>>33
>We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Wrong. We can still lose so much more. If we were more like Africa then we would have nothing to lose.
>>34
you cant pick and choose who you decide to support either you support workers as a whole or you dont.
They might support them in spirit, and I assure you that there are a fair number that care, but to actually support them in any meaningful and tangible way would require the expenditure of resources that are currently (or should be, anyway) being used to solve the problems we have here and now. You can't save a sick man if you're drowning, after all.
[to no one in particular] I do have to say that I find the idea of Labor Unions to be an essential one. We have a government system that is built upon checks and balances in the face of competing interests, so why should economic matters be any different? Workers need the means and support to declare and bargain for their interests, as well as a means of keeping employers in check by making sure that they're keeping up their end of things (including due process and such).
That having been said, I believe that, like any good idea, it has been tarnished in some noticeable places. No doubt people are seeing the effects of this and, not without some justification, applying it to labor unions as a whole. As with the problem of corrupt government officials, I don't believe the solution is to discard the entire thing (in terms of government, I liken this to replacing our democratic republic). Refinement is what I believe will produce the best results. The major hurdle just always seems to be "how" and "who will get this started?"