I arrived at the Wilshire Grand in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening. Thursday morning, I awoke to discover myself camped within a labor protest. Since Thursday morning, members of UNITE HERE Local 11 have been growing louder and rowdier in their demands for "justice". (As an aside, while dining across the street last night a couple of starry eyed young folks were wondering amongst themselves if maybe the protesters across the street had some extra signs or something they could carry. "Wouldn't it be fun to walk around with them out there for a while?" one girl asked her friend. Gee, should we have the drinks before or after protesting someone else's cause?) The justice they seek is wage increases and what they characterize as the (right) of free health care.
UNITE HERE, and all you other unions out there, get a grip! This free health care nonsense has got to go. Any potential support I might have had for the Verizon workers a while back went right out the window when one striker on a network newscast explained that he had no choice but to strike because he loved his family and children and the company actually wanted him to (Gasp! Horror!!) PAY for a portion of his health care! News flash - nearly all of those who are fortunate enough to have health care have to pay for a portion of it. At the moment, I am one of the millions of Americans who are not fortunate enough to have a portion of my pay confiscated to pay for health care. I can only hope to be so lucky.
As scary as it is, I muddle through and work hard for the prospect of and belief in a better tomorrow. Sure I want my employer to give me free health care. Doubling my pay and throwing in a few extra paid days off wouldn't bother me too much either. Reality is somewhat different though, and unlike many of the uninformed hooligans parading around the streets of Los Angeles the past few days, I am mature and intelligent enough to understand and accept economic facts.
Kids, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Whether it is free health care and negotiated wage increases, or the government imposing "minimum living wage" rates from outside the economic system, the costs are paid for somewhere. You may get that extra dollar an hour, but the inflation it fuels will likely wind up costing you a dollar five or a dollar ten. The doctor isn't going to look at your child's swollen tonsils for free. If your employer does pick up the cost of that office visit, it will inevitably be at the expense of hiring more employees and expanding the business. It may even require layoffs to make ends meet and keep the business afloat. And don't expect the employer to just raise his prices and keep everything chugging along the way it had been. For every business that tries to do that, there are plenty more who will hold the line on costs and continue to sell a reasonably priced product. I am one of millions who will not pay more for a product just because it supports welfare programs for union bosses who promise the moon to the rank and file, and all too often wind up delivering a low lying smog layer instead. While somehow miraculously maintaining and expanding their own wealth and power.
The day of the labor union is not done. Unions can still perform very useful functions within our society and ensure a balance remains between the obligations of the employer and the needs of the employed. Union mentalities have changed very little since they were first formed, ignoring the fact that the world is not what it was a century and more ago. It is time for everyone to grow up, and as un-American as it may seem take some personal responsibility for their lives rather than lean on the ill-conceived fantasy that handouts and cradle to grave freebies are what is meant by "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
No comments:
Post a Comment