On Tuesday, CAW union leader, Buzz Hargrove expressed concerns that the clean-air laws would “devastate” the auto-industry. Thanks to the auto-industry, we can get everywhere faster. Automobiles make us look cool. They make people like the Saudis wealthy—wealthy enough to fund terrorist attacks. They are the #1 cause of accidental deaths. Oh, and the pollution belched by cars is killing our planet. If you’re pro-auto industry, you’re against humanity.
Hargrove is whining that he wasn’t consulted about the Conservatives’ plans. The auto industry is doubly at fault for greenhouse emissions. Getting Hargrove’s input is like the farmer getting the fox’s input on the henhouse design.
This is a criminal mindset that exposes the true face of organized labor. The CAW pretends to be a benevolent organization that is fighting for the rights of the underclass. It is a partisan organization that has one goal: to promote the well being of its members at the expense of all others. The only difference between big business and big labor is big business aims to provide something for everyone; big labor aims to provide something for itself from everyone else.
Cars and industry vie for first place as the worst polluters on the planet. Canada’s new laws push to clean up the auto industry. Technology has to reach a critical mass to become affordable. DVD players cost $500 five years ago; now they’re $25. If the same level of attention were put on the energy industry, we would undergo a revolution like the personal computer revolution. Energy usage is our chief way to convert tasks from menial labor to automation. Instead of hauling water, your pump can siphon water to your home. Cleaner energy. More efficiency. Variety of power generation. All of these are possible if alternatives are explored. The energy question needs the equivalent of a Steve Jobs: part-psychopath; part-visionary; part-expert. With the right amount of money, will and experience, the energy consumption could be revolutionized. Hargrove is jeopardizing the people who he is charged with helping. Instead of positioning them and their industry to take advantage at the next chapter of transportation, he is digging his claws into the past and holding on for dear life.
In lieu of visionaries, we have dogma. Buzz Hargrove is trying to protect the income of his union members. They contribute to the brute force size of the CAW and the clout of Buzz Hargrove. The auto industry will drag its heels because it’s in bed with Big Oil. So, when the new legislation makes life hard on the auto industry, it will make life hard on the autoworkers. Luckily, ex-autoworkers cannot vote out Buzz Hargrove for his actions in the battle to control Greenhouse Gases and global warming. But Hargrove needs to be held accountable for abusing his clout to endanger our lives—to trade in our future for a 3% wage increase and job security for a people who build devices that cause so much so much harm.
