Inflection Points: Some History, Some Speculation

[peristaltor]

I have to admit, I was a bit shocked when a simple observation of mine, that the GOP has a plank in its platform stating its aim to "explore a greater role for private enterprise in appropriate aspects of the mail-processing system", blew up into such a kerfuffle. The GOP, after all, has long been the party supported by anti-union forces in

Comments

[harry_beast]

Great post.

Here is an article with some perspectives about the state of unions in Canada, if anyone is interested.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-weakening-state-of-canadian-labour-unions/article4515873

Observations:

Ronald Reagan ... shift away from socially-minded philosophies and toward a more competitive, personal pursuit for wealth
On the other hand, one could argue that the shift in the Reagan era was away from the narrow minded perspective of individual greed and sloth that sapped American productivity and competitiveness with its drive for reduced productivity, lower quality and unsustainable increases in wages and benefits. It could be viewed as a shift toward the more social minded perspective that, for the common good of the country and of the Free World, the United States needed to modernize, innovate and meet the challenge of places like Japan, who were eating their lunch. The boat was sinking, and everyone needed to bail.

So as our educations have decreased in efficacy, the employers who take us on after graduation have been robbing us of even paid labor.
The lower the efficacy, the lower the wage. If the quality tanks, one would expect the demand and the price to drop. It sounds reasonable. Actually, it sounds like (Big Three) American cars, except for the price part. But I digress. The people doing the robbing are the institutions of higher learning. It isn't the fault of employers that there are so many unemployable graduates.

mobilization of the unmotivated
It may not be the most flattering rallying cry for organized labour, but it has a certain ring to it. ;)

[peristaltor]

On the other hand, one could argue that the shift in the Reagan era was away from the narrow minded perspective of individual greed and sloth. . . .

Now, now; if you're going to lambaste with a broad brush, you really should get your descriptors correct. Since the Reagan era started to concentrate wealth away from the workers and toward the employers, the perspective of, as you called it, "individual greed and sloth" on the part of workers was not a "narrow" minded one, but a "broad" minded one. A philosophy that channels wealth to a more narrow band of the population is the narrow minded one.

And my rallying cry was not for labor, but for individuals to use in avoiding labor. I aim for a more self-sufficient future, one where work is not the only source of wealth and consumer behavior not the only source of enrichment, essentially the future based on the past before WWII.