Good read. Takes jabs at both sides.

[kessinger]

Socialism for dummies
Posted on January 26, 2010 by Lex under politics [ Comments: 18 ]

I don’t understand my country. None of its political labels make a damn bit of sense. Too many of them are outright falsehoods. And at least a couple have been maligned by so much propaganda that they may not be salvageable. “Liberal” is one. The word itself has become weaponized to the point where even liberals often eschew it in favor of “progressive”. I’m still not sure what that even means. Progress is cool, i suppose, but requires direction and a destination. And then there’s that pesky Zeno and his paradox: is progress even possible for a monkey with fancy thumbs? “Libertarian” is pretty bad these days too. Far too often the word is invoked as a dog whistle for social Darwinism and neo-liberalism. Liberty being best wholly described by “free” markets and possibly gun ownership. “Conservative” is the biggest laugh. Aside from conserving fetuses and the holy sanctity of heterosexuality (airport bathrooms and male prostitutes being the acceptable exceptions), i’m still at a loss for how these people got or retain the label.


In all actuality, “Conservatives” in America — especially as represented by the Republican Party — are neo-liberals to the core. Ignore the morality play talk about God and the rhetoric used to move the masses. Look at what they do. Neo-liberalism from front to back and top to bottom. Funny that they spend most of there time employing Alinsky techniques on their political enemies and branding them as the dreaded “Liberal”. Takes one to know one i suppose. The people who bare the brunt of “Conservative” attacks, at least the ones represented by the Democratic Party, probably deserve it…not the moniker, the attacks. They’re mostly neo-liberals too.

Heads i lose, tails you win

Since we’re only allowed to vote for two parties in the Land of Pleasant Living, the power centers are quite happy with the present political arrangement. We’re all neo-liberals, whether we want to be or not. Those of us who don’t want to be (and don’t want anyone else on the planet to be subjected to that maliciously steaming pile of bubonic plague infected feces) aren’t left with a whole hell of a lot of choices.

The best one we have is also the most maligned. It somehow gets directly associated with fascism and its attendant mustache styles. Or turns into a clubfooted, paranoid dictator forcing people into slave labor and keeping them from the latest in refrigerator technology. Try saying “socialism” in polite company; then try explaining how the USSR wasn’t really socialism in action at all. (See; clubfooted, paranoid dictator) Attempt to show how there’s a whole continent that practices varying degrees of socialism while remaining home to profitable companies, flat screen TV’s and even democracy.

You’ll get blank stares; strange, historically inaccurate ramblings that will descend into contradiction and incoherence; and if you’re really unlucky, the threat of patriot blood being spilled to water the tree of liberty. I’d say that offering the example of labor unions is a good counter-punch, but now that we have our weekends and would rather work anyhow because we really need the latest in refrigerator technology (or we have to because we fell for the neo-liberal shuck and jive), we feel that unions are unnecessary. Or worse, they’re rending the very fabric of America and what made her great with their blood sucking. Work isn’t something that should command respect and a living wage; it’s a god-damned right.

But what do i know. I’m just a guy raised in a UAW town who was able to enjoy the blessings of an education and chose to keep my neck red and my collar blue. I do, however, know of another redneck who gets it and he publishes books. So i’ll let Joe Bageant take it from here and explain socialism:

To my mind, socialism is this:

A community and national philosophy, a commonly shared and not necessarily politicized way of life wherein the first priority is the fundamental well-being of the people (also known as “the masses,” a term you have probably been programmed to wrinkle your brow in ominous suspicion of.) “Fundamental well-being” means that everyone eats well, enjoys safe and adequate homes and a common standard of good health. It means that children are educated to do more than just the rote tasks that serve corporate empires. It means the man actually doing the work man negotiates the value of his labor. It means that somewhere in the last third or quarter of his life, that working man, after enjoying his freedom, bacon and common work, and diligently sustaining his fellow men, is released from his toil. Released into security and peace and modest but guaranteed sustenance. He is free to nurse his aches, chase old women or take up Bourbon or Buddhism. Or both, as I have. Whatever he chooses as a free man in a free and benevolent socialist society.

