in an ideal world

My Dear Friend,

I suspected all along that you had a sly sense of humor.    you are one funny guy. 

In response to your suppositions I would first clear up our use of the word, Free.  Of course nothing is Free.  So when we say free education or free health care we are understanding that those services are being paid for by our collective selves, i.e., our government. 

Our government.  That is us.  All of us.  Even including those who send their money off-shore and seek loop holes to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.  Even them. 

So we all most likely will agree that nothing is Free.  But what some of us object to is having to pay twice for the services.  We pay taxes to support our children's education.  But then we find that we pay little dribbles of extra money all through their elementary and secondary education, and huge amounts of money for their college education in state funded colleges. 

But saying that unions should dictate companies business is a whole different subject.  Or saying that there should be no successful corporations. 

Let's look at the union and the company.  Since both are dependent upon successfully staying in business, what is so strange about a partnership in running the company?  Oh sure, I know friends of mine who shout, "Nobody is going to tell me how to run my business.  I built it up from the ground and I'm Damned if I'll give up one bit of control".  But did they really build it up from the ground all alone? 

The Schissels mortgaged their homes and took out huge loans to start Fentron Industries.  At some point they hired my dad to do structural steel estimating.  Through their collective risk, and my dad's keen ability, they made a fortune.  And they proudly announced to the world that they, the Schissels were successful businessmen.  And they were.  But they forgot just who else was successful.  My dad, the draftsmen in the drafting room, the shop foreman and his talented crew.  All were responsible for the success of that company.  And what did the Schessels say?  Damned Union is going to drive us into the poor house.  They put the drafting room on salary, telling the draftsmen that this would work to their advantage.  "If you get sick or want an afternoon off, you just take it and you don't lose any pay," they cooed.  My dad refused, saying he believed in being paid for the time he worked, and he'd take his chances with missing time due to illness. 

Shortly after everyone but dad had signed the new agreement a notice was posted.  All salaried personnel would work 4 hours on Saturdays during the current emergency.  My dad also was called in, at time and a half.  Salaried personnel received no extra pay.  Did I mention that the office was non union? 

But of course we want the corporations to be successful.  Maybe we are not defining "successful" the same way.  To me, successful is all inclusive.  The CEO and the night watchman.  The Corporate attorney and the cleaning crew.  All are components of a successful corporation.  Not just the CEO, and certainly not the share holders. 

But as long as we live in a system whereby people worship the Almighty dollar above and beyond their country or their fellow human beings, there will be suffering. 

As long as corporate success is based on amassing billions of dollars and profiting from war, then we will continue to have suffering. 

Of course I want business to be successful.  Workers coming and going, taking their children to clean modern schools, playing safely in the parks, going to and from work every day, healthy and happy.  Who wouldn't want to see that sort of success? 

So perhaps we need to better define what we are talking about when we speak of success. 

 

Curious Carl