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Chuck,
France is ahead of the curve in diminishing union membership worldwide. Forward thinking companies involve employes in management. Employee committees determine everything from new products, to benefits. Onsite daycare, education, gyms, etc. are offered as well. Unions are viewed by many ( me included) as corrupt, self serving, greedy entities. Unions once served a purpose, that day has passed. The more unions try to force membership through ploys like "card check" the less popular they'll become.
Okay...
ChicagoMatt says of private-sector unions that they are "destined to be small, local, relatively insignificant, and archaic." Really! I say, the hell they are. Such self-fulfilling prophecies only become self-fulfilling if we want them to, or if we're too lazy or stupid to prevent the preventable.
I think it's just dandy that you and your little family are enjoying a nice, comfortable, middle class standard of living; hooray for you! But I hope you'll pardon those of us less willing to accept a status quo that isn't serving us; even if it's serving you, your privileged pupils and their well-heeled parents.
And by the way, as I've already stated, I don't give a flippin' damn if those Confederate jerk-offs secede from the Union. They can just keep on inbreeding, thumping their bibles and living their backwards little lives without the rest of us interfering! Suits me fine. - AIW
Public High School in Maryland
Just the impression I get. Don't you feel like Republicans celebrate failed government programs? And they look for stories that will back up their ideology?
AIW -- I was apologizing for being punny.
Chi Matt -- Are you making stuff up or have you heard anyone say that?
Had to do what, Chuck? Nothing in your post is objectionable, at least to me. You're just calling a prick a prick.
Anyway I saw that video on Democracy Now. I'm furious at the judge's ruling. This is NOT justice; it's misogynist, fascist bullshit. "Justice" system by name only! - AIW
Chi Matt -- You sound like Newt Gingrich. The most telling comment was the republican who said we can't pass that it will make the prez look good. If your motive is to damage the party in power and not help the country, I think that would be the definition of not fighting the good fight. Is there any time in history where the dems did something like that? If so, how often?
Sandles, you sure can make me smile. From ear to ear. Love you... - AIW
Chi Matt -- Do you totally ignore history?
Everything you have mentioned has been worse than it is now and has come back. Why do you not think it will not be coming back?
Why do you say people "think" things were better? You do not have to think it. You can actually measure it. The strongest mathematical measure is the gini coefficient which is a measure of economic inequality. Richard Wilkinson used a much easier metric for economic inequality -- the ratio of the top 20% to the bottom 20%. Richard Wilkinson shows how economic inequality damages a society. You really need to go to his TED talk
http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson
Matt, Matt, Matt… Just as I'm about to praise you for a sane comment or two, you have to go and spoil it by saying something stupid like: "Do you ever get the feeling that environmentalists are actually hoping for natural disasters? So they can say, "I told you so".
Nope, sorry. That's one feeling I've never gotten.
But when unusual weather events occur (becoming, incidentally, less "unusual" each time they occur, which is why Hartmann suggests it's the "new normal"), environmentalists and scientists will naturally say things like "Now they will see I was right!" And why shouldn't they, after all? Even though it might still be wishful thinking. - AIW
P.S. (to anyone in particular) Ever notice how greed and stupidity feed off each other? It's as if greed causes one to lose access to whatever intelligence s(he) was born with.
Do you ever get the feeling that environmentalists are actually hoping for natural disasters? So they can say, "I told you so". Like Republicans who want government programs to fail, because it proves their point that government is inept.
I'm not saying climate change isn't an important issue. It is. But sometimes I feel like some people are actually excited when an unusual weather event happens. Like, "Yes! It's finally happening! Now they will see! I was right!"
Chuck we agree - Companies should have to pay for what they put in the air, just like they have to pay to dispose of their solid wastes. I'd take it a step further and say companies and people should be rewarded for getting pollutants out of the air.
Has anything from the past 40 or so years given you any indication that people will stop voting against their own interest, particularly in red states?
As a native Southerner and country-boy, I think many people who do not come from those areas really underestimate the animosity they have towards the rest of the country. If they know an idea is popular in liberal circles, they will oppose it on principle. You'd only need a handful of non-union areas in the USA to ruin it for the other pro-union areas. "You want $50 an hour in Seattle? Fine. We'll just relocate to Georgia."
Mother Earth is facing a spreading corporate cancer and a viral growth in the human population thar will soon prove unsustainablew. Who will win? Mother Earth has survived much, much worse catastrophes during her 4.5 billion years of existence... and proliferated afterwards each and every time.
We will lose in the long term.
