Collective Bargaining

Many times in history great ideas are formed to aid in the ascension of man in the quest for purity of life for all. At no time in history did Judeo/Christian religious values and Freedom of the individual combined. That combination occurred here in our still young nation. Europeans where at a loss on how such a unique system could continue or work at all with the diverse nature of men. Europe battled constantly with corrupt governments in bed with dishonest and exploitive businessmen. Most of Europe’s upper classes greased each other and government authorities at the expense of the proletariat. Europe was a nasty place to be a working dog. Immigrants didn’t come to the U.S. because they expected the same life. Tocqueville much to his surprise found in his 19 century study of American society, freedom worked because Americans were basically good. Americans not only were good at supporting freedom and individual responsibility but good because religion was taken seriously by some. By and large the American people trusted their political, business and religious leaders. I take Tocqueville views seriously as it is one of the few third party records of our Nation we have. Our experiment in limited government based on classical liberal notions of freedom was up working.

Americans relished the challenge of the ruff and tumble nature of freedom. We did not of coarse have a pure or utopian society only the system that promoted opportunity and defended private freedom, rights and property. Bigotry, racism and crony politics still rule and ruled much of our nation but all who could see saw the opportunity that was America. America during the Tocqueville visit wasn’t paved in gold for all but made Europe look like a cesspool of social slime. Our great business leaders and Bankers were looked up to by most. Americans were proud of their successful pioneers in Electric Power generation, Auto manufacturing, Oil production, Grain suppliers, steel manufacturing, and Mining. We as a nation became the freest richest nation providing the greatest wealth for the most people in the history of the world.

The worm began to turn. Many new socialist ideas and propaganda came to our nation from the cesspools of Europe. My Grandfather was a draft dodging Bolshevik from Russia. He not only believed all politicians and business/banking leaders were corrupt, he also knew all religious leaders were corrupt no exceptions, his beliefs did not temper after coming to our nation. He did not feel freedom was evil he was trapped by his past. He was black balled for “Red” organizing in Minnesota later Northern Michigan and Wisconsin Mining regions. Although married in a Lutheran Church in Sparta, Mn his atheistic beliefs led to divorce and his inability to hold a job didn’t help. My grandfather was not alone; many Europeans around the 1900s brought more than luggage they also carried rancid polluted dogma born out of suffocating corruption and victimization that was Europe. Did we have worker issues at this time, of course we did. European immigrants who were injured seriously on the job had no extended families to help. They had no workers comp. For some atheism didn’t allow church help at a time when religious groups provided most relief. Many committed suicide when they could no longer provide for their families. In general it is never a good idea to project modern sentiments back to past times as social norms and accepted ways do not translate in a straight forward way. Because many perceive they know best and do relate past social norms as evil or exploitive practices that does not make it so. Cities were not built on rivers because early evil pioneers wished to pollute rivers with human excrement and factory effluent, they settled there because they needed sewers and rivers were the accepted means. Jefferson did not wake up one day and decide to be an evil slave holder. Miners and seamstresses were looked at as professional tradesmen and as such were required to provide their own tools of their trade. I had to laugh when a recent TV program related miners having to buy their own candles and seamstresses having to buy their own needles to evil employer exploitation. In reality it was respect for their trade and understood practice by both parties. Many mechanics are still required to provide their own tools and proudly do. Bankers did not decide to not loan money to poor people because they were evil but because of fiduciary responsibilities. Ops I forgot we haven’t fully crack that evil fiduciary nut yet. At no time in our history has it been in any businesses interest for employees to be unhappy, unproductive or distracted by personal issues. Past social norms are denigrated by modern all knowing Monday morning Quarterbacks. These self aggrandized emissaries of BS are a large part of our blind eyed political quagmire.  Many are so full of it they protest when their stupidity is challenged. They have no allegiants to freedom, others personal rights or property rights. Quite the contrary they feel they have a right to others property and freedom where voting is just a tool to steal those rights. When that doesn’t work they deny voting rights (Collective Bargaining) to others. Their zealotry has spread to the theft of freedom from future generations with only token recognition of their dastardly deed; it is always someone else’s failings, never theirs. If we just “collectively” steal more money from others and “future others” all will be well. Well I have a little different view of things. We still as humans have our bigotry, hatred, envy and many other human failings. Selfishness (self interest or greed) rules the world, always has and always will. Our choice of political affiliation or system does not remove our human failings. There is no (us and them) only us.

Our labor enjoys many changes to the work place environment and kudos to those like my grandfather that struggled for needed change. Many small businessmen and women still work 14 or 16 hour days 7 days a week. Many still strive to own their own business. We haven’t turned off all opportunity but we are dangerously close. Probable the saddest thing our current system does is burden the working poor with heavy regressive taxation making it almost impossible for them to save and move up. Many have some understanding that corrupted “Robin Hood ideology” politics may have went too far but still many more are in denial. Our short lived freedom born from the crucible of a bloody war based on mutual respect and bolstered by religious freedom was the last best hope for opportunity for all. Our “collective” effort to tear down freedom is rather new to history but seems it works quite well. Since the 1960’s many long term national prejudices have been reduced. The job is still far from being done and it is very sad for me to ponder the lost opportunity to right many wrongs before our nation collapses. Our collective action has always been an American right. If work place safety is an issue we can and do vote for that change. If sanctioned monopoly labor is wanted we have and can vote for it. If fiduciary banking rules hinder loans to the poor we can and have voted to reduce them. If our system does not provide for enough largesse to meet our current perceived needs we can and have voted to steal from future generations. If we suffer inflation, stagflation, recession or depression we can and do vote for more government to create more control for more of the same. God knows our political leaders know best and are genetically superior to us lowly citizens. We must face the fact we are incapable of caring for our selves and need the governments to sustain us. The entire federal income tax collected from “every worker” in our nation barely covers the interest on our debt. For all the taxes us workers pay none will go to any services. Recent credit downgrading will increase interest payments to far greater amounts. One could say the only thing worse than individual greed is collective greed, but who am I to say. Here Piggie Piggie. I feel catering out of political greed to twisted European dogma and envy may have gone too far and is and was a mistake. Although we Americanized many Socialistic ideals (Entitle Welfare), over all we have failed and are failing our children. I take no pride in our “Collective Bargaining” of late.