Sunday, August 31, 2008

Labor Day Cancelled

Maybe it came as a shock to some that the Labor Day Parade was canceled in Grand Rapids, but it shouldn't have.

The lead sponsor (the UAW) said it was committing its resources to the fall election and would forgo the parade as a result. This is a clear recognition of the fact that the labor movement is at the breaking point in the U.S., and cannot take another Republican administration.

The industrial unions are in tatters from years of outsourcing and the decline in manufacturing in the U.S. They are in a defensive crouch, trying to protect the rights of current members and retirees. The emerging service unions are hamstrung by aggressively anti-union sentiment in Washington and the effective union busting tactics of corporations such as Wal-Mart.

Workers seem to have forgotten what the union movement did for them, and don't recognize that the demise of the unions could make benefits like vacations and pensions disappear (oh sorry, pensions have already disappeared.) A UAW friend of mind likes to saw "we are the people that brought you the weekend".

It's true, and workers need to remember that this November. The parade we really need is the union-hating Republicans marching out of Washington.

Other Countries

I have an interesting passport since I travel a lot for my work. I get to go to some out of the way places, and have had the opportunity to get to know a lot of people I would not have otherwise met.

One good thing about traveling is the perspective it provides on the U.S. It's unfortunate that more Americans don't go abroad, because it would help open their eyes about what is happening here, and how we are viewed by others. We are falling behind, and that is most clear when you look at the country from elsewhere.

I spent some of August in Argentina and most of it in Canada. Argentina has gone through some very tough times but is picking itself up and reestablishing itself as one of the leading countries in South America. Buenos Aires is a beautiful city and it would be a shock to many Americans who think that Spanish speaking people only do yard work or clean hotel rooms. You could easily think you were in Paris on some streets in BA.

Anyhow, what I heard in Argentina was the same thing I have heard on five continents: "We understand that you made a mistake electing Bush the first time; we like Americans and love your country. But when you reelected him, we began to wonder if maybe we really don't understand America; maybe you really are a violent, racist and selfish culture."

It is very, very clear to me that electing Barak Obama will re-establish American in the eyes of the world as an amazing place that can recover from its mistakes. If we elect McCain, many people are going to turn their eyes away from America and look to other countries for inspiration.

August

Snipe has either lost interest in politics or has taken the summer off.

Since I'm starting to drive my wife crazy taking about politics again, the answer must be the latter. There are better things to do in the Michigan summer than whine about Republicans. Put another way, if you don't have anything better to do, you are too obsessed to qualify as even a junior pundit. Too much political naval gazing is not good for the spirit, especially in these times.