What a difference a few decades makes. Ronald Reagan, the golden boy of the Republican party would be an outcast in the fair state of Wisconsin, Florida, Indiana, as well as some other places here in the United States.
Reagan himself had been president of the Screen Actors Guild which was a union. The Screen Actors Guild has connections to the AFL-CIO. He was a strong supporter of Poland’s Solidarity Movement and had great respect for its leader, Lech Walesa.
Reagan castigated the Polish government for outlawing Solidarity.
Reagan stated:
“By outlawing Solidarity, a free trade organization to which an overwhelming majority of Polish workers and farmers belong, they have made it clear that they never had any intention of restoring one of the most elemental human rights—the right to belong to a free trade union.”
Many have argued that Walesa’s leadership in Poland was the beginning of the end of communism. Just what is it that these elected officials fear?
They fear the power of numbers. Had those in Wisconsin only been a few hundred dissonants, they would have been arrested and jailed. That is hard to do with thousands.
Perhaps those opposing the rights of public employees to form unions and to engage in collective bargaining need to reexamine their motives. Maybe they had better put their American flags away while they are lifting their legs on Miss Liberty’s golden door.
Reagan’s ” Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost!” will be just a lone echo in the wind if someone doesn’t get rid of these union busters elected to office.
I am waiting on pins and needles to hear the reasons why Reagan was wrong.
@Elena
Bwaaahahahahahah
I expect that everyone will head to the hills on this one.
A big thanks to Big Dog for leaving the post. I found even more stuff.
Elena and Moon – You won’t hear Reagan was wrong from me, and I’m not heading for the hills. As I wrote in the other thread, I support the basic right to collective bargaining, just as did Ronald Reagan. Also, as Reagan I believe we need to strike a balance. When the air traffic controllers tried to go too far, Reagan fired them. However, he did not eliminate their union.
Thanks for the Gipper videos! They always make my day a little brighter!
If admiring Ronald Reagan and still looking at him as my role model makes me a liberal today, so be it.
All those unions are private unions. Reagan fired the public workers that abused the public union collective bargaining and struck. So….I think that he and Walker could work together.
Ronald Reagan never forgot where he came from or how he made it. He would not, I think, like his name and his philosphy tied to parts of the current Republican platforms or those that are attempting to hijack the party. He became a Republican because he valued the individual.
If Nancy Reagan hadn’t pushed for stem cell research for the former President I doubt the Republican party would support it today – my uber conservative Republican friend was vehemently agains stem cell research until the moment Mrs. Reagan spoke for it. Then her anger and reasons evaporated and she can’t recall ever being against it!!
I really don’t think he’d like what is going on now and those that are claiming to do it in his name.
The air traffic controllers were also in a job that involved safety. I don’t think it had as much to do with being public employees as it did safety. Let’s face it….had they all gone on strike all air traffic would have ground to a halt.
There is still some debate on the wisdom of Reagan firing them. If they had worked for a private company and were contracted, he would have fired them also…same reason. Public safety. (by fired, I mean dissolved the contract)
Public unions vs. private unions. Very different animals.
So…..safety people should be fired if they strike? That’s ok?
I never said I thought Reagan was right. I remember why he said he did it. He didn’t want to shut down all air transportation.
Got that old conservative tea party bear baiting down to a science?
@Elena
There doesn’t seem to be much to say here on this post. It is lower hanging fruit to go to the judge thread–you know, the ones with fleeing democrats and activist judges.
When the golden boy supports something, it is pretty difficult to dispute.
That would be NEW conservative tea party bear baiting. The old conservatives never fought back. And I wasn’t baiting you. I was confused as to your meaning