Those Asian People

Have you ever noticed that there is no NAAAP? (National Association for the Advancement of Asian People) Or that when you go into Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Safeway and other places that there are no signs or directions in any Asian Language?

My grandson was honored along with many other grammar school kids by the Local VFW for writing an essay on how we should appreciate veterans who have fought and died for our country. Just looking at the beautiful faces of these kids and hearing their names, it was obvious that almost half of the 40 to 50 kids that entered the contest were of Asian ancestry. Most were first generation Americans and their parents or at least grandparents came to this country and have fully assimilated into society.

We have a lot of Asia people who live here in the northwest. I went to school with many. Most, at that time, were Japanese and had been born in concentration camps or were put in them when they were kids. I never heard any of those kids talk about that time or ever complain, and they had a right to do so in my opinion.

I enjoyed their culture and would visit their homes as they visited mine. They and their parents could speak other languages but used English in everyday communication. They wanted to be treated just like any other American. No better no worse. They did not expect people to bend to fit what they brought to the country but wanted to be like every other ethnic group who came before. Other people would refer to them hyphenated. Like Japanese-Americans, Korean-Americans, or Vietnamese-Americans. But I never heard them say they were such, unless asked where they or their parents came from. They were just plain old Americans. I like that. I never refer to myself as an English-American, or German-American. How dumb would that sound?

Still many ethnic groups who have been in this country longer than most Asians still feel compelled to hyphenate their background. In most cases their ethnicity is obvious so I never know if they are bragging or complaining.

Many Asian folks here have built strong businesses in our community. Their kids have studied hard in school and many time they are the top students in our high schools. I drove school bus for 5 years after I retired and to be honest, I can never remember having to discipline any Asian students. It is not to say they did not have fun like other kids. They liked to dress and have crazy fads just like the rest, but they were always respectful. When I was a manager of a large computer center, I had many Asian employees and they were some of my best workers. They watch out for each other and have little groups of friends, but they seem to welcome everyone in as well. When I was a kid you would have to tell me the Asian kids I ran around with were different. I did not notice, they were just my crazy buddies. My wife had the same experience and she lived in a community where there was a very high degree of Asian kids. The pattern in her school was the same great kids and friends.

The reason I am singling out the Asians in our society is because how they act, and fit into society should be a model for all. You can bring you culture into the country, continue your traditions while striving to melt into the rest of society. They do not expect or want any special privileges. Just a chance to work hard and do their best on their own without complaint. When I compare them against some hyphenated groups, I just shake my head and wonder why they can not be like the Asian population in my community. Demanding rights will not get you as far as society giving you rights because of respect.

Unions Part 1

In the beginning Unions were needed to represent workers in the face of tremendous disadvantages imposed upon them by employers and in some cases by the government. Many workers bravely stood up to these folks and risked their future for some kind of equality. They were not looking for some special right just an equal right to share in the American Dream.

There were workers forced to work in unsafe conditions for little or no pay. Ending a month owing more to the company store than the total of wages for the month paid. There was little if any government regulation, OSHA, or the Fair Labor Standards Act. had not been put in place, but now they have and the need for union protection is really not a valid need anymore in my opinion.

My father was a member of a union and really believed that the union was the only way he could be represented and that if it were not for his union he would have much worse working conditions and much lower pay for what he did. He was fiercely loyal and would do and vote exactly as his union leaders told him. I worked in two union shops. In both cased I could not have gotten a job without joining the union. In both cases, I paid my dues for protection and benefits. In both cases when I had issues the union did exactly zero for me and simply said that was acceptable under the current contract and I would just have to live with it. I did what any sane person would do, I took my skill to another employer and saved the dues. In the early days of the labor movement some of the impressions of my father may have been correct but Oh how have things changed.

We have gone from a time when unions worked for the benefit of their members to a time where they will sacrifice their members for more power and political influence just for the union leadership. This, not even considering the noted and obvious racketeering and corruption that has infected many unions to this day. These days labor unions have become powerful political machines. They no longer look upon traditional American ideals like capitalism, free choice and competition with favor but actually work against members who show any leanings to these principles. They will, and regularly do, sell out to political machines and perform goon tactics for them as well.

Most Americans when polled by various organizations, would rather not work in a union shop, if they are given a choice. Less than 8 percent of all employees working in non governmental employment currently are union members. Union membership is way down these days in relation to the hay days of the mid 40s. Once a union is in place, it is almost impossible for someone to quite or a business to stop being forced to interact with one.

Politically, what do you think is the makeup of labor unions? Somewhere close to a 50/50 split as the general population is with the split between democrats and republicans? If you feel this assumption is correct you would be wrong, very wrong. In our most recent election of 2008 if you gauge monetary contributions, to support, you may be shocked, that this year and the past 10 straight years the communications workers, teachers, auto workers, and aerospace workers unions gave a big fat zero amount of money to republican party candidates. Contributions from other labor unions were so small they were laughable.

Labor unions are no longer organizations for workers but Political Action Committees, PACs. Working for the election or re-election of only democratic candidates. Democrats have stabbed the union members in the back many times, but union leadership in attempts to maintain their positions, control, and wealth, have distorted the truth to say the least. Are these union members actually being duped into thinking the political machines (democratic) are really looking out for the members or are they thrown under the bus after they have served their purpose?

Please explain this strange riddle:

1. Labor unions fight for more jobs and higher wages by overwhelmingly supporting Democratic politicians.

2. Democratic politicians overwhelmingly support lax immigration policies.

3. Lax immigration policies clearly result in more illegal workers.

4. More illegal workers inevitably result in fewer available jobs and lower wages.

During the 2008 general presidential election, the then candidate Obama, promised that he would offer a more union-friendly administration. Unions rewarded him big time. Just one union the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) contributed more than $80 million to support democratic candidates. Much of this money went right into the coffers of the Obama campaign. We are now beginning to see the fruits of this seeding appearing in the actions and policies of the Obama administration. As we have seen that union membership only represents a small portion of the population, yet because of contributed money and goon tactics, the influence of this small part of society outweighs the majority. Is this the true American way? I am afraid it is becoming more and more the accepted way and not enough of us care. Again minority rules the majority.

In my next posting “Unions Part 2” I will talk exclusively about the SEIU.