Hannity, Limbaugh and O'Reilly are Union members

[mudwhistle]

Confirmed: Union-Bashing Right-Wing Media Stars Hannity, Limbaugh and O'Reilly Are AFL-CIO Union-Affiliated Members | | AlterNet




report voted to the front page of Reddit Friday claimed that Hannity, Limbaugh and O'Reilly were union members, as well as Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter. Right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin called it the "stupid lie of the week," insisting that neither she nor the "other Fox News personalities being accused of 'hypocrisy' belong to the union." As one might expect, Malkin didn't know what she was talking about and the liberals were right (she herself, as just a frequent guest on the network, is not a member of the union).

A representative from Beck's camp denied the claim, but a source within AFTRA confirmed to AlterNet Friday that O'Reilly, Limbaugh and Hannity were indeed union members.

I was a union member for 8 years. Trust me, unions are corrupt. I can tell you stories of all of the stuff they did to undermine their own membership.

 

[Truthmatters]

You really dont like it when regular joe "doaks" ( or however you wnat it spelled) have the power to organize.

 

[Oddball]

The auto industry tanked because the auto companies fucked up big time, not because of the unions. They weren't tanked bad enough not to pay huge bonuses to the top dogs in the company.

Pish posh.

GM is a car and truck company -- for the 74th consecutive year, the world's largest -- and has revenue greater than Arizona's gross state product. But GM's stock price is down 45 percent from a year ago; its market capitalization is smaller than Harley-Davidson's. This is partly because GM is a welfare state.

In 2003 GM's pension fund needed an infusion from the largest corporate debt offering in history. And the cost of providing health coverage for 1.1 million GM workers, retirees and dependents is estimated to be $5.6 billion this year. Their coverage is enviable -- at most, small co-payments for visits to doctors and for pharmaceuticals but no deductibles or monthly premiums.

GM says health expenditures -- $1,525 per car produced; there is more health care than steel in a GM vehicle's price tag -- are one of the main reasons it lost $1.1 billion in the first quarter of 2005. Ford's profits fell 38 percent, and although Ford had forecast 2005 profits of $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion, it now probably will have a year's loss of $100 million to $200 million. All this while Toyota's sales are up 23 percent this year and Americans are buying cars and light trucks at a rate that would produce 2005 sales almost equal to the record of 17.4 million in 2000.

George F. Will - What Ails GM - washingtonpost.com[/url]

Make an effort to tell the entire story. I can't post the link because I don't have enough posts but here it goes. From Daily Finance.



General Motors (GM) was founded in September of 1908. On June 1, 2009, at 8 a.m. -- almost 101 years later -- it ceased to exist, and control was handed over to turnaround executive Al Koch. Thanks to $19.4 billion in loans and $30.1 billion more in debtor-in-possession financing, a huge amount of effort by the U.S. government and GM's management, unions, dealers, suppliers and bondholders, the effects of that failure will be terrible, but not catastrophic.


The U.S. will own 60 percent of the new GM, which will include Chevy, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. Canada will take 12 percent after lending GM $9.5 billion, the UAW 17.5 percent (as payment for $9.4 billion of its $20 billion in health care obligations) with warrants to buy 2.5 percent more, the bondholders 10 percent to as high as 25 percent through warrants, and old GM common shareholders roughly zero. Twelve to 20 more GM factories will close, 21,000 union workers will be fired, and 2,400 GM dealers will shut down.
To help other companies avoid GM's fate, it's worth exploring the five reasons that GM failed:
1. Bad financial policies. You might be surprised to learn that GM has been bankrupt since 2006 and has avoided a filing for years thanks to the graces of the banks and bondholders. But for years it has used cars as razors to sell consumers a monthly package of razor blades -- in the form of highly profitable car loans.


And the two Harvard MBAs who drove GM to bankruptcy -- Rick Wagoner and Fritz Henderson -- both rose up from GM's finance division, rather than its vehicle design operation. (Read more about GM's bad financial policies here.)

2. Uncompetitive vehicles. Compared to its toughest competitors -- like Toyota Motor Co. (TM) -- GM's cars were poorly designed and built, took too long to manufacture at costs that were too high, and as a result, fewer people bought them, leaving GM with excess production capacity. (Read more about GM's uncompetitive vehicles here.)

3. Ignoring competition. GM has been ignoring competition -- with a brief interruption (Saturn in the 1980s) -- for about 50 years. At its peak, in 1954, GM controlled 54 percent of the North American vehicle market. Last year, that figure had tumbled to 19 percent. Toyota and its peers took over that market share. (Read more about GM ignoring the competition here.)

