by Kyle Olson Now that Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is on the road to recovery, labor unions and others on the American left have pulled out all the stops in blocking spending cuts in D.C. and across the country. Since the left has no substantive, intellectually-honest arguments to offer in defense of the insane levels of government spending, they are once again resorting to hate, vitriol and downright nastiness as its political weapons of choice.
Right now, ground zero is Madison, Wisconsin where legislators and newly-elected Gov. Scott Walker are attempting to stop the state from financially bleeding to death. To get state spending under control, the governor and the Republican-controlled legislature are planning to end collective bargaining rights for public sector employees.
The left has come unglued. Forgetting that public sector employees work for the taxpayers (and not the other way around), unions descended upon the Capitol in protest.
Among the loudest protesters were the teacher unions. Angry that the governor was not treating them as professionals, some teachers unions staged a “sickout,” causing schools to cancel classes due to insufficient staff levels. (Talk about a mixed message.)
Better still, some teachers dragged students to the Capitol as political props. Video released by the MacIver Institute shows students marching through the streets, carrying signs and protesting. Only one problem: the kids don’t have the slightest clue why they’re there. In the video, one student says, “We’re trying to stop
whatever this dude (meaning Gov. Walker) is doing.”
But the depth of the students’ cluelessness was matched only by the nastiness of their teachers. Some union members were also seen holding signs that read, “Death to Tyrants.” Other messages included, “Hosni Walker,” “Hitler Outlawed Unions, Too,” and “Walker puts the dic in dictator.” Stay classy, government school teachers!
One protestor had sign that read, “I am not replaceable. I am professional.” Really? Do professionals disrupt the learning process to engage in silly political theatrics? Do professionals use students as political pawns to help secure hefty retirement and benefit packages for themselves?
Perhaps the teacher unions would have more credibility if taxpayers ever saw the unions’ expend this much passion and energy over the drop-out rate and the travesty of seeing high school graduates who cannot read their diplomas. Remember teachers, actions still speak louder than words.
Now that the unions are fighting for their very existence, they are open to discussing education reforms and spending concessions. But the unions should have cooperated long ago, before states such as Wisconsin started careening toward insolvency.
The unions and the other special interest groups are reaping what they have sown. They’ve called the shots for so long, that they’ve made harsh budget decisions a necessity. But instead of seeking constructive solutions, they are back to spewing anger, hate and vitriol.
Soon, that may be all that remains of the American left.
Big Government
