Jim Hightower: What Do Truckers and Librarians Have In Common?

[babylonsister]

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/jim-hightower/103128/what-do-truckers-and-librarians-have-in-common

What Do Truckers and Librarians Have In Common?
by Jim Hightower | September 10, 2022 - 4:56am

— from OtherWords

snip//

The job is literally a grueling haul. You’re wrangling massive 18-wheelers some 500 miles a day for two or three weeks straight. You’re putting up with traffic jams, storms, bad roads, lunatic drivers, helter-skelter scheduling, truck stop food, sleeping in the truck — all while battling fatigue, aches, your bladder, and loneliness.

Trucking used to be a good union job, with decent pay and conditions — until the deregulation craze four decades ago brought in Wall Street profiteers and fast buck hustlers who turned the industry into anti-union exploiters.

As a result, the yearly quit-rate for drivers is now almost 100 percent.

snip//

Yes, while student enrollments rise and the need for these nurturers of our society’s literacy is greater than ever, their quit-rate is also soaring. Not because of pay or long hours, but because of raw right-wing politics.

These dedicated, invaluable educators are being abused by demagogic GOP politicians and their extremist partisans who’ve launched an anti-librarian crusade, including book banning and witch hunting.

snip//

Forget the “law” of supply and demand. Today’s job market is being ruled by greed meisters and political lunatics.

[LudwigPastorius]

1. K&R for Hightower

[Deuxcents]

2. I used to subscribe to his newsletters long ago..

Good to know he’s still at it

[wnylib]

5. He does radio segments, too.

One of the stations within my listening range carries him on week day mornings.

[Deuxcents]

6. I wonder if he's on Sirus. I'll look it up

[crickets]

3. K&R for visibility.

[niyad]

4. KNR

[Brainfodder]

7. Met JT at a like minded gathering 20something years ago.

Wife is independent and we met JT for sure, it was a really small group.

Years later attended a filled hockey arena for free Michael Moore rally, that was also a worthy experience.

Too much is FUBAR right now.

[SharonAnn]

9. This has been going on for decades.

[SharonAnn]

10. This has been going on for decades.

[burrowowl]

11. K&R Love Hightower!

[intheflow]

12. It ain't just school librarians getting harassed and fired.

Public librarians are also quitting in fear and frustration over armed Proud Boys protests at Drag Queen Storytimes, the infamous "400 books to be banned" brought by Moms for Liberty before library boards and city council meetings, and draconian budget cuts in majority QAnon towns.

Or as my librarian coworker confided in me, "It's bonkers! I told my therapist this is the first time I've ever felt under attack for helping people!"