They think they do, but demonstrate time and time again that really don't.
How else do you get Americans actively lobbying on behalf of corporations, or telling the Government to keep their hands off Medicare, or demanding they they go after Unions on behalf of the Corporate master, or fight for Budget talks in which no talk of raising taxes is to be allowed, or demanding cuts to Social Security...right up until the point the axe is about to fall.
And then there's this:
It's amazing to me that we live in a country where this is acceptable.
Not only is G.E. being allowed to pay $0 in Federal Income Taxes, American Voters are working very hard to make sure that politicians (in both parties mind you) are rewarded for making sure this happens. Only in America, will we reward someone for slitting our own throats. Only in America are people rewarded for destroying us.
Which brings me to Ray Buursma, writing for the Holland Sentinel. You probably haven't heard of the Holland Sentinel (I hadn't either) or of Holland, Michigan in particular, but Mr. Buursma said some things that really hit home for me. It's nothing that hasn't been said in this space (that we are to blame for our Economic woes), but it's always nice to hear someone else say it as well.
I'm never sure what to do with pieces like these. As a blogger, you look for a place to start and end to give you a taste of what the writer has intended, but sometimes when you come right down to it, there's no place to cut, and the piece has to present itself on its own terms.
Thus, it is with extreme pleasure, I present Ray Buursma column for the Holland Sentinel, American workers got what they deserved:
Are you an American employee? If so, today’s column will likely offend you. If you’d rather not be offended, read no further. If you continue and then complain, I’m sorry, but that simply proves you’re, well, stupid. But then again, stupidity plays a large role in today’s topic.
Still reading? OK. You’ve had fair warning.
So you’re an American employee. Maybe you make car parts. Maybe you’re an engineer or designer. Maybe you’re an accountant, store clerk or tradesman. Whatever you do, you’re probably stupid or lazy. Yes, I wrote it, and I mean it. You are either stupid or lazy. Maybe both.
Now, I’m not referring to your work ethic or job performance. No, most of you are competent and devoted to your profession or vocation. I’m addressing the way you view economics and employment. I’m challenging your gumption to advocate for yourself and your fellow Americans. Here’s what I mean.
Remember the Reagan standard? Are you better off today than you were a decade ago? Two decades? Three? Unless you make more than $380,000 a year, the answer is no. In fact, your standard of living over the last quarter century has actually decreased while millionaires have added 30 percent to their net wealth. Why? Two reasons.
First, hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs went overseas while the politicians you elected did nothing to stop them. Yet you continue to elect leaders who offer nothing but tax cuts, as if that would stem the flow of disappearing jobs.
Did you demand your leaders address America’s trade imbalance or continuous outsourcing of jobs? Did you demand your leaders require foreign countries to buy a dollar’s worth of American goods for every dollar of goods they sell here?
No and no. You didn’t bother. You simply crossed your fingers and prayed, “I hope my job’s not next.” You made concessions to your employer and hoped that would stem the exodus of jobs, or at least yours. How’d that work for you?
Second, you bought into the myth that unions are the cause of America’s demise. You didn’t bother to learn America became a world power when union membership was at its peak. You didn’t bother to learn America became the envy of the world while 1 of every 3 Americans was a union member.
So, how are things going for you? How do your benefits compare to a quarter century ago? Are you paying a higher or lower percentage of your income for health insurance? Does your company offer a pension plan, or do you now fund your own 401(k)?
Maybe you’re thinking, “I’m not a union worker, so this doesn’t affect me.”
Stop being stupid. Union benefits provide a standard other companies have to match, or at least come close to. When those benefits are cut, yours are, too. Or do you think you operate in your own little employment vacuum?
To make matters worse, you’re again being played for a chump. The same puppets who did nothing while your standard of living decreased are now using the oldest gimmick in the book — jealousy — to continue their assault on American workers. Rather than protect Americans’ jobs, they deflect your attention through jealousy.
“Cut the pay of government workers,” they cry. “Increase their health premiums. Decrease their pensions. Break their unions. After all, you’ve suffered so they should suffer too.” And in your misery, you buy their argument while more jobs head oversees. Pretty stupid, eh?
If their antics weren’t so pathetic, if the consequences weren’t so dire, if they didn’t prey on your stupidity, and if you didn’t buy into their convoluted reasoning, this whole situation would be laughable. But of course it’s not.
I warned you I’d likely offend you, and I suspect I did. But once you overcome your anger, consider my analysis. Then, either wise up and do something about it, or resign yourself to a lower standard of living for the next decade.
I've made two discoveries in the last few weeks. Rick Ungar of Forbes Magazine (yeah, I know Forbes...but he's on our side) and now Mr. Burrsma. They're both pro-worker and always worth your time.
