Conservatives supposedly hate freeloading. So why are they trying to legalize it?
By Thom Hartmann A...
Conservatives supposedly hate freeloaders.
So why do they support right to work laws - which literally legalize freeloading?
Our nation's nine unelected monarchs on the Supreme Court are poised to deal yet another blow to organized labor.
Recently they agreed to hear the case of Janus v. AFSCME, which challenges an Illinois law that requires public sector workers to pay what are known as "agency fees".
Agency fee laws are essentially a check against freeloading.
All workers who work in a union shop have to pay them -- even if they don't belong to the union -- to help cover the cost of the collective bargaining agreement that the union negotiates on their behalf.
Workers in states with right-to-work laws make around $6,000 less per year than workers in states that defend unions.
I thought conservatives were against freeloading.
Why are they trying to legalize it in Illinois?
Comments
#2
All "lawyers' lawyers", ErinRose. So much for the Socratic elite.
#3
George Orwell: "In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act"
#4
Outback - You can not have a Socratic anything when money infects decision making
Socrates pointed out the foolishness of uneducated voters
He was put to death for this
#5
Whether they cross a picket line or work in a union shop without paying dues, in union parlance, another name for freeloader is "scab." No creature lower ...except a Trump troll.
#6
Where the hell is the war on Reaganomics! I want our country back!!!
#7
There's actually a second component to Thom's legalized freeloading comment. The states with right to get paid less laws are more dependent on government handouts...aka taker states. In other words they get back more from the the big bad government than they pay in. This makes sense because with massive low income as the norm, less revenue is collected. The fat unregulated capitalist wins again.
As an extremely proud union member I fully agree with deepspace...the only people more clueless/lower than a scab are Crooked Donny trolls.
#8
Self-proclaimed conservatives have a deep interest in protecting the long-standing socio-political arrangements and institutions that secure privilege that brings considerable economic advantages to them. Such is the nature of our systems of property law and taxation. Efforts to change our laws and tax policies have been effectively undercut even during decades of apparently progressive legislation. This occurred, in part, because most of those who have proclaimed themselves to be Liberals or Progressives have never fully understood the depth of the problem. Thus, reform efforts consistently attacked the edges rather than the core of privilege.
Our founding fathers hoped they had set down a foundation upon which a just society would emerge. They failed because they ignored a problem as serious as the enslavement of persons of color. What they ignored was landed privilege. Rather than fund public goods and services from the societally-created "rent" of land (i.e., the potential annual rental value of location and land-like assets, such as the broadcast spectrum), the powerful in the United States saw to it that government was paid for by the taxation of income earned by producing goods or services, by the taxation of actual capital goods (e.g., buildings, machinery, technology) and by the taxation of commerce. And, when this did not produce enough revenue (as during a time of war) the nations rentiers stepped forward to lend the nation money at interest.
Edward J. Dodson, Director
School of Cooperative Individualism
#9
It's Union busting by diminishing Union treasuries.
The Corporatiions may be Lobbying to bust unions and that in turn defunds Democrats.
With well crafted TV and Radio commercials,
Democrats could Raise campaign Funds from small dollar donations.
#10
State of emergency (really?) declared by a Gov due to expected protests by WHITE super duper SUPREMACIST Richard lol Spencer at the University of Florida.
It seems this guy is freeloading State Universities. Will they play the National Anthem?
#11
Erin (#1): I never had any respect to lose for Trump. He was a scumbag long before he was a so-called president. Too many Americans bought into the Republican myth that someone who hasn't held elected office must not be corrupt.
'Right to work' is another example of Republicans' using a phrase that destroys the conversation. Thom is right, it should be called right to freeload, since all employees must, by law, enjoy the benefits of a union contract but by another law called 'right to work' are excused from their obligation to support the organization that provided them with a decent work arrangement. One more example of how Republicans twist language to their benefit. My answer to 'right to work:' if an employee doesn't want to pay union dues, let's have a law that stipulates that the employee negotiates his or her own contract with the company.
