survival in high profile battles notably in Wisconsin and Ohio. In addition, it mentions that union leaders are disappointed that Obama has not produced jobs promised, and quotes Larry Hanley, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union as saying, "Obama campaigned big, but he's governing small."So what is the problem? As an outsider to this conflict (I'm retired), I'm aware that the National Labor Relations Board is preventing Boeing from opening a new plant in South Carolina because it claims Boeing is going into a "free to work" state to halt union power. Unions have also gotten exemptions with the Health Care Afford ability Act, and Obama has spoken out against Wisconsin Governor's efforts to control union power in his state. What more do they want? They want it all! It's human nature, and once one becomes dependent on benefits, it is difficult to relinquish them.
This problem, of complaints of inadequate government benefits, will only get worse in the future because of the delicate role our Federal Government has assumed over the past 80 years. Beginning with the New Deal, our government entered into new areas of social regulation by "providing" benefits for various social misfortunes. Beginning with Social Security, these efforts have ballooned into a panoply of benefits ranging from medial care to home care, to special "exemptions" from numerous government oppressive requirements, farm benefits, and on and on and on. Our government has essentially positioned itself in the middle of distribution of property between different factions of public life. Unfortunately, this activity will only generate anger from both groups: the receivers will want more, and the "givers"--by force of government taxation-- will feel abused.
It is apparent why, over time, this would happen. People always have problems and
trouble. I am not denying that government may need to help under certain defined circumstances, but their needs to be some restraint on this spending because our system encourages it. Life is riddled with difficulty. Our "representatives" get elected to positions of power by promising help and benefits to constituents, and over time, with continued growth, this "temptation" in our system has begun to show its flaws. Government always pays for "benefits" with other people's money, and the lack of personal responsibility with this vicarious spending leads to financial debt. Benefits are only increasing and that will continue unless the system is challenged. Particularly vulnerable to these "defects" in our type of government are the public service unions. The chart above shows the growth of public service unions. Better benefits, pensions, salaries, and other perks are the earmark of this type of employee-government relationship. It is one of the reasons that California is sliding into a financial sewer. Wisconsin is trying stop this trend, and the Governor's efforts have generated predictable union responses.
It is pathetic that the forces of maintaining this status quo in government have persisted in labeling the Tea Party with disparaging and vulgar terminology. It is the main force working to stop this spending trend. Liberals can't see their ideas--or don't want to-- and will persist in continuing to spend other peoples money at unsustainable levels. The Greecification of the United States is not far ahead unless we change our ways. Spending must be curtailed if our form of government is to survive.
I tend to view our 200+ year old government as a social experiment. Oh, we have some good features: Rights of the individual, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. But we have yet to discover, or openly admit our "Achilles heel": the government doling out of benefits to factions that realize they have the keys to the treasury because they obtain a majority status. The baby
boomers have not yet reached full voting power--it takes time for people to wake up-- but when they do, it will test our nation down to its very foundations. Will we all continue to vote for "our share" of the national giveaways, or submit to a reduction of these incipient self destructive schemes. I believe the 2012 may be a bellwether for our future.
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