This is ridiculous. I have am disgusted at some of the things Kucinich does. He sort of makes sense until he talks for a couple minutes and gets to the crux of his argument. Such as
his latest (and, um, belated, to be kind) attempt to "save jobs"...
Kucinich said he would be meeting with union leaders and other officials to develop plans aimed at saving manufacturing jobs and letting Congress know about the need to do something.
"This is about our children and grandchildren," he said. "We have to get the word out - ’Buy American.’ This is a matter of our allegiance to our own communities, our belief in each other, our commitment to each other."
While Ohio has about 16,000 workers building Honda automobiles, engines and transmissions, Kucinich later said he defined "American" as being made by a union. The UAW has failed in its effort to organize the Honda plants.
This is insane!!! Say what you want about the relateive merits of the UAW, but the facts say that many Americans do like to buy cars from non-union companies, and American people seem to like to work there too. And most Americans, people who you would say have American jobs, do not work in unionized outfits. By Kucinich’s logic if you buy a product that supports such outfits you are not "buying American." That is utterly absurd logic. I wonder what percentage of households in Kucinich’s district even work at unionized companies. I wonder, of his constituents that do not, if how many of those people realize their Congressman believes buying the products and services they produce is somehow at odds with "allegiance to our own communities, our belief in each other, our commitment to each other." Or does Mr. Kucinich believe that, deep down, most Americans harbor a desire to work in a unionized environment and we only put up with our current jobs because many unions have diminished in size in recent decades?
But the saddest part of this is that this is another opportunity for Mr Kucinich to get face time on the backs of dimishing manufacturing jobs in Northeast Ohio. Think about it, for all of the times you’ve seen Kucinich stand in front of the camera and talk about "saving jobs," what progress can Kucinich point to? Is there any data that supports his efforts? In fact, history would seem to suggest his efforts have done nothing or, at best, merely slowed what is a clear trend away from the steel industry and the unionized auto industry in the region. And if anyone can show me a time where Kucinich actually championed an emerging, profitable industry in the area I’ll buy you a beer.
And I will be able to buy that beer because I work at a non-unionized, profitable company that employs lots of American citizens, and other citizens choose to purchase our products even though they do not qualify as "buying American" to Mr. Kucinich.
Seriously, someone post some an example of Kucinich doing something good for jobs in the region, something that resulted in some job growth. There’s just no way Kucinich can be as bad as how he appears, right? I mean, a very large majority of people voted for him, so I must be missing something essential.
One day Braylon tears his knee. The next day we are subjected to this. Sorry, but I am not in the mood.
UPDATE:
A great example of what the UAW is focusing its efforts on. While lots of people stand to lose their auto-working jobs in Ohio, the UAW is fighting to keep their generous pension benefits... even if it bankrupts the companies that pay for them. You’d think that would be a problem, but not if the game can be played in such a way that Uncle Sam would have to step in and pick up the tab when the GM’s of the world go under. It wouldn’t be the first time this sort of thing has happened.
This is all so sad too. A good union is based on the proposition that a company or industry is 1) profitable, and 2) that a fair portion of profits go back to the workers. You can’t have one without the other. And you can’t turn the company into a giant subsidy machine for it’s workers and expect it to last indefinitely. The economics say that, somewhere along the line, the workers’ portion became unsustainable. Right now the UAW’s focus should be on returning this ratio to a level that is workable and will last over the long haul -- it’s the only way to save jobs (perhasp this will be Kucinich’s new positon!). But instead they are driving the train towards the cliff and counting on taxpayers to support them at the last minute. It might work, for a short time. But ultimately it will kill the industry as they know it. I realize there’s a lot to criticize on the management side too, but the UAW’s actions here are shameful.