I read, daily, comments about the socialist scare in the US in the form of National healthcare. Why, then, are the same people not screaming from the rooftops about unions? They are socialist forms to be sure.
A capitalist sets out with his money and an idea to build a business. He provides employment for a community. And then, without his ability to stop them, a union comes into play. You may say he deserves it...perhaps for bad business practices. But hey...its a capitalist society...should he not be able to run his business in any way he chooses?
Why is a union not socialist in your capitalist mindset?
2007-02-09 10:33:06 · 10 answers · asked by Super Ruper 6 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
I guess I was hoping to hear from the Republicans who accuse the dems of the socialist plan for America.
2007-02-09 10:42:55 · update #1
In fact, Down the Middle, company owners DO NOT have the right to refuse union set up in their companies...thats the problem. They cannot legally interfere with union organization...hence the socialist notion.
2007-02-10 00:41:16 · update #2
I believe most government agency employees are already members of unions.
Whether or not our government agencies have anything to do with capitalism or socialism, I'm not sure.
Maybe they just want to keep the government unions around so when election time comes around, they have somewhere to go for donations.
Do you see my point?
2007-02-09 10:51:26 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Unions have kept capitalism alive.
If not for unions, there's a very good chance we would have had a socialist revolution during the '30s.
The greatest growth in the American economy took place at the same time as the highest union membership. America became a middle-class nation because of unions. It's no coincidence that we are experincing a huge, growing wage gap as unions are shrinking.
Keep in mind that unions are a REACTION to capitalism. If bosses were decent, unions wouldn't be necessary.
2007-02-09 19:38:35 · answer #2 · answered by bettysdad 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The great thing about our republic is almost anything can exist as long as there's enough people able to agree about it without starting a riot. Granted, unions and their corporate counterparts have a natural state of hostility...but our democratic process is just that, isn't it? It's unavoidable. If you want "cut n dry" with blind efficiency, you need a dictatorship.
Capitalism works best when there's a basically free market...this drives our economy...but the price you pay for freedom is having a mess between disagreeing factions.
Besides, pure socialism went down with the Soviets.
2007-02-09 18:43:09 · answer #3 · answered by bradxschuman 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The company owner has the right to refuse unions. You should really understand WHAT you are talking about, before you have diarrhea of the mouth. It is the workers who are being treated unfairly, or being forced to work with no safety standards, etc... that bring in the union
2007-02-09 18:45:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Who would ever hold that unions are NOT socialistic? Hell, Marx could have been looking at a labor union when he wrote his "Manifesto". Both believe in the proletariat controlling the means of production. Both saw labor as more important the capital, and both believe in a classless society.
Unions are evil and have done more than any other factor to destroy our economy.
2007-02-09 18:37:17 · answer #5 · answered by Rick N 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Socialism in the US has been stone cold dead for many decades. Anyone who tries to scare you with talk of socialism is an idiot. Unions are there to protect workers and give them decent working conditions. Why do you have a problem with that?
2007-02-09 18:37:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
i think any business owner has a responsibility to provide a safe working environment, and a minimum set of benifits for its workers in order to maintain a civil society. it is a persons constitutional right to form a union without owners or managers threatening them with loss of job or benifits.
why is it that the people that make our way of like possible are treated like their jobs arent important. like construction workers, farmers, cloths makers, and police officers.
2007-02-09 18:42:33 · answer #7 · answered by ? 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because unions have little relevance outside of the private sector anymore. They do have a lot of power in the public sector. The reason why they have less influence is because the union entitlements have decimated the industries they have been in. See the auto industry
2007-02-09 18:36:37 · answer #8 · answered by Chainsaw 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Are you suggesting we go back to the 1800's where businesses payed people a dollar a day, people starved to death and poor children lived miserable lives?
The problem with you is your "one or the other" mentality. We're doing just fine right now (could be doing a little better) but at least workers can afford apartments and not be begging for food on the streets and stealing stuff for survial. THINK ABOUT IT FOR A SECOND
2007-02-09 18:36:14 · answer #9 · answered by New Jersey Steve 5 · 2⤊ 3⤋
Unions do not have political authority, and they have been in decline for decades.
2007-02-09 18:38:03 · answer #10 · answered by dwg1998red 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