Government Employee Unions should be illegal. FDR said that very firmly. But JFK opened the floodgates with an Executive Order after he was elected. Payback for their help during his campaign.
As I wrote in City Journal, allowing public sector unions was the greatest public policy mistake of the 20th century. Prohibition was repealed when the Great Depression made government desperate for money. But how do we get legislators to vote to rein in the public sector unions that bribe them so generously?
People in power making money and gaining support. Probably won't change for a very very long time, or unless there is a cohort of leadership that has the clear majority and can force through changes.
This is why we have been stuck with Newsom for the past eight years. But it is not just that Californians have been dummified by the unions. I still say the mail-in absentee ballots, sent in (or hand-delivered) by the ballot facilitators, paid for by the Democrats, are a big factor as well.
The phrase "Feeding the elephant" comes to mind when discussing these unions, pensions, and their appetite. The bloat is basically propped up by hiding behind the "working people" rhetoric. Not surprised they appealed to that in their response! Sacramento is a part of the symbiotic dynamic. It's not going to change unless their is a major financial or social scandal (Swalwell for example was endorsed by California unions, and he was only stopped because of his own scandal), or if they are starved... or if it becomes a federal issue.
If you listen to supporters of prop 40, they are often appealing to the moral cause of "economic disparity" and "equity", so I think the healthcare shortage is just an excuse to implement their program.. essentially wealth redistribution. I think it's sick, and it will probably have the effect of starving the state. I live in the state, and if it passes, and subsequently holds up in courts, I may consider other options. It's the principle of the bill - the idea that the government has the right and "moral cause" to take money from people any time they fumble the ball, and if they pull it off.. I wouldn't be surprised if they lower the threshold in the future. There's zero mea culpa from most of the politicians over how the state's own policies have led to this, even though they may not all support prop 40.
The politicians, unions, and activists... they are essentially coasting off the devotion of voting blue in this state. Again, this state has a problem with a systemic lack of accountability, and many people don't want to hear about it, and the rebuttal to the critique of it is usually along the lines of; "this is all political retribution", "it's a right-wing smear campaign", "prove it!", "world's 4th largest economy" or "but Trump!" If the current cohort of leadership is shown lacking, then who's the alternative?
As a conservative Californian I find this article so depressing. We are retired and moved here five years ago to be actively involved in grandparenting. (We moved here from WA state, which is almost as bad as CA politics.) Our increase in property taxes was $4000 but being 3 miles from our grandkids is priceless.
Excellent work to inform us of the enormity of the problem. In my first job teaching Nursing students at the University of Vermont, these young women(no men) were the daughters of the Doctors, Lawyers and Bankers in Burlington. We considered ourselves "Professional" and would not think of joining a Union. In fact, even dating a Blue Collar man was a no no. Now I cringe when I see socialist Nurses aggressively walking in a Pickett Line. And voting for late term abortions.....no words.
Cali's pensions are upside down in the amount of about $6,000 for every man woman and child in the state. Not every union member, every human. $265 billion altogether. Getting worse.
Get out now before the state enacts an exit tax on everyone.
Companies would not be allowed to have a monopoly.
We make sure that people have a choice for food stores, hardware stores etc,. and not reliant on one monopoly company.
Allow competing unions so that employees have a choice of unions, not just one union.
Because the government is a monopoly there should be special rules for government unions, restricting what they can do.
Maybe restrict government union wage increases to increases in the economy, such as getting only wage increases the same as the increase in GDP/person.
Public sector unions have an inherent conflict of interest and there's a strong argument to be made that federal public sector unions are unconstitutional. Maybe our new U.S. Attorney General could shine some light on the darkness.
Same crap in Washington state. Our entire public K-12 is just a fig leaf for stripping income from the private sector and rewarding the partisan political operation that bears the label "public education" - it's for the children...the ones they mal-educate by design so they're easier to control.
Unfair. Wrong. Frustrating beyond belief. Societal decline continues. Average citizens despair that they will ever see better times. Meanwhile the suffocating self-interest groups prosper, and “progressive” ideological advocates rejoice. What’s to be done?
This latest exposure of how public service unions shape culture on the long-suffering taxpayer's dollar is painful indeed. Three years ago, Rufo’s book, America’s Cultural Revolution, was one key instrument that opened people’s eyes to cultural capture. Even as Christopher Rufo and team helped lead much needed reform, others were doing similar drives. The mood was galvanized.
Rufo’s second book, How the Regime Rules, is not due for public release till May 2027 — 8 long months hence! Read Amazon’s trailer . . . “Rufo shows how a new generation can seize the initiative, recapture the American spirit, and restore self-government . . . building independent businesses, parallel media ecosystems, homeschool networks, and tech startups that operate entirely outside the Regime’s thumb.”
Can’t the publication date be bumped forward — or at least release some shortened content?
Government Employee Unions should be illegal. FDR said that very firmly. But JFK opened the floodgates with an Executive Order after he was elected. Payback for their help during his campaign.
I absolutely agree with you!
