By Jessica Hopper
Rock Center
Samba Diarra, 15, journeyed 200 miles to live in a plastic hut alone and work in an artisanal gold mine in Mali. The teen came to the mine to help support his five younger brothers and sisters.
“The main reason I left home is to help my parents and sending them money is my main goal,” Diarra said.
Diarra’s parents can’t afford to send him to school because he has to support his younger siblings. He is one of at least 20,000 children working in Mali’s artisanal mines.
Mali is Africa’s third largest gold producer. Artisanal mines rely on heavy human labor and little mechanization. People throughout West Africa are flocking to work in the primitive pits.
“Globally, we’ve seen an increase with the number of artisanal gold miners because of the rise of gold prices, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to better living conditions,” said Juliane Kippenberg who helped author a Human Rights Watch report on Mali’s mines.
The skyrocketing price of gold has led to a rush on the precious metal in the United States and throughout the world, but some of the mining that’s helping feed the world’s craving involves child labor and a dangerous process involving mercury.
Approximately 100,000 to 200,000 people in Mali are working in artisanal mines, according to the Human Rights Watch report. Kippenberg told NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel that 20 to 30 percent of the workforce in African artisanal mines is child labor.
The report entitled, “A Poisonous Mix: Child Labor, Mercury and Artisanal Gold Mining in Mali,” details abysmal working conditions.
“There couldn’t be a bigger contrast between the situation of a 7-year-old or a 14, 15-year-old working day in and day out in the very harsh conditions of these mines and the beautiful world of jewelry somewhere in Switzerland or the U.S. or elsewhere,” Kippenberg said.
The children working in the mines, some as young as six years old, help dig shafts with pickaxes, lift and carry heavy bags of ore and pan the gold with an amalgamation process involving mercury.
“Not only is it hard work and then you’re tired from it, but it is hard work that everyday gives you pain: headaches, back pain, joint aches and it will create long-term spinal injury for some of these children who are carrying very heavy loads and they are very small,” Kippenberg said.
Diarra spent his first day pulling up gold ore that was mined by men working deep underground. At the end of his first day, he was paid with a bag of dirt. Gold is currently trading at around $1742 an ounce.
“After I wash and refine it, I’ll get paid for the gold that might be inside,” he said.
Some children working in the mines never get paid. Those who do, get just a few dollars a week.
Diarra still has dreams of a life away from the mines.
“I would like to study if I have the opportunity, I would also like to be a footballer,” he said.
Kippenberg said that it will be hard for Diarra to leave the mines.
“The sad news is that he is not going to be able to realize his dreams. In almost all of these situations where children come here to work by themselves, they are terribly exploited and will probably end up working in artisanal gold mines for the rest of their lives or for very long periods, making, eking, out a living,” Kippenberg said.
Malian law actually bans child labor in artisanal mines, but the law is not heavily enforced. One miner told Rock Center that he simply can’t afford the fees to send his children to school so instead they work with him.
Diata Lissoko, the traditional leader of one of the mines said, “With this kind of physical labor, life is short.”
Lissoko said that just two days prior to Rock Center’s visit, a young man had suffocated deep in the mine.
“It was 30, 40 meters deep. When you descend a mine that deep, there is no oxygen down there, so if you breathe in the gas, you are killed immediately,” Lissoko said.
Others are dying slowly from toxic mercury vapors. To speed up the refining process, workers are mixing mercury with the crushed ore. The mercury adheres to the gold flakes. Then the mixture is burned. Those vapors are the most toxic. Women and children often are in charge of panning the gold and often use the mercury in their backyards in the middle of their villages.
“Working with mercury in a residential area is a particularly bad practice because it affects so many people,” said Kippenberg of Human Rights Watch. “They will be exposed to mercury poisoning. Just to give you an idea, it’s not something that happens very quickly, but people will begin to have coordination problems, memory problems in high doses. It can lead to kidney failure, heart problems and it can even kill people.”
Approximately 12 percent of the world’s gold is born from the grueling process of artisanal mining, Kippenberg said.
“It’s not the majority of the gold, but at the same time, it’s a significant proportion,” Kippenberg said.
The gold is sold to middlemen and eventually ends up in places like Dubai and Switzerland where it is melted and mixed with gold from large scale mines before it’s turned into jewelry worn throughout the world.
“Even if it is a long, long supply train, at the end of the day, it is the gold from these artisanal mines in Mali and other parts of the world that is exported and then goes to the world’s markets and is turned into jewelry,” Kippenberg said. “So, yes, there is a direct link between the people who wear the jewelry and buy it and the refiners, the big international companies who trade the gold globally and those who work in these mines, the depths of these shafts, who risk their lives in doing so.”
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there are more of them, millions, in other part of the world...
thanks HRW and NBC for bringing this up..
no green economy concept could be justified for this kind of business.
Did anyone read this article beside myself and ismawati?
Do you remember the name of the 14 year old child who works in dangerous and toxic gold mining conditions, for a bag of dirt, in the hope that he may find a flake or two of gold, and be paid $2.00? Is he planning on spending his hard earned money on a toy, no, he will send it to his parents - while he lives alone at the mine - to help feed his family. His name is Diarra.
Have Americans become SO narcissistic that we simply do not care about this child or the millions like him simply because he lives in Africa or another foreign place? Is he worth less than an American child?
Was this article written to talk about Newt Gingrich or any American election party? NO!
Like "Blood Diamonds," the author probably wanted to shed light on the atrocity that dominates other countries children JUST because wealthy nations and people like gold. No person has ever died because they did not own a piece of gold jewelry - yet these are disposable children to the mines.
I am ashamed at the narcissism shown here. The country doesn't matter, the cultural differences do not matter - this child, Diarra, is a member of planet earth.
If we don't care about other people or other people's children, how can we say we care about anything but ourselves? It shouldn't matter that this child is in Africa, he is still a child of the world.
Don't forget before the Iraq invasion sanctions were tried. Ambassador Albright (sp) said it was expected some 500,000 children would die. She then stated the losses were acceptable. ACCEPTABLE?! I dang near fell out of my chair.
If another country had made a statement which indicated 500,000 American children would be 'acceptable losses' as a result of sanctions-all hell would have broken loose!
You should be ashamed of his parents to not only allow him but his YOUNGER siblings to work there too. How about mom and dad STOP having kids and get a JOB themselves. In the US we may seem heartless because we dont have kids and then have them work for not only the Parents but for the rest of the family. See over here we have CHILD labor laws which prohibits us from that.
Perhaps you should be upset with the Country this boy lives in and how THEY allow this to happen to thoer own children/future.
You make it sound like your neighbors want children exploited, that just isn't the case. Most American's do not agree with many of these corporations practices. The reality is they are just living their lives and probably have very little ability to impact the corporations practices.
Yes, we could stop buying gold (but that doesn't change the rest of the world's need for it). We could go to our government, but they don't listen to the people and are being bought by the corporations that we are complaining about.
So, while you sit there and bash me and my neighbors for being heartless child exploiters, maybe it would be nice to see some sort of solution or suggestion on creating a solution. And by the way, America still provides more aid around the world than the next 10 counties combined.
Comments # 1 thru # 4 deleted, huge derails.
Stay on topic folks, per # 4 of the Code of Honor.
@ USA is Great - His parents have no choice in that part of the world. They likely struggle under equally horrible conditions at their own work just to survive. Americans do not know what real poverty is unless they have traveled to Asia and seen it.
