Toasty whats there to be ashamed of? Are these statements not true because they come from Bushs camp...I mean he is the president of the United States you know, dont you feel its his duty to report such milestones made during his administration for labor and such to tax payers. Or should he leave it up to the Washington Post, or the New York Times?? Nothing said here is inaccurate is it? Is it not his duty to thoroughly outline what a policy truly says and who it will affect?? You kill me with this "Oh because it comes from Bushs site it should be automatically disregarded" thing. Cite me somewhere it allows employers to reclassify white collar employees? Or is that just YOUR interpretation? Im not submitting quotes saying "vote Bush because hes cool" from his cabinet members or family. You, toasty, threw another wild pitch with your "Today, new overtime provisions went into effect that will allow employers to avoid paying overtime to millions of Americans" statement, it was wreckless and apparantly you and possibly some of the other readers here dont understand exactly what this policy will do. So im happy to have been able to outline that for you. Also, that 4 to 44 million is troubling if its true, alot more changes need to take place in healthcare.

[quote=Balanc3][quote=devon][quote=delirious] Believe it or not, not many people outside the US like George Bush.[/quote]

The majority of Americans don't either.[/quote]

you speak for the majority? :Whoaa:[/quote]

when you look at the last election results and the current polls, the majority of americans don't want george.

[quote=neur0t0xin64][quote="toasty IMHO, it is here in the States that Bush has really failed. His domestic policies have been to favor big business over individuals at pretty much every turn. The number of people without health insurance has risen from 4 million to 44 million during his adminstration, job growth is pitiful, and the stock market is lower today than it was when he took office -- I'm pretty sure that is a first. Today, new overtime provisions went into effect that will allow employers to avoid paying overtime to millions of Americans. He's taken liberties with our civil liberties, allowing unprecedented government intrusion into our lives as citizens. Crazy shit here -- I really, really can't wait to see him go.[/quote]

Monday, August 23, 2004 Fact Sheet: President Bush Strengthens And Expands Overtime Pay For Workers

The Department of Labor's Regulations Will Deliver Overtime For An Additional 1.3 Million Workers. They ensure an additional 1.3 million workers will gain up to $375 million in additional earnings every year.

The Fraternal Order Of Police Supports The New Regulations. FOP National President Chuck Canterbury called the regulations an "unprecedented victory" for America's first responders. (Fraternal Order of Police, ?Final DOL Regulations Protect And Expand Overtime For America's First Responders,? Press Release, 4/20/04)

Clearer Rules Updated For The 21st Century Workplace Will Reduce Litigation Costs. They will also encourage employers to hire additional workers and strengthen Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime protections for American workers.

These Changes Will Make It Easier For Workers To Know Their Rights, For Employers To Understand Their Obligations, And For The Department Of Labor To Enforce The FLSA.

The Winners Under The Old Regulations Were Trial Lawyers Involved With Overtime Lawsuits Draining $2 Billion From The Economy Each Year. The winners under this final regulation are workers.

Strengthening Overtime Protection

This Regulatory Change Is Part Of The President's Overall Tort Reform Efforts. The previous overtime rules were outdated, confusing and complex, requiring workers to spend years in federal court to receive the overtime pay they were entitled to. Federal court class actions for overtime pay have tripled since 1997 and now outnumber discrimination class actions.

The Old Rule Was Outdated. The previous rule, written in 1949, included examples of how to classify key punch operators, machine men, and straw bosses but said nothing about more current job classifications such as physicians' assistants, licensed practical nurses, or paralegals. Outdated rules made it much more difficult for workers and employers to apply the duties tests to determine exemptions.

President Bush Has Acted To Triple The Threshold Under Which Workers Are Automatically Entitled To Overtime Pay. The threshold increases from $8,060 (less than the minimum wage) to $23,660 - the largest increase since the FLSA's creation in 1938.

The Final Rule Strengthens Overtime Protection For More Than 6.7 Million Workers. This means:

5.4 million salaried workers, who under the previous regulations were unsure if they should be paid overtime, get an ironclad guarantee of overtime rights under the final rule -- regardless of their job duties. 1.3 million salaried white-collar workers, who were not entitled to overtime pay under the previous regulations, will now be entitled to either overtime pay or higher salaries. The Final Rule Strengthens Overtime Protections For Blue-Collar Workers, Licensed Practical Nurses And First Responders. The rule clearly states for the first time that these workers are entitled to overtime.

There Are 1.3 Million White-Collar Salaried Workers Who Will Likely Gain Overtime. These include:

249,044 managers and administrators 143,856 sales supervisors and proprietors 79,936 teachers, teacher aids and librarians 51,848 accountants and auditors 49,387 computer systems analysts, computer programmers and scientists 45,506 registered nurses 45,404 health care managers 36,422 investigators and adjustors 32,399 designers 31,190 financial managers
The Changes Guarantee Overtime To:

An employee working 50 hours per week managing a restaurant for $15,600 per year. A worker putting in 60 hours a week managing a department store for $18,000 per year. An employee working 42 hours a week supervising a machine shop for $17,000 per year.

