What a lot of people don't realize is that public employees' unions have essentially set themselves up as non-competitive contractors with the ability to determine whether or not taxes will need to be raised, and governments have allowed them to do so to taxpayers' detriment (typically, the more liberal the government, the more detrimental to the taxpayers).
Unions don't have contracts, they have collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). As those CBAs expire, the unions and the government enter into negotiations -- very much like professional sports unions do with their respective ownerships. This is done about every three years or so. The government employees' unions have the upper hand since they have the power to strike coupled with the governments' need to maintain services of all sorts. As an example, one of those services is education. Since every state has some sort of mandate requiring parents ensure their kids go to school, theirs is a special double control that education unions have over the taxpayers. Another example is trash collection. Ever seen an American city without trash pickup? Yes, we all have.
It is a conflict of interest that should not be allowed to stand. AND, to top it off, it's a conflict of interest with no competition allowed!! So then this really is a type of extortion, as neither the government nor the people have any other recourse except what the unions will accept. Afterall, the government, by law instituting the CBA process, isn't allowed to turn to other contractors. Likewise, citizens don't have another government responsible for repairing roads.
Yet, many private companies can do the same job for far less money and with much less waste and in far less time, thereby reducing the need to tax at such high rates. But, those private companies don't even get a chance to write a proposal to win the contract, because the governments don't even consider negotiating with anyone else but the current contract holders -- unions.
Another aspect of the current arrangement between public sector unions and governments is that the sole contractor (unions) is allowed to donate to politicians. Usually those donations are given during campaigns; sometimes they're not. Either way and no matter when, those donations amount to being bribes from the contractor to the contractee (or potential contractee). Politicians then decide what pay and benefits the unions get. This is clearly a quid pro quo. In private business, this practice is specifically outlawed. Every respectable American business finds it contemptible behavior and goes to great lengths to prevent it from occurring. Should a megacorporation based in the US be caught in the act, liberals of every stripe will make a public outcry, as they ought. Yet, with public employees unions, those same liberals will use every political ploy and strategy to keep the practice alive and well as most of those donations go to liberal politicians.
Make no mistake, in Wisconsin (and soon to be in other states), the fight is over who controls the power to tax. The power to tax should remain with government, without any form of corollary systems allowed or any undue influence from government employees themselves. In other words, public employees unions' should be outlawed.
Unions don't have contracts, they have collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). As those CBAs expire, the unions and the government enter into negotiations -- very much like professional sports unions do with their respective ownerships. This is done about every three years or so. The government employees' unions have the upper hand since they have the power to strike coupled with the governments' need to maintain services of all sorts. As an example, one of those services is education. Since every state has some sort of mandate requiring parents ensure their kids go to school, theirs is a special double control that education unions have over the taxpayers. Another example is trash collection. Ever seen an American city without trash pickup? Yes, we all have.
It is a conflict of interest that should not be allowed to stand. AND, to top it off, it's a conflict of interest with no competition allowed!! So then this really is a type of extortion, as neither the government nor the people have any other recourse except what the unions will accept. Afterall, the government, by law instituting the CBA process, isn't allowed to turn to other contractors. Likewise, citizens don't have another government responsible for repairing roads.
Yet, many private companies can do the same job for far less money and with much less waste and in far less time, thereby reducing the need to tax at such high rates. But, those private companies don't even get a chance to write a proposal to win the contract, because the governments don't even consider negotiating with anyone else but the current contract holders -- unions.
Another aspect of the current arrangement between public sector unions and governments is that the sole contractor (unions) is allowed to donate to politicians. Usually those donations are given during campaigns; sometimes they're not. Either way and no matter when, those donations amount to being bribes from the contractor to the contractee (or potential contractee). Politicians then decide what pay and benefits the unions get. This is clearly a quid pro quo. In private business, this practice is specifically outlawed. Every respectable American business finds it contemptible behavior and goes to great lengths to prevent it from occurring. Should a megacorporation based in the US be caught in the act, liberals of every stripe will make a public outcry, as they ought. Yet, with public employees unions, those same liberals will use every political ploy and strategy to keep the practice alive and well as most of those donations go to liberal politicians.
Make no mistake, in Wisconsin (and soon to be in other states), the fight is over who controls the power to tax. The power to tax should remain with government, without any form of corollary systems allowed or any undue influence from government employees themselves. In other words, public employees unions' should be outlawed.
Exactly! Whoever wrote this is a genius.
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