National Review Online Roundup

National Review Online has had a couple interesting articles lately worth commenting on, and as usual some of the viewpoints expressed are logical and well presented, while others are illogical and in some cases outright misleading.

Firstly, the article Labor Pains by Henry Payne (link here) discusses the problems being experienced in Detroit by automakers in general and General Motors in specific. In the wake of recent job cuts and the bankruptcy of the autoparts maker Delphi, many people are asking what has gone wrong. Payne makes a persuasive and economically sound argument that the strong political influence of unions in the motor city has lead to a situation in which workers are being paid amounts far beyond normal market rates, crippling the industry and harming workers.

Payne describes a situation in which those who mow grass and clean toilets for GM are being paid $26 an hour base, and up to $65 an hour when the cost of benefits is added. Furthermore, massive debts are being incurred by GM and other companies as workers retire with very large pensions at a relatively young age. Of course not all auto industry workers are so excessively well paid, however these excessive costs no doubt have contributed to GM's inability to remain profitable. When large employers like GM are incapable of turning a profit due to unrealistic demands of unions such as the United Auto Workers (UAW), the workers themselves are hurt as layoffs and downsizing are initiated in an attempt to regain profitability.

There is certainly nothing wrong with workers organizing themselves to gain negotiating leverage and better benefits from their employers, however the sort of unionism that prevails in Detroit is too political and coercive to be considered a legitimate or voluntary. With Detroit's soaring unemployment rates, there are countless people who would gladly cut grass or do other entry-level jobs for much less than the excessive $26 per hour demanded by union members. The reason these jobs are not going to those willing to work for less is because the unions are utilizing political influence and intimidating tactics against "scabs" (those more needy and willing to work for less). By doing so, these self-proclaimed advocates of the worker's cause are doing nothing more than harming countless unemployed and comparatively more needy workers with their greed.

Another article of interest on NRO, though for its dishonesty rather than its insight, is White (Phosphorus) Lies by Michael Fumento (link here). Fumento opens by discussing an Italian documentary about the horrific effects of white phosphorus on human beings and its use in Fallujah. He predictably writes off the extensive documentation of civilians burned alive by this "chemical weapon" by stating that there is no evidence that civilians were targeted specifically. He does not address the fact that as it is commonly used, white phosphorus is spread throughout a large area and indiscriminately kills insurgents, children, animals, and any other living things.

Fumento also tries to deny that white phosphorus can burn skin while leaving clothes intact, a characteristic of the weapon easily explained by the fact that the phosphorus reacts with water on the skin and in the body to form phosphoric acid (which causes chemical burns). The remainder of his defense of white phosphorus consists basically of claiming that since terrorists are cutting off people's heads, we can kill as many people as we want in as brutal a fashion as is "necessary". He also claims that white phosphorus's "best uses" are not directly against personnel, however he does not reconcile this with the extensive footage of insurgents and civilians burned alive by the weapon. Regarding the documentary footage showing numerous innocents burned alive by large chemical clouds of white phosphorus, Fumento claims that "there's no proof of any wrongdoing in the video itself" as if the indiscriminate use of such a deadly chemical in urban areas is nothing more than unavoidable "collateral damage".

Fumento's entire article is plainly poorly researched, flippant and callous, while seeking only to make weak excuses for the unnecessary use of such an obviously devastating weapon. If Saddam had utilized white phosphorus with similar grisly results at any point, no doubt Fumento would be among the first to cry out against such crimes, yet it appears there is nothing too brutal or indiscriminately deadly for Fumento's taste, so long as American troops are doing the killing and Iraqis are the ones dying.

More information on white phosphorus and its military uses can be found here and here.