After Scott Walker successfully turned back the recall, we have Chris Christie of New Jersey and Mitch Daniels of Indiana and a number of other governors saying, "Hey, look at this! We need to take some lessons here from Scott Walker....
I want to go back to me, on this program last Wednesday.
RUSH ARCHIVE: The unions going down the tubes yesterday, that's the lesson. Every Republican governor ought to now have a spine of steel, and Walker... Even TIME Magazine made this point: Walker did it by what? Not compromising! He didn't compromise one time with anybody on the left. He stood fast on everything he believed. Yeah, he got 38% of union households. He didn't compromise. The Republican establishment technique, the Republican establishment handbook to reach across the aisle and compromise to get the independents? Scott Walker said, "(Raspberry) to that," and he wins by seven points. ... Walker did not compromise one thing. Every Republican governor in this country now ought to have a spine of steel. The Republican establishment should have learned something major.
RUSH: Let's go to Sunday morning, Fox News Sunday. Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana. Chris Wallace said, "Is this some sort of watershed that we're seeing right now? Are voters across the country giving state and local officials the green light to go after, or at least curtail, public unions?"
DANIELS: You know, there's a reason that defenders of labor from Franklin Roosevelt, to George Meany, to many others always said that unionism had no place in the public sector; that it was a necessary freedom in the private sector, but that it was a bad idea in government.
WALLACE: Are you saying that you would like to see no public worker unions?
DANIELS: I think, really, government works better without them.
RUSH: Hear, hear!
And all it took was one election.
Nothing against Mitch Daniels, and I don't know that what I'm gonna say is true, but would he have said that had this recall not happened? Now, obviously he wouldn'ta said it if Walker had lost. But my point is: If the fight hadn't occurred, if somebody hadn't paved the way, would this line of thinking even be articulated? You think there's anybody out there in Republican circles with guts enough to say (in a vacuum), "We gotta get rid of these state employees' unions. They're killing us."
Now, once Scott Walker beats 'em back, it's, "Katie, bar the door!" Now we can all join the chorus. Now we can all join the club. This is exactly what I predicted was gonna happen: Newfound spines of steel. And it wasn't just Mitch Daniels. Let's move forward to Chris Christie. This is the Conservative Political Action Conference in Illinois. It's near Chicago -- in Rosemont, actually -- and here's a portion of his remarks.
CHRISTIE: It is an outrage to have the President of the United States stand up and say to hardworking governors, Republicans and Democrats around this country, that state and local government hiring is moving in the wrong direction and we're to blame because the economy's not growing. He's the one who put forward an ineffective, wasteful stimulus plan that did nothing to help this economy. He's the one who saddled us with all these federal rules and regulations that don't allow governors to have the freedom to do what we really want. And then he has the audacity to stand up this morning and say that it's the nation's governors and the nation's mayors who are driving our economy down by not hiring enough people for government work?
RUSH: Well, there you have it. So Chris Christie is now suddenly out of the "Obama's Just a Nice Guy in Over His Head" School. He's gotten out of that and is now taking Obama on. He's not just saying, "Oh, he's well-intentioned. He's a nice guy." Now the gloves are off. Exactly as I knew would happen. And there will be other governors joining this parade. There will be other Republican governors joining this parade. Scott Walker's gonna be... Well, he's already a hero. He's gonna become an even larger one....
June 12, 2012
Scott Walker's recall victory has given other states' governors "spines of steel" to confront unions.
Rush Limbaugh is delighted at the opportunity the "recall Walker" people here in Wisconsin created for beating back public employee unions all over the country:
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I stand with Governor Walker.
There, I said it.
Walker took care of the teachers' union. Police and Firefighters will be a whole other ball of wax.
Government works better without unions.
Private companies work better without unions, but the government forces private companies to accept them.
If unions were free associations without special protections from their violence, then I'd be in favor of them. But they're not.
@Meade, I can't say I'm surprised at that statement.
