I’ve been posting on a local forum for my small town in Indiana, where the liberals are significantly outnumbered by conservatives. We mostly manage to get along and have respectful debates, although there are some certifiable wingnut agitators who post there, as well. This is my Labor Day weekend post:
Topic Title: Labor Day and "Socialist" Unions
Topic Description: For those with short memories.
Since this is Labor Day weekend, I thought this would be appropriate.
I’ve been hearing a lot of hotheaded rhetoric these days about the evils of the "socialist" unions.
I think it would be helpful to understand how and why these "socialist" organizations came into being.
Think history can't repeat itself? Just keep giving the neo-gilded-age robber barons (corporate tyrants) the second chance that your forgetfulness is giving them today. People who are obssessed with profit would do the same thing again, given enough time and opportunity, in the name of that same "sacred profit."
Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Yes, there is corruption to be found in the unions. Anytime there is MONEY involved there are going to be scammers and crooks sniffing around to see what they can get away with.
Same thing goes for big business/corporations.
And government.
And religion.
Does that mean we throw our hands in the air and say, "It’s no use. Corruption always wins," and abandon common decency and humanity?
A lot, if not most of you, come from these" working poor" roots. And the legacy built upon their laboring backs and their demands of fair and humane treatment, backed up with their own blood, afforded you the safe working conditions and fair wages most of you have enjoyed up to this point.
Yet it seems that some these days would throw their modern day counterparts to the wolves, or out of burning factory windows, in the name of unfettered, unregulated "free market capitalism."
We DON"T live in a purely "free market" economy. We never have – think US Postal Service.
We live in a "mixed" economy – capitalism/socialism – the balance of which protects both the innovation and entrenpenourism of the business class on the capitalist side, and the welfare of the "common man" working class on the socialist side.
Our political system is a representative democracy. We depend upon those we elect to represent us – ALL of us.
The "mixed economy" of capitalism/socialism that we’ve had in this country, especially since the time frame closely following the turn of the twentieth century, has pretty much kept business running with reasonable profit, while protecting the welfare of the workers. If we go to the extreme, on either end of the scale, we ALL lose.
So the next time some ignoramus tries to tell you that unions are "socialist" and therefore, "evil," think of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire...
And spit in their eye.
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P.S.
If you click anywhere on the video except the arrow, it will take you to the author's video. Please rate, and favorite it if you have a YouTube account. He/she did an awesome job on this video and deserves credit for it.
UPDATE: So far this has been posted on my local forum for over twenty four hours without a peep from any of the wingers, even though they are usually lightning quick to pounce on any liberal post. Wonder why?
Dirtandiron had a good point in his comment on my original post about my "spit in their eye," statement. I didn't mean it literally - although the temptation would be fierce.