Mathematics was never my long suit, but I do recall that, in any balanced diagram, the focal point is the precise spot where all lines cross or, if you would have it that way, the spot from which all lines emanate. People who amuse themselves by drawing geometric diagrams understand this. They also know that moving the focal point of a diagram damages or destroys what the diagram was intended to illustrate.
When political parties or popular movements are characterized as being left, right and centre, the precision of a mathematician is lacking. The focal point is unstable. It slithers around like an eel in soapsuds. The objective of all political, economic and social designs should be harmony, which is unattainable when perceptions and plans are flawed.
Depending on your personal focal point, you will see an evil alliance of government and business embarked on a union-busting mission or you will see unions making excessive demands on employers, whether public or private. Neither opinion is completely true or false.
In the past century, the working poor were cruelly victimized. In the Pennsylvania coal fields, for example, poorly paid workers lived in company houses, paid exorbitant prices at the company store, were policed by the company's police force and faced company-controlled judges. This vicious pattern, or as much of it could be applied, appeared on both sides of the international boundary. The inflow of immigrant job seekers depressed the wages of all workers, immigrants included.
During the Dirty Thirties there was a bloody battle to unionize the automobile industry. The old stalwarts of unionism see the successful battles with automakers and mine owners as a triumph over the evils of capitalism. This is true. Others see union presented demands as more of the same restrictive work rules and featherbedding that almost destroyed the railways. This is true. It all depends on the focal point.
I was once a union member who thought the demands of my union were excessive. I was worth more than I earned, but the job wasn't. It is illogical to assume that the same old job can provide a constantly escalating income.
One of the accepted indicators of a nation's economy is the health of the stock market. This depends on the focal point. Prosperity for investors doesn't mean prosperity for all. It could well be that the increase in an investor's dividends is entirely the result of successful union-bashing or of exporting jobs to places where there is no more concern for the welfare of workers than there once was in North America.
I am a man of simple mind. In all the affairs of humankind, I believe the focal point should be the greatest good for the greatest numbers now and preserving a liveable environment for a reduced world population in the future.
