Month: August 2022

While J.B. and Kamala are attempting to gaslight Americans by telling them that the economy is really okay, there are certain stats that do not predict a good ending for J.B.’s “non-recession” economy.

From BlazeMedia:

CEOs everywhere are bracing for an economic recession. Economists at S&P Global Ratings predicted a 2.4% decline in the gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of the year. The Department of Labor reported that 244,000 people filed for unemployment last week, the highest number of applicants in eight months.”

Here are a few of companies that J.B has apparently not heard about.

“Slowing business growth and economic recession fears are forcing corporations to find cost-cutting solutions. As a result, the summer of 2022 has become the season of massive nationwide job cuts.

Robinhood, a California-based financial service company, is the latest organization to announce staff cuts. On Tuesday, Robinhood reported that it would be slashing an additional 23% of its workforce. In April, the company laid off 9% of its staff.

Oracle, a computer technology firm, has also started laying off staff on its marketing, sales, and customer experience teams. While Oracle has not reported the total number of staff it plans to let go, the Independent speculated that it could be thousands.

Shopify was another big name that reduced its workforce. In July, the company dropped 10% of its staff.

Very recent news:

Ford partners with major Chinese company to meet electric vehicle production goals, will reportedly cut up to 8,000 jobs.

Carvana was one of the first companies this summer to reduce its staff. The online car retailer laid off 12% of its workers in May. Tesla followed in July by removing 229 employees from its team.

However, while both J.B and Kamala referenced the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics  report which released the July jobs report– which massively surpassed expectations. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 528,000 in July, when it was forecast to add 250,000 jobs., not all agreed that all of the economic news was good.

Still from BlazeMedia:

Charles Payne and others poured cold water on President Biden’s “booming” jobs report.

Payne noticed that “black Americans are sinking in the midst of the jobs boom.” In July, there were 39,000 fewer black Americans in the labor force and 68,000 fewer black Americans employed.

Citing Household Survey Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Payne noted that full-time jobs dropped by 71,000, while part-time jobs increased by 384,000, and people who held multiple jobs rose by 92,000.

The report also found that there were 279,000 fewer people who were self-employed.

Many people suggest that the surge in part-time jobs and people getting multiple jobs is because they are facing soaring inflation month after month. In July, inflation hit 9.1% – the highest in more than 40 years. 

I will predict that the gaslighting will continue until the economy shrinks for the third quarter in a row, and as Charles Payne points out, the job stats reflect what is happening because of Biden’s inflation.

8/10/22

californiacontrarian

I am going to come out and say what every rational person living in the U.S. realizes … namely, Joe Biden’s inflation is hurting many, many, many (how many times should I repeat “many?”) Americans. Anybody who is non-partisan realizes that this is the case. However, more importantly who is being hurt the most? … As I have pointed out many, many, many, etcetera times before – as is typical for a lot of Democratic policies, those who are the lower end of the socio-economic ladder are being hurt the most. Bidenflation is no different!

Furthermore, everyone appreciates that the rise in gas prices is at the center of our inflation crisis.(If you think that Putin is the culprit, I have a bridge to sell you!) In addition, JB, or whomever is telling JB what to say and what to do, could start this inflation spiral to reverse direction by immediately reversing all of the absurd anti-fossil fuel policies that JB “proudly” put forth on his first day in office.

Be that as it may … JB’s handlers will not allow that to happen! Nonetheless, how many Americans are hurting? I know the answer is “many, many, many,” but how many?

From the Daily Wire:

“Bidenflation is hitting Americans across the board, according to a new study. On Monday, 8/1/22, CNBC reported that recent data from LendingClub indicates that in June 2022, 61% of all Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck — including 36% of those earning more than $200,000. That figure is up from 55% from the year before for all Americans.

‘What a difference a year makes. Last summer we were all worried about how quickly the economy would recover,’ Anuj Nayar, LendingClub’s Financial Health Officer, said in a press release issued Monday. “Now, as inflation continues its upwards swing, consumers are finding it more difficult to manage spending and are eating into their savings as financial pressures mount. 

“As pointed out by CNBC, while paychecks might have risen 5.1%, skyrocketing inflation has outpaced average salary increases. In June, American inflation rose 9.1%, negating most economic gains.”

To help address the problem, Senate Democrats recently passed the “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.” However, a Penn Wharton study shows that the bill could lead to a slight increase in inflation over the next two years, doing the exact opposite of what its name suggests.

