The showdown in Wisconsin is more than a political disagreement; it is a fight for our democracy. Public sector unions have grown so powerful that they have transferred the legislative, executive and judicial power from the public to the unions. We are now at the point where we either fight back, or we lose our liberty.
FDR, a solid union supporter, warned about the danger of public sector unions:
Meticulous attention should be paid to the special relations and obligations of public servants to the public itself and to the Government….The process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service.” …a strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to obstruct the operations of government until their demands are satisfied. Such action looking toward the paralysis of government by those who have sworn to support it is unthinkable and intolerable.”
FDR understood that public sector unions would ultimately result in a threat to our democracy. The New York Supreme Court also issued an opinion in 1943 warning about the danger from public service unions:
To tolerate or recognize any combination of civil service employees of the government as a labor organization or union is not only incompatible with the spirit of democracy, but inconsistent with every principle upon which our government is founded. Nothing is more dangerous to public welfare than to admit that hired servants of the State can dictate to the government the hours, the wages and conditions under which they will carry on essential services vital to the welfare, safety, and security of the citizen. To admit as true that government employees have power to halt or check the functions of government unless their demands are satisfied, is to transfer to them all legislative, executive and judicial power. Nothing would be more ridiculous.
The public sector unions in Wisconsin are doing exactly what FDR and the New York Supreme Court predicted they would do. They are attempting to use extortion to circumvent the legally elected government.
Democrats have always allied themselves with unions. Republicans have always opposed unions gaining too much power. This is why it was Democrats who passed the Wagner Act allowing people to form unions and it was Republicans who passed Taft Hartley restraining their power. But prior to JFK, even Democratic presidents were opposed to allowing federal employees to organize. Here in California, we can thank Jerry Brown for authoring public sector unions during his first attempt to destroy our state. It is somewhat ironic that the severe financial crisis facing Governor Brown today has its roots in the abuse of power by those same public sector unions he set loose in 1977 when he signed SB 839, the State Employer Relations Act.
Note: Even the Sac Bee realized this was a big mistake and wrote the following in an editorial:
“A system of union elections and collective bargaining for state employees could weaken the civil service system and, what is worse, could put union leaders in positions where they could dictate to elected officials on government policy.”
Looks like the SacBee nailed that one. What ever happened to their editorial board?
The power of public sector unions is a clear and present danger to our democracy. It is nearly impossible to get elected to statewide office in California without union support. That is why even Meg Whitman tried to cut a deal with the police unions to gain their support. (If she had stood up to public sector unions instead of trying to compromise with them she might be Governor Meg Whitman today.) It was also the unions who spent millions preventing Arnold Schwarzenegger from passing his reform propositions. It is easy for Republicans to criticize Schwarzenegger for compromising with democrats, but when the public failed to back him in his proposals for change, he probably had no other option.
But this time we finally have a politician with the moral courage to directly challenge the public sector unions. Governor Walker, with the backing of a Republican legislature has done the unthinkable. He has taken on the public sector unions without apology.
Governor Walker shows no signs of backing down and the tea party is quickly organizing to provide him with vital support. I wouldn’t underestimate the ability of the Tea Party to mobilize people. The liberal media is screaming that Walker is trying to bust the public sector unions as if this is the ultimate crime against humanity. Well I have news for them. He is trying to bust the public sector unions and it is about time. The real mistake was allowing them in the first place. I think Democrats and unions are going to be shocked to discover that a high percentage of people agree with the Governor. That is why they voted for him:
According to ABC News, Organizing for American, which is the official campaign arm for President Obama, operating under the umbrella of the Democratic National Committee, has been mobilizing union members and supporters to rally against the Wisconsin budget measure.
John Boehner, Speaker of the House, has warned the White House about this:
“According to news reports, the White House has even unleashed the Democratic National Committee to spread disinformation and confusion in Wisconsin regarding the governor’s courageous actions,” he said. “I urge the president to order the DNC to suspend these tactics.
This is more than Obama just publicly disagreeing with Governor Walker. President Obama has a right to disagree with this decision by the Governor of Wisconsin, but he does not have the right to interfere with the State’s legal authority. The actions of the unions in conducting this work stoppage are potentially illegal. Obama may be guilty of publicly encouraging people to participate in an illegal work stoppage. He may be guilty of more than that; he may be guilty of openly aiding and abetting illegal activity. It is possible that we are headed toward a constitutional crisis.
Where, exactly, is the line here? Is it appropriate or even legal for a President of the United States to encourage public sector employees to participate in an illegal work stoppage? What if the Governor of Wisconsin encouraged federal employees to conduct an illegal strike? How would the federal government respond? Would this not border on insurrection? There is a significant difference between disagreeing with the political policy of a Governor and openly encouraging people to violate the law as a symbol of protest. Obama may well have crossed that line.
The reason President Obama and people like Nancy Pelosi have responded so strongly to the situation in Wisconsin is that they know what is at stake. If Governor Walker succeeds, this will spread across the country. At first it will spread to states with Republican Governors and Republican legislatures. That may already be happening in Ohio. Eventually this will spread to every state. It is impossible to overstate the political significance of a politician taking on the public sector unions and winning.
The Democratic leadership may have a major mistake. According to reports a lot of people in Wisconsin, including union workers, are very angry about these protests. At a time when the state is facing a $3.6 billion deficit, the unions are trying to extort the state into meeting their demands. This will quickly go one way or the other. Either the voters will be incensed with the government for daring to cut benefits for public sector union workers, or they will be furious with greedy public sector union workers for acting like spoiled children.
Democrats have proven, once again, why they cannot be entrusted with political power. They know how to campaign, but they do not know how to govern. They are gambling that the protests in Wisconsin will topple the Wisconsin State Government, just like the protestors in Egypt toppled that government. But Wisconsin is not Egypt and Walker is not Mubarak. Wisconsin is a state with a democratically elected government exercising power clearly within its constitutional authority.
I also wonder if anyone in the Obama administration has even considered the consequences of success. If the unions win this battle, they will simply increase their demands and we can expect more and more protests. Eventually, they will challenge the Obama administration as well. Of course Obama is so deeply in bed with the unions already that it may be difficult to recognize any change.
This is similar to other crimes of extortion, like kidnapping. If one kidnapper gets a lot of money, the victim may be saved, but ultimately you just get more kidnapping. The only way to stop kidnapping is to refuse to bargain with kidnappers in the first place.
Harry Truman understood that, which is why he ordered the army to seize the railroads in response to a railroad strike:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/truman-orders-army-to-seize-control-of-railroads
Ronald Reagan understood this which is why he fired all the air traffic controllers.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12292.html
Governor Walker gets it. Barack Obama not only doesn’t get it, he is openly encouraging union workers to participate in this irresponsible and potentially illegal work stoppage.
Either Governor Walker or President Obama is really right or terribly wrong. The one who is wrong is going to pay an enormous price for this miscalculation.
The Cheese State Rebellion has the potential to radically change this country for the better. ON WISCONSIN!
TDM