And Scott Walker is staying humble and not seeing himself as a Rock Star and a criminal that the lying Dems called him 100s of times over the past year.
His beer and brats get together offer was his act of forgiveness given to the former opponents. By that Walker is living out the Christian faith that has empowered him to this point. It teaches him that a refusal to forgive another is like drinking poison and then waiting for the other to die.
Mitch Daniels is also of that mind set. Thr GOP has some good leaders coming along.
It doesn't change Rush's point, but Gov. Daniels decertified Indiana's public sector unions in 2005.
What's the problem here?
. San Jose spends $142,000 per FTE on wages and benefits, up 85 percent from 10 years ago. As a result, the city shed 28 percent of its workforce over that period, even as its population was rising.
I stand with Walker. I don't even live in Wisconsin. But unions are driving my state into bankruptcy.
This is hilarious:
Reporter from local television affiliate Green Bay (WBAY): “There are a lot of Democrats in the state that have told me they’re upset that you did not come to the state and campaign for Tom Barrett.”
“The truth of the matter is, as President of the United States, I’ve got a lot of responsibilities. I was supportive of Tom and have been supportive of Tom. Obviously I would have loved to have seen a different result.”
Note: he was very busy at fundraisers in Chicago & Minnesota (He actually flew over Wisconsin twice) just before the failed recall election.
The suicidal stupidity of the American people is no better demonstrated than in broad public cheering of the takedown of organized working people in favor of the prerogatives of the wealthy and powerful.
I gotta say; as someone who generally likes Rush and thinks he is a fun guy to listen to (if not always on top of the facts or legal theory), Rush really blew this analysis.
Indiana was well ahead of Wisconsin in the reform of state public employee unions. I have to think that if we had Scott Walker and Mitch Daniels in the same interview, Walker would be thanking Daniels for his record of leadership every bit as much as Daniels might be thanking Walker.
A study from the Manhattan Institute:
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_69.htm
The suicidal stupidity of the American people is no better demonstrated than in broad public cheering of the takedown of organized working people in favor of the prerogatives of the wealthy and powerful.
Do you differentiate, at all, between private sector trade unions and public employee unions?
Regardless, should I not be able to ply my trade, whatever it may be, without being hounded to join a union in order to do so? Shouldn't that be my choice, RC?
And if I'm working somewhere and a union comes in to organize, shouldn't my vote on whether to do so be kept private?
Peter V Bella, Your state is just like California only w/o the nice ocean beaches. The Chicago beaches are nice, but they're not California.
The Chicago beaches are nice, but they're not California.
I grew up in Chicago, but was stationed on the coast. Regardless of the beach (Oak Street rules), if you stand looking out at Lake Michigan, there's no...weight...to it. You simply know somewhere deep down that while it's a big body of water and you can't see the other side, it's simply not the same as looking out at the ocean and knowing that the nearest major land mass is half a planet away.
"The suicidal stupidity of the American people is no better demonstrated than in broad public cheering of the takedown of organized working people in favor of the prerogatives of the wealthy and powerful."
That's because public worker unions have declared the public the enemy. They threaten to withhold essential services from the public such as fire protection, police protection and public education unless their demands are met. Neither the withholding of those services nor the capitulation to them with the provision of wages, benefits and protections from layoffs that are far superior to those the taxpayers have cost the politicians anything. The politicians have bodyguards and send their kids to private schools and fat pensions of their own. The taxpayers pay - and pay and pay and pay. The public worker unions have declared the public their enemy, wallowing in greed. The public is finally responding - and their response will be as extreme as the public workers unions demands.
Compared to the average taxpayer, organized public employees ARE the wealthy and powerful.
Just a few miles away from me in Chicago the teachers union has authorized a strike by a 90:10 vote. The Mayor is lengthening the school day (it was the shortest of major cities) and offered a 2% raise. The teachers' union has demanded a 30% raise.
