Scoble says, and several others agree with him: "The port workers are gonna put thousands of people out of work. All because they don't wanna give up their entitlements. I hate entitlements. They already have jobs guaranteed for life. I wish I had such a guarantee. And people wonder why unions aren't appreciated in American life? Fuck them."

Ouch! I disagree entirely. Here are the real facts:
1) The port workers aren't on strike. Management has locked them out from working. (Complaining of a mysterious and unproved "work slowdown".)
2) They don't want entitlements. Most unions aren't about entitlements. They are about jobs with living wages in safe conditions.
3) Unions don't guarantee a job for life.

There's a great book out called "One market under god". It does a fabulous job of showing how the anyone in the US who doesn't believe in absolutely deregulated markets is branded as a commie-loving, gimme-my-entitlements bastard.