A Party and an Award

A little fun and humor is essential in facing the challenges of life, hence the two following stories.

The first, Jobless Party in Wales, was sent to me by a member of our Unemployed and Underemployed Support Group, Christine.  “In celebration of the first lunar eclipse in three years the party will have a Winter Solstice theme and they are inviting everyone to come down to ‘meet like minded people, share ideas, skills, information, knowledge and dance like there is no future.’ “ The article describes the artists, djs and other special guests who are helping make the 2pm–8pm Cardiff party a success. We’ll have to throw our own special U&U party soon.

The second article is from Jobs with Justice. JwJ has announced the popularly-elected 2010 Scrooge of the Year award winner: Senator Mitch McConnell. Here’s why 42% of voters made Senator McConnell the winner:

Senator Mitch McConnell Elected 2010 Scrooge of the Year

Health & Pharmaceutical Industry, Hyatt runners-up in national contest to determine who did the most harm to workers and their families this year.

Senator Mitch McConnell took 42% of the thousands of votes cast in Jobs with Justice’s eleventh annual national contest to determine the greediest, most cold-hearted person or company of the year.  A small number of Senators, led by conservative Senate Minority leader Mitch “puppet of the rich” McConnell, have spent this Congressional session aggressively blocking almost all legislation from passing, especially laws that would help working people. McConnell could have shown great leadership to support people in need at a time when so many are struggling, but this Scrooge doesn’t care about governing or making this country a better place to live.  McConnell’s goal is to do whatever is necessary to hoard power for himself and his party.

“We hope that by being elected national Scrooge of the Year, Senator McConnell will see the ‘Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come’ and understand the dire consequences that his actions will have for generations of Americans,” said Sarita Gupta, National Jobs with Justice Executive Director.

The Kentucky chapter of Jobs with Justice plans to deliver the Scrooge of the Year award in person to Senator McConnell’s offices in Louisville.

The Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical industry, with their single-minded focus on profits at the expense of our health, was the first runner-up with 22% of the vote.  Hyatt Hotels won 10% of the vote for attempts to eliminate quality healthcare and make the recession permanent for its employees, and for their safety record.  Other nominees included Rite Aid, Publix, and Giumarra Vineyards, and popular write-in candidates were Honeywell CEO Dave Cote and Del Monte Fresh.  Express Scripts was a candidate for Scrooge of the Year, but reached a settlement with workers and their nomination was pulled.  You can read more about all of the candidates on the Jobs with Justice website.

In addition to the national Scrooge of the Year contest, each year local Jobs with Justice coalitions across the country hold Scrooge of the Year elections to determine the most deserving greedy Scrooge in their hometowns.  This year’s local winners include:  Marsh Supermarkets in Indianapolis, IN, US Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas Donohue in Washington, DC, Governor Jan Brewer in Tucson, AZ, Pinnacle Entertainment in St. Louis, MO, and Rex Sinquefield in Kansas City.

The toll-free Senate number is 888-340-6522. Call the Senator to congratulate him!