Uh oh….you know you’ve lost the fight when a liberal like Joe Klein doesn’t back you any more:
Revolutions everywhere–in the middle east, in the middle west. But there is a difference: in the middle east, the protesters are marching for democracy; in the middle west, they’re protesting against it. I mean, Isn’t it, well, a bit ironic that the protesters in Madison, blocking the state senate chamber, are chanting “Freedom, Democracy, Union” while trying to prevent a vote?
~~~An election was held in Wisconsin last November. The Republicans won. In a democracy, there are consequences to elections and no one, not even the public employees unions, are exempt from that.
Throughout the whole article Klein makes the argument that these Unions have become the opposite of Democracy. And it’s a good argument.
But they have Obama on their side now so who knows what will happen….Chicago politics and all.
Klein makes a great point here:
But we’ve had far too many state legislatures, of both parties, that have been cowed by the political power of the unions and enacted contracts that force state and city governments to be run for the benefit of their employees, rather than for their citizens. This situation is most egregious in far too many school districts across the nation.
What is it that the “bastard” Walker dares to ask for? To have them pay more for their health care and pension plans. To limit collective bargaining to wages only and to end “closed shops” in which every employee is forced to pay in to the union whether they support that union or not. That’s it.
Being a public sector employee myself, and belonging to a union, I find nothing wrong with Walker’s proposals. The only reason the pension plan I belong to right now is solvent is because we paid for it from day one. I have never had my retirement paid for. A large chunk of my paycheck goes to pay for it.
I recall talking to members of other departments and when I found out that they had all of their retirement paid for…I’ll admit, I was jealous. But I also wondered at how the cities they worked for could afford it. I guess the reality was that they couldn’t afford it….and now its coming to bite them in the ass:
No one likes to lose benefits. We all want what was promised years ago. However, it is simply not going to happen. As long as these budget deficits are staring taxpayers in the eye, unions are putting themselves in a difficult situation by thinking they will not have to give something back.
Everyone is going to have to buckle down….and that means EVERYONE. The days of wine and roses are over.
Oh wait….I hear Obama is going to print some more money. That means it’ll all be ok right?
Sigh…..
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