@LordRaven - had you read the comments above mine - you would have found a political debate that had NOTHING to do with this article so I'm buying the:
Most Americans just don't CARE about the corporate practices, if they did, they would boycott them...NIMBLY is America ..as long as it's Not In My Back Yard...boycotts do work!
Excuse me for not solving the world's problems today - but at least I care and think about them! Go ahead and attack me though - your true colors are coming through!
@usa is great - apparently you forgot what I said: cultural differences don't matter - does it matter what country the child is from - it's probably a Western Mining Company, I'll count you as one who believes this child is disposable because he doesn't live in the great US - you basically said it yourself.
@stoney-1938546 & JP-1897883- I completely agree with you both! Well said.
JP: His parents DO have a choice, it is called STOP having kids you cannot afford. They also have a choice to better themselves just like every other African who has came to the US and other Countries looking to better themselves from the horrible country they live in.
In the end after those heartless and greedy ones remove the social protections that protect our children, our sick and disabled, our aged, and our unfortunate people, this is just a small example of the result. Just so that the Koches, Rockerfellers, Romneys, Gingrinches, and the rest of the 1% can live the life of conspicuous consumption. Why would anyone, but the uneducated or heartless, vote for the Republican ideals?
With your logic in effect JP-1897883, it would not be long before 'Americans know what real poverty is'.
Incidentally, a person does not have to have actual experiences to be able to make good decisions.
If Neut Gingrich is elected, those who are poor and out of work will have to send their kids to work so they can experience what the value of a buck is! Evidently OUR child labor laws aren't to his liking. What an idiot.
I sympathize for these kids and the lack of wages he is paid. Where are the world leaders trying to stop this? WORLD leaders, NOT just US leaders, WORLD leaders?
I just have one comment for the featured boy's parents: contraception!! As poor as they are, why do they keep bringing MORE kids into the world? Just doesnt make sense to keep reproducing when you cannot afford the kids you already have. I understand they need WORLD help, but they also need to do what they can to help themselves.
Well, usa is great and Leprechaun1230, it's VERY easy to say "they shouldn't have kids they couldn't afford".
What I would like to know is how the heck you expect them to find a form of birth control way out in the sticks in Mali? It's not as if they have a Walgreens just around the corner, you know!
And please don't suggest they "keep it in their pants". You, me and everyone else knows how unlikely that is! People are people everywhere. I can point my fingers at any one of the people I know in my corner of the world who were unable be celibate. It's hardly limited to Mali! You fail to understand how things really are outside of our sheltered little lives here in the USA. GET A GRIP!!
Come on man...If you aren't able to sustain yourself regardless of your circumstances then you are a nuisance, unpatriotic, a leech, and you deserve any bad thing that happens to you and your family. You should be exploited, tortured and anything else that those who are self-sufficient would care to do to you. Particularly if it helps out a wealthy person. That's just the way it is.
I am afraid to say that the only thing that matters in the US any more is corporate profits. If we could increase the Dow by .1% by killing 1 million Africans, Americans would rush to push the button. I am sorry. I wish my country were better, but corruption has overtaken all. People act like decent human beings, then they put on suits and go to the office and commit atrocities in the name of "business."
Well said and very TRUE MacyLKW!
@fgh who said:
Really? How do children learn? You cannot read about "hot" and "cold" and truly know the experience of it or which you will like better!
6 kids and can't feed them. I feel sorry for the kid, but his mom should learn what happens when you mate. Here's what usually happens in this situation. You give them food and money, then you show back up in a couple of years and they have 12 kids and 3 grand-kids they can't feed, instead of the 6. A person who is working 3 jobs doesn't have time to mate. I feel sorry for these kids for the choices their parents are making for them. But don't hate on me for pointing anything out, hate on the people who caused this situation.
the great global economy at work, this is the kind of thing these robber barons of the modern age do all around the world while we stroll along with rose colored glasses. One of the reasons I no longer find much pleasure in shopping, too many horror stories behind the products that line our sanitized shelves
I don't think that I agree with you that most American's don't care. They simply don't feel they can make a difference, or do not have the means to make a difference.
Again, boycotting is very difficult to organize, especially to major corporations. I tried to research successful boycotts in history and was only able to find instances where a government boycotted something. Civil boycotts don't work. I would love an example if you can provide one. I've been boycotting Ben & Jerry's for years, but they are just as strong as ever. Not everyone will agree with the boycotting reason in today's society.
I'm not sure what you mean by my true colors coming out. I was only defending me and my community from your accusations that we don't care. If anyone's colors are being shown, it would be your own, a complainer.
Somewhere in the Universe, there has to be something better than man. Has to be!
Joe..."HIS MOM"??? Ya know, she didn't get pregnant by herself. ;)
So the kid has to work to support his parents and siblings. That's tough, considering his stupid parents sit at home humping around making more siblings! They should have fixed those parents a long time ago to avoid having so many children running around. Are the children fixed to avoid a repeat of this mess? If not, why not. This cycle continues just on and on if the world does not fix the root problem - and that is not the hard labor in the mines, it is this senseless breading of these third world countries.
Stop whining about the harsh circumstances, will you. Attack the root problems here and don't try to get sympathy.
actually if you had read the story, you would know the father is down in the hole digging up the dirt that the boy carries away. these people are all worked like animals because they have no direct link to the treasures they are unearthing, nor does their culture benefit from this gold, the wealth goes into coffers of greedy global thieves who steel natural resources from nations vulnerable to their attack. that you would come on here and try to criticize these victims to the point of advocating their sterilization is an abomination
Like M.Fisher said:
"Come on man...If you aren't able to sustain yourself regardless of your circumstances then you are a nuisance, unpatriotic, a leech, and you deserve any bad thing that happens to you and your family. You should be exploited, tortured and anything else that those who are self-sufficient would care to do to you. Particularly if it helps out a wealthy person. That's just the way it is."
He also forgot to add "Even if the wealthy or self-sufficient person got that way specifically by stepping on you and your friends/familymembers' heads to get there."
And we should all vote for Republicans even if we're not rich, because how can we secure a spot at the top for the future for ourselves if we don't kiss a little a$$ first? As soon as our temporary inconveniences are dispensed with, alot of us will be making 1million a year or more and the republicans will welcome us w/open arms! It's gonna happen for me any month now.... Any month now....yup.....here it comes.....*
And those humans in Africa should refrain from the only form of pleasure they actually own and think about going to college before they have kids, I mean having nothing, no hope, no rain, no crops, no livestock, no government, can't POSSIBLY be made THAT much worse if you add sexual frustration to it, right? Oh, wait: there aren't any colleges where they live? They've never even been to elementary school? oh, um, well, I'm a Republican so I'm going to blinly stick to "They shouldn't breed 'emif they can't feed 'em" cuz I can't think of anything else to say to make me seem right when I have NO IDEA what I'm talking about, so I'll just repeat dumb bumper sticker quotes.
(In case anyone is wondering, YES! This post is sarcastic)
Contraception and abstinence are not the only ways to not produce children.
Believe it or not, you can have intercourse without any form of birth control other than self control and not produce offspring in the process. Accidents happen, but 6+ kids is not an accident.
This could be America's near future if Newt Gingrich has his way. Child labor laws exist for a reason.
