Republican politicians in both Michigan and across the nation are attacking the unions and the working class at an unprecedented rate; busting unions, rolling back hard-fought workplace protections and widening the gap between the rich and regular people.
It has gotten so bad that new Republican Gov. Scott Walker says the Wisconsin National Guard is prepared to respond wherever is necessary in the wake of his announcement that he wants to take away nearly all collective bargaining rights from state employees.
It appears that Republicans truly want to go back to the 1920s’ and ‘30’s when many workers gave their very lives for workplace dignity, safe working conditions and a decent wage; and we are even headed back to the Gilded Age.
In fact, we are headed back to 1928 when the gap between the wealthy and working class was so large it helped fuel the Great Depression. In 1928, one year before the global economic collapse, “the wealthiest .001 percent of the U.S. population owned 892 times more than 90 percent of the nation’s citizens. Today, the top .001 Percent of the U.S. population owns 976 times more than the entire bottom 90 percent.”
Already the gap between the super-rich and the disappearing middle class is huge, and bonehead and illegal moves by people like Walker will only make it worse. The fact is the U.S. is turning into a banana republic where there is a huge gap between the rich and the working class; something that is happening in the U.S. right now.
The richest 1 percent of Americans now take home almost 24 percent of income, up from almost 9 percent in 1976. That means the United States now arguably has a more unequal distribution of wealth than traditional banana republics like Nicaragua, Venezuela and Guyana.
No wonder Walker is acting like a Latin-American dictator.
In 1965 the average CEO was earning 24 times what the average worker was making. But by 2001 the C.E.O.’s of the largest American companies earned an average of 531 times as much as the average worker.
It makes no sense that to kill unions.
25 comments:
Why is Obama giving unions exemptions from Obamacare?
Kevin, you really have absolutely no faith in the American people. There is no point anymore for unions, we have OHSA and minimum wage laws. Why should we people pay more for workers to do less? It makes no sense, we are not socialists yet.
If people do not like their pay, leave the job and try to get into something else, yes it really is that simple. When unions strike, everyone pays more for it.
If unions really are the way, why dont the Dems who were running everything just mandate it as law like Obamacare?
A story "I have worked in two unionized companies and was a member of both Unions. In both cases I used a work ethic that was instilled in me by my father. "Work Hard, Be Ethical, Be Truthful, and Respect Authority" In both cases, my work ethic in a unionized company demonstrated to me one thing very quickly. The harder I worked, the nastier, and the harder the job I would be assigned. There was no end to the nastiness, and the level of difficulty of the jobs being assigned. I also learned that no matter how hard I worked, my compensation was identical to the person who literally spent 2 hours of his 8 hour work day actually working. The other 6 were spent in the restroom, smoking, talking to co workers, hiding for the bosses, and generally just avoiding work. This was the majority mindset in both companies.
I also learned that when promotion time came, if the guy who spent all his time avoiding work had been there longer than me, he would get the promotion, not me. It didn't matter how hard you worked, how smart you were, or if you deserved to be promoted, you only got promoted if you had been there longer than the next guy.
How many think this is a way to have a profitable company with productive employees?
This was 30 years ago. In the last 30 years I have worked for companies that are not unionized. I am highly rewarded for my thoughts, my hard work, my innovation, and my contribution to the company. I get along great with my superiors, I am well paid, and I have good benefits.
The only thing Unions have shown me are that they are a drain on both society and companies."
So they are ineffective and a drain on society most people believe, thats why union workers only make up about 1.5% of the population and their numbers continue to dwindle.
“Why is Obama giving unions exemptions from Obamacare?” I don’t know, but perhaps because they already provide good health care for their members.
I have lot of faith in the the American people; I don’t have any faith in corporations. The huge gap between the rich and the almost dead middle class proves we need unions more than ever before. No one is paying for people to do less.
What a stupid statement, “If people do not like their pay, leave the job and try to get into something else.” When they have killed the unions, all jobs will be low pay. The Democrats never have and never will mandate unions. They are a true democratic organization. They are voted in by the workers with an election, their leaders are voted in by the workers and the contract is voted in by the workers. I guess that’s why Republicans hate them so much.
Exactly, a story; fiction.
Union membership is dwindling because of the constant attacks on them by Republicans, and that’s why the U.S. is turning into a banana republic with this huge gap between normal people and the rich.
So that's why there were unions: So we could have OSHA and the minimum wage. And now that they're here, of course, we can trust corporations and conservative politicians to protect them for us.
Unions were and are about the right to work with dignity, for a fair wage, and a decent standard of living that includes benefits, sick leave, and vacation time, not subsistence living and working in minimally safe conditions.
As unions have weakened, the pay of all hasn't gone up since 1980, health care benefits are being reduced, and workplaces are becoming less and less safe (just ask any miner in West Virginia).
I have more faith in the American people when they band together, not when they are isolated and turned against one another.
Great post, K. Not only that, if you don't like how a union is run, you can run for a leadership position.
Do you guys know about unintended consequences? Ever heard that saying before? How come the right to work states are beating the crap out of states like Michigan? Please tell me, because I dont know how they do it year after year after year in Obamas Great Depression.
Again, he calls someone a dictator. That's dangerous hate-mongering talk, isn't it? Why are only democratic socialists allowed to resort to hate talk?
haha Yes Kevins, hypocrisy thy name is KevHead now you kevins.
In what way are right to work for less states “ beating the crap out of states like Michigan?”
The average worker in a right to work for less state makes about $5,333 a year less than workers in other states ($35,500 compared with $30,167).
