I might regret this post, but....
it seems to me that America suffers from 'special interest-itis!'
This is a syndrome whereby thought, reason and conception regarding issues is automatically put through the "self-interest" wringer, to the exclusion of principle or reason.
There happen to be plenty of principled reasons to vote 'no.' (They all have to do with concepts of social justice and a belief in fighting for the middle class working economy that has taken decades to build and is by no-means guaranteed to the shores of North America. Please, I am not starting a discussion of the merits of this argument or 'class-warfare' or 'socialism' and I am not recommending any kind of vote.)
I get the distinct impression that the 'no' voters sentiment is truly based in a sense of injustice. (I personally, feel uneasy about the path that our economy is taking away from single-income semi-skilled families and towards the manipulations of wealth, but I think that's a lost cause) However, the no voter's sense of injustice doesn't manifest itself in an argument based on principles or the ultimate interests of our children or grand-children because we are so trained to think that people only think about their percieved self-interest. (Mind you, I don't begrudge this. I perfectly understand the needs of a family and the stress this sort of situation can cause.)
It seems to me that individuals in the labor movement in our history made stupid decisions (according to self-interest) based on a sense of fairness. We have all benefitted from the consequences of those decisions (some of which were paid in blood) because we enjoy on capitalist society, with freedom and fairness for a hard days work. Those things need to be tended and protected.
Please do not take my remarks as any kind of suggestion... I wish the best of luck to all of you.
