Labor Day!.....Bah! Humbug!!

This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions.

It is always great to see families out on outings enjoying each other and having a good time. This holiday weekend was a good example of that happening. However, I would like to have the holiday renamed to something like, “End of Summer Day”, and remove the idea that those who celebrate the day are recognizing the accomplishments of the U.S. Union movement.

I just can’t bring myself to celebrate the U.S. Organized Labor movement and the
horrible, ruinous contributions it has introduced into our nation’s economy. In my opinion, the actions of our industrial unions are one of the primary reasons the U. S. economy has been brought to its knees as industries flee our high taxation, over regulation, and escalating labor costs.

It is undisputable that during the early phases of the industrial revolution, which covered the first three or four decades after the turn of the century, many abuses of employees by unscrupulous owners of businesses existed in industry. The impact of organized labor did much to correct and reverse these situations. As a result many jobs were made much safer, child labor was eliminated, overtime pay was recognized, and wages and benefits were improved.

However, during the last half of the century most of these needed components were covered by labor laws, and the government had assumed the role of enforcement. The unions were really no longer needed. Yet they remained a powerful political force which used their might to steadily push for more, more, more, satisfying the greed of the membership. Unions also greatly restricted introduction of new technology, and multiplied operational costs through foolish restrictions on in-plant practices. Eventually, this constant escalation of costs resulted in the demise of the industry, the loss of the jobs, and reduced membership for industrial unions. Their greed killed the “golden goose”.

Their unbridled power fostered by millions they collected in union dues bought them political influence which then resulted in liberal, unfair labor legislation. These one sided laws weakened the ability of companies to resist their cost increasing practices. This finally all ended in the early 1990’s when our foolish, inept politicians adopted the emerging concepts of an emerging “global economy” and “free trade”. Without properly evaluating the potential impact these concepts would have on our own economy, in a bipartisan movement they enacted a series of disastrous legislation which during the ensuing fifteen years resulted in the decimation of the once great United States industrial sector.

This disabling legislation included NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), Redesigning GATT (Generalized Accord on Tariffs and Trade) under the WTO (World Trade Organization), and voting to give China “Most Favored Nation” trade status. This legislation was passed during the Clinton years, but was generally supported by foolish members of both parties. These changes opened the doorway for unhindered access to the U.S. markets by foreign made goods, with little or no restrictions or tariffs. Since these countries had not experienced the seventy years of escalation of their manufacturing costs which had occurred in the U.S., their products could be bought, delivered, and sold in America at prices which rendered U.S. made products non competitive. During the next fifteen years U.S. companies were forced to begin closing their domestic plants while they opened new plants in other parts of the world, or reached purchase agreements with industrialists in other nations, mostly China and other parts of Asia.

Consequently, millions of high paying, industrial manufacturing jobs were lost forever. No matter how much “stimulus” money is thrown into the economy, no matter how many tax breaks are given, no matter what meager efforts our desperate politicians attempt to implement….those jobs will never return. As a result, the national tax base has been reduced, governments are experiencing revenue shortfalls, unemployment and underemployment has soared, and the standard of living for the average American is falling. Our future generations face an even bleaker situation.

Meanwhile, as industry after industry failed, declined, and left the country, and the union movement suffered high membership losses. As a means of survival they turned their attention to the public sector. They began aggressive organizing programs in the areas of schools, hospitals, city workers, county workers, state workers, federal workers, police, firemen, nurses and teachers. As a result, union membership and union dues collections soared. As they destroyed our industry and once powerful unions such as the Auto Workers, Steel Workers, Boilermakers, Machinist Union, Plumbers Union, Carpenters Union, and others became shells of their former selves…new, powerful unions emerged.

While the unemployed steel workers in Pennsylvania and Ohio sat in their aging Union Halls wondering what happened to their $30 per hour job….new unions were forming. Among these are the now politically powerful SEIU (Service Employees International Union), NEA (National Education Association), AFT (American Federation of Teachers), AFSCME (American Federation of State County and Municipal Workers), and the mafia controlled Teamsters Union which ironically represents a large portion of the policemen in the country.

These unions are now busy escalating the cost of government to the American tax payer. These unions have a lot to do with the unreasonable salaries and benefits which many bureaucrats and politicians are enjoying while the public sector suffers.

No, I can not celebrate LABOR DAY! I see unions as terrible, negative, disastrous elements for our society.

I hope you and your family enjoyed a great “End of Summer” holiday. If you did, you were “Getting it Right”.

Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-

● (Always include something nice) I congratulate Chuck Hatcher and the Jackson County Parks Department for another great season at Blue Springs Park. The swimming area has become a significant attraction for our area.

● Don Moore, popular radio commentator with WJAQ is recovering from a serious heart attack. We wish Don a speedy recovery.

● I applaud Richard Harrison for his continuing work on making the public aware of what the terrible new septic tank legislation will do to our rural resident. He encourages everyone to contact involved legislators on the issue.

● Our Washingtonians are planning to throw another barrel of “stimulus money” at the suffering economy in a desperate attempt to buy time and perhaps create a few jobs. They plan a massive rebuilding program for roads, airports, and railroads. This will make contractors, engineering firms, and architects richer…but when the projects are over these jobs will again fade away. They are only investing in the public, government sector and ignoring the business sector which would create permanent jobs.

● I noticed that on this holiday most of the shops and businesses which have to work every possible day to survive, pay their bills, and pay their taxes, were open and did not get to enjoy the day. Meanwhile, all of the bureaucrats, politicians, and companies which survive by suckling from the public teat were enjoying another of their many paid holidays.

● The unions in France are demonstrating today because the Government is planning to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 in a desperate attempt to reduce their soaring national debts. These unions would rather see the nation fail than give up any of their benefits.

● All of the losing candidates in the primaries and their supporters need to get busy and remove all of their signs from the streets and yards.

I   have often wondered why it is that the conservatives are   called the “right” and the liberals are called the   “left.”
Then by chance stumbled upon this verse in the Bible:

Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)
“The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
    but the heart of the fool to the left.”
(Sent to me by Coach Phillip Clikas.)

Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.