Let them strike. Two years ago there were 7,500 open teacher's jobs in Illinois. There were 15,000 graduates with education degrees from Illinois schools. Fill the classrooms with new teachers. Think the kids will get out of line? Toss a few cops into each school to make sure the kids sit down and shut up.
The reason private sector unions are losing membership is because they are an obsolete business model. Unions stifle completion, institutionalize slack, reward mediocrity. No wonder the democrats want to force unions in the door by removing the right to a secret ballot.
Just look at two examples in the auto industry:
GM: Killed off by irresponsible bloated unions, and tax payers are still on the hook. Plus, I will boldly say the products suck.
Subaru: Non-union, employees are paid well and enjoy great benefits, the company is fiscally strong and it provides products consumers want to buy.
Graft and corruption are the end result when you have zero accountability. Gov unions are a terrific conflict of interest. You cannot have the government on both sides of the table, and the tax payer told to shut up and pay, or else. Pie in the sky promises of 100% funded retirement , free no-cost to you health care and early retirement cannot be met. Not while the rest of us have to scrape, save, and watch as our retirements dwindle and then look at the prospect of working until 70.
No- unions are an economic dinosaur. The union business model is obsolete.
"You simply know somewhere deep down that while it's a big body of water and you can't see the other side, it's simply not the same as looking out at the ocean and knowing that the nearest major land mass is half a planet away."
Yeah? Try and drink the ocean.
Old Dad said...
It doesn't change Rush's point, but Gov. Daniels decertified Indiana's public sector unions in 2005.
Daniels was no hero. He was required to set union bargaining rights at the beginning of his term, just as Evan Bayh had done before him.
In 2011, Indiana legislators passed a law permanently restricting negotiations with public unions to be wages only - no work rules, no benefits. Daniels would not commit to this action.
Then in 2012, the coupe de gras - Right-To-Work passed both houses. Daniels did nothing.
Rush Limbaugh is part of a AFL-CIO affiliated union. What a douche.
"Chuck said...
I gotta say; as someone who generally likes Rush and thinks he is a fun guy to listen to (if not always on top of the facts or legal theory), Rush really blew this analysis.
Indiana was well ahead of Wisconsin in the reform of state public employee unions. I have to think that if we had Scott Walker and Mitch Daniels in the same interview, Walker would be thanking Daniels for his record of leadership every bit as much as Daniels might be thanking Walker."
Probably so, but Daniels did it by executive order, and Indiana did not have the ingrained history of Public Unions and collective bargaining that Walker faced in Wisconsin.
Robert Cook & garage--
Thank you both for giving me today's Sheldon moment.
Scott M.,
You really expect Cookie to distinguish between private- and public-sector unions? This from a guy who thinks people making less than PEU members in total wages and benefits are "the wealthy and powerful"????
Yeah, right.
Robert Cook said...
The suicidal stupidity of the American people is no better demonstrated than in broad public cheering of the takedown of organized working people in favor of the prerogatives of the wealthy and powerful.
Yeah, all those silly people not wanting union dues automatically deducted from their paychecks!
"garage mahal said...
Rush Limbaugh is part of a AFL-CIO affiliated union. What a douche."
Could you connect the dots between this and criticism of public unions.
I stand by Robert Cook's statement,and yesI know the difference between private unions, worked to organize one, and public unions, belonged when I was a HS teacher, but have not belonged to a union for last fifteen years--- No time for more because I am so busy this summer teaching, and consulting-
You want to start a business and provide a product or service and make enough profit to pay your employees and still walk away with a small profit yourself? Try doing that with the union monkey on your back.
"The suicidal stupidity of the American people is no better demonstrated than in broad public cheering of the takedown of organized working people in favor of the prerogatives of the wealthy and powerful."
I agree. Which is why I want to curtail the prerogatives of wealthy and powerful public employee unions. They squander tax dollars, steal money from people's paychecks, oppose choice in the workplace, and actively work against the interests of the working people who pay their salaries.
