Unions are so last century

So, we've all heard about this auto bail-out thing-a-ma-bob being discussed, deliberated, and which will ultimately be passed..... only to fail. Or need another huge "life line" in the next few years. But, whatever, it's not a big deal. The $700 billion bail-out is supposed to help save American companies that are near failing, right? But, wait a second...isn't that what capitalism is all about? Good companies succeed and bad companies go bye-bye? No, that can't be right ... we live in an all-too-pc-world where we can't just let a company go bye-bye. That isn't fair. Or nice. It's much nicer to throw $$ at companies that have already failed on their own...just to post-pone the inevitable.

You are probably thinking...wow, it's been a long time since Krista's posted anything remotely political. It has...and yes, a month or two is a long time. Not to worry, though, because I do throw up a little in my mouth each time I hear President-elect Obama's voice on TV. So, I'm still alive. I am really trying to be a glass-half-full-person and hope that he proves me wrong and that he turns out to be a great president. Doubtful, but there is that 1% chance. And hey, there was only a 1% chance that one of the embryos we implanted would split into two, and that happened. So, you never know.

Ok, now to the point of all of this: unions suck. Yes, they do (or did) serve a very important purpose with helping labor conditions in factories to be improved and to make the work environment much more safe for workers. And don't forget child labor laws. What we need to ask ourselves is are they really necessary in 2008? Unions are so last century.

Just take a look at what's happened to the auto makers. Now, I'm not suggesting that all of the problems these companies are facing are due to the unions, but let's not overlook the big (or HUGE) contribution they've made towards pushing these companies over the edge.

Can you guess at what a union worker makes at one of the Big 3? $73/hour. Wow, that's a big number. It's especially big when you compare it to $44/hour (average) for Honda, Nissan, and Toyota employees. And $73/hour is especially big when you compare it to the average $31.50/hour that manufacturing workers make in the US. This is just asinine. With these companies spending SO MUCH of their employees, how can they be competitive? At a bare minimum, it raises prices for all of us.

Y'know, this kind-of makes you want to go to work for a union, doesn't it? You just join and then you make upwards of 150% what someone else in the industry is making in a non-unionized setting. You do the same work for more money. No difference between you and them except the money.

It's been suggested that the Dem's are in bed with the unions, as well they should be. Unions contributed about $80 million (or $450 million, depending on which source you use) towards the most recent election (for Dem's, of course) and they want their payback.

I also find it interesting that people say that the CEO's or other high ranking officials at these companies need to forego their high salaries, give up their private jets, and refuse any type of bonus. What have the unions offered to do to help in the same regard? Wait...nothing. They've ruled out any discussions of concessions. Now, that's pretty nice and fair, isn't it?