As Obama’s campaign for the Presidency begins anew (like it really ever ended), his Administration and cronies are trying to spin the Wisconsin union fight into some kind of positive. You know…the same old song and dance of the “fat cats” trying to force out the “working man”. Of course many now understand the roles have switched:
The Left has misread the postbailout populist sentiment all along, assuming public anger was directed at the rich. But American anger, I suspect, is directed not at some people who have money or success, but at those who profit through cronyism and their connections to power.
In other words, anti-bailout anger is not anger at the rich, but anger at those unfairly getting rich — at the taxpayer’s expense.
…unions are “Big Money.” Of the top 10 sources of political contributions since 1989, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, five are unions. Of the top 20 sources of 2010 campaign funds, 10 are unions.
And the notion that Big Labor is cancelling out Big Business — well, that’s a Big Lie, too. The 10 industries that contributed the most during the 2010 elections — from Wall Street to government unions — all gave more to Democrats than to Republicans.
The top donor to House and Senate campaigns in the 2010 elections — the Service Employees International Union — is otherwise known as “Obama’s Union.” The company that spent the most on lobbying in 2010 — General Electric — is also known as “the for-profit arm of the Obama Administration.”
In the retrograde liberal way of thinking, though, populism is about class warfare, in which the wealthy and corporations are the “special interests” arrayed against the poor working man. But in today’s Wisconsin skirmish, the “working man” is implausibly the Wisconsin Education Association, the third-largest political donor in the state last election cycle.
And boy do these unions know how to save money:
As nearly 5,000 city teachers face the ax, their union shells out millions of dollars on feasting, boozing and partying, the Daily News has learned.
Free-spending United Federation of Teachers brass last year spent nearly $1.4 million for the UFT’s 50th anniversary gala at the Hilton – complete with a movie, a book and a paperweight.
Records show they:
- Ponied up $514,000 to 16 separate caterers.
- Dropped $278,417 on the annual Teachers Union Day ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria.
- Bought $6,100 in gift baskets from a lower East Side candy store – and plowed $179,000 into training retreats at a Connecticut resort boasting golf, scuba diving and aqua aerobics.
- In one amazing feat of spending, they shelled out $114,870 for annual “coffee supplies” at their five offices across the city – paying the Coffee Distributing Corp. on Long Island $324,000 over three years, records show.
And while most New Yorkers spend hours trying to find a parking space, the UFT rents 25 slots in Brooklyn’s Renaissance Plaza Garage for members at an average annual cost of $75,000 over three years.
…The spending orgy comes to light a week after after The News disclosed that cops bounced 24 rowdy UFT reps from an Albany eatery after they caused a ruckus over an $1,800 tab – and the modest size of a $40 gourmet quail.
And here I thought we were in the middle of a recession. Silly me.
See author page
The Party never stops…
Obama takes a day off from diplomatic warnings, praises Algeria, then celebrates the Motown Sound
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/02/obama-algeria-libya-motown-.html#more
(Just Wondering what the Cost of this Party was?)
The day of the union is over- when unions, who used to say that they were patriotic and had this country’s back, now plung the dagger of greed into the self-same back, then I believe we need to rid ourselves of these unions.
It probably wouldn’t be so bad if most of these greedheads were NOT public-service employees, busy taking money from the public trough like the pigs they are (sorry, Curt), but it has gotten to the point where these union employees make more in wages ALONE then most of the taxpayers. I and my wife raised our child and payed off our mortgage, all while making NEVER MORE than $36,000 COMBINED.
A teacher just in her first year makes more than that- add in the healthcare, and pension, and you have a healthy income.
It would not be my fault if you squander this income- I am not responsible for your lifestyle. Just do not come to me and cry about how mistreated you are. That would be a lie, and besides, if something doesn’t provide you with the lifestyle you wish, CHANGE JOBS- this is the US, and you are free to do this.
I read an old history book about Rome a long time ago.
It included quite a few 1st hand accounts to make its picture of what it was like to live in Rome.
