There was a time not too long ago when the “gig economy” was loved by progressives. President Obama favored it. Many Democrats used to speak well of it. Then something drastic changed. Labor unions realized they were losing members to it as more people embraced the freedom and benefits of being independent contractors. That wasn’t going to stand with the labor unions, so they turned to the Democrats and demanded they bring it to an end.
In California, the gig economy is officially anathema on January 1 as AB 5 takes effect.
Much has been written about how this will effect Uber and Lyft drivers negatively, but there’s a much smaller industry that’s getting demolished. Freelance journalists in California will be capped to 35 content submissions per year per news outlet. This should make absolutely no sense to anyone, even most Democrats, as it imposes the nanny state over something that wasn’t broken, wasn’t hurting anyone, and was essentially a win-win across the board. Why would they impose this Draconian, senseless requirement?
If they want to write more than 35 articles per year for a publication, they must be hired as an employee of the publication and join their labor union. Now does it make sense, at least from an authoritarian, radical progressive perspective?
Some are speaking out, but unfortunately the freelance writer “lobby” is essentially non-existent.
“Everybody Is Freaking Out”: Freelance Writers Scramble to Make Sense of New California Law
The bill, which cracks down on companies — like ride-sharing giants Lyft and Uber — that misclassify would-be employees as independent contractors, has been percolating through the California legislative system for nearly a year. It codifies the 2018 Dynamex decision by the State Supreme Court while carving out some exemptions for specific professions.
But the exemption for freelance journalists — which some have only just learned about via their colleagues, press reports, social networks and/or spirited arguments with the bill’s author on Twitter — contains what some say is a potentially career-ending requirement for a writer to remain a freelancer: If a freelance journalist writes for a magazine, newspaper or other entity whose central mission is to disseminate the news, the law says, that journalist is capped at writing 35 “submissions” per year per “putative employer.” At a time when paid freelance stories can be written for a low end of $25 and high end of $1 per word, some meet that cap in a month just to make end’s meet.
Amy Lamare, who writes for money site Celebritynetworth.com and YourTango.com, adds, “Everyone’s freaking out, like my anxiety is going through the damn roof.”
How can free people living their dream fight against Big Labor and their lapdogs in the California Democratic Party? The answer: They can’t. The state is hell-bent on becoming a dystopian utopia for anyone who hates their own freedoms.
We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.
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Will America-First News Outlets Make it to 2023?
Things are looking grim for conservative and populist news sites.
There’s something happening behind the scenes at several popular conservative news outlets. 2021 was bad, but 2022 is proving to be disastrous for news sites that aren’t “playing ball” with the corporate media narrative. It’s being said that advertisers are cracking down, forcing some of the biggest ad networks like Google and Yahoo to pull their inventory from conservative outlets. This has had two major effects. First, it has cooled most conservative outlets from discussing “taboo” topics like Pandemic Panic Theater, voter fraud, or The Great Reset. Second, it has isolated those ad networks that aren’t playing ball.
Certain topics are anathema for most ad networks. Speaking out against vaccines or vaccine mandates is a certain path to being demonetized. Highlighting voter fraud in the 2020 and future elections is another instant advertising death penalty. Throw in truthful stories about climate change hysteria, Critical Race Theory, and the border crisis and it’s easy to understand how difficult it is for America-First news outlets to spread the facts, share conservative opinions, and still pay the bills.
Without naming names, I have been told of several news outlets who have been forced to either consolidate with larger organizations or who have backed down on covering certain topics out of fear of being “canceled” by the ad networks. I get it. This is a business for many of us and it’s not very profitable. Those of us who do this for a living are often barely squeaking by, so loss of additional revenue can often mean being forced to make cuts. That means not being able to cover the topics properly. Its a Catch-22: Tell the truth and lose the money necessary to keep telling the truth, or avoid the truth and make enough money to survive. Those who have chosen survival simply aren’t able to spread the truth properly.
We will never avoid the truth. The Lord will provide if it is His will. Our job is simply to share the facts, spread the Gospel, and educate as many Americans as possible while exposing the forces of evil.
To those who have the means, we ask that you please donate. We have options available now, but there is no telling when those options will cancel us. We have our GivingFuel page. There have been many who have been canceled by PayPal, but for now it’s still an option. Your generosity is what keeps these sites running and allows us to get the truth to the masses. We’ve had great success in growing but we know we can do more with your assistance.
Thank you, and God Bless!
JD Rucker
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