# Biden helps avert railway strike **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 16, 2022, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674 "2022-09-16T14:23:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/41 "2022-11-30T23:47:48Z")
You’re reaching for straws. The student loan relief is tied up in court- how exactly does something that hasn’t even happened cause inflation? Restricting energy independence? Sorry, no such thing. The US always has imported oil and always has exported oil. That fucking pipeline was going to go through the US, but not help the US. It was for the Canadians to better peddle their filthy shale oil overseas. BBB put some people to work and is helping get infrastructure in better repair, unlike TFG who must have had ten “infrastructure weeks” without making a single policy proposal. Why is giving (or attempting to give) money to the common folk inflationary but the massive tax cuts given to the wealthy and corporations not inflationary? One measure of the amount of money flowing into the economy by the government is the deficit, which is currently going down. Something doesn’t add up, and I suspect it’s your entire line of reasoning. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/42 "2022-12-01T00:15:25Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > More dollars chasing fewer goods = inflation. Right, which is why with so many dollars dumped into the market we saw the dollar drop sharply over the last year relative to other world currencies, oh wait, [no we didn’t](https://fletcher.tufts.edu/news-events/news/us-dollar-mostly-strong-does-it-matter). [![](https://fletcher.tufts.edu/sites/g/files/lrezom826/files/styles/large/public/2022-07/Klein%20Strong%20Dollar%20Graph.png?itok=5LwEjH08) ](https://fletcher.tufts.edu/sites/g/files/lrezom826/files/styles/large/public/2022-07/Klein%20Strong%20Dollar%20Graph.png?itok=5LwEjH08) ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/43 "2022-12-01T00:21:15Z")
…let them strike. And Biden should just leave this alone. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/44 "2022-12-01T00:29:49Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > One thing I take from the Angry Bear blog is that it would cost only 2% of the railroads profits to have the four days sick leave added. It isn’t the cost of having to pay them when they take time off that is the problem for the Railroads its having them take the unscheduled time off at all that wrecks havoc with the Rail roads tight schedule. Since except in rare situations you can’t predict in advance what days you are going to get sick, paid sick leave is going to mean more unscheduled absences. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/45 "2022-12-01T01:10:43Z")
Team, _in this very thread_ I explained to @D_Anconia that the history of inflation in America has to do with economic recovery following military and health disasters. This pattern is so obvious I pointed out, what, 6 times this pattern occurred? Inflation in America isn’t caused by the President, the very idea is a-economic. It… until recently\*… hasn’t been caused by the Fed printing money, which is the classical definition of inflation. No… in the United States, inflation occurs because of corporate price increases following economic and other dislocations (usually involving mass deaths), price increases typically tied to the rebuilding of supply chains. @D_Anconia knows this. It was literally explained to him 15-odd posts above. And we really don’t need to continue his threadjack as his question has been answered. - Quantitative Easing > [@Biden helps avert railway strike](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/17): > > OK, I’ll play. Now, in the real world, political parties and candidates don’t mention the bad things which happened under their watch as happening because of them - for example, Gerald Ford’s 1976 ads mentioned inflation, but they didn’t remind the audience that Ford’s party has held the Presidency since 1969. But let’s say that I’m given the assignment: “JohnT, we’re getting hammered on inflation! I need you to make a general TV ad we can give to all D candidates so they can address this issu… ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/46 "2022-12-01T01:12:36Z")
If he does that, he’ll be blamed for the strike and the economic results thereof, and _not just by people inclined against him already_. I suspect he and his team have made the political calculation that the economic results will be more politically damaging generally than intervening. As they say, it’s not an excuse, but it’s a reason. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/47 "2022-12-01T01:29:07Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > its having them take the unscheduled time off at all that wrecks havoc with the Rail roads tight schedule. …by “unscheduled time off” you mean they got sick, right? It’s sick pay. If you get sick: you shouldn’t be coming to work. You might be putting other people lives at risk. You aren’t operating at 100%. You could be infectious. Its impossible to schedule time off sick. Hence the concept of sick time. As for “wrecking havoc with the Rail roads tight schedule” that’s just the reality of working with employees. If the schedule is to tight to accommodate the entirely expected phenomenon of “staff getting sick” then make the schedule less tight. Hire more staff. Change the procedures. But they aren’t going to stop getting sick by pretending they are not. Sick leave is mandatory in much of the rest of the world. And those countries are all doing fine. America isn’t exceptional here. > [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > paid sick leave is going to mean more unscheduled absences. Because sick people will finally not have to come in work sick, and can focus on getting well without spreading germs and diseases to their fellow workmates and customers? The absolute horror. > [@Leaper](#): > > If he does that, he’ll be blamed for the strike and the economic results thereof, and _not just by people inclined against him already_. There is no reason why you should be deferring to the largely white, privileged, pundit class who pretend to be “left-wing” but in reality will always defend the rich and the powerful. > [@Leaper](#): > > I suspect he and his team have made the political calculation that the economic results will be more politically damaging generally than intervening. Those same political calculations are the reason why Sean Maloney lost, are the reason why they had to be dragged kicking and screaming to support Fetterman, are the reasons why Biden’s solution to increased militarization of the police is to give them more money, why the fact that America locks up more people per capita than anywhere else in the world is seen as a net-positive, and not the human rights tragedy that it is. We all know _why_ Biden is doing what he’s doing. Its a political calculus that’s been made by a class of people out-of-touch with the marginalised and working class people. He should stop listening to them. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/48 "2022-12-01T01:36:38Z")
