by Gary Larson
“Ask NOT what you can do for your state, ask only what your state can do for you…”
This might well be the rallying cry for public employee union members hitting the streets in Madison, Wisconsin. Their action foreshadows reactions to must-do budget constraints in several other states caused, in large measure, by out-of-touch state pension liabilities and rising, unshared health care premiums.
The showdown pits the “have’s” — at least those with well-paying state and local government jobs — versus those lesser beings, also known as private sector employees. Those toiling in the latter field of private enterprise are forced by fiscal realities to help fund their own pension programs and health premiums. Imagine that!
Recall those thrilling days of yesteryear when these were called “fringe benefits.” Now, to most union members, these are inviolable “core benefits,” payable, in effect, by the full-bore taxpayers come hell – read NOW – or high water.
In Wisconsin, legions of teachers abandoned their classrooms, violating contracts, to voice their angst over a bill that would restrict their “right” to collective bargaining – only on their generous by-any-standard benefits, NOT on wages.
They lap up fraudulent sick day excuses from lawbreaking doctors to participate in a de facto wildcat strike, a work stoppage, while still being paid by their school districts by virtue of (?) the hastily-written “excuses.” In effect, their demonstrations are being paid for by us regular taxpayers. Have teachers and others no honor? Their actions in the street and at the Capitol in Madison causes classes to be canceled and some schools to be closed.
Meanwhile, 14 craven Democrat legislators flee the state to avoid voting on the issue, halting at least temporarily, the legislative process Fleeing state senators go to Rockford, Illinois, thus to be untouchable by Wisconsin law enforcement. Ingenious, no? Cowardly, yes.
Their departure is termed by Republican Governor Scott Walker, “…disrespect for the democratic process and for the very institution of the Legislature.” Oh, It’s all of that, and more – it’s a slap in the face of voters, indeed of democratic America. After all, voters sort of expected their elected representatives minimally to show up for duty. Is that too much for ideologues? Even those whose campaigns are enriched by certain benefactors?
In response, not really a reply, hide-’n-go-seek legislators sneer at the governor’s plea to return to jobs they were elected to perform. Their unions-paid-off party first, and duty later? Besides, who dare bites the hands that feeds their political campaigns? Kept politicians are like that, unwaivering in their fealty to their union paymasters.
AWOL teachers call in “sick” with bogus excuses, a move they would not sanction for their students. Double standard here? Sure. Think of life’s lessons for their students: So it’s okay now to lie? To break contracts? (Cheat and steal, too?) How sad, these horrendous teachable moments events in Madison have become, about to spread elsewhere.
It is reminiscent of the 2003 walk-out in Texas. Democrats twice fled the state to nearby Oklahoma to prevent a vote on a redistricting bill. It was “their way, you see, or the highway.” Ultimately they failed, and map-based demographic facts prevailed over ugly partisan politics.
Those with longer memories will recall the air traffic controllers’ (PATCO) strike in the early 1980s. President Reagan, himself once a union president (Screen Actors’ Guild), fired the whole lot of air controllers who illegally stopped or slowed-down working at their well-paying federal jobs. Later a crop of newly-minted controllers, eager for such jobs, had the air traffic lanes in order again.
One wonders if such a mass firing was to occur in Wisconsin. Jobs vacated by the lying, work-stopping teachers, calling in “sick, would be filled quickly with substitute teachers and other wannabe teachers now unemployed or underemployed. They’d stream into Wisconsin in droves from all over the nation. And “Teach for America” would have a heyday.
Upon leaving their sworn duties, departing legislators exchanged high-fives with protesters. Protesters cried “thank you” to their departing Tweedledee and Tweedledums, their allies whom their unions supported handsomely with lavish campaign contributions. (Collusion? Well, sure it is. Corruption of the system? Yes, if the spade is called black, it is. Note how mainstream media shy away from any such obvious link? Shhh.)
At the same time, school-skipping teachers hurl hisses toward GOP legislators as they came to the Capitol . They chanted “(HI Hi, Ho Ho….”) and scream for what they call their “rights.” Some of the mouthy malcontents hoist placards comparing Gov. Walker with Hitler, replete with the swastikas. (Note how media did not use pictures of these offensive placards, quite unlike their “coverage” of Tea Party gatherings, zooming in on the less charitable placard?)
