What has happened to reason here?

I have noticed posts recently which seem to serve no purpose other than to take resources away from legit issues and allocate them to non-issues.

For example, more than one thread has popped up the past few days asking people to take time writing congress about expanding child tax credits to people making $10,000 or less. Despite the fact anyone in that income range does not owe taxes, and therefore any tax credits would do absolutely nothing to help them. I pointed this out and suggested instead of taking time doing something that will accomplish nothing why not write congress asking them to make it illegal for an employer to take negative action against an employee who gets overtime? (I work retail and the practice of writing up and terminating anyone who gets even a few minutes of overtime is rampant) But instead of a reasoned response I was accused of not being concerned about children.

I really wish that everyone could take time to think and post reasoned messages. I feel like I have to hunt through threads sometimes to find discussions that don't break down almost at once in to situations like the above example. I feel like so much could be accomplished, but it's almost like no one wants to take the time to post reasoned messages.

which should be populated by people trying to focus on legit actions to support legit democratic actions. Yet do you know how many posts I had to go through suggesting Obama was the devil for the FISA vote? There is no reason people can't THINK before they post such idiotic things.

and limit it to only things you want to discuss. You might end up talking to yourself, but that's life.

Which allows you to hide threads which you deem unnecessary.

Just click the little box with an "X" in it after the subject title on the forum listing.

and started another thread with the topic that you wanted to discuss. It's still not too late.

is the heroic thing to do.... particularly when other see you doing it. It makes nice tingles in the ego.

a refundable credit.

This board isn't the the greatest way to actually organize and accomplish something. Sometimes it's useful and other times it's good for information but not for action.

For instance your situation is probably regulated by your state, if it's regulated at all.

Have you approached a union? Have you called your state legislator or state senator?

facing thousands of low income workers.

The retailer I work for is national, and I can assure you is doing it in all 50 states. I am sure practically every other retailer has the same thing going on. There is no federal law to prevent it. What is the point of having overtime if it means low income workers are punished for it?

My point is unreasonable "feel good" posts seem to rule the day, while many posts that are concerning serious issues are not given much attention.

Employers who don't pay overtime can be sued. If you keep your hours you can show up after two or three years and demand back pay. If a person is terminated for asking for their overtime, beside remedy of law suit, the person is entitled to unemployment insurance.

http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/FAQ_Overtime.htm
Look at # 14 on the bottom regarding retaliation for filing for unpaid overtime

I am talking about paying it, but then writing up and terminating the employee after.

:rofl:

:evilgrin:

usually a conservative suggesting it. Generally, it's for things that people who are in dire need of things like health care or food and are on the bottom of the poverty scale that the subject comes up from the clueless. I have often asked those people, "Wouldn't one need an income that is sufficiently taxed for a tax credit to work?"

I've tired to get attention paid to workers' rights but instead we seem to pay more attention to whatever the hot topic is, like FISA which will affect nobody here, whatever creates tension, hostility, and a long argumentative thread.

Whenever I mention something like that, 90% of the people say "oh just get another job" like it's that easy.

That's the McCain attitude, BTW, like when he suggested people all just get 2nd jobs to solve all their problems.

If worker's rights were respected more, that would be better for children all the way around, and it would not require another government program.

Or do you expect the employers to do it themselves?

Correct me if I'm wrong.

file a complaint?

Who inc=investigates your complaint?

Who adjudicates your complaint?

How does a business defend against a complaint?

Is their appeal?

See, you start passing laws and you get a giant bureaucracy, like FISA. It's just another government program! And they pay the telecoms millions, like welfare only worse because all the CEO's have Cadillacs

can live w/o this one, we can live w/o that one, oh that one is never going to affect me... blah blah blah horseshit. Happy horseshit to you. You need to reconsider YOUR thoughts on FISA.

Are you nuts? Like, a total Loon? One of those totally crazy DU'ers who make us all look like fools? Just askin'.

Now just how the fuck do you know that? And if caving on FISA doesn't mean shit to you, which other rights to you want to blast. You are the fucking loon w/o a doubt. Just tellin'. Oh and on edit, you do not appear to be what you say you are.

Workers who earn $10,000 would have their taxes taken out per usual and get some but not all of their taxes back-- depending on their situation. It depends. What makes you think that the people who are lobbying this are pulling the initiative out of thin air?

Obviously we all have different interests and abilities. Don't bring down somebody elses efforts. It doesn't detract from yours by being there.

There are such things as refundable tax credits.

Let's say you make $10k and have 3 kids, so you'll owe no taxes. But let's also say that the bookkeeper deducted $300. You file and you'll get the $300 back.

Now let's say there's a non-refundable tax credit. $10k for 3 kids. You file, and since the tax credit's non-refundable you wind up with a step requiring a decision: You calculate you owed $0 in tax, you'd credit yourself with the $10k tax credit, 0 - $10k is < $0, but the instructions say you can't owe less than $0. So you still owe only $0. You subtract what you owe from what you paid, $300 - $0, and you get back the difference: $300.

Now let's say it's not a non-refundable tax credit, but a refundable tax credit of $10k. You do your taxes, you have the $300 coming back, but also there's that $10k tax credit. You owed $0 before applying the tax credit, and you owe -$10k after applying the tax credit. You subtract what you owe from what you paid, $300 - (-$10k) and come up with $10,300. That's the amount you're refunded.

It's a form of income redistribution. It's rare in the US. I'm not even sure if we have it at all--perhaps the EIC counts?