Ups and Downs...

First the good news:

The owners of the production company I've been raving about, What If Productions, have returned from L.A. They have found an Executive Producer for their tv pilot, Ghostalkers! I was told they will want some more tracks from me, if not for the pilot then for the future, assuming the pilot will impress. Things went to the next level for these guys and I am estatic not only for them but for what this could...would mean for me. Imagine it...some day I may see my name in the credits of a Television Series. Wow!! I had a friend put a bug in my ear several years ago when she first heard my music. I will never forget her words: "You need to write for the tv and movie industry." I hadn't considered that possibility until that moment. I'm so thankful she put that little bug in my mind and heart.

Now for the "ugh" news:

While not a shocker to me in any way shape or form, it is still discouraging to read this piece, straight from the Economic Policy Institute. Some are getting richer, alright. As usual, it's those at the top:

...many workers' wages have been stagnant for a number of years, after adjusting for inflation, particularly those at the middle and lower end of the pay scale. For example, while productivity is up nearly 20% since 2000, the real median hourly wage is up 3% overall and 1% for men, with none of this growth occurring over the three-and-a-half years since 2003. At the top of the wage scale—at the 95th percentile—real wages are up 9%.

So, we can conclude people in the lower and medium wage brackets are working harder with nothing to show for it, in terms of wage growth. See below for confirmation:

• Wage growth has been unequal. Wage growth in the 2000s followed a highly unequal pattern, and higher-wage workers gained the most ground.

And if that isn't discouraging enough, workers' power continues to erode. Many of us know what happens in today's workforce. Considering that unions continue to disappear, employers can fire or threaten termination simply for discussing the possibility of forming a union with other employees. And given the disgustingly low wages being offered across the board, not to mention the whole process of looking for work, who wants to take the chance of being fired?

• Despite low unemployment, workers' bargaining power has diminished. Though the unemployment rate has been low in historical terms, it does not capture the erosion of employment relative to the population caused by weak growth in (or withdrawal from) the labor force over the past few years. The bottom line is that many workers still lack the bargaining power to claim their fair share of the productivity growth they themselves are helping to create. This is partly due to weak job creation over the course of this recovery.

We all know Bush loves to talk about how strong the economy is, and all of these jobs his policies have helped create. Uh huh. I wonder what he would have to say about this:

Another factor holding down wage pressures is the fact that job growth itself has been notoriously weak in this recovery. The nation's payrolls grew 5.5% in this recovery, compared with 11.3% over the same period in the last recovery, and 17.1% for all recoveries that have lasted at least this long.7 ...the average job creation rate for 2006—6.7%—is the lowest annual rate on record going back to 1990.

Oh wait. That's right. When Bush and his Policy Wankers talks about the American Economy, he isn't talking about the economy you and I live in. How could I be so silly not to know that?

Economic elites talk up the economy, with bullish references to GDP, productivity, and job growth. But just whose economy are they talking about?

If you're wealthy, things are great. However... If you're one of those workers who actually sell those products your big Retail Employer supplies... if you're one of those office workers who work for some Big Executive... if you're one of those customer service reps answering the endless questions from clients that your Big Insurance Company insures... if you're one of the millions (and growing) of temporary workers who have absolutely no job security... if you're one of the laborers whose energy and sweat go into making those little things called an "infrastructure", those things we take for granted: office buildings, roads, sewer systems, houses, stores... if you're one of those people who clean up after all of us in the wee hours of the morning... if you're one of these people, things aren't so great. As I've been saying on this blog, screaming it at you, for what likely seems like a very long time, I finally have some proof that says: NINA IS RIGHT.

I have no problem with people creating wealth for themselves. Money is not the issue and neither is wealth. It is how this wealth is distributed that I take issue. My problem is when this wealth is being created at the expense of those doing an equal amount (or often, more) work, when this wealth is not shared in a much more equitable, fair manner. This is called SLAVERY. That's right. S L A V E R Y. I am going to pay you to work for me. You are going to do most of the work, but I am going to reap most of the financial rewards. I can fire you for any reason. Why should I care about your personal life or whether what I am paying you doesn't provide you a living wage? In fact, why should I give a real heart-felt shit afterall? Why? Because I don't have to. In part because of something called "At Will Employment". And also in part because of a little thing called DEREGULATION. That means Businesses are mature enough, conscientious enough, responsible enough to follow the American Value System, which includes: Sharing. Respect. Compassion. Equality. Fairness. Justice. Truth. But hey, most of us flunked kindergarten. Many of us are pompous, arrogant, uncaring sob's who won't blink an eye when we see how often we use people and their skills, their labor, just so we can stuff that extra million into our overseas bank account.

This report points out some very cruel realities, but doesn't go far enough in calling this sytem what it is: S L A V E R Y. The people are waking up though. Through their cloud of fatigue that clouds their minds, through their myriad of stress-related illnesses, through their rising debt, through that 40 hour plus work week they have to put in just to make ends meet, through their moments of panic when they awaken in the still of the night with their minds racing with thoughts such as "how will we pay for food this week?" or "we have no insurance and I really need to see a doctor" or "the rent/mortgage is due tomorrow and I am short"... People are waking up to the truth that this way of living is bullshit. That this way of living is wrong. That this way of existance goes contrary to what we are told from day one is good and true about this country. That we are being used. And most of all, that THINGS DO NOT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.

Our voices are growing in numbers, gathering in strength. Unite, we must, even if this means uniting with your co-workers. Start small. The smallest of pebble, when tossed into the pond in the right way, at the right time, can have the same or even bigger lasting effect as the largest rock in the pile.