Of course, those in the top 1% would disagree with the rest of us. The "market" has been very very good to them, and so has the shopkeeper, Dubya...

Anyone who has followed this site knows I continually defend the "Free" Market from attacks by the Far Left (as opposed to Liberals).

Of course no one in the world wants a Free Market so I place it in quotes above.  Even the passing troll who voted above DEMANDS that the Market NOT be Free.  He does so by voting for Anti Monopoly Laws, Time Limited Patent Laws, etc.

When John Stossel demands a Free Market he is BOTH demanding the blessings of many independent parallel hands and minds working (a damned good thing) AND that we sift through the many souls in our Nation in hopes of finding someone who will work for ever lessoning pay (a damned bad thing when applied more broadly than the way the fat cats behave.)

If you're old enough to have cared for loved one's as they lay dying in a hospital you'll note those care givers who do a host of jobs, including wiping bottoms.  The Market of Stossel ain't gonna come up with a better way to wipe a bottom.  All that is left then is for those in power to work hard to find those who will do the job for less.  And less.  And less...

Can someone please tell me why this is a grand thing?  To attempt to lower the cost of such difficult work while CEO's fail to compete.  When was the last time you saw a CEO cutting his salary to the bone in order to produce his "product" at the lowest possible cost?

We have been pounded over the last couple of decades by the notion that businesses are in business to make money.  Let's agree on that point. But what then is OUR job?  The only way someone gets rich is by getting people to work for a low enough wage or by charging a lot for a product or service.  

My suggestion then is that:

If someone gets rich on your labor then YOU failed.

Yes there are footnotes. Liberals know about complexities, but if a soundbite is all one has...

This is not sour grapes. This is not fretting. This is doing as the boss does, not as he says.

Businesses are in business to make money and employees need to be in the same damned business.

To do anything else is to be a wimp. Or a Republican. But I repeat myself.

Union Trades

A Tradition of Craftsmanship

To much of the public, the only time they think about trade unions is when there is talk of a strike in the media. The day to day jobs of union employees are not often recognized, but unions contribute a very positive force for building America and keeping it running. For example, if you are a contractor who has just won a big contract to build an office building and you need 30 men to pour your concrete foundation, where would you go to get them? You could interview people for weeks and hire them one at a time and pay them while you waited to collect enough men to do the job. Then you'd have to lay them off once the job was done. You could go down to the corner where unemployed workers gather and pick the first 30 people who want to work that day and hope they know what they are doing. Or you could call the local union and they would have 30 trained, qualified people at your job site ready to work on the day you are ready to pour. You wouldn't have to pay them for one day longer than the job lasted. This is how big jobs get done from the concrete and masonry to framing, plumbing, electrical, steel, sheet metal and so on. Other areas of labor are also unionized, providing a qualified workforce that keeps industry running.

Negotiation with management is also another job of the union. This means a company does not have to negotiate wages and benefits with each individual employee one at a time. They can work with a single union manager to see that all employees are treated equally and fairly. The union can also work with management to discipline members who are not working up to the standards of their jobs agreed upon in their contract. It is also be the union's job to see that their members have a save and healthy environment in which to work and that they are fairly compensated for the work they do.

Below is a description of some of the things unions do and the services they provide. We hope to build this section to recognize and explain examples of the work of some of the most skilled members of various trade unions. We would like to ask representatives of the major construction unions to submit images and job descriptions to help us better explain their function to the public.

What do unions do for their members?

http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/unions.htm

http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/Ho.htm

The above sculpture was created by Mark Ho. The home page: http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/rooms.htm contains many links including the one about Union Trades and particular craftsman.

The Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How you can help promote craftsmanship...

If you are among those who believe craftsmen don't get enough respect for their accomplishments, here is a way to help make “Craftsmanship” and “labor” respected words again. We have to be realistic and realize that newspapers aren’t going to print a section just about craftsmanship, but perhaps they will do a section on the labor side of business. I’ll be the first to admit this is a long shot, but with your help you never know.

(snip)

A Suggestion for Newspaper Editors:
Add a weekly LABOR SECTION to the paper

Consider these facts:

1) Mondays present a content problem for every newspaper’s business section because the stock markets were closed all weekend, so this would be a good place for a section devoted to labor news.

2) A survey will find that many more newspaper readers fall into the “labor” category than the “business” category when it comes to employment.

3) All major newspapers have a business section, but few, if any, have a labor section. This would be an area to become a leader in journalism rather than a follower.

The main goal of the Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship is to promote good craftsmanship, and, in doing so, make the general public more aware of the magnificent work that craftsmen and tradesmen do daily without fanfare. I believe the reason that labor topics aren’t covered in newspapers is that the people who decide on and produce the content know little about the trades. Journalists are usually the people who got A’s in English in school. They don’t find what labor does interesting, so they don’t write about it. A good labor section would need a reporter who understands the challenges and rewards of working in labor and the trades. Expert financial and business writers have spent a lot of time learning about those aspects of business, but in most cases they just don’t understand or appreciate the intelligence it takes to be a good craftsman and what good craftsmen are capable of doing. Henry Ford was a craftsman long before he was a businessman. The businessman who owns the army of road graders, dump trucks and concrete laying machines constructing the interstate highway near you most likely didn’t start with a degree in business. He probably started with a wheelbarrow and a pickup truck doing quality work.

