Solidarity

Echoing my thoughts of yesterday I've been thinking more on it. I honestly do think envy and jealousy are the reasons behind much of the support of stripping decent pay and benefits from public employees.

How many times in coversation have you heard "I wish I got what they get" in reference to pay or health care or pensions or vacation.

So, the American way is the path of least resistance. Rather than grouping together and fighting for workers rights as happened in the first half of the 20th century, politicians have fractured the middle class which instead of raising up to the level everyone would like, brings everyone down to an unhappy but "equal" level. (Equal??? Isn't that communist!?)

Workers today need unions badly. Not the clunky old, inefficient for modern problems, unions of yesteryear, but agile, flexible and intelligent unions for the future.

The sad thing is too many people have been brainwashed that unions are what caused American jobs to go to other countries. That is true to a limited extent, but that completely disregards the massive spike in executive pay and bonuses that has been going on for decades. The union mentality of "defend everyone equally at any cost" needs to go. They need to look at things case by case and defend everyone, but understand that some workers are useless.

But American workers need to stop the jealousy at those with decent (and they are only decent because being a public employee has as many pitfalls as perks) pay and benefit packages and start striving to get them for themselves. And if a few million or billionaires have to bring in a bit less money, why is that a bad thing?

Feeding Frenzy

Why does part of the middle class hate another part of the middle class?

The current feeding frenzy whipped up mostly by Republicans against public sector employees is bizarre. Well, ok, politically its not bizarre. Its right up their alley of cutting things they don't like rather than actually attempting to deal with difficult issues that might upset voters.

However, while public sector employees can have it pretty darn good, it seems mostly jealousy from workers that have seen their companies move away from pensions, they have no unions to join to fight for their rights, and are constantly forced to do more with less knowing they will be replaced by someone cheaper if possible.

I was thinking about this as I was at the DMV yesterday. Those people have to be saints to put up with the constant stream of crap that's flung at them. How on earth is them getting a decent paycheck, with decent benefits (not nearly what they once were relatively, its only because the private sector has done all its can to shove costs on employees that it seems good), and a pension, bankrupting anyone?

I guess lots of American's are confused by the industry funded bait and switch going on. Our states and country are in debt! Its a disaster! Obviously we must fix this! What's the problem? Well, obviously all those decent middle class wages and pensions! Thus the people turn on their fellows instead of looking to the rich who are fiddling as middle America burns.

Oh, FYI, those pensions that are so horribly underfunded? That's not the workers fault, that's the states/towns/whatever's fault for not paying their share. Its also the fault of the stock market manipulators who have destroyed the market the past few years.

So, please, before you go whining about how someone has better benefits than you and that they have a pension, check the envy at the door and really think about it. I bet after you do, you might think differently about things.

I feel a post from someone at a forum I frequent sums up the situation nicely:

Originally Posted by Yarbicus: A public union employee, a tea party
activist, and a CEO are sitting at a table with a plate of a dozen cookies in
the middle of it. The CEO takes 11 of the cookies, turns to the tea partier and
says, 'Watch out for that union guy. He wants a piece of your cookie.'

Interesting thoughts

Read a great column today that brought up some interesting (and oft discussed and ignored) points about Evangelical Christians in the US.

Now, please, get past the intentionally provocative title to read the content of the article. Also, yes, all Evangelicals (a highly diverse group) are lumped together here, but that is because he is discussing trends reflected from research on the subject.

The jist of what he is claiming is true. At least to my eyes.

Jesus the Savior is easy. Jesus the man is difficult. So they tend to ignore him.