Religious freedom to deny PrEP

[PozBearWI]

On 9/18/2022 at 9:35 PM, BootmanLA said:

And this is important for two reasons. First, in theory, Congress could amend or repeal either the 1964 law or the 1993 law (in fact, both have had amendments over the years). It's unlikely they would be fully repealed, but it's possible, which would leave religion unprotected in the private sector. Secondly, the current Supreme Court has shown an increasing deference to religion, especially conservative religions, and could theoretically revisit the Civil Rights Act and determine (similar to the Hobby Lobby contraceptive decision) that closely held corporations have a First Amendment right to only hire members of their faith, striking down part of the Civil Rights Act entirely. It's considered a reach - currently - but this Court has shown an increasing interest in such reaches.

On one hand the court might not be entirely wrong.  I just think owners of an interstate corporation should not be held to the same standard as a one shop business.  Large corporations have, IMO too large a reach already.  They fund nonsense ads that in another time were topically experienced by us as humor rather than an assertion.  I recall so many of the Q stuff I was reading in the Onion.  Only now it seems people read the Onion as if it were a news source rather than the parody it is.  

I am concerned at what the courts are doing this week.  There seems too little mention of the hypocrisy spoken during their so called hearings.  I am concerned about our democracy.  Being a poll worker here we are preparing for a Presidential sized election meaning we're in for a long day.  But, crowds do make my time seem to fly by.  

[hntnhole]

3 minutes ago, JimInWisc said:

meaning we're in for a long day

Here, we (poll workers) have to be at the assigned polling place at 5:am, stay through not only the polls closing 7:pm, but through the process of putting all the documentation generated throughout the day into the properly marked bags, officially sealed, and on and on and on.  It's exhausting, but if that what it takes, so be it.  

[PozBearWI]

22 minutes ago, hntnhole said:

Here, we (poll workers) have to be at the assigned polling place at 5:am, stay through not only the polls closing 7:pm, but through the process of putting all the documentation generated throughout the day into the properly marked bags, officially sealed, and on and on and on.  It's exhausting, but if that what it takes, so be it.  

Yes, same here in Wisconsin.  We're a dedicated lot which makes some of the assertions all the more insulting.  They haven't done it but think they know...  

[BootmanLA]

2 hours ago, JimInWisc said:

Yes, same here in Wisconsin.  We're a dedicated lot which makes some of the assertions all the more insulting.  They haven't done it but think they know...  

Until recently, we had you beat. For decades, in Louisiana, polls opened at 6 AM, with election workers due by 5 AM, but polls stayed open until 8 PM or until the last voter in line at 8 PM voted, AFTER which comes all the locking of the machines, securing the sign-in sheets, etc. It wasn't uncommon for an election workday to be 17 hours.

Years ago a concerted push was made to allow the elections supervisors in each parish (ie county) to optionally divide the workday in half, so that interested poll workers could work either the first or second shift of 8 hours, with the latter getting any extra time as needed to cover if voting time had to be extended. The state shot that down ostensibly on the grounds that it would prove too hard which group of workers was responsible for an error in the logs, etc. if something happened. The idea of dividing the log at shift change seems not to have occurred to them.

The other issue is that pay for election workers here is a flat rate per day, and the first shift (5A-1P) would be a fixed 8 hours. But the 1P-9P shift - when ending might be extended if the lines are long - might involve more hours, but for the same pay. That was the final nail in the coffin.

Instead, they knocked one hour off voting times here, now starting at 7 AM (which means workers show up at 6 AM).

[BootmanLA]

2 hours ago, JimInWisc said:

On one hand the court might not be entirely wrong.  I just think owners of an interstate corporation should not be held to the same standard as a one shop business.

The problem there comes with defining "what is a business" and who is responsible? For instance, your local Holiday Inn Express: the building is probably owned by one local entity (LocalPropertiesLLC), leasing it to a hotel operator (SummerviewHospitalityLLC). The operator, in turn, aligns itself via a license with the national "flag" company (Holiday Inn Express Brands), which does not itself own or operate any hotels, but merely provides a brand name ("Holiday Inn Express") and access to the reservations and payment processing systems of its corporate parent (IHG Hotels and Resorts) that are shared among all licensees of all IHG brands (Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza, Staybridge Suites, Intercontinental, etc.).