So let me get this straight … Bidenflation is hurting many, many, many Americans, primarily due to JB’s anti-fossil fuel policies … and it is getting worse. However, inexplicably the Dems are pushing the “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022” which is going to increase inflation in the near term … and consequently things will likely get worse for many, many, many Americans!

8/9/22

californiacontrarian

Sometimes I wonder why politicians come up with laws that have no chance of passing the scrutiny of the courts. Although I am not a lawyer and have not recently slept in a Holiday Inn close to a courthouse, even I can tell you with certainty that there is no way that these suck-up new laws are going to stand up to muster. Not a chance!

What caught my eye today are the some of the proposals in California’s Reparations Report. Now even though everyone is aware that California is  run by a bunch of looney-tunes, this new proposal is off even the usual leftist looney-tune scale.

From the Washington Free Beacon:

“Black Californians could enjoy child support forgiveness, free college, free health care, fewer police, and a long-term “truth and reconciliation commission” should Golden State lawmakers pass the proposals outlined this week by the state’s Reparations Task Force.

Following a 2020 law to study the subject, a panel of left-wing academics and policymakers on 6/1/22 released their findings on how California can remedy the harm against the state’s black residents caused by slavery and discrimination. All black Californians are eligible for the benefits of the program if they can prove they are “descendants of African Americans enslaved in the U.S. or of free Black people living in the country before the end of the 19th century.” A new state agency, called the California African American Freedmen Affairs Agency (CAAFAA) would provide genealogical tests for residents.”

Now do not get me wrong … slavery was bad; slavery was evil, but it was ended by the Civil War which was over 150 years ago.

Keep in mind that this CAAFAA preliminary report is 492 pages long and consequently I will only be able to point out some highlights … err, low-lights.

Still from the Washington Free Beacon:

-Child support forgiveness

The panel recommends that California eliminate overdue child support owed to the government by black parents who no longer have custody of their children. Black Californians would also no longer need to “reimburse the state for current or past government assistance” related to child support.

-Free college education

The task force recommends the state eliminate tuition for all California colleges, as well as offer funding to create black-owned K-12 schools and colleges. Black Californians should also receive scholarships to “cover four years of undergraduate education” at presumably any university in the country, the task force finds.

The task force also recommends that the state “identify and eliminate racial bias and discriminatory practices” in standardized tests, including the SAT, LSAT, and the state Bar exam, with no elaboration on how this would be done.

-Trees in black neighborhoods for ‘shade equity’

In the name of ending so-called environmental racism, the task force recommends the state fund the “planting of trees to create tree shade equity.”

-Less McDonalds, more Whole Foods

The task force wants to “reduce the density” of fast-food restaurants, and promote the opening of “healthy retailers,” such as Whole Foods and farmer’s markets, in majority-black neighborhoods.

-Free health care

Black Californians should be entitled to free health care, the task force finds. All black Californians who suffered from the country’s “anti-Black health care system” should be entitled to financial compensation as well.

To create more black doctors and health care professionals, the task force recommends that the state engage in more affirmative action programs and a “race-conscious public health policy.”

-Cash payments to close ‘racial wealth gap’

On top of all the new forms of welfare and assistance outlined in the task force report, black Californians are entitled to cash reparations intended to shrink “the racial wealth gap.” The exact dollar amount is not specified.

Besides the fact that many of these proposals are outlandish, what is the chance that many of these subsets will ever pass legal scrutiny? … none, not a chance. Everyone in California who is not black will have legal standing, and the lawsuits will be fast and furious right from the git-go.

Obviously, once these new reparations become law, black individuals from across the country will begin moving into California. Perhaps, this is the only way that the legislature in Sacramento can figure out how to correct the U-Haul imbalance and once again get U-Hauls coming into California.

8/8/22

californiacontrarian

As is my pattern on Sundays, I write about someone who deserves our admiration and respect. Today the honorees are a father and his son. The son for doing the admired deed, and the father for instilling these admired values into his son.

From Epoch Inspired:

Justus Mateo Smith, 5, and his father, Justice, 40, encountered a homeless man at a busy intersection, just off a highway exit, in the middle of rush-hour traffic. The father-son duo were on their way to a dental appointment during a typically busy day.

In a tender example of generosity, a 5-year-old of Nashville, Tennessee, gave his 30 cents—which was everything he had—to a homeless man he encountered on the street.

The elder Smith wanted to give the homeless man money to buy food, but did not have any cash on him.

