I just had to tell off an acquaintance of mine last night about his union hatred.

[closeupready]

He's going on and on about how police unions are bankrupting governments all over - 'they work work tons of overtime, making six figure incomes and then retire at 40 to collect a pension of 2/3rd's of their income in their last year of employment! I don't get that, I'll be lucky to have much of anything.'

And I turned his argument around, and said, 'I'm tired of hearing people say that; what about looking at what they get, and demanding the same kind of compensation?'

Him: "oh, you know, look at how unions waste so much public money on make-work crap, like in the subways."

Me: "yeah, meanwhile, banksters destroy the world economy, and they get bonuses. Nice focus you got there."

I eventually told him "you are ridiculous. you need to turn off the right-wing TV."

And I am the most diplomatic person in the world, but he was just, like, zombie mind-controlled by these union-hating GOP shills, and I just had to say something.

Who is brainwashing people? Where does this garbage come from??? He used to be the gentlest soul. So sad.

[DainBramaged]

1. Union hatred, the Reich-wing has made it acceptable today

even here on the DU. Blame the Unions, not the ignorance of the people who keep filling the coffers of the rich corporations.

[Mrsadkins9399]

2. When my MIL and FIL were still alive

I had to gently tell her off about unions as well. My FIL worked for the auto industry and ended up having a triple bypass which resulted in serious complications. She was going on about how bad they were and I had to tell her that if it was not for his union health insurance which paid for the surgery, they would have been homeless. She shut up after that.

[CountAllVotes]

5. Welcome to the DU

:hi: and welcome!

When you confront someone that has reaped the benefits of a union job and they still complain you have to seriously wonder what is wrong with said person other than the distinct possibility that they are a Repug.

UNION YES

:dem:

[Mrsadkins9399]

10. She never voted

but she always stayed at home and Fox was always on. She didn't like Obama and she loved Beck and Palin. We didn't discuss politics though and I got along with her pretty well.

[Brickbat]

3. That's always my argument too: Why not work for what they have instead of tearing them down to your

level? Or, sometimes if the person's being a real ass, I'll just say, "They stand around doing make work for big bucks while you work your ass off for peanuts? Who's the dumbass here?"

[closeupready]

11. Good point.

:rofl: I actually did ask him at one point, "So why don't you become a police officer?"

[Brickbat]

13. Mr. Brickbat worked as an organizer for the carpenters for some time, and he loved talking to non-

union guys who would brag about how the boss let them drive the company truck and bought them cells phones to use because they were sooooooooooooo valuable to the company and that Mr. Brickbat was the dupe for paying union dues. Mr. Brickbat would say, "REALLY! That's great. Well, looks like you're all set and I can't possibly help you here. I'm just going to go get into my very own brand-new $30,000 diesel pickup that I bought for myself on my union wage and call my wife on the cell phone I bought for myself on my union wage and tell her I'm coming home to our $225,000 house in the country that we bought -- oh, never mind, you're all set here. Bye now. What's that? You want my card? Why don't we meet after you get off this afternoon and grab a beer..."

:rofl:

[elleng]

4. Who is brainwashing people? Where does this garbage come from???

Really? msm, ya know.

[WhiteTara]

6. the letters F-O-X

I met a guy the other day who told me that a group of private "business" men who are trying to establish a private water board with complete autonomy/power and the right to eminent domain were practicing socialism. I explained that this was a public resource grab and naked capitalism; his eyes glazed over.

[marmar]

7. "make-work crap, like in the subways."

in NEW YORK ?!!!?

Does he realize what would happen to New York if that "make-work crap" in the subways didn't happen?

[Doctor_J]

8. Union-hating GOP shills

and Union-hating Dems.

[dkf]

9. Maybe you could have asked him if he was having a hard time himself.

You sure it didn't come out of his own problems?

[closeupready]

12. He's fine, materially. Better off than probably 95% of people today.

So I don't think it has anything to do with hard times or anything like that.

[dkf]

14. If he is worried about not having a pension and not being able to retire I think

That is a legitimate concern. It will take at least a million to retire after all. Yet these are not concerns any public union workers will have and that he has. I think that is where the concern of unfairness comes from.

[NoNothing]

15. Just tell him it's his own fault

That will, I am sure, make him see the error of his ways.

[dkf]

16. We can't all be public workers. But if he makes a decent amount and frittered it away then yes

It is his fault. We all need to be concerned that we have enough to retire on. We work when we can so we will have savings when we can't and it is everyones responsibility to plan properly.