Ken, I agree completely—to think I remember seeing Wal-mart begin with it's TV ads saying "ALL America Made". Instead, once he made a fortune on this idea and process, he turned and bankrupt entire towns in the USA to ship production of products over seas to get a better bang for his buck…Well, he banged us alright!
My earlier views of the Detroit auto unions was this: Some of their thugs came and closed our capitol buildings in Lansing, and then came out to close Michigan State in East Lansing. Some of the men students grabbed the strikers and threw them in the Red Ceder River.
Since the days of Reagan, both the unions and the middleclass have taken a hit. In the run-up to the crash, the upper income folks took all increase in wealth, while the mid and lower classes fell behind. Now, while things are still bad, some republicans think it's the right time to dismantle the parts of the government they dislike.
Yes! A constant on-going agenda of the right is to seek the dismantlement Social Security and Unions in our society. It is an evil push popularized by the top 1% earners of our society to become not just rich owners but rulers as well.
I agree that this is a union busting move, otherwise he would be willing to sit down and talk with union reps about the concessions they say they're willing to make.
I started teaching before teachers unionized in NY, and the district I spent most of my career in had a habit (before I got there because by then it was illegal) of firing all teachers at the end of the school year and then rehiring those willing to stick around until late August.
While unions have had a historical role in improving working conditions and equitable pay, in recent history they have openly and admittedly become extensions of the "progressive", socialist, agenda. They receive bailouts by the owebama administration and exemptions from his healthcare reform.
States should discontinue the collection of dues for the unions. Let them collect their own dues. Like the Federal Government, many states are broke. If one looks at the states with the worst budget problems/deficits they are states with high union membership. The dhimmicratic representatives in Wisconsin run away and hide from their paid responsibilities. Union members in Wisconsin take "sick" leave while protesting in the streets. This is outright fraud and cheating of the system. By example, they teach the children that lying, cheating, and stealing is appropriate behavior.
Like the media, unions have become paid political partisan extensions of the socialist movement. BTW, the aforementioned "Republican Regimes" were elected by the people of Wisconsin. Practitioner's giving sick leave notes to protestors should lose their licenses. They are knowingly committing fraud. The terms "union" and PAYOLA are synonymous.
Union's today help American workers every where they are formed by negotiating for workers rights in the work place. This is not out of Socialist design, but from the vast experience of American history that has shown us in the past that un-checked rule by the owning class creates abuse, and even worse, of the working people. Unions are what made the middle class viable in this country-and all that will keep it in place as such.
My tax dollars should not be used to bail out unions that have promised their members, pay and benefits, which they can no longer afford. Do I have conservative values? Yes. Am I rich, No. I like you, go to work every day, have done so for years. I do my job well and pay my bills.
Governments, both federal and state, cannot dig themselves out of debt by creating more debt. I don't claim to have all the answers, perhaps few, but what is happening in Wisconsin only furthers disrespect and dishonor for the unions and their members. Bigger government and more government spending is the problem, not the solution. When you say "vote for the right-give it all to the rich" to whom are you referring? Do you have a problem with someone being rich? Do you begrudge someone who has started a business, worked hard, been successful and become wealthy? Perhaps you begrudge only those with "conservative" values that are rich? There are many rich " leftist liberals" do you also begrudge them? We are not a socialist nation yet.
Tdog- so you're good supporting candidates of a party whose policies since the 1970's (NIxon) and then again in the 1981-1989 (Reagan) and then again during the recent Bush administration have transferred a bulk of public wealth to the top 1% of our country? This 1% is the group I refer to when I say "Rich"–it's not our neighbors. These are the CEO and owners who pay no tax back to the great society that helped make them rich. These are the people who run tax shelters off of US shores, who transfer all their production over seas while still marketing the US middle class here while giving nothing back to the US in turn.
It is now estimated for every dollar and middle class person earns a CEO earns 500$. 500 to one-and these corporations they represent rip us off as a country everyday, the steal us blind by paying nothing back into our system and it is the policies supported by the Republicans that supports them! And so far it looks like the 'tea baggers' fall right into line on this.
The working class people who make it are helped by these policies as well, but they steal nothing from America in comparison to what the wealthy top 1% do..the main stay and ground support of the elite thinking Right wing party here in America.
The middle class in this country is so divided. It gets worse all the time especially now with the speed and overwhelming abundance of persuasive media. Powerful agendas are indeed at work and the more we allow ourselves to be divided, the more we can be controlled. This business in Wisconsin and right here in Columbus, Ohio is a bold step for more control. Someone posted earlier, and I think it's a very good point, that these concessions to save money should be negotiated on, not dictated by stripping the right to bargain.
By the way – Ten states with strongest unions (based on percentage of the workforce with a union) are Hawaii, New York, New Jersey, Washington State, Michigan, Illinois, Alaska, Minnesota, California and Connecticut. Does that look like a list of the worst states economically?
