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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Inside the Ohio Capitol

By Julia Nutter
 - 
Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:11 AM EDT




Before Ohio Senate started the final vote on Senate Bill 5 to limit collective bargaining yesterday, opponents gathered inside the chamber and made their (singing) voices heard. The tally went 17-16, the same as on the original version.
The bill had passed the House by 53-44. The Ohio Capitol Blog posts video of opponents in the gallery erupting in anger (around :30), chanting "Shame on you! Shame on you!" among other things. You can hear House Speaker William G. Batchelder allowing members of the House to announce the time and location of tomorrow's committee meetings, their announcements are drowned out by the protesters above.

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Maybe #Maine gov will like this mural better

Video is pretty good and very informative
By Laura Conaway
 - 
Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:47 AM EDT



A landlord in Maine says the mural of the state's labor history is stashed securely "somewhere" inside the Central Maine Commerce Center, after Governor Paul LePage had it taken down from the lobby of the state Labor Department over the weekend. The Portland Press Herald reports that the artist who painted it, Judy Taylor, recommends that Governor LePage hang her father's Korean War medal in the giant new blank spot.
The Press Herald also finds this bit of genius, from Maine video producer Geoff Leighton. He decided to try balancing out the images of ordinary working people with the great moguls of history "who were significant in bringing wealth to the wealthy, despite onerous government regulations and pesky unions." It's just so very good.
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Tea Party rally not so mighty

Pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Laura Conaway
 - 
Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:01 PM EDT
A certain small number of Tea Partiers turned out in Washington, D.C., today. "The media coverage of the event was intense; there seemed to be around four protesters for every reporter," Dave Weigel reports. His first guess at attendance was about 200.
(Image: Dave Weigel.)
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Maine pol: Put those kids to work


Child labor panels in Judy Taylor's mural.
A Maine Republican lawmaker's proposal to roll back the state's child labor laws turns out to be surprisingly readable. The official summary for "An Act To Enhance Access to the Workplace for Minors" is below. The rest is readily apparent, like the part where they cross out a prohibition on kids working more than 50 hours on school breaks. Go read it. below
This bill amends the laws governing employment practices in the following ways:
1. It establishes a training wage for trainees or secondary students under 20 years of age at $5.25 per hour for their first 180 days of employment;
2. It eliminates the maximum number of hours a minor 16 years of age or older can work during school days;
3. It allows a minor under 16 years of age to work up to 4 hours on a school day during hours when school is not in session;
4. It allows a home-schooled student to work during regular public school hours, but not during regularly scheduled home school hours;
5. It exempts a minor under 16 years of age who is enrolled in school from the maximum hour requirements to work in an agricultural setting as long as the minor has written permission from the minor's parent or guardian; and
6. It allows a parent or guardian of a minor who is home schooled to sign a work permit instead of the superintendent of the school administrative unit where the homeschooled minor lives.

