DREAM CANDIDATE: "Democrats Need to Oppose EEO Laws." (AP)
In a speech to Democratic activists in Virginia, a right-to-work state, Dream Candidate today defended her campaign platform opposing Equal Employment Opportunity Laws (EEO Laws) in principle.
"EEO Laws might be the best example of why Leftists cannot make the big changes we need to make to how this country works. It is a liberal policy, not a Leftist policy; and although we support it in spirit, we oppose it in principle, because it is just another sleight-of-hand fix that avoids the real issue.
"EEO Laws are based on intention, not result; and the potentially expensive burden of proof lies with the newly unemployed, rather than the employer."
Dream Candidate’s controversial opposition to landmark employment legislation that is one of the greatest achievements of the current Democratic Party coalition has been met with loud condemnation by some in her party. Her speech outlining the basis of her opposition has been highly anticipated by party activists.
Dream Candidate continued: "Diversity is its own reward. Leftists like me support diversity programs in universities and at large employers. However, as a policy, EEO Laws are dangerous because it obscures the real problem.
"Being fired due to your race, gender, or sexual orientation is wrong: but the fix is ending at-will employment, not creating mini-fixes,so that our black brothers and sisters must endlessly fight the righteous fight to protect their rights at work; our GLBT brothers and sisters righteously fight for theirs; and Latinos; and the disabled; and women; we each of us fight righteously to protect ourselves at work. Why fight separately? Let’s fight, together, the real enemy: at-will employment.
"At-will employment is an inhuman policy that is not natural or necessary. It exists nowhere else in the west; and its impact on the American psyche and how we organize our economy is huge.
"Americans start their adult lives already swimming in debt; the need to get and hold a job immediately is absolute. Yet employers are not only allowed to fire you for any reason, but for no reason. Getting fired in America is an economic death sentence for too many American families. The only thing keeping them from doing so is the threat of actually paying your unemployment benefits. Still, unless you are protected by a collective bargaining agreement, your boss can fire you tomorrow because he doesn’t like the look of your face; or because you won’t be his friend. Or for no reason at all. If he’s willing to throw you some change for a few months of unemployment, you have absolutely no recourse.
"Unless, that is, you (or your attorney, at $150 an hour) can prove that, in his heart of hearts, your boss was firing you because of your race, gender, or pregnancy, or possibly a physical ailment. But why keep creating these categories, when there is one simple solution: ending the unconscionable policy of at-will employment? Why fight these tiny battles year after year when we can win the war with one policy: ending at-will employment in America.
"So we go to the courts that themselves created not only at-will employment but also protect ‘duty-of-loyalty’ and non-disparagement rules that limit our free speech. The same right of free speech, it should be noted, that protects cash-in-politics and employer intimidation of unionizing workers.
"By ending at-will employment, we preserve all Americans’ dignity at work, and protect them from discrimination based on anything at all: height, weight, looks, race, gender, sexual orientation, health, religion, national origin, personal history, and, of course, union activity."
"If you support at-will employment, you are making a statement: some Americans must remain in frightened servitude. If you want dignity instead of submission, you must beg for it. We support equality as a birthright. So we must end our tradition of nit-picking it and kill at-will employment once and for all.
The stunned crowd, which had welcomed Dream Candidate with jeers and a smattering of boos, roared with approval by the end of the remarks.
In a statement released by Dream Candidate’s campaign after the event, Candidate was quoted as saying, "At-will employment is a political issue because it creates absolute dependence of Americans on their employers. In a country where our personal lives are becoming increasingly public thanks to the internet and social networking software, more and more of us will find ourselves limiting our public expression and activism out of fear that it could upset our employers. You can be fired tomorrow for being a Democrat, and not only would you have no recourse if you found out this was the case, you’d likely never find out, because you can be fired for no reason at all.
"Our nation was built to reflect the dream of reasonable relationships between the governed and their governors; yet we spend eight hours every day being governed arbitrarily.
"We cannot afford to bicker and fight over adding some or other category of people to the ‘protected employee’ list. It is time to end the abhorrent policy of at-will employment in America."
(AP)
*This is a stylized excerpt from a current book project, Like School On Sundays: Leftism Out of the Closet. I am hoping to improve the manuscript using input from my brothers and sisters on DKos.