The Latest Version of the Power-Mad Politician

So, let’s talk. Teachers and public employee unions in general, except police and fire fighters, are under attack in much of the country. Angry politicians of the moment say these unions have become too powerful because power-mad politicians like them in the past have given away the store to these unions to gain their political support for additional campaigns for higher office. This, today’s power-mad politicians say, has led to obscene pay and benefits for public employees.

Is that necessarily true? While I worked for an insurance company and a very large law firm for years, I did spend about thirty years working as a public library director for three large cities in the Northeast. My late wife worked as a librarian for two different high tech companies. I never earned more than two thirds of what she earned and much of the time not quite half. Granted I have a small pension and she would not have but she had a 401k that was substantial. I have two Master’s degrees, she had one. And even if we discount for the fact that she was wicked smart and I’m not all that bright, I still don’t get this latest argument that the salary and benefits of teachers and librarians are killing cities and states.

And unionized public employees, with the exception of police and fire, have already said they are willing to negotiate higher health insurance costs and pension contributions.

Notice that police and fire fighters are not included in this round up of the usual suspects even though they have some of the damnedest collectively bargained contract provisions I have ever seen. Could that be because these paramilitary organizations are still too tough for politicians to take on face to face? When was the last time you got paid for sleeping through the night?

Tea Partiers, the old hippies from the 60’s, whose kids are grown and whose lives are easier than any other elderly group in the history of mankind, don’t want to pay for anything they don’t currently use and so whip up this hatred of educated public employees while insisting that Wall Street robber barons pay little or no income tax. And in the midst of this frenzy, pity the poor politician who suggested we all pay a little more for our civil society and the future of the children.