[Peace-discuss] Fw: Labor Leaders, Obamacare, and the Fate of the Union

Tue Sep 17 21:54:08 UTC 2013

People need to learn the difference between succouring and suckering.

Obviously Obamacare was written for the benefit of the 1%.

*
The problem with the "health care" system in the US is that the number
of doctorers is deliberately and systematically kept small to keep the
system in a constant state of crisis and undersupply.

This maximizes income and wealth accretion for the few.  Fuck the many.

Until the many wake up and realize what a red raw deal they are getting,
and decide to do something about it, there is no hope at all.

A hint:  (well, 2 hints)

Voting is futile.

You might as well write to Santa Claus as to write to your fucking
congresscritter or senator.
In fact, it would make a lot more sense to write to Santa Claus.

The only thing that the 1% can understand is the equivalent
of a 2x4 applied appropriately.  I am not suggesting violence,
but any meaningful resistance will be met with violence by the 1%.

Maybe it would be good to watch "A Bug's Life" until the light comes on.

On 09/18/13 4:24, David Johnson wrote:
>
> http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/09/16/labor-leaders-obamacare-and-the-fate-of-the-unions/
>
> Democrats Fail Labor Again
> *Labor Leaders, Obamacare, and the Fate of the Union*s
> by SHAMUS COOKE
>
> *A funny thing happened a couple of months ago: labor leaders finally 
> awoke from their coma and realized that Obamacare was not only bad for 
> unions, but for working families in general.
>
> Once the biggest salespeople of the bill’s passage, union leaders are 
> suddenly full of rage and "shock" at the realities of Obamacare.
>
> The first sign of brain activity happened in July, when a trio of 
> national labor leaders sent a letter to President Obama, saying that 
> "[Obamacare] will shatter not only our [unions] hard-earned health 
> benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is 
> the backbone of the American middle class."
>
> Perhaps they should have read the bill first? Instead of trying to 
> convince their members and the rest of the country how great it was.
>
> But labor leaders aren’t accepting blame for their role in selling 
> snake oil to the American public. Instead they are blaming the 
> "implementation" of Obamacare, not its essence. For example, the 
> recent AFL-CIO conventionended with a resolution that critiqued 
> Obamacare’s implementation, saying that the bill "doesn’t live up to 
> its promises."
>
> But the AFL-CIO knows better. Many writers — including this one — 
> sounded the alarm bells about Obamacare four years ago, but as the 
> bill’s passage seemed precarious — since many working people hated it 
> — organized labor doubled down for Obamacare, since they had "their" 
> President to re-elect in 2012. Obamacare eventually passed — thanks to 
> organized labor — and unions vigorously celebrated their own undoing.
>
> Unions pressed ahead with Obamacare even after the Congressional 
> Budget Office predicted that as many as 20 million people could be 
> victimized by having their employer-based health care dropped, since 
> these people would now be "mandated" to buy health care as individuals.
>
> Of course, if companies were incentivized by Obamacare to save money 
> on labor costs, they were going to do it.
>
> "But now!", shriek labor leaders, "Obamacare is incentivizing 
> employers to switch to part time employment! This is an unintended 
> consequence!"
>
> Not true. In 2009 mainstream media outlets were talking about this 
> openly too.
>
> Labor leaders are faking outrage now because their members are being 
> directly affected, as are millions of others, all of whom have every 
> right to blame labor leaders for this "nightmare scenario."
>
> Obamacare is perhaps the most blatant example of the complete 
> incompetency of many U.S. labor leaders, who’ve tied the fate of 
> organized labor to the Democratic Party, with disastrous results.
>
> As the jobs crisis grinds on and wages and benefits are being attacked 
> across the board, this "strategy" of labor leaders has proven be an 
> utter failure. Union leaders have remained silent as the Democrats 
> have attacked teachers, public employees, and implemented austerity 
> measures on a state and federal level that shift the cost of the 
> recession on working people.
>
> The corporate and government assault on working people is quickly 
> shifting the landscape under the feet of working people in the U.S., 
> and instead of devising a strategy to fight back labor leaders are 
> focused on "helping" Democrats in the incredibly naive hope that the 
> Democrats will eventually do "something" for organized labor.
>
> Any organization with leaders that have no vision and zero strategy 
> should consider selecting a new leadership. Organized labor is in the 
> fight of its life, and the Obamacare disaster will be repeated unless 
> union members elect new leaders willing to wage a serious, massive, 
> nationwide independent fightback.
>
> Shamus Cooke is a social service worker and an elected officer of SEIU 
> 503. He can be reached at shamuscooke at gmail.com
>
> *
>
>
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>    

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