HI Dave,   
      
   On Wed 2012-Jul-04 06:41, Dave Drum (1:18/200) wrote to Richard Webb:   
      
    DD> Probably because a union some where/when negotiated a   
    DD> living wage.   
      
    BK>  A point I have made over and over.   
      
    RW> Indeed, as have I.   
      
   DD> Isn't it amazing that people who actually think get that point?      
      
   Not really.  NOt just does it help you get a living wage,   
   but, if employers use them properly there is a way to   
   enforce standard work rules, etc.   
      
    RW> Ascap and BMI are not unions for musicians.  They are   
    RW> associations or entities of a corporate nature that are the   
    RW> collection agents for songwriter royalties from   
    RW> performances, etc.   
      
   DD> They are like the RIAA only for musicians rather than   
   DD> "entertainment" corp-rats.     
      
   ONly difference is, I can register my works with either.  I   
   have no quarrel with ascap and BMI.   
      
    RW> Musicians were/are represented by the AFM, American   
    RW> Federation of Musicians, which used to be quite good.  One   
    RW> reason musicians are compensated at all for recorded   
    RW> performances that are essentially for hire is the AFM   
    RW> recording strike of over half a century ago.   
    RW> The afm doesn't have near the weight it used to have   
    RW> however.   
      
   DD> AFM is currently headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canadia   
      
   Indeed, used to be headquartered in NYC way back.  Was a   
   good organization in its day, then ...   
      
      
    DD> And that is why China-Mart is so terrified that unions will gain a   
    DD> toehold in their stores. They have been butt-humping their serfs for   
    DD> so long and so hard that to unionise would force them to remove that   
    DD> "Always lower prices - always" from their adverts and make them   
    DD> compete on quality and actual service grounds. Subjects with which   
    DD> they are patently unfamiliar.   
      
    RW> Some folks say old Sam must be spinning in his hole, but i   
    RW> doubt it.  Sam knew where the game was going.  Chinamart   
    RW> used to advertise American made products too.  Go figure>   
      
   DD> I actually met and had dinner with Sam Walton - back in the 80s. I   
   DD> didn't know that he was the head cheese of the whole Wal-Mart   
   DD> operation. He was dressed in Oshkosh B'Gosh bib overalls and driving   
   DD> a ratty red Chevy pick up -- just like a lot of people in NW   
   DD> Arkansas at that time. I, and my fellow drivers, thought he was a   
   DD> foreman or something from the distribution centre where we were   
   DD> getting loads to haul to various Wally World stores. I am pretty   
   DD> sure that his vision for Wal-Mart was nothing like what the "profits   
   DD> at all costs" assholes have made it into.   
      
   Probably not, but I don't think the current state of affairs would surprise   
   him.   
      
      
   Regards,   
              Richard   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:116/901)