Glad we're on the same page.
Since you're standing with him and claim to know the difference, RV, please answer the other two questions.
"Should I not be able to ply my trade, whatever it may be, without being hounded to join a union in order to do so? Shouldn't that be my choice, RC?
And if I'm working somewhere and a union comes in to organize, shouldn't my vote on whether to do so be kept private?"
As far as private vs public, why do you think it's a good idea for the public employees to be at the bargaining table on the opposite side of the taxpayer?
Robert Cook said...
"The suicidal stupidity of the American people is no better demonstrated than in broad public cheering of the takedown of organized working people in favor of the prerogatives of the wealthy and powerful."
Completely wrong. First, Walker did nothing to non gov unions. Private industry unions have withered and are dying on their own. They tend to kill the businesses they afflict.
There are not going to be any attacks on private unions but the liberty of workers will be protected by rescinding laws that force workers to join unions against their will as a condition of employment.
WRT, gov unions, it is morally wrong and a violation of their liberty to force gov workers to join a union and/or confiscate their wages to pay union dues. The fact that huge numbers of Wisconsin gov workers left the unions as soon as Walker's reforms made that possible proves that most of these gov workers did not want to join the union.
Beyond that, there is no need for gov unions, the civil service protections that have been enacted give gov workers far more protection than the vast majority of non gov workers.
The political corruption that is inherent in gov unions is a profound threat to democracy. Dems inevitably use gov union workers and gov resources in improper ways to help dems politically.
Another threat to democracy is the corrupt cycle where gov unions contribute to dem pols who reciprocate by increasing wages and benefits to union workers whose unions reciprocate by contributing union dues to dems pols who reciprocate by...
It is not acceptable that gov workers have much better wages, benefits, retirement, and job security than the average American worker performing the same or similar job.
All of this has led to runaway gov costs that must be contained or we will be ruined.
There a lots of excellent moral, political, and economic reasons to get rid of gov unions. Dems want to preserve gov unions is for purely partisan political reasons. Emasculating or eliminating gov unions will be a grievous blow to the dems.
The suicidal stupidity of the American people is no better demonstrated than in broad public cheering of the takedown of organized working people in favor of the prerogatives of the wealthy and powerful.
What the is the color of the sky in your world, Robert? Sheesh.
Evidently you weren't bothered by the graft that was built into the previous arrangement. But then again, when the graft goes to things you support, I guess it's okay then. That's how it seems to work for most Dems.
And I'm not sure how the "wealthly and powerful" in Wis benefited from these reforms. However, I am certain that the taxpayers of Wisconsin benefitted from the Walker reforms.
Why do you hate taxpayers, Robert?
ert Cook said...
The suicidal stupidity of the American people is no better demonstrated than in broad public cheering of the takedown of organized working people in favor of the prerogatives of the wealthy and powerful.
6/12/12 9:47 AM
Yes the great unwashed know when the tax on the wealthy is proposed and passed it always lands on them.
Stop being so resentful and make youself wealthy and powerfull.
Another immoral thing about gov unions is that they use non dem gov workers' dues to make political contributions to the dems, their political foe. This is disgusting and obviously wrong.
The dems' position re: gov unions is indefensible which is why even their best defenders on this board (the esteemed RV and RC) cannot mount a coherent defense of gov unions but can only echo the dem position.
At a certain point in their life, most smart people realize how critical it is to protect the rights and liberty of the individual to keep from getting pushed around by a too powerful gov.
"Rush Limbaugh is part of a AFL-CIO affiliated union"
I expect you mean SAG/AFTRA or one of the other entertainment business cartels.
1) As you know, private unions have nothing to do with public employee unions. If Rush or Walker or anyone else want to voluntarily participate in a private labor union then that's their business.
2) Union membership or dues are more or less compulsory in the entertainment industry, except in those enlightened right-to-work states which protect their workers from the unfairness of this arrangement. William F. Buckley fought to end end this nationally back in the 70's but, sadly, he did not succeed.
