Digestion Friday seems like an even slower news day than Thanksgiving Thursday. So I’ll just pepper you with randomness from my randomly firing neurons:
#I wonder if the economic downturn will result in a spike of suicides and, if so, how much. I wonder if this is something hardwired into our DNA so that, in times of scarcity, there are fewer members of the tribe to consume scarce resources.
#I don’t really buy into the “class warfare” arguments that conservatives routinely put forth when the topic turns to raising taxes on the wealthy. However, I wonder if there is a sort of class warfare that is going on when people gripe about union wages on the basis that they are more educated than the union workers but are making less.
#Edna Parker, who was a Hoosier and the oldest woman in the world passed away at the age of 115. Born April 20, 1893, she became a widow in 1939 when she was about 45 years old. She is the 14th longest living human in history — at least in terms of ages that have been validated. By all accounts she was a wonderful woman. Rest in Peace Ms. Parker.
#A significant attack on U.S. military computers came from Russian sources.
#Eight year old boy snaps after 1,000 spankings, murders dad. Family not surprised: “they were too hard on that boy;” “if any eight year old could do it, it was him.”
(urp)…s’cuze me…
On item 2, I’ve wondered why hard physical work shouldn’t be paid well. Also, why “burger flippers” are derided.
On item #2, it is because we as a people (including many of those union workers) put our own money before everyone else’s. How many pro-union people shop at Walmart, who has crushed unions?
On the other end, unions get in the way of supply and demand. There is a higher supply of people who would do union jobs than is reflected by how much we’re paying them.
Don’t get me wrong, I do think unions have a place. Whenever I think of pure supply and demand, I think of the $0.25 a day (or was it week?) they were paying for fruit pickers in “Of Mice and Men”. Unions help prevent that level of exploitation, but I think they have gone too far the other way now.
I’m a bit bewildered by unions. Don’t laws prevent that sort of thing now? I understood the need for unions when the laws weren’t in place (or when corruption ran rampant in enforcing what laws did exist) but are they still necessary? I also saw (see?) the need for unions supporting members who were insufficiently educated and/or materially incapable of fighting for their own rights, but… a teacher’s union?
Hey Doug,what happened to the “Recent Comments” widget?
It disappeared for no apparent reason. I’ll have to check that out.