One thing stuck that relates to why we keep seeing the Obamas and union leaders (you know, the Elite) living lavishly right in front of their poorer constituents.
When ancient landed Roman citizens held feasts they always had a ”gallery.”
From the gallery the poor could stand and watch as the guests ate amazingly complex foods.
The parties were so over-the-top that a special room was set up so the guests could go into it and throw up, making room for another stomach full of wonderful foods.
Meantime the gallery was filled with people who did not even have food every day.
The people in the gallery were supposed to enjoy the feast VICARIOUSLY!
Doesn’t it seem that Obama and the Union leaders have the same mindset?
The mistaken belief is that the poor will be satisfied by watching them enjoy their excesses.
It didn’t work out so well in Roman days.
I wonder what the poorer people who voted Obama in 2008 are enjoying things like the Motown party et al?
As a footnote…No One not even the CBO knows what this one will cost…
The Social Security Trust Fund May Be Worth Less Than Zero
http://blogs.investors.com/capitalhill/index.php/home/35-politicsinvesting/2479-the-social-security-trust-fund-may-be-worth-less-than-zero
Whoops…We just may have run out of OPM!
United Federation of Teachers——- “it’s for the children”.
@ Nan G, It’s all Bread and Circus at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, for now.
“We Won”
@Nan G:
And even while we have this example of Rome happening here, there are people like Greg who support this thievery of the people. Whether it’s because they wish to live “vicariously” through them, or because they are mentally imbalanced, the fact remains that they are supporting the destruction of themselves, and us, and using inane babble like,”it’s for the children”, to justify their destructive actions.
I work alongside union guys every day, and hear the complaints about the union management gaining benefits and pay while their own pension multipliers drop and their benefits erode. Their wish? To have the company employing them pay more to them instead of any suggestion of the union management tightening their belts. Idiocy at it’s finest.
When will the rank-and-file union memberships, whether public or private sector, wise up, and rise up, against the people who supposedly are there to represent them? Instead of joining backlashes against the Wall Street big wigs and their lavish pay and benefits, when will they question the extravagant dinners, “conferences”, perks and motives of their own leadership? If the unions truly end up being destroyed, or marginalized into nothing, the union workers will have no one to blame but their own stupidity and greed.
@Old Trooper2:
Of course, the statement “I Won” only applies to Obama and the dems, not to those who would oppose their progressive rule of the people.
@ johngalt, Then…I reckon that the American People lost. Pretty simple conclusion there.
Lets look at the balance sheet for a minute…
Someone is gonna have to pick up the tab for this irresponsible spending…
All for the worker? Hardly.
In Washington State, they passed a law a couple of years ago that told some state workers that they had to join the union and pay, or they would be terminated. My daughter has a low paying, union represented job, her contract also says that if she fails to pay the union dues, the union will force her employer to fire her.
Unions like to wave the freedom of association flag, but they are lying. If I want to share my time and talent in the service of my state by going to work for them, I can’t unless I join a union – it’s mandatory. I must pay the union dues – it’s mandatory. Failure to do either will lose me the job opportunity or get me fired. Either way, my freedom to associate with the government is impaired. I would be forced to associate with an organization that I do not agree with. I can live without that form of “freedom”.
The fix on public sector unions has been in for a long time. Unions support the Democratic candidate through money and boots on the ground with promises from the Democratic candidate that he/she will always be a friend to “labor”. Once the Democrat takes office, to prove his/her cred with the unions, salary and benefits are approved by Democratic held state Houses with the money for those increased costs coming not from that politician’s own pocket, but as a shared expense levied on each and every unsuspecting taxpayer in the state.
But to paraphrase Margaret Thatcher, sooner or later those Democrats run out of other people’s money.
No other segment of our society has the ability to literally voted themselves increased wages and benefits as the public sector unions do. And because of that very reason, rank and file union members, such as those from AFSCME, have no problem with having their union dues pay heafty salaries to people like their International president, Gerald McEntee, who pulls down a tony $479,328/yr plus benefits and expenses. It takes every dime of all the dues paid by 435 members just to cover McEntee’s salary.
