Let's all give Jonathan Hoenig and Eric Bolling a lesson in what fascism is, and is not, because they seem to have confused unions with corporations.
Appearing on Fox News' Cashin' In, Hoenig launched into a diatribe against unions. Coffee spit alert ahead:
HOENIG: Well, yeah, any time you can get rid of force in America, that's a positive thing and Eric, unions have to use it because they can't compete in a free market. So they use government, really as a weapon getting these special deals, special advantages that aren't given to any other group or any other individual. And as you mentioned, in Illinois they wanted to get every home health care worker classified as a public employee. Why? Because they get Medicaid dollars. Well, you can't be in health care without getting Medicaid dollars.
So what are unions in today's economy? They're fascist parasites. They only support a free society when they're at the helm.
Digression: Getting rid of force in America is a good thing? But what about all those guns?
Not that facts mean much to these guys, but for the record, unions are made up of workers. They don't enjoy separate personhood like their corporate opponents do, nor are they vaporous beings that exist to suck away Medicaid dollars into the netherworld. The home health care workers in this case were actually working hard for their pittance they received from the state. These workers are unique in that they have two employers: The patients they serve and the state, who pays them.
Hoenig doesn't have a clue what fascism is. Perhaps he should actually read Mussolini's definition of it instead of spouting crap on Saturday how-to-keep-your-money-safe-from-the-poors shows on Fox News. Nah, better that he parades his ignorance even more, right?
HOENIG: Well, let me clarify why I use that term. Fascism refers to the combination of private interests and government interests, and you know what, unions have a six time higher representation in the government than they do in the private sector, so there you're seeing fascism in full force... government and private business in bed together.
Well, no. Fascism is much more commonly understood to be a form of government run by corporate interests, for corporate interests. And let's get real: Hitler destroyed trade unions in order to exert more power over the people while preserving most corporate interests and rights as privileges of the state.
The argle-bargle word salad about six time higher representation in the government than private sector is just that. Lots of words with no real meaning behind them. It's not like home health workers are forming policy or anything. They're just doing their jobs.
All of this is intended to make Hoenig, and Fox News by extension, appear as though they are actually fighting for the little guy because of course it's evil for government and private interests to be in bed together. (Let's all roll our eyes together!)
To his credit, Juan Williams did try to inject a little realism into the debate, pointing out that Hoenig, Bolling and Co. have a case of selective outrage about union donations to Democrats when they're taking millions from the Koch Kollective. How dare he?
Segments like this guarantee that family gatherings everywhere will be loaded with crap about how terrible unions are and how anyone who supports them is just like Hitler. Fox needs a new slogan: We destroy families because we can.
Transcript below, courtesy of Heather:
BOLLING: While Hobby Lobby is getting all of the buzz this week, the high court delivering a major blow to big labor that could have a lasting impact for millions of American workers all across the country. The Supreme Court ruling home health care workers in Illinois can't be forced to pay union fees if they're not in a union.
Jonathan, this could be good for all workers, yes?
HOENIG: Well, yeah, any time you can get rid of force in America, that's a positive thing and Eric, unions have to use it because they can't compete in a free market. So they use government, really as a weapon getting these special deals, special advantages that aren't given to any other group or any other individual. And as you mentioned, in Illinois they wanted to get every home health care worker classified as a public employee. Why? Because they get Medicaid dollars. Well, you can't be in health care without getting Medicaid dollars.
So what are unions in today's economy. They're fascist parasites. They only support a free society when they're at the helm.
BOLLING: Okay Juan, the fascist parasites, um actually are... actually this is a strike against unions. It may not be a big strike, but look, it may be a precedent that's set so that it expands and expands. Are unions a dying breed?
WILLIAMS: Yeah, they are a dying breed. There's no question about it if you look at the statistics, but fascists, oh my god! You know unions, remember, they help raise wages for those very workers. That woman that we just saw in that clip before the commercial, she gets higher pay because of the union negotiations and that's why some have an agency fees.
HOENIG: Can I just...
BOLLING: Go ahead.
WILLIAMS: Go ahead Jon, sure.
HOENIG: Well, let me clarify why I use that term. Fascism refers to the combination of private interests and government interests, and you know what, unions have a six time higher representation in the government than they do in the private sector, so there you're seeing fascism in full force... government and private business in bed together.
WILLIAMS: Let me tell you what's bothering the American worker this 4th of July. It's income inequality and the rich and the employers and the corporations ripping people off. Ripping them off.
BOLLING: Again, another topic and Juan, by the way, under President Obama the income inequality gap has widened. Wayne...
WILLIAMS: Yes! It certainly has. It certainly has.
BOLLING: Stay on this ruling. This is a good ruling for the American worker that's not unionized is it not?
ROGERS: Yes it is and I'll tell you why. To Jonathan's point, we should not be coerced to form or to have to join a union. Why is that? It robs me of my freedom of choice if I'm a worker and I want a job. By the way, I'm a union member. I believe in what the unions did for me. I thought it was good. It was good for the economy. That was a while ago. Now, they should be concentrating on creating jobs instead of stopping jobs being created and that's what unions should be doing and could do by the way.
And to Jonathan's point, instead of trying to get people to non-work, to try to get people to work. Don't prevent them from working. Don't interfere in the free market process.
BOLLING: Right. Michelle and one thing that also needs to be pointed out is unions donate very heavily to Democrats. In fact it's upwards of 90 percent of all of their donations go to the left. So are the unions in business to help the worker? Or are they in business to be a political organization?
FIELDS: Of course not. They're in the business of giving money to Democratic candidates and Democratic causes. Look, this ruling is great. It's great for the economy. It's great for jobs. I only wish that it extended to all public sector unions. You know, if unions are so great Juan, why aren't people voluntarily joining them? Because they know that their money is basically stolen from them and given to Democratic candidates. Isn't it? I don't think it's a coincidence that every highly unionized domestic industry in this country have basically collapsed because of unions. Because they drive up the costs of doing business. They're bad for the economy and bad for the American people.
WILLIAMS: Michelle, at least we came to the point of this. You Republicans just hate unions because you think it's about Democratic money. You have no objections to the big corporations, the Koch brothers pouring dollars into the Republican coffers. I can see that.
FIELDS: Oh my god! Juan, you're always changing the subject here. The Koch brothers! Give me a break.
WILLIAMS: You just said it. Eric said it!
HOENIG: We don't hate unions. We just hate pork.
WILLIAMS: Yeah, you hate unions. You hate unions. You hate protections for workers. You're only on the side of capital, big money, rich people.
