Reader Randy Penrod offers some additional observations about union sabotage and the pervsive mindset emanating from socialist radicalism in the early decades of the 20th century.
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Mr. Penrod writes:
I was reading your post on the IWW and the consequences that the American auto industry is now suffering. And not just the auto industry.
I have a number of friends that work for a local “legacy” airline. Their mechanics struck last summer and the result was filing for Chapter 11. In talking to the mechanics I know, I heard the reverberations of their socialist fathers and grandfathers, and that legacy is eating up that company. Granted that there have been strong instances of mismanagement, but I hear the mechanics talking just like the people in your article.
I also remember the Chevrolet Vega from the early 70’s made at the Lordstown plant. There was widespread sabotage of the Vega. And the result? 11,000 workers laid off when the Lordstown plant closed. And the loss of millions of dollars by GM, meaning no expansion and a retrenchment.
The legacy of the IWW I believe is even more deeply rooted and insidious.
The modern entitlement state, after having its roots formed under Wilson (with the Federal Reserve and 16th Amendment), took firm root under Roosevelt and his support of the Wagner Act and the NLRB (an excellent article on the causes of the great Depression and the myths around Roosevelt is here). From here we have the spread and growth of radical unionism and the mindset of the war against capitalism and freedom. And the voters of the 30’s, 40’s and beyond then embrace all the programs that Roosevelt (and his acolyte LBJ) instituted. And we now have Social Security, Medicare, Prescription Drug Programs, any one of which will and is going to crush the U.S. economy.
And so, I remember the saying “every revolution eats its children”. And I see the socialist revolution killing itself...and us with it as the citizens have embraced it.
From this article, last paragraph, Milton Friedman notes the most successful party of the 20th Century is the Socialist Party “Even though it never won a national election, its platform of 1928 became, largely, the law of the land” by 1980. I disagree with the last sentence of the article where the author says Friedman’s ideas reign. How can that be with no rescinding of the all the socialist programs? Ideas are fine, but the law rules.
However, with all the talk show host, websites, blogs, etc, I’m reminded of the Thoreau quote “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.”
It will take a radical move, or a catastrophic event to put this growing disaster out of its misery. People will not vote against their perceived self-interests by voting to cut themselves off from the public treasury. They have become addicted to other people’s money. GWB still thinks within this framework (“We will continue to help and support the victims of Katrina”).
And many of the bloggers rant and rail, but refuse to seek a hard solution. So much for integrity.
And so, it seems that the general public, in voting for GWB and the like, is only interested in slowing the growth of government from a Wellstonian 192 mph to a mere Norm Coleman-like 112 mph.
And all we do is bleed out at a slower rate. But bleed out we will.
I’m reminded of a townhall forum my Congressman John Kline had last March where he laid out the insolvency of Social Security. AARP had a busload at the meeting, and one of the older gentlemen said if the program fails in 2041, well let’s do something then. I was later approached by a few of these older men and was asked if I was stock or financial broker. They assumed that the only people who were speaking out against SS were therefore only in favor of privatizing Social Security and had to be in the financial markets.
I told them no, I was not a broker. I then asked them how old they were. Average age was 80. I said that in 2041 I would be 92 and more than likely dead. And they would nearly 120 and more than likely absolutely dead. And they wanted to wait until the collapse to address the problem? I said that made as much sense as waiting for the smoke alarms to go off before applying for fire insurance. And they so well represent the mindset of the average American.
Sorry for going on at length, I not sure what will happen. I feel like Isaiah, telling the truth, however, unlike Isaiah, the people kind of agree, but still keep thinking that they can work through the government.
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