Union Watch

News about unions such as SEIU.

California College Students Redeem Themselves…Sort Of

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Facing Rising Tuition and Fees 

          Just when we were beginning to wonder about the students attending schools in the California State College and University system, some of them have given us reason to believe that they actually do have the ability to analyze problems and think for themselves.  Faced with mounting tuition and other fees, students had up to now been protesting everyone except those actually responsible for the problem.  It seems that they may finally have put two and two together this week when they took their protest to the union-owned, Democrat-run capital in Sacramento, correctly placing the blame for this crisis on the legislators who have plundered the state’s treasury.  Maybe their thinking has not yet completely evolved to this conclusion, but at least they are protesting in the right location! 

          Through no fault of their own, many of these students are the products of the failing education system in California.  It is no small feat, then, for them to have come to this difficult conclusion.  In doing so, they had to abandon the prevailing liberal view extant at most of their institutions of higher learning and they even had to make a point of distancing themselves from the Occupy Movement that was in Sacramento at the same time.  We cannot hold these college students responsible for the faulty reasoning that led to their previously misplaced anger.  Instead, we salute them for being able to make the tough choices, admit that they were wrong and refocus their energy in the right direction. 

California…A Horrible Example the Rest of the Country Should Heed 

          The rest of the country should take a good, long look at what has happened to California, because it is a harbinger (see WOW) of what is in store for them unless they take immediate action to change course.  The education systems in many other states are also at risk of financial collapse due to the reckless spending of their legislators.  Fortunately, the tax and spend liberals were thrown out of many legislatures in the 2010 midterm elections.  Courageous individuals like Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin are making good progress in bringing their states back from the brink by getting their fiscal affairs in order.  But union bosses who see a threat to their tight, controlling grip on dues paying members are fighting back like caged weasels.  Consequently, Governor Walker is facing a recall election in spite of the good work he has done for the people of his state. 

          Unfortunately, there is no easy solution now for California.  It will take years to undue the harm that has been done.  The only hopeful sign is that we appear to have some students in our college system who finally see the light and are taking the fight to the real perpetrators of this fraud.  What they are doing to bring this situation to the attention of the public is important, because a well funded system of higher education, available to all qualified students regardless of financial means, is in the best interest of every citizen of the State of California. 

Coming Next:  Where Did California’s Education Money Go?      

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Unions Whine as They Wither on the Vine

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Desperately Clinging to Cushy Jobs and Generous Bennies 

          With the end of their reign clearly in sight, union bosses have pulled out all the stops and mustered their minions (see WOW) at the state capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, to protest against Republican Governor Scott Walker.  If you can imagine, Governor Walker had the audacity to suggest that government employees should contribute a reasonable amount to their retirement and health plans like the rest of us!  Fortified by their new mandate which was decisively delivered in the 2010 midterm elections, other Republican led states are now jumping on the bandwagon and challenging the unions as well.  The Republican majorities in the Tennessee and Indiana legislatures have advanced similar proposals to limit union pilfering of their states’ coffers and it is expected that John Kasich, the new Republican Governor of Ohio, will soon follow suit.  This kind of momentum can only spell more trouble for the already tarnished government employee unions around the country. 

          Over the years that free-spending Democrats have been in control of state and local governments, their union puppeteers have directed them to enact outrageously generous benefits for government employees.  For minding their ‘managers’, these Democrats have been rewarded with hefty political contributions, derived from mandatory union dues, to keep them in power.  But all that changed as states ran out of money and the house of cards fell.  It became obvious to even the most unsophisticated observer of the economy, that this kind of reckless handing out of goodies was no longer sustainable.  The American people spoke loudly and clearly in November, and newly elected representatives have wasted no time in pulling the plug. 

          It is truly sad to see how union bosses have corrupted the members of once proud professional groups like teachers and firefighters.  At one time highly respected and even regarded as unselfish heroes, they are now seen by many as greedy union shop piglets, slopping at the trough of government handouts.  In the case of teachers, tenure insures job security regardless of competence or performance.  In the case of firefighters, generous salaries and huge retirement pensions for life, sometimes starting at age 50, make it one of the most sought after jobs in the country.  In California, as just one example, a fire chief can retire with a pension of $284,000, after receiving an annual base salary of $221,000, in a district where some stations receive only a few emergency calls a month.  Contrast that with a four-star general who has served his country all over the world (most likely for 30 years, often in combat situations) who can retire with $181,000 annually. 

          Something clearly had to be done to correct this imbalance and we salute Governor Walker for his courageous stand in the face of union thugs doing what they do best…joining mobs and threatening the rest of us.  To be sure, there are many dedicated, hardworking teachers, firefighters and other union workers who deserve to be well compensated, but the time is long overdue for government workers to receive pay and benefits on a par with their counterparts in the private sector.  We will not be sorry to watch as the last vestiges of union influence wither on the vine.

