The Cynical War On Public Sector Workers
By Matthew Rothschild
In the ruling class’s endless strategy of divide and conquer, its current tactic of pitting public sector workers against those in the private sector is gaining ground.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger used it time and again in California.

Today the New York Times reports that Governor Andrew Cuomo will try to impose a one-year salary freeze on all state workers.

And today, as Wisconsin’s new governor, Scott Walker, is sworn in, state workers are preparing for an assault the likes of which none of them have ever seen before. Walker is threatening to cut wages and take away benefits. And he’s even raised the prospect of making it illegal for state workers to engage in collective bargaining.

This assault on public workers is happening in one state after another around the country.

“This is a concerted, deep attack on public employees and public workers," Gerald W. McEntee, president of the 1.6-million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), told the Washington Post last month.

The attack is cynical in so many ways.

First, as McEntee noted, “The problem in the economy has not been created by public workers. It was created by Wall Street.”

Second, it’s not as though any public sector workers are getting filthy rich like the Wall Street bankers who got bailed out and are now back to bathing in ridiculous bonuses.

Third, the attack on public sector workers is an attack on the idea that there should be a decent middle class in this country.

If everyone’s wages and benefits have to be reduced to those offered by the stingiest private sector boss, you can kiss the middle class goodbye.

Fourth, the attack is but a thinly disguised thrust against unions. The public sector unionization rate is 36.8 percent; in the private sector, it’s 7.6 percent. Slashing the wages and benefits and rights of public sector workers is a way to delegitimize their unions. And for Republicans, it’s a way to get back at a Democratic power base and fundraising arm.

Finally, attacking public sector workers is bad for the economy. Cutting their wages and benefits will result in less purchasing power overall. The economy is suffering from a lack of demand already. This will just make that worse.

But mainly, it’s a great distraction. Those who rig the system and reward themselves would rather that workers fought among themselves than focused their anger upwards.
(c)2011 Matthew Rothschild is the editor of The Progressive magazine.

http://www.issuesandalibis.org/

So very true!

About time! We need fewer government parasites ("employees") and more productive workers and entrepreneurs.

Government jobs do not make money! Private sector jobs do! There are WAY too many people out to suckle at the government teat like Greece!

But mainly, it’s a great distraction. Those who rig the system and reward themselves would rather that workers fought among themselves than focused their anger upwards.
(c)2011 Matthew Rothschild is the editor of The Progressive magazine.

http://www.issuesandalibis.org/

There is nothing wrong with people working for the government. The government is just like a big business anyway.

The government puts lots of money into the economy.

Some one has to process those unemployment checks.

My girlfriend is a social worker, she sees it all. those who are so dysfunctional that prison is their only other option and its much cheaper to keep them on their own and semi functional than to put them in prison, in and out of the courts, public defenders yata yata.

I feel sorry for most government employees who have to deal with the public for a great deal of the public is socialy retarded.

Most of the right wing is against public spending except in the case of police and the bloated military.

Stop scapegoating public workers, teachers and social security for seniers. Cut back on war expenses. Cut back on our 725 military bases around the world. Tax Wall Street gamblers and their bilions in bonuses. FIGHT THE OLIGARCHY OF THE CORPORATE WORLD THAT BUYS POLITICIANS AND SENDS JOBS OVERSEAS. ITS A CLASS WAR AND IF YOUR SO IGNORANT TO THINK ITS NOT I AM PRETTY SURE YOUR GOING TO GET WHAT YOU DESERVE.

Anyhow My girlfriend is sick with the flue I have to tend the bedside if I want my boyfriend of the year award again this year.

Have a great night everyone

You are SO WRONG! The government does not have any financial responsibilities. You cannot take from yourself to give to yourself. That does not work. Trade and exchange makes money. Government does not manufacture, they administrate. The system you are thinking of is Communism, not a Representative Republic. If everyone works for the government who pays taxes to whom? Greece is the prime example of the failure of a government supported economy!

The government is a financial loss, not a financial gain. FACTORIES MAKE MONEY! SMALL BUSINESSES MAKE MONEY! Obama showed us where the money Government puts into the economy goes, after they take is all from us, they give it all to the wrong people. And WELFARE and SOCIAL SERVICES are the worst financial bleed of all! That is not putting money where it needs to go. I bet you are going to counter with, "Its for the Children?" Well, people need to get responsible and not have children when they cannot afford it.

You want to stimulate the economy get government to be more responsible with the money they operate with! Tax the rich, PLEASE! We need to tax religion, Big Corporations, international corporations, and THE UN MOST OF ALL! It is time we charged for being the police force of the world!

frankly I see a lot of stuff being mad in China that astounds me is not made here! Why, we tax the crap out of business under some Marxist illusion they have all the money and they are evil!

