OBAMA’S SPEECH TO AFL-CIO ON LABOR DAY

I searched for President Obama's full speech and noticed the part about health care reform was mainly what MSM has posted. This video includes the part about labor, but has a weird man in the left upper corner. I do not want to leave labor out on labor day, especially since the decline of the unions is tied to the health care crisis.



Labor Day
I served an internship with AFL-CIO over 30 years ago and then voluntarily served a workers rights group. Years later it was heart breaking to know people had lived through hardships and even died to help American workers achieve a livable standard and then watch it being destroyed by greed. It is so refreshing to listen to a president who understands America is nothing without the workers and they deserve a decent living, as well as health care. I am old enough to have lived through an era when the benefits of a union job were highly celebrated by business as an asset to the Capitalist society we live in rather than a burden to be shed. Unions were the essential ingredient for a healthy middle class. The decline of unions since Ronald Reagan began his war against the middle class by firing 11,000 air traffic controllers in 1981 has contributed greatly to our economic crisis. One of the main goals of unions is to make sure the profits are distributed more equitably so people can make a decent living and business can make a decent profit. My father was a strong union man. I listened to him talk about the union activities and the company he worked for as a child. One of the really striking differences I notice today is workers use to be proud of the companies they worked for and were very loyal to them. This was because businesses use to treat them more fairly and some even had the attitude that without the workers they would be nothing. When corporate America lost these values it also lost it's soul.

Health Care Reform

I can't wait to hear his speech on Wednesday. I realize my dream of single payer health care will probably not be happening. I am angry about deals made with drug companies and the health insurance industry. I am also well aware that these companies have their hands gripping the heart of health care on many levels including political. Prying their hands from the heart of health care is going to take steady work by pulling off one finger at a time until health care can receive a fresh supply of what it needs to be a health care system instead of a sick care system. Public option is a start at least towards a solution. I can't even imagine the battles that have gone on behind the scenes and I know Obama has to deal with the corrupt connections that are already formed between many in congress and greedy corporations. Change does not come easily and often takes several steps.