I'd love to see Rush or someone like him take up that fight, but when the unions maintain their power by punishing their own members it makes it very hard to take a personal stand without harming your co-workers.
Said it before and I'll say it again:
Unions, a 19th Century solution to 21st Century problems.
The union lost their power when business owners realized they could simply move their jobs out of the country instead of acquiescing to every demand made by unions. We do need changes that allow for more increases in pay, more higher quality and long lasting job security, and better long term retirement strategies. AS far as the solution to those problems... unions ain't it.
But Walker did compromise: (1)left public safety workers' collective bargaining rights untouched, (2)didn't send the Wisconsin State Patrol to Illinois to frog-march the Fleebaggers back to work.
...than in broad public cheering of the takedown of organized working people in favor of the prerogatives of the wealthy and powerful.
Let me fix that for you...
...than in broad public cheering of the takedown of organized rent-seekers in favor of the prerogatives of the taxpayers who fund their lavish benefits and pensions.
That's better.
"Scott Walker's recall victory has given other states' governors "spines of steel" "
Political Viagra?
Rush Limbaugh is delighted at the opportunity the "recall Walker" people here in Wisconsin created for beating back public employee unions all over the country
See, the recall WAS a good thing. Worth every penny...
"Organized working people"
What is organized in a unionized gov't workplace is the systematic recycling of taxpayer dollars via compulsory dues into mandatory contributions to one political party.
When the Mexican Cartels do this it is known as "money laundering".
The root of Leftist fury at Gov Walker -- he stepped on their air hose, good and hard.
"Columnas vertebrales del hierro".
Me gusta. Me gusta mucho.
"Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, traveled by chartered aircraft 18 times since the beginning of 2010, at a cost of about $325,000, according to internal union expense reports viewed by The Wall Street Journal."
Gerald McEntee was paid at total of $555,367 in 2010 and whose salary is listed as $387,671 in 2011.
@Meade - Governor Walker stands with us.
The Glorious Peoples Paradise of Illinois has underfunded it's government workers pension pension fund by 50%. It cannot raise taxes enough to fund the obligations it has created.
The state governemt has not paid one penny of pension money into the fund in at least two years.
And the Chicago Teachers Union is threatening a strike if its members don't receive their demanded 30% pay increase.
That's how Democrats roll.
IIRC, the Illinois business climate rank is 48 (compared to 20 for Wisconsin). Seems like Illinois should be a target rich environment for Wisconsin to target specific Illinois businesses to relocate to Wisconsin. Since Wisconsin borders on Illinois, that would facilitate the transition for companies that are relocating from Illinois to Wisconsin.
Better business climate for the businesses that relocate to Wisconsin and more jobs and bigger tax base for Wisconsin, win win win.
Robert Cook said...
The suicidal stupidity of the American people is no better demonstrated than in broad public cheering of the takedown of organized working people in favor of the prerogatives of the wealthy and powerful.
To the ordinary working people in such communities, the public sector are the wealthy and powerful. The public sector is paid far better than the average taxpayer, has far better retirement benefits and very high job security. Any demand for relief is met with the hostility that we saw in Wisconsin for over a year. A lot of us ordinary taxpayers are finally saying enough! It's time to put an end to public sector greed.
San Jose spends $142,000 per FTE on wages and benefits, up 85 percent from 10 years ago. As a result, the city shed 28 percent of its workforce over that period, even as its population was rising.
How many taxpayers full tax burden do you think it takes to pay for each public sector employee?
President Walker.
Get used to it now.
Robert Cook said...
The suicidal stupidity of the American people is no better demonstrated than in broad public cheering of the takedown of organized working people in favor of the prerogatives of the wealthy and powerful.
Cook needs to stop copying the editorial page of the Daily Worker verbatim.
Especially if it was written in the second sub-basement of the Kremlin in 1948.
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