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Tucson Tragedy

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Much Could Be Said About the Tucson Tragedy

          There is so much that could be said in the aftermath of the horrific tragedy that occurred last week in Tucson, Arizona.  We could comment on the missed opportunities to stop a deranged madman by a sheriff who was more interested in his own political agenda…a sheriff who attempted to deflect attention from his own shortcomings by blaming the entire conservative movement for the actions of one individual.  Never mind that the assassin was a psychotic killer who paid more attention to the communist manifesto than to the news media!  

          We could comment on the inappropriate political atmosphere at the memorial service, which paid little more than lip service to the victims of this egregious (see WOW) crime.  Expecting a somber tribute to those who were brutally murdered, a tribute in the manner of President Reagan’s memorial service for the 248 servicemen who lost their lives in the Newfoundland airplane crash in 1985, the American people were instead treated to what amounted to a college pep rally.  

          Or we could comment on the occurrence of yet another violent public incident during the short watch of the Obama Administration.  Perhaps the increasing frequency of such occurrences should not be surprising when we have a Department of Justice which is more interested in targeting the Ten Commandments than corralling criminals.  The real story here, however, is the absurd reaction to this incident by the liberals in America and that above all else is worthy of comment. 

The Absurd Response of the Liberals 

          For the strident left wing liberals in our country to say that conservatives are responsible for the lack of civility in our political discourse today is a little like the proverbial pot calling the kettle black.  But that is just what they tried to do in blaming the Tucson massacre on Tea Party Patriots, Republicans, Talk Show Hosts and you and I personally, pulling back only after they were stung by the tremendous backlash of an outraged citizenry.  It was just too much for most Americans when liberals began the blame game within hours of the incident, attempting to make political hay from the deaths of innocent people. 

          Are these the same liberals who elected an unknown community organizer (read that ‘rabble rouser’) to the presidency?  Are these they same liberals who readily accept the support of the unions across America, known for their confrontation tactics?  Anyone who has sat across the table from a steward of one of our increasingly militant unions has definitely been on the receiving end of harsh rhetoric.  Clearly, union stewards are specifically trained to be intimidating bullies.  And what about the angry mob of union shop nurses that recently camped outside the private home of California Gubernatorial Candidate Meg Whitman!  Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned Obama stalwarts like the irreverent Reverend Jeremiah Wright and terrorist Bill Ayres! 

          Contrast these folks with those participating in the Tea Party rallies, which can draw tens of thousands of Americans from all walks of life.  The world has witnessed how these gatherings focus on the positive in America, proceed without incident and then leave no trace in their wake.  Yes, the left wing liberals need only look inward to find the source of the violent rhetoric in this country.  As has been said many times, the difference between conservatives and liberals is that conservatives disagree with liberals but liberals hate conservatives. 

A Tribute to the Victims             

           Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families of the victims of this senseless tragedy.  We pray for a fast and full recovery of those wounded in the attack, including U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords.  We decry the tragic loss of human life and pray that the following individuals may rest in peace: 

Christina Taylor Green, age 9

Gabe Zimmerman, age 30

Judge John Roll, age 63

Dorothy Morris, age 76

Dorwan Stoddard, age 76

Phyllis Schneck, age 79

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California Screamin’

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California Screamin’         

          As California prepares to bid farewell to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the obvious question that comes to mind is ‘will anyone miss the governator?’  The only possibility that I can think of would be the union bosses who have had him on a short leash for the past seven years.  Talk about a girlie man!  What a bust for the once hopeful conservatives in the state who actually believed the former muscle man would take on the ‘forces of evil’ which have brought the state to its knees over the past several decades. 

          Bucking the trend in all other areas of the country except New York, Democrats swept all statewide offices in the 2010 California midterm elections.  The union owned California Democrat Party is not only now in control of the governorship and all statewide offices, but also both houses of the legislature and both senate seats.  They now literally own the state with all its blemishes and all its problems, which means that they will be accountable to the electorate if they do not bring the state back from the brink of self inflicted bankruptcy. 

          With Republicans now in control of the House of Representatives in Washington, DC, the likelihood of a federal bail out is remote, a development which will focus the attention of the world on the responsibility of California’s liberal Democrats  for the mess the state is in.  While the rest of the country begins the long overdue recovery from a near depression caused by high spending liberals who have now largely been turned out, California will continue to lose jobs, businesses and high income citizens who pay the lion’s share of taxes.  It is difficult to see how the current line up of democrats in the state could possibly turn this around.  Their policies are simply not designed to rescue a flailing economy, reform an education system that is failing at every level from K through 16, and prevent sanctuary cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles from going the way of third world countries.  Oh, for the halcyon (see WOW) days of Ronald Reagan, S. I. Hayakawa and Max Rafferty! 

Note: 

S.I. Hayakawa was an English professor and semanticist at San Francisco State University who served as a conservative Republican Senator from California from 1977 to 1983.  Yes, you read that correctly.  He was a professor and he was from San Francisco and he was a conservative!

Max Rafferty was the Superintendent of Public Instruction for California from 1963 to 1971.  He was a conservative who presided over the golden years of education in California.

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