Block of AT&T job cuts urged

Smug capitalism means corporations can do what they want with no discipline whatsoever.

Under this cult, corporations have no obligations to their workers, the public, or anyone else. Their only aim is to Make Money for themselves.

Now that right-wing telcom giant AT&T wants to slash hundreds of employees from its Connecticut workforce, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal wants state regulators to block these job cuts.

As well they should. Block 'em, and block 'em again. Although AT&T is a corporation, the state gave it a monopoly ostensibly with the expectation that it would operate in the public interest. Not only would job cuts put hundreds out of work - it would also weaken customer service.

But America's Toilets & Testes has straaaaange ideas about law! AT&T says that blocking the job cuts violates the Constitution's commerce clause.

Uh, since when do corporations have constitutional rights? The commerce clause was never intended to prevent states from blocking job cuts - nor does the wording of the clause suggest it. The commerce clause was designed to protect private citizens, not corporations.

Corporations have no constitutional rights. None.

Even if AT&T is saying that it's protected as interstate commerce, what Blumenthal wants to do only applies to intrastate commerce. So that's 2 strikes against the ToileTestes legal eagles.

Evidently, however, Connecticut is yet another rubber-stamp state with regard to utility regulation. Regulators there have denied Blumenthal's efforts - even after Blumenthal pointed out that AT&T already has a dismal record. All this after AT&T again posted record profits.

Government bans against the laying off of workers have a precedent. Back when airlines were still regulated (man, those were the days), airlines couldn't lay off workers without government approval.

Only an activist court would say AT&T is protected under the commerce clause.

(By the way, this is the same AT&T that illegally signed me up and billed me for services I didn't order.)

(Source: http://www.courant.com/business/custom/consumer/hc-att0123.artjan25,0,7216245,print.story)