Daily Archives: October 5, 2015

Texas, Texas Politics

Ted Cruz Spews Islamophobic Comments in Michigan

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Last month, there was a glimmer of hope for Texas Senator Ted Cruz, as he rebuked salacious comments (well, sort of) by another GOP rival Ben Carson, whom said that a Muslim could never be President of the United States.

But those that have watched Cruz closely know that what he says today will likely be very different than the comments of tomorrow. On the campaign trail in Michigan, the Senator’s Islamophobic pandering was back on full display.

Here’s the story from Jonathan Oosting at Michigan Live…

KALAMAZOO, MI — Presidential candidate Ted Cruz said Monday morning in Michigan that it would be “absolutely crazy” to bring more Syrian refugees to the United States, despite a humanitarian crisis that has captured the attention of the world.

The U.S. Senator from Texas spoke to a crowd of roughly 800 guests at the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, criticizing President Barack Obama on a number of fronts, including his plans to allow more Syrian refugees into the country.

“What President Obama is proposing to do, bring tens of thousands of Syrian Muslims to America, is nothing short of crazy,” Cruz told the crowd during a question and answer period.

[…]

“It would be the height of foolishness to bring in tens of thousands of people, including jihadists who are coming here to murder innocent Americans,” Cruz said. “…With respect to the refugees, it is a humanitarian crisis, but they ought to be settled in the middle east, in majority Muslim countries.”

Is it even possible to defend the constitution’s freedom religion, and then make comments like these??  In the world of Ted Cruz, apparently so.

In a time where Muslim communities across this country suffer constant discrimination, unfair scrutiny and unspeakable indignation, it’s a real disappointment to hear such irresponsible comments from a statewide elected official.  Nevermind the fact that half a million Texas residents whom happen to be Muslim should expect better of their Senator.

Sadly, Cruz’s carelessness comes the same week that Anti-Islamic rallies  are planned across the United States.  The rallies have are planned to be staged in front of American mosques in places like Kentucky, and possibly even Houston.

The threat is so serious that CAIR— The Council on American- Islamic Relations, released a statement of alert to American Muslim communities.

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 10/4/15) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urged Muslim community leaders to consider instituting additional safety measures in response to hate rallies by possibly armed anti-Muslim extremists targeting mosques nationwide on October 10.

[NOTE: October 9 has also been mentioned online as a date for the hate rallies.]

CAIR also called on all Presidential candidates and other elected officials to not only repudiate Anti-Muslim hate rallies, but also to show support for the community by visiting a mosque this weekend.

No doubt that many of the Senator’s constituents will be looking for a more sensible response.  At this point, no one can be quite sure what they’ll get from Ted Cruz.

Ted Cruz

 

Texas, Texas Politics

Are Texas Workplace Injuries Under-Reported??

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At the height of his influence, former Governor Rick Perry was darting across the country to tout his role in the Texas Miracle.  As other states have continued to slowly climb their way out of the Great Recession, Texas seemed to be blasting off like never before.  Particularly for those wanting to start a business and hire a cheap workforce the Lone Star State has rarely shined brighter than in the early 2010s.

But at some point, we have to ask what allows the state’s workforce to remain so cheap, even as wages remain flat and rising property values put an enormous strain on everyday families.  What is Texas doing to keep our work environment so low-cost??

As Jim Malewitz of the Texas Tribune reveals in a new report, part of that puzzle is what we’re not doing… properly documenting workplace injuries.

On any given day across Texas, truck drivers might crash their vehicles, construction workers tumble from scaffolding or refinery workers inhale nauseating fumes.

But many of their injuries will be documented poorly by employers and insurance companies. Some will go unreported entirely — as if they never happened. As a result, no one really knows how many Texans — or Americans, for that matter — are hurt at work.

What is written down about workplace injuries  — and when it’s written — is more than just scorekeeping. Documentation can largely determine whether workers get medical care covered by insurance companies, or fall into whatever social safety net exists, relying on government aid and public programs to recover and support themselves.

[…]

In its report to the Legislature last year, the state Division of Workers’ Compensation touted a remarkable statistic: Texas workers are filing far fewer claims than they once did — a 31 percent drop over the past decade.

The report offered many possible explanations for a trend that mirrors other states, including more safety awareness at job sites, stepped up watchdog efforts from state and federal regulators and new, safer technology.

But in one clause of one sentence of its report, the division touched on another factor potentially at play: “the possibility of under-reporting workplace injuries and illnesses.”

Make that a probability of under-reporting.  Technological advances aside, blue-collar work across the state has only increased over the last decade as more people continue to move in, and require more homes and businesses to be built and serviced.  More workers with a drop in injury claims?  Something definitely doesn’t add up.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a workplace injury claim in Texas, make sure to visit the Texas Department of Insurance Workers Compensaion page.  And remember all claims must be filed within 30 days of the incident to be eligible.

Let’s hope that more Texas workers can be made aware of their rights, and don’t have to continue suffering in silence.

TxWork

(Photo Credit:  Jones Lawyers)