Only wealthy people should be allowed to have children (I'm not being sarcastic). The problem with poor people is there are so many of them, and they tend to reproduce like rabbits. If poor people stopped having children, and the wealthy continue to have children a natural redistribution of wealth will occur. Too many people acting as though children are just something that happens to you, and that we should feel obliged to take care of the children of stupid people.
photobiker -
What a great idea! So far, the most intelligent far-sighted comment. All the poor stop having children? Really? No sarcasm intended, you say.
In this country, to date, given current tabulations and future economic projections, the number of poor will be untold millions. With your line of reasoning, the current poor should die off without offspring. Because you didn’t specifically give a reason, I guess we must suppose it centers around your “grand solution” regarding fiscal and population control concerns? Having it your way, that solution would leave within a generation a smaller percentage of the population left to bear children. With no poor left to do the “dirty” work, middle class children would have to pick up the slack. However, with their elevated lifestyle coupled with an advanced education, they were carefully taught to adopt a line thinking that they couldn‘t, nor wouldn’t, nor shouldn't do any kind of manual labor. Soon enough making them the “new” poor and, subsequently, forbidden bearing children.
Eventually, the middle class parents must die and because the “new middle class poor” offspring can’t have children, they, too, die without leaving a supply of workers to man the labor force - which has utterly collapsed by this time. With no poor and a middle class population left, that would leave the rich and their offspring looking over a bleak landscape. Now, what? Think the children of the rich are going to do any of the work once done by the middle class and poor?
Hmmm ... a dilemma. Seems we are left to suffer the remaining, moaning rich and those damning the poor for having children. The rich, remembering their former glories, would soon have to agree, alas, too late, that the dirty, childbearing working poor (whatever class) were actually necessary for their very survival.
Question: Could you maintain your present lifestyle without the poor and their children doing the “dirty“ work?
Great kid! Working for 2 dollars a day in a contaminated gold pit to send money home for his parents and younger siblings.
Suggestion, maybe we could trade some of our less 'productive' kids for children like him? Likely he would appreciate being here and make the most of his opportunities and we could unload some youngsters who likely will serve simply to populate our prisons?
Merry Christmas, everyone!
How true is that!!! God, Republicans would love this idea...The Koch brothers already are signing contracts with these kids to put them to work in Wisconsin and Ohio...You know, the states run by Governors, paid for and bought by the Koch brothers, trying to strip away union rights.
Wisconsin and Ohio are going to secede from the United States after November 2012 - no more handouts and no more unions ruining our ecomony!
BigPaul
Oh please tell me Arizona and Alabama is too!
BigPaul - Union membership was at it's highest point in the 40's, 50's and 60's when about a 1/3, or about 35%, of the working force were union members. Also the time of our highest GDP was in the early 50's with exception to a spike in the late 70's. Union membership has decreased to about 13 percent in the 2000's.
Please explain how unions "ruining our ecomony"
They would rather have you "at the whim and will of your employer"
He can't... its just another fox news viewer they convinced to vote against how own economic interests... he has no idea how unions work.... what benefits they provide.... or how they enure employees get a fair shake at a wage and health benefits.... or explain an economy for that matter... just like every other fox news viewer.... he says what he is told to believe.
Rush told him.
Because ASCFME, CWA and all the other BS public workers unions have ruined the image of organized labor.
Just because Wall Street says companies should throw main street under the bus doesn't make it patriotic. Any man worth their salt puts family first, and if family first means the company is second, then companies suffer in union negotiations.
Clearly, the unions must be destroyed.
And Newt could send the "very poor children" in the US to help at the mine to learn a good work ethic - work hard get paid dirt! We all know there are not enough school janitor jobs for the poor children in the US. Disgusting!!
I can't believe Newt is the best the Republicans have to offer to the Presidential race.
Newt for Janitor - I wouldn't vote for him.
God Bless Scott Walker! If we could get more like him: those who say what they are gonna do and then DO IT we wouldn't be in the awful prediciment that we are in now. Wait and see, Wisconsin will be the better for patriots like Gov. Walker and maybe we will get shed of greedy public schools teachers in the process. Shame, SHAME on them!!!! A win/win situation!
@MireV03: My first employment experience with unions was in the 1970's. Though they were getting a bit sloppy at the time, they still policed their ranks themselves making sure the people doing the job knew their craft and put in a decent day's work--at least at the place I was working. By the late 1980's, union labor, with a few exceptions, was synonymous with featherbedding, useless jerkoffs protected by their union management so they could keep members and get paid big bucks. Unions had a valid role to play--and in some cases still could (not necessarily do)--but they have become as corrupted as corporate management, Wall Street, and Washington DC.
Anyone remember the assassination of Jock Yablonsky (not sure I spelled the name correctly but I remember it) and his wife and daughter when he ran against the entrenched management of the United Mine Workers. I remember at one time going to a chemical plant outside of Pittsburgh to look at some equipment while the union there was on strike. The low-life bastards were up on the mountainsides firing rifle bullets into the plant which was being kept in successful operation by so-called scabs but with a manning of less than 50% of what the union labor workforce had been.
It's a good thing some one put that criminal to work. If your poor your a criminal. Just ask Newt.
@Mark111, i agree with you... Yes, some unions don't serve the interests of the employees well... but overall I feel that employees have a right to organize to create more leverage when negotiating wage and benefits... but like anything it can be corrupted with power... and needs to be balanced and regulated much like the body on the other side of the field corporations....
but to say "Unions are ruining the economy" is an ignorant statement... There are many more larger problem areas than unions.. to get rid of em would be to take a huge step back in worker rights.
This is why a multitude of child labor laws have been enacted in our country. Do you really think the recent push to eradicate social protections is going leave Americans with better lives? In the end after those heartless and greedy ones remove the social protections that protect our children, our sick and disabled, our aged, and our unfortunate people, this is just a small example of the result. Just so that the Koches, Rockerfellers, Romneys, Gingrinches, and the rest of the 1% can live the life of conspicuous consumption. Why would anyone, but the uneducated or heartless, vote for the Republican ideals?
Poor people; The Soylent Green of the 1%.
Personally I can't stand Gingrich but why do some keep giving the impression that Republicans are the only rich people ? Romney is estimated at a worth of $190-250 million. Gingrich a whole $20 million. John Kerry was estimated at $750 million in 2004. That is 3 times as much as Gingrich and Romney put together ! Yeah all Democrat politicians are good, simple folk like you and me.
jpg..yeah, coz dems don't wear gold jewelry.
its amazing how any comments against dems are collapsed or deleted but the @!$%#ing libs can say what they want.
rmc...their version of "freedom" sux
Salvia.
Dems don't claim they "made it without any government help."
Dems don't claim they should pay less taxes the richer they are.
Dems don't claim that the 99% and unions are preventing them from being "Job Creators."
Most Dems are saying, "Tax me more, I've reaped more benefits from this country."
Have a nice day.
Guys, politicians of either stripe are rich. That's a given and child labor laws will not be taken away if a Republican becomes president.
What matters in this article is the treatment of these children! How can we make their lives better? Is a boycott the answer? I don't think so. Sanctions? Maybe. We have to look at all solutions and not fingerpoint!
Most of the gold for jewelery is from recycled gold, not to mention gold jewelry sales is way down due to cost. It is the investors that are causing the problem, the uber rich that can afford to invest in gold.
