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WISCONSIN GOVERNOR'S COLLECTIVE BARGAIN REFORMS HAVE BEEN RESOUNDING SUCCESS
BY STEVE HUNTLEY
shuntley.cst@gmail.com
June 4, 2012 7:24PM
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker,
left, shakes hands with J & D Manufacturing employee Steve Poppe of
Eau Claire, Wis., during a visit Monday, June 4, 2012 to the Altoona,
Wis. company. The governor scheduled campaign stops at six of the
state's largest cities on the day before Wisconsin's historic recall
election. Walker's wife, Tonette, takes a photo, at right. (AP
Photo/The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, Steve Kinderman)
Wisconsin struts onto the stage
Tuesday in the drama known as the crisis of the entitlement state in the
Western world. The state’s recall election of Gov. Scott Walker
upstages, however briefly, the story line of Illinois trying to come to
grips with its unfunded $83 billion liability in government employee
pensions, the comedy of Gov. Jerry Brown pursuing an extravagantly
expensive high-speed train to nowhere as California sinks under a $16
billion budget deficit, and the starring role of Greece in the wrenching
euro zone tragedy.
Passions typical of a Greek tragedy are driving
polarized voters to the polls in Wisconsin to determine Walker’s fate.
He is, according to your world view, a heroic figure who has tamed the
avaricious public sector unions leeching off the taxpayer or a villain
spearheading an assault on workers, their rights and their unions.
The curious thing is that, judging from the
campaign rhetoric, the issue that prompted today’s recall election,
Walker’s reform of public employee unions, isn’t at center stage in the
debate. It hardly got mentioned in the closing weeks of the campaign by
Democrat Tom Barrett, mayor of Milwaukee, to unseat Walker. Rather than
campaign on collective bargaining, Barrett talked about the economy and
jobs, women’s issues and an investigation into Walker’s aides during his
previous elective office in Milwaukee.
The reason for that is quite simple: Walker’s collective bargaining reforms turned out to be a resounding success.
Public service employees are finally making
reasonable contributions to their pension and health benefits.
Government employee unions no longer dictate work rules. Local school
districts and governments with new latitude to renegotiate contracts
have saved Wisconsin taxpayers $1 billion, according to the governor’s
office.
Collective bargaining for government employees
can never survive much scrutiny. Their unions are by their nature in
conflict with the interests of taxpayer. Unions use their numbers, their
voting booth clout and their members’ dues to elect politicians who
then return the favor in contract negotiations. Liberal good government
types constantly advocate bans against government contracts for
businesses that make significant campaign contributions to politicians.
But they fall silent on the inherent conflict of interest in labor
contracts negotiated by public employee unions and the politicians they
help elect. Talk about a corrupt bargain — that’s the very definition of
one.
Taxpayers have grown weary of financing generous
benefits that most of them never see in their lives. President Barack
Obama must recognize that voter attitudes on this are changing. Despite
the appeals of Wisconsin Democrats for a big show of support, the
closest Obama came to Wisconsin was flying over the state recently on
his way to a fund-raising dinner in Minneapolis.
Walker never trailed in the polls but some
surveys showed a tightening of the race in the final days. The voters
have the final say Tuesday. They will decide whether Wisconsin will lead
the nation in rescuing taxpayers from grasping government employee
unions and the self-serving politicians who have appeased them by caving
to their demands or return to policies that risk bankruptcy for
government budgets, endangering vital government services and leaving
taxpayers with the staggering bill.
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