Don’t let the ideologues, demagogues and half-assed spoiled little middle class jerks who call themselves socialists in this country fool you. Socialism has to do with man’s innate longing for justice, the undying heart within us, and all that is generous and good in that heart. That’s why so many have so willingly died for it, and will continue to do so in corners of the world we will never see or hear about because we are not allowed to, but which are never the less part of this world, and therefore affective of this world.

And then there’s this:

“No Obama, no miracle of ‘green science,’ no national genius will emerge to lead us. We have only the simple, direct, undeceived intelligence of ordinary men and women to rely upon. We must regain respect for the seemingly meager and often lonely powers an individual does have, and choose work and a way of living upon which we can all rely.”[my emphasis]

Maybe i’m crazy but that sounds pretty god-damned conservative to me. Not that shit that pretends at being conservative while being worse than regular liberal, but the kind of conservative that comes from holding the fruit of your labor in your hands…that is, having something to conserve. The kind of conservative that you might hear an old farmer express when he says that his first job is to leave the land a little better than he received it for the benefit of those who work it after him. The kind of conservative that comes from looking around your neighborhood, town, city or nation and finding common cause with all the other poor fucks trying to get by, and wanting to keep the neighborhood instead of sell it to some slick asshole in an expensive suit for a new refrigerator.

[jobs1stb4polarbear]

All that, to explain socialism to us.... let me help you a little bit....JUST WITH 2 COWS

LIBERAL DEMOCRAT: has two cows, he asks the government to tax everyone and give cows to people in poor countries. He will not approve oversight to see that only poor people get free cows. Because those countries are corrupt, it is never the poor who keep the cows.

DEMOCRAT: You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. You vote people into office who tax your cows, forcing you to sell one to raise money to pay the tax. The people you voted for then take the tax money and buy a cow and give it to your neighbor. You feel righteous.

LIBERAL: You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty. You beg your representative to tax cow owners. The government uses your money to buy an over-priced cow and give it to your neighbor. He knows nothing about cows and it dies. You feel close to god when Barbara Streisand (on CD) sings at the celebration of its life.

COMMUNISM: You have two cows. The government seizes both and sells you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. If there is any left for you it is sour.

SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his.

CAPITALISM:(Republican) You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.

[kessinger]

You forgot Republican: Let Wal-Mart kill all the cows, then import Milk from China and wonder why all the cow milkers are laid off and can't afford milk anymore. When the people start to vote you out of office for killing all the cows you have the Republican supreme court allow the Chinese Milk producers to spend all their milk money on your campaign for re-eclection.

[marcus]

IM with kessinger on this

[meanjean]

Feb 1, 2010 19:05:03 GMT -5 kessinger said:

You forgot Republican: Let Wal-Mart kill all the cows, then import Milk from China and wonder why all the cow milkers are laid off and can't afford milk anymore. When the people start to vote you out of office for killing all the cows you have the Republican supreme court allow the Chinese Milk producers to spend all their milk money on your campaign for re-eclection.

BINGO!!!! You got that right Brian.

[jobs1stb4polarbear]

oh please, will you guys stop with this Wal-Mart BS(fear-mongering) ....so they are not unionized YET... stop bitching and find way to get them in the union..

....just keep it simple and be honest about it

fear mongering-is the use of fear to influence the opinions and actions of others towards some specific end(union).

[kessinger]

Feb 3, 2010 22:22:05 GMT -5 jobs1stb4polarbear said:

oh please, will you guys stop with this Wal-Mart BS(fear-mongering) ....so they are not unionized YET... stop bitching and find way to get them in the union..

....just keep it simple and be honest about it

fear mongering-is the use of fear to influence the opinions and actions of others towards some specific end(union).

Fear mongering? How is stating a fact we all know, that Wal Mart prefers chinese products to American, fearmongering?

