Labor Day is here once again and the Sacramento River is a mess. Well, not all of it, just some parts of it. The annual Labor Day float is still in progress and it looks like it will take a lot of effort to clean it up. We drove across the bridge this morning and noted that there were still close to a hundred cars parked around the boat ramp area. And trash. Amazing. It's as if the revelers were determined to leave all evidence of their party right there on the ground. See? This is how much fun we had! And in the river. I wonder how many beer cans litter the river bottom?
But I digress; some of my favorite blogs reminded me of a post I had been thinking about. The post where I tell you about my union background and how my union job as a carpenter gave our young family the ability to be a productive member of society. We bought a house. A car. Our children had a mother that was able to enjoy their young lives and didn't have to drop the kids off at a day care center. That same union ensured that I received a pension and now I can still be a productive member, though older, of society. We're not on welfare and it's because the union made sure that I was paid the contracted wage and that all my contracted benefits were paid. Yes, 'contracted'; the union and the contractors signed a contract. And with that contract, the contractors were assured of high quality labor and we were assured a living wage. Why do low wage 'Red State' voters not see that it would be in their best interest to support unions?
The last company I worked for was the nation's largest specialty subcontractor and we employed the largest number of union carpenters in the nation. Why weren't we a non-union firm? We were big enough to do it. The union could never have stopped us. But we didn't because we were highly successful and that was because of our skilled labor force.
But who remembers what Labor Day is all about? Not many. I think that some, no, a lot of Republicans would refuse to take the day off if they only knew of the history leading up to this important holiday.
I did know the history of Labor Day already & am proud to take the day off, but I am a leftie. :-) Thank you for stopping by my blog. I have read many of your posts from the last few months and will definitely be back!
ReplyDeleteLeft Leaning Lady, I am grateful for the kind words. It's always nice to hear from others that have similar world views.
ReplyDeleteWhy do low wage 'Red State' voters not see that it would be in their best interest to support unions?
ReplyDeleteBecause of the continual anti-union drumbeat from the right (where it's believed that every employer should be allowed to gouge every cent from their employees that they can...)
(Oh, yeah... and I guess I'm sorry I called you a mediocre bag of vanilla-flavored squat over at that other blog...)
Nameless Cynic; apology accepted of course...
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Red State voters (and others) can't see simple logic makes me wish for a mandatory license to vote. You would have to demonstrate basic mental agility before being given the license. Of course that doesn't leave us with a lot of voters but at least we would be in good company.
Hey! We could establish a simple poll tax... oh, wait, that's a bad idea, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHmmm... how about the government put out some simple "This is your Constitution" videos on local stations, the internet, maybe a couple of other places, and then have a basic Civics test...
...hmmm, can't discriminate against illiterate graduates of NCLB, though...
Ah, well. Seemed like a good idea for a second... (At least the Civics test idea would ensure that no Teabaggers would be likely to get elected, though...)
Hey! We could establish a simple poll tax... oh, wait, that's a bad idea, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHmmm... how about the government put out some simple "This is your Constitution" videos on local stations, the internet, maybe a couple of other places, and then have a basic Civics test...
...hmmm, can't discriminate against illiterate graduates of NCLB, though...
Ah, well. Seemed like a good idea for a second... (At least the Civics test idea would ensure that no Teabaggers would be likely to get elected, though...)
I think I've exceeded my allowed use of ellipses for the week.
ReplyDeleteBack in the day...the 'Constitution test' had to be passed before getting your high school diploma. It's obvious that quaint custom has been abandoned.
ReplyDelete