4. Failure to innovate. Since GM was focused on profiting from finance, it did not really care that much about building better vehicles. GM's management failed to adapt GM to changes in customer needs, upstart competitors, and new technologies. (Read more about GM's failure to innovate here.)


5. Managing in the bubble. GM managers got promoted by toeing the CEO's line and ignoring external changes. What looked stupid from the perspective of customer and competitors was smart for those bucking for promotions. (Read more about GM's managing in the bubble here.)


GM's failure after 101 years is an indictment of American management in general. It highlights the damage to our economy that results when finance becomes the tail that wags the economic dog. And it shows what happens to any company that rests on its laurels and fails to adapt to change.

None of which refutes the fact that GM had basically turned into a giant membership benefits management company for the UAW, rather than an automaker.

 

[Leweman]

The union comes after the corporation though. Someone had an idea or an innovation that would create a product or service that people would be willing to purchase. From that workers are givin jobs to help create that. Not the other way around.

 

[Sherry]

MMMm it seems to me I have heard all my life that republicans hate all unions.


What happened to you guys?

Hey idiot, continue speaking in absolutes.

 

[Leweman]

Thread summary:

Rightwing: "But we don't have a problem with private unions!"

Hilarious. This may qualify as the worst message board lie of the decade.


I'm sure anyone could use this website's search function, and find about ten billion posts from rightwingers whining, braying, and crying about AFL-CIO, SEIU, and private unions in general.

Who is rightwing?

 

[Truthmatters]

And unions created the good working conditions that the rest of the country enjoys.

You know days off, sick pay and the like.

 

[mudwhistle]

Corporations actually create wealth though no matter how greedy you think they are. Unions are just greedy and create nothing.

Unions also create wealth

A corporation hires workers and derives wealth off the labor of each worker. The union is there to ensure that some of that wealth goes to the worker

ROFLMAO

yeah sure
they make a few union leaders wealthy

In my union our President sold us out. He talked us into going on strike. I refused to participate personally. We had collect bargaining agreements on the table that the company didn't want to got through with. So they bribed the President, he recommended a strike, and all of the agreements were swept off the table and we ended up having to take what the company offered. 3 years of negotiations flushed down the drain.

A friend of mine works in the bank that our union Prez banks at. He and several other of our leadership cashed some really big checks after the strike was over.

 

[Leweman]

But the unions benfited first. without corporations wed all be working 18 hour days on our farms so we could eat. Itd be kinda like living like the Amish do.

 

[mudwhistle]

And unions created the good working conditions that the rest of the country enjoys.

You know days off, sick pay and the like.

I think it's time they took some time off and enjoyed the fruits of their labor.

When it looks like somebody is trying to take days off, sick pay, and weekends away then we'll call them.

Right now all they are is tools of the left.

 

[Ron O'Neal]

Pish posh.




George F. Will - What Ails GM - washingtonpost.com[/url]

Make an effort to tell the entire story. I can't post the link because I don't have enough posts but here it goes. From Daily Finance.



General Motors (GM) was founded in September of 1908. On June 1, 2009, at 8 a.m. -- almost 101 years later -- it ceased to exist, and control was handed over to turnaround executive Al Koch. Thanks to $19.4 billion in loans and $30.1 billion more in debtor-in-possession financing, a huge amount of effort by the U.S. government and GM's management, unions, dealers, suppliers and bondholders, the effects of that failure will be terrible, but not catastrophic.


The U.S. will own 60 percent of the new GM, which will include Chevy, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. Canada will take 12 percent after lending GM $9.5 billion, the UAW 17.5 percent (as payment for $9.4 billion of its $20 billion in health care obligations) with warrants to buy 2.5 percent more, the bondholders 10 percent to as high as 25 percent through warrants, and old GM common shareholders roughly zero. Twelve to 20 more GM factories will close, 21,000 union workers will be fired, and 2,400 GM dealers will shut down.
To help other companies avoid GM's fate, it's worth exploring the five reasons that GM failed:
1. Bad financial policies. You might be surprised to learn that GM has been bankrupt since 2006 and has avoided a filing for years thanks to the graces of the banks and bondholders. But for years it has used cars as razors to sell consumers a monthly package of razor blades -- in the form of highly profitable car loans.


