Al Mascitti had a brilliant moment on his show (although his detractors may gleefully point out it was because he was quoting someone else)… But he read a story, where a Walker supporter, an ex postal worker whose union had been shot through with holes and was once the shell of its former protective strength, was solidly behind Walker because his sister in law, who was a teacher, had gotten free dental work done. This man didn’t think that was fair. HE had to pay for his dental work, because his private insurance wouldn’t cover it, but she, had state insurance, and got it for free.
He supported Scott Walker, even as he was receiving his pink slip from one of Scott Walker’s cuts.
As I listened to that story, I couldn’t help but think sadly of a lost opportunity. For here we had a person ripe for conversion to understanding that when you are a slave, caving in to your master’s whims doesn’t get you what you want… after all, why should it cost him more; he could just replace you. Instead, when you cave in, the master sees is as proof he should have done it a lot earlier. “Look! They ARE willing to work for less just to have a job. Wow! I’ve been pissing money away, all these years. You know what? I’ll get it back next time; we can even make it lower; just look at how they are groveling now……”
No, rebelling; walking away and winning, is the strategy that gets what you want.
As an employer, I can tell you, nothing bothers one more than a call that says everyone didn’t show up for work that day. Suddenly all plans, all budgets, all future compensation, is in limbo. The longer it goes on, that limbo puts one into double jeopardy. “What do you mean you can’t come in! Yeah, I know you have issues but look, so do I.. Hey, if I give you $20 cash, can you change your plans for me? Seriously, I’m desperate; look, I’ll even make it $25. Can’t you help a brother out?”
Yep, strike.
When a company loses $1 million a day, because they didn’t want to pay $30 a day more, well, suddenly that $30 dollars a day doesn’t seem as important to put in the owners pocket as it once did.
So with that poor postal worker who misguidedly finds himself serving Walker, a lost opportunity occurred; someone should have slipped in and turned that resentment into action…
“You know, you are right. It IS not fair. Screw it! Exactly. If we can do it for public sector employees like school teachers who are underpaid, overworked, and struggle to live day by day on their limited budget, then there is no reason in hell, that a for-profit corporation, flush with cash, who has all this extra money they can waste and throw away on election commercials no one looks at, should also not be able to give free dental care to all their employees. Just one commercial, could fund free dental for all it’s employees for 5 years! These corporations have tons and tons of free money, just sitting in rooms, doing nothing; why not pay for everyone to have free dental care. You know! It makes more sense the more you think about it; that instead of cutting back the public sector’s health benefits to make things more equal, we should instead be legislating the private sector to give more, making it required to give MORE benefits to their employees, thereby, putting us ALL closer in balance when it comes to having insurance that covers our every need.”
If you remember, insurances used to all be equal at one time. Corporate insurance plans had free dental care too. So instead of cutting back on the public sector, let’s choose to add more benefits on the backs of the private sector. After all, fair is fair. Shouldn’t corporations also pay their fair share?
Seriously, there is no reason every individual can’t have free health care… This is a great country. We have the capacity of just going to the doctor without getting billed, getting a prescription without getting billed, and then having that money we’ve been wasting on medical needs, to spend on other things we really need…. We can afford this. Easily.
Just strike until they cave in and we get it…. Don’t work. Make them understand by their looking over their books, that they lose more by us not working than they will lose by paying for us to get our own free dental work done….
WE can do this for everybody. So why aren’t we, Unions? That is the question that never seems to get asked. That lost opportunity is why frustrated people whose lives since Bush-2000 have turned to hell, are gathering on the wrong side. At least in their eyes, that other side, is doing “something” to make things more equal….
But stop for a second and think this one through. If you are intent on making things equal, doesn’t it make more sense to make things equal by making both sides have more, instead of by forcing both sides towards each getting less?
You see, we need more unions; not less.
6 comments
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June 6, 2012 at 1:09 pm
delacrat
“where a Walker supporter, an ex postal worker whose union had been shot through with holes and was once the shell of its former protective strength, was solidly behind Walker because his sister in law, who was a teacher, had gotten free dental work done.”
