Southie Progressive Magazine

The first three paragraph’s of the following is a comment I left for a friend who does not think very highly of union folks. He uses these tired arguments that there are no need for unions and that we are lazy (which is laughable):

“Well, my honorable, good friend. I’m still confused. Maybe a personal story will demonstrate the suffering of what is left of the working-class/the lower middle-class. Since you are a good friend, and an honorable friend, I will try to remain rational, and only let emotion seep through when I talk about my mother who passed back in ’08. My mother wanted a better life for me. She cleaned houses on the weekends. That’s right, she spent the weekends on the floors of wealthy people in their Victorian-styled homes scrubbing away, cleaning toilets, cleaning the mess left by spoiled children who were using modems for the internet before I even knew what it was: the “haves and the have nots.” Throughout the week she worked at the Brigham and Women at the night-time telecommunications. Often times, I would have to stay at her co-workers houses, and I was always so scared–I wanted to be in my own bed. But I understood that my beautiful, hard-working Mom was doing what she had to do for us. She was stronger in spirit than most men I have met in my life-time. She was able to put herself through nursing school as a single-mother. She believed in her heart that the American Dream is out there if you work hard enough. And she achieved it. Do you honestly believe that you somehow ever worked hard than my mother (after all, my friend, you advised “us working-folk” to work harder), who besides working her full-time job, took jobs at places like the Marion Manor to pay the bills–particular my High School tuition.

I get a kick out of people (I do not mean you my friend) who were handed everything in life, but yet they have the audacity to call a union woman like my mom lazy. She was the site rep. for the MNA. And you know what they fought for?–-the patient. Quality care can only be given if there is a proper ratio between nurse and patient. Wow!–-What a selfish act.

My father was the president of his union, and cleaned out the corruption in his local. I hope that more union presidents decide to do the same. His legacy consists of protecting the average worker from upper-management (who seem to think they sit on monarchical thrones) firing arbitrarily without good reason. He saved people’s jobs. And at the same time he saved every cent he got paid to so that I got the best education I could get.” [end of comment to my honorable friend, but please read on]

This is what the union does, and this is why unions are still needed. I emulate my mother and father for their selflessness and empathy. Two virtues that go hand-and-hand with progressivism–screw it! I will use that word that conservative think tanks have made dirty: “liberalism”.

The Koch Brothers have a plan to wipe out unions. It is a master plan. This is not a conspiracy theory. The Kochs had their own general counsel argue in favor of Citizens’ United: A poison fatal to our fragile democratic-republic that emanates from the Supreme Court. The poison will strip us of our ability to have a fair campaign process. Corporations can open up war chests and flood money into battleground states. The Koch Brothers have already started doing this. The Koch brothers plan to wipe out unions. They funded Governor Walker’s campaign. His first act was to screw the middle-class by pretty much wiping out unions by taking away their right to collective bargaining (there is also a law in the works that will result in a 7 day work week in Wisconsin). And that is the ultimate consequence of our “Koch problem.” Why begin to wipe out unions?–they are the biggest donators to Democratic candidates–especially progressive candidates.

These parasites are infecting our electoral process and thus our legislative process. Why has Congress refused to work with President Obama? While John Boehner may be the Speaker of the House and the leader of the Republican Party in the House (only in name), he has no control over the 51 congressman that used Tea Party funds to win their seats. In reality, the leader of the Tea Party caucus are the Koch Brothers. As ideologues their far-right agenda is more important to them than the health of our democratic-republic. And there are plenty of examples: the debt ceiling debate (A debate that should not be debated at all); they were willing to sacrifice the full faith and credit of the United States’ obligation to pay back its loans. Ideologues will inflict damage and hurt to others to get what they want. Their allegiance is to their ideology, and their ideological leaders: The Kochs. Let me add this parenthetical thought: can you name other groups who choose their extreme ideological tenets over the value of human life? Millions would have suffered if The United States didn’t pay its bills. It would have destroyed the economy. And you know who would suffer?–people like my mother and father (who selflessly spent their life fighting for others due to their sense of compassion and empathy), my elderly neighbor, working-class people in general. Unions are all the protection that these very hard-working men and women have.

So to my friend who thinks union men and women to be lazy; Go work as a laborer for a week–you’ll be begging to get back to you comfy corporate office. The Middle-Class is the backbone of this country. Whenever the middle-class thrives, this country thrives. It is time, right now, to start fighting back!