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“Bloggers Consider Forming Labor Union” . . . which would represent said bloggers against whom?

Not “Capital” since there are practically no barriers to entry – no “means of production” that is outside of the employee’s ability to own.

Not “Employers” since bloggers (as bloggers) rarely have employers.

Did anybody here actually read Das Kapital?

“In a move that might make some people scratch their heads, a loosely formed coalition of left-leaning bloggers are trying to band together to form a labor union”

Doesn’t make me scratch my head at all. ‘Left-leaning” people love unions, as they take away primary personal responsibility, and place it with the Hive Mind Collective. That and the mafia. :)

What I don’t get is, why would they even need affordable health insurance? To spend one’s time daily “constantly scanning for news. You’re constantly trying to come up with information that you think will mobilize your readers…”, one would have to be independently wealthy or have some other source of funds that just rolls in on its own. At that point, who cares about affordable health insurance?

Or maybe they’re doing this at work? That’s scary, if hanging onto that cubicle is any kind of goal.

It’s total curiosity on my part. I always wondered how people found time to spew what some of them spew and still work for a living, spend time with the family, fish, watch sports, read, etc., etc. I have trouble finding the time for 2 or 3 spewings per year.

Unions are an excellent vehicle for evening the balance of power when workers negotiate with their employers. That’s why, Todd++, I think your characterization that unions “take away primary personal responsibility” is simply unfair and facile. Many employees just don’t have the option to quit their jobs; and the next most effective way to get employers to pay decent wages and provide human working conditions is collective bargaining — which requires a union.

Back to the subject at hand – This is exactly makes a “blogger’s union” so silly. See comment 1.

BTW – I hope everybody had a nice weekend. You know who to thank for that, right?

Hey, this isn’t a right or left issue, this is a me issue. The guy that pays me for blogging is clearly violating wage laws, to judge by the amount I get. I need a union to ensure accounting transparency and that I’m getting my share of the profits from this enterprise.

And, no, he doesn’t use the productive income from my blogging to provide health insurance for this domain’s blogtoilers. I have to do that myself, and my primary ailment, “steam emitting from ears,” is considered a pre-existing condition that is not covered.

I hear he makes enough from this site to buy a six pack of beer every week. Good beer, too. I demand my share.

If they name the union “Free Beer for Bloggers,” I’ll be at the head of the line.

No, I gotta concede that Todd’s right about the “left-leaning” bloggers thing. It’s the sort of idea I that might look pretty good during a YearlyKos after-party at about 3AM.

A kind of ideological beer-goggling.

But now its the next day. Lets pound some Gatorade and Advil, jog a couple of miles, and try to avoid the subject.