I know this isn't the gist of the article, but NO FOOD OR WATER BREAKS?! When you work outside in Texas? What? As a person who worked as a landscaper and now farms and is outside in all weather, I can't fathom this. How do people survive? How was it legal?
It's not MANDATORY anymore for companies to offer those breaks. Businesses must have complained it cost them money. And workers are easy and cheap to replace, that's why there's so many illegals working in Texas.
Apparently ten minutes' reprieve every four hours was just too onerous a burden on the employers. Workers should be grateful they have a job at all, and happily die of dehydration and heatstroke knowing that they increased their betters' ledgers by a fraction of a percentage point that otherwise would have gone to such frivolous luxuries as water and shade!
The law didn't actually ban hydration breaks, it banned local government from requiring them. Business can't be expected to live with a burdensome regulation like that you know. The health and safety of workers be damned.
Lots of good things come from Texas. Jim Hightower, Nolan Ryan, Bowling for Soup, Steve Martin, Wes Anderson, Willie Nelson, Carol Burnett, Barry White, Sissy Spacek, ZZ Top, etc.
There's a ton who are no longer among the living (Buddy Holly, Ann Richards, Walter Cronkite and more.
“I’m an Army brat. I was a captain in the Army and my brother was a jet pilot in the Navy. So I support our troops; I identify with them. But I sure as hell don’t identify with the bastards who sent them over there.”
—Kris Kristofferson (1936- ) American singer, songwriter, and actor
So...the Freethought Caucus upholds the Constitution, and there are only 18 members??? While the Prayer group has many, many more? What's wrong with this picture????
The Wikipedia article on his district indicates his district is made up mostly of portions of San Antonio and a thin sliver of Austin. Both are fairly "blue cities" (at least for Texas).
And it truly is an ocean. I went to grad school in Austin. My fiancé and I decided not to stay there because it was 1000 miles away from anything reasonable.
Maybe in another decade, if we survive the next election cycle, being a rational human being who makes decisions based on facts and evidence won't be a radical position anymore.
Well good, I hope it continues to grow. Has the CFC done anything to draw attention to themselves? If not even the right are upset about it it might be because they just don't know they're there. Not trying to be a dickhead (it just comes naturally), I'm just thinking if they made some noise about something perhaps the media might notice them. Or I just might not know what they've done and am talking nonsense. Who knows, I'm too medicated to do research. Heh.
People seem to think that Texas is the exclusive province of right-wingers, because they've succeeded in dominating statewide politics there. But that conceals the true picture, a look at which reveals why we shouldn't just write off the state as hopeless. Herewith some data:
2020 Presidential votes for Democrats in Texas: 5,259,126.
That’s more Democrats in Texas than in these states actually WON by Democrats: Arizona (1,672,143), Colorado (1,804,352), Connecticut (1,080,831), Delaware (296,268), DC (317,323), Georgia (2,473,633), Hawaii (366,130), Illinois (3,471,915), Maine (435,072), Maryland (1,985,023), Massachusetts (2,382,202), Michigan (2,804,040), Minnesota (1,717,077), Nevada (703,486), New Hampshire (424,937), New Jersey (2,608,335), New Mexico (501,614), New York (5,230,985), Oregon (1,340,383), Pennsylvania (3,458,229), Rhode Island (307,486), Vermont (242,820), Virginia (2,413,568), Washington (2,369,612), and Wisconsin (1,630,866).
While the free-thought caucus may be small, it wasn't that long ago it would have been unthinkable. One step at a time. With every passing year organized religion cedes ground they will never recover. As for the Texas law, it didn't ban giving outdoor workers hydration breaks, it said local government couldn't pass ordinances requiring them. Greg Abbott, being the fine Christian he is, wanted to lift the yoke of burdensome regulation from businesses, the health and safety of workers be damned.
I know this isn't the gist of the article, but NO FOOD OR WATER BREAKS?! When you work outside in Texas? What? As a person who worked as a landscaper and now farms and is outside in all weather, I can't fathom this. How do people survive? How was it legal?
Sure, you give food and water breaks, the next thing you know they’ll be wanting to be paid too.
And then they'll be asking for sick days, too!
and paid vacation
It's not MANDATORY anymore for companies to offer those breaks. Businesses must have complained it cost them money. And workers are easy and cheap to replace, that's why there's so many illegals working in Texas.
Good grief. That is unethical in the extreme. Every human life has value. Every single one. Preying on desperation is sick sick sick.
Welcome to Texas.
America.
'Murika.
Yyyyyup. They did it just in time for the heat of the summer, too: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/16/texas-heat-wave-water-break-construction-workers/
Apparently ten minutes' reprieve every four hours was just too onerous a burden on the employers. Workers should be grateful they have a job at all, and happily die of dehydration and heatstroke knowing that they increased their betters' ledgers by a fraction of a percentage point that otherwise would have gone to such frivolous luxuries as water and shade!
The cruelty is always the point.
The law didn't actually ban hydration breaks, it banned local government from requiring them. Business can't be expected to live with a burdensome regulation like that you know. The health and safety of workers be damned.
The Party of "local control" takes away local control....again.
They're okay with local control just as long as they agree with what they're doing.
Something good from Texas?! Even a broken clock is right twice a day!
Lots of good things come from Texas. Jim Hightower, Nolan Ryan, Bowling for Soup, Steve Martin, Wes Anderson, Willie Nelson, Carol Burnett, Barry White, Sissy Spacek, ZZ Top, etc.