Re: Shut Yer Yap
Yeah Dems just marry a Republican's widow and pockets the money they never worked for. I notice how Kerry didn't donate that wealth, but what if he needs it to buy a loaf of bread? I am not saying Republicans are good. Far from it. Instead, I think most ALL politicians are bad . Pelosi didn't participate in insider trading ? Harry Reid didn't try to limit the gambling business to the big Nevada casinos ? Oh but the Dems are holier than thou. Republicans are bad, but they are not part of an exclusive club. Do you work for the party machine ? RFLMAO.
And Obama and G.E. have no relationship. How about the lobbyists that meet with Obama's people at a coffee shop so they don't have any signed records of a visit to the White House ? He denies ties to them.
6.20
I happen to have a local politician who is a Democrat in my immediate family. He can't stand to go to functions other politicians are at- either party- because they are phony backstabbers.
Anyone purchasing expensive gold jewelry this Christmas should realize they have played their part in contributing to this exploitation. If evil flourishes when good men stand by and do nothing, then GREED flourishes when privileged people feel entitled to luxuries, even when indulging their desires brings about this kind of greedy, evil, and cruel result.
Anyone who buys anything is contributing to greed blah, blah, blah. Wonder if you own anything made of gold? If so, take a stand and flush it down the toilet. That'll showem.
..Ever seen Chinese factories? Chinese worker's dormitories? Have any idea of the working conditions and long hours these poor slobs work - in China, El Salvador, India, Paraguay, Indonesia, and all the other third-world hellholes our clothing, toys and various sundries are now coming from? Worse than the person buying a gold trinket, is the person buying cartloads of carp from Wal-Mart and Target stamped with Made in China.
Yes, it is very difficult in this country to buy much of anything not made by these poor exploited workers. But to buy stuff you DONT need, or that we could make ourselves (it would be nice to see a return to more sombre, long-lasting clothing instead of going with every tawdry trend the corporations dream up for us) - is to give tacit approval to this offshoring of our jobs, impoverishing both us, and ultimately, those we exploit overseas. These third-world workers flood into the manufacturing centers from their rural farmlands, lured there by the tall tales of wealth and better living. Most would be better off working their ancestral fields and farms - a far more enriching form of work than hunched over a workbench for 16 hours a day under glowing flourescent bulbs, doing the same task - over and over and over - until they blow their brains out or get too old and sent back into the villages anyway.
Don't forget "gold" goes into computers and smart phones too! The computer you are ranting on now, has gold in it also. Is it only the privileged who should give up luxuries! In poor countries these are luxuries, do you watch tv, bet it has some gold in it too, unless you have a 1960's set. You sound like a liberal, blame the rich! But what are you willing to stop buying items that have gold in them, be careful almost most elecronics have gold in them even newer vehicles. Boycot telephone companies and stop using your phone for they too use gold. So are you "Jay Esseff", going to indulge in their or your desiresthat brings about this kind of greedy, evil, and cruel result!
OH STOP! This isnt about jewelery. It's the same crap that has been going on for all time. The rich enslave the poor. I worked as a child from harvesting crops to babysiting. NOT even close to what these adults are doing to their children. Sadly how long before we go back to it here in the US? Children have no value. The elderly have no value. Look where the first budget cuts are.
I'm sure the behavior at black Friday would make baby Jesus proud!... Christmas has been a christian dressed pagan holiday for consumption for decades... its an American cornerstone... there is no ending it now.
Sooner than you think, Mo-563393, especially if Gingrich gets elected since, y'know, he thinks child labor laws under the FLSA are "stupid."
Typical jewelry in an American store has about a 400% markup. So, there is no rationale that can explain why these companies have to literally pay slave wages to the people who mine the precious metals in the first place. This is just nothing more than pure greed by those who are in the position to exploit others.
Of course, if all humanity had the decency of mind to promote human values, we would not be reading an article about child slave labor. Nothing has changed in this world since the dawn of civilization. Sad, really.
Well said Mo-563393.
Jesus was born while shepherds tended their flocks. This is only done during birthing season, which is in the spring. Jesus was born no where near the time it is celebrated.
says who, not radical????? Did Jesus supply you with his Birth Certificate?
not radical, that was not relevant. But since you brought it up... Which is more important? The date on a calendar or the meaning behind it? I get quite tired of that old "Christmas doesn't mean anything because the timing isn't even right" nonesense. There are plenty of reasons why it is celebrated when it is -- regardless of any actual date it may or may not have happened. For example: there is the very practical reason for incorporating Christian meaning into a pre-existing social structure, as it made for a much easier cultural transition. In other words, pre-Christian communities already had mid-winter celebrations that were well entrenched in their cultures, so it makes total sense to commandeer the existing holiday and imbue it with new meaning to ease that transition. Another reason would be that mid-winter has always been a time of darkness (literal in terms of short days, figurative in terms of fewer resources available), giving rise to the need for hope, which can be seen and symbolized in the passing of the winter solstice, after which days begin to lengthen again and we begin to make our way toward spring. Hence a celebration a few days later. What is Christmas about if not hope and the coming of new light (figurative here, not literal)? Another reason would be practical, as well -- in mid-winter, farmers and herdsman (the majority of early Christians in Northern Europe) have far fewer responsibilities and thus have the time to celebrate in ways they do not have in the spring. And from the standpoint of the liturgical calendar, spring is already filled with Lent and Easter -- a celebration of the birth of Christ would not be appropriate as one is preparing to observe his death and resurrection. So I ask you: to someone who believes there is anything to celebrate at Christmas, why should the date on the calendar matter? They are celebrating a concept, not a date, and mid-winter is the perfect time to celebrate this particular concept both symbolically and culturally. Why be so literal in assigning a date -- one that we can never know for sure anyway? If it is the date that matters to you, then what does it matter if it is April 5 or December 25, as we will never know if April 5 is any more correct than April 4 or 6, or any other date in the spring? By your argument, it should never be celebrated at all, as the exact date can never be known.
But what on earth does any of this have to do with the article at hand and the atrocious abuse of children among the poorest of the poor?
I'm not even sure why this is a matter of topic, but for what it's worth, it is a true fact that Jesus was not born on Dec 25th, much less in the month of December at all.
While this may astound you, please remember that it is not as important to get the exact date on which Jesus was born (not that it was ever recorded anyways), but instead to observe and respect his birth much like we have days to observe other holidays when they do not coincide with our normal work schedules.
Besides, Christmastime slowly evolved into the holiday we know it as from the old paganistic holiday of Winter's Solstice. In fact, many of our traditions have absolutely nothing to do with Jesus or Christianity in general, but are a holdover from other traditions, such as the yule log (norse), stockings (dutch, I believe), christmas trees (germanic?), etc.
Either way, it shouldn't matter. What IS important is to remember WHY we celebrate Christmas in our own way, and to remember the teachings that Jesus taught us. Merry Christmas!
Saddened, you said it better than I did. Kudos.
First, a very small percentage of the gold we buy here comes from these "Artisanal" mines in Asia. Most of our gold probably comes from much bigger industrial mines in Canada, US, and probably Africa for jewelry that is produced in the US. See : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_gold_production
China is number one for gold production in the world . But the USA and Australia are Number 2 and 3 on that list. So buying jewelry that is produced here does not contribute to the slavery and exploitation of children in other parts of the world.
Still , I think something along the lines of the Kimberley Process for diamonds in international law for gold might be helpful for consumers to purchase products that are free from child exploitation.
I also think that the US should impose greater tarriffs on jewlry and other products that are manufactured overseas. That could be helpful in bringing more manufacturing back here.