Shows me how weak so many people's intellects really are! It is so easy for people to complain but when it comes to coming up with real solutions nobody has any answers for that. When I see a solution to eh problem that makes sense I will praise and support it but until then all this argument is nothing but fart gas stinking up the room!

Can none of the liberally Minded here look to other countries to see the failures we are following so we can avoid the disasters countries like Greece, France, and England are suffering from? Why is it the things Germany does are so hard for people here to wrap their minds around?

I get accused of being arrogant when all I see is stupidity all around me and a lack of thinking into some of these idealisms here. I have seen most of this crap tried before and I seen it fail. If you want to drive over a cliff take yourself and leave me out becasue I am not going over the cliff with anyone else! More government is a huge mistake! more Government Jobs likewise is a huge mistake. Money is not printable without anything to back it or the economy becomes insolvent. Then again most of the Shiitheads who talk like they know it all don't even remember what happened to Germany in 1932 when their economy began to implode. By 1935 German money was WORTHLESS! Then along came Hitler... Then came a HUGE war where MILLIONS of Civilians and Soldiers died!

Today we Got Barrak Hussein Obama, and worst is like Kaiser Wilhelm who effectively drove the German Economy under with bad decisions paved the way for a Charismatic maniac, so Obama is likewise paving the way for something worst and the American voters are just too stupid to see past their own self interest and need for free government handouts.

Besides if the Government worked like Big Business they would be turning a profit, not perpetually operate in the red! And all that Welfare, well, people would have to be paying that back as they use it too!

A business must be generating revenue in excess of costs (or have financial reserves) in order to pay employees. In order to spend more on employee wages (raises) a business must increase money coming in or spend less money somewhere else.
Government can generate more money for wages by increasing taxes and fees....or spending less on services.

An employee's time on a job may make them a more valuable worker, this does not automatically mean a business can pay them more in wages.

Reduce govt., abolish the unions, end welfare, and cut trade with Asia (China/Taiwan) by 90% or more.

Save America, screw the rest of the world.

I think what is even sicker is that China is already beating war drums. They are building an offensive presence. Stealth Fighters are OFFENSIVE weapons. On top of that they are more active on building up their inventory of Ballistic missiles.

And in China's President Hu's OWN WORDS: "War with America is inevitable!" Look at how weak our industry is compared to ours.

Now for a history lesson for those who are under the impression that we don't need to keep up with the Joneses...

Germany, WWII, they had superior equipment but they lost, why?
Because we didn't have the superior tanks or air craft. We just had a lot more tanks and air craft. General Rommel complained that a Tiger tank was good against Ten American Tanks but we always had an eleventh tank!

The American South lost the Civil War becasue of an inability to supply themselves since the North had all the Industry while the South was all agriculture!

And Obama wants to cut development of our Anti Ballistic Missile Defense System? Always takes a FUQUING Democrat to want to lay down the olive branch of peace by disarming ourselves in the face of hostile adversaries. Then when we get a bloody nose they suddenly get the balls to fight as long as someone else does the fighting.

No I am not wrong.

Same differences

I someimes think some people are completely delusional. Tell me what type of country would we live in if we were to do this? Use your imagination.

It would be called America!!

Perhaps you're too young or too naieve to remember when America was mostly a self-sufficient nation, and did'nt borrow billions of dollars from foreighn govt's that are increasingly hostile towards us.

Actually we need to tax foreign goods a lot harder than domestic. Likewise we need to get a handle on fuel prices and energy policy. We need to put a boot to the ***** of Government and unions and straighten out eth mess labor has become to get manufacturing back in this country. We also need to get people off of this whole POOR complex and start making people pay back welfare they collect. This whole, feed the poor thing is getting out of hand when the poor refuse to work to feed themselves. And Illegal Immigrants deserve nothing other than to be thrown out. We cannot afford to support millions of people who do not pay into the system. It is unfair to law abiding citizens no matter how any liberally minded person wants to attempt to rationalize things.

We also need to spend more on weapons research considering China is ramping up offensive capacities. We need Anti Ballistic Missile Systems which Obama is under some impression we don't need. Taxing the rich ALWAYS trickles down to more taxation and fees down the line. We need a flat tax system that taxes business, corporations, and individuals fairly. Out tax structure is so fuqued up and convoluted intentionally to keep people from understanding it.

America needs to get back on self sufficiency rather than dependency on other nations so operate and supply ourselves. I have no problem with a global economy as long as we do not surrender our constitutional rights, our safety, and our freedom to NWO. Liberals think they are so smart. Rose colored glasses and horse blinders do not provide a clear view.

You are correct Andy. But just like any other issue...if it makes sense, you can be assured that the govt. will do the exact opposite!!

I've fought with myself about wanting to reply to this because I work at an airport and is considered public sector. Its nice to know that I'm a parasite that's single handedly brought down the government.