President Obama Has Come Out Swinging For The Unions

Pretty powerful stuff indeed, a President who has come out “pro-worker/pro-union”. But will the rest of the country? I say “no” and here is why.
“Mitch McConnell(R) called on Democrats to strip a “Buy American” clause from the bill, designed to ensure only US steel, iron and manufactured goods are used on infrastructure projects designed to revive the economy.” I don’t think we ought to use a measure that is supposed to be timely, temporary, and targeted to set off trade wars when the entire world is experiencing a downturn in the economy,” he said.

“Since 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the United States, American workers would be the first to suffer as ‘Buy American’ provisions trigger retaliation by other countries — that is, ‘Buy German,’ ‘Buy Chinese,’ and so on,” said Chris Braddock of the US Chamber of Commerce.

“We certainly aren’t against companies and governments ‘Buying American,’ but we are against the government arbitrarily mandating such a requirement, because it would harm our economy in numerous ways,” Braddock said, citing the trade wars that eventually sparked the Great Depression.

“The Chamber is absolutely committed to avoiding a replay of that disaster,” he said.

Well I guess Mr. .Braddock must not watch the news or read the paper, OUR ECONOMY IS IN THE Toilet NOW & WE ARE ON THE BRINK OF A DEPRESSION AND WE ARE NOT IN A TRADE WAR!!!!!
These fools are actually still selling the old Milton Friedman radical right- wing economic ideology! In other words, let the market regulate itself until it falls on its ass then let the working people lift it up with “THEIR” tax dollars! But god forbids we use U.S. workers & products to pull ourselves out of this mess. So much for self preservation, not as long as the top 2% are getting theirs.
So the answer is NO, America will not get behind President Obama and his support of labor or the working class. Not after 8 years of “My stuff is better than yours” mentality and I don’t care if you lose your job as long as I get mine has been the standard. So next time you shop at Wal Marx, think about why your good “Union” wages should not be spent on products with the “Union” label, or at least “made in the USA”. Some one, some where, Ohio, New York, Texas, needs that product or service bought to have a job. Someday it may be you who needs it.

Thanks for joining in. I like the ‘heat’ you brought here… passion that’s what we’re looking for in these discussions.

Now I disagree slightly and here’s why: I think a shift is occurring. A very slow shift, but a shift nonetheless.

Union numbers are up slightly the last two years. Walmart recently lost a huge class action lawsuit over wages and the Canadian unions are starting to make inroads against the evil empire.

Most polls show that 55-60 percent(this is an edit got the numbers wrong this morning) of Americans would join a union if one was available at their workplace.

The middle class has been slipping for a long time now and is finally starting to realize they are slipping. They’ll fight harder to keep what they had, rather than fight to get what they never had…

I also think the middle class is finally starting to realize they are slipping. Part of the reason we battled this me,me,me is because the majority of the me’s felt like everything was just peachy. Today they wake up and everything is no longer peachy.

The debt they’ve created to keep the lifestyle they grown accustomed to but can longer keep up with because their wages haven’t been keeping up. (wheew! what a mouthful, hope it reads coherently)… The debt, the debt… it’s finally choking them out and they are beginning to realize how bad it actually is.

In an effort to keep my mindless rambling going… they are waking up and now they will start fighting to keep what they thought they had. They’ll fight harder for it than they would fight for an idea they’ve never experienced… Man I know what I want to say, the keyboard is not being my friend today.

The main thing we can do is continue to educate those around us that still don’t ‘get it’. And we can start with the Employee Free Choice Act. EFCA will help increase union numbers and once unionized they can be educated about what is really going on.

Thanks again for joining in.

Bkwoods made some good points.

In 1999 I joined the NRA and was a member for 9 years. I had to drop the membership because of the propaganda and cartoons that came along with their membership. There is no doubt that the NRA promotes the GOP. Gov. Brad Henry was issued an A+ rating by the NRA but the republican candidate got the backing of the NRA.

http://www.familyfriendsfirearms.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-47460.html

http://www.ontheissues.org/Governor/Brad_Henry_Gun_Control.htm

I think its BS that the “right wing” uses any scare tactic it can to promote their agenda. Unions are going to have to be more accessible and friendly. It isn’t hard to figure out who is behind the link below

http://www.nrtw.org/

FYI
Your comment got held up for moderation because it had more than two links in it.

Not saying you can’t have more than two, just that this blog is set up to moderate comments with more than two

Comment on my post there, admin? while your at it look at this also. http://reddirtblog.typepad.com/red_dirt_blog/2008/11/whats-the-matter-with-oklahoma.html

Not sure why this one got held up… only one link, shoulda passed right through.

The reason the NRA always seems to support the GOP is because the people in control of the party of labor, (generally regarded as the Democrats), are also the ones who are anti-gun.
If there are any pro gun rights advocates in the Democratic party, they are always drowned out by the gun control zealots. So the NRA takes the lesser of 2 evils.
I also used to be a member of the NRA back in the late 70′s and there were plenty of prominent Dem. leaders who would never vote to take away our guns. You don’t hear from them anymore because these days in Washington they have to toe the party line or they don’t get any of the goodies.
Where have all the good stand up Democrats gone?