Unfortunately it's not only gold . . . One might consider diamonds . . . Or many Chinese goods for sale at most of our stores now-a-days. Who knows what sort of working conditions overseas workers are subject to? It is quite a challenge to buy Made in USA items. Try it and see. Suppose we all merely boycott christmas buying and instead fix a meal together then venture out to a soup kitchen and serve meals to our own people in need?
A wise person once told me that "The world is the way it is because most of us want it this way." So, unfortunately, there it is.
The only person you can change is your own self. If something bugs you quit buying it. You can attempt to educate others and hope this brings about change. It might help. But in the mean time live the finest life you are able to. That's one more change for the better, no?
I am not a frequent buyer of jewelry. $ + this article means that I will consider costume jewelry even more. In the mean time, let's remember that some articles bought in America from imports can really help some poorer communities. No, I do not have a list of what those articles would be, but some things are being produced legitimately by good communities.
fgh - Native American crafts can help NA artists on reservations and preserve culture also, sweaters/wool from Nepal, Mexico, Peru (and South America in general where there are many native tribes) etc. Native Art from the countries of Africa and Aboriginal from Australia.... sorry, my list seems very short for the amount of need there is...but anyone can add to it.
Hope, I've heard a little about the diamond mines and you're right, it's despicable, shameful, etc. It's unbelievable how completely f***ed over the people of africa have been by anglo companies stealing their resources. there is no excuse
@ fgh-1038628 Costume jewelry is almost all made in China and Asia under equally horrible working conditions. Why do you think it's so cheap? The costume jewelry industry that used to be produced here in Providence RI is entirely dead. All that manufacturing was sent overseas years ago due to the low cost of labor there.
Not the cost of labor there but because of the cost of labor here! Awe go ahead form a Union
Capitalism and globalization working together to make the world a better place...
Agreed, if we can have well-regulated capitalism, that is flexible and adjust for changing markets, instead of the crony capitalism we have now, and it's end products as demonstrated by Greece.
The unfortunate part for most of the developed nations is that capitalism involves supply and demand, which applies the labor market. Much of the world could see a slight increase in wages and standard of living, but those will decrease for America, Europe and some Asian workers.
hs321 that is exactly what has already been happening.
Newt is all for it. Before he supported it Romney was against it.
If people had a conscience or paid attention . Under capitalism, people have a voice in the economy. What is happening in this world is the sound of their voices. Everyone needs to look in the mirror first before they go looking for scapegoats. Are we really all that helpless that we can do absolutely nothing about anything in this world ? Most everyone has a mind, a voice, and hands. And don't forget- keep buying made in China and then complain about the trade deficit.
Liberals make me sick. You would push child labor laws on a country so that this boy could not leagally work without first ensuring that he had some other way to support himself.
Look at the records you self centered egotistical morons. Every country that the US has pushed into introducing child labor laws has had a spike in child prostitution, abandoned kids, and infancide.
How about helping these countries educate children instead of supplying them with weapons.
Even good intentions have consequences.
canon
Yea, lets open those schools in the bottom of the gold mines, so they can get an education. Just make sure they do it after they put in that 12+ hrs a day. As for the rest of you comments. So the references, or did you just pull them out of your a@s like most right wing nuts do? What's that famous repug saying? " Not Intended To Be A Factual Statement ".
Why do you need to call someone self centered egotis.... in order to make your point? Dont you have better arguments?
Are you saying only liberals are for child labor laws? Do you think all Republicans agree that these children whould be working in the mines? and what have you done to ensure that these children can have a better future?
All Questions that come to mind when reading your "opinion''.
Gee, where do you get your information? How many and what countries have we "pushed" into introducing child labor laws? And from whence did you garner the information and statistics proving the spike in child prostitution, child abandonment and infanticide?
I do believe you just hate liberals because you've settled comfortably into the fear driven ideology of the ultra-right, although, your comment on providing education for poor kids in 3rd world countries sounds almost too liberal for you to maintain your good standing among the right wing; and it is most certainly out of sync with paragraphs 1 & 2 of your post.
And, yes, intentions of any sort bear consequences and, adding to that, not all consequences are undesirable.
I guess Gingrich is liberal now?... because that is the only politician I see advocating child labor... Go back to your idiot box and watch more fox news.
It is insidious to imply that 'no child labor' = 'child prostitution'.
Your a stupid liberal, no your a stupid conservative..... Keep fighting and they will just keep taking. There are no sides here just a classic case of divide and conquer. I doesn't matter which party has the White House or Congress THEY ARE ON THE SAME TEAM. You will get FU#&*d either way and you wont even get a kiss.
This back and forth between Obama haters and supporters is just what the ruling class needs, keep fighting and keep your eye off the ball.
The ruling class in exactly that; a class not a political party.
There has only been 2 democratic presidents between Kennedy and Obama. That's almost 50 years. Seems to me that the republicans have forced these countries into child labor situations with our (US) demand for their cheap goods.
Not everyplace is America...or can be...No matter what we try to do to change that.
everyone seems to forget AMERICA wasn't built into a great country by third world countries.which conflict that AMERICA participated in left a totally settled country?
Soooooo, Canon, let me get this straight.......
You are actually FOR allowing children to work for slave wages?
Ummm, that's wrong on so many levels I'm not sure where to start. In fact, I doubt I could actually educate you on anything given the irrationality of your post. So nevermind. You just go back to whatever it was that you were doing before you found the itch to go trolling on a public forum....
To all you left wing idiots. Check your facts. It has been documented and studied. Just because you don't like the consequences of your so called do good mentality don't bury your head in the sand a think that you are solving the worlds problems.
Just because something occurs simultaneously does not mean that any cause and effect has happened. The U.S., nor any other group trying to enforce child labor laws had nothing to do with causing world-wide increases in child prostitution, infanticide, or in the one you forgot - the indoctrination of child soldiers.+
Got, canon... so you're in favor of child slavery instead of trying to make a difference.
Wow, you people are so full of yourselves. Exactly what is this kid supose to do when you get your way and make it illeagal for him to work?
There is no money for school there is no welfare system there is nothing for him to do but work. So you would rather he starve in the street of commit crimes to feed himself. You bunch of heartless SOBs.
Canon, how are you supporting your statements of, "the US forcing labor laws on other countries with the consequences being "prostitution, abandonment, and infancide." You're saying it, so, prove it's true.
This kind of sh%t is infuriating.Â
Stories like this make me question the validity of the OWS 99% claim.
How would story make you question their validity?
because as a right wing extremist and devote fox news viewer... his first reaction was... "see OWS should be happy with whatever they have" instead what sane people think. "this exploitation is wrong and needs to be fixed"
He needs to join a better union.
Why so they can take out dues and give nothing in return..
Nothing in return? The have the joy of knowing they've made the union boss a 1 percenter.
If they get nothing in return then why pass legislation against the unions? I thought the unions gave workers undeserved wages and benefits at the expense of honest hard working tax paying nonunion workers.
At least hes working if it is for dirt,Ive worked for less myself... but I worked...Maybe he'll grow up and make something of his self.
joe
Lets hope not!
Worked for less? What was less that dirt? Sand? A bucket of sh*t?
disgusted with all of it
Yeah idiot.
OK then, Joe666, what was your point??
Where do they people in buckets of sh*t Joe 66?
Vote Democrat and we will all be working in the gold mine for a bag of dirt very soon.
nyc
Looks like the repugs can do it all by them self's.
Vote conservative and we will soon be paid in buckets of sh*t, LOL.