Much of the purpose of unions was made moot with the Fair Labor laws. So collective bargaining for wages and benefits remained the only use that unions serve. Another function of the union, and the use of dues, was to provide for stike benefits (a weekly check) from the union in the event of a walk-out. A little research shows that most of those stike benefit funds are now ZERO since the unions also used that money to dump into the 2008 elections. Union members who think they will at least get a small check if they go out on strike are now in for a big suprise; the cupboard is bare and there is no money to put into it.
The longer the Wisconsin/Indiana disgrace goes on, the less sympathy those unions are going to gain from everyday Americans, especially the 17% of Americans who are un/underemployed and who are having to reduce their own life style and expenses just to cover the taxation that funds these public sector workers.
Are teachers underpaid? In my own non-union small Texas school district, a teacher with no experience and a simple degree in her/his hand, starts off at $36,000/yr for 187 days of work. That comes to $192.50 per day, or $27.50/hr for 7 hours a day. Not bad money for a 22 year old who has no work experience and simply managed to sit through four years of an Education degree. Compare that to the guys who have hung off telephone polls in all kinds of weather at all times of the day and night to make sure we have telephone service who, after 25 years is making $26/hr.
The system of being able to vote yourself largess at the expense of the taxpaying public needs to end. And our elected officials need to start enforcing Beck, investigating the unions that have constantly ignored those laws.
@Old Trooper2:
That “someone” is going to include myself and every other true “working man”(and woman) in our country. There will come a time, if the country and the states continue down the path Obama envisions, where it will become counter-productive to the average citizen to continue working towards their own goals and simply opt out of participating in the destruction of America. Even guys like Greg, who make their living off of other people’s money, would see that well dry up. Rational people can see this future clearly while the liberals and progressives simply change to a deeper shade of rose colored glasses.
@johngalt:
Here’s a sample letter for union members to send their union to stop having their union dues used for politics.
I know this does not address all the issues you brought up, but wake-up calls like tons of these letters hitting union leaders’ mailboxes would help tremendously.
@Nan G:
I appreciate the example letter, however, I don’t think the guys I work with will. I am part of a non-union operator workforce at a power plant and the guys I’m talking about work for the maintenance staff. As far as I’m concerned, in regards to those union maintenance guys, they’ve made their bed and now they can sleep in it. Or, if their too stupid to get out of the rain, I’m certainly not going to bring them an umbrella.
Many of the expanded maintenance workforce, when we have an outage shutdown, come from miles away, sleep in hotels, and work six or even seven 10-12 hour days in a row. They work many hours at a time and their union benefits keep eroding all the while the management works 40-hour weeks with ever-rising salaries, benefits and union related “trips”. Yet, they continue to support the unions and the democrats their union bosses tell them to. I keep thinking some day they will wake up to reality, but in the six years I’ve been working here it hasn’t happened yet. What’s more, many of these same union workers are pro-gun, pro-life, and fiscally conservative-minded. One has to wonder why you would ever listen to people whose lifesyles, goals, and values are so different than your own.
Curt, I assume you are in a union since you are in the LA area. How do you feel about your union?
OT2 #9,
Actually Obama did find a place to make spending cuts. I received a notice from the VA yesterday stating that on 4 January 2011 he signed Public Law 111-377 into law. It cuts BAH payments to Vets who are attending school under the Post 9/11 GI Bill. On the plus side, it does expand coverage of some benefits.
@retire05
I saw your comment and I simply have to reply to pretty much every innacuracy I saw in this paragraph. I will gladly agree that someone who is still making $26/ hour after 25+ years of service to the telephone company is underpaid. However, to use the calculations that you are using to state that teachers are either well compensated or, as you seem to imply, overcompensated, seems ridiculous. For a first matter “simply managed to sit through four years of Education” is ludicrous. An education degree is not something you can effortlessly sit your way through. I myself am pursuing an education degree and assure you that education classes are not only not effortless, but are some of the more difficult classes I have taken.
