Roberts Court to hear case on union fees.

[No Elephants]

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/1/19/supreme-court-tohearlittleknowncasewithhugeimplicationsforunions.html

This story is very poorly written, IMO. For example, it refers to a "state union." I think should read "a union that represents state employees against the state employer."

I don't know of anyone forced by the state to join a union and pay union dues, either. I do however, know of a collective bargaining fee. This is something that comes out of your salary and goes to the union, if you choose NOT to join the union. This is typically a lower amount than the dues you would owe the union if you became a member.

The idea of a collective bargaining fee is that union negotiations and lawsuits, etc., as to hours, salary, caseload, benefits, etc. benefits all employees. Reaping the benefits of union without helping support the union is unjust. Besides, if people were free to enjoy the benefits of union activity without paying the union dime, who would support the unions? And, if no one supports unions, all employees suffer. ALL workers then go back to 1850. (Remember Bob Cratchit before the spirits visited Scrooge?)

Gee, I wonder how the Roberts Court is going to come out on this?

I guess the 85 individuals who control half the wealth of the planet just aren't few enough or rich enough yet. Besides, as Dickens noted all the way back in 1843, the planet is overpopulated. Global warming is one of the things to which overpopulation led. (Although overpopulation would be so much worse but for World War I and II.)

Imagine how lovely the world would be for those 85 people if everyone else died. How clean the air and water would be. Sure, that's only a dream.

For now.

[No Elephants]

1. Geez. What was I thinking? The people who serve the 85 have to survive too.

We can't have the worthy 85 driving their own cars or cooking their own meals, can we?

In related news, domestic help is abused in Hong Kong. Of course, not only in Hong Kong, but this particular story happens to be about Hong Kong.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/1/19/supreme-court-tohearlittleknowncasewithhugeimplicationsforunions.html

I would bet my home that we have slaves right in the US today, working as domestic help for food and board and maybe the promise of citizenship.

I know someone who has a non-English speaking housekeeper who comes once a week to clean. Except that another woman drives her there, sits in the car while she cleans and then drives away with her. Instructions go to the driver, who then translates them to the cleaner.

I told this person that that sounded suspicious to me, but she replied that she doubted anything was amiss. Didn't seem as though she had the slightest interest in whether this cleaning woman was cleaning her home willingly or not. Hey, if the price is right and the house is clean, that's all that matters, right?

When are workers going to stop this ugly class warfare, anyway? Rich people don't really like being made to abuse them, but workers give them no choice. Just surrender already, ffs.

[Enthusiast]

3. Those not actively engaged in serving the elite

forfeit the reason for their existence and become, by default, a useless eater. Did I get that right? :)

[No Elephants]

4. Worse than a useless eater. The masses are killing the environment.

The worthy 85 should not have to endure a bad environment, even if they are the ones responsible.

85 individuals richer than 3.5 billion people. Boggles the mind, it does.

Thanks to Oxfam for producing that little statistic. Maybe people will finally get it.

Someone needs to make a bumper sticker, a T-shirt, a bookmark--everything. (Calling Divine Discontent, calling Divine Discontent.)

[Enthusiast]

2. The hits just keep coming.

This supreme court has been death on the regular American citizen and the nation. Just consider the damage they have done us.