Uhhh, wasn't it the Republicans who are currently campaigning for the removal of minimum wage laws???
Wouldn't the removal of such laws result in slave-like wages for some? Of course it would.
Go ahead, try again. I'll check back later to see if you could be bothered to write a real post with some intelligent points.
Hey now lil labor never hurt no one. think this kid will be built like a brick house, and that bag of dirt he earn holds some gold in it. cha ching cha ching!
Well, as long as we look pretty.
really....sickens me as does so much of this greedy world.Â
Here's a way to put a stop to this! All you bleeding heart liberals go over there and take a family "under your wing" and provide money for them to live and prosper! That way, they can be just like you! Living on OPM (other people's money)...
The unfortunate REALITY is this is a VERY POOR country. Nobody grabbed those kids by the hair and drug them to the mines! They went there to try and make some money so they and their families could eat (live)!
Maybe we should just force them to stay home and the whole family can slowly starve to death! Or, shut down the mines and the same scenario, starving to death, will be the ONLY OPTION.
Get a grip on REALITY! People are starving to death all over the world! Very sad, for sure, but at least some of them have a chance, no matter the risk. There is no simple solution and the left wing zealots on here aren't proposing anything except spewing venom about a reality they have no clue about.
why are folks starving to death all over the world? could it be our right wing repiglicans are exploiting to the last drop?
I see what you mean PappaDave-956353. Though you need to explain how some that have a chance are eating a bag of dirt.
I am flabbergasted. Utterly horrified. Nearly speechless. Is "PappaDave" really arguing in favor of this exploitation?? That's what this is about -- NOT the fact that these children are working, per se. This is exploitation, plain and simple. Why not argue at least a fair wage for a day's work for these kids? Poor people should accept what little scraps the wealthy are willing to throw their way and be grateful for the privilege? I feel sick.
Our country, America, produces enough food in our land to feed the entire world (assuming it is harvested and transported correctly- don't BS me with all the details of why this could not be so!).
The reason any nation has starving people is a direct result of war (civil or foreign), natural disaster (which we could help), or economic exploitation by the western powers (that includes us too!).
Unfortunately, despite the fact that we could essentially mount a gigantic effort to feed the rest of the world, instead we have people like "PappaDave" who feel no moral obligation to help prevent other humans from dying horrific deaths due to unnecessary causes.
This, my friends, is a prime example of what happens when so many people do not care about the welfare of the rest of the human race.
Indy Patriot-1934313 - thank you for what you stated very eloquently. We all share this planet - we should start respecting it and all that depend on it. This includes not sending our toxic waste to China or dumping it in our dying oceans. Responsibility, Accountability and treating others the way we want to be treated! (you said it better but I'm with you).
bearfoot...talk to kerry about eploiting and his $7 million dollar yacht he bought off shore AFTER he passed legislation that increased the luxury tax on yachts in US, putting yacht manufacturers out of business and costing 26,000 jobs. And then, check out all the gold his wife wears. Do you honestly think only one party exploits these people? This is not dem vs. repub, this is rich vs. poor. And there are plenty of rich dems.
You are right on target sparklystar, the rich were all the loot is piled up is on both side of the room Democrats and Republicans and they care less what happens to the working people in this country.It's like you said it's the rich vs. poor. And most of these people we have send to Washington have plenty of money just like Kerry and take the all the bennefits,you and I never get in our live time,'they sitting on rozes from our tax money,it's high time for the American people to change this situation and kick them all out of office right now I am mad like hell.
This is a wet dream for Republicans. Workers paid with dirt.
you are about as ignorant as your post. get a life hippie
Get yourself a sense of humor Bill, did the potential reality of the humor strike a nerve.
When the Republicans get rid of illegal aliens they will need a new source of cheap labor. Enter poor Children from the ghetto.
Republicans are consistently against increases in the minimum wage.
Solution: make poor Children work for next to nothing.
You do realize that increasing the minimum wage really helps no one right? And that is why the middle class is shrinking? When the minimum wage goes up, so does the cost of goods, to make up for the increased labor; but guess what, other wages don't increase along with the minimum wage, which means those people who were previously considered middle class are now closer to the bottom. Minimum wage is not intended to be a livable wage, nor is one expected to remain in a minimum wage job for long.
natedom:
SPOT ON!
You are wrong natedom. In fact, before about 30 years ago, many easily lived upon minimum wage jobs.
natedum & pappy davey, look a little closer there are many millions of low end workers living now on minimum wage and less, would you like to try it yourselves?
Look at the number of traliers and toothless adults in places like texas and utah...you can exist on minimum wages in some areas but none of us should want to try it anywhere...I think we should follow newts idea and get these poor republican kids some jobs or at least sell them as an indentured servant..send their parent to the poorhouse unitl they pay their bills too...
bill-4099400, you are suspended for a day for violating rule # 1 of the Code of Honor.
Now Rick-546746, you are one of the better examples of a troll.
You must be living in a different Texas and Utah.
Not to mention your lie about Sharon Angle. I'll assume you are a dingy harry supporter and not responsible for your statemnts.
@bearfoot - I have lived on minimum wage, I didn't like barely having enough money to scrape by so I worked my butt off and got promoted up into a better position.
As for those who say millions are living off minimum wage, how many are not receiving some sort of assistance? If you are working for minimum wage and receiving WIC, food stamps, daycare assistance, housing assistance, free or reduced lunch for your kids, state insurance, or any other type of assistance you are not living off minimum wage. You are living off minimum wage plus assistance benefits.
This is horrible!! Blaming left and right will not solve this mess the world has created. Action will fix it! My own family buys and wears tons of gold jewelry and God forbid I should mention this story...they call me a "killjoy". Sure, it's pretty to look at but at what cost?
Try giving something other than gold jewelry this year.
Buy reclaimed gold instead (recycled gold).
So few people know about how or where jewelry is made. Why don't you just ask the store where your jewelry is produced? Most high end manufacturers/designers actually make and produce their jewelry here in the USA.
Most QVC/ KMart / Walmart jewelry is pruduced in China or India. If you buy low price point chances are that you are contributing to the child labor, destruction of environment , mentioned in the article above.
First, a very small percentage of the gold we buy here comes from these "Artisanal" mines in Asia. Most of our gold probably comes from much bigger industrial mines in Canada, US, and probably Africa for jewelry that is produced in the US. See : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_gold_production
China is number one for gold production in the world . But the USA and Australia are Number 2 and 3 on that list. So buying jewelry that is produced here does not contribute to the slavery and exploitation of children in other parts of the world.
Still , I think something along the lines of the Kimberley Process for diamonds in international law for gold might be helpful for consumers to purchase products that are free from child exploitation.
I also think that the US should impose greater tarriffs on jewlry and other products that are manufactured overseas. That could be helpful in bringing more manufacturing back here.
Diamonds are just as bad. Millions of Americans are brainwashed into believing a fairly common stone is so valuable because one family hoarded them. Take a look at the brutality behind diamond mining and see if you still like that sparkle.
Also the range of grades of diamonds is so large that most people do not have any idea that atleast 20 or 30 grades of diamonds exist so the true value of the product just eludes them any way.
Because of the Kimberly Process - United Nations resolution- All conflict diamonds are banned from western/ UN participating countries. Many of the diamonds we get here come from Canada now. Do you think Canadians would sanction child labor or brutality? You don't know what you are talking about.
