Isn't it interesting that we are in the midst of celebrating a weekend dedicated to America's labor force - the very people who worked so hard to build our country? I say this because it seems everything appears to be slanted in "management's" way these days, particularly the big corporate businesses, their CEO's and stockholders.
As we think about this particular holiday - if we give it any thought at all - it was initiated by Labor, or here comes what now is a nasty word - UNION - leaders. These folks fought for the working man and woman at a time when wages, work hours,and working conditions were terrible. Without unions, who knows what the normal work week might have been. 60 hours instead of 40? Minimum wage might never have existed. 7 day work weeks might have been the norm. We'll never know because these men forced the situation with greedy company owners on behalf of the working stiff.
Nowadays, of course, everybody, except union members themselves, seem to be anti-union. They feel that the union worker is paid too much, and their benefits are ridiculously high. But, with union membership dropping, and big business shipping jobs overseas by the hundreds of thousands, real wages have actually dropped for the middle class worker over the past 20 years. So have the benefits offered to them by the companies they work for.
Candidates from the right claim they've never been offered a job by someone who wasn't rich. While that may be true, the offers are dwindling at the same time the company's profits are swelling. It seems to me that the normal working person would reject the premise that is being proposed about giving tax breaks to the richest among us - both individuals and corporations. But, then again, I don't buy into the stuff being force-fed on Fox news.
One thing I do know though - it's doubtful we'll ever see a three-day weekend celebrated called "Corporate Day Weekend". Then again, if the Republicans get their way, sweeping both houses of Congress - and eventually the White House again, I suppose it could happen.
Old Fart Mike
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Concerning the folks that fought for the working man. How many people reliaze that the actual blows delivered to the working man came from hired "dicks" called Pinkertions. I wish I could remember how many miners on strike for a Nickle a day increase in pay were killed in Pennsylvinia by the "dicks". That is 5 cents per day. The company spent 100 times what is would have cost to pay the Nickle a day, but the company did not want to be pushed around by a bunch of bums. I read that to mean, I own it and if you want to work for me you will take what I give you or die.
ReplyDeleteI have seen while working in Oakland violence from both sides and been involved in strikes while in the AFL-CIO. All unfortunate but without a large voice workers would be out in the cold.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the tax breaks for the top 2% this is one of my favorite economic principles . ' Trickle Down Economics' always makes me feel like I live in a urinal. Tom
P.S. The last comment was from Tom not Barb. I used her profile because I am computer stupid. Tom
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