There's a ton who are no longer among the living (Buddy Holly, Ann Richards, Walter Cronkite and more.
Kris Kristofferson
“I’m an Army brat. I was a captain in the Army and my brother was a jet pilot in the Navy. So I support our troops; I identify with them. But I sure as hell don’t identify with the bastards who sent them over there.”
—Kris Kristofferson (1936- ) American singer, songwriter, and actor
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett also belongs to that first category.
Larry McMurtry belongs in the second.
Waylon Jennings, the Big Man from Littlefield
A broken analogue clock is right twice a day.
A broken digital clock is wrong all the time.
Military time? ;)
Not if it's blinking 88:88
I've had some good bbq from Texas.
I watched the most amazing lightning storm from the Chisos Mountains in the Big Bend Nat Park one night.
When I was there it was around the end of May. It was 116 in the shade at 11 am.
It's also the state capital. So a lot of bad comes from there too, like our dear AG, Lt. Governor, and Governor.
Good on ya, Mr. Casar.
Next time someone says there's no difference between the two major parties? *AHEM!*
you could also point to Marjorie Trailor Greene and Lauren Boebert
Point.
And laugh.
Or sigh. I'm not really amused by them anymore, it's reaching the point where I'm wondering wtf is wrong with their constituency.
I think dark thoughts. Like Boebert accidentally shooting herself. Or Greene finally losing it on the floor and they have to tase her.
I think you mean "they *get* to taze her". Heh, not really. I just want her voted out. Truly.
I'd pay a small sum to 'get' to do that. And I'm not even American.
what so funny?
Not much. But I do get a chuckle out of the hypocritical ahole getting caught giving a hand job in a public theater.
Air heard Marje get a joy from exposing the president son genitals to the whole world.
YAY Casar, we're gonna turn that state BLUE yet & get food & water down to those workers.
So...the Freethought Caucus upholds the Constitution, and there are only 18 members??? While the Prayer group has many, many more? What's wrong with this picture????
It's just the same picture that's been showing for the past at least 50 years...
I'm a little surprised he's from Texas, but I assume he represents some urban constituency?
The Wikipedia article on his district indicates his district is made up mostly of portions of San Antonio and a thin sliver of Austin. Both are fairly "blue cities" (at least for Texas).
I still say, the I-35/E,1-45,I-10 triangle should secede from the state.
I'd rather have Dallas than Ft. Worth. Besides half the big employers in the state are located in Dallas.
"Strike that, reverse it"
-Willy Wonka ;)
America does the red/blue thing arse to backwards anyway. 😁
And it truly is an ocean. I went to grad school in Austin. My fiancé and I decided not to stay there because it was 1000 miles away from anything reasonable.
Good on him!
Maybe in another decade, if we survive the next election cycle, being a rational human being who makes decisions based on facts and evidence won't be a radical position anymore.
Off-topic but thanks, Hemant, for going the "posting 2 articles in one day" route two days in a row after the "weekend drought." *smiles*
Well good, I hope it continues to grow. Has the CFC done anything to draw attention to themselves? If not even the right are upset about it it might be because they just don't know they're there. Not trying to be a dickhead (it just comes naturally), I'm just thinking if they made some noise about something perhaps the media might notice them. Or I just might not know what they've done and am talking nonsense. Who knows, I'm too medicated to do research. Heh.
https://youtu.be/NpEbCVsOgB8
Sweet dog I want that to happen in real life.
The racist arrested, the multi-cultural team, or the barbecue?
Yes. ;)
All this fuss over a hangi – the US is less sophisticated than I thought. 😁
🤣🤣🤣
People seem to think that Texas is the exclusive province of right-wingers, because they've succeeded in dominating statewide politics there. But that conceals the true picture, a look at which reveals why we shouldn't just write off the state as hopeless. Herewith some data:
2020 Presidential votes for Democrats in Texas: 5,259,126.
That’s more Democrats in Texas than in these states actually WON by Democrats: Arizona (1,672,143), Colorado (1,804,352), Connecticut (1,080,831), Delaware (296,268), DC (317,323), Georgia (2,473,633), Hawaii (366,130), Illinois (3,471,915), Maine (435,072), Maryland (1,985,023), Massachusetts (2,382,202), Michigan (2,804,040), Minnesota (1,717,077), Nevada (703,486), New Hampshire (424,937), New Jersey (2,608,335), New Mexico (501,614), New York (5,230,985), Oregon (1,340,383), Pennsylvania (3,458,229), Rhode Island (307,486), Vermont (242,820), Virginia (2,413,568), Washington (2,369,612), and Wisconsin (1,630,866).
While the free-thought caucus may be small, it wasn't that long ago it would have been unthinkable. One step at a time. With every passing year organized religion cedes ground they will never recover. As for the Texas law, it didn't ban giving outdoor workers hydration breaks, it said local government couldn't pass ordinances requiring them. Greg Abbott, being the fine Christian he is, wanted to lift the yoke of burdensome regulation from businesses, the health and safety of workers be damned.
Anyone like to guess how much vile hate mail and death threats Casar will be receiving from the good x-tians of Texas right now?
And Baby Jesus wept. (Tee hee hee.)
Bravo, Rep Casar and welcome to The Freethought Caucus.
Pramila Jayapal from my state.
*pumps fist*