Monday, February 28, 2011

FOR WISCONSIN


Union members are not radicals. People who support unions are not radicals. They are working people. People who vote. If you've been following the situation in Wisconsin, let's get out ol' Occam's Razor, and cut to the chase. What the Governor Scott Walker wants to do away with is the right for a group of people to collectively decide what they will, or will not, accept as compensation for a day of work, right? Anti-union naysayers will say that there are times when unions make it nearly impossible to fire people who are not up to snuff. While this could be true in some situations, doing away with collective bargaining altogether is like punishing the whole class because someone stole the teacher's pencil. It's doesn't wash. Collective bargaining should be a right. Think of it this way; who's to tell anyone who they can talk to, what they can agree to, and what they can do as a group, with or without a union?
Working people are also people who can make decisions about what they buy based on who's doing the selling. That's what boycotts are. The multi-billionaire Koch brothers, who donated heavily to Walker's campaign, to the tune of $34,000, and put up $340,000 for TV ads to help push Walker legislation, are often referred to as the guys holding the strings, the puppeteers to the Walker puppet, if you will. They also own the Georgia-Pacific paper manufacturing plant in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a big, no huge operation that employs, you guessed it, union workers. This plant makes the following brands that you may choose to stop buying immediately: Quilted Northern, Angel Soft, Brawny, Soft N' Gentle, Brawny Industrial, Vanity Fair, Sparkle, Dixie and Mardi Gras.

Money speaks for money, the Devil for his own
Who comes to speak for the skin and the bone
- Billy Bragg, There is Power In A Union

On a music related note, I think those are two incredible lines of lyrics. With or without music. Oh yeah, speaking of that, rather the lack of the usual escapist tunage, I've tried to steer clear of the non-music related soap box, I really have. Tonight I nearly tripped on it. I will regain my footing next post, I swear.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Listen:
Billy Bragg - There Is Power In A Union mp3 at Zed Equals Zee
Woody Guthrie - This Land Is Your Land mp3 at Rocky52.net
Text and audio:
Walker Pranked By Caller Posing As Billionaire Donor David Koch at the Wisconsin State Journal
Read:
Anonymous Strikes Again at The Daily Kos (2.27.2011)
Majority in Poll Back Employees in Public Unions at the NY Times (2.28.2011)
Billy Bragg - There Is Power In A Union lyrics at Lyrics Time
Watch:
Anon Attacks Koch Brothers at YouTube

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