How much do you wanna bet that those bags are full of dirt and nothing else. I think the first time that boy's father opened his bag and found nothing but dirt, he should have pulled his son out of there. This boy could make a lot more money going to school and eventually doing what is in his heart. Let the father go to work. He created that family, he should support it. Let the son make the families life better by educating himself. If the father can not afford the fees, then find another school. There must be schools run by Unicef, or some other organization. They are always talking about it on tv. These schools are supposed to be free.
As for Gingrich, I don't know if he has any grandchildren or not, helmet head doesn't look the motherly type. But if he does, let them go and sweep the floors in the inner city schools. It might teach them the value of real work instead of living in a gimme type lifestyle, which is what a lot of the privileged teach their kids.
Mop and dump trash too! Letting rich kids sit around encourages drug use among them too. A lot of drug use. A whole lot.
ofelian:
Contradict yourself much?
I've got an idea! Instead of the State (Schools) trying to raise kids, how about PARENTS shouldering THEIR responsibility and raising their own kids.
As far as your comment about the "father" and the "kid going to school", are you going to feed the family while the kid goes to school? I didn't think so...
Pappa Dave,
I didn't contradict myself at all. I said the father should be supporting his family; not sending his kids to the mines when they could be going to school. Let him go into mines. Why does his kid have to go. Going to a school run by a charitable organization in a third world country is not the same as living the life of the privileged 1%. If Gingrich has grand kids, do you think he's making them go and clean schools. I don't think so. His kids, if he has any, are the ones looking down on the rest of America, as does their granfather.
Yeah and unfortunately there might be more Gingrich kids than just one Newt.
this has nothing to do with politics, it's 3rd world countries who won't enforce there own laws on child labor. they don't give a hoot about their own children in this country, even the kids families don't care they send them to these horrific places to work, they should get off their behinds and make something for their families do something even if it means putting yourself out a bit, and stop having babies to put into these places.
Gingrich has made it have something to do with politics.
Most of these countries don't have laws on child labor, something more than on of the current GOP candidates want to see here.
sugarshell:
It's about a few thousand years of uneducated people eking out a living the best they know how. Of course, it is fostered by corruption in their governments but you can't turn around a few million people and make them Rhodes Scholars.
I'm sure you all would be looking the other way if the story read "the kids usually find a one ounce nugget in every sack and make more in a day than the rest of the country makes in a year..."
PappaDave-956353, what you state is valid and yet not quite true. Because it does not need to be true for everyone. I grew up poor. It could be argued that my parents were bad with or ignorant about money.
But the word 'work' was never directed at me. My parents did not turn on me for support, nor should other's parents.
sugarshell #21 do you know anything about the real world, do you think the rest of the world operates like we do? you need to do a lot more research before you make such sweeping statements.
@ sugar-shell.... yes a vastly different story would cause a vastly different reaction... but its not the case... if one nugget was found in every bag... you can bet ur @$$ adults would be working there not kids... use some common since when debating.
This is what you get in a country with a government small enough to drown in a bathtub. No regulations needed, because as you see, "job creators" regulate themselves.
bearfoot-2202866, do you think any of the posters know anything at all about the real world?
It wouldn't hurt the hood rats to do little work, newt is right on. they wouldn't be joining their parents working at mc d's or on the corner slinging rock before hitting up the welfare line for free tax payer bucks. I wanted to work when i was a child, my first summer job was at 10 mowing lawns, farm work, shoveling and stacking fire wood. i had motivation, something the younger generations have fail to get. It's a sad day when all these kids do is sit on there lazy azzs eating mc ds and playing video games.
Thing is, Bill, you don't need to get rid of child lbaor laws for kids to do the work you mentioned. Stuff like that is already is exempt. All the FLSA does is make sure that kids of a certain age (usually age 14 or older) work a fair amount of hour for a fair wage in NON-HAZARDOUS jobs (like gold - or from where I came from - coal mines). Stuff like mowing lawns and paper routes are all already a-okay, even for kids under age 14. So if kids can already do all the types of jobs you listed (they wouldn't be allowed for farm work to operate heavy machine or drive farm equipment), then what's Newt's reasons for wanting to get rid of these protections? Either he doesn't understand the laws as they're written or he's a corporate shill looking for cheap labor for his "contributors."
One reason Newt has probably said this, is say something enough times and it will not matter anymore.
We would be better off if Newt and his ilk did something to make sure the children's parents had jobs. That way the children could get the education they will need to survive in the modern economy, rather than be easy marks for capitalist exploitation.
The never working, government dependant, baby having liberal losers of this country should look at this kid and be awfully thankful that they live in a country that does not require you to aspire to be successful and that will give you hand outs for just about anything, especially making more Obama babies that increase the liberal voting pool. I think getting paid with a bag of dirt is a far cry better than depending on your government for hand outs. This should be a lesson for Obama Nation, be happy you are an American and quit bitching about what you don't have and worrying so much about what everyone else does have. Get a job losers, even if you get paid with a bag of dirt!
When I can pay my bills with dirt I'll work for dirt. Maybe we can eat dirt.
As i said before, Yes because this kid gets paid in dirt, everyone should be happy no matter how much there being taking advantage of... who cares if its wrong and needs to be fixed... typical do nothing and live with it broken republican mentality.
Mr. Obama:
I have had it with you and your administration, sir. Your conduct on your recent trip overseas has convinced me that you are not an adequate representative of the United States of America collectively or of me personally.
You are so obsessed with appeasing the Europeans and the Muslim world that you have abdicated the responsibilities of the President of the United States of America . You are responsible to the citizens of the United States . You are not responsible to the peoples of any other country on earth.
I personally resent that you go around the world apologizing for the United States telling Europeans that we are arrogant and do not care about their status in the world. Sir, what do you think the First World War and the Second World War were all about if not the consideration of the peoples of Europe ? Are you brain dead? What do you think the Marshall Plan was all about? Do you not understand or know the history of the 20th century?
Where do you get off telling a Muslim country that the United States does not consider itself a Christian country? Have you not read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States ? This country was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics and the principles governing this country, at least until you came along, come directly from this heritage. Do you not understand this?
Your bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia is an affront to all Americans. Our President does not bow down to anyone, let alone the king of Saudi Arabia .... You didn't show Great Britain , our best and one of our oldest allies, the respect they deserve yet you bow down to the king of Saudi Arabia .. How dare you, sir! How dare you!
You can't find the time to visit the graves of our greatest generation because you don't want to offend the Germans but make time to visit a mosque in Turkey ...... You offended our dead and every veteran when you give the Germans more respect than the people who saved the German people from themselves. What's the matter with you? I am convinced that you and the members of your administration have the historical and intellectual depth of a mud puddle and should be ashamed of yourselves, all of you.
You are so self-righteously offended by the big bankers and the American automobile manufacturers yet do nothing about the real thieves in this situation, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Frank, Franklin Raines, Jamie Gorelic, the Fannie Mae bonuses, and the Freddie Mac bonuses. What do you intend to do about them? Anything? I seriously doubt it.
What about the U.S. House members passing out $9.1 million in bonuses to their staff members on top of the $2.5 million in automatic pay raises that lawmakers gave themselves? I understand the average House aide got a 17% bonus. I took a 5% cut in my pay to save jobs with my employer. You haven't said anything about that. Who authorized that? I surely didn't!
Executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be receiving $210 million in bonuses over an eighteen-month period, that's $45 million more than the AIG bonuses. In fact, Fannie and Freddie executives have already been awarded $51 million not a bad take. Who authorized that and why haven't you expressed your outrage at this group who are largely responsible for the economic mess we have right now?
