I’m all for fraternity in the broad sense. But signing up for weeks of sleep deprivation if not physical endangerment, while also having to do things like pick up an olive off a block of ice using only your bare behind—yes, I know someone who did that—would get a hard pass from me.
Of course I never had to make that choice. And I do understand strategic tradeoffs. For many young men, pledging is worth the payoff. They’re willing to endure debasement now for the reward of partying later and networking for decades to come.
But why would anyone volunteer to debase themselves with no reward? That’s what our Republican state lawmakers are asking Tennesseans to do in November, with the ballot measure known as Amendment 1.
Right to Work (RTW) is a friendly-sounding term that really means two things:
As residents of a RTW state, Tennesseans are taking it in the shorts several ways:
- We’re getting paid well below the national average.
- We can be fired without cause.
- We’re providing most of the funding (54%) for our state services, mostly through high sales taxes. (By comparison, corporations provide only 17% of that funding. In fact, 60% of the corporations in TN pay no state taxes.)
- We have less funding for our public schools—and it shows.
Tennessee has had a RTW law on the books since 1947. So practically speaking, Amendment 1 won’t change much. But there’s something obscene about the corporate-backed “Yes on 1” campaign, which asks us to voluntarily subjugate ourselves. I know we’re the Volunteer State, but come on.
Tennesseans have approved 11 out of 11 ballot measures since 1995. Let’s break that chain on November 8. Tell your friends and neighbors to vote no on Amendment 1.
Allison
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