“Because of the way I was raised and also at one time being homeless and sleeping in a car myself, I always make an effort to acknowledge the homeless individual’s humanity and existence with eye contact and a smile, along with a head nod or wave—at the least,” Justice Smith told The Epoch Times.

To his surprise, his son had also noticed the homeless man, and although his father hadn’t uttered a word about helping the man, the young Justus offered to give him 30 cents.

“I didn’t even realize he had 30 cents on him at first,” Justice recalled. “It was like our 5-year-old heard the thoughts going through my head and then answered with his own suggestion out loud.”

The father of three believes that, as parents, it is best to teach children by leading by example. “The most important things they’ll remember about their childhood and being with their parents (us) is by what we parents have done,” he said. “Sure, they may recall what we’ve said at times, but our actions truly show and teach them how to operate in this world.”

Three cheers for five year old Justus, but more importantly a gazillion kudos to his father, Justice Smith.

8/7/22

Every morning I briefly look at Merriam-Webster-Webster’s word of the day. On occasion this site features unusual words that could hardly ever be used in conversation. Today “Ultracrepidarian” was one of those unusual words. It means “one who is presumptuous and offers advice or opinions beyond one’s sphere of knowledge.” 

I wondered, “Does that word describe anybody I know?”

In today’s news there are two individuals in the headlines. Rather doing a full blog on each, I decided to combine these two separate entities into one piece.

First let’s talk about the Senator from West Virginia, Joe Manchin. Up until last week I thought that Joe Manchin had integrity. He seemed to be his own man. He seemed to have principles. How long has it been since we saw these two terms, “principles” and “US Democratic Senator,” in the same sentence? … (If you answered, “not that I can remember,” sign up to go on Jeopardy!) Be that as it may, it seems crystal clear that Senator Manchin just threw in the towel on his principles when he sided with Senator Schumer in something called “Inflation Reduction Act.” Not only does this increase increase inflation at a time when we are all suffering from too much inflation, but it also provides to an extra gazillion IRS employees (actually 87,000 new IRS employees!). [The Schumer-Manchin bill doubles the size and power of the IRS. The bill provides no safeguards for taxpayers or any accountability for the often-abusive agency.] … And, yes, this is the same IRS that has been purchasing ammunition!!! Hmmm! 

But the worst part of this Schumer-Manchin unprincipled catastrophe is that it is very anti-coal. Lest you forget, coal is a major source of revenue in Manchin’s home state of West Virginia. Did Joe Manchin also forget about his home state??? To me, it seems crystal clear that he must have misplaced his principles while in Schumer’s office.

The reaction in West Virginia:

A collection of pro-coal groups lambasted legislation backed by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, declaring in a letter that the measure would be disastrous for the coal industry.

Manchin announced last week that he will back the “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.”

“This legislation is so egregious, it leaves those of us that call Senator Manchin a friend, shocked and disheartened,” the letter declares. “The current Schumer-Manchin draft agreement on climate and energy frankly leaves us questioning the motivation and sincerity of Manchin’s previous stance and his repeated chant: we must ‘Innovate not eliminate’. The current Schumer-Manchin draft agreement will quickly diminish our coal producing operations and all but obviate any need to innovate coal assets.”

Enough of Joe Manchin. Let’s shift over to the other person in the news … Brittany Griner, who was just sentenced to 9 years in prison for attempting to bring cannabis oil into Russia. She says that it was an accident, and there is a reasonable chance that it was accidental. But who would make such an egregious mistake? … To me it seems crystal clear – only a dodo-head. Perhaps she did not pack her own suitcase. If so, then then we are dealing with two dodo-heads … both Brittany Griner and whomever packed her suitcase. 

Nonetheless, let me be crystal clear: While I feel a lot of sympathy for Brittany Griner, her wife, and her two children from her previous marriage, I do not have the same sympathy for Joe Manchin.

After due reflection, could “Ultracrepidarian” refer to the one who penned this piece, and does anyone have sympathy for him?

8/6/22

californiacontrarian

It has long been my contention that whenever discussing something with a liberal, never try to use logic, as the minds of liberals are not programmed to think logically. [It’s actually a matter of them processing information in the limbic system (emotion) as opposed to the frontal lobe (logic), but that topic is best saved for another day.] Be that as it may, if one wants to win over a liberal in any discussion, an appeal must be made to his/her emotions.

