Why do we still have Unions?

UPDATE: Today it was in the news that Fry’s actually came to an agreement with the union and their employees did not go on strike. I may have been a tad incorrect in my review of the reason for the strike. It was actually concerning health care, how the stores do not offer to pay any part of their health care and they either wanted free health care or more pay. So it ultimately did revolve around pay.

Recently, here in Phoenix, local grocery chains Fry’s and Safeway had disputes with their respective unions. Supposedly no deal could be agreed upon and thousands of grocery workers went on strike this afternoon.

Now is it just me, or is this the WORST possible time in all of history to decide to go on strike?

Not only are you not working, but you’re protesting your wages and demanding higher pay, during a depression (or recession depending on who you ask). Do you really believe your jobs are going to be protected? Especially when both stores have secured over 6,000 temporary clerks? What harm could you possibly do to a company that has temporarily replaced you during your “strike”?

Which gets into the subject of unions. Regardless of what you may or may not have heard on CNN, the prime reason the largest automaker in the world collapsed and went bankrupt was because of unions. Yeah, maybe back in the 20’s unions were very much a positive thing. Without a degree in the field, I can say that they are probably the reason the standard of living was raised for many people and why so many people were able to make a living for many, many years. But these days, unions are only causing problems. They’re becoming more of a pest than an asset.

Going back to the UAW, talk about ruthless, good for nothing union leaders. Very few heard about it, because we have to support the unions in this country, you dare not oppose them, but their practices over the past many years has been dishonest and despicable.

First, most of the “engineers” that the UAW are protecting make $30+/hour, are salary, and work ZERO hours per week. That’s right, the UAW has made it so these men can sit at home, do nothing, and still get paid.

That’s not all. While they have secured high wages and rivaled benefits packages, they still pressure the automakers into more and more demands. Such demands these companies are forced to grant in fear of not only losing man hours, but because of the sheer power these unions hold over their heads.

And the fear was, “we can’t end the unions, that’ll end jobs and the automakers will all go bankrupt!” Oh, and, “we have to support the unions because they keep millions of Americans employed and we have to buy American built, not foreign!”

Well first of all BMW, Honda and Toyota are all union-less. Oh, and by the way, they also have plants across the country, so buying foreign is also supporting jobs held by Americans. As for Ford and GM, they both have plants in Canada, Mexico and China. So much for “American Built”.

This was meant to be a short rant about something local so sorry about the lack of links, but this is all verifiable, just by doing a search of the internet.

Guess I’m done for now.

- Jeff

Affordable Choices??

Unfortunately in just the past couple of hours we’ve heard that the U.S. House of Representatives has sold out the American people once again and passed the health care bill. If there’s any positive outlook it’s that the vote was very close, 220 – 215. I know a long list of individuals in this country who are going to become unemployed very, very soon. All we need to concentrate on now is putting an increased amount of pressure on the Senate and hope that all faith hasn’t been completely lost in the entire Congress.

But while we’re on the subject, lets look at the facts surrounding this piece of legislation and what the media is deciding to withhold from us.

First of all the bill was approximately 2,000 pages, give or take a few hundred. I can guarantee with 90% certainty that not a single congressman has read this entire bill, not even John Stingell, the sponsor of this bill.

Then the hype that insurance companies are “critical” of this legislation when in reality, THEY WROTE IT! Who to benefit most then these corporations when having health insurance is MANDATORY and if you opt not to get it, you are taxed as a penalty.

Speaking of penalties… During Obama’s campaign during the 2008 election season, the now President repeatedly promised that the American people making $250,000 per year or less wouldn’t see an increase of a single penny in their taxes. They may not be direct, but when a company or an employer faces increased taxes and regulations that restrict business, those reduced profits become a burden upon the employees and customers.  For example:

Employer Mandate Excise Tax (Page 275): If an employer does not pay 72.5 percent of a single employee’s health premium (65 percent of a family employee), the employer must pay an excise tax equal to 8 percent of average wages. Small employers (measured by payroll size) have smaller payroll tax rates of 0 percent (<$500,000), 2 percent ($500,000-$585,000), 4 percent ($585,000-$670,000), and 6 percent ($670,000-$750,000).

Individual Mandate Surtax (Page 296): If an individual fails to obtain qualifying coverage, he must pay an income surtax equal to the lesser of 2.5 percent of modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) or the average premium. MAGI adds back in the foreign earned income exclusion and municipal bond interest.

Excise Tax on Medical Devices (Page 339): Imposes a new excise tax on medical device manufacturers equal to 2.5 percent of the wholesale price. It excludes retail sales and unspecified medical devices sold to the general public.

