There is something about conservatives using the word “freedom” that drives the left insane. Maybe because progressives like to see themselves as champions of the people, fighting against the system, rather than what they actually are: statists, attempting to impose their beliefs on individuals through government power.
At the Huffington Post, AFL-CIO boss Richard Trumka reimagines the concept of “freedom” today in a column that is just as Orwellian as you would think (h/t Washington Examiner):
I do believe that freedom isn’t free — but today the corporate and political right wing is trying to cheapen this truly American value. They’ve been cynically using the word “freedom” to rally the American public against its own best interests.
When the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, Sarah Palin tweeted, “Obama lies; freedom dies.”
She’s referring, I guess, to the freedom to go without health care when you’re sick.
In its otherwise positive decision, the Supreme Court gave states the “freedom” to deny Medicaid coverage to their poorest residents — even though the federal government would pick up the tab.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker received the National Rifle Association’s “Defender of Freedom” award recently. I guess they meant Gov. Walker is defending teachers’ freedom from joining with coworkers to bargain fairly about things like class size. …
Let’s call this right-wing “freedom” catch phrase what it really is: a grossly political strategy to dupe the public, which holds the word “freedom” as something sacred.
This Independence Day, I say let’s go back to a truer use of the word “freedom.” Let’s start with President Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. I would add the freedom to bargain collectively.
The “freedom to go without health care when we’re sick” isn’t the issue, unless Trumka is arguing that the state should force every sick person in the country to get medical attention. We all have the freedom to decide whether or not to see a doctor when we are sick, just like we should all have the freedom to decide not to pay for health care (insurance) when we are well. We have the freedom to move if we disagree with our state’s decision to not participate in Medicare expansion. And we also have the freedom to elect a new state governor who will participate in it, or lobby the current governor to do it, if that’s our preference.
We should all have the freedom to decide whether or not to pay monthly dues to a union, instead of having the money automatically pulled from our paychecks. Trumka opposes “teachers’ freedom from joining with coworkers to bargain” — in other words, he thinks teachers should be forced to join with coworkers to bargain. Shouldn’t someone who professes to care about teachers support their freedom to make their own choices regarding their paychecks and their workplaces?
Trumka seems to grasp that this statist mentality is unpopular with the public, and that labor’s messaging strategy in Wisconsin was a failure. That’s why he’s so adamant about trying to reframe his positions as “pro-freedom,” as illogical as it sounds. The conservative arguments are working, and the left has very little ammunition to fight back.
Is it just me, or would unionists really vote for anyone who would promise them more for doing less?
What a shame that Norman Rockwell never had the opportunity to give artistic life to the Freedom to Bargain Collectively.
What he means is, Happy Dependence Day.
"Trumka is arguing that the state should force every sick person in the country to get medical attention. " n nAnd the scary thing is that he is not the only one. And, increasingly, the state *IS* forcing every sick person to go get medical attention, want it or not. This is starting with mental health but clearly isn't going to end there, as evidenced by the proposal for "counseling" for the obese. As further evidenced by the "health coaching" to be included in these mandated insurance plans which we must buy. n nThe whole principle of ObamaCare is to force people to undergo "preventative care" under the theory that it will save money. In other words, not only is the state going to force you to seek medical care when you are sick, they intend to force you to seek it when you are healthy…. n nThe scary nature of this should not be underestimated. The state will own your body and you will have to obtain their permission to use it….
"Let’s start with President Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. I would add the freedom to bargain collectively." n nThat's nice that you would add it. Thanks for telling us. Now go away.
“…we should all have the freedom to decide not to pay for health care (insurance) when we are well.”
Sure. And when we’re sick and hence unable to buy health insurance, we can always pay for healthcare out of our own pockets. And when our resources are exhausted – not to worry! – the rest of us will ultimately pay for your care.
“We should all have the freedom to decide whether or not to pay monthly dues to a union….”
Unless of course a majority of your fellow workers have voted to unionize. (Btw, a graph of the declining earning power of the middle class since the ’70s almost exactly coincides with a graph of declining union membership.)
"…we should all have the freedom to decide not to pay for health care (insurance) when we are well." n nSure. And when we're sick and hence unable to get health insurance, we have the freedom to pay for it out of our own pockets. And when our resources are exhausted — not to worry! — we have the freedom to stick other taxpayers with the bill. n n"We should all have the freedom to decide whether or not to pay monthly dues to a union…." n nUnless of course a majority of our co-workers vote to unionize. Otherwise, we benefit from the union's bargaining without paying our share. (Btw, a graph of the declining financial situation of the middle-class since the 70s almost exactly coincides with a graph of declining union membership.)
"And when we're sick and hence unable to get health insurance, we have the freedom to pay for it out of our own pockets. And when our resources are exhausted — not to worry! — we have the freedom to stick other taxpayers with the bill. " n nSo then the answer is to go ahead and pre-emptively stick the taxpayers with a newly created bill, thanks to Obama and his "care". Why is that better? Why is it so great that taxes have just been increased enormously
According to people like Trumka, secret ballots to authorize unionization are not valid anymore – they believe we need "card check" which "allows" workers to "freely" vote for unionization in full view of as many persuasive people as it requires. Why is it they don't want to take "NO" for an answer when it comes to "benefitting" from the union's "bargaining"?r nr nAnd that declining membership of private company unions also coincides exactly with the number of US companies driven offshore or out of business by increasing union wage and benefit demands at a time when global competition was increasing. This wasn't a problem for public unions until the collapse of the housing bubble brought them into similar conflict with declining tax revenues in many states. Stockton, CA, is the largest US city ever to declare bankruptcy… so far. What will happen when states like California and Illinois, currently shaking the couch cushions to pay bills, run out of options? There is no precedent for state bankruptcies so new ground will soon be broken in this area. Freedom!
Freedom's just another word for no one left to screw?