GOP Blames Unions for Detroit's Ills

The GOP has always hated unions. Whenever they need a villain or a scapegoat, America's unions are always at the top of that list. Never mind the fact that union actions help increase wages across the board, even for those who aren't members, the Republican Party just can't stand the thought of letting workers collectively bargain for better benefits.

The failures of the "Big 3" had nothing to do with union workers, as the GOP has been saying. It had to do with the fact that these industries didn't adapt to the times, and continued making dinosaur gas-guzzlers that Americans couldn't stop buying. It also had to do with the fact that CEOs like Rick Wagoner were pulling in millions of dollars a year (in Wagoner's case, about $14 million) and losing billions (around $40 billion for Wagoner.) CEOs were being paid for failing, and union workers are now taking the blame.

Before you think that unions played a role in this mess, ask yourself these questions -- Did Bear Stearns have a union? Did AIG have a union? Did Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac have unions? Did Lehman Bros. have a union? No, they didn't, and yet they still failed and we still bailed them out.

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Comments

[Rule Of Law]

Mike, you know it, and I know it, and any of us who had dads who stood on picket lines or fought the goons and cops for the Union, know it. This is a Class War.

Class War.

Get used to the idea people, because as the economy gets worse, so will the war against blue collar, working class, and working poor. It's all about status, privilege, arrogance, power, and money. And you can't really feel superior to everyone else unless they have much much less than you do. So, in that regard, it's not really about the money (at least not just about the money) but about the absolute certainty of your own superiority--and to possess that takes having people you can look down upon. It is the very essence of the Royal Attitude.

Here's a line from Laurence Leamer's blog today that dovetails nicely with Mike's issues here:

"He was a member of the restricted Everglades Club and he talked about a lunch he had there that day. "We've kept the Jews out of the club and now we've got a N------ in the White House." That was the first time in thirty years I heard the "N" word."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurence-leamer/the-wages-of-wealth_b_148082.html

Exclusion, superiority, power. Or, Racism, hatred, and fear.

[hmfwic]

AIG and the rest of Wall Street, they're not unionized and they are failing. You say the Big 3 are failing too, but it's not because of unions because Wall Street isn't unionized? Nice try Mike.

I'll tell you, Mike the journalist, what ALL of these failures have in common, in just two words. Government intervention. Intervention in a free-market economy. That's what they all have in common. That's why all of them are in trouble. The Big 3 are unique however because they are unionized. For them, their problem is compounded because of the UAW and the agreements that the incompetent CEO's signed on to.

Their incompetence is echoed in their 'plan' before congress right now. Their plan includes the same money-draining contracts that keep them from being competitive with the non-union automakers in the South. They deserve and have earned the right to go bankrupt.

Reorganize, unload the union weight, be competitive, and prosper. And if it means going from Big 3 to Big 2, so be it. In a free market environment, the fittest will survive without putting taxpayers trillions and trillions of dollars into debt.

[jeannie35]

Amen!

[TKDuff]

Another reason why the Republicans are out of touch with our society. How can they claim to be a party for the working class when they are anti-Union? Unions brought 8 hour work week, minimum wage laws, collective bargaining, better working conditions and many good things that we all take for granted. Fortunately for the GOP there are still many states who are not thinking and willing to vote against their interests.

[pakiman]

"the shock doctrine"