As I'm sure most of you know, the Wisconsin legislature recently passed a law that would in effect outlaw unions for public employees. Now I am a strong opponent of socialism (which, everyone knows, all unions are secretly a front for), and a strong supporter of balanced budgets. Therefore, I'd like to defend Wisconsin's governor, Scott Walker, for his steadfast resolve in the face of crybaby teachers who claim that they are just trying to pay their bills like anyone else, that they actually make less than private-sector workers, and that they are not actually the direct cause of this country's slow takeover by China due to budget deficits. Through this post I hope to rebut, point-by-point, liberal arguments against the law, and show the ultimate wisdom of this measure.The law that was recently passed was only one part of the original measure proposed, as Republicans were reduced to using parliamentary procedures to pass a much needed bill. In Wisconsin, a 2/3 majority of senators are required to be in attendance to debate any measure that would raise revenue, but only a majority are needed to vote on anything else. Since Republicans fell short of the 2/3 majority without any Democrats, they decided to take out the part of the law that actually raised revenue- requiring public sector employees to pay more of their pensions and health insurance- and pass only the part that outlawed collective bargaining by public-sector unions.
Liberals are using the fact that the only way the law was passed was by classifying it as a non-revenue raising measure to outrageously claim that this bill does not raise revenue and does not help close the budget deficit. They say that the law is really just an attempt to outlaw public-sector unions and the strong support they provide to Democrats. But the only reason it came to this was because Democrats refused to do their job and legislate (or rather, attempt to legislate and watch as Republicans jammed this law down their throats). I reject claims that Republicans could have compromised and removed the elimination of collective bargaining in exchange for keeping the part that actually raised revenue- as Democrats had proposed. As we have learned from the stimulus bill and health care reform, compromise is something that Republicans just don't do. Any Republican who even suggests compromising with Democrats should be run out of town (as the Tea Party is doing currently).
Teachers and other public employee union members claim that this bill will cut their salaries and benefits to unsustainable level. To this I say- welcome to the real world. Public sector employees have been living in a bubble protecting them from the pain that the Great Recession has caused their private sector counterparts. It's time they started suffering their fair share during this downturn. Liberals will claim that almost every study ever conducted has shown that public sector employees make the same amount or less than private sector counterparts who do similar jobs. They will also point out how ridiculous it is to assume that teachers, who they claim almost everyone agrees are underpaid, are in fact pampered. To this I say that surveys can easily be rigged. It is well known that the mainstream media has a decidedly liberal tilt, and anything they print really can't be trusted.
So why do I care so much about a bill in a state that's not even close to mine? Well, this law has inspired copycat laws in states all across the country. Ohio has already passed a similar law, and several other states are considering it. In addition, as a side-consequence of this law (and I must stress, not the main reason this bill was passed), Democrats will be deprived of a significant source of campaign funding. Unions are some of the biggest donators to Democrats, and since they will be irreparably weakened by this law, Democrats across the country, including President Obama, will lose a significant source of funding. This could be the difference between continuing on the Socialist, secret Muslim, black supremacist path of Barack Obama or charting a new course down the path of fiscal responsibility and responsiveness to all the people (who are not union supporters).