When discussing Electronic Vehicles (EV’s) one can argue with liberals about the impracticality or the cost until the cows come home, but to no avail. I read something today that might prove to be very useful when discussing EV’s, as it should appeal to anyone’s emotions. 

The title of this piece, “Mendacity … EV’s,” implies some form of deceit or lying, but as I have said before, “to me, the purposeful withholding of information is the same as outright lying.”

Most of what follows is from an article in POWERLINE by John Hinderaker on 6/9/22. While I cannot personally vouch for the info in this article, my supposition is that Mr. Hinderaker is not mendacious. 

His article is entitled, “IS IT IMMORAL TO DRIVE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE?”

Lithium is mined from mines where entire mountains are eliminated. Each mine usually consists of thirty-five to forty humongous 797 Caterpillar haul trucks along with hundreds of other large equipment. Each 797 uses around half a million gallons of diesel a year. An inventory of just thirty-five the haul trucks alone uses 17.5 million gallons of fuel a year for just one lithium site.
***
Today, a typical EV battery weighs one thousand pounds. It contains twenty-five pounds of lithium, sixty pounds of nickel, 44 pounds of manganese, 30 pounds cobalt, 200 pounds of copper, and 400 pounds of aluminium, steel, and plastic. Inside are over 6,000 individual lithium-ion cells.

It should concern you that all those toxic components come from mining. For instance, to manufacture each EV auto battery, you must process 25,000 pounds of brine for the lithium, 30,000 pounds of ore for the cobalt, 5,000 pounds of ore for the nickel, and 25,000 pounds of ore for copper. All told, you dig up 500,000 pounds of the earth’s crust for just one battery.

The extraordinary amounts of mining needed to produce electric vehicles are not only environmentally disastrous, they also carry large human costs. The cobalt that is needed for every electric vehicle comes mostly from the Congo and is produced largely by child labor.

OMG … Child labor and destruction of the earth’s pristine surface are certainly two issues to have in one’s back pocket when discussing EV’s with a liberal!

Somewhat contrary to what I said above, in any discussion it is always wise to actually have some facts ready after the liberal’s emotional side has been appealed to.

The following is still from that same Hilderaker article:

“We should all know that an electric vehicle battery does not “make” electricity – it only stores electricity produced elsewhere, primarily by coal, uranium, natural gas-powered plants, and occasionally by intermittent breezes and sunshine. So, to say an EV is a zero-emission vehicle is not at all valid as 80 percent of the electricity generated to charge the batteries is from coal, natural gas, and nuclear.

Since twenty percent of the electricity generated in the U.S is from coal-fired plants, it follows that twenty percent of the EVs on the road are coal-powered.

Since forty percent of the electricity generated in the U.S is from natural gas, it follows that forty percent of the EVs on the road are natural gas-powered.

Since twenty percent of the electricity generated in the U.S is from nuclear, it follows that twenty percent of the EVs on the road are nuclear-powered.”

While I am personally drawn to this latter type of logical argument, my advice is always to gravitate to “emotions” when discussing EV’s with potentially and possibly mendacious liberals.

8/5/22

californiacontrarian

“It’s not working!” 

From the onset let’s be clear, I am not specifically talking about JB’s presidency, although this quote would be very apropos.

This quote is from the Prime Minister of the German Federal state of Saxony, and he is referring to Germany’s green energy transition from carbon fuels and nuclear energy to renewables. It has “failed”, this state Prime Minister has declared.

From Breitbart:

Having gotten itself addicted to Russian gas exports, Germany had for a long time held on to the belief that pushing its climate crazy green agenda harder would solve its energy problems, and that the country would be able to shut down all of its nuclear power stations without issue.

According to a report by Handelsblatt, however, as the country faces the possibility of gas shortages and blackouts over the winter months, Saxony Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer has labelled the government’s green transition a failure, and is now demanding that the country’s remaining nuclear power stations stay online.

“The energy transition with gas as the base load has failed,” he reportedly said, with the publication noting that — even before the current gas crisis — green energy struggled to supply sufficient power in the country last winter.”

Speaking of winter in Germany, this coming winter will be a challenge, and it has already started.

From BlazeMedia:

“Some of Germany’s biggest cities are preparing for an energy crunch this winter by shutting off warm water, limiting heat, and switching off lighting.

The German city of Hanover is attempting to reduce its energy consumption by 15%. Between Oct. 1 and March 31, Hanover’s municipal buildings will not be allowed to be heated to a temperature over 68F. The city has banned the use of mobile air conditioning units and fan heaters. 