First Regular Session - 125th Maine Legislature
An Act To Enhance Access to the Workplace for Minors
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §673  is enacted to read:
§ 673.  Minimum wage; trainees and students
Notwithstanding the provisions of section 664, for an employee who is under 20 years of age who is a secondary student as defined in Title 20A, section 1, subsection 33 or a trainee, the minimum hourly wage is $5.25 per hour for the first 180 days of that employee's employment.
Sec. 2. 26 MRSA §774,  as amended by PL 2009, c. 211, Pt. B, §23, is further amended to read:
§ 774. Hours of employment
1. Minors under 18 years of age.   A minor under 18 years of age, enrolled in school, may not be employed as follows:
A.  More than 50 hours in any week when the minor's school is not in session;
B.  More than 20 hours in any week when the minor's school is in session, except that the minor may work up to 8 hours on each day that an authorized school closure occurs in that minor's school up to a total of 28 hours in that week. In addition, the maximum weekly hours a minor may work is 50 hours during any week that the approved school calendar for the minor's school is less than 3 days or during the first or last week of the school calendar, regardless of how many days the minor's school is in session for the week. If requested, a school must provide verification of its closings to the minor's employer or the Department of Labor;
C.  More than 10 hours in any day when the minor's school is not in session;
D.  More than 4 hours in any day when the minor's school is in session, except that the minor may work up to 8 hours on the last scheduled day of the school week;
E.  More than 6 consecutive days;
F.  After 10 p.m. on a day preceding a day on which the minor's school is in session or after 12 midnight on a day that does not precede such a school day; or
G.  Before 7 a.m. on a day on which the minor's school is in session or before 5 a.m. on any other day.
2. Minors under 16 years of age.   A minor under 16 years of age may not be employed as follows:
A. More than 40 hours in any week when school is not in session;
B. More than 18 hours in any week when school is in session;
C. More than 8 hours in any day when school is not in session;
D. More than 3 4 hours in any day when school is in session;
E. More than 6 consecutive days; or
F. Between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. except during summer vacation, when that minor may not work between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.
3. Employment during hours school in session.   A minor under 17 years of age may not be employed during the hours that the public schools of the town or city in which the minor resides are in session.
A. This subsection does not apply to:
(1) A minor who has been excused from attendance by school officials in accordance with Title 20A, section 5001A, subsection 2 or subsection 3, except that a minor who has been excused in accordance with subsection 3 may not be employed during the hours that the minor's school or approved home instruction program is in session;
(2) A student in an alternative education plan that includes a work experience component;
(3) A student in an approved vocational cooperative education program; or
(4) A student who is granted permission for an early school release by the school principal.
The hours worked by a student in an alternative education plan or in an approved vocational cooperative education program may not be included in determining the student's total hours of permitted employment under subsection 1 and subsection 2.
4. Exemptions.   Work performed in the planting, cultivating or harvesting of field crops or other agricultural employment, including the initial processing of farm crops, not in direct contact with hazardous machinery or hazardous substances, work performed as an employed or in-training theatrical actor or film actor or work performed as a summer camp employee in a youth camp licensed under Title 22, section 2495 is exempt from this section, provided a minor under 16 years of age has been excused by the local superintendent of schools in accordance with the policy established by the Commissioner of Education and the Director of the Bureau of Labor Standards. Work performed by a minor under 16 years of age in the taking or catching of lobsters, fish or other marine organisms by any methods or means, or in the operating of ferries or excursion boats, is exempt from subsection 1, paragraphs A and C planting, cultivating or harvesting of field crops or other agricultural employment, including the initial processing of farm crops, not in direct contact with hazardous machinery or hazardous substances is exempt from this section if a minor has written permission from the parent or guardian of the minor.
5. Application.   This section does not apply to a person who holds a high school diploma or a high school equivalency certificate issued pursuant to Title 20A, section 257 or to a minor emancipated pursuant to Title 15, section 3506A.
6. In session.   School is considered in session if the students are required to be in attendance by the school board pursuant to Title 20A, chapter 211.
Sec. 3. 26 MRSA §775, sub-§1,  as amended by PL 2001, c. 398, Pt. A, §1, is further amended to read:
1. Work permit authority.   A minor under 16 years of age may not be employed without a work permit signed by the superintendent of schools of the school administrative unit in which the minor resides and issued to the minor by the bureau or, in the case of a minor who is receiving home instruction under Title 20A, section 5001A, subsection 3, paragraph A, a work permit signed by the parent or guardian of the minor and issued to the minor by the bureau. The superintendent may designate a school official to sign a work permit and that official is directly responsible to the superintendent for this activity.
Sec. 4. 26 MRSA §781, sub-§1-A, ¶B,  as enacted by PL 2001, c. 46, §1, is amended to read:
B. A violation of the number of hours a minor may work in any day under section 774, subsection 1, paragraph B, C or D or section 774, subsection 2, paragraph C or D, as long as the violation is not greater than 10 minutes per day; and
Sec. 5. 26 MRSA §781, sub-§1-A, ¶C,  as enacted by PL 2001, c. 46, §1, is amended to read:
C. A violation of the number of hours worked in a week under section 774, subsection 1, paragraph A or B or section 774, subsection 2, paragraph A or B, as long as the violation is not greater than 50 minutes in a week.
summary
This bill amends the laws governing employment practices in the following ways:
1. It establishes a training wage for trainees or secondary students under 20 years of age at $5.25 per hour for their first 180 days of employment;
2. It eliminates the maximum number of hours a minor 16 years of age or older can work during school days;
3. It allows a minor under 16 years of age to work up to 4 hours on a school day during hours when school is not in session;
4. It allows a home-schooled student to work during regular public school hours, but not during regularly scheduled home school hours;
5. It exempts a minor under 16 years of age who is enrolled in school from the maximum hour requirements to work in an agricultural setting as long as the minor has written permission from the minor’s parent or guardian; and
6. It allows a parent or guardian of a minor who is home schooled to sign a work permit instead of the superintendent of the school administrative unit where the homeschooled minor lives.
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GOP: You Can't Say "Uterus" on Statehouse Floor