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/annpay.t01.htm
Nevada, a right to work for less state, has the highest unemployment rate in the country. The “Obamas (sic) Great Depression?” Anything to back up that ridiculous and false statement?
Everything Obama has done, has not worked. Name something and the opposite effect has happened. Turning around an economy isnt an overnight process I know, but whatever he does has the opposite effect.
2001!?!?!?!?! nice numbers, maybe 2010 numbers can come out in 10 years from now to help out your arguement.
one of the chief things the health care union that covers the University of wisconsin hospital in madison does is ensure safe staff to patient ratios and to decrease mandated overtime which in most cases has nursing and respiratory therapists ect working 16 hour shifts. studies show these two issues have a great deal to do with whether a patient actually survives unscathed during a hospital stay. my experience is that this hospital and pretty much all others will increase the number of patients per nurse and staff themselves via forced 16 hour shifts because its the cheapest way. unions are in fact the only thing between you or your loved ones being hurt or neglected by tired and overworked nurses. in the case of wiscosnin this is all so 0.01 percent of the popultation won't have to pay their fair share of the tax burden. rich people endangering the rest of us as usual, but presented by politicians as a remedy to selfish union workers and state employees making the states and federal government go broke. in other words wisconsin and the rest of the united states is rapidly being transformed into mexico by the republicans,obama admin and the teabagg brigade; essentially working in concert. sadly most of you won't really ever understand your own roles in what's being done to this once fine county.
Just off the top of my head, I can think of a major accomplishment; lifting us out of the Bush recession.
Don't rest on this one too long, even if it is technically true.
Foreclosures are still climbing, home values are still declining and the dangerously high unemployment rate is not improving. That combination has economists worried about a double-dip recession and, if not that, years of stagnation.
That's what you want to hang your hat on?
Kevins, you might not want to question the "guru" anymore. He and Johnny Utah are starting to go crazy. You might drive them over the edge, words have consequences.
Maybe you are right brad.
I come back to this every few months. It's a fun distraction for a while.
But then it gets boring. And then it gets depressing. And finally it gets scary. People like guru and johnny exist? They are out in public? They can vote?
That's a nightmare I would rather not think about.
“I come back to this every few months. It's a fun distraction for a while?“ What bullshit. You come back with a different anonymous screen name to get your ass kicked and crawl back under your rock to resurface with a different anonymous name.
so, guru, I'll make it simple for you.
You said there was no such thing as a democratic socialist. Were you right or wrong when you said that?
You kick my ass? That's a laugh. You kick ass the same way that the Democrats kicked ass in November. Talk about a butt-kicking.
I don’t see that anywhere on this thread. But there is no such thing as a Socialist Democrat. There is, however, apparently a Democratic Socialists Party of America.
Easily.
Bye Brett.
You can't handle the truth....no surprise there.
I pointed out your lies and I have yet to tell a single lie. You lie about me and I call you on it. You can't deny it. So you want me to leave.
You are the biggest loser, the biggest coward, the biggest liar.
I can handle the truth fine, but I haven’t heard any from you. I’m still waiting for you to point out a lie from me. Who said I want you to leave? You were warned a long time ago about that bullshit. It will not be tolerated.
If you consider me a loser, then good; I’m not a liar; the person who hides behind the anonymous name is the coward. I’m not afraid to attach my name to what I write like you are.
Is Bernie Sanders a democratic socialist?
You said "no one" predicted the size of the Republican win. You also said the Huffington Post is a legitimate source. The Huffingston Post said that most everyone was predicting a Republican wave. So why won't you admit you were wrong when you said "no one?"
I caught you in so many lies and your brilliant retort is to either a) say that your lie was the truth; and b) ignore it.
Recently, you've lied about correcting mistakes. You lied when you said a man's suicide was an example of rightwing hate crimes. You lied when you tried to blame conservatives for the Tucson shooting. You lied when you said "no one" predicting the Republican landslide. You lie everytime you say you correct mistakes. You lie when you say there is no such thing as a democratic socialist. You lie when you haul out the term Republican Fascist but can't name even one. You lie when you say you don't like name-calling and then call conservatives fascists, bat-shit crazy, dictators, constitution-trashers, extremists, etc. You lie when you won't admit that Democrats have stolen from Detroit City and Detroit schools. You lie when you say that Johnny C. plays with himself when he's on the computer.
You lie and lie and lie. It's in your DNA.
The answer is no, and I have already answered your question.
Like I said, there is no such thing as a Socialist Democrat. There is, however, apparently a Democratic Socialists Party of America. I’m not sure what that has to do with union busting and attempted intimidation by the Governor, but there is my answer.
Correct, like I said about five times now, no one predicted the size of the Republican win. I didn't hear one legitimate pundit say the GOP would take the Michigan House or the gains in the U.S. House would be as large as they were. Yes, I said the Huffington Post is a legitimate source, for now, but I never heard them make those predictions.
Sorry, you have never caught me in a lie, and you never will. When I make a mistake, I correct it, just like the suicide thing.
Here is your fair warning; this is the last time I am going let you get away with that kind of smear. It’s not fair that you can hide behind a fake name because you don’t have the balls to say what you just said about another poster to their face or what you tried to sneak by previously to me.
A Socialist Democrat is a Democratic Socialist. Its like saying tall and blonde AND blonde and tall describing someone. Thanks for playing Commie Guru. BOOM.
commie has now taken to blocking comments that make him look even dumber than he is.
Here's the thing. Guru is losing it. He's now little more than a hate-speech dweeb. He says it is dangerous to call people names, and then he calls them fascists, dictators and even tyrants. So, by his own admission, he is trying to create an environment of violence.
What a sicko.
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