I resent that you take me and my fellow citizens as brain-dead and not caring about what you idiots do. We are watching what you are doing and we are getting increasingly fed up with all of you.
I also want you to know that I personally find just about everything you do and say to be offensive to every one of my sensibilities. I promise you that I will work tirelessly to see that you do not get a chance to spend two terms destroying my beautiful country.
Get a life, idiot.
Yup, I agree...... The world would be better off without the United Snakes (US/Israel).
Nuke 'em Messer Ahmadinejad!
Pronto!
ha u wish, to bad we are from America B*itch come get u some!
Why can liberals never have a discussion without resorting to personal attacks?
Spoken like a true follower of faux news aka Fox. I suppose you were asleep when Bush went around kissing and holding hands with the King of Saudi Arabia. I suppose you were asleep when the Bush Administration let the Bin Laden family sneak out of the country after 9/11. As for Christian/Judeo principles the founding fathers, most of them were agnostic, deists, and atheists. There were no jews among the founding fathers. As for companies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac getting bonuses, maybe you should speak to Boner about that, they play golf with him and they have him and other Republicans in their back pockets. If you cared about this beautiful country, you would work hard to get rid of these banksters who gamble with people's lives, insurance companies who delight in cancelling insurance policies when their customers get stuff like cancer, big pharma who doesn't even verify their pills well enough that the side effects are often worse than the benefits, wall street who will even look down on the likes of you for profit. You're just mad that you got a pay cut, atleast you still have a job unlike 14,000,000 other Americans who had their jobs cut, or outsourced by companies you want to protect in the name of capitalism.
When you know what you are talking about, then write letters, because you are being screwed by the very people you want to vote in and you don't seem to even see it.
Once again, Obama's actions defended by "but Bush did...."
What do you mean defended.....its cold hard fact! Where were you, living in an alternative universe at the time. Idiot!
No sense in resorting to personal attacks, ofelian. I'm sorry that your golden boy is nothing but Bush III.
ROFLMAO!!!
Precisely what conduct on the President's recent trip did you find offensive? Exactly what responsibilities has he abdicated?
Obama has not apologized for anything, a fact that easily confirmed at any fact-checker site.
Anyone who has indeed read the US Constitution knows that this country is decidedly not a "Christian Nation", and even a casual study of US History would reveal that we are not founded on a Judeo/Christian anything, but on the Magna Carta and the Roman Republic.
Obama bowed at the King of Saudi Arabia. Bush kissed and held hands. So?
Not visiting Normandy during the trip in question had nothing to do with the Germans, but with not affording the French additional attention.
What is it that you think a President could do "about Dodd, Frank, Gorelic, etc.", challenge them to a dual?
The US House of Representatives is a separate branch of govenment over which the President has no control, so you should address your concerns over their actions to your representative.
What do you want him to do about the Freddie/Fannie bonuses?
If the President does acknowledge that the far right wingers are "brain dead" I wish the hell he'd say so!
And finally, precisely how is anything the President has done destroying our country?
Think about it. For one blessed minute. Do you honestly believe that any of the GOP candidates give a tinker's damn about you, your family, your job, your wages, your future, or that of the American people. Gingrich cares more about his Tiffany credit line than he cares about you. Romney says whatever he figures will get him elected even if his story changes from hour to hour. Bachmann doesn't know anything about anything and you can not deny that. Paul would see you go hungry if you ever lost your job and through no fault of your own you couldn't find another one, Perry is so medicated these days he's not sure which way is up. Do you want that pushing the little red button? Huntsman hasn't a prayer of a chance even though he is the most qualified. Why because he isn't a buffoon like the others. It seems that Republicans are only interested in buffoons, idiots, morons, and narcissists. They are the easiest to manipulate.
I will be the first to agree that Obama was not agressive enough; not forceful enough to deal with all the things that might have been handled better. But then again if he had been, you'd be down on him too saying he was a dictator or worse. There is no pleasing you guys. Ok, Ok, go ahead and vote for the GOP hopefuls. Then ask yourself what the heck did I get myself into when they can't even find their way through the White House doors.
You seem to forget one very important thing. You had to a agree to a pay cut. Well guess what? If you listened to any of these jokers running for president now in the GOP, they have all said time and time again. You deserved what you got! The company you worked for should have cut deeper. Listen to them a little more closely next time, because they have not stopped repeating it in many different ways.
And in response to your whiny, verbose dissertation, that offers absolutely no real answers to our very real problems, I will continue to vote in a way that will ensure our children have good education, affordable medical care and some financial support for their later years. This is what I can do to help the global and local population.
You are absolutely ridiculous in blaming one man for all the ills of the world or even all the ills in our consumer bloated country. You wanna affect change? Vote smarter in the Congressional races. Without a cohesive Congress nothing will get done, by any president. Speaking of presidents, for which one of the available selfish, disaffected, PAC, corporate owned candidates will you vote? Fool, you think any of them care about you?!
You have no idea what you're talking about.
what is there to debate there i no facts in that opening post... just a big list of what u think Obama thinks and finger pointing like he has been in office for decades...
Wow, RAP, that senseless diatribe of distorted, myopic line of BS you peddled here today was the worst waste of my 2 minutes I have read lately.
There's too much @!$%# to sort out to even bother trying to refute your post, and a couple other here have already opinted out your flaws.
So, here's from one patriot to [supposedly] another: You are not a patriot, you are a shill for the very power centers that you blame for creating our national problems, and you don't even have the decency to know it.
I'm sure Tyler/Sally will slam me for saying this, but frankly, RAP is a trolling idiot who deserves exactly the government he votes for. Just don't f--k up my flowers with your @!$%# and call it fertilizer........
Republican corporations are salivating.
Bag of dirt. As an adult, I bought a home in Southern Florida right on a golf course. Local kids use to fish out golf balls from the lakes and they would split the profits with the course. The kid got his choice of the first 10 balls, then all the balls were split evenly between the course and the kids. The kids would then take the balls, clean them and sell them to the golfers for upwards of 2 bucks a ball if the ball was in good condition. While they are not being paid in dirt, they were being paid in product. They then had to clean the product and find a buyer. Like I said, its not dirt but the kids had to work hard for their pay. Did I forget to mention, sometimes the lakes had alligators in them?
Some of these comparisons bring to my mind that some could be functionally illiterate, if not just 'short of a six pack'.
we need to get a raft and go get these poor children! I'll pay them two bags of dirt a week! now that is double of what they are making! and i'll throw in a free camper.
ugh fine u drive a hard bargin! three bags and that my final offer!
Rome burns, and Obama Golfs. Instead of enabling Extremist Muslim takeovers in other parts of the world (Egypt), how about doing something about these poor little future Democrat Voters whom are being exploited by evil goldmongers ? LoL, my care-0-meter is pegged at zero for the people in this story. Their Country, their rules. Surprised MSNBC didn't hint this was obviously Newt's fault. Or Bush's. Has to be?
Very surprised this "Story" wasn't posted on The Grio. Then they could have blamed the White Man.
Wow.....nothing but crickets for nearly 8 hours. Hmmm. I guess there's just no one stupid enough to support you, or maybe it's just because even the hatemongering neocons on this forum won't touch your post with a ten-foot pole.....LOL!
YEA IT"S BUSH"S FAULT, Obama Obama YES WE CAN!