October 8, 2010

It isn't often that we the people get to peak behind the curtain during an election campaign and see what really goes on. But the governors race in California has given us a couple of those moments. In the most recent, the Los Angeles Times has reported on an accidentally taped conversation from the Jerry Brown campaign. In thestory Jerry Brown was contacting a Union Boss in order to get an endorsement from the Los Angeles Police Protection League. Brown thought he had hung up the phone and was talking to an aide about the problems he was having. And because of that we have been given our glimpse of what politics is really about.

Now the media is using sensationalism as usual to cover this story but they are really missing the point. Or maybe it would be better to say they know full well the real issue here but it is a subject they refuse to report on. To see what the hubbub is about just google something like "jerry brown meg whitman whore." You see during the tapped conversation one of Brown's staff called Meg Whitman a whore because she has gone to the law enforcement unions and has promised to protect their pensionsin order to get their support. Jerry Brown also wants their support i.e. money, political endorsement ads, etc. The papers are naturally focused on the name calling.

The real story is that the true power in California is the state's employee unions. I am not talking about the rank and file members. I am talking about the fat cat union bosses and lawyers who live a lifestyle comparable to the hated Wallstreet brokers. And what they do is just as destructive. It is mainly due to these employee unions that states, cities, and counties all over the country are broke. You see politicians need a lot of money to get elected. Governmentemployee unions have a lot of money to spend on political campaigns. And like it or not, it is an accepted fact that the person who spends the most money will win the race.

So here you have Meg Whitman, successful business woman, who says she will clean up the budget mess and one way she will do that is by reforming the state pension plans. And then you have Jerry Brown, elder statesman, who claims that he has the independence to make the tough decisions and that he will reduce the state employee pensions... But behind the scenes they are both going to the union trough to get those oh so critical endorsements.

Politicians in California cannot make a move without state employee union approval. They have too much money for smear campaigns. They have too much money to give to the oppositions campaign fund. They can trot out the poor teacher, the caring nurse, the stressed out police offer who makes us safe, and the brave fireman. Now all these position are held in great regard by the general population and they should be. But the union bosses are a different story. Sure they fightfor more jobs, more pay, more benefits for the workers but that is because with more jobs and higher pay, the boss gets more money from union dues to wield their political power. And they are bankrupting the country in the process. Just like the Auto Workers Union played a very big part in the demise of the countries auto industry.

I have heard from several rank and file teachers and other government workers who say the unions actually get in their way of doing a good job. And I have always wondered way police and firefighter unions always support Democrats and Liberal causes when the rank and file tend to be very conservative.

Government employee unions have too much power in a political process where they have a very clear conflict on interest. So when you talk about government reform, and when you talk about campaign finance reform, and when you talk about giving power back to the voters, you must include limiting the power of the government employee unions.

-- Thomas Paine 2

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