I came across your work by chance while skimming through The Guardian sometime this year, as I do almost every morning. The existence of your Substack and your work is truly inspiring and is evidence that there are and will always be good things to look forward to. Your straightforward style of writing is very satisfying to read as well.
I hope you can find some time outside of doing this difficult, necessary job to disconnect for a bit and recharge.
I became a subscriber last month. My $6 is helping, I know, but it’s really my wish to see you able to continue that’s important and that’s where my $6/month comes from. I openly encourage others to do the same. This is great stuff that many need to hear.
I am a new subscriber with an honest question. I read somewhere that the Oren Cass people support unionization. If true, why shouldn’t the left work with them on this issue?
What they want are employer managed structures that “give” workers a “voice”. Unions don’t *ask* for power - they build it through worker solidarity. Since workers do the work they have the power. Unions are just the structure so they can legally wield it.
Cass and others aren’t interested in workers realizing their power, they see that as a threat. They want to use the power of the state to weaken (and destroy) unions, ban strikes and make it all look like workers are coming out as winners through structures that bake in employer domination.
Thanks for the information and references. I worked in factories through most of the 1970s with the goal of electing a union if the shop was non-union or electing progressive leadership if there was a union. It pains me to see the Democratic Party ignoring the production side of the economy (except, perhaps, for antitrust) and I don’t understand why Biden didn’t make the PRO Act (or the parts he could pass) a major emphasis of his administration. I’m just looking for a way to change that.
"Support unionization" is not how I would characterize Oren Cass's views. This is a longer discussion that we'll have in a comment section but I touched on it somewhat in this piece:
Gladly pay for your work. Thank you for being awesome.
I came across your work by chance while skimming through The Guardian sometime this year, as I do almost every morning. The existence of your Substack and your work is truly inspiring and is evidence that there are and will always be good things to look forward to. Your straightforward style of writing is very satisfying to read as well.
I hope you can find some time outside of doing this difficult, necessary job to disconnect for a bit and recharge.
Power to the people in 2025 and beyond.
Hamilton, thank you for all of this. What a treasure.
Thank you for not getting distraught and keeping up the journalism. And for still making time for Jaguars Junction once in a while!
I became a subscriber last month. My $6 is helping, I know, but it’s really my wish to see you able to continue that’s important and that’s where my $6/month comes from. I openly encourage others to do the same. This is great stuff that many need to hear.
And we love you, too!
I subscribed late in the year and missed most of these essays. I look forward to reading them and to your talk at the Lynx in Gainesville.
congrats, Hamilton, on a great year of your writing. Solidarity and happy holidays!
Thanks for the roundup and I now have a few things to go back and read.
I am a new subscriber with an honest question. I read somewhere that the Oren Cass people support unionization. If true, why shouldn’t the left work with them on this issue?
Cass wrote about his opposition to unions this year: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/30/opinion/union-workers-power-us.html
What they want are employer managed structures that “give” workers a “voice”. Unions don’t *ask* for power - they build it through worker solidarity. Since workers do the work they have the power. Unions are just the structure so they can legally wield it.
Cass and others aren’t interested in workers realizing their power, they see that as a threat. They want to use the power of the state to weaken (and destroy) unions, ban strikes and make it all look like workers are coming out as winners through structures that bake in employer domination.
Thanks for the information and references. I worked in factories through most of the 1970s with the goal of electing a union if the shop was non-union or electing progressive leadership if there was a union. It pains me to see the Democratic Party ignoring the production side of the economy (except, perhaps, for antitrust) and I don’t understand why Biden didn’t make the PRO Act (or the parts he could pass) a major emphasis of his administration. I’m just looking for a way to change that.
"Support unionization" is not how I would characterize Oren Cass's views. This is a longer discussion that we'll have in a comment section but I touched on it somewhat in this piece:
https://inthesetimes.com/article/national-conservatism-conference-2024-trump-gop