Hi,
This was in today's Casey Daily Dispatch. To me it prints a fairly realistic picture. We need Ronald Reagan to tell the unions where to go.....
regards,
5412
Riots in America, Why Not?
By Vedran Vuk
Government employees never stop living in a bubble - even when losing their jobs. In the private sector, workers react to job cuts by pulling out old resumes. In government, employees protest and sometimes even riot. Greek pension and bonus cuts resulted in mayhem on the streets leading to burned cars, buildings, and murdered bystanders. In the U.S., it's not uncommon to see protests and strikes in response to slight budget cuts. If push came to shove in the U.S. over major cuts, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see burning cars in Washington D.C.
Compare this behavior to the private sector outside unionized industries. The company lays off workers due to budget cuts, and there's nothing to be done. The money simply isn't there, and no amount of kicking and screaming will bring a job back. But government employees organize protests that are thinly veiled pro-tax rallies. "Keep our jobs" slogans really mean "Tax more people."
Private companies don't have the ability to tax. Hence, most private layoffs aren't followed by mass demonstrations against the employer. But government employees can actually retrieve jobs by getting tax money from other people.
Local newspapers almost always give government employees favorable treatment. Every time a dozen workers at the local marriage license office lose their jobs, it's an uproar in the local media. Los Angeles's 5% cut of city employees even made national headlines. How is this national news? When private industries enact similar layoffs, the news wouldn't reach anyone outside a few company analysts.
The European debt crisis coverage also elevates the "importance" of public employees. Every time a PIIGS' budget cut is mentioned, a commentator says "Country XYZ is going to suffer for a while as a result of these cuts." That's an absolutely ridiculous statement. Country XYZ as a whole will not suffer from budget cuts. The meter maids, the DMV workers, and the public librarians will suffer. Everyone else will be better off.
Net tax payers get little to no services from the government, yet pay for most of them. The Los Angeles budget cut article notes, "The budget passed last night would close libraries two days per week and eliminate a program providing after-school childcare in parks. It also reduces money for city services such as tree trimming and fixing pot holes."
Oh, no! Not the public libraries closed for two days and tree trimming gone too! What will L.A. possibly do? The reduced potholes budget isn't exactly startling either. Like most cities, potholes will probably go from being everywhere to being everywhere. Don't get too upset about the kids at the park either. In California, one can still receive up to $700 per month in childcare assistance. The CalWorks website notes that subsidized childcare is not available to those earning over 75% of California's median income, $61,000 in 2008. (75% would be almost $46,000)
The president of a SEIU union local points out that the city staff numbers are down to 1997 levels already. The horror! Could you imagine the city staff levels down to 1992 levels? Certainly there will be mass anarchy and confusion in the streets. Society will come to a halt. Why, the public library may have to close altogether! Where will the masses borrow their copies of Das Kapital now?
The real suffering won't come from the budget cuts. Most of us would greatly benefit from eliminating entire government agencies like the Department of Agriculture, Education, ATF, etc. The real pain will come from tax increases when the spending cuts fail. As the Greek crisis shows, public employees will keep kicking and screaming until mommy and daddy buy them a new toy.
The government union lobbyists will make sure that government jobs are intact and your taxes are hiked. And if any serious cuts are proposed, I wouldn't be surprised to see Greek-like riots among government employees here as well. States are not taking drastic actions against waste. They're just trimming on the edges.
The private sector knows that one can't burn cars in the street and get a job back. You sit down, open up Microsoft Word, and start writing a new resume. It's a major setback, and I've certainly been there during this recession. But that's how the real world works outside the government employee bubble. Unfortunately, most government workers have never learned that lesson. If major cuts ever come to America, don't expect them to arrive peacefully.
