Those who distinguish civil from theological intolerance are, to my mind, mistaken. The two forms are inseparable. It is impossible to live at peace with those we regard as damned; to love them would be to hate God who punishes them: we positively must either reclaim or torment them. Wherever theological intolerance is admitted, it must inevitably have some civil effect.
Rex, Moorhead
1/6/2012 1:01:19 PM
The Democratic party needs strong unions again. We need to look at countries like Germany to understand that unionized labor can THRIVE in an Asian-Pacific/global economy. It takes politicians, management, and labor working together. We need to invest money in infrastructure and green energy. We need to make substantial investments on public education, technical training, and higher education particularly in engineering, mathematics, and science. There is no magic bullet to save America except hard work, sweat, and investment in the right areas so that the jobs of the future grow here instead of somewhere.
The United States should forge an alliance with Germany on an unprecedented scale. We should adopt quickly German education methods, business models, and spend much more money in infrastructure and higher education. We need to make business partnerships with Germany to produce wind farms, solar panels, and mass transit vehicles like commuter rail, and highly efficient buses on a large scale. We could also make military weapons like tanks, armored vehicles, and fighter planes by joint projects with the Germans. By pooling our resources with the German government we could save huge amounts of money developing state of the art infrastructure, commuter trains, weapons, and other industrial goods. By developing a long term business relationship with the Germans on an huge scale the United States would reap great dividends. Joint projects with the Germans on a huge scale would make the American economy much more efficient. The U.S. should adopt year around schools and a Medicare for all public option so we can compete against single payer countries.
There is no reason the U.S. and the other NATO countries should make their own designed tanks, aircraft, weapons, and infrastructure. By scrutinizing each others projects by working together by pooling our resources we all could figure ways of designing and mass producing highly efficient machinery, robotics, green energy, mass transit, and a whole range of industrial projects that are ALL STANDARDIZED TO THE GREATEST DEGREE POSSIBLE. We could do much more together than we can separately. The answer to China should be that the U.S. and Germany work closer together than ever. This comment should apply to NATO countries in general.
Pat, Grand Lake Co
1/6/2012 12:52:48 PM
My mom grew up during the depression and knew the truth: Unions advanced working people and we should honor the hundreds and probably thousands who died for the union cause. I have belonged to unions, been a steward and held an elected post in my local. I was a proud member of the Oil Chemical and Atomic Workers Union, which included refinery workers and laboratory workers among others. OCAW is now part of the Steelworkers.. go figure. Both my sons, one in a refinery and one in a steel warehouse, now belong to the Steelworkers union. Both, while hanging by a thread and watching pay and benefits take hits, are still making decent wages and have good benefits.Without the union they would have much less, and they are both college graduates!
Unions with all their warts and problems, are still the best way for workers to maintain a decent, middle class life style. That the right wing noise in America has managed to malign and vilify unions is a disgrace.
TAX THE RICH.. wake up Americans.. You're either the 1% or the 99%!!
theduck
1/6/2012 12:45:11 PM
Oregon is an "open Shop" state. You can go to work and NOT join the union but still reciece ALL union benifits. It's stupid. Why should someone not in the union get the same benifits? They even get to vote on a new contract. Why? It's amazing how some people don't want to pay a few buck a month for their benifits but still want them.
Another issue unions help with are "safety violations". I was fired once for trying to get a union in a small shop. The pay was within $0.05 of a union shop but they had several safety violations we had to work with. I call OSHA. OSHA contacted the employer, not mentioning my name. but informed them they would be inspecting on said date. Wow, amazingly no violations. Until the next week.There was not a week went by someone wasn't injured. We had to work with chemicals that were outlawed. Union shops have the fewest accidents.
ron mariposa
1/6/2012 12:14:59 PM
Linda S . we lived in North Monterey country for 29 years and went there many times and if you ever go to the San Francisco or Monterey Bay do it in the spring or fall for two reasons. There are fewer tourist, and the weather is better. More sunshine and warmer days without FOG.
