I'm on board with this.

I've been called worse than capitalist. I do have choice, and that's where I'm privileged. Many people don't though. There are still many areas where Unions monopolize the work force such that people have no choice but to join, if they want to work in a particular manufacturing sector, or similar. I think it's pretty much a moot point anyhow. Half the States have right to work laws and others will follow. The root causes of lack of competitiveness of US manufacturing globally; escalating costs of healthcare, liability, regulatory compliance, etc. aren't being addressed. With fixed labor costs in the US, companies have 2 choices, lower labor costs (common) or raise consumer prices (uncommon). It's a conundrum, Unions or no Unions. The anti-competitive nature of Unions will make them less relevant. The model doesn't work as well when workers have a choice whether they join or not.

The other aspect of forced Union membership that bothers me is the interference it places on the individual's rights for free trade and commerce. If I want to trade 3 pigs for a wagon that my neighbor has, and we both agree it's a square deal, then we should be allowed to transact. If the neighboring farmers nix our deal, because they think their pigs are worth 2 to a wagon, then they should be the ones to go find the market that suits their estimate of value.

The "global economy" is the wake up call everybody in the US is thus far ignoring. You aren't competing, necessarily, with the guy down the street, or the workers in another State anymore. In the modern economy the US is competing against workers who are willing to work harder for less pay. You can ride your Hostess Twinkie Union to unemployment, or you can "work for less", as the mantra goes.
"All that corporations care about is the bottom line" is another mantra I love. These aren't charities. The term "corporation" is thrown around like it doesn't represent a person, or group of persons, that are trying to advance their lot in life. It's not out of a sense of altruism that the baker bakes his bread. All that being said, workers deserve a safe workplace. That should be accomplished through legislation, and it has been.

"Price. A fair price. That's not what you say it is, and it's not what I say it is. It's what the market will bear."- Leonard Smalls

And I do think it a bit fascist to not tolerate other ideologies. With mandatory membership, and the political bias of the Labor Unions, it's "if you want to work here, you're contributing to the Democratic Party."

According to a recent WSJ article on political spending by Unions (estimated to be about $700 million in 2011), 92% went to the Democratic party. Regardless of the type of work I want to do, I should be free to work for an employer without the constraint of mandatory membership in an organization. If you WANT to join a Union, then fine, more power to you. You shouldn't HAVE to join. Explain why I should HAVE to join.

Being forced to join a politically active organization just to have a job. That's not freedom, it's fascism.

Multiple things wrong with the analysis of this story. First, this place operates efficiently because of CAPITALISM. The cheaper they provide the care, the more money the owners (docs) make. Being owners, they have, IMHO, a direct conflict of interest. The more surgery they perform, the more money they make. The notion that these private stand=a=lone surgery centers do charity care is LAUGHABLE. If you don't have money, you don't get in the door. Inner center hospitals in the US have become the dumping grounds for these standalone centers. The uninsured, the unacceptably high risk patient that the standalone facility won't touch, because it might cost them too much money. The one tenet of this story I do agree with is, people need to be responsible for more of their own bill. Personal healthcare savings accounts would be a GREAT start. The healthcare consumer needs to make that decision whether seeing a doctor for a common cold is worth the visit or not. The healthcare reform bill does nothing to fix what is really wrong with the US healthcare system. And there's plenty wrong.

Why not have your next door neighbor make all your financial decisions and buy your groceries. Here's your broccoli, like it or else.

This is awesome. New found respect for the great comedian.

Ask doctors in the US if they can relate. While VERY seldom held accountable in criminal court, frequently found guilty of not preventing an act of God in civil court.

Agreed. The best live music performance ever put on film. Puts all the others to shame.

It would be nice if politicians had the real guts to tell you exactly what they plan to do. It's like hiring a landscaper for your new house and you asking, "what's the plan?" "Well, you know, make it pretty." "How are you going to do that?" "Well, you know, put some things here and there." Anyone who has worked with a landscaper would know the folly of that trust.

There's no doubt increased broad based spending by the middle class would help the economy. The notion that the super wealthy are "hoarders" is erroneous. They are profligate spenders, and by doing so, promote the economy. The owner of a very successful software company built a $12,000,000 home recently, that I toured. It was the epitome of excess. However, by his excess he put contractors, roofers, plumbers, masons, landscapers, etc to work, not to mention the people his own company employs. Basically, he pumped that $12,000,000 right back into the economy. As historians Will and Ariel Durant (The History of Civilization, a 10 volume work I dare anyone to get TOTALLY through, wow), noted, "Perhaps it is one secret of their power (bankers) that having studied the fluctuations of prices, they know that history is inflationary, and that money is the last thing a wise man will hoard." In the 18th century, Adam Smith coined the unintentional benefits of profligate spending by the wealthy, for his own wants and desires, the "invisible hand" that promoted the welfare of society at large. It's human nature that even when equipped with the essentials for living, they will envy the privilege of the few super wealthy among them and some wealth will be redistributed to the poor, in order to keep the peace.