LYRICS
Everythin’ to know about me
Is written on this page
A number you can reach me
My social and my age
Yes, I served in the army
It’s where I learned to shoot
Eighteen months in the desert
Pourin’ sand out of my boots
No, I’ve never been convicted of a crime
I could start this job at any time
I got a strong back, steel toes
I rarely call in sick, a good truck
What I don’t know I catch on real quick
I work weekends, if I have to, nights and holidays
Give you forty and then some
Whatever it takes
Three dollars and change at the pump
The cost of livin’s high and goin’ up
I put Robert down as a reference
He’s known me all my life
We attend the same church
He introduced me to my wife
I gave my last job everythin’
Before it headed south
Took the shoes off of my children’s feet
Food out of their mouths
Yesterday my folks offered to help
But they’re barely gettin’ by themselves
I got a strong back, steel toes
I rarely call in sick, a good truck
What I don’t know I catch on real quick
I work weekends, if I have to, nights and holidays
Give you forty and then some
Whatever it takes
Three dollars and change at the pump
The cost of livin’s high and goin’ up
I’m sure a hundred others have applied
But rumor has it you’re only takin’ five
I got a strong back, steel toes
I’m handy with a wrench
There’s nothin’ I can’t drive
There’s nothin’ I can’t fix
I work sunup to sundown
Ain’t too proud to sweep the floors
The bank has started callin’
And the wolves are at my door
Three dollars and change at the pump
The cost of livin’s high and goin’ up
D’Angelo Barksdale: Now you think Ronald McDonald gonna go down to the basement and say, “Hey Mr. Nugget—you the bomb. We sellin’ chicken faster than you can tear the bone out. So I’m gonna write my clowny ass name on this fat-ass check for you.”
Shit. Man, the nigga who invented them things? Still working in the basement for regular wage, thinking of some shit to make the fries taste better or some shit like that. Believe.
Published on Oct 10, 2012 by NTDTV
It’s an unbelievable piece of satire in a country known for iron-fisted censorship and harsh handling of petitioners. Miao Cuihua, most likely a pseudonym, is doing what countless other migrant workers have done in the past—protest against unpaid wages. But she’s skipped the queue at the petition office. Instead, Miao has created a video that not only demands she receives her quote, “blood and sweat money,” but also mocks the Chinese regime’s propaganda machine—and it’s gone viral.
Above her reads “Migrant Worker Unpaid Salary News Conference” Her rambling rhetoric that follows could be lifted from any of China’s scripted foreign ministry briefings.
[Miao Cuihua, Unpaid Wages News Agency]:
“We are regretted to hear that the official of the Bureau of Civil Affairs said ‘I represent the government. When I say not to give you money, you won’t get money. What can you do? We propose to peacefully, reasonably, and legally request payment. Harmony is precious. Society stability is the priority. So never appeal illegally.’”
The language she uses is typical of China’s well-educated elite, not a migrant worker who mixes concrete for a living.
Her video has been online since May, but in the past few days it’s exploded.
[Xie Liusheng, Shenzhen City Rights Activist for Migrant Workers]:
“It is very interesting. It satirizes the government’s corruption from another angle.”
[Chen Yongmiao, Beijing-based political commentator]:
“In China, if those migrant workers don’t use this kind of special, ironic, and mocking news reporting way to speak up. They would hardly get any public attention.”
Miao worked for the funeral administration department of Hangu district government in Tianjin City. She says a court ruled in 2009 that they owed workers almost $600,000 in unpaid wages, and has never paid up.
Her video is now making Hangu officials take notice, and they have been quick to respond. They’re not paying her though, instead, they say her video is full of distortions and she’s trying to extort more money from the state.
A recent study by the Pew Research Center reveals that, for the first time, Asians outpaced Hispanics as the fastest growing immigrant population in the United States. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports from Chicago, job seekers of South Asian origin make up the bulk of that Midwestern city’s new immigrant community, filling a critical demand for highly skilled technology workers.
Community supported agriculture (CSA) has gained popularity in the U.S. since it was first introduced about 25 years ago. People invest in CSA farms by buying shares, which entitle them to a percentage of the harvest. It’s a way to get healthful, local produce on a regular basis. One CSA farm near Washington, D.C. supports the community not only by growing vegetables, but by providing employment for the developmentally disabled.
Walmart’s proven ability to crush stores owned by both Moms and Pops may make it seem like an equal-opportunity exploiter, but that’s not what six women are arguing in front of the Supreme Court. Erin Gibson shines her “Modern Lady” spotlight on the legal battle that could potentially affect not just every woman, but anyone who likes to buy cheap stuff. Though it’s possible this piece is simply Erin’s excuse to unveil her dead-on impression of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Combining work and a family is often difficult,but slowly businesses are beginning to re-think their position – not because all the bosses have become fans of the family as in institution,but because long-term family-friendly policies are seen to benefit company growth as well. The area around Nuremberg is planning to raise its profile as the most family-friendly economic region in the country.How does that look in practice? We went there to see. This economically powerful region in northern Bavaria is calling itself the European Metropolitan Region of Nuremberg. It has 3.5 million residents and is home to 150,00 companies and to a phenomenon that is a rarity in Germany: senior management positions as part-time jobs,for instance at DATEV. Our reporter Marion Hütter visited this software company and IT service provider. Sports equipment manufacturer Adidas looks after the families of its employees especially well,particularly those of its 400 foreign workers. Economic researchers say family-friendly policies can boost an area’s attractiveness for businesses,and that sustainable family policies could raise a country’s growth by 0.5 percent.
1:23 “Women scare me–at least they do in a factory.”
1:53 “You see, they’re not naturally familiar with mechanical principles nor machines.”
2:41 “You know, women workers can be surprisingly good producers.”
2:50 “When breaking in any new worker, and of course especially a woman, you’ve got to explain every angle of the process, down to the last detail.”
4:29 “I guess women don’t realize what it means to stick on the job.”
5:37 Wife: “So many of them have two jobs, Joe–one in the home, one in the plant.” Husband: “Gee, I’m glad I thought of that!” Wife: “Yes, dear.” (The Second Shift, Arlie Hochschild)
