The phrase “politics is theater” is pretty common, especially these days. Our elected leaders spend much more time throwing one-liners back and forth than they do governing, or doing anything that might help working families. And while there is blame to go around for this anti-American behavior, there is no greater perpetrator of criminal hyperbole […]
In previous generations, most working people could retire with dignity due to a trio benefits that became known as “The Three Legged Stool.” These benefits are Social Security, decent wages that allowed people to save, and defined benefit pensions. Today, with wages stagnant for decades and pensions all but a memory, workers are left with […]
Click the link to hear Rick Smith discuss the corrupt and barbaric practice of convict leasing, which many scholars simply call “slavery by another name.” On this day in labor history, the year was 1928. That was the day the state of Alabama outlawed the convict lease system that had been in practice for decades. […]
https://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2021-05-26-at-8.28.30-PM.png9281540Brett Pranskyhttps://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/logo.pngBrett Pransky2021-06-30 09:59:552021-06-30 09:59:55Slavery By Another Name
When Timothy McVeigh was arrested in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995, a copy of the racist novel The Turner Diaries was found among his things. The book spins a tale about a violent revolution and the overthrow of the US government, and the eventual mass murder and systemic execution of any and all […]
https://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2021-05-26-at-8.21.54-PM.png8361326Brett Pranskyhttps://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/logo.pngBrett Pransky2021-06-26 15:08:302021-06-26 15:24:00Making the Next McVeigh
Through the years, legislators of both parties have created and supported laws that hurt working people. But in American history, few laws have done more damage than the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. Click the link to hear Rick Smith tell the story: On this day in labor history, the year was 1947. That was the […]
https://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2021-05-26-at-8.28.30-PM.png9281540Brett Pranskyhttps://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/logo.pngBrett Pransky2021-06-23 09:52:222021-06-23 09:52:22Taft Hartley: Dark Money’s Most Successful Attack on Working People
It’s difficult to believe that, in the land of the free, a person can go to jail for giving a speech, and an anti-war speech at that. But that’s what happened. Click the video below and read along as Rick Smith tells the story: On this day in labor history, the year was 1918. That […]
https://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2021-05-26-at-8.28.30-PM.png9281540Brett Pranskyhttps://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/logo.pngBrett Pransky2021-06-18 18:35:192021-06-18 18:35:19The Cost of Free Speech: Eugene V. Debs and the Speech That Got Him 10 years in Prison
“With great power comes great responsibility.” That’s what Uncle Ben said to young Peter Parker in the Spider-Man stories that we all love so much. But in the real world, power doesn’t manifest in wall-crawling, super strength, the ability to fly, or shoot laser beams out of our eyes, etc. In the real world, power […]
https://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2021-05-26-at-8.21.54-PM.png8361326Brett Pranskyhttps://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/logo.pngBrett Pransky2021-06-09 13:41:552021-07-12 12:33:40The Wealth Class are Super-Villains
On this day in labor history, the year was 1917. That was the day the Granite Mountain and Speculator Mines in Butte, Montana caught fire, killing 168 miners. It is considered the worst underground hard-rock mining disaster in the nation’s history. Just weeks after the United States had entered World War I, the demand for […]
When we negotiate with power for better wages, we rarely fight for everyone. In fact, some of the first groups we negotiate out of the discussion are restaurant workers and tipped workers. Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage has been a fierce advocate for this particular group of workers, and she explains why in […]
https://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2021-05-26-at-8.21.54-PM.png8361326Brett Pranskyhttps://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/logo.pngBrett Pransky2021-06-05 14:19:292021-06-05 14:41:21Restaurant Workers Refuse to Go Back to Poverty Wage Jobs
Things are getting scary out there. We have Trump claiming he’ll be reinstated in August, his former National Security Advisor calling for a Myanmar-style military coup over the Memorial Day weekend, and GOP legislatures all over the country doing everything in their power to make sure people of color or anyone else who might vote […]
https://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2021-05-26-at-8.21.54-PM.png8361326Brett Pranskyhttps://www.thericksmithshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/logo.pngBrett Pransky2021-06-02 12:08:322021-06-02 12:08:32The Next Insurrection Will Have Full GOP Support
Politics Isn’t Theater – It’s Pro Wrestling
Commentary, Political ActionThe phrase “politics is theater” is pretty common, especially these days. Our elected leaders spend much more time throwing one-liners back and forth than they do governing, or doing anything that might help working families. And while there is blame to go around for this anti-American behavior, there is no greater perpetrator of criminal hyperbole […]
The Three-Legged Stool
Commentary, Political ActionIn previous generations, most working people could retire with dignity due to a trio benefits that became known as “The Three Legged Stool.” These benefits are Social Security, decent wages that allowed people to save, and defined benefit pensions. Today, with wages stagnant for decades and pensions all but a memory, workers are left with […]
Slavery By Another Name
History, NewsClick the link to hear Rick Smith discuss the corrupt and barbaric practice of convict leasing, which many scholars simply call “slavery by another name.” On this day in labor history, the year was 1928. That was the day the state of Alabama outlawed the convict lease system that had been in practice for decades. […]
Making the Next McVeigh
Commentary, History, Political ActionWhen Timothy McVeigh was arrested in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995, a copy of the racist novel The Turner Diaries was found among his things. The book spins a tale about a violent revolution and the overthrow of the US government, and the eventual mass murder and systemic execution of any and all […]
Taft Hartley: Dark Money’s Most Successful Attack on Working People
History, NewsThrough the years, legislators of both parties have created and supported laws that hurt working people. But in American history, few laws have done more damage than the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. Click the link to hear Rick Smith tell the story: On this day in labor history, the year was 1947. That was the […]
The Cost of Free Speech: Eugene V. Debs and the Speech That Got Him 10 years in Prison
History, NewsIt’s difficult to believe that, in the land of the free, a person can go to jail for giving a speech, and an anti-war speech at that. But that’s what happened. Click the video below and read along as Rick Smith tells the story: On this day in labor history, the year was 1918. That […]
The Wealth Class are Super-Villains
Commentary, Political Action“With great power comes great responsibility.” That’s what Uncle Ben said to young Peter Parker in the Spider-Man stories that we all love so much. But in the real world, power doesn’t manifest in wall-crawling, super strength, the ability to fly, or shoot laser beams out of our eyes, etc. In the real world, power […]
June 8, 1917 – Tragedy in the Mine
History, NewsOn this day in labor history, the year was 1917. That was the day the Granite Mountain and Speculator Mines in Butte, Montana caught fire, killing 168 miners. It is considered the worst underground hard-rock mining disaster in the nation’s history. Just weeks after the United States had entered World War I, the demand for […]
Restaurant Workers Refuse to Go Back to Poverty Wage Jobs
Commentary, Political ActionWhen we negotiate with power for better wages, we rarely fight for everyone. In fact, some of the first groups we negotiate out of the discussion are restaurant workers and tipped workers. Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage has been a fierce advocate for this particular group of workers, and she explains why in […]
The Next Insurrection Will Have Full GOP Support
Commentary, Political ActionThings are getting scary out there. We have Trump claiming he’ll be reinstated in August, his former National Security Advisor calling for a Myanmar-style military coup over the Memorial Day weekend, and GOP legislatures all over the country doing everything in their power to make sure people of color or anyone else who might vote […]