or Medicare. These programs were just training wheels which we've finally outgrown. They have outlived their usefulness and that money could be better spent on wars, prisons, and tax cuts.
Right now, profits are higher than ever we have a more obedient workforce than ever. In 2010 just 45,000 workers went on strike, the second lowest in history. Wanna know what the lowest year was? 2009 with a whopping 13,000 strikers! :P For comparison there were 2.5 million workers on strike in 1970.
From the 1930s to the 1970s we had crippling industry wide strike waves on a regular basis. There were even commies and anarchists stirring these people up and trying to overthrow our whole system. We tried turning the guns on them, but these assholes kept popping up with more strikes. So we gave em a few social benefits for a little while until they started to behave.
Well luckily those dark ages are over. Welcome to the new Millenium baby! We've been destroying their standard of living and labor rights and you hardly hear a peep aside from Wisconsin. Americans are clearly too stupid to organize internationally with the Greeks and British against austerity. These fuckin' morons won't even get off their asses to protest in their own country.
So why not cut social security, who's to stop us? Just read this beautiful BLS report if you really wanna see how bullish the future looks and how we arrived at this lovely moment. And while you're at it why don't we do a celebratory line of coke together.
Table 1. Work stoppages involving 1,000 or more workers, 1947-2010
Number of Days idle(2)
work Numbers of
stoppages workers
Period beginning involved Percent of
in (thousands)- Number estimated
period (1) (thousands) working
time(3)
2010............................... 11 45 302 (4)
2009............................... 5 13 124 (4)
2008............................... 15 72 1,954 .01
2007............................... 21 189 1,265 (4)
2006............................... 20 70 2,688 .01
2005............................... 22 100 1,736 .01
2004............................... 17 171 3,344 .01
2003............................... 14 129 4,091 .01
2002............................... 19 46 660 (4)
2001............................... 29 99 1,151 (4)
2000............................... 39 394 20,419 .06
1999............................... 17 73 1,996 .01
1998............................... 34 387 5,116 .02
1997............................... 29 339 4,497 .01
1996............................... 37 273 4,889 .02
1995............................... 31 192 5,771 .02
1994............................... 45 322 5,021 .02
1993............................... 35 182 3,981 .01
1992............................... 35 364 3,989 .01
1991............................... 40 392 4,584 .02
1990............................... 44 185 5,926 .02
1989............................... 51 452 16,996 .07
1988............................... 40 118 4,381 .02
1987............................... 46 174 4,481 .02
1986............................... 69 533 11,861 .05
1985............................... 54 324 7,079 .03
1984............................... 62 376 8,499 .04
1983............................... 81 909 17,461 .08
1982............................... 96 656 9,061 .04
1981............................... 145 729 16,908 .07
1980............................... 187 795 20,844 .09
1979............................... 235 1,021 20,409 .09
1978............................... 219 1,006 23,774 .11
1977............................... 298 1,212 21,258 .10
1976............................... 231 1,519 23,962 .12
1975............................... 235 965 17,563 .09
1974............................... 424 1,796 31,809 .16
1973............................... 317 1,400 16,260 .08
1972............................... 250 975 16,764 .09
1971............................... 298 2,516 35,538 .19
1970............................... 381 2,468 52,761 .29
1969............................... 412 1,576 29,397 .16
1968............................... 392 1,855 35,367 .20
1967............................... 381 2,192 31,320 .18
1966............................... 321 1,300 16,000 .10
1965............................... 268 999 15,140 .10
1964............................... 246 1,183 16,220 .11
1963............................... 181 512 10,020 .07
1962............................... 211 793 11,760 .08
1961............................... 195 1,031 10,140 .07
1960............................... 222 896 13,260 .09
1959............................... 245 1,381 60,850 .43
1958............................... 332 1,587 17,900 .13
1957............................... 279 887 10,340 .07
1956............................... 287 1,370 26,840 .20
1955............................... 363 2,055 21,180 .16
1954............................... 265 1,075 16,630 .13
1953............................... 437 1,623 18,130 .14
1952............................... 470 2,746 48,820 .38
1951............................... 415 1,462 15,070 .12
1950............................... 424 1,698 30,390 .26
1949............................... 262 2,537 43,420 .38
1948............................... 245 1,435 26,127 .22
1947............................... 270 1,629 25,720 (5)
Good morning America, though I doubt you'll wake up