Secondly, “little experience” would be a more accurate statement than “no experience”, as a part of an education major’s course work is, in fact, student teaching in a classroom. I understand that this is not an extended period of time, however it would also be wrong to completely dismiss it as a matter of experience.
Most notably, stating that teachers only work 187 days of the year, and that the days that they work are only within the school hours is an entirely laughable statement. They are contracted for low salary for a job they do year-round. The summer is often spent preparing and revising course plans. Weekends are often spent grading tests and homework and preparing the next week’s material rather than time spent with family. You are figuring a $36000 salary for 7 hours a day, 187 days a year. Let me show you my math.
I will agree that teachers get more days off a year, generally during the summer, than most other professions. Let’s make a GENEROUS assumption that teachers get 65 days a year of actual time off, no course planning, homework, or tests. That leaves us with 300 paid days a year, still not too shabby. On the 187 days of the year that are actual school days, we can assume a teacher showing up at least an hour early for school to prepare and staying at least 2 hours late for any committee work, extra grading, student organizational work, or additional duties (such as detention) that they have to perform. So there’s a 10 hour day. That’s 50 hours a week. That’s over time, but they’re salary-paid, so no bonus for them. That’s 10 hours x 187 days. There we have 1870 hours. For the remaining 113 days, working on course planning and grading and in some cases, summer school, we’ll allow a maximum of 5 hours a day spent doing work. That gives us 565 hours for the remaining 113 days. 1870 + 565 gives us a total of 2453 working hours in the year. That brings us to a grand total of $14.78 / hour. Even if we assumed only the 1870, we wld be looking at $19.25 an hour.
Another factor you’re completely forgetting is that most school districts now pay on a tier system, so these starting teachers who have managed to “sit through” a 4 year degree generally have to continue on for a masters to even QUALIFY to promote to the next payment tier. When does a teacher have the time to do this course work, you may ask? Why, during those 178 days that you’re stating that teachers don’t work. You’re failing to account for professional development, seminars, or recertifactions.
I understand that forums are simply a place to state your opinion, and I respect your right to state it just as I hope you respect my right to state mine. I’d just appreciate it that if, the next time that you are preparing to state your opinion about a profession of which you do not take part, that you please do your research on it first.
@blast: Indifferent. They seem to back Democrats in elections which is NOT what I want, but since its a closed shop I’m forced to pay the dues. The only good service they provide is help with lawyers when we are investigated by our department.
Your point?
Ain’t No Party Like A Union Party | Flopping Aces: Bought $6100 in gift baskets from a lower East Side candy sto… http://bit.ly/dZep5A
@ Curt, not a point, I wanted to know your take since you are part of one.
@Nan G: As you have pointed out, these libbies believe that they are the elites- they have the “Charlie Sheen” mindset, thinking that they can handle the rich food they are eating, and that “vicarious enjoyment” is enough for us simpletons.
The real problem is that the elites do not know the word “Republic”, or they choose to ignore it- they want a true “democracy”, where the biggest mob wins- but you see what happened to Rome.
One of the best speeches I ever heard regarding Republics can be found in the movie “The Alamo”, where John Wayne is explaining why He (Davy Crockett) came to Texas. In part, the speech says,” Republic- I like the sound of that word- it means people can live free, talk free. Buy or sell, come or go, be drunk or sober, however they choose. Some words give you a feeling- same feeling a man gets when his son shaves for the first time, or makes his first sounds like a man. Republic is one of those words.”
Good words-
@ RetVet84- I understand that being in a union must be real sweet- especially when it is funded by the taxpayers.
I am a carpenter and woodworker, and have been for the last 40 years, and yet I do not make 26 dollars an hour- why? Because of the bleeding heart liberals who want to let in the illegal immigrants, so they can bolster the depleted ranks of the unions- management money’s gotta come from somewhere, right?