Next, will it be, for Republicans, the need for body guards? Thugs usually accompany such mobs. And will media get it right, finally, about real issues? After all, the proposed Wisconsin legislation does NOT take away collective bargaining rights over wages, only over what were once called, “fringe” benefits, now evolved into sacrosanct, entitled “rights.” We’ve come a long way, baby!
Putting public employees on a par with private sector employees? Why, who would stand for that? It all recalls Orwell’s Animal Farm howling satire: “Some are more equal than others.” To hell with the budget: Let someone else, perhaps the anonymous taxpayer behind the tree, to pay for the largess to public employees, to fund their PACs.
All hail, then, or bow down to, swaggering public employees’ unions and their PACs to pay off their doting legislators? Corruption, that it is. But don’t tell MSM. They’ll call it something else, such as “union busting.”
In effect here, a battle is being waged for the soul of America.
Ordinary citizens working their tails off to pay taxes and share in costs of their own benefits, would have lost control of government of the people, and by the people, replaced by government of the union, led by well-heeled union bosses. If this battle is lost, it will lead increasingly to government for the privileged public unions, their dues paying off lawmakers who kowtow to their demands. Raw corruption in paid-off legislators never had it so good.
Larson is a retired newspaper and business magazine editor residing in Arkansas. He is not the cartoonist of the same name.
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Is this a picture of a tea party rally? Oh no it the loony left showing their finest. I thought only tea party people did things like shown in this picture. Hypocrites on the left and they lie more than either party about everything. I see they targeted Fox News again, I will bet most don't have any Idea what is said or have watch any of Fox News. The left just repeat the lies of of their party non-leaders: An example is finely displayed by a visitor to this site that repeats the" Bush lied " theme. The left sure think they are the intellectuals in the conversation but how smart is a person that has to be brain washed with one liner campaign slogans and half truths. Just because something is repeated, does not make it true. I legal world second, third and forth hand lies are not allowed.
Just to keep the dogs at bay here we go, I going to say it "Birth Certificate" Hurry look while he spends another trillion dollars for all that hope and change thing he brought. How do you like the change you got?
We need to have tee shirts made up with our long form birth certificate on them asking where are there's or what's the problem hideing something?
"Bee -Cee" ooch, watch out ireuel, don't wake them up!
it is simple arrest all the illegal aliens that are at the rally right now and remove them from the counrty.
It is simple go into Illinios and Remove the lying cheating haters of freedom the new liberal social commi NAZI democratsss hiding in a best western (Really is that the best you can actually do????) and bring them back to there state and put them on trail for not doing there jobs.
Arrest all the Union leaders there for grand Theft of there unions pensions and mismanagement of all union funds and then Finish this by placing new people in the senate for the vote. This is simple
Best Western?
Did they accidently leave the taxpayer's credit card at home and had to use their own?
I would investigate whom is funding the Lawmakers stay in Illinois. Bet its not legal, if so they could have 14 open seats in the Senate real soon. I remember some Democrats a couple of years ago down in Texas do the same thing and most of them do not have a jobs anymore. I suspect these 14 will regret this move. What would happen if in 2006 when the winds were blowing to the left and the right did this? I am sure they would of got the same treatment in the Left steam media as these heroes are.
THIS JUST GOS TO PROVE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS INDEED THE PARTY OF COWARDS.
Wisconsin voters need to remember the legislators who abandoned their duties in the next election and get rid of every one of them. They're obviously worthless!! They were undoubtedly paid under the table by union officials to shirk their duties.
Union members and illegals have one thing in common — their belief that we, the tax payers, OWE them whatever they want. I worked under union representation involuntarily for 18 years and the only one who benfitted from the relationship was the union. They collected dues out of every pay check and I got nothing in return. They told us who we should vote for in every election (always Democrats). Fortunately, a number of us were capable of thinking for ourselves and not willing to let the union take over our minds. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case in Wisconsin. A Republican has been elected governor, the unions have lost their Democratic saviors, and they are convincing their members to go out on the streets and make fools of themselves.
It's all about Democrats getting caught up with. They lie about every thing they don't know how to work or do a good job so they become a employee of the State or Government and try and tell us how important they are to us. Well when you know them and get to go out with them you figure it out just how they are screwing the real tax payers of this Country every day they they get paid to work.They are just lazy people hustling the system, just look at who they voted to be our President someone who isn't even a citizen of this country they don't care as long as he takes care of them.
They don't care about the kids they teach or the people they are to protect only what they are getting to not have to be responseible for their actions. Some might but it's far and few of them.
