It’s nice when a court rules for capitalism and individual liberty instead of communism. It’s as if, at least here, we are headed in the right direction.
For decades the politicians have met in smoke-filled back rooms with union pinky rings and, with a wink and a nod, offered to give the rank-and-file lavish pension plans and lifetime retirement bennies IN LIEU OF big pay raises that would have to be paid for out of CURRENT budgets, and that might require tax hikes. But, see, lavish pension plans and lifetime retirement bennies, well... they get paid for out of FUTURE budgets - - decades in the future.
That is, the politicians buy their votes today with the taxpayer money of tomorrow. They just kick the can down the road and let future politicians and future taxpayers deal with the inevitable financial calamity that comes to bear in 20 or 30 years. "That'll be their problem, (shrug)", has been the unspoken understanding of the slimy politicians and their pinky ring union collaborators. Meanwhile, current taxpayers can shrug because, hey... their taxes didn't go up this year.
This is this kind of corrupt "negotiating" that politicians can get away with because, unlike in the private sector, they get to "negotiate" with other people's money. There is no "bottom line" or "profit and loss" statement, and no annual report to stockholders to worry about. No, when politicians "negotiate" with government employee unions, it's like the foxes negotiating with the coyotes over how to divide up the chickens in the hen house.
Anyway, in many states and cities, 20 or 30 years have come and gone. Now what?
Thank God for Scott Walker and a few other governors who have had the guts to put their foot on the can and kick it right back where it came from.