Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Living With Public Sector Unions

From Matt Welch at Reason:

What to do with all these "structural deficits" popping up all over? Get used to it, kids, if you haven't already: Politicians will look for each and every "revenue opportunity" possible to soak their subjects rather than exact any concessions to the public sector unions that are gobbling up ever-larger shares of government budgets. The latest example comes from labor leader-turned Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa . . .

Do read the whole post. Welch quotes from an NPR interview with Villaraigosa wherein the LA Mayor discusses all of his machinations to soak LA taxpayors for more money, yet virtually ignores the public unions that are driving LA - and California itself - into bankruptcy.

As I wrote here, public sector unions are a cancer in our body politic. Unlike private sector unions, which are subject to market forces, public sector unions operate outside of market forces and with every motivation to grow government and taxation. At the federal, state and local level they need to be decertified or stripped of their right to engage in collective bargaining.

Related Posts:

- Public Sector Unions: A Toxin, A Crisis & An Opportunity

- Read'n, Writ'n & Unioniz'n

- What, Marx Or Lenin Weren't Available?

- Gov. Chris Christie, What Leadership Looks Like

- California: From Riches To Public Sector Unions To Ruin

- Detroit's Public School System, School Board & Teachers' Union

- Unions & Teachers: The Alpha & Omega

1 comment:

OBloodyHell said...

> decertified or stripped of their right to engage in collective bargaining.

There used to be limits on the ability of those employed by the state to act on governmental matters.

This probably is an idea which ought to be redeveloped.

Perhaps if you work for the government, you should lose the option to vote during that term of employment...