#12
i am not a union guy but I believe in them. I think workers should have the right. I do not think that the employer should have to collect the union dues. Opps agency fees. To me that is just wrong in every way. I personally think that union workers are great but union bosses are as crooked as it gets. It used to be the business owners where taking advantage of the employees now it's the unions.
#13
The U.S. military is a huge freeloader. Taxpayers are paying for a 40 billion dollar cost over run for the F35 fighter from Lockheed and that figure is growing every day. The Abrams tank is an unwanted commodity by our army but Congress demands it still must be built as most representatives have constituents that depend on it for profits.
Don't forget about the bailouts amounting to about 750 or more billion dollars for Wall Street banksters in 2008, 18 billion going for yearly bonuses in that same year. Monsanto has been handed a monopoly market in seed by our government.
Then there's agribusiness where corporate welfare recipients lurk everywhere.
http://investigatemidwest.org/2015/05/12/agribusiness-companies-capitali...
If you paid a tax bill of about $8000, about $36 of that went to individual welfare recipients. Another $6 went for food stamps. Corporate welfare accounted for $750-$800 of your tax bill. Republicans constantly complain about the $42 going for individual welfare and are blithely ignorant of the $800 for corporate welfare.
#14
About respect for Trump;
Trump referred to Un as "rocket man," I thought of what we would call Trump ---besides the usual--- and came up with this parody. Pass it on.
BLOCKHEAD MAN (parody of Rocket Man)
His eyes are sagged, it’s dark outside
Tweetin’ now, it’s 3am
White House is qui----et, no one, to stop his hands
It’s not the tower, where he could be a king
In Washington, that’s not the case
He hates this ki----- ind of life, it’s not his thing
Only months but it seems a much longer time
We need someone who hasn’t lost his mind
The childish man needs to be sent back home, oh woe woe woe
He’s a blockhead man------
A blockhead man, turning our stomachs ‘til he’s gone
Only months but it seems a much longer time
We need someone who hasn’t lost his mind
The childish man needs to be sent back home, oh woe woe woe
He’s a blockhead man------
A blockhead man, turning our stomachs ‘til he’s gone
Was he dropped on his head when he was just a kid?
If he has a heart, it’s cold as hell
And a blow to his ego, will make him, flip his lid
And all the things, he doesn’t understand
He doesn’t care, he thinks that he’s a king
What a blockhead man---------------, a blockhead man
Only months but it seems a much longer time
We need someone who hasn’t lost his mind
The childish man needs to be sent back home, oh woe woe woe
‘Cause the blockhead man
Should be in the docket and, we will be so happy when he’s gone
Only months but it seems a much longer time
We need someone who hasn’t lost their mind
The childish man needs to be sent back home, oh woe woe woe
‘Cause the blockhead man
Should be in the docket and, we will be so happy when he’s gone
‘Cause he’s been there too much a long long time
‘Cause he’s been there too much a long long time
‘Cause he’s been there too much a long long time
#15
#1 - Seems Founders basically followed the Brits... most were landowners I believe
Please correct if wrong...
Most of our commercial entities nowadays have origins during the reign of british queen elizabeth the first
Moreover, interests of the banking empire ever underlie enormous influence in human events
With notable effect I believe
#16
#1 Sorry - my comment at #15 does not apply to your comment
I have no idea what goes wrong with this blog from time to time
My comment is totally out of context
#17
#8 - Seems Founders basically followed the Brits... most were landowners I believe
Please correct if wrong...
Most of our commercial entities nowadays have origins during the reign of british queen elizabeth the first
Moreover, interests of the banking empire ever underlie enormous influence in human events
With notable effect I believe
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I have lost ALL respect for our SCOTUS. What a pack of thugs and thieves. They don't represent the American people, yet they draw salaries based on taxpayer money. They don't represent the law; they bend it, twist it, and sell it like (blanks). They are an international disgrace and they haven't even got the common sense to realize what a bunch of degenerates they really are. They hold themselves out as pillars of society when the truth is, they are nothing but pillars of rank corruption. If they want to be respected, I have two words for them: "Earn it."