EUREKA! The "noise" has lessened considerably. "The unions hate TAA." "The unions want TAA." "No, they do not." "Yes, they do." What in the world? The Democrats hate a bill that protects workers? Republicans want a bill that trade unions support? Boy, was I confused!
Thank goodness for Politico Magazine.
When we hear the term "trade unions" we think of one large umbrella under which all workers fall. That was my fallacy. In fact, like all special interests, different unions have different objectives, and that was the error in my thinking that was causing such confusion. For the sake of discussion I will divide "trade unions" into two categories, working class and big business, even though many of those that fall under "big business" are in fact manufacturing jobs and thus also considered to be "working class". Further, let us assign the "working class" to the AFL-CIO, and "big business" to George Soros. We will now see things much more clearly.
What happened last Friday in Congress was not a clash of Republicans vs. Democrats. It appeared to be, but something else was going on behind the scenes. Democrats were being pressured by both the AFL-CIO unions and the Soros unions, both of which contribute heavily to the Democratic Party. George Soros, and thus his unions, want the TPP desperately, as does Barack Obama. On the other hand, as I stated in the Introduction the unions represented by the AFL-CIO are concerned about the loss of lower-skilled manufacturing jobs that will thin the ranks of their unions and thus cost them money. So, as some Democrats came out in favor of the TPA the AFL-CIO became angry and resorted to some dirty politics:
This angered Democrats in Congress, and they retaliated by saying "no" to the TAA they had lobbied for in the first place. Politics. So, things are not as insane as they have appeared to be. It is business-as-usual in Washington, watching the purse strings and trying to placate those that help keep our representatives in power. In fact, Democrats do want the TAA, and the TPA, and the TPP. It is the segment of those who represent the working class trade unions that is causing the disruption (which, in my opinion, is a good thing). So, in actuality there has been no break between the President and his base. The break is between the Democrats and a portion of their base.
The Republicans are also watching their purse strings. The other day, I read that George Soros contributed a half-million dollars to the House Majority Committee. Who is the majority in both houses of Congress? The Republicans. So, like Russia, George Soros is playing both sides. He has invested heavily and is about to reap the rewards of those investments. He has Republicans concerned about big business, and he has Democrats concerned about trade unions. Both sides are now in agreement with Soros' plan, but for different ideological reasons. And of course, the bottom line is the Almighty Dollar.
What are these competing interests? The AFL-CIO represents a wide variety of unions:
We have everything from teachers, to postal workers, to pilots, to football players, to machinists, to engineers, to masons and mine workers. Obviously, not all of these industries will be affected adversely by the TPP, but it is easy to see which laborers will be in danger once international competition is opened further. The Longshoremen's Union is extremely powerful, as is the IAMAW (International Administration of Machinists and Aeronautical Workers), the Teacher's Union, and others.
Conversely, here is just one of the unions sponsored by George Soros, the SEIU (Service Employees International Union):
Health care, public services, and property services, representing workers in both the United States and Canada. These are also very powerful lobbies, with implications that are more far-reaching, as we will see in my next post regarding the TPP and pharmaceuticals. George Soros has his ducks all lined up.
While we still need to find a way out of this mess, at least it is reassuring to know that everything is the way it has always been in Washington.
SNAFU.
CORRECTION: The House Majority Fund is a Democratic PAC. Thank you to the reader who brought that to my attention. This information does not change my overall assessment, however. The Republicans rely upon contributions from many of the same businesses in which George Soros invests. For example, Ted Cruz is from Texas. Soros is an investor in Halliburton (and I am certain many other oil companies; I will check on that and follow-up at a later date). So, the original assessment stands. Congress is looking at next year's election, and they need money in order to win their respective races. As a result, ethics and principles have gone out the proverbial window.
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