And the two Harvard MBAs who drove GM to bankruptcy -- Rick Wagoner and Fritz Henderson -- both rose up from GM's finance division, rather than its vehicle design operation. (Read more about GM's bad financial policies here.)

2. Uncompetitive vehicles. Compared to its toughest competitors -- like Toyota Motor Co. (TM) -- GM's cars were poorly designed and built, took too long to manufacture at costs that were too high, and as a result, fewer people bought them, leaving GM with excess production capacity. (Read more about GM's uncompetitive vehicles here.)

3. Ignoring competition. GM has been ignoring competition -- with a brief interruption (Saturn in the 1980s) -- for about 50 years. At its peak, in 1954, GM controlled 54 percent of the North American vehicle market. Last year, that figure had tumbled to 19 percent. Toyota and its peers took over that market share. (Read more about GM ignoring the competition here.)

4. Failure to innovate. Since GM was focused on profiting from finance, it did not really care that much about building better vehicles. GM's management failed to adapt GM to changes in customer needs, upstart competitors, and new technologies. (Read more about GM's failure to innovate here.)


5. Managing in the bubble. GM managers got promoted by toeing the CEO's line and ignoring external changes. What looked stupid from the perspective of customer and competitors was smart for those bucking for promotions. (Read more about GM's managing in the bubble here.)


GM's failure after 101 years is an indictment of American management in general. It highlights the damage to our economy that results when finance becomes the tail that wags the economic dog. And it shows what happens to any company that rests on its laurels and fails to adapt to change.

None of which refutes the fact that GM had basically turned into a giant membership benefits management company for the UAW, rather than an automaker.

It refutes your one sided bullshit that unions caused the auto industry to fall, don't blow smoke up my ass. From the way you painted the picture unions were the blame. You were a dishonest shit.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Confirmed: Union-Bashing Right-Wing Media Stars Hannity, Limbaugh and O'Reilly Are AFL-CIO Union-Affiliated Members | | AlterNet




report voted to the front page of Reddit Friday claimed that Hannity, Limbaugh and O'Reilly were union members, as well as Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter. Right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin called it the "stupid lie of the week," insisting that neither she nor the "other Fox News personalities being accused of 'hypocrisy' belong to the union." As one might expect, Malkin didn't know what she was talking about and the liberals were right (she herself, as just a frequent guest on the network, is not a member of the union).

A representative from Beck's camp denied the claim, but a source within AFTRA confirmed to AlterNet Friday that O'Reilly, Limbaugh and Hannity were indeed union members.

I hear that you have two homes one is on the beach. Is this true?

No not true.

I own two houses and have a share in a beach house.

So you own two homes and co-own a beach home, so that would mean you own two homes as I said and co-own a beach home, which would make it three.

 

[Truthmatters]

But the unions benfited first. without corporations wed all be working 18 hour days on our farms so we could eat. Itd be kinda like living like the Amish do.

You forget there used to be a big mom and pop brand of business in this country.

What happened to them?

 

[Truthmatters]

I hear that you have two homes one is on the beach. Is this true?

No not true.

I own two houses and have a share in a beach house.

So you own two homes and co-own a beach home, so that would mean you own two homes as I said and co-own a beach home, which would make it three.

I believe its still legal to own more than one home.

 

[Leweman]

You can tell unions are worthless because they have to keep pointing back to something good they did 50 or 40 or 30 years ago. Nothing they are doing now. Corporations that do that don't exist anymore.

 

[Truthmatters]

Why do you think the right wants them dead?

 

[bigrebnc1775]

No not true.

I own two houses and have a share in a beach house.

So you own two homes and co-own a beach home, so that would mean you own two homes as I said and co-own a beach home, which would make it three.

I believe its still legal to own more than one home.

Why don't you spread your wealth and allow some homeless people to live in one of those homes.

 

[Leweman]

But the unions benfited first. without corporations wed all be working 18 hour days on our farms so we could eat. Itd be kinda like living like the Amish do.

You forget there used to be a big mom and pop brand of business in this country.

What happened to them?

They became great or they failed.

 

[rdean]

When they're paid with taxpayers money, then it's our business. They aren't. It isn't. I have no real issue with private sector unions. It's the bastards sucking the taxpayer dry that's the problem. Public sector employees are paid for by us, we pay for their greed.

*I'm not saying that all public sector people are greedy - but their unions are destroying the country.*

4% of government workers are sucking us dry?

CG: Want pancakes - yum!

 

[Oddball]

I believe its still legal to own more than one home.

You're rich....You need to have your taxes raised to 50% or more.