According to this socialist rag,
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703408604576164290717724956.html
his sister-in-law’s “free” dental work was actually “over half the cost of dental coverage”.
June 6, 2012 at 10:41 pm
kavips
Didn’t follow you… What did you mean her dental work was over the cost of dental coverage? That’s the case with my paltry corporate plan. I pay $5 a week and get my teeth cleaned once a year for $75.. on paper that is… so that would apply to me. And my plan sucks….
Reading your link, it appears that it there is nothing there at all. Bringing home the point, that teachers should not have basic benefits cut back to keep them in parity with those of corporate. Corporate benefits should be increased, bringing them up in parity to those of governmental employees. with the corporations (who can easily afford to waste $68 million on a stupid state election) being the ones bearing the cost.
If corporations got that much money to squander, waste, and throw to the wind, let’s take it and instead put it to use assisting the middle class to have a better, more prosperous life.
June 7, 2012 at 6:03 am
delacrat
I did not say ‘over the cost of dental coverage’. I said ‘“over HALF the cost of dental coverage”, which is far from “free”.
June 7, 2012 at 6:50 am
kavips
Oops, my bad. I forgot to type in the word half… Anyways, the point is the same. If corporations have that much money to squander, waste, and throw to the wind, let’s take it and instead, put it to use assisting the middle class to have a better, more prosperous life.
June 7, 2012 at 8:06 am
anonymous
The Republican Presidential candidate
1%ers include those who earn millions each year. Well, good for them, except…. republican 1%ers think it’s better if, others should struggle on an unsustainable minimum wage.
1%ers of course know, how important good health care is. The 1%ers get the finest medical attention that can be bought. Good for them… except, republican 1%ers think it’s better, that ordinary Tom, Dick and Jane, should have none.
Republicans like the idea of discovering the universe, good for them… except the republican 1%ers think it’s better, if the poor peasants don’t know what 1%ers are doing to planet Earth.
Republicans include climate change, as a ‘democratic plot’ to expand government and raise taxes on the rich, as with regulations, health care, medicare, social security, unions, education, etc.
So, here’s something else, republicans want to do away with.
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/02/republican-climate-nasa-budget
“What if the dumb peasants can scientifically pin point their damages to our environmental abuses,” asks Mr. 1%? Not to worry; Willard Rmoney’s willing to blow off the American public.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14887006@N00/2144836554/
“It’s a hoax,” I (now) tell you, it’s a hoax!. Now get sick and die, you pesky, damn peasants. (“Is my car elevator ready yet?”)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2122214/Mitt-Romneys-12M-beach-home-comes-car-elevator-lobbyist.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/15/climate-change-denial-com_n_836219.html
June 8, 2012 at 4:57 am
anonymous
The Republican Presidential candidate
1%ers earn millions each year. Well, good for them, except…. they think it’s better if, others should struggle on an unsustainable minimum wage.
1%ers of course know, how important good health care is. The 1%ers get the finest medical attention that can be bought. Good for them… except, they think it’s better, that Tom, Dick and Jane, should have none.
Republicans like the idea of exploring the universe, good for them… except the 1%ers think it’s better, if the poor peasants don’t know what 1%ers are doing to planet Earth.
Republican include climate change, as a ‘democratic plot’ to expand government and raise taxes on the rich, as with regulations, health care, medicare, social security, unions, education, etc.
So, here’s something else, republicans want to do away with.
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/02/republican-climate-nasa-budget
“What if the dumb peasants can scientifically pin point their damages to our environmental abuses,” asks Mr. 1%? Not to worry; Willard Rmoney’s willing to blow off the American public.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14887006@N00/2144836554/
“It’s a hoax,” I (now) tell you, it’s a hoax!. (Now get sick and die, you pesky, damn peasants.)
(“Is my car elevator ready yet?”)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2122214/Mitt-Romneys-12M-beach-home-comes-car-elevator-lobbyist.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/15/climate-change-denial-com_n_836219.html