McGovern's Business Epiphany

Liberal icon George McGovern has come out strongly against the proposed "card check" legislation proposed by Congressional Democrats. In two WSJ op-ed pieces he argues against the provisions that eliminate the employees right to a secret ballot (8/8/08) and imposes compulsory arbitration on management and labor (5/7/09). Why would such a lifelong staunch union supporter take such a position? He explains it in his second column.

My perspective on the so-called Employee Free Choice Act is informed by life experience. After leaving the Senate in 1981, I spent some time running a hotel. It was an eye-opening introduction to something most business operators are all-too familiar with -- the difficulty of controlling costs and setting prices in a weak economy. Despite my trust in government, I would have been alarmed by an outsider taking control of basic management decisions that determine success or failure in a business where I had invested my life savings.

In her weekly WSJ column today, Peggy Noonan points out that

...many of the Obama people seem to be extremely bright and pleasant academic types with no particular and personal knowledge of business in America. They are not messy businessmen with a love for the system that lifted them.

A letter in the WSJ today (Larry McDorman) addresses McGovern's position on the card-check bill and makes the following proposal.

Maybe a stint running Mr. McGovern's hotel should be mandatory training for all government representatives before they consider such nonsensical laws.

Such training might also break the current anti-capitalist fever now consuming Washington.

McGovern links

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121815502467222555.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124165379013293871.html#mod=todays_us_opinion

Noonan's article, mostly about the obfuscation prevalent in today's political discourse.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124233351737120903.html#mod=todays_us_opinion

Mr. McDorman's letter.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124242702342525289.html#mod=todays_us_opinion


And yet one more convincing argument detailing the ignorance and disingenuousness of critics of EIT (enhanced interrogation techniques) written by former Senate Intelligence Committee counsel Victoria Toensing in today's WSJ.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124243020964825531.html#mod=todays_us_opinion