 
March 31, 2011 3:46 pm
GOP Chastises Dem Lawmaker for Saying “Uterus” on Statehouse Floor Add it to your list of non-dirty dirty words, like “moist” and “knickers.” View highresolution 
Leonardo da Vinci/Wikimedia Commons



Add it to your list of non-dirty dirty words, like “moist” and “knickers.”

— By Adam Weinstein
| Thu Mar. 31, 2011 12:12 PM PDT
Clearly having seen my roundup yesterday, and hoping to outdo it, the Florida GOP offered us another precious moment today. From the St. Petersburg Times:

At one point [Rep. Scott Randolph, D-Orlando] suggested that his wife "incorporate her uterus" to stop Republicans from pushing measures that would restrict abortions. Republicans, after all, wouldn't want to further regulate a Florida business.
Apparently the GOP leadership of the House didn't like the one-liner.
They told Democrats that Randolph is not to discuss body parts on the House floor.
"The point was that Republicans are always talking about deregulation and big government," Randolph said Thursday. "And I always say their philosophy is small government for the big guy and big government for the little guy. And so, if my wife's uterus was incorporated or my friend's bedroom was incorporated, maybe they (Republicans) would be talking about deregulating.
"It's not like I used slang," said Randolph, who actually got the line from his wife.

Wait. Uterus? What's wrong with uterus? It's a pretty common medical/anatomical term, right? A House GOP spokeswoman explained that Randolph's comment lacked "decorum" and could pervert the kiddies:

...the Speaker believes it is important for all Members to be mindful of and respectful to visitors and guests, particularly the young pages and messengers who are seated in the chamber during debates. In the past, if the debate is going to contain language that would be considered inappropriate for children and other guests, the Speaker will make an announcement in advance, asking children and others who may be uncomfortable with the subject matter to leave the floor and gallery.

You know what I say to that? Take a long fallopian walk off a short doggoned uterus, you sigmoid colonoscopes!

Sorry, that was a little over the top...Oh dear, hope I don't get fired.



Some of the funniest comments I have read
    • They mention Rick Scott frequently and he's a body part.
    • different 20 minutes ago
      This is what I suggested. Just put incorporated behind the name of every public school and Republicans will be climbing allover each other to fund them with cash.
    • Cassandra of Troy Today 04:54 PM
      Old joke:

      In 1951, when General MacArthur went back to The U.S. there was a great parade of Japanese civilians who revered the "American Caesar" and knew He would be considered by some Americans a contender for the Presidency when Adlai Ewing Stevenson II ran for office in 1952.

      As He arrived at Hanada Kokusai Kūkō (翼空港, Wing Field or Wing Airport) the crowd of Japanese lined the streets cheering and waving signs, many in English, to say Goodbye to the Benevolent and Popular General.

      One sign, held aloft by a smiling and cheering Japanese National read, "Good Luck With Your Erection!"
    • Darwin's Advocate Today 03:45 PM
      Oh, their virgin tympanic membranes! Oops, I wrote "tympanic membranes!" Sorry if my comment lacks decorum!
    • Mister Josh Today 03:25 PM
      I would consider the uterus an internal organ. So is it faux pas to talk about LIVER or HEART disease? I would bet you could get in trouble for mentioning "organs" when not talking about music.

      Couple jokes: "To check that each 'Tickle me Elmo' dolls were in proper working order, they are given two test tickles"

      Confucius say "Smart man give wife grand piano, wise man give wife upright organ."
    • LadyBowl Today 03:20 PM
      Saying "uterus" is no worse than saying "arm" or "kidney". I could almost, maybe understand discomfort for the word "vagina" since that's a part actually used in some sexual acts, but a uterus is about as racy as a spleen. And what's wrong with "uterus" for that matter?! Would "lady bowl" or "stork basket " have been preferable? Is anyone really under the delusion that teens and college students are not comfortable with the word "uterus" and don't use terms that would turn their parents' faces red?