I believe that labor deserves it's own section at least once a week; however, after 30 years of business experience I realize the resistance to trying something new. Once a month would be a major improvement. It's just the right thing to do. September 11, 2001 taught America that the “heroes” in this country are not the movie stars, baseball players and CEO’s that we used to glorify. Regular people doing their jobs extremely well, like the local policeman or fireman in New York, came into much higher regard once people saw firsthand what their jobs involved. If you think they are the only people who risk their lives daily, try sending a reporter to follow the typical day of an ironworker building a bridge or skyscraper.

LINK

More from Joe Martin: a man who built his business honorably and who seeks to advance both moral imperatives when it comes to labor, AND present arguments which go beyond it. Something that is near and dear to my own heart as I have recognized that not everyone has an empathetic heart.

That brings us to the obvious question of what this new labor page could contain. Here are some suggestions:

∙ A feature story monthly about one of the trades. The article would detail exactly what these tradesmen do, how they coordinate their work with other trades, wages for average workers, physical requirements, length of apprenticeship, working conditions, safety considerations, a list of local unions and availability of employment.

∙ Stories about the small, local businesses that are selling craftsmanship; such as shoemakers, bakers, cabinet and furniture makers, custom auto paint shops, welders, masons, sign painters, machinists, etc. These would not be just anyone in these businesses, but the ones who make extra effort to be the best in their area or offer something special.

∙ Unions shown in a positive light. In my life I have never read a story explaining how the large building contractors benefit from unions. For example, a contractor may suddenly need 300 skilled employees to complete a project they were awarded. Unions will supply the skilled help needed until the job is completed. Think about how union workers pitched in and saved the day during the 9/11 crises. How about the union workers who worked seven days a week after the Northridge earthquake to replace collapsed bridges in record time?

∙ Union happenings, promotions, social events

∙ A listing of labor jobs that are available locally and the skills required

∙ Accidents that happened to local workers or health concerns of different trades. What will be done in the future to prevent these problems

∙ Local stories about the graduation of an apprentice or sons or daughters following in their parent’s footsteps in the trades

∙ Stories about seemingly simple jobs that take a special skill, like a waitress who takes a complex food order for ten people on a scrap of paper or by memory (an engineer would need 100 pages to convey the same information), or how field workers can handle heavy items for ten hours in 105 degree heat by pacing themselves

These are just a few examples of the type of interesting articles that could be written about labor using a little creative journalism that many readers would enjoy. At the same time your newspaper would be better serving your local community because we can’t all be businessmen or journalists. It would give the labor segment of the community at least one day out of seven when their efforts could be documented and appreciated. Some positive stories would be a nice change after six days of bankruptcies, crooked CEO’s and corporate scandals.

As an additional consideration for newspaper editors, the advantage of this type of article is that most do not require a short deadline. General interest articles could be prepared well in advance and used when appropriate.

Any portion of this letter may be used without mentioning its author, Joe Martin or the Foundation as long it is used in a positive manner. My goal is to make the public aware of the work done by the great craftsmen of the world, not Joe Martin. Comments or suggestions regarding this letter can be addressed to Craig Libuse at the Joe Martin Foundation, 3235 Executive Ridge, Vista, CA 92083, or email craig@sherline.com.

Thank you for your consideration,
Joe Martin

LINK

How refreshing is it to read something like this from a man who made his millions the old fashioned way?

Making Money the Old Fashioned Way

By Joe Martin

(snip)

Most small business owners make it their quest in life to pay as little as possible in taxes. There are legitimate ways to avoid overpaying taxes, but none available to avoid paying any taxes. Taxes are the rent we pay for living in the U.S. and it’s really a small price to pay for living and having a business in the worlds most developed democracy.

(snip)

http://www.sherline.com/business.htm

Please note that: "This book is published on the honor system. If you enjoy it and feel you received valuable business information, we ask that you make a contribution of a ten dollars or whatever you feel it is worth to the Joe Martin Foundation for Excellence in Craftsmanship. Details on how to contribute can be found at the end of this book."

Over at Democratic Underground at the very top of the page you'll find:

What Will the Democrats Do For Labor?

Dear Auntie Pinko,

It seems like everyone wanted to ignore Labor Day this year except stores running sales and candidates pimping Union votes. Almost nothing in the mass media and not even a nod from our distinguished Chimp-in-Chief, not that I expected anything from him. The Republicans have spent the last seventy years trying to roll back the gains labor made in the 20th Century and it looks like they are succeeding. I don’t see anyone in the Democratic Party exactly elbowing each other out of the way to help the working people in America either. If I vote Democratic in the next elections what will the Democrats do to help working people?