Stop denying truth. Wal Mart was the leader in low priced goods when they were "bringing it home to the USA" they BOOMED. But thaey have chosen to go offshore to make even more money. And other than electronics you and I aren't paying less for products then when they were made in the USA. They are just making more profit. To be honest I don't blame Wal Mart I blame the US goverment. It is not Wal Marts job to watch out for America and its workers it is our goverments. And saying "no we can vote with our dollars" is also denying the truth, most of rural America has no other option anymore.

We are often told that "protectionism" stunts and economies growth, yet we are told we have to get into the Chinese market since its growing so fast. Why is it growing so fast? Because it is one of the most protectionist economys in the world. We should learn from them, imagine how fast we would grow if we just put big tarriffs on anything costing more that $20,000.

Let that soak in before you reply.

[ktpking]

I believe Wal-Mart employees voted to not unionize. Is this correct?

Here is a little article. Just one.

Byline: Vera Fedchenko

Tire and automotive service workers at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s New Castle store unanimously voted down an initiative that would have unionized the Tire and Lube Express department.

In a secret ballot election Feb. 11 conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), workers voted 17-0 against joining the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union. The vote ended a 4 1/2-year battle by Cleveland-based UFCW Local 880 to try to organize the New Castle store's tire department.

Wal-Mart lauded the election results, which a company spokeswoman said only confirmed that its associates don't want to be represented by the ...


Think about this. If you owned a business and you took the risk and jeopardized you and your families future to start a company. Then your business relies on the employees coming to work and doing their job. All of a sudden they unionize. Lets say John Doe comes in drunk or stoned and he's fuc*ing up all kinds of shit. You go to fire his ass and BOOOOM here comes the union!!! This bastard just cost your company thousands of dollars and the union wants your company to send him to rehab and pay for it with lost time and let him come back to work to to this all again!!!! Fuc* that. How bout John Doe is selling your companies shit on Ebay and is caught. You go to fire him BOOOOOOOOM here comes the union!! He made a mistake the union tells you. Fuc* yea he did. The minute he stole your shit!! Or here's a good one your on a deadline to get a package out you have ten minutes to get it out. You can't because the employees are on their unionized break for thirty minutes. So you send it out so you can make payroll to keep the business open and BOOOOOOOOOM here comes the union filing a grievance so someone gets paid because you had to get it out to pay the employees and yourself.

This scenario is just for fun but look at it both ways. Ponder on that one...........


Also I looked up other Wal-Mart stories on the internet and when they do unionize they shut that Wal-Mart down. So, the people that were once working are now unemployed.

Most companies want to or do the right thing by their employees. Hence they keep the union out. All you have to do is come to work, act right, do your job, common sense things and you will have no problems. Don't like your wages look for another job or go to school to make yourself more appealing to a new employer. Have a labor issue? We have a Labor Board for this. If you are done wrong they will fix it after an investigation. Seen it done years ago.

I also think, just my .02 that Toyota closed that plant in Callie partly due to the fact they were union. That is the only Toyota UAW plant in North America right? Look what a message that sent all the other plants that think about going union.

[ScottR@KTP]

You are correct...there have been a few Walmarts built throughout the country that unionized prior to the doors opening...so they never opened. LOL

[kessinger]

Wow KTP you seem to realy have a dark view of unions. You work here, do you know of anyone that got their job back after getting caught stealing? (once in my 10 years doing this and he stole something they were throwing away, so he got back 9 months later) How about caught on drugs? (none have gotten back for drugs that I have ever been involved with) Does someone that gets caught drinking get rehab instead of fired. Yes that is true sometimes. But, the rest of this story is just some guy yapping. As much as I don't like it we have seen times they moved someones or the whole plants break to get something done. So you work in a union. And you read this and said "yep thats exactly right", realy?

And the other thing. You have posted before that you felt like the company gets away with too much and the unions weak. Then you post this like the union lets everyone have a party and not work at all. Your views don't go together. Hey, their your views look at it however you like I guess.

[ScottR@KTP]

None at KTP ever got their job back after a firing related to drugs? WOW! Several at LAP got their jobs back throughout the years...even salary.
The ones fired due to the drug sting all got their jobs back except for the dealer and I was told he was offered his job back as well...but refused.