Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Joint Us-China statement on economic trade meeting. The very definition of a reciprocal trade agreement.
- RFK Jr. says Trump just did what no Democrat ever had the guts to do. This is a huge moment.
- VDH: The Decivilizing of America. It needs to be stressed that this was intentional.
- Should public sector unions have collective bargaining rights? On he fence on this issue. On one hand unfunded (or underfunded) retirement benefits for public sector employees is one f the biggest under reported stories of our time. On the other hand local and state governments call for high standards without wanting to offer commiserate pay.
No to all public sector unions of any type, any contract they make is inherently dishonest because the union did not negotiate with the owners of the company (the public), they merely strike a corrupt bargain with a temporary manager that benefits the union and the manager but bankrupts the owners.
ReplyDeleteNormally on the same side of the issue as you but I've seen small towns not be able to afford to replace an older roof on town hall because of unfunded retirement benefits that were negotiated by previous Select Boards.
ReplyDeleteI've also seen public safety union negotiators have to fight tooth and nail for a small hourly increase for people who literally put their lives on the line on a regular basis.
Agree that there's no need for teachers to have a union. They already face competition so money could easily go for raises to the better teachers. Most teachers don't even want to pay union dues and be in a union. Standards and the right to fire substandard teachers or those who violate the rules (drinking on the job, etc.) should be ironclad.
Pension need to go away entirely - they are based on mystical math that doesn't exist in the real world and the fear of losing them makes workers timid. Give everyone their money now and let them invest themselves,: T-Bills, index funds, savings account, matress, doesn't matter. Making people personally responsible will eliminate layers of unnecessary management, increase pay right now, and break another one of the Dems constituents - the'investment' funds of large unions that are manipulated for political gain rather than the benefit of the members.
ReplyDeletePerhaps a 401k donation for workers instead of a pension? The 401k would go to the worker upon retirement with no further retirement benefits.
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