03.05.07
Another thing about unions
I’m a capitalist, and even in my roughest times I believe in the system. Because it works.
But I’m a little curious about something, and don’t know exactly where to look. In my mind, the industries that have had the roughest times in recent years are the very industries that are heavily unionized. Auto makers. Airlines. Etc.
Now, here’s my question. Are these companies really having such problems because of the unions, or do we just hear about it more because the media, which regardless of what Eric Alterman dreams in his bizarre little world, is so much in the pocket of the liberals and the Democrats that we get constant news stories about the big bad corporations attacking the poor little unions ?
Union membership has declined something like 800% in the last 50 years. (I know, the math is weird…. how can something decline 800% ???) In 1950 or so union membership was at about 40% of the private workforce. Now it’s around 7.5%. That’s PRIVATE. The AFSCME and other government unions are still pretty high, which is bizarre enough. It takes a frigging act of Congress to fire a government civil service worker, it seems.
As an aside, some government employees are hired and can be fired, because they serve at the pleasure of the President. Reference the US Attorneys who were recently let go. Diane Feinstein is all up in arms about it. The President can fire any political appointee he wants to, at any time. Does she not remember when her “boy” Bill Clinton took office and fired EVERY SINGLE US Attorney in the country ? He hired some back, sure, but… where was the outrage ?
Aside over- do the unions really serve any purpose now except to drive up costs for power, communications, cars, and plane rides ? I know the people holding glow-sticks on the tarmac really like their 30 buck an hour snooze-arama, but is it really worth it when the airline goes belly-up, or they start laying people off like a coked-up whore at a Cleveland bang-fest ?
That’s why, I think, the Dems want the unions to have carte-blanche to sign people up in full view. Most people don’t want to join a union, because they know that doing so may just be a commitment that leads to their demise. Real nice to have that union card when you’ve spent 2% of your wages over the years to support unions (and in turn Democrats), but now the company is bankrupt because of the benefits and outrageous wages.
That guy who has the union card and no job is now really happy for two things. One, he can go to Wal Mart and buy cheap, reliable, and quality goods to support himself and his family. And two, he can toss that card on the fire to heat his home for a millisecond or two.
Or he can follow the advice of Robert Kennedy Jr., that absolute waste of a human being, and buy heating oil from Hugo Chavez. HAVE YOU SEEN THE COMMERCIALS THEY ARE DOING ??? Absolutely, without a doubt, treasonous. Without. A. Doubt. More on that another time.