I remember when this scam, meaning unions for publicly employed "servants" ha ha came into effect! I was a young person at this time but something did not set well with me, even then.
The right to work in this nation supercedes unionization, folks!
I believe these people, as poor as their performance has been in the classroom all these years, well, these so-called teachers should be "fired," just as the air traffic controllers were given their walking papers in 1980!
If my performance with cancer patients had been as poor as these teachers, I would have found myself in the unemployment line.
Good bye teachers, possibly the progressive legislators will joining YOU.
GOD Bless America, not the socialist republic of the United States…
thank you for your consideration
I don't know if things have changed since I retired from a federal job some 22 years ago, however back then we paid about 30% of our health insurance premiums and we paid in 7% for our annuity and we could not work all kinds of overtime in the last year to boost our annuity. It looks like state employees have run amok and want freebies all the way around, they need to realize that this is unsustainable! I thought our contributions were quite reasonable and no one was complaining!
Unions need to be done away with. They have outlived their usefulness. They were good when working conditions were horrible, now they are just greedy and want more power.
These teachers should all befired just like Ronald Reagan did with the striking pilots.
Where is the media's condemnation of the uncivil hordes that have gathered in Madison? The only time they even mentioned a police presence was when the Tea Party started a counter-demonstration. The MSM is as complicit in this hypocrisy as Obama and the DNC. They are trying to nullify the elections of 2010 with these protests. I have a feeling that this tactic will return to haunt Obama, and the Democrats. I certainly hope so.
I worked within healthcare and under a union for 25 years and like the person above, I did not
receive a darn thing from the union or assistance when needed. They were useless. They sure
didn't hesitate to take my 33.00 tho on paydays. And I also was told who to vote for. No kidding.
These people are so full of themselves because they think O is behind them. That's only due to
the unions financially supporting his election. O doesn't care about the people. They are ALL so
fake.
My father was with UAW back in the 70's and early 80's. While they did some good for the workers, my dad recognized that, overall, they were not a force for good in the American workplace. He saw the corruption of union officials and understood that when strikes came the only people who suffered were the rank and file members of the union. The officials continued to get paid, and paid well. He was offered a job in management repeatedly by GM and finally took it, realizing that a paycheck was more important than scoring points for people who never appreciated the effort. My father was adamant that I stay out of unions, and I have. Best career advice I ever got.
Saddly, I fear that due to the American peoples long period of Brain Washing we are lost as a Nation. We teach children all the wrong things, the state wants them druged, as good little Americans you all said sure if the Government wants to it must be the best thing. So for well over the last 25 years you all did nothing. Afterall it could never happen here in AMERICA now could it?
You all watched as Russia Fell, why was that agin? Oh yea a ten year long war- where was that again? Then you watched as the Patriot Act was signed into law. We all cheered as our troops left for war, oh POLICE ACTION, now where was that I recall from not that long ago.
Has anything changed? Yes we as a nation have become 100X more TOTALY STUPID. Look folks, you either wake the hell up or its over. In the 1960's the slogan was The REVOLUTION is coming, people it's here and the WH is part of the Problem so to is the MEDIA, by the way so are all of YOU.. So what will YOU do Now? Will you all keep you're mouths shut? Will you all sit back and say; IT CAN'T Happen HERE!
Most of my family and friends, including myself, have taken cuts in pay, hours, and benefits in order to maintain our jobs and keep our employers solvent. This perspective that unions and union members are imune to fiscal realities is insulting to the millions of us that work hard and adjust our lives to the reality of today's econmic climate. The hard working population does not want the government taking a bigger bite out of our hard earned pay.
It's obvious that these teachers, unions and protestors can't see beyond their own self-serving greed. Don't worry that companies and banks are failing and that the average person has taken substantial cuts in the standard of living. Your in a union and you can collective force the government to agree to salaries and benefits that are totally out of balance with today's economic climate. Why not, hell someone else will cover the bill.
This is a shocking message, and what's even worse is that it's coming from those who are teaching our children. If I walked off my job because I did not like, or want to make a decision, it would be considered voluntary termination. I would lose my job with no unemployment benefits, and rightfully so. If I lied to get out of work like these teachers and organized my co-workers to do the same – again I would lose my job without benefits. So I say consider this their voluntary termination. Replace them all with eager fresh, forward thinking minds.
For the record I was once a union member myself. . I quickly realized that unions are structured to shelter mediocrity and stifle change. Both admirable qualities for those not wanting to go anywhere.