tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13326001.post9122651959952169290..comments2024-03-02T03:29:09.759-05:00Comments on SerandEz and Friends: Public Unions vs. TaxpayersEzziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494592434522239195noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13326001.post-59719341448957026302011-02-25T13:11:45.554-05:002011-02-25T13:11:45.554-05:00The unions only agreed to the current budgetary co...The unions only agreed to the current budgetary concessions NOW because their backs are to the wall and they're about to lose everything (Walker has all the votes he needs and doesn't need to compromise).<br /><br />When asked to make similar changes in their benefits during the previous administration they flat out refused.<br /><br />The average American contributes way more to their healthcare premiums, pensions (if they even have them!), and makes less than WI public employees so they weren't going to get anywhere in the court of public opinion arguing about those.PsychoToddlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00874353280798371891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13326001.post-73654762969136546142011-02-23T15:39:24.370-05:002011-02-23T15:39:24.370-05:001) That's silly.
2) GOVERNMENT unions are in a...1) That's silly.<br />2) GOVERNMENT unions are in a completely different set, because they essentially hold the whole populace hostage. Moreover, the fact that just 6.9% of private workers are unionized shows that this is completely unnecessary in today's market; that we allow it among government workers is insane.<br />3) To claim that the demands of unions have anything to do with avoiding "being screwed over" is insane and ludicrous. Give me a break.<br />4) Most unions receive compensation way out of line with average. And where did they agree? And what right do they have exactly? <br />5) What "class warfare"?! The only class warfare is the creation of the left. Read Taranto's piece. "First, to talk of America in terms of "class" is to speak a foreign language. Outside of university faculties and Marxist fringe groups (but we repeat our self), Americans do not divide ourselves up by class; rather, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . ."<br /><br />When Americans describe themselves as "middle class," the term is a synonym for "ordinary" or "respectable," not part of a taxonomy of division. Actual middle-class Americans don't feel put upon by "corporate power" or "the business community," because by and large, they own the means of production: They run businesses; they hold shares in corporations through their investment and retirement accounts. Some belong to unions, but the vast majority do not: "In 2010, the union membership rate--the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of a union--was 11.9 percent, down from 12.3 percent a year earlier," according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics."<br /><br />Nobody goes to war for CEO compensation; people believe that companies have the right to choose to do as they see fit, not as government instructs. It's got something to do with... oh, right - freedom. As for teachers, my wife is one who gets paid by the Board of Education. Perhaps if less money was wasted on countless government programs or on ridiculous union benefits we'd have more to utilize for education.Ezziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494592434522239195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13326001.post-8629067011021988912011-02-23T15:30:03.211-05:002011-02-23T15:30:03.211-05:001) Your assumption that government won't take ...1) Your assumption that government won't take advantage of it's workers is ridiculous and unfounded in reality. Just listen to all the Republicans arguing this week that public school teachers are overpaid. If they had their way (Republican government and no unions) they'd keep reducing salaries and benefits until they couldn't find warm bodies to fill the jobs.<br /><br />2) Your analogy is also ridiculous. The unions don't get to set terms, they get to negotiate terms. The fact that they are unionized means that the employer (the government) in this case simply can't use divide-and-conquer techniques to screw them all over because each individual would have approximately 0 power to stand up for him/herself.<br /><br />3) It's true that wages and benefits for employees are a cost to the employer, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. It's only bad if the ends (cheaper government) always justify the means (screwing over the workers.) Most moral people would argue that we want to maximize government efficiency AND offer appropriate employee compensation. <br /><br />4) The idea that unions always demand and receive more than they deserve is ridiculous. Just as most people on welfare are not the "welfare queens" the right pretends they are, most unions acquire relatively fair compensation. Note that in Wisconsin, the unions AGREED to the benefit cuts they were told needed to be made because they recognized the big picture. They are fighting simply for their right to keep bargaining in the future.<br /><br />5) The class warfare the Republicans are engaging in is just despicable. They'll go to war to fight for CEO compensation, but when it comes to teachers, screw them. If you honestly believe that teachers aren't worth what they are currently paid or more, then you have no concept.Jewish Atheisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04616617537150446818noreply@blogger.com