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A local Fargo ND newspaper “reporter” recites that phrase today as part of a cautionary opinion piece about the local union which has been locked out of work at American Crystal Sugar:
An argument can be made that the aggressive behavior of unions is why so many jobs have been shipped overseas.
Ironic really, coming—as the Forum staffer’s opining does—in the same section as the editorial page editor’s mocking column about the end-of-days caller who also had a totally self-selected spin on reality.
But in the spirit of the reporter’s educating us rubes who didn’t come by way of the Rust Belt or the Big Oil/Bible Belt, I have a few arguments that also can be made.
Yep. An argument can be made that the moon is made of green cheese.
And since we’re talking about jobs and workers and lockouts and how workers oughta smarten up and take what’s offered to them, here’s another argument that can be made:
Workers should go back to working for room and board, and for the hours the managers want to assign them. Dark to dark is good. Oh, and family values urges we keep whole families out there working on those sugar beet piles like they used to work in the fields. An argument can be made.
Heck, while we’re at it, there’s no need for running water or electricity for those workers’ homes … all that electrification stuff, that’s socialist, and we don’t need socialism in this country. An argument can be made.
On the other hand, an argument can be made that the attitude the Forum reporter and the American Crystal manager espouse is what is killing the middle class … and has been since Reagan fired the air traffic controllers and unions discovered what happens when unions cave and break ranks. Michael Moore’s making that argument.
And there’s one more argument that can be made: standing on the sidelines can’t be an option anymore. We’re all in this country together, and there are those first three words. We, the people. We each must participate or we get the government, we get the leadership, we get the community we deserve.
So. An argument can be made that as a responsible member of my community who sees injustice in action in the American Crystal lockout, I must choose to boycott the brand.
And yes, I am. While American Crystal chooses to lockout, I choose to leave out American Crystal from my shopping list.
crossposted at Prairie Sun Rising
6 Comments
Time for more boycotts.
Rcc’d.
Get ‘em where it hurt$.
Thank you, Prairie Sunshine.
Recommended!
DW
Straight refined sugar can easily be taken off anyone’s table with likely better health resulting.
Nice post PS.
The Rs certainly have the old Straw Man down to a fine art. Hope the union wins.
Nice to see you, PS.
I went into a McDonalds, ordered a Big Mac. The young lady said thank you, that will be twelve dollars. Then I went to a department store at the mall and bought a shirt. The cashier said that will be one hundred dollars, thank you. Oh, I forgot to mention, Richard Trumpka bought my Big Mac, but he said he would only buy it if I gave him nine dollars.
A local Fargo tv station reported today on online calls for a boycott of American Crystal Sugar, and pointed out that as the largest American beet sugar producer, American Crystal sugar is in virtually every cereal on your grocer’s shelf.
Another reason I’m glad I don’t eat any of those cereals.
Psssst to KVLY and American Crystal, maybe my personal boycott won’t touch your profit margin. But that doesn’t diminish at all my commitment to justice for American Crystal’s workers.