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Truck drivers are planning a three-day strike in Washington, DC, to protest the ongoing “corruption of the Constitution” by the federal government.
The freight transportation stoppage is scheduled to take place October 11-13. The striking truckers are asking all Americans to join in their protest, even if they have never pulled the loud horn of an 18-wheeler. A group of Canadian truckers, who are apparently equally miffed at their own government, have now vowed to stand with their North American peers and stop hauling for three days as well.
The “Truckers To Shut Down America” Facebook page is gaining in popularity each day, with nearly 70,000 likes on Friday. Although it is currently unclear how many truck drivers will be involved in the three-day strike and roll through Washington, DC the movement is attracting nationwide attention.
For some, the move may bring back memories of the 1970s movie Convoy, where the American public rallied behind the “Rubber Duck” convoy, making the vote-hungry politicians take notice. If the same type of public pressure could be applied in the real-life convoy of striking truckers, federal officials may actually take notice of the trucker’s complaints.
An excerpt from the Facebook page reads:
“The American people are sick and tired of the corruption that is destroying America! We therefore declare a GENERAL STRIKE on the weekend of October 11-13, 2013! Truck drivers will not haul freight! Workers will call in sick! Consumers will not buy or sell anything on this date! Stay home! Buy nothing!”
Truck drivers, and other Americans, have taken to the Facebook page to sound off on their frustrations with government.
“The Government Officials just expect us to tolerate there ridiculous laws they pass on a whim because they are getting a bonus to fly their whole family to some 1st class resort if they get it passed,” one person wrote. “WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH!!! WE ARE STRONG TOGTHER AND WE WILL BE HEARD! Folks Obama Care is not the answer to this Countries problems! Our Gun rights are being tested everyday.”
Another person wrote, “Obamacare is affecting so much it’s unreal! I’m an ER nurse & just found out my pay is being chopped by nearly $30k a year next month! My husband, who is a truck driver, went from not being paid enough, but at least it was hourly & he had a wonderful benefit of health insurance for him & our daughter for $1/month, so that made it worth it…. Since Obamacare became an issue, his pay has been cut by about $25k a year because he no longer gets paid hourly, but for stops & miles AND has to work 70 hrs a week at that with NO overtime AND they jacked his insurance from $1/month to $189/month!!! IT IS DESTROYING OUR ECONOMY & hurting the American worker!!!”
The truck drivers strike and three-day stoppage of product delivery in the United States could also serve as a teachable moment for those unprepared for a crisis or disaster. Just three days without delivery at mega stores like Walmart would leave a whole lot of shelves bare. If the strike prompts conversations about how scarce fresh produce, meat, and milk become during a time without truck deliveries, a potentially life-saving lesson has been learned.
How do you feel about the trucker drivers strike in Washington, D.C.?
