It was George Santayana who said, “Those who cannot remember
the past are condemned to repeat it.” Generally speaking I tend to believe the
past never really repeats itself as things do inevitably change, the same
conditions do not usually exist, and even people’s attitudes and values change
dramatically over time. However, something is happening now in the United
States that may very well prove Santayana right.
The best example of this is occurring right now in Michigan
although this is just the most recent manifestation of what seems to be
happening more widely throughout our country. We seem to be approaching the
brink of a repetition of the terrible labor wars of the 1920’s and 30’s, when
the labor unions fought and finally won concessions from the “robber barons”
and corporations that were so shamelessly exploiting them. The current
corporate interests and the obscenely wealthy that have benefitted so
generously in recent years seem to have forgotten the lessons of the past. They
are currently attacking labor unions in a blatant attempt to destroy them and
so far have been moderately successful. The terrible imbalance between the
haves and the have-nots is every bit as great now as it has ever been and very
similar to the conditions that led to the great union wars of the 20’s and 30’s.
I guess people have forgotten just how terrible these “wars” were, when
corporate thugs and “Pinkertons” were hired to beat and kill union organizers
and the workers fought back so violently. At the moment the focus seems to be
on Michigan where the labor unions are believed to have come into maturity in
the city of Flint. But that was not the only locus of union activity by any
means. Right here in North Idaho, in the silver mines around Wallace, Burke,
Gem, Mullan, Kellogg, and other small mining towns, the battle was joined
between the two factions. At one point union members commandeered a train and
dynamite and blew up the Bunker Hill Smelter in Kellogg. This was after years
of violence during which both miners and strikebreakers lost their lives. And of
course there were the famous garment workers strikes, the automobile strikes,
the longshoremen’s strikes and so on. It was a terrible time and out of the violence
finally grew the 40 hour work week, Sundays off, the eight hour day, vacations,
health care, and so on. I’m sure that one of the reasons the labor unions have
been weakened in recent years is because so many people alive today do not
remember this history of violence and tend to take for granted the 40 hour work
week and etc. Either they are not aware of what conditions were like prior to
the union movement or they have simply forgotten. Twelve hour work days were by
no means uncommon, there were no benefits, the pay was meager, and the
suffering was great.
I suspect that some of our current billionaires and
multi-millionaires are aware of this history and are now rather begrudgingly
suggesting that perhaps they should pay a bit more in taxes before it is too
late and the people with their pitchforks will once again arise. Even these more
enlightened souls are not offering a great deal, just enough to placate the
threatening masses, but their less enlightened peers seem unmoved by the plight
of ordinary citizens and are still clamoring for more and more. So far there
has not been much violence but we have now seen the divisiveness they are
creating between the pro-union workers and those who prefer to benefit from the
unions without paying their fair share of the costs. A bit of violence broke
out in Michigan when a Fox reporter was punched out. I think there is little
doubt that the frustration engendered by Governor Snyder’s sneak attack on the
unions in Michigan could very well eventually lead to aggression and violence.
In fact, if things do not change and the terrible imbalance in wealth continues
I would not be surprised to see the whole country rise up in protest. The
re-election of Barack Obama sent a clear message of where public sentiment lies
and if Obama fails in his attempt to change things I can only imagine the
situation will get worse. And it’s really not much that Obama is requesting
from the obscenely wealthy, a paltry 3 or 4 % raise in their taxes. Republicans
are making a serious mistake if they persist in insisting on protecting the
wealthy at the expense of the middle class. They don’t seem to perceive they
are waving the red flag in front of the bull. They have now successfully robbed
the middle class and the poor for years, weakened the unions, reduced wages and
other benefits, plunged millions into poverty, stolen their homes and pensions
and still want more. I do not believe this can continue much longer, nor should
it, and if it does the consequences may be far more serious than is apparently anticipated.
I would not be surprised to learn there has already been
more violence and conflict than we have been told about by the MSM as the media
itself is in the pockets of the oppressors. They will not tell us the truth
about anything that does not serve their purposes.
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