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First, I dream of a world with no unions...I got to see very recently the effects of a union on a business...the place was unkempt in the extreme, the rules and paperwork necessary to deal with the unions and to keep the union workers from scamming took up valuable time that could have been used to get more actual work done, and finally many of the union workers were downright surly. I contrast that with a quick, but intense tour I got of another company in the same basic industry. They had a non-union facility. It was clean and neat...the work getting done was productive and oriented to the customer, and the folks there seemed genuine and friendly. It was night and day between the two facilities, I assure you.

You probably have your mind set and no one or nothing can change it, sort of like trying to change Sarah Brady’s mind about guns. But I will try to enlighten you just a little bit.

I don’t know where you saw these two “examples”, but judging all unions on these examples, is like judging all CHL holders by Raul Rodriguez (the guy that shot his neighbor).

I know nothing about these companies you mention, so I will use the story about the Chrysler UAW workers that were caught drinking and smoking pot during lunch. The media made an issue that the company had a union. The company even tried to blame the union when the fault was with the company’s management. The company could have sent these employees home without pay then fired them and the union could not have prevented it. There is no reason Chrysler could not drug and alcohol test employees after lunch. All the union could have done is make sure the tests were administered properly and fairly. The fault was with Chrysler management.

If a company needs to fire or otherwise discipline an employee and has good reason, a union cannot prevent it. All the union can do is try to make sure the employee is treated fairly.

I cannot reply to your statement because it is too vague. All I can say is I have seen good and bad union companies and I have seen good and bad non union companies. I have also seen companies that “scam” the employees.

You don’t need to “dream of a world with no unions”. Just go to Mexico, China or a few other countries that don’t have unions and take a look at the working conditions of the employees and how well they are paid.

Most union businesses I have seen have much lower employee turnover than non-union because they usually have better working conditions and pay.

At this point there are no “third party” or independent candidates that could win. Ron Paul is a joke and the “Tea Party” is just a group of Republicans by another name.

I am independent, slightly right of center. I am not a Democrat and I am not a Republican. I cannot in good conscience vote for either party, so like the majority, I vote against both parties. I quit voting.

The country has become so polarized the government can no longer function. Republicans blame Democrats, Democrats blame Republicans, big business blames Unions and people blame big business.

The truth is, there is enough blame to go around. The government is inefficient, banks made bad loans and people bought houses they couldn’t afford, figuring to sell them at a profit before the higher interest rate kicked in. The middle class was suckered into putting their retirement in the stock market. Everyone was going to retire rich at 45. Then the bubble burst.

A lot of what you say about the Democrats is true but if the Republicans were unchecked, there would be no unions, no minimum wage, no job safety laws and no environmental protection laws. If you were out of a job, could not afford health insurance, and your child was ill, your child would just die.

Republicans represent big business. Democrats represent the poor. Will we ever have a party that represents the middle class working people?

Heartland Patriot wrote:Oh, but it doesn't matter which party is in charge in Washington. They're just the same, anyway. And its very cool to give your vote to a third party that cannot win, even if it indirectly helps BHO stay in office.

Seriously, one of the left's methods is to use over-regulation to gain the desired effect, if they cannot get the laws themselves changed. The lead thing, for instance, has been brought up at least a couple of times by the eco-people trying to get it banned...which, if they got their way, would then drive up the cost of ammo and price a lot of people out of the "shooting sports" (and being able to practice for self-defense). Is it surprising that this occurred in Illinois vs. Texas, or Oklahoma, BTW?

As a side note, in the USAF, all hazardous chemicals had to have special labels placed on them and to be stored in a hazardous chemicals storage locker, not just a large can of heavy duty solvent like MEK but even commercially procured, common items like a squirt bottle of Windex glass cleaner. I whole-heartedly understand the need for organization and safety, but there are limits to everything, or at least there should be. The left doesn't care about such things, they only care about "keeping you safe"...

Oh, but it doesn't matter which party is in charge in Washington. They're just the same, anyway. And its very cool to give your vote to a third party that cannot win, even if it indirectly helps BHO stay in office.

That is exactly the reasoning and reason a third party cannot win. This country has become so viciously divided between the two parties it is almost unable to function. The reason the government is so messed up is because politicians put “the party” above everything and voters take the position that if you don’t vote for “my” candidate you are helping the other candidate win. A viable third party would go a long way in helping this country get out of the mess it is in.

OSHA does not usually issue fines on the first inspection unless there has been numerous serious injuries or death. Most of the time they issue a warning of the safety violations they find, and give the business a certain length of time to correct the violations then notify OSHA of what they did to correct the situation. OSHA was organized for a good reason but like most other branches of government has become politicized. OSHA needs to be cleaned up, not done away with.