[Ciexyz]

I agree with your post that there are good and bad workers involved in unions. This country would be in much worse shape if we didn't have unions! We'd all be working for minimum wage and living three families under one roof. Are the high tech people, teachers, doctors and lawyers the only ones that are allowed to make a comfortable wage? The Republican party has numerous union supporters who go against the dictates of their own party by supporting the Republican party. Do you want to drive away those voters with constant union bashing? It seems to me that some posters get out their steel-tipped boots every time someone posts anything vaguely receptive to unions.

Yes, flame away. GO ahead and tell me that my post is the least credible post on FR. Engage in personal attacks and get it out of your system.

[looscnnn]

"Are the high tech people, teachers, doctors and lawyers the only ones that are allowed to make a comfortable wage?"

First, I am in the IT field and I do not make a comfortable wage. I am making more now than I have before, but I could make more if there were more private sector jobs for what I do.

Second, these are jobs that are more specialized and require more education than to turn a screw, etc. I could easily make the transition to work on an assembly line, can you easily make the transition to work with Citrix servers, Unix, etc.?

I come from a family that are/were union workers and they agree with my assessment of unions. They were good in the beginning, but have corrupted the employment market in MI when it comes to the auto industry.

[ArGee]

Are the high tech people, teachers, doctors and lawyers the only ones that are allowed to make a comfortable wage?

Anyone, anyone, is allowed to make a "comfortable wage who will learn the knowledge and/or skills required to perform a task for which someone is willing to pay a comfortable wage.

No one, no one, is entitled to a "comfortable wage" regardless of what they do to earn it.

Once you mandate that everyone must earn a "comfortable wage" you damage the delicate tradeoffs that work so well together to make an economy work.

As has been posted before, industries didn't just one day decide to pick up and leave the U.S. I'm sure that many which are leaving would rather stay if they could afford it. But economies are little chaotic systems that we do not fully understand and can not fully control. Tinkering is very dangerous.

Shalom.