Mike
Decatur, AL

Dear Mike,

It has been a tough few decades for workers, indeed. But while you may feel disenchanted with the current lot of Democratic leadership, keep in mind that the Democratic Party as a whole still values labor and has a long history of helping working people and standing with labor. The Party’s 2004 platform includes ending tax breaks for companies that ship American jobs overseas, tax incentives for job creation here at home, investing in small and medium-size businesses (who create the most jobs,) requirements for labor and environmental standards in international trade agreements, protecting the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively, and prohibiting the permanent replacement of workers striking legally.

READ MORE

While this is infinitely more than Republicans will do for labor, is it enough to trump the nonsense Republicans get people fighting over???

I argue here in Myth 7 about how one gets rich.

MYTH 7: How to get Rich

MYTH: You get rich on your own power.

FALSE: Here is HOW TO GET RICH:

1) Get people to work for a low enough wage or charge a lot.
2) Invent a product which increases your AND other people’s wealth. Aristocrats view number 1 as holy writ. Communists view it as evil. Americans need simply note its truth. Employers need employees in order to make money. Free Enterprise slices both ways.

I argue in this thread that we might accept, at least on some level, that businesses truly are in business to make money

but that employees need to be in the same damned business.

Liberals should note the need for sound bites which tug at the same emotional strings the Right uses. In this case, one need not always make an appeal to an employers heart, or the electorates for that matter.

As Bill Harding notes in another thread, one might even press the case that LABOR IS KING:

"It is interesting to note that Craftsmanship and Labor can exist (and profit) with very little capital, while Capital by itself produces nothing and requires huge amounts of the former in order to create a profit."

Here is my question:

Do entrepreneurs/businesses matter???

Let's refine that:

1-Putting aside business that invent, and hence lead to greater wealth for all.

2-Putting aside too, those who come up with something so fantastic that it gets NON workers to quit their slovenly ways and go to work to earn enough cash for that cool bobble (E.G. a friend of the family. A teen. A suburban brat, would not work. At least not much. UNTIL he really got hooked on wanting to buy some cool stuff. ---Actually even then he did not work. All that changed when he got a UNION job that paid well and passed his threshold for work being cooler than laying in his bedroom. I did not want to mention that however since I am trying here to play the devil advocate for the Right.)

3-Putting aside as well, very local concerns which work against other locals. (E.G. You have coal in your area and if you can convince others it would be great to burn coal you can bring cash to your folks.)

DO BUSINESS VENTURES (other than the above) CREATE JOBS?????????

Think about it. Other than the numbered list (and perhaps some other counter examples you can add to it) what does it mean to say a business creates jobs? It seems to me that most business count themselves as job creators when in fact they create NO jobs. ZERO.

If you invent a labor saving device fine. If you create such a grand new product that it gets people to work longer hours or actually enter the work force in order to buy it then fine. BUT beyond that I ask all my friends at Democrats.com to let me in on what I am missing. Do most business create not a damned thing?

Which brings me to my final point. If the above holds, then what we are doing, what the majority of working men and woman are doing, is simply living life. We need bread. We need to move the loaf of bread. We need to fix the trucks that transport it. Etc. The work must be done. Most Business leaders neither deserve nor require over the top gratitude or pay checks as they are NOT creating jobs. They NEED bread. They NEED it transported. Etc.

LABOR IS KING.

At least is could be if men act like men again and demand more for their labor, just as their bosses do. It could be if men came into union rather than being played by issues like: Forcing my kids to say your prayers in school because you think religion in America is by majority rule. Creating second class citizenships for Gays. Etc.

I don't have one damned political problem with the next man's personal views any more than I do with his choice of sports teams. We can have our knock down drag out fights but when it comes to pay checks it is time for all Americans to build the Democratic Party. If you love the Republican Party for other reasons then pick whoever you may for President, but massive debt is being placed on working class Americans. With the Democratic Party brought back to the working man's party (by ousting the DLC) you will do the Republican Party a good turn. They too will be forced to compete. In the meantime Congress should be returned to Democrats, to working class Americans (better than 90% of all Americans).

Do to the HUGE shortage of truckers our wages have been going up quite a bit lately.However do to $3 a gallon fuel and Healthcare+plus other rising costs I got rid of my rig and 2 trailers last year and went back to company driving.The day of the independant owner is over just some of them havent read the memo yet.UPS drivers had better watch out they bought out OVERNIGHT and are looking at another large company[SCHNEIDER NATIONAL]looks like they want to bust up the union.cya peaceout y'all

I have found that if the number of companies in a particular endeavor is too small, they no longer compete, but rather form informal monopolies.

This is why Free-For-All Markets don't work: they tend towards monopoly or informal monopoly. I'll coin the phrase polyopoly. (Man that's musical!)

This is also why "Free" Markets do not exist. Those at the top come into union to break monopolies and spread the wealth around (a wee little bit).

I mention the above because it illuminates the poll above. Isolated pockets of wholesome Free Markets exist. We live them. We watch them on TV (e.g. American Chopper,etc.) but they do not exist across broad swaths of the economy.

Some jobs may have there wages set quite reasonably by Free For All Markets, but the majority require Monopoly breaking laws.