From what Thom and other Progressives have said about the Caucus Room meeting, it sounds like the Republicans - the opposition party at that time - were just agreeing to oppose the man and party in power. That's why it's called the opposition party. I wonder if Democrats had similar meetings after the elections of Republican presidents.
The only difference, which we can all agree on, is the Republicans have a more united front. They really do march in lock-step.
Isn't part of being a Conservative being resistant to change? Obama's entire mantra was "change". Are we surprised that Conservatives got together to resist it?
Chi Matt -- What indications do you have that card check would not work in non-union states? The indicator for me that card check would work in the red/non-union states is how hard the repugs (synchophants of the 1%) fought to make sure it did not pass.
Wouldn't that only hurt the 99% even more? They'd be the ones paying for it.
Not saying he shouldn't be sued it he did it. And if a tape of it exists, I hope it makes its way to youtube. And good for her if she does sue and gets money from it.
But that money isn't coming from the elites. It's coming from average joe property tax payer. And, if that city is anything like Chicago, a $5,000,000 settlement will just mean one more school that has to be shut down.
Alice..
I did say that I fought back. I went for his eys when his hands were around my throat. When he threw me on the ground, I got lucky when it occured to me to be compassionate..and it worked...ONCE! Fighting back against one rapist for the chance of survival is one thing. Fighting a corrup regime when one has no chance...well the moral high ground of turning the other cheek, in my way of thinking, has the better chance of changing minds.
Chuck - You're trying to revive something that's never coming back. For whatever reason - Reaganomics, elitist consporacy, internal corruption, immigration, etc... - private sectors unions are destined to be small, local, relatively insignificant, and archaic. Although they may be good for the country and you may be right about how much good they would do, that era of American history is over. Even if card check would have passed, only areas that are already union-friendly would use it. Workers in red states, even if it would benefit them, wouldn't sign on en mass for a liberal/Democratic/Yankee/big-city/Communist or whatever they call it idea. That, in turn, would just push more jobs into the right-to-work states.
It's a fun idea to think about - a return to high union membership. Particularly if it's something you grew up with. I'll bet most people think things were better when they were growing up, and a return to those things is desireable.
AIW -- Not only were there witnesses there was a video tape. In spite of all that, she was convicted of assaulting the police officer. The judge would not allow the part of the video that showed the cop, copping a feel (sorry, I had to do that). He said it would bias the jury. Anyway, that is what I heard.
Hi Alice...
I used to be a musician, still am I guess but my passion for writing music seems to be turning to more hands on practical stuff...maybe because music teachers and choir directors and classical vocalists can't make a living anymore. W/out art and music, the skill of critical thought suffers greatly. The arts are the first to go under fascist regimes. Thanks for your support. Hope to meet you one day...for that Tea-N-Toke! :)
Marc - I respectfully disagree. If manufacturing came back in a big way, it would come back to the South and MidWest, mostly medium-sized towns. Not back to Detoit, Chicago, Pittsburg, etc... You know, the Rust Belt. If you google "Manufacturing in the USA", you will see lots of stories about how factories are in fact opening in the USA again, but all are located in non-union states, like the Carolinas.
My reasoning is:
1. Access to iron and steel isn't as important anymore. Plastics, which can be made anywhere, are the more likely main components.
2. Big cities, particularly in blue states, have higher taxes. The few factories that stay in Illinois, like Caterpillar, do so because they get special tax breaks just for them. On the other hand, the South starts off with already-low tax rates, and companies can negotiate them down even further.
3. Right-to-work states will be the first to get the jobs. For obvious reasons.
4. Access to rail and rivers isn't as important anymore either, thanks to trucking.
On a related note, if my understanding is correct, there is some deal being worked out that will allow Mexican truckers, non-Teamster types - to deliver in the USA. Currently they have to drop their loads at the border for an American trucker to pick up. But I remember hearing how they want to change that. The truckers will be able to take the load straight to its destination, and then pick up a load and take it back to Mexico.
The best, most cost-effective thing large cities with high-poverty areas can do now is to help train those people for specific jobs, and help them move to where the jobs are. Complaining about a lack of job opportunities in your area, while making no effort to get out of your area, doesn't do much good.
Chuck..
I was asking the guy at the Kroger seafood counter why we have farm raised cat fish from China. He says it's raised in the US, shipped to China, packaged, then shipped back! We have GOT to change our way of life.
I have no doubt that if Africa wasn’t raped and pillaged by multi-nationals, their fertile land could feed many, don’t know about 9 billion...but...what gives? You do via your donations. What takes?.. the blood diamond market, the rare earth market...the rich countries who exploit Africa and Africans and have since the dawn of time...sadly.