a way that sounds like more bad fiction.
Representative Jim Jordan (Ohio, and more on them later) introduced H.R. 1135, seconded by Tim Scott (South Carolina), Scott Garrett (New Jersey), Dan Burton (Indiana), and my one and only Louie "Terror Baby" Gohmert (Texas). Only "Think Progress" and MSNBC have looked much at this bill yet, and I for one don't consider them the straightest sources. But luckily,
you can read the bill yourself. In large measure, H.R. 1135 concerns itself with tightening up administrative oversight and means-testing within the federal "Food Stamp" program, making sure that people receiving federal food assistance actually meet the requirements. One can make an argument over whether the middle of an historic economic downturn is really the best time to balance the budget by making sure pocket change doesn't leak out of food assistance, but I'm not one to complain; it's run of the mill "waste/fraud/abuse" good-government legislation...
Except for a couple segments entered from Page 15 Line 9 to Page 16 Line 12. To wit-
‘‘(2) STRIKE AGAINST A GOVERNMENT. - For the purpose of subparagraph (A)(iv), an employee of the Federal Government, a State, or a political subdivision of a State, who is dismissed for participating in a strike against the Federal Government, the State, or the political subdivision of the State shall be considered to have voluntarily quit without good cause.
‘‘(3) STRIKING WORKERS INELIGIBLE. - Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no member of a family unit shall participate in the food stamp program at any time that any able-bodied work eligible adult member of such household is on strike as defined in the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947 (29 U.S.C. 142(2)), because of a labor dispute (other than a lockout) as defined in section 2(9) of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 152(9)): Provided, That a family unit shall not lose its eligibility to participate in the food stamp program as a result of one of its members going on strike if the household was eligible immediately prior to such strike, however, such family unit shall not receive an increased allotment as the result of a decrease in the income of the striking member or members of the household: Provided further, That such ineligibility shall not apply to any family unit that does not contain a member on strike, if any of its members refuses to accept employment at a plant or site because of a strike or lockout.’’.
Yep, that's two additional eligibility requirements added into getting federal food assistance. First, a shoutout to homeboy Scott Walker, by stating that any employee of any Federal, State, or Local government who is fired for striking, will be legally considered to have left of their own accord, and therefore be flat out ineligible. Second and bigger, if you go on strike against any employer, public or private (and God knows how the government would figure that out), you'll be flat out ineligible, no matter your prior or existing economic condition. Save for a little mealymouthed language that you'll still be eligible if you became dirt poor concurrent to the strike, but your lost wages due to striking will not be taken into account.
So yeah, that's Ohio's Jim Jordan, and his message today in legislation: On strike, and can't afford to eat? Go cry to somebody who cares. And fuck those guys in Wisconsin.