The citizens of Hanover will be forced to take cold showers at city-run facilities. The German city will cut off hot water in public buildings, swimming pools, and gyms.

Hanover isn’t the only German city limiting energy use.

Last week, the German city of Munich announced that it would turn off spotlights on its town hall. The city also shut off warm water at its municipal offices. Fountains in Germany’s third-largest city would be turned off at night.

Nuremberg closed three of its four public indoor swimming pools run by the city.

And the beat goes on in Germany …

“Vonovia, the country’s largest residential landlord, said it would be lowering the temperature of its tenants’ gas central heating to 17C (62F) between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.,” the Financial Times reported. “A housing association in the Saxon town of Dippoldiswalde, near the Czech border, went a step further this week, saying it was rationing the supply of hot water to tenants. From now on, they can only take hot showers between 4 a.m. – 8 a.m., 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.”

The district of Lahn-Dill, near Frankfurt, turned off hot water in its 86 schools and 60 gyms until mid-September.”

The above examples are only the proverbial tip of the iceberg, so I have to agree with the Prime Minister of Saxony: “Es funktioniert nicht!”

8/4/22

californiacontrarian

 If the policies and mandates of “our President” and his socialist cronies continue, we in the U.S. may end up like Argentina. Keep in mind that the present day upheavals in Argentina did not happen overnight, and our situation in the U.S. is not as drastic as in Argentina … as of yet!

For those of you who are not up on what is happing now in Argentina. 

the following from The Epoch Times:

The headline:

“Argentina’s Government Collapsing, People Refuse to Work Amid Major Subsidy Cuts

Only 43 percent of adults have a job, as inflation soars above 60 percent”

Harry Lorenzo, chief finance officer of Income Based Research, told The Epoch Times the spending habits of Argentina’s government are at the root of the escalating problem.

“The Argentine government has been grappling with a collapsing economy for some time now. The main reason for this is the government’s unsustainable spending, which has been funded in part by generous welfare programs,” Lorenzo explained.

Cuts to subsidies in the energy sector based on household income already began in June. Other subsidies, including the country’s notorious welfare program, are also on the chopping block, triggering thousands of angry residents to take to the streets.

State-sponsored aid for civilians has soared in the past 20 years, leaving 22 million Argentinians dependent on some form of government assistance.

From Alfredo Gomez, a long time resident and taxi driver in Buenos Aires,

“This is madness … Half of our country doesn’t want a job, and the ones that do, don’t want to pay the taxes for the others.”

However, for the 1.2 million members dependent on the social program Empower Work, which is an income subsidy that provides a living wage for an indefinite period of time, working a regular job is out of the question.

“The government expects us to work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the same amount of money,” an outraged female Buenos Aires resident lamented to reporters during a live news broadcast.

When asked where how she’d been earning income for her household, the woman replied, “the government.”

Another protester, an adult male, also decried the proposed welfare program changes telling local reporters, “Cristina [Kirchner], the Vice President of Argentina, told us we have to go to work instead of receiving social benefits. Going to work, that’s the policy of a right winger.”

Does the giving of money to people who are not working, and the recurrent government over-spending sound familiar? You may think that the title of this piece, “Biden-tina,” is over the top, but this is how the present chaos in Argentina started.

8/3/22

Californiacontrarian

In a 2021 paper published in the journal Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, a team of scientists from Duke University Medical Center actually predicted that African and other developing countries would have fewer deaths and better outcomes than more economically developed places.

They explained how that modern sanitation can cause a lack of biodiversity within the human body and that this diversity helps the immune system not overreact to viral or bacterial infections.

What were the actual stats for Covid in Africa compared to other more developed countries? … and why? 

Surprise … Surprise! Africa not only did better, but did remarkably better!

According to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Dashboard, there have been approximately 9 million confirmed cases and 173,900 deaths from COVID in Africa as of July 2022. This compared to Europe/239M cases, USA/169M cases, Western Pacific/ 70M cases, and South-East Asia/69M cases. Europe has had over 2M deaths.

So, either Africans are simply not getting COVID nearly as often as Europeans or, when they do get it, they are not getting sick enough to report it. Either way, Africa is doing much better with COVID than Europe or the United States.

But why??

While the answer will probably never be definitely known, intuitively the answer will be multi factorial, and will include some if not all of the following from The Epoch Times:

-While proper hygiene is important to stop the spread of infectious disease, not all effects of hygiene are beneficial. In fact, too much hygiene may actually make people more susceptible to some autoimmune conditions, according to the hygiene hypothesis that was first proposed in the British Medical Journal by a British epidemiologist, Dr. David Strachan, in the late 1980s.

