The Star-Spangled Banner
A few random thoughts were provoked by an email from one of the best people in our pathetic US Congress - Alan Grayson.
Mr. Grayson, the Representative from Florida's 9th District, is a funny guy, a powerful writer, a lover of Rock Music - I must ask him about his feelings on the 60s! - and a man who actually went to Washington to try to make things better for all people.
WHAT A CONCEPT!
As you may have noticed, I'm still learning how to manage this wonderful animal called a Blog; shortly I'll figure out how to provide a link for you to sign on to Mr. Grayson's e-mail list....
Meanwhile, here's a cool piece he sent out last night, on "Why Unions Are Different".
It's about time somebody said this, after the thousands of unchallenged references we had in the recent Election, to Unions as if they were the same as Corporations.
Alan Grayson writes: "When I was elected to Congress in 2008, I asked to join the American Federation
of Government Employees (AFGE). Why? Because I was a government employee. The
AFGE negotiates benefits for government employees, including me. If I were going
to benefit from that, I felt that I should pay my dues. I'm not the "free rider"
type.
I was told that this was an unusual request. In fact, no one could
remember any Member of Congress making that request before. That didn't bother
me in the least. I joined the AFGE, and paid my dues.
There is another,
deeper reason why I wanted to join the union: I don't see a lot of other
organizations fighting for the common good.
After I was elected again in
November, I was inundated with correspondence from all sorts of groups who
wanted me to do something for them. Not for us. For them. Gimme, gimme, gimme,
gimme, gimme. Now, to be fair, some of these requests were for worthwhile
causes. More were not. Either way, it was "gimme."
With one
exception.
Here is a letter that I received from Joseph Hansen, the
President of the United Food and Commercial Workers
(UFCW):
Congratulations on your election to the 113th
Congress.The American people spoke loud and clear on Election
Day.They want a Congress that works for all Americans, not just
a wealthy few.They want a Congress that fights for Main Street,
not Wall Street.They want a Congress that helps create
good-paying jobs that can support a family.They want a Congress
that balances the budget responsibly, by asking millionaires and billionaires to
pay their fair share while protecting programs like Social Security and
Medicare.They want a Congress that protects the rights of
workers, women, and minorities.Most of all, they want a
Congress that works with President Obama to give more families access to the
American Dream.I look forward to working with you toward that
end.Sincerely, Joseph T. Hansen.Amen to that,
brother. Yes, President Hansen, I look forward to working with you toward that
end.
You see what's missing from this UFCW letter? Gimme, gimme,
gimme.
On the letterhead of the UFCW's stationery is the motto, "A VOICE
for working America." That's something that I would be proud to have on my
stationery, too.
This is a time of hyper-partisan warfare, when
selfishness parades itself as a virtue. But amidst all that smoke there are
still some of us - the UFCW, me - who can discern the bare outlines of something
called "the common good." The common good -- that's our flag. And that's why
unions are different.
And the rocket's red glare,
The
bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the
night,
That our flag was still
there.Courage,
Congressman Alan Grayson
If you
would like a chance to join Congressman Alan Grayson for breakfast on
Inauguration Day, please contribute $25 or more to his campaign by midnight
tomorrow, or send an e-mail to inauguration@graysonforcongress.com."
