Posted on 11/28/2011 8:13:47 AM PST by appeal2
This weekend's Wall Street Journal had a masterful article by Matthew Kaminski where he interviews well known good government wonk Fred Siegel. Siegel explains how the public employee unions have co-opted New York City and New York State's Governments. It is no longer government for and by the people, rather it has become a closed parasitic system that exists to enrich government workers of all stripes. While the "public servants" on the top of the pyramid reap the biggest ill gotten rewards, even the lowliest janitor gets full medical benefits, free health insurance for life, bloated salaries and obscene pensions.
Siegel goes on to explain that reform will eventually be mandatory and undeniable and that it is already happening in a number of states like Wisconsin, Rhode Island and New Jersey. It's simply a matter of time before it comes to New York, Connecticut and California. The question is whether these states will have to undergo a complete economic collapse to force needed change. Right now New York has avoided large scale cuts because it is a direct beneficiary of the Washingtonian Crony Capitalism that has bailed out Wall Street behemoths and therefore New York's government. The people who work on Wall Street and those of Occupying Wall Street actually have much in common, they favor and openly embrace unlimited government. And this is the problem.
Not even one public employee in the country needs to be in a union. Its ridiculous. We have to get rid of all of it.
California, NY, and other states are so bankrupt that there is no way they can maintain benefits to those already retired. Either a severe cut is negotiated, or the states will enter some sort of bankruptcy that allows these benefits to be cut.
We're already seeing that in some smaller municipalities, like the city in RI.
It's going to split the unions...will current workers take draconian cuts in pay and current and future benefits, in or to let those already retired continue to enjoy bloated benefits. I think not..
The union seniority system means the newer hires will be laid off first.Unions are filled with greedy people;but then so are Wall Streets investment firms.
Which bunch is worse?
How will they be able to reform this? the unions have too much power. Look at what happened in Ohio and how they are trying to take out Walker.
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