Saying “NO” would be a start

At 285 feet high and reaching over 530 yards across the South Fork Holston River, this dam, built in 1947 by the Tennessee Valley Authority, helped in flood control, power production, and ecological preservation bringing lots of jobs to Tennessee

Years ago when I had my first job in Bristol, Tennessee, I believed in Unions 100%. No one back then made any money unless you were with a Union. People usually worked for a company until retirement. In that area, the Teamsters Union was predominate. People were poor but didn't dwell on it, but they were happy. Strangers invited you in for mac and cheese or October beans and corn bread. You always had a lot of good, home cooking on the table. Your social life revolved around Church and family outings. Everyone sat down at the dinner table together—at the same time. Black Friday was still prevalent in the minds of the older folks as was World War II. The majority of workers were blue color. Many in that area had never recovered from the past; it was the hills of Tennessee.

As the last piece of the New Deal, the G.I. Bill, caught on, more and more service people were getting zero interest loans allowing them to move from the crowded cities and their rental apartments to suburbia and becoming homeowners. Later came the low interest educational loans with the government pouring billions into that program, one of our first welfare programs in America. Everyone taking advantage of this wanted to be more successful than their parents and live the American dream; two cars, two kids and one TV.

I can’t pin-point when the greed factor took over. I would bet that the information technology explosion had everything to do with it. It’s sort of like the beginning of the boom of Florida growth caused by air conditioning. When I lived near Silicon Valley, everyone had money. I lived in San Jose and I have never met so many interesting people in one place. This was the early 70’s and that industry was booming, producing over-night millionaires. Everyone wanted on the band wagon. Loyalty to working for one company now was non-existent. Everyone job hopped to make more money. We had all become white color workers thanks to education and thousands of us receiving zero to low interest loans from the government.

Today, we are in the crisis we are in due to greed and the unwillingness of anyone to correct this run away train and taxpayer bailout. Unions in Detroit refuse to negotiate wages until 2011. All of the greed started at the top by corporate executives making millions a year as our financial institutions went south and those behind the mortgage industry wrote bad loans only to make commissions.

Locally, the City of Lake Worth is engaged in some creative financing, throwing more and more costs on to the taxpayer, shuffling the costs off to Palm Beach County to appear on our tax bill although we will still be paying for the service in City taxes. Did anyone’s taxes go down? Sacrifices should be made by all of us, not just the few. And this is why I believe there must be a moratorium on wages and benefits across the country with the Unions being a part of the solution.

Everyone needs to look at themselves and ask if they are part of the “pampered plutocrats” and then government needs to get tough. Saying NO would be a start. Let's start right here in Lake Worth.