Hey, I’m strongly on the side of the workers here and agree with everything you posted. Paid slave labor is still slave labor. I was just explaining to MikeF why the railroads were being such hard asses about it. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/49 "2022-12-01T01:41:34Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > why the railroads were being such hard asses about it. …I accept what you are saying, but there is a fine line between “explaining a position” and just “repeating company propaganda”. Your post, in isolation, isn’t immediately clear. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/50 "2022-12-01T02:19:02Z")
Yeah, I should have put in a disclaimer. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/51 "2022-12-01T02:43:02Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > people out-of-touch with the marginalised and working class people. The really sticky issue is that a very large number of marginalized and working class people who’d benefit greatly from liberal policies gleefully and consistently vote for conservatives, in addition to the slightly smaller but still significant number who vote purely based on what that week’s gas prices are. I don’t know what the answer is; I’m not that smart. I can’t imagine it’s easy or simple, though. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/52 "2022-12-01T02:51:11Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > The really sticky issue is that a very large number of marginalized and working class people who’d benefit greatly from liberal policies gleefully and consistently vote for conservatives …LGBQT+ voters overwhelmingly vote democrat. [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3740690-lgbtq-voters-overwhelmingly-voted-for-democrats-says-human-rights-campaign/](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3740690-lgbtq-voters-overwhelmingly-voted-for-democrats-says-human-rights-campaign/) Black voters won Georgia. And hopefully they will do it again. > **[How Black Americans Reshaped Politics In Georgia](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-black-americans-reshaped-politics-in-georgia/)** > > In the 2020 election cycle, Democrats’ decades-long dream of winning Georgia finally became a reality. The state voted for a Democrat, Joe Biden, in the preside… They vote strategically, they vote smart, because the party in power doesn’t give them any other option. They understand that a Republican will be orders of magnitude worse than a conservative Democrat. This isn’t on them. They are doing what they can to survive. The people with actual power are the ones that need to be stepping up. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/53 "2022-12-01T02:59:57Z")
We’re obviously working off of very different demographic definitions, so I won’t belabor the point. I still think that my original point of there not being a simple calculus for the greatest good holds. (As a general principle, mind you, not necessarily about the specific case of the brewing rail strike.) ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/54 "2022-12-01T03:08:08Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I still think that my original point of there not being a simple calculus for the greatest good holds. …the calculus here should involve that this is a labour dispute between two parties where one party holds nearly all of the cards while the other holds only one: and they’ve decided to play it. In a country that barely has any labour rights, where “at will employment” is actually a thing, where up and down the country if a Starbucks decides to unionize the company will immediately close it, the very last thing that is needed is for the state to intervene in a labour dispute to tell one of the parties "that you are powerless, and you will never win, and you just need to suck this up for the “greater good”. ![](https://media1.tenor.com/m/dcwAVN47o-UAAAAC/hot-fuzz-greater-good.gif "Hot Fuzz Greater Good GIF - Hot Fuzz Greater Good Evil - Discover & Share...") At some stage the people are going to say “enough is enough.” Biden needs to butt out. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/55 "2022-12-01T03:08:14Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > Its a political calculus that’s been made by a class of people out-of-touch with the marginalised and working class people. I wonder if that isn’t the case for some, (quite a few), people on this message board. I wonder this a lot and take some of, (a lot of), the positions I read some poster’s taking with skepticism, now more than ever. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/56 "2022-12-01T06:16:20Z")
The CBO says that the Inflation Reduction Act will not, in fact, reduce inflation. According to the left of center VOX, the American Rescue Plan _did_ increase inflation, people are quibbling over how much. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/57 "2022-12-01T07:01:36Z")
Do you have an opinion on the railroad strike (i.e. the subject of the thread)? If you want to discuss inflation there is a great thread [here](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inflation-is-not-currently-a-menace/955738). ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/58 "2022-12-01T13:25:20Z")
**Modding** : The OP brought up inflation. Please be careful to not Junior Mod. > [@CastletonSnob1](#): > > … Inflation and gas prices have gone down thanks to them, and they helped avert a railway strike that would have cost the country $2 billion a day. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/59 "2022-12-01T19:27:16Z")
Right. When any system is operating at peak efficiency, the slightest glitch can make the whole thing grind to a halt. But peak efficiency means peak profits, at least in the short term. And we all know how focused American companies are on the next quarter as opposed for the next decade. This is like a “too big to fail” scenario but instead of the taxpayers bearing the brunt, its the workers. The companies have put themselves in the driver’s seat on this one. My understanding is that the railroad labor force has been reduced by 30% in recent years. Doing more with less has its limits. How it manifests itself is the question. I hope its not a derailment that causes a large loss of life. I guess the bean counters have figured that even a massive lawsuit will have less of an impact on profits than treating the workers a bit more fairly or god forbid, hiring more. . Why did it take the senate to add the sick days in another bill? Is there some reason the democrat house didn’t do so? I mean, aren’t the dems supposed to be pro labor? Finally, I’m going to guess that the rail companies contribute substantial amounts to both parties. More than the unions, in any case. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674/60 "2022-12-01T20:32:16Z")
The only goddamned thing Biden and Congress should do to intervene in this situation is to tell the railroad corporations to fix their shit or be nationalized. You notice the only intervention that ever gets threatened is against the workers, never the owner class–because the owner class is the donor class. If that senile SOB does anything to break this union I say the entire industry needs to go completely on strike immediately and up their current demands by a factor of ten. The railroad corps are making huge profits and still insist on under staffing and treating humans like machinery (except that machinery gets regular maintenance so WORSE than machinery) and need to be brought to heel. I’m willing to live without endless garbage tchotchkes making it to the local Walmart, I say let 'em strike and strike HARD. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-helps-avert-railway-strike/971674.md?page=4)