So ummm...Toasty...I'd really like to know where you get your information??! Once again you've made an ambitious attempt to sour the presidents reputation. Im afraid you've come up short my friend. Here the president has revised labor laws to adapt to 2004's volitile economy...the only person it is benefiting is the worker, and you spin the facts into your own little clouded perception. I just think its very irresponsible toasty. Wise up. Does it cause you pain to give props where they are due. C'mon this policy is a homerun for the worker man. Do your homework.[/quote] BULLSHIT! Propaganda put out by his Dept. of Labor. People need to read what the law says not the rah rah put out by Bushito's asslickers.

[quote=neur0t0xin64]Toasty whats there to be ashamed of? Are these statements not true because they come from Bushs camp...I mean he is the president of the United States you know, dont you feel its his duty to report such milestones made during his administration for labor and such to tax payers. Or should he leave it up to the Washington Post, or the New York Times?? Nothing said here is inaccurate is it? Is it not his duty to thoroughly outline what a policy truly says and who it will affect?? You kill me with this "Oh because it comes from Bushs site it should be automatically disregarded" thing. Cite me somewhere it allows employers to reclassify white collar employees? Or is that just YOUR interpretation? Im not submitting quotes saying "vote Bush because hes cool" from his cabinet members or family. You, toasty, threw another wild pitch with your "Today, new overtime provisions went into effect that will allow employers to avoid paying overtime to millions of Americans" statement, it was wreckless and apparantly you and possibly some of the other readers here dont understand exactly what this policy will do. So im happy to have been able to outline that for you. Also, that 4 to 44 million is troubling if its true, alot more changes need to take place in healthcare.[/quote]

Dude, have another glass of Kool-Aid.

Listen, neuro, I enjoy having intelligent discussion and debate about political issues. Me providing my interpretation of Bush's domestic track record and policies, followed by you cutting and pasting something someone else has come up with is not an intelligent debate, nor is it a good use of my time. I read Bush's web site, I don't need someone to remind me of what it says.

The stuff coming off of Bush's website puts the plan in the best possible light. As you might expect, the stuff coming off of the Kerry site puts it in the worst possible light. Other media outlets fall somewhere in the middle. This should not be news to you. So, no, the fact that it is on the Bush website doesn't mean that it is wrong, but it does deserve a closer look. A little objectivity is a good thing.

If you want to debate, let's debate, but if you're just going to repeat the talking points from [url]www.georgewbush.com[/url], I'd prefer to just drop it and agree to disagree.

I will say this is closing. The new overtime rules exempt white-collar employees from overtime based upon job duties, setting forth certain "safe harbors" for employers where they know they can avoid paying overtime if certain requirements are met. Employee compensation is a huge part of overhead for many companies, and overtime obviously adds to that overhead. If you think for a minute that some companies are not going to take advantage of these safe harbors by restructuring their chain of command to meet these requirements, you're kidding yourself.

Now this doesn't affect me personally, but it is demonstrative of the way that Bush will do things that favor big business by including provisions that are subject to abuse, but trumpet about them as if they are victories for the workers. Lots of smoke and mirrors, that's all it is...

[quote=delirious]And we do... all over the African continent.[/quote]

Except where it counts unfortunetly :roll: ie Zimbabwe.

What I don't understand here, is the fact that you rip off the American government about all kinds of things but your government sits back and allows "crime's against humanity" to go on right under their noses and [b]do nothing[/b]. One thing good about what happened with iraq is that the Americans got rid of a dictator who continously harmed his own people, much like what Robert Mugabe has and is doing to the people of Zimbabwe.

Now tell me, whats better;

i) to sit back and let such things happen with the attitude of "it's not our business"

or

ii) to use everything in your power to do something about it?

I don't think that you think about what you're going on about. Look closer to home and have a look at what your own government is doing(or not) before you go bitching about someone else's.

Just imo

Sometimes people can't help what their government is doing, but that doesn't mean they like it...I also bitch about Bush, but I never neglect to bitch about mine too. :wink:

[quote=devon][quote=Balanc3][quote=devon][quote=delirious] Believe it or not, not many people outside the US like George Bush.[/quote]

The majority of Americans don't either.[/quote]

you speak for the majority? :Whoaa:[/quote]

when you look at the last election results and the current polls, the majority of americans don't want george.[/quote]

but you don't speek for the majority, so keep it shut. :WinkNSmi:

[quote=Balanc3][quote=devon][quote=Balanc3][quote=devon][quote=delirious] Believe it or not, not many people outside the US like George Bush.[/quote]

The majority of Americans don't either.[/quote]

you speak for the majority? :Whoaa:[/quote]

when you look at the last election results and the current polls, the majority of americans don't want george.[/quote]

but you don't speek for the majority, so keep it shut. :WinkNSmi:[/quote]

you are right i don't speak for the majority, just agreeing with them. :WinkNSmi:

[quote=devon]

when you look at the last election results and the current polls, the majority of americans don't want george.[/quote]

Have people forgotten how close the last election was? Yeah, Gore won the majority of the popular vote, but barely. If you're intellectually honest you would acknowledge that just about 50% of all voters DID vote for Bush in 2000.

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