http://faerye.net/post/how-did-we-get-here 2011-03-27T18:59:17+00:00 http://faerye.net/post/how-did-we-get-here#comment-2883 2011-03-27T18:59:17+00:00 2011-03-27T18:59:17+00:00 <p>To partially answer your question: the history of labor and the enormous wealth and comfort our nation enjoyed as a result of the demands labor made for safety, security, and decent wages is forgotten because wealth owns the newspapers, the radio stations, the television stations; because conservative have always had too much say about what is included in our textbooks; and because too many Americans are in love with individual wealth these days rather than general prosperity.</p> <p>Reagan also broke unions in his day. Consider his deregulation of the airlines and destruction of the air traffic controllers union.</p> Jan Priddy http://janpriddyoregon.blogspot.com http://faerye.net/post/how-did-we-get-here#comment-2881 2011-03-23T10:57:37+00:00 2011-03-23T10:57:37+00:00 <p>The Cold War ended. I think it is not any slight of hand sort of thing, I think it simply the natural reaction of people that were united against a common foe turning on each other once the good feelings of victory wear off. During the Cold War it was important to keep working people on the anti-communist side and thus Republicans/conservatives courted their vote and their were many more of them. Union members saw, rightly, that being tarred with a communist brush was bad for them and that they would get more negotiating with the conservative business leaders and supporting pro-union conservatives.</p> <p>This is not the whole answer, but I think it is an important part of it.</p> Mishalak http://mishalak.dreamwidth.org/