Worker abuse is a widespread problem - in a 2007 Zogby poll, 37% of American adults said they had been bullied at work - and most of it is perfectly legal. Workers who are abused based on their membership in a protected class - race, nationality or religion, among others - can sue under civil rights laws. But the law generally does not protect against plain old viciousness.

There are reasons workplace bullying may be getting worse now, including the bad economy. In good times, abused workers can simply walk out on a job if they are being mistreated. But with unemployment at around 9.5%, and five job seekers for every available job, many employees feel they have no choice but to stay put.

Not surprisingly, many employers oppose the bill. They argue that it would lead to frivolous lawsuits and put them at risk for nothing more than running a tight ship and expecting a lot from their workers. But supporters of the law point out that it is crafted to cover only the most offensive and deliberate abuse. The bill requires that wrongful conduct be done with "malice," and in most cases that it has to be repeated. It also provides affirmative defenses for companies that investigate promptly and address the problem in good faith.

 

• I was a newly hired employee in an economic downturn.
• With all the political propaganda OB was feeding me, I didn't know who I could trust.
• Having no experience in this type of work, I thought maybe I was just ignorant when OB asked me to do things I didn't understand.
• 4 days before my first day of work, I found out I was pregnant. I needed this job - and the health benefits.
• Being OB's assistant, the distrust and disgust that others had of her rubbed off on me by association.
• I had no one else in the department to discuss these issues with so that we could take them to HR together.

I believe the jury is still out on Obama. Once we see the long term effects of his current policies; then I'll decide whether or not he deserves all the hype. However, the following clip is just too funny, and rings so true today.

As a warning, there is some racy language (as should be expected from Jon Stewart). But I'll say the same thing I said on Facebook - the first half of this clip explains why I can't watch Fox News, and the second half explains why I haven't talked politics in 8 years with anyone with whom I haven't shared a bed.

I can understand why an Iraqi reporter would throw a shoe at the president, especially upon learning that the sole of a shoe is a sign of disrespect. I can respect that an Iraqi may have contempt for President Bush.

But this; I'm not so sure I can understand this decision:

CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian man said on Wednesday he was offering his 20-year-old daughter in marriage to Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush in Baghdad on Sunday,
The daughter, Amal Saad Gumaa, said she agreed with the idea. "This is something that would honor me. I would like to live in Iraq, especially if I were attached to this hero," she told Reuters by telephone.
Her father, Saad Gumaa, said he had called Dergham, Zaidi's brother, to tell him of the offer. "I find nothing more valuable than my daughter to offer to him, and I am prepared to provide her with everything needed for marriage," he added.
Zaidi's gesture has struck a chord across the Arab world, where President Bush is widely despised for invading Iraq in 2003 and for his support for Israel.
Amal is a student in the media faculty at Minya University in central Egypt.
Zaidi's response to the proposal was not immediately clear.
(Reporting by Mohamed Abdellah, Writing by Jonathan Wright)