Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Politics MoveOn.Org Rallies Boise to "Defend The American Dream"
Posted by Josh Gross on Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 3:07 PM
Several hundred union members, teachers and community members marched from Julia Davis Park to Boise City Hall March 15 to protest several pieces of state and national legislation ranging from budget issues to eduction reform to attacks on unions.
Speakers included union members and supporters, local clergy and veteran BW columnist Bill Cope.
Event organizers said to expect more rallies and actions in the next several weeks, including the possibility of a referendum to repeal Tom Luna's recently passed education reforms.
Comments (12)
Showing 1-12 of 12
What a great idea! True story, whenever I am on the fence about something I look to extremist groups like MoveOn.org to give me the balance so I can make an informed decision. Thanks to the BW for the link.
I'm also thankful to Billcope for reminding me to renew my Toastmaster's membership for another year.
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I'm so proud that we had a good turnout. MoveOn is not an extremist group. The extremists are in office, and they're telling us to cut education for the sake of Wall Street's mismanagement of our economy.
Trust me, I don't watch Fox. But, for your purposes, I'm okay with you thinking I do. I'm sure all you are passionate for the cause but aligning yourselves with MoveOn.org is a polarizing act that will ensure you lose half the undecided's. You might not think they're extremist but a good portion of the nation does. I expect Michael Moore is going to be next to rally the center on this issue?
Someone needs to tell these clowns that the social solutions they propose were last relevant back when the Wright brothers invented the airplane. Even their theme song, "This Land is Your Land," was written in 1940. Isn't it about time for progs to come up with social solutions that match today's realities? The Left really does need to move on.
Patience, I suppose if something is old it should be cast out. Even good ideas age more like computers than fine wine, right? If that's true... It's high time we scrapped the Constitution, and forgot the teachings of Jesus and Buddha.
Kellyschutt:
You are trying to compare apples and oranges. Labor unions had value in the early twentieth century when both capital and labor were tied to physical locations. One hundred years later, capital can be transferred instantly to places with the lowest production costs. To remain competitive, labor must be more productive, more skilled, or paid less. Labor unions drive up the costs and make union workers less competitive.
Then there is the whole social welfare state paradigm that lost ago lost its economic glitter. Capital that could be used invested in research and improved productivity is soaked up by transfer payments and we all end up poorer as a result.
I'm not sure what the Constitution, Jesus, or Buddha has to do with changing economic production realities. I do recall that Jesus commanded his followers to take care of the poor, not through confiscatory wealth transfer schemes, but through direct, personal self-sacrifice.
Yes, the lowest production costs are the basis of our new economic reality, because the cheaper we can produce it at the bottom, the more profits flow to the top. I just don't believe the status quo is a moral system.
I guess it works if we no longer value a living wage, products made in the USA, or safe working conditions. Let's go ahead and move our jobs to foreign countries where environmental regulations are weak, workdays are long, conditions are often unsafe and child labor is common. We must remain competitive right, who cares about what is right and just and moral? Wait, I believe Jesus did and I know I do.
"The challenge before us today is whether we can maintain a government of the people, by the people and for the people, or whether we will timidly accept the economic, social, and political consequences of a government of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations." Kucinich
Sunny, very well said!
Patience, great points as well. Your first argument centered on the idea that "because x is dated it must also be irrelevant." I was just extending that to the Constitution/Jesus/Buddha to demonstrate the fallacy.
There's nothing wrong with capital seeking the lowest costs of production. However, if monetary costs are the only ones we're concerned with we will sacrifice standards of living and environmental sustainability. And what is the price tag of human dignity and a healthy environment?
Henry Ford provided a great example. He was concerned chiefly with service measured by the production of real goods for the greatest number. He doubled his lowest wage in 1914 and continually cut prices to provide greater service. His fortune today would be $177 billion. He never hired an accountant or let Wall Street place bankers in charge of his company.
Unfortunately most of our CEOs today are more concerned with finance than they are good business. Google knows better, and they have the best benefits in the world. It seems that when you make it your goal to treat people well, even though you can't directly measure the dollars and cents, the value comes back to you 100 fold.
My speech to MoveOn is available on YouTube http://goo.gl/ldSuH
We'll get better cameras at future events so we can make more speeches available to the world :-)
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