Rekindling the Flame

A copy of Time magazine crossed my desk recently with a picture of Franklin D. Roosevelt on the cover and the headline, "Why They Dont Make Democrats Like They Used To."

Later, I looked at a calendar, and a realization struck meit has been 35 years this spring that we lost Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy to assassination.

And I looked at the state of our politics todayin both the United States and Canadaand had to face up to the sad truth that the reason that we dont think many of todays leaders measure up to the standards of past heroes is that were not demanding that they do.

One can look back at past leaders like FDR, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey. None of them was ever accused of being soft on defense; in fact, they were often the ones who attacked Republicans as being isolationist. None of them ran their administrations based on polls. And no one doubted where they stood on crucial issues of the daythey stood for a decent and fair society, jobs, prosperity for all and a strong industrial base.

I realize that its easy to remember only the good things about the past and forget the bad. And social values and economic realities have changed tremendously in the last 30 years. But one thing has not changed, the need for working peopleblue-collar and white-collar, union or nonunionto stand up and fight for economic fairness, shared prosperity and reward for hard work. Those values are taking a beating these days.

Some days, it feels like were back in 1903, instead of 2003. Corporate executives rake in pay, bonuses, stock options and perks that are many thousands of times what the average worker makes. Even as company performances slide, jobs are lost and shareholders are stiffed, the greed fest continues.

Weve seen the de-industrialization of North America. We used to export products to other countries; now we export our manufacturing jobs. Then we import finished products back for the sake of saving a few bucks at Wal-Mart and lining the pockets of the executives who slashed the payroll.

We have seen the authority of the government weakened not by revolutionaries in the streets, but by a right-wing ideology that promotes a distorted version of freedom. Instead of protecting the greater good against the excesses of the few, the government we now have is bought and paid for by the wealthiest and most powerful. We are told that any kind of regulation of vital services such as transportation, telecommunications and utilities is bad. We are told that tax cuts for the top percentile are just the ticket to make things better for the rest of us.

Time didnt ask the right question. They dont make Democratic politicians the way they used to because they dont make Democratic voters the way they used to. Weve let our material gains of the past 30 years make us soft. Weve let ourselves be distracted by social issues that are not usually decided in the political arena anyway. Weve become a society more concerned with rights and less about responsibilities. And when the big shots run roughshod over us, we shrug and raise a mild protest, if any.

Its time to rediscover some of the toughness, idealism and vision that leaders of the past once called us to follow. If we become the best we can be, as skilled workers and trade union members, and if we raise our voices long and loud enough on the bread and butter issues of the day, then maybe we can begin to turn things around. If we let the politicians know that we the people are fed up with the state of our nations and want a bolder vision for the future, then maybe more of them will find the courage to think big and give voice to the ideals that have made the United States and Canada great nations.

If the trade union movement doesnt begin the fight, who will?

Ed Hill
International President