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Self-Interest vs. Selfish Interests

(This article first appeared in the May/June 2008 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

New IRS Form 990-N Must Be Filed Electronically (05/05/08) Under new IRS regulations, locals and state organizations with less than $25,000 in annual revenue must now electronically file Form 990-N, also known as an e-Postcard. The due date for filing Form 990-N is the 15th day of the fifth month after the close of the tax year. [read more]

In a presidential election year, the difference between self-interest and selfish interests becomes even more apparent and significant.

Selfish interest implies that one cares nothing for anyone else’s needs. When we act out of selfish interest, we show that we care only that our needs or desires are met. Self-interest, on the other hand, is grounded in the principle that what is good for you is also good for me.

At first look, the two seem the same. A self-interested action, however, takes others into consideration: We act this way because what is good for all of us will, of course, be good for me.

If all Americans had access to adequate and affordable healthcare, then we as postal workers wouldn’t have to trade wages or other benefits to maintain our high coverage at a low cost. Similarly, when the matter of whether to raise the minimum wage is being considered, it is in the self-interest of postal workers to support the increase, because it raises the floor for everyone.

When politicians propose “Do Not Mail” legislation they are not acting in the best interest of postal workers who depend on bulk business mail to sustain postal operations and employment. They are selfishly trying to make political points by ranting against so-called “junk mail.”

Who Is Being Served?

Postal workers, like all Americans, will have an important choice to make this fall. We hope to keep APWU members well informed on the candidates and their positions on issues that affect all working families. This is a look at the record of John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee.

To better understand how you can best act in your self-interest requires that you know what has been done for you and what still needs to be done. When deciding who to vote for in November, you must examine the candidates’ records to determine if your self-interests are served or negated.

APWU members are working people who depend, of course, on the arrival of a paycheck every two weeks. Laws and politicians that fail to assist workers and their families simply are not in our self-interest. Laws and politicians that hurt the middle-class are not in our self-interest. Laws and politicians that fail to protect our jobs, salaries, and benefits are not in our self-interest.

Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, has made it clear that he intends to continue many of the policies of George W. Bush, a president who has been no friend to postal workers.

According to Congressional Quarterly, McCain has voted in support of President Bush’s position 89 percent of the time, and 95 percent of the time in 2007. Among his votes are several that the AFL-CIO and the APWU consider detrimental to workers and their families:

• McCain voted for President Bush’s plan to privatize and outsource hundreds of thousands of federal jobs, including jobs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Department of Homeland Security, and DHS’ Citizenship and Immigration Services.
  
  

• Sen. McCain has made it clear that he intends to continue many of the policies of George W. Bush.

  McCain supported rules that favor contractors over government workers, voting against regulations designed to create a level playing field between private contractors seeking government work and the agencies and workers that perform the work.
  
  
• McCain voted to send jobs overseas, supporting tax breaks for companies that ship jobs out of the country. He also voted to weaken and waive “Buy American” laws that keep jobs at home.
  
  
• McCain voted in favor of President Bush’s Social Security privatization plan, and has stated that the only solution for fixing Social Security is through privatized accounts. This privatization scheme would directly affect all postal employees who are covered by the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) and who will depend on Social Security for their retirement benefits.
  
  
• McCain has voted for both the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).The AFL-CIO has long opposed these so-called “free trade” agreements that further undermine the manufacturing base of this country and invariably lead to the loss of good-paying jobs.
  
  
• After CAFTA and NAFTA were approved, McCain voted in favor of “Fast Track” trade authorization, which gives the president the authority to negotiate more trade agreements with foreign countries, without consulting Congress or state legislators. Fast-tracking creates a situation under which negotiators are not held accountable by the public, and legislators are denied their Constitutional authority to set the terms of trade agreements.
  
  
• When the Bush administration proposed to change the overtime pay rules – which would force employees to work longer hours for less pay — McCain supported the proposal and voted against protecting overtime rights for millions of workers.
  
  
• McCain has voted against extending unemployment benefits not once, but several times. He also has voted against assistance for displaced workers.
  
  
• McCain voted to block the Employee Free Choice Act, which would have given American workers both protection and assistance during efforts to form labor unions. He also has voted against legislation that would have established an efficient system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations and provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts and for other purposes.
  
  
• McCain also has supported a national Right-to-Work law, which is really a “right-to-work-for-less” law. In individual states such laws allow employers to impose all manner of restrictions on workers’ right to form labor unions.
  
  
• McCain also has voted against raising the minimum wage and – no surprise – has consistently supported tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.
  
  
• McCain voted against renewing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which helps working families get affordable healthcare by providing coverage for children in families with modest incomes that nonetheless are too high to qualify them for Medicaid. SCHIP passed, but when President Bush vetoed the renewal legislation, McCain voted to uphold the veto.

Even when he’s silent on an issue, McCain has hurt working families. He didn’t bother to show up to vote on a Senate stimulus package that failed by one vote. In fact, he missed more than half — about 275 — of the Senate votes during the first three months of 2008. Can you imagine what would happen if we missed 57 percent of the mail each day?

I urge all members to do their own research. Visit the candidates’ Web sites, and nonpartisan third-party Web sites as well. Don’t trust your favorite news outlets to be nonpartisan — examine a number of local and national news sources.

It is up to you to make the decision: You will decide which candidate supports you and your family’s self-interest, and which is an advocate only for selfish interests.

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