UNIONS AND GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION

In my semi-humble opinion there are two incredible articles in today's local papers. The Woolwich Observer (pg.9) located in Elmira Ontario has an Editor's Notes column titled "Government corruption is all around us, and shows no signs of abating". Wowser! Subtle that is not. Meanwhile today's Waterloo Region Record has this article by Carol Goar "Merger proposal will determine future of organized labour in Canada". Ms. Goar's article, while the title is less provocative and shocking, nevertheless paints for me at least, an incredible turnaround and watershed.

Is there some kind of connection here? Certainly governments of almost all stripes have at best shown antipathy towards the labour movement and at worst downright hostility and even persecution. I believe that there has been an ongoing rise of inappropriate and illegitimate government meddling and authority into all aspects of our lives . I further believe that there has been little or no organized mass opposition to date which has thus emboldened governments at all levels. There is a vacuum here which could well be filled by a group with numbers and money behind them.

Carol Goar's article advises us that at long last two large unions have seriously decided that there slide into oblivion can only be stopped by a huge expansion of their mandate. Instead of looking inwards to benefiting their dues paying members only, they are going to become social activists on a broader scale. They are going to embrace as members groups of citizens long left out. This would include the unemployed, temporary workers, community activists, self-employed, seniors and more. This is the work of the CAW (autoworkers) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union who have been negotiating a merger and an expanded mandate for many months. Personally I think they are onto something big here.

Back to Steve Kannon of the Woolwich Observer. His litany of government scandals and corruption here in Canada is very scary. His logic and reasoning behind the growing power of both corporations and all levels of government is solid and this unaccountable power is an afront to democracy. Steve states that "Corruption also extends to the selling out of the public interest to corporations, most notably in the abdication of oversight and regulation...". The financial sector throughout North America take some direct hits from Steve again with solid reasons.

Constitutions and laws are mere words which unscrupulous and unethical people manipulate for their own benefit. This process has been ongoing for some time and has developed a momentum of its own. We are all leaving for the next generation a god awful political mess in which morals and ethics and common sense as well as the common good have all been abandoned upon the alter of greed. Politics is no longer about public service it is all about self service.