      And am I misremembering, or wasn't there an incident in this same statehouse several years ago where a republican rep. was doing illegal sexual things to pages? Best not to corrupt them further with anatomical words.
    • OMG - Stork Basket! I love it. I'm going to try to use it in a sentence tonight,
    • LadyBowl said "spleen"! [snicker]
    • gdale805 Today 03:13 PM
      love your comments, people. made me laugh out loud...and i needed that! :)
    • I'm a totally entertained by the fact that there is a button ad for an "intimate massager" on my page, along with this article.
    • Let me add to their juvenile embarrassment ... uterus, vulva, penis, testicles, <---- LOOK I even spelled them correctly =)
    • More proof that Republicans are overindulged five year-olds who have no clue how to run this country. Seriously, uterus?

      ----
      http://blogvader.tumblr.com
    • Stork Basket Today 02:36 PM
      That's par for the course for our government, don't you think? It's taboo to speak of such filthy things as uteruses, breasts or vaginas, and may taint America's youth. It seems like their philosophy towards women is to pretend they don't exist, in hopes that they go away...which may explain their idea that abstinence is a viable choice for sex education.
    • lol... taint!
    • Talk about changing the subject. Guess that statement about her uterus hit a nerve or two.
    • Justmyrinda Today 02:06 PM
      a uterus is an internal organ, an ARM is a "body part". The real issue here is WHY are POLITICIANS discussing medical procedures AT ALL?!?!?! Stop pressuring your officials to allow abortions and tell them they all need to mind their own business and stay out of my doctors office!
    • BeBopman Today 02:02 PM
      "And so, if my wife's uterus was incorporated or my friend's bedroom was incorporated, maybe they (Republicans) would be talking about deregulating. ....... said Randolph, who actually got the line from his wife."

      Rep. Randolph, I love your wife.
    • Johnny Winebox Today 01:54 PM
      Can any one Say Grow the Phuk UP!
    • Don't use slang, Johnny Winebox...you mean, "Grow the sexual intercourse up!"
    • Stsmith222 Today 01:04 PM
      Like and Share our Uterus Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/...
    • Politicians should not be allowed to control anything they are afraid to name in public.
    • otterbarks Today 12:58 PM
      I bet they could say all kinds of things if a measure regarding testicular cancer was being discussed.
    • I think "small government for the big guy and big government for the little guy"--or, in this case, little uterus--would be just about the perfect attack line. Why is something like that not heard more often?
    • Is "rectum" ok?
    • I vaguely recall an interview on television many years ago of our former Prime Minister Sir Robert Muldoon (no, not the World According to Garp character) when he talked about meeting a particular national religious authority in the rectum ... ummm ... no that wasn't quite right. Our Rob did have a slight propensity to giving interviews when drunk.
    • Rectum? Damn near killed 'em.
    • Rectum? Damn near killed him. Thats what Dick C. said.
    • My dad got so much flack from my mom when he taught me a joke with that punchline... when I was about 7 years old.
    • ...and yet my grade school teacher had absolutely no sense of humor when I asked her "How come there's no ring around Uranus?".

      Go figure.
    • Rectum? I hardly know 'em!
    • Bah-Doon-CRASH!
    • I'll allow it.


      Wait...what?!
    • Funny. I always thought dicks were partial to uteri.
    • Eh? How do you go about discussing abortion without using medical terms for body parts? Would 'tummy' be more appropriate?

      *sigh*
    • If intelligent design is scientific enough for Real Americans, tummy is good enough for everyone!
    • I believe the correct terms are either "woo woo" or "hoo ha"
    • No no no - "tummy" is still a body part. Are they ever ask to raise their hands .... oops I mean their .... what the hell do you call them if you can't say body parts?
    • Anti-abortion people don't want abortion discussed in medical terms, because that implies it's a medical procedure, instead of the murder the anti-abortion people would like to portray it as. The only way medical stuff is allowed in the abortion debate is pictures of dead fetuses, which can be displayed as graphically and horrifyingly as is possible. Apparently.

      Also: "It's not like I used slang," said Randolph, who actually got the line from his wife"
      ...I wonder if his wife gave him a slang version of the line. This could be the cleaned up version.
    • I imagine she used a few more choice expletives...
    • Swanoftex Today 12:29 PM
      Uterus, uterus, uterus, breast, breast, breast...take that you Rethugs!!!!!
    • "A perverted kiddy explained that Randolph's comment lacked "decorum"..."
      There you go.
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