Death Match! Luddites versus workers who actually make stuff

The Democrats’ Green/Blue Divide

​The Work Party versus the No Work Party.

​More after the cut!

"Blue-collar union leaders—already furious over the Obama administration’s scuttling of the Keystone XL pipeline and Hillary Clinton’s vow to shut down the coal industry—took another hit earlier this month, when the Democratic Party announced the formation of For Our Future PAC, a voter-turnout initiative in partnership with billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, who has long waged war against projects that the trade and construction unions hoped would create jobs. The New York Times portrayed the reaction to Steyer’s involvement in the new $50 million super PAC as a “rift between labor and environmentalists” within the Democratic Party, but that’s nothing new: trade unions and environmentalists have long been at odds. The real news was that much of the rest of the labor movement—led by public-sector unions—had agreed to work with Steyer, highlighting the ever-widening divide between blue-collar labor groups and their public-union counterparts. That split has already driven some trade unions into the arms of Republican candidates, and may account for some of the support Donald Trump gets in polls from working-class voters."

Once again it is war between the productive ants, and the consumptive grasshoppers. Greens seem to believe that it is possible to have an economy dependent wholly upon luddite consumptive jobs. I am sure, wherever he is, Aesop is watching this play out with relish. 

The Ant and the Grasshopper
 
IN a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.  1
  “Why not come and chat with me,” said the Grasshopper, “instead of toiling and moiling in that way?”  2
  “I am helping to lay up food for the winter,” said the Ant, “and recommend you to do the same.”  3
  “Why bother about winter?” said the Grasshopper; “we have got plenty of food at present.” But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food, and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew:
        “IT IS BEST TO PREPARE FOR THE DAYS OF NECESSITY.”