Union Wars

Looking at the mess in Wisconsin is interesting. One of the things I discovered that seems pretty typical is that it took a couple of days before I could find out what the actual proposed Wisconsin law included. Instead, everywhere I turned in the news I was hammered with messaging, mostly from the union/left making it sound like Wisconsin's governor wants to destroy teachers' lives.

Now that I know what it's about, I'll leave it to others who are already arguing about whether it's fair or unfair. Instead, I'd like to focus on the longer view ramifications of the events.

The Wisconsin Democrat Senators have run away to shut down the ability of that house to vote on the new law, because they have no way of stopping it. It would seem that their hope is to delay the vote long enough while using out-of-state protesters to shout loudly enough that just maybe they can change the minds of Wisconsin's general population. Because, whatever any of us think of the merits of the law itself, my best understanding right now is that Wisconsin's people support it by a fairly large margin.

I'm hearing today that Indiana is trying to repeat Wisconsin's walkout. If true that Indiana's Democrat lawmakers have fled to stop a vote on my own state's law (I don't know yet if they're running from Mitch's Education Reform package or the newly introduced Right to Work Bill).

It seems to me to be outrageous that all these Wisconsin teachers skipped out of school for a week (did the schools re-0pen there this week? I haven't heard). Regardless of the reason, were I a governor in a state where teachers shut down the schools for a week, I wouldn't have allowed it. After 2 days, I would have announced that the teachers have to be back in their classrooms the next day, or will be terminated for cause. I'm not sure whether a governor has the authority to do so, but if he doesn't, I think he should.

Right to Work laws like what was proposed this week in Indiana weaken the union, because lots of folks will decide to keep their dues, which I heard range between $800 and $1200 per year. If somebody doesn't think all that money buys them much, or objects to the way it is spent, they're going to opt out.

Some are arguing whether or not there's even a need to have union representation for public employees. Why do teachers need a union at all these days? I suppose to answer that, we'd have to have some idea of what teachers would face in terms of salary and benefits were it not for their union.

There are those who suggest there's a sort of soft corruption at work here. When Democrats get to run state and local governments, they have the incentive to give lots of goodies to teachers, because teachers unions give millions of dollars to Democrat candidates.

I heard one of the MSNBC talkers suggest that if Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and other states succeed in passing their union-weakening legislation, the ultimate result will be a weakening or destruction of the Democrat party. It will certainly weaken the party in terms of fundraising if unions become weaker and less able to fund their candidates, but I don't think for a second it will destroy liberalism.

The numbers haven't changed. A third of the population is liberal, a third is conservative, and the remaining third are somewhere in between. The left and right aren't fighting over their own voters, they're fighting over the impressionable middle. Obama and the Dems won in 08 because the folks in the middle were tired of W and the folks on the right weren't impressed with McCain.

Now we find out what the Obama and the Democrats really want, and two-thirds of us ran away from that agenda as fast as our legs can carry us. We went back to the right with the hope they could bring some sanity back to government, and the new guys are doing exactly what they promised.

If it works, they'll stay. If it doesn't work, they'll get replaced. I don't think we'll get the Left back in charge anytime soon, though.

I wonder if the states have anything in their constitutions that provides for action against lawmakers who purposely deny a quorum during legislative sessions to try to hold up legislation? Maybe it's time for such action: Arrest, impeachment, some sort of action that makes them think twice next time.

It will be interesting to see this play out. My fear is we're sliding rapidly into chaos, and am worried about what will happen or is already happening in the Muslim world while we're fighting with each other.