When did the word UNION become a bad thing.

[indianablue]

Is not the United States of America a .....UNION?

Unions have little or no power anymore but wihtout the worker uprising pre and post New Deal this country would never have become an economic powerhouse.

It totally enrages me when people bad mouth Unions.

Yes they have had corruption and yes they have had their share of problems so has any other organization.


The vast majority of Americans have reaped the beneifts of what unions have won either directly or indirectly.

Wihtout the strong unions of the past we would have no worker rights its just that simple.

So F^&& U all you freaking people who worship asses in the Republican party. I know some unions members do too and that makes me even more sick.


I wantr all you assholes to turn down your overtime, health care, vacations, paid holidays, etc..

I can go on and on but WTF no one cares so do not bitch then all these things are gone.

DO NOT BLAME FREAKING LIBERALS OR GAYS OR ANYTHING EXCEPT


YOURSELF!

[Maple]

1. When the

Industrial age died.

1956

[The Doctor.]

2. I agree unions are a good thing... from the outset...

Unfortunately the US dollar is about to lose it's place as the world's reserve currency. (Did you notice the decline... or do you frequent 'closed' communities?)

Unfortunately we have to rescue the dollar from the abyss by invading countries who threaten it's sovereignty.

Saddam made the mistake of setting up contracts in Euros contingent on the lifting of sanctions - We couldn't allow that, so we invaded.

What was our other choice?

To tell Americans to stop driving SUVs, to levy huge tariffs on imports (imagine tripling prices at Wal-Mart), and to tell unions that they no longer could leverage against companies...

Political suicide.

Any Questions?

[indianablue]

3. the decline has nothing to do with unions.

Itz the trickle down voodoo crap Hoover, Reagan, Bush and Bush implemened.

u can be profitable and have a union.

Wal-Mart can be profitable and have a union and not TRIPLE its prices thats is just wrong.

Wal-Mart an ony other company if they ALL had unions could be profitable and still be able to sell products at a price a consumer could buy.

stop drinking the reaganomics cool aid.

[The Doctor.]

7. No kidding- apparently you missed the point...

In order to compete FAIRLY in the world market, we have to institute a bunch of 'Pro-manufacturing' legislation.

I'm not saying unions make us anti-competitive.

Just the ones who abuse their status.

The point was political suicide and reserve currency.
Can you comment on those?

[izzie]

15. Always was a bad word in GOP households. Where I grew up

But my father used to say they had done a few good things. What he hated was the control they did try to do in his business and only when he went to Mass. on business. These were really the type unions that gave them a bad name. They also hurt people. His biggest fight was with Christian groups that made laws.

[SomthingsGotaGive]

17. I agree but please consider

It was in the 80's when they flooded the North American market with Japanese and Korean cars and scared us into think we were dead if we didn't work loyally like the people in the far east.

[erniesam]

5. Iran is next, links included

http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2004/10/1703986.php

The Iranians are about to commit an offense far greater than Hussein's conversion to the euro for his oil exports in the fall of 2000. In March 2005 Iran is going to start competing with New York's NYMEX and London's IPE with respect to international oil trades - using a euro-based international oil-trading mechanism. This means that without some sort of US intervention, the euro is going to establish a firm foothold in the international oil trade in 2005 .


The macroeconomic implications of a successful Iranian Bourse are quite noteworthy. Considering that Iran has switched to the euro for its oil payments from E.U. and ACU customers, it would be logical to assume the proposed Iranian Bourse will usher in a fourth crude oil marker – denominated in the euro currency. Such a development would remove the main technical obstacle for a broad-based petroeuro system for international oil trades. From a purely economic and monetary perspective, a petroeuro system is a logical development given that the European Union imports more oil from OPEC producers than does the U.S., and the E.U. accounts for 45% of imports into the Middle East (2002 data).

[The Doctor.]

9. Brilliant piece of info... we must invade if that's true...

The bottom line is that America will not play fair and implement difficult measures to compete... we will use brute force.

20:1 says we lose that contest to broader 'European' minds.

[erniesam]

11. We're screwed.

[erniesam]

12. more links

http://www.middleeast.org/launch/redirect.cgi?a=36&num=193

China's oil giant Sinopec Group has signed a $70 billion oil and natural gas agreement with Iran. The deal is China's biggest energy agreement with one of the major Opec producers, the Chinese news agency Xinhuanet reported.


http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/iran.html

Iran exports around 2.6 million bbl/d, with major customers including Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Europe. Iran's main export blends include Iranian Light (34.6° API, 1.4% sulphur); Iranian Heavy (31° API, 1.7% sulphur); Lavan Blend (34°-35° API, 1.8%-2% sulphur); and Foroozan Blend/Sirri (29-31° API). Iran is also the largest heavy fuel oil exporter in the Middle East.

http://www.interfax.com/com?item=Chin&pg=0&id=5754631&req=

Beijing. (Interfax-China) - Venezuela is to overcome technological and legal barriers to pave the way for expanding its crude oil exports to China across the Pacific Ocean, according to the South American nation's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jesus Arnoldo Perez.
The official made such remarks during a visit to Beijing, on September 6.

According to Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television, in July this year a deal was inked between Venezuela and its neighbor Columbia, in which the two sides agreed to construct a pipeline linking oilfields in Venezuela with the Pacific coastal port in Columbia.

The pipeline is designed to help Venezuela to bypass the Panama Canal, and find a new, more direct route to deliver oil to China across the Pacific Ocean.
Shortening the oil delivering route between Venezuela and China is expected to save both time and money for the two countries.

Perez noted, during his time in Beijing that the pipeline "is specially built for China". He also promised to guarantee Venezuela's oil supply to China.

[The Doctor.]

13. WOW - thanks! I love info!

I'll have a look-see, but I'm tired and drunk'ed.

Is that 70 billion in USD? Or will it 'transmogrify'?

Oh fun stuff- those poor ignorant Freepers.

[signmike]

4. Guessing ; around 1920

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. About the same time Liberal became a four letter word

Right after Reagan came on board and the RIght started their campaing of unvilified hate

[uhhuh]

10. Yep, That's Pretty Much it

When the Air traffic controllers went on strike, and reagan fired them all, the RW machine started a slowly building whispering campaign about the evils and corruption of organized labor.

They had to or what reagan did might be viewed as wrong. St. ronnie was always right, you know.

[melnjones]

8. I was somewhat anti-union until...

I realized how freaking much I needed mine! They may not be perfect, but hell, wouldn't give mine up, not right now. Life in my job could and would be hell without it.

[depakid]

14. 'round about the time of the Hoffa prosecution & appeals

I think public perception toward unions began to change- whether it should have or not is probably easily answered in hindsight.

Trouble is, the notion of unions being vehicles of corruption stuck- and outweighed people's consideration of all the benefits they wrought- including some, like employer based healthcare- that we could surely have done without.

[OxQQme]

16. Another nail in the coffin

was about five years ago, just before christmas, when the west coast dockworkers got pressured by the shipping companies. All the media could spin was how much the workers made in salary and bennies, and look waht they're doing to the economy by striking.
Never mind that the shipping magnates are billionaires with estates and castles all over the world.

[snippy]

20. The dock workers did not strike. It was a lockout by management. n/t

[rman]

18. since people to whom unions *are* a bad thing...

(corporatists that is), took over the media.

[radfringe]

19. When worker rights interferred

with corporate profits