We’re not going to get any real political reform in California until the public employee’s unions are brought under control.
The real problem is the teacher’s unions. We have the same problem here in alabama.
A few years ago, the local liberal newspaper printed an article on the 2nd most powerful man in the state capital. This man wasn’t the vice-govenor, the secretary of state, or the speaker of the house or the president of the senate. It was the president of the Alabma Teachers Association.
This article explain how this man was accorded a reserved seat in the senate balcony (all other seats were not reserved), how the senate would not go into session unless this man was in his seat, and how he would signal to the memeber of the senate how to vote.
Needless to say, here in alabam we are constantly bombarded with propaganda about how we need to raise taxes to improve the schools by paying higher salaries to get better teachers. That’s why I love my series of questions. They totally confound those who want to raise taxes to increase teacher’s salaries.
“public” employees’ unions = GOVERNMENT employees unions
and, since the government has no incentive to keep its labor costs down, there isn’t the standard labor vs management balance, and the unions’ power grows unchecked.
Add to that the fact that gov’t has the monopoly on the legal use of FORCE to get its way, and you’ve got a gross leviathan on your hands.