The New Battlefront: Government Unions

The younger generation does seem to be more conservative than past generations, leading to a swelling of conservative groups on college campuses. This bodes well for the future of our country, doesn't it? After all, college campuses are the home of liberalism, hiding from the lessons of harsh reality. But, lets face it, colleges are still run by hippies, Commies, and Socialists (or Commies without the commitment). There will be another 15-20 years before the current class will have the credentials to make a dent in the teaching on campuses, if it ever happens. After all, who are leftist more likely to hire: a person who believes government should be small, would teach Edmund Burke and Milton Friedman in addition to Rousseau and Marx; or a person who loves big government (after all, where do public universities get nearly half of their funding?), and teaches whatever the higher-ups suggest? Even if college campuses are impacted someday by conservatives, will they be able to make that much difference?

Government employees were once unionless, held in check by elected officials who decided how much they would be paid, what benefits they received, and how much they would work. In the 1950s, municipal workers were the first to unionize, and since then most government workers have done the same to the tune of 60-70% of all public workers are now unionized. Just imagine, over half of the largest workforce in America is now unionized and we all know how well that worked out for Ford and GM. But why is this a problem?

Blue states do not exist, but blue cities do. Cities are home to unionists and culturally liberal intellectuals, journalists, entertainers, tort lawyers, and feminists. But the biggest group is made of public-sector employees, workers at organizations that survive off government money, and those who receive government benefits all of whom prefer a bigger government. The politicians in the 1950s and 1960s voiced concern over the union movement in government. In retrospect, most of the warnings voiced proved accurate. Political leaders and labor experts predicted that government-employee unions would use their monopoly power over public services to win contracts with work rules far more generous and undemanding than in the private sector, and that without the restraints on salaries and benefits that the free marketplace imposes on private firms, unions would win increasingly meaty compensation and pension packages that would be impossible to roll back once enacted. Government spending on social services increased from $800 million in 1965, to $2.2 billion in 1970, to $13 billion in 1980. Increases in Medicare and Medicaid have driven the prices up at hospitals by leading to over use by dependents and over billing by doctors (after all, who has more money than the government?). Hospitals now live off of government spending instead of a free market which forces smart business practices. A survey in New York City found the city had 5,000 more beds than necessary, but continued to raise prices city wide to keep them and government continues to pay. Medicaid should have been scrapped after its budget increased to $6 billion from $1.2 billion in the first five years from 1966-1971, but it was too late as million were already hooked.

Imagine the voting block this creates. 3.3 million people work in government social services nation wide. Add in the millions of recipients of welfare and and the hospital, health clinic, and drug addiction workers who depend on government spending there is a block of millions who will vote for higher taxes and bigger government every election for the purpose of their survival and livelihood. The leftists live on.