I donot see this as a right wing vs. left wing, but as an attitude that Public elected officials have, and I said public elected officials, not private corporations, and that is that they are the owners of government, rather than representing the people, thus, they must lead by example starting with the little things and the freebees they give themselves while telling the public that there are no funds for this and for that, but meantime, they continue to go on their conferences, travel expenses etc. but no paper for public schools. They do not have an open system of bidding, for the lowest responsible bidder, but for the one who is their favorite and they feel that they have the right to do so because they are public elected officials. So, from what I heard the governor has an attitude that he is the owner of the government, has not to meet with anyone or when or if he does, he has already decided. Public elected and appoiinted officials, have nothing invested of their own, different for small businessmen who risk their own capital, but again they act as they know and do not have to meet with anyone. It is government officials such as the governor, who tells us to save energy, water etc. but he does nothing to make sure that they government is an example to us all. Again, it is an attitude. As for that working individual, he should be ashame of himself to knock the very same hand that has given him the few rights that he has as an employee, maybe it does not matter to him, however, let me just mention a few things, the right of the working people to an education, the minimum wage law, social security for workers and their dependents, the 8 hour workday, equal pay for equal work etc. People have died to gain those rights and yes the unions led the fight. I have rarely heard a government or a capitalist say that they supported higher pay, fewer hours of work and lower profits for themselves. History shows us that the great majority of large business owners oppossed all the issues I have mentioned. They did not give us voluntarily any rights we have today. Have you seen any large Corporate president, BAnk president go to Congress and say to them that he/she would take a pay cut to help the hungry? Even during this crisis they continue to make more $ and higher pay. Of course, there are always a few exceptions, but in general no. Tdog, I think you should go and live in a place like CHina, there they have no labor unions, no equal pay for equal work, no freedom of speech for workers and yes government officials who refuse to acknowledge that the working class has rights, even if they call themselves representatives of the people. Look at societies where governments act unilaterily, no unions etc. and see their standard of living, their education, etc. etc. and their class system, the very few rich and the rest practically in starvation. Good example is to look at the states in USA where unions are weak and where they are stronger and see the cultural, financial and educational levels.
The unions contributed over 400 million to the owebama campaign. It is little wonder he bails out the unions with my and your tax dollars. In 2010 the top 20 unions reported contributions of over 68 million to democratic candidates.
When unions fund to elect a democrat that is part and parcel to the negotiations and outcome of the union contract, it is a DIRECT CONFLICT OF INTEREST!
We have come to a place in time where the causes of our economic woes have been paled by the necessity to resolve them. The grim reality is that the Federal Government is BROKE. 44 of 50 states have budget deficits. Spending more, creating additional debt, and continuing to bail out those that are the root of the problem will only make matters worse. Perhaps the unions should have used the hundreds of millions in political contributions to fund the obligations for which the union members paid.
Thanks Jose, but I don't forsee a trip to China in the future. I'll keep my $$ in the USA.
Thank you for continuing to copy and paste tea party propaganda! Maybe if you write something seriously, people will take you seriously.
Unions should be able to assemble and do whatever they want EXCEPT public employees working for the public and being in a crucial and trusted position ( a privilege really) to service the public and taking taxpayer money have no rights to do anything to harm the taxpayers.
If they are working for monetary gains they need to go into the private sector and get as much as they are worth. If they are committed to helping their fellow man (a sky high ideal and one we should all commend) then they are in a different ball game.
Corporations and employers need to be free to hire and fire anyone. People joining together (unions) to collectively bargain is fine and all the power to them, but they have no right to disrupt private property by strike lines etc. Unions killed Detroit . A car made in Detroit cost $5,600 per car in medical and insurance payments alone. In Canada the same car cost $800 in medical and insurance payments for workers.
When I was in college I was in a union and it was so corrupt it made me sick first hand. Also when I was on the Dinah Shore show talking about economics a long time ago, I was forced to join the tv and radio union which took all my fees to pay for "union dues", even though I was just a guest….what a rip off. No wonder Hollywood is losing so much money.
Unions gave over 400 million dollars to the owebama campaign. In the 2010 elections, the top 20 unions gave nearly 70 million dollars to elect democrats. These are the same people that negotiate and approve the public sector union contracts. This is a DIRECT CONFLICT OF INTEREST. Perhaps the unions should have given these millions to help their members?
Tdog-! Great now international corporations can give how much money?- ONE Zillion Dollars to elect the party of their business interest to our representatives and even to our Oval Office! Thanks to the Right winged supreme nut house court.
Don't even begin to worry or talk about about what Unions can or can't do when it comes to conflict of interest in our elections–WHAT A LAUGH!!!!
TDOG, WHERE ON EARTH DO YOU GET OR DID YOU GET THE IDEA THAT TAX PAYERS PAY FOR THE SALARIES OF UNION PRESIDENTS, OFFICIALS ETC. DEAL WITH THE FACTS. I WAS PRESIDENT OF A 1,200 MEMBER TEACHERS UNION FOR 5 YEARS IN CALIFORNIA AND NO TAX PAYER MONEY EVER PAID MY SALARY AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNION AND I CAN PROVE THAT BEYOND A DOUBT.
WE HAD A BIG ENOUGH FIGHT TO GET THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO RELEASE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNION WITHOUT PAY. SO GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT.
YES, I AGREE THAT UNIONS COULD BE LESS CORRUPT, SO COULD RELIGION, GOVERNMENT, ETC. ETC.