I do agree that Union numbers are on a rise, in fact the largest hog slaughterhouse in the US just lost a battle over Union organizing in Dec. But……
I think my point was not understood. I agree worker sentiment towards wages and benefits is back out front, but we are still combating the “poisonous” talk of the so called free market. Just look at the stimulus plan debate, Dems want to spend money to put people to work, Pubs want to cut taxes. So if you dont have a job what the hell good is a tax cut? We have to get back to some type of worker base that produces as well as consumes, the way it is now, the top have shifted us to a total consumer economy & now they are crapping their pant because they forgot “we” need money in order to consume.
The sad part, and probally the main point is, why do Union members vote against their interest? How many members do you know who voted for McSame Failen? And why?
As to the gun comment, remember that the odds of you losing your gun are the same as PETA keeping you from a hamburger.Never going to happen. And just for the record, Joe Biden said during the campaign that no one would take his Berreta. Out.

And for your enjoyment, this little diddy is worth the read.

Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes? He’s now 82 years old and has a new book, ‘Where Have All The Leaders Gone?’.

Lee Iacocca Says:
‘Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder! We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, ‘Stay the course.’

Stay the course? You’ve got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned, ‘Titanic’. I’ll give you a sound bite: ‘Throw all the bums out!’ You might think I’m getting senile, that I’ve gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.

The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we’re fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving ‘pom-poms’ instead of asking hard questions. That’s not the promise of the ‘ America ‘ my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I’ve had enough. How about you?

I’ll go a step further. You can’t call yourself a patriot if you’re not outraged. This is a fight I’m ready and willing to have. The Biggest ‘C’ is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C’s of leadership, with crisis being the first.)

Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It’s easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else’s kids off to war when you’ve never seen a battlefield yourself. It’s another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here’s where we stand.We’re immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving.

We’re running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We’re losing the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you’ve got to ask: ‘Where have all the leaders gone?’ Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point. Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?

We’ve spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm. Everyone’s hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn’t happen again. Now, that’s just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you’re going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when ‘The Big Three’ referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn’t elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don’t you guys show some spine for a change?

Had Enough? Hey, I’m not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I’m trying to light a fire. I’m speaking out because I have hope – I believe in America . In my lifetime, I’ve had the privilege of living through some of America ‘s greatest moments. I’ve also experienced some of our worst crises: The ‘Great Depression,’ ‘World War II,’ the ‘Korean War,’ the ‘Kennedy Assassination,’ the ‘Vietnam War,’ the 1970′s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.

If I’ve learned one thing, it’s this: ‘You don’t get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it’s building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That’s the challenge I’m raising in this book. It’s a “Call to Action” for people who, like me, believe in America ‘. It’s not too late, but it’s getting pretty close. So let’s shake off the crap and go to work. Let’s tell ‘em all we’ve had ‘enough.’

Lee Iacocca is still alive, wow, haven’t heard that name in a while.

That was a nice little diddy, thanks for passing it along.

Well, it seems our conversations are leaning national and political in nature… that tells me what I need to do in the next few days… feed the fire

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that even though Brad Henry is a democrat, the local people saw him for what he is and not the bad image of the party he is affiliated with. He is not the person that wants to abort your fetus, take away your guns and all the other horrible things that people associate democrats with.

Our Union would benefit to get out and canvas the area and get new blood in the local besides just patronizing the large shops it has always catered to. We are going to have to rise above the images that people have of unions being unruly mobsters that shower you with animal parts when they are pissed off as well as the “Lazy” image. If we are going to make the comment that we are highly skilled professionals then we should have a service that everyone needs and we need to sell it! or just STFU.

i see we have smilies up in hurr! ) (

I’ve got a lot of respect for Iacocca, he took a bankrupt company and brought it back, and although he did it with government help,( essentially a bailout) at least he had the character to pay it all back. Maybe if he was still running Chrysler they would be making a profit. Nah, to many government regulations on the car manufacturers for that to happen these days. At least his sword cuts both ways.

Our combined trades already have the service everyone needs in this country, and we are the most skilled at these trades. The lazy label comes from the perception (and some reality) of the manufacturing and government unions. Even though the agreements were fairly negotiated, it just doesn’t look right to the majority of people that if your plant lays you off you can still draw pay for almost 2 years while sitting around playing cards. And we won’t even discuss the laziness and waste I’ve seen out at Tinker many times. As far as the GOON squads, we had ours in the past, lets just hope those times are gone.
No, the skilled crafts trades like us are not the perception problem. Our work shows our skill and training and dedication. We give 8 hrs work for 8 hrs pay. No sick days, very little paid vacation ,if any. No golden parachutes, oh unless you make it all the way to the top of the UA, and throw away members pension money.( notice how that one kind of sticks in my craw). We are definetly not the unions perception problem, but we will ,most likely be the solution.
Being a Union craftsman should be a choice. It should never be the only choice, but it should always clearly be the best choice

I am not speaking for Iacocca here but I suspect the reason for his success, and some could be read into his above comments, is he understood that he existed because of the workers, not that they existed because of him.

I totally agree with your comments on Brad Henery, and getting new shops in.