As I wrote in City Journal, allowing public sector unions was the greatest public policy mistake of the 20th century. Prohibition was repealed when the Great Depression made government desperate for money. But how do we get legislators to vote to rein in the public sector unions that bribe them so generously?
People in power making money and gaining support. Probably won't change for a very very long time, or unless there is a cohort of leadership that has the clear majority and can force through changes.
People?
The GOP would ban public unions in a heart beat.
You mean complicit democrats.
All government employees should be banned from unions and unions should be banned from donating to politicians running for office!
This is why we have been stuck with Newsom for the past eight years. But it is not just that Californians have been dummified by the unions. I still say the mail-in absentee ballots, sent in (or hand-delivered) by the ballot facilitators, paid for by the Democrats, are a big factor as well.
Agreed Government employee unions should be illegal. Congress get on the task
The phrase "Feeding the elephant" comes to mind when discussing these unions, pensions, and their appetite. The bloat is basically propped up by hiding behind the "working people" rhetoric. Not surprised they appealed to that in their response! Sacramento is a part of the symbiotic dynamic. It's not going to change unless their is a major financial or social scandal (Swalwell for example was endorsed by California unions, and he was only stopped because of his own scandal), or if they are starved... or if it becomes a federal issue.
If you listen to supporters of prop 40, they are often appealing to the moral cause of "economic disparity" and "equity", so I think the healthcare shortage is just an excuse to implement their program.. essentially wealth redistribution. I think it's sick, and it will probably have the effect of starving the state. I live in the state, and if it passes, and subsequently holds up in courts, I may consider other options. It's the principle of the bill - the idea that the government has the right and "moral cause" to take money from people any time they fumble the ball, and if they pull it off.. I wouldn't be surprised if they lower the threshold in the future. There's zero mea culpa from most of the politicians over how the state's own policies have led to this, even though they may not all support prop 40.
The politicians, unions, and activists... they are essentially coasting off the devotion of voting blue in this state. Again, this state has a problem with a systemic lack of accountability, and many people don't want to hear about it, and the rebuttal to the critique of it is usually along the lines of; "this is all political retribution", "it's a right-wing smear campaign", "prove it!", "world's 4th largest economy" or "but Trump!" If the current cohort of leadership is shown lacking, then who's the alternative?
Amen: https://jersessays.substack.com/p/collective-bargaining-pluses-and
Public sector unions should be illegal. and this is why.
As a conservative Californian I find this article so depressing. We are retired and moved here five years ago to be actively involved in grandparenting. (We moved here from WA state, which is almost as bad as CA politics.) Our increase in property taxes was $4000 but being 3 miles from our grandkids is priceless.
Excellent work to inform us of the enormity of the problem. In my first job teaching Nursing students at the University of Vermont, these young women(no men) were the daughters of the Doctors, Lawyers and Bankers in Burlington. We considered ourselves "Professional" and would not think of joining a Union. In fact, even dating a Blue Collar man was a no no. Now I cringe when I see socialist Nurses aggressively walking in a Pickett Line. And voting for late term abortions.....no words.
Cali's pensions are upside down in the amount of about $6,000 for every man woman and child in the state. Not every union member, every human. $265 billion altogether. Getting worse.
Get out now before the state enacts an exit tax on everyone.
The problem is that unions have a monopoly.
Companies would not be allowed to have a monopoly.
We make sure that people have a choice for food stores, hardware stores etc,. and not reliant on one monopoly company.
Allow competing unions so that employees have a choice of unions, not just one union.
Because the government is a monopoly there should be special rules for government unions, restricting what they can do.
Maybe restrict government union wage increases to increases in the economy, such as getting only wage increases the same as the increase in GDP/person.
Public sector unions have an inherent conflict of interest and there's a strong argument to be made that federal public sector unions are unconstitutional. Maybe our new U.S. Attorney General could shine some light on the darkness.
Same crap in Washington state. Our entire public K-12 is just a fig leaf for stripping income from the private sector and rewarding the partisan political operation that bears the label "public education" - it's for the children...the ones they mal-educate by design so they're easier to control.
Illinois is not far behind!!
A place fleeing Californian’s can stop at before moving to New York.
Beyond disgusting!
Unfair. Wrong. Frustrating beyond belief. Societal decline continues. Average citizens despair that they will ever see better times. Meanwhile the suffocating self-interest groups prosper, and “progressive” ideological advocates rejoice. What’s to be done?
This latest exposure of how public service unions shape culture on the long-suffering taxpayer's dollar is painful indeed. Three years ago, Rufo’s book, America’s Cultural Revolution, was one key instrument that opened people’s eyes to cultural capture. Even as Christopher Rufo and team helped lead much needed reform, others were doing similar drives. The mood was galvanized.
Rufo’s second book, How the Regime Rules, is not due for public release till May 2027 — 8 long months hence! Read Amazon’s trailer . . . “Rufo shows how a new generation can seize the initiative, recapture the American spirit, and restore self-government . . . building independent businesses, parallel media ecosystems, homeschool networks, and tech startups that operate entirely outside the Regime’s thumb.”
Can’t the publication date be bumped forward — or at least release some shortened content?