I ain’t bitchin’- my wife and I managed to pay off our mortgage, and put our daughter through college, so we are OK- but having teachers, who BEGIN at $36,000, and go all the way to$70,000+ on MY dime pretty much pisses me off, as my wife and I rarely make that $36,000 amount- weather and all that.
But what really burns my frosting is the shoddy way our kids are taught- I graduated in the lower half of my class, but I bet I am smarter than most in the upper tier today.
This is because when I came up, there was no Dept. of Education. Nor should there be one now.
@Blake: I can sympathize with having financial difficulties, as teachers have them all the time. I am not trying to belittle other professions having financial difficulties, as I am well aware that plenty of jobs don’t pay as well as they should. However, stating that a teacher making $36,000 a year for educating our youth is a stretch for me. I can agree that the educational system now needs work, and that some teachers may not do a very good job of teaching. However, on the whole, any deficiency in the current educational system is more due to higher actions like “No Child Left Behind” and the like, not individual teachers’ efforts.
Systems like No Child Left Behind enforce unreasonable expectations on the whole of the educational community and force teachers to teach to a lowest-common-denominator standardized test instead of trying to bolster education and ‘raise the bar’ so to speak. So yes, I agree that the educational system needs to change, and so would most teachers.
On another note, unless you are talking about a collegiate professor, I am not aware of very many teaching jobs that supply excess of $70,000 to teachers. Of course, teacher pay varies from state to state, and I am mostly familiar with the New Mexico 3-tier payment system for teachers. It is possible that some other states pay higher, but you must also take into account the cost of living in those states. If the teacher making over $70,000 lives in Hawaii, that’s because a gallon of milk costs them $7, gas is in excess of $4/gal, and they are going to pay well over $2000/month in rent for a shoddy 2 bedroom home. I can tell you that, in New Mexico, you start off in the first payment tier, which starts at $30,000 minimum. You remain in that payment tier for a minimum 3 – 5 years, are subjected to yearly reviews, and MIGHT move up to the next payment tier if your reviews go well (along with some other varying factors). The second tier is another 3 year minimum time constraint and, in order to advance from this tier, you MUST have a Master’s degree. Meaning that, while teaching, organizing lesson plans, grading papers, attending seminars, conducting committee work, and various other teacher responsibilities, you are also expected to maintain a successful higher level of education. Even then, the minimum pay for the third tier is $50,000/year. If you are looking at a national average for 2010, the United States Census Bureau reported that the average male, age 25 and above, with a bachelor’s degree made $60,500/year. It takes a teacher in New Mexico a MINIMUM of 6 – 8 years to come in $15,000 dollars short of the national average. Only three areas really came close to paying teachers an average of $60,000/year (California, Connecticut, Washington D.C.).
Ultimately, the service teachers provide is worth more than they are compensated. I think the best way that we could possibly come to understand that is for teachers to just stop doing what they’re doing for 1 semester. Then maybe we could see how much everybody would be willing to pay to have them back.
@ RetVet84- While I can agree that anytime the government gets involved in education (re: “No Child Left Behind”), our children are dumbed down, because the Federal government can do nothing right in this area, for the simple reason that no one size fits all.
And let’s face facts- the world needs janitors too- and in the case of some of the teachers, that is where their true calling might be. This is true of carpentry also- not everyone has the aptitude for this, and in my case, I CHOSE to be a carpenter, and i always try to excel in this- still, i am poorly paid, but I went into my trade willingly, knowing that i probably would never be paid what I was worth- not to mention that I have no insurance- 40 years in the sun, and malignant melonoma will negate eligibility on that- but I still feel that there should be NO collective bargaining for state employees-after all, these are our taxes that they want us,(the non-union folks who are paying taxes) to pony up more money for them, but these same folks scream when I try to present a legitamate and fair bill of services rendered. They just think of themselves, especially when they are holding our children hostages to their greed.Think of this- they can ALWAYS give up teaching- noone made them teach.
And further, perhaps we ALL need to learn how to do more with less, live within our means, whatever those means are-