At the Campaign for America's Future, Dave Johnson
writes:
We, the People were supposed to be in charge here. The economy was supposed to be for our benefit and we were all supposed to get a slice of that pie we all baked together. But (as always throughout history) wealthy interest were able to dominate, "influence" the lawmakers and enforcers, and grab what they could get for themselves. Our system fell down because it didn't control the ability of a few wealthy people to gain power over the rest of us.
Unions gave regular working people the power to get the share of the pie that democracy promises. Before unions came along to enforce the promise of democracy working people didn't get their share of the prosperity that democracy promised. After unions working people did. Before unions we had 12 (or more)-hour workdays, seven days a week. Before unions we had low pay. Before unions we had no benefits. Before unions we certainly didn't get vacations. Before unions we could be fired for no reason. Before unions a wealthy few were able use their wealth to pay off influence legislators and keep the rules bent in their favor.
Unions organized people into power blocks that forced changes that brought a larger share of the pie to We, the People. Unions are a vital part of the system of democracy because they give regular people the power to confront the wealthy.
One thing [The New York Times Op-Ed columnist Joe] Nocera wrote: "Company managements don’t pay workers any more than they have to"—actually, I would change "don't" to "can't". Companies can't pay workers more than they have to. And they can't provide health insurance and benefits and good working conditions and all the other things we wish they would do.
Here is what a lot of us don't get about corporations: it isn't the corporations that are the problem, it's the playing field that is the problem. If one corporation can get away with paying its workers less, then they all have to. They don't have a choice. When one company finds a competitive advantage the rest of the companies have to respond or risk being driven out of business. They really do not have a choice. One company can't pay better than the others. We, the People have to make them all pay better. It's called making the rules. We are supposed to be making the rules, not them. And when we are not making the rules, the system stops working.
Blast from the Past. At Daily Kos on this date in 2007:
The Tancredo comment that Bush "won't be allowed to darken the door" of the White House after his departure should be enough of a clue as to how the Republican Party is feeling about their Dear Leader. Last night's debate was full of bobbin' and weavin' as the men who would be Republi-king sweated to mouth fulsome praise for policies in the abstract, while handing out some slaps on the specifics. It you listened closely, you even heard some complaints about Bush's handling of Katrina and the war. Moments of near reality in the midst of a Republican debate (before we got back to hatred of gays, English as the official language, and strict creationist world view). With the latest polls showing that a bare majority of Republicans still cling to a favorable view of the president -- and even then on only the most general of questions -- there's little doubt that Republican candidates want to distance themselves from Bush. That's increasingly true even when they're singing to the choir.
After all, reasonable Republicans long ago turned up their nose at the ongoing administration outrages (that growing percentage of independents didn't come from nowhere), and -- just as with apologists for fallen communist regimes -- the reddest of the red have convinced themselves that this administration was "never really conservative anyway." There really is no upside in being BFF with Bush.
So with the "new" bipartisan plan for Iraq that emerged yesterday, sharing the signatures of Lamar! Alexander and Joementum's pal Ken Salazar, it's worth wondering if there's anything more to this than a PR effort.
Tweet of the Day:
REMINDER: Mitt Romney believes Bush tax breaks for the rich should be extended and super-sized. Because you fell for it the last time.
— @LOLGOP via Timely by Demandforce
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