When an article titled “Unions Aren’t the Problem” shows up, you know it’s going to be entertaining and amusing to read. Marie Cocco of the Washington Post graciously provides us the intellectual stimulation we need this morning…
I do agree with her on the original intention of unions:
Creating a viable middle class has been the goal of organized labor since labor first became organized. And it is this goal that was abandoned outright by American political and business leaders as they did all they could over the past three decades to encourage a relentless race to the bottom in wages and benefits.
So what happened? Like many organizations, unions became powerful and its leaders turned into mob bosses with influence over politicians and businessmen. And when one is sitting at the top with so much power, more than likely the person wouldn’t want to leave and would do anything to remain at the top, including abusing its members.
Also, Cocco doesn’t think personal financial responsibility applies to the middle class:
Strip away the financial mumbo jumbo and the credit crisis comes down to this: For decades, as wages and benefits for working and middle-class people stagnated or fell, the only way for them to purchase the goods that make the economy hum was through credit. This was true whether the item purchased was a home, a car — or all the unnecessary gizmos that retailers have been more than happy to tell consumers were the must-haves of the day. Until we understand that we are in the midst of two crises — one the short-term credit crisis and one the longer-term crisis in the failure to pay workers what they need to sustain themselves — we are doomed to repeat this horror.
Why are people buying everything through credit? Cars, furniture, electronics — everything is financed! My parents raised me to only buy what you have the cash for and try your best to avoid debt. That BMW is a sweet ride, but if I only have the money to buy a used Ford Escort then that’s what I’ll be driving for a few years. Our economy shouldn’t hum on credit. It should hum on cash purchases!
And is she condoning trespass?
This is why we can only hope that events such as the unfolding peaceful occupation of a Chicago window factory by its newly laid-off workers is the start of something much, much bigger.
Laid-off workers returning to work, except it’s not work because they are actually disrupting the actual paid workers the company kept. What nonsense is this?! Why aren’t they scouring newspapers and researching online to find work instead of wasting time harassing their former employer? Move. On. Please.