Just because these taxes aren’t listed underneath Federal Income Tax and Social Security on your paycheck doesn’t mean they aren’t being passed on to you eventually. So much for promises, right?

Then there’s the public option. Oh yes, the new bureaucracy that an aide for a representative in Arizona told me personally had “majority support.” An option, that even if it was remotely a positive thing, is actually unavailable to 200 million Americans. Wow. Great. And the confusion of funding doesn’t make it any more appealing, the politicians can’t even come to a consensus on whether abortions are covered under this plan.

And is anyone aware of how this bill infringes on our liberties? Does anyone care that Congress has no authority what so ever to manage health care? According to James Clyburn, Congress is well aware that most of what they do is not authorized by the Constitution. Is anyone really surprised by their ever-increasing cocky attitudes?

I agree that health reform is needed on a monumental scale in this country. A hospital stay shouldn’t cost anywhere near $100/hour, especially with the poor quality of their food. But the answer isn’t government intervention. More control by Washington will be a medical disaster. Look at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). How well does the government handle that fiasco? Or how about nationalizing Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and AIG? Look how successful those companies are doing today (or not). Or maybe the most helpful, the bailout packages. Remember how we were told the economy would collapse and the stock market would plunge if we didn’t pass the bill? Well… it’s a year later and unemployment has only increased ever since (government says 10.2%, other sources say 17+%).

I beg the public not to panic and support a bill that no one has read nor anyone truly understands. This massive bill is the complete wrong direction for us to take. If we’re ever going to get medical prices under control and limit the power insurance companies have over us we must eliminate the insurance companies in question. They are the cause of the inflated medical costs and premiums. This problem started with the creation of HMO’s (which happened to be by the government) and it will end when they do.

Think before we act. That should be common sense, the very fact that it must be stressed is appalling.

- Jeff

Fort Hood, Texas

I want to start out by saying that the events that occurred yesterday at Fort Hood were devastating, and many prayers go out to those family members of the fallen soldiers. The time that they did serve, no matter how short, I’m sure was very honorable.

That said, it’s mandatory to look at the facts of what took place.

Nidal Malik Hasan, the gunman, was a psychiatrist but what the media doesn’t share is that he was also suffering from psychological problems himself.

Now that’s interesting. According to the news this is a “gun control” issue. How, if guns were illegal, this would have never happened. I’m sure it had nothing to do with antidepressants. But wait, didn’t this same scenario play out at Virginia Tech? Wasn’t that publicized as a gun control issue? Then later, come to find out, he was psychologically ill and was taking SSRI’s. But I’m sure there’s no connection whatsoever and a very clear explanation for it all.

Also, the gunman chose the very site for his rampage because he had prior knowledge that that particular area was a “Gun Free Zone”, knowing no one else would be armed and he would go unchallenged. But wait… we need to ban guns because they are to blame for this tragedy, but it occurred in a government designated area that is strictly gun free? How does that even remotely make any sense?

The other tactic the media is using is that this was a “Muslim extremist” on a mission from Allah. It doesn’t take a scholar to know that this is completely ridiculous. First off, he ran around screaming “Allah Akbar” which means “God is great”. This is not what a Muslim extremist shouts as he is “attacking the infidel.” It’s no coincidence that Afghanistan is suffering from all time low approval ratings. What better way to increase support in a war in the Middle East, then a Muslim attacking one of our largest, if not the largest, military bases in the U.S. I’m not making any accusations but there’s definitely something to give attention to there. Also, now that evidence has come out that mere hours before the massacre he was laughing and joking around at a convenience store, it must be part of their methods for mentally preparing for a mission from Allah. Give me a break.

And what happened to the “three shooters” story that was being reported to begin with? Why was it then changed to just one?

There are many more questions that remain to be answered and understood, some that may never be clear, but one that is for sure: this wasn’t normal, this wasn’t an act of “Jihad” and the media isn’t telling us an ounce of truth. Any surprise there?

There’s no doubt that thirteen lives were lost for no good reason, but are we going to settle for the media’s version? Or will we demand the truth? You decide.

- Jeff

Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici

“By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.”

After much deliberation I have decided to begin blogging. I know I’m late in the blogosphere but better late than never. To give an idea of what to expect from me it’s very simple, the truth.

Topics can range from current events, “politics” (though exposing the treachery of the government isn’t what I would classify as politics), and anything else that seems to be relevant. I’m blunt, opinionated and I read A LOT so if any of the previous is a problem, then this isn’t the blog for you.

I hope many of you will decide to follow me and comment regularly.

P.S. If you’re curious what Verum + Libertas means, well my school isn’t offering Latin 101 this semester so my latin is very basic, but my understanding is that it means “Truth + Liberty” which I think is a successful equation for a prosperous society.

- Jeff