Even back at the local hotel operator level (Summerview), that company may contract with one company for its food and beverage service, another for its housekeeping, and a third for its maintenance.

On paper, in fact, Summerview, which itself only operates the one hotel, even if Summerview's owners have 25 LLC's each operating a hotel, to keep them separate for liability purposes, might only have 6 or 7 employees. We would consider that a "one shop business" - which it legally is - despite the tangle of contracts, leases, licenses, and other agreements that make the total workforce actually needed to operate all aspects of the hotel in the tens of thousands. And if Summerview's owners discriminate in hiring of its 6 or 7 employees, under the "one shop business" model it wouldn't be held to the same standards.

[onlyraw]

First THANK YOU!!!! To all the poll watchers and election workers on this site for doing your part  - I know this is going to be a big long and fraught election- I hope that none of you have to deal with any dangerous situation 

I will be sending you all lots of positive energy on Election Day 

JimInWisc - I grew up in Wisconsin so will be watching the results with great trepidation- fingers crossed 

[onlyraw]

I am “ok” with people  following their prejudices if they as an “individual” are hiring someone to work in their home ( house cleaner, maid, butler, gardener, babysitter, or chief bottle washer) but as soon as you become a corporation (even an LLC and  only have one employee) then the company  looses all rights to follow the owners prejudices and need to be required to follow the law - “corporations” cannot have “religious beliefs” the owner of the company may have deeply and sincerely held religious beliefs that women supposed to be subservient to men, or that black people are sub human, or that gays are disgusting abominations  and are going straight to hell - but the “corporation” can not base any HR policies based on those beliefs

just like a restaurant or hotel is not allowed to turn a customer away just because they are black, a woman, or gay, no corporation should be allowed to turn away customers or  deny benefits to employees based on the owners personal beliefs 

[hntnhole]

14 hours ago, BootmanLA said:

or until the last voter in line

That's the same as here in FL.  One poll worker has to go outside exactly at 7:pm, look to see if anyone within sight is running to get in line, and stand guard at the end of the line (after any visible last-seconder's are actually in line), so that no one later can get in line. 

I think the idea of dividing the election-day workers into 2 shifts is a great idea, but the problem around here is, a high percentage of the workers are old Af/Am ladies, and lately they're quitting in droves, afraid to be there if troublemakers show up.  So, we have a dearth of pollworkers to handle every polling place.  An aside: I got an email yesterday notifying me that my ballot was in the mail.  For the past couple of years - since covid, I guess - I've brought my ballot downtown to the Registrar's office, to witness it going into the safe.  The USPS is still suffering from that idiot Orange Jesus put in charge - his name is something like DeMisery - can't quite recall it though - and ever since, the USPS has only been hiring dyslexics as mail carriers.  In the early evening, most of the neighbors meet out on the street to give each other all the mis-delivered mail.

But, Biden's got a lot more important things than the USPS to clean up.  

[PozBearWI]

4 hours ago, hntnhole said:

That's the same as here in FL.  One poll worker has to go outside exactly at 7:pm, look to see if anyone within sight is running to get in line, and stand guard at the end of the line (after any visible last-seconder's are actually in line), so that no one later can get in line. 

I think the idea of dividing the election-day workers into 2 shifts is a great idea, but the problem around here is, a high percentage of the workers are old Af/Am ladies, and lately they're quitting in droves, afraid to be there if troublemakers show up.  So, we have a dearth of pollworkers to handle every polling place.  An aside: I got an email yesterday notifying me that my ballot was in the mail.  For the past couple of years - since covid, I guess - I've brought my ballot downtown to the Registrar's office, to witness it going into the safe.  The USPS is still suffering from that idiot Orange Jesus put in charge - his name is something like DeMisery - can't quite recall it though - and ever since, the USPS has only been hiring dyslexics as mail carriers.  In the early evening, most of the neighbors meet out on the street to give each other all the mis-delivered mail.

But, Biden's got a lot more important things than the USPS to clean up.  

It will vary by polling location here in WI; but locally we split the day into two shifts with a bit of cross over.  In a big election I've been known to come back post closing to assist.  We're paid hourly (not much, but....).