Bob ND is that you can? If so you are feeding him or her too well.
just my humble view
Recall all the gop=tea baggers no matter of office. They are all 10 plagues in one.
ron mariposa
1/6/2012 12:06:35 PM
Rob Ore. I agree the younger people came into the job market with the high pay and benefits that the union got for them, and now they say we dont want or need the unions as the companies are paying so well. Let them have not one union in this country and see what these wonderful companies and their boards do to their benefits and pay. I am like you I had some complaints with the unions, but the union gave me protection when the company tried to fire me and harassed me for about 10 years because of their failures, and we proved it to them time after time and finally we told them to put up or leave me alone. They couldnt put up and let me do my job without the harassement. I finally retired after busting my fanny for GE for 26 years. The people from the company who did this left the company long before I did not because of me but they were used by GE then thrown away or figured what would be their faith if they stayed and if they werent a jerk and kiss butt. All these governors are on the koch brothers payroll, and the payrolls of the corporations. If the people dont get that without unions and the protection that the unions give they are going to be working like they live in a third or fourth world country.
just my humble views
Linda S Houston
1/6/2012 11:56:20 AM
Ron
Thanks for the reality check. I have always wanted to see the Monterey Bay Aquarium, it's famous.
Rob, Oregon
1/6/2012 11:46:09 AM
I paid union dues for years, and I'd do it all over again. I'd even pay more. For those dues I had decent medical care, a living wage, a modest house, food on the table for my family, and a little self respect. I worked as hard as anybody else, and so did my wife. I guarantee it. I didn't agree with everything the union spent the dues money on, however we agreed politically a vast majority of the time. Do you agree with the government from the feds on down to states and counties on how every tax dollar you pay is spent? Can you opt out of that? I don't think so.
These 'right to work' movements are one of the biggest con jobs the righties are hammering on at the moment. They are appealing to a new generation that has far less unionism than my era did.( Incidentally, the economy was roaring back then when people had more to spend).
If every union in this country is broken, your a fool if you think the companies are going to treat you better. They will go after the minimum wage laws as the reason they are not all billionaires. If working America doesn't get off the floor and start fighting back, we will all go back to the sweat shop days of our history. Shut up and make me rich boy, or your fired.
ron mariposa
1/6/2012 11:45:58 AM
First this is for the people who think gas is too high priced. OMG 3.15 to 3.36 per gallon, I would be in hog heaven as they say if our gas was that cheap ! I am just giving you guys and gals a hard time this friday morning and dont forget a week from today it will be friday the 13th, and may the gop=tea baggers have a wonderful one that day.Went for a little ride to the Monterey Bay yesterday, and paid 3.60 to 3.80 per gallon. I know some areas here California are even higher, and part of the problem here is the state tax. The pipe line was added to the income tax break bill because the gop=tea baggers wanted to box in the president and have him veto the bill, but it said he had to look into, but didnt say he had to decide on it. If he is smart send it back to other agencies. The current pipeline is already built and in service, and I can only see that they want to add several legs to it and extend it to the gulf coast. If they just wanted to refine it were it termates now and then maybe a secure pipeline to the coast it may not be bad but they just want to add more pipeline going in a different route to end up at the same places. Why dont they just add a second or third line to where the pipe already is and increase the refining at the present locations and then ask for a pipeline to the gulf. Still would produce the jobs and oil that is needed. Also the present line does cut across a good bite of canada, and we all know the gop=tea baggers think canada is our 51st state.
The gop=tea baggers just want to bust the unions, and the unions and dems have to stand up and fight. I was a shop steward and we fought open shops at GE in our area. We told ge they could have them if the paid less and didnt give benefits to new hires if they chose not to be union, and old ones that dropped the union. If these people wanted not to be in the union and wanted the pay and benefits they would have to be an associate member at it would cost them 1.00 to 2.00 dollars less than full member. We had ZERO NIL, AND ZIP people leave the union or the new hires not join. The main reason is that they knew the union wouldnt be there to protect them if the company wanted to fire them or take other actions against them because their associate dues were just for pay and benefits and nothing more. The right to work is bad, but if the unions are smart they can use the same thing we did, make them pay dues, and not one union protection for job security. If people are smart they will see that if the company has a high turn over of non union workers they get the idea that they are screwed by not being union. Bon Bobonde I agree with your view the op=tea baggers and their corporate buddies.
just my humble views
Linda S Houston
1/6/2012 11:43:17 AM
Let's get on with the recalls. Haven't they learned anything from Wisconsin????