Although the conventional view is that commensal worms like helminths are disease-causing parasites with no benefits, emerging evidence suggests that intestinal worms are crucial for our immune function and overall health to thrive.

-Another reason that Africa has fared so much better than Europe and America may be the widespread use of ivermectin, according to a team of researchers in Colombia. Ivermectin is used prophylactically to treat river blindness (Onchocerciasis).

A 2021 study published in the American Journal of Therapeutics examined the efficacy of ivermectin for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection. These researchers found that “using ivermectin early in the clinical course may reduce numbers progressing to severe disease.”

-The aggressive treatments that have been employed in Western Countries to contain COVID-19 may, ironically, have actually been responsible for making things worse.

-Illiasou Ibrahim of Niger said that he only wore a mask a few times in the last two years but only to avoid dust and bad smells and that no one in Niger ever social distanced from each other.

“We always maintained the same contact habits,” Ibrahim explained.

According to recent science, the slogan “masks save lives” is not true

(In nearly every instance, when COVID infection rates in California’s Bay Area are compared in counties that require forced masking and counties that do not, rates are either higher where masking is forced or similar.

A 2022 study published in the journal Medicine compared the COVID death rates between counties in Kansas that had mask mandates with those that did not. The counties with mask mandates experienced 50 percent more COVID-19 deaths than the mask-free counties.

In 2020 a large randomized controlled trial conducted in Denmark, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found no statistically significant protective effect for people wearing masks versus people who did not.

-Social distancing was another common measure put into place to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Europe and America, but was virtually unheard of in many African countries.

Dr. Byram Bridle, an immunologist from the University of Guelph in Canada told a reporter for The Guardian that socially isolating children limits their exposure to the natural world, which is full of microbes that help the immune system grow stronger. 

-Vaccination rates in Sub-Saharan Africa are less than 6 percent. Despite making up over 17 percent of the world’s population, Africa contributes only 3 percent to the global COVID-19 death total. 

In summary, there may be other explanations for Africa’s better outcomes, including optimal vitamin Dlevels from sunlight and a population that skews younger. But it is highly likely that the diverse African biome, abundant with helminths and beneficial microbes; the lack of masking and social distancing; access to ivermectin; and the continent’s low vaccination rates have all put Africa at an advantage against COVID-19.

Hmmm! Although I have thus far restrained myself …  How many times could I have said, “I told you so?!“

8/2/22

californiacontrarian

“Another Brick in the Wall” is the iconic song by Pink Floyd from 1979.

Knowing the chorus would probably lead you to think that this piece is about teaching CRT to children in the classroom (“hey, teacher, leave those kids alone”). Perhaps I will address CRT with a different song and different lyrics. Rather than focusing on the chorus, focus on the title which suggests, that any tragedy, injustice or abuse can be “another brick” in an already existing wall, and likewise any reversal of an injustice can be another brick in a new wall.

This long and circuitous segue leads me to a recent legal settlement  in Illinois, involving North Shore University Health System, which is comprised of multiple hospitals in the northern Chicago suburban area, including Evanston Hospital, Glenbrook Hospital, Highland Park Hospital, Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Skokie Hospital,  and Swedish Hospital on the northwest side of Chicago.

A group of health care workers from North Shore University Health System sued over a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and are slated to receive $10 million, according to a settlement agreement filed on July 29.

About a dozen workers at the NorthShore University HealthSystem filed suit in October 2021, arguing that the facility was illegally not granting religious exemptions to the mandate.

After eight months of negotiations, the workers and NorthShore “have agreed to settle this case,” according to a memorandum filed in federal court.

Liberty Counsel, the legal group representing the platiniffs, described the settlement as a first-of-its-kind for an action against a private employer who denied hundreds of requests for religious exemptions to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

“The drastic policy change and substantial monetary relief required by the settlement will bring a strong measure of justice to NorthShore’s employees who were callously forced to choose between their conscience and their jobs,” Horatio Mihet, vice president of legal affairs at the group, said in a statement.

“This settlement should also serve as a strong warning to employers across the nation that they cannot refuse to accommodate those with sincere religious objections to forced vaccination mandates,” he added.

And thus you have it … “Another brick in the wall” … hopefully just the first of many!

8/1/22

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