In the battle against big government and excessive spending, labor unions have increasingly become the point of argument. these organizations, run by some of the most corrupt and self-serving that leftists have to offer, have evolved from meager socialist roots into powerful and money-hungry behemoths, and as this Congress and this President carelessly spend incomprehensible amounts of our children’s cash, it’s no surprise that these unions play beneficiary to those they helped elect. it should be a surprise, then, to no one that these organizations, especially in the public sector, have become a dartboard for the overtaxed and underrepresented.
As unemployment touches 10% nationwide and closer to 30% in areas such as Detroit, union membership in many of these areas continues to act as though the problem is not theirs. in shops where government funds are not being utilized, I could care less. if the UAW wants to continue choking Ford with job bank benefits and the like while it drives up costs, so be it. The effect on their bottom line is of no consequence to the union worker. I’ve been in the factories; I’ve seen union men sleeping on the job because the employer was required to have so many skilled persons on site that do one particular job; I’ve been there when union stewards placed men to stand and watch me work a weekend shift because the union stipulated that the company had to have one of its own for every outside contractor on site. I know assembly line workers who have received virtual full-pay, sitting at home for months on end; and I’ve seen good skilled people kept out of positions because the union fought the removal of its less-than-useful employees. They correlate union and quality, but in truth, it is competition and responsibility that create. if they lose their jobs due to inefficiency, Cadillac-style compensation, and blatant greed, again I say “so be it.”
But I take offense when my tax dollars are being used to keep their jobs; when federal money is the only thing between them and the unemployment line and they’re still out shopping for Harleys. an overwhelming majority of the taxpaying public does not want the government involved in funding or directing the private sector, but since the liberal majority decided to invest someone else’s money anyway, I want the bullshit excesses gone. When you reach solvency and the taxpayers get their money back, you can play spoiled factory kids again.
Even more grinding are the public sector unions, the SEIUs and AFSCMEs of the world. Cities and villages are going broke. State legislatures are pouring through budgets, looking for ways to cut costs and balance their books. But even as the country is spiraling, city workers, teachers, and police and fire unions continue to battle pay freezes or give-backs. in New York City, teachers have voted overwhelmingly to retain their right to contractual raises and benefits, even as the mayor and superintendent warn that 4,000 teachers must be let go as a result. Nationwide, public sector unions selfishly attempt to remain insulated against the economic trends affecting those who ultimately pay their salaries.
Additionally, for those not represented by a union in this tough economy, it’s reprehensible to see our tax dollars being thrown at projects seemingly geared directly at the Democrat’s union benefactors. Bailouts, buyouts, stimulus packages; billions of dollars being thrown around, and the bulk of that money stream flows directly into union pools. even the Health Care Reform Act, which targets as a contributor those with Cadillac plans, is skewed in favor of the unions. a good bulk of union members fall into the Cadillac category (ironic, isn’t it?), but after careful consideration (and a good bit of arm-twisting threats from the organized electorate) the legislation was signed into law with the provision that union members would be exempt from paying the tax until 2018.
All this coupled with the “tough-guy, push your weight around, shut you down and show up in five buses and stand on somebody’s porch with a megaphone” mentality that union members bandy about is going to eventual force a standoff. The attitude is getting just a little old with the rest of us. It’s time to fight back against union rule and the socialist monster that is getting rich while it preaches redistribution and equality. It’s time to institute a little American-way common sense, put up a big “NO COLORS” sign, and turn these people out. if you’re gonna drink the milk, feed the cow.
