Tomorrow's Hope!

There are times in a parent's life they just swell with pride at their children's accomplishments. The first words, the first step, their touchdown catch in the last seconds of a game that sends their team to a national championship, or the interception he takes back for 99 yards to set his college school record. They keep coming even as they become adults. Last night was another one for me!

My youngest is in college, in his last year, finishing up his double majors, and he's got a class in capitalism. As luck would have it, Chris Brady's blog yesterday,(1/25/10), highlighted a video, (I hope you caught it, if not hit the link to the right and check it out), that I asked him to watch for talking points. It's a short documentary describing the downfall of Detroit. After he watched it we had a phone conversation, and in that discussion he said the words that brought a tear to my eye. He asked me; why? Dad, why do people elect politicians who keep them down like that? Dad, why don't the teachers teach? Dad, why would people allow themselves to be aligned with a union that eventually bankrupts their industry? The questions kept coming. My son has learned how to think, distinguishing himself from those who are taught, what to think. It reminded me of when he was just a tadpole and those why questions began to flow. Dad, why is the sky blue, etc.

The simple answer is those people traded freedom for security. They adopted a socialist agenda without even realizing it. Agreeing to unionize strips you of exceptionalism. You take competition out of the workplace, and lazy gets the same pay as industrious. Sooner or later even the most dedicated worker realizes there is no point in exceptionalism. The graduation rate declines as the teachers realize there is no incentive to instruct, they just put in time to collect a paycheck. The auto worker does the minimal job, because at the end of the day, his check is guaranteed, as is his job. The end result is the finished product suffers. They traded their ability to negotiate a pay for performance salary bump, for the comfort and security of; "what's good for the collective mass." The pride of the American worker was lost to a benefit package. Collateral damage for agreeing to be socialized by union representation.

Isn't interesting that unions couldn't get a foothold into the workplace until the FDR administration. They became part of the "Progressive" movement during the New Deal, and like a leech have partnered with their host, the government ever since. Our current "Progressive" administration rely's heavily on union support. Their financial support of the progressive agenda insures their voice is heard and their agenda is protected by Washington. Talk about eternal life!

It wasn't enough this socialist infection has demolished the steel industry, turning once thriving communities like Bethlehem, Pa into a ghost town, it's brought the auto industry to the verge of bankruptcy, diminishing Detroit to a drug infested slum, and reduced the quality of education our children receive to minimal. Now it threatens the nation.

It's a vicious cycle. The youth aren't taught, by union teachers, the history that might open their eyes to the inevitable. That's why when my son asks, why...I'm inspired there is hope. It's the reason I write this blog. It's also what drives Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward write their books and blogs. Our hope is it inspires thought. Thought leads to emotion, emotion creates action, action accomplishes productive results, and productive results is the polar opposite of socialism.

God Bless!
(and keep those thoughts coming)
Capt. Bill