solidarity forever, for the union makes us... slaves to collectivist forces against individual liberties?

It's been almost thirty years since the last time I have had anything to say about world affairs, but recent events have broken my silence. This past week has been busy and chaotic for many in "WisCairo", what with the Democratic congresspeople running away to Illinois to stall voting, student and union activists occupying the Capitol building in Madison, and the march/rally yesterday that drew a crowd of 70,000 protesters. I will refrain from going into details about the conflict, as I assume that many are already familiar with the issues at hand. Instead, I will only state my objectivist opinions on the events, and will do so through the use of reason acquired through my observation of an objective reality.

In my opinion, which is the one true liberty-preserving opinion, unions are one of the most inhibiting factors in the quest for liberty in our time. The mere ideals that they are based on go against my beliefs in individualism and laissez-faire capitalism. They are collectivist, socialist institutions. I'm all for an individual worker doing his own part in making his life better; that is a basic human right, and is necessary for the betterment of mankind. But when workers band together, they are not only destroying individualism, but they are blocking the natural progress of laissez-faire capitalism. To top it off, the political involvement and pressure of unions in the United States forces the government to further infringe on individual rights and capitalist involvement by passing laws such as the National Labor Relations Act, federal minimum wage laws, child labor laws, and equal opportunity laws. These laws go against my objectivist ideas by claiming that individuals are not completely responsible for their own place in society, and instead, their upbringing, genetics, economic conditions, or history are at fault. Take responsibility for yourselves, people! If you don't, you are a part of the problem, not the solution.

The rally that took place yesterday made me roll over in my grave. It began with a union representative leading a crowd of 70,000 in singing "God Bless America", a song that promotes both nationalism and religion, two things that are completely against my objectivist philosophy. The speakers that followed used passionate rhetoric that featured sob-stories as a tool to sway people. I believe that the only proper way to convince others of ideas is through reason, and reason can only be brought about by the presentation of facts. It is degrading to humanity to bring emotions into the picture.

The one positive part of this circus was its peaceful nature and its lack of anarchist hooligans creating violence. Finally, someone in Wisconsin was listening to me when I said that violence against others is only appropriate when oneself is attacked personally. And despite rumors circulated in the media, the National Guard failed to show up and further governmentally infringe on the rights of United States citizens.

All in all, I am impressed with the Wisconsin people's resistance to government intrusion. If only it were for a cause that I supported! I will continue to monitor this situation closely. It will be fascinating to see if the bill is passed or not, and how American citizens will respond to either outcome. For the sake of humanity, I hope they will follow the five tenets of objectivism: objective reality, reason, rational self-interest, individual rights and capitalism, and meta-physical value judgments. I am sure it will be the beginning of the end if they don't, but I am not too worried. After all, it won't affect me much. I'm already dead.






photos courtesy of Sara Glesne