Reading mainstream political commentary can ruin your appetite before a meal. So do not read this if you are about to eat.
No unions: Government by the rich, for the rich is the subject of this post.
It is by Kenneth Bernstein, a National Board certified social studies teacher at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he serves as the lead union representative for the teachers. He blogs as “teacherken” at Daily Kos and has written for The New York Times, Teacher, and Huffington Post.
He is well certified liberal, another mouthpiece for statism, another political bullshit artist, a misinformed and misinforming example of what is wrong with mainstream political opinion. He is factually wrong and bereft of basic economic understanding.
The following is my analysis:
“If unions can be broken in the public sector, this will further tilt the political playing field on behalf of corporate interests and their Republican allies. This will also silence one of the few remaining vehicles that advocate on behalf of ordinary people in this country.”
Labor unions help their members, not all laborers. Labor unions act as if they can just demand higher wages. This is the same mentality behind many proponents of the minimum wage. Vast wealth exists, but it is being greedily hoarded by the rich. Make them hand it to the workers. The reality is wealth has to be created. If a laborer is truly worth more, he/she can acquire better pay from another employer. If not, then maybe the labor is not worth as much as he/she thinks.
I am neither an ally of the vague corporate interests nor Republicans.
“Too few Americans know labor history and how they have benefited from the efforts of unions. We have a 40-hour work week, defined benefits, higher wages, paid vacations and sick leave, largely as the result of union activity in the 20th century. We built a middle-class society in the period after World War II, also a period when the work force was, compared with today, heavily unionized.”
unions are effective at raising wages and benefits for their members, but not at raising productivity. The result is a “union tax” on certain U.S. companies and sectors, a tax that puts them at a competitive disadvantage against non-unionized firms, resulting in a long-term loss of market share and reduced employment for union members. In other words, unions are not wonderful. The U.S. recovered from the Great Depression after the New Deal ended and the economy could somewhat recover with less government meddling.
“Public employees, especially teachers, are usually better educated than their peers doing equivalent work in the private sector, but usually have lower salaries. Benefits, including pensions and health care, are part of what they receive in lieu of higher salaries.”
I do not care about teacher educational level. I care about results. Watch Stupid in America, an ABC special by John Stossel which shows how all the money and teacher labor unionism have produced pathetic academic results for decades.
“It is worth knowing that average salaries and incomes are higher in states that are more heavily unionized.”
If union members temporary acquire higher wages that cannot be sustained because their firms are at a competitive disadvantage, then those higher wages are not impressive.
“Simultaneously, if one insists upon using test scores as a measure of academic performance, it is worth noting that states with unionized work forces perform at a higher level than right to work states, according to studies and analysis. We have known for years that there is a strong correlation between family income and performance on such measurements.”
Prove it. I want to see the data. I do not want here is mere correlation. I want here is why this is the cause or causes.
“And given how much the lack of regulatory oversight contributed to our current financial mess, why is it that those who created the mess are not being held accountable – and instead, middle-class Americans who work to serve their fellow citizens are being targeted as scapegoats.”
It was not lack of regulation. Those who caused it reside in the U.S. government and will not be held accountable.
“Most Americans want those who are flourishing financially to contribute their fair share in taxes.”
Taxation is theft. Say it: You advocate theft, a monopoly on violence, and a light form of slavery. Just admit you do not believe in liberty.
“Without unions, workers will lose many of the protections against abusive employers. Wages for all will be depressed, even as corporate profits soar. The American dream will be destroyed for millions. And we will have a government of the corporations, by the already powerful, for the wealthy. I think Lincoln and most of our other great presidents would be ashamed to see what is happening.”
As the housing bubble showed once again, not all prices (like wages) are sustainable. There has to be readjustment for the economy to grow sustainably. Government obstructs this. Soaring profits should not be derided if earned by pleasing consumers in a free market. That means consumers are getting what they want.
The American dream (land of the free, home of brave, prosperity is here) has been a myth for many due to their lack of political connections. People like you contribute to that.
Dissent crushing, inflationary, mass murderer Abraham Lincoln is a great president? I beg to differ.