As summer turned to fall, my local public library started reopening. And so, I finally started borrowing books rather than buying. It also gave us something to talk about other than cloth masks.
Here’s what I’ve been reading lately.
Alienation, autonomy, and ideology
As summer turned to fall, my local public library started reopening. And so, I finally started borrowing books rather than buying. It also gave us something to talk about other than cloth masks.
Here’s what I’ve been reading lately.
I’m sure many readers know I live in Iowa City. And I’m sure many people in Iowa City know landlords here run a swindle each August and September. OK, so landlords run at least a few swindles. But I’m talking about the Great Annual Security Deposit Theft.
It’s a source of much wailing and gnashing of teeth among tenants in this college town. Anger over it stood out as a key reason for our local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America to start a tenants union.
Many readers know I live in Iowa and that Iowa stands in the middle of a big COVID-19 outbreak. I gave a brief local update awhile ago. But it’s time to check in again. Local liberals keep putting the heat on Governor Kim Reynolds. In particular, she’s in the middle of several data scandals. Is it warranted?
Let’s take a look at the data.
Adjuncts aren’t slaves. I mention this only because I’ve heard people draw the analogy. Nevertheless, adjuncts suffer under the class war the wealthy wage against workers. Thea Hunter’s story highlights the human toll of the class war on adjuncts. But COVID-19 brings it out in new ways.
As people get ready for the fall semester, let’s look at adjuncts and COVID-19.
Anyone looking for a job – especially in the white-collar world – knows the business literature says they should show they ‘add value.’ The underlying reasoning? Companies search for value. They love it. They pay for it. If workers can show they add value, companies will give them a job and pay them big money.
This is a load of baloney. Let’s talk about why.
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