For those of you who are fortunate enough not to live in Connecticut, I would like to give you a prime example as to why Democrats are the biggest political hypocrites in the world.
This past week all of the non-union managers got their longevity payments, which totaled a whopping $7 million dollars. No big thing you say? well, here it is a mighty big thing.
Over the course of the past four months, the rank and file (of which I is a member) had been subjected to threats, bullying, coercion, lying, censorship and changing of the rules, in order for the unions and the Democratic guv'nor to get the desired outcome of a bad concession package. So in addition to having our health insurance gutted, our prescription coverage changed to mail order (given to CVS, which is based in Rhode Island and lays waste to the guv'nor's promise of creating jobs in CT), freezing wages for three years and giving back a raise that we were entitled to from the last concession package, we also had to give back our longevity payments as well.
Now this was done (the giving back of longevity) with the understanding that the non-union managers's longevity would be scaled back as well. You know, shared sacrifice and all of the bullshit that goes along with it. But somewhere along the way, the bill that the General Assembly was going to vote on that contained that specific language got magically changed.
That specific clause got removed and all of their (the state, that is) managers got their precious longevity payments in full. As you can well imagine, the outcry was both predictable (Republicans and the general public) and hypocritical (Democrats). When the obvious question of, "Why would you pay that kind of money out during a recession?" was asked, the response by the guv'nor's office was both predictable and disheartening.
"Because we believe that since they're legally entitled to it and therefore didn't want to get sued, we paid it."
WTF?
You just had a bruising battle over a $1.6 billion dollar concession package that will allegedly balance the budget on the backs of 45K state workers, and of which is already starting to fall apart faster than the President's job approval. So now you're conveniently rolling over to pay your managers (and to a lesser degree, your appointees) money that you really don't have, and your basically calling it quid pro quo.
So all of this bullshit about shared sacrifice and tightening of the belt is just a lie? Especially when you fact in that certain other bargaining units voted no and they got their raises and bonuses.
And what about that other piece of chicanery that the unions threw in at the last minute that none of the disgruntled rank and file new about? You know, the one that says that if any new union comes in, they have to be part of the SEBAC coalition for the next five years?
And what about that lie saying that the concessions package extends the existing contract and thus no new unions can come in? You know very well that the reality of the situation is that negotiations haven't even begun on the new contracts, and in fact will not start until the late spring. And any concessions that were approved will be written into the new contract just like before.
And what about when the first of those three yearly payments (2012-2014) comes due next year? What then? Are going to again claim poverty and try to cheat and delay in paying out the monies that were promised to workers when they retired under another incentive program back in 2009? What then?
My friends, the amount of stunningly bad moves and Democratic politics as usual will make the possibility of having a one termer as a guv'nor very real. When you have one party in control of all three parts of the legislative branch, you kind of know what the end result is gonna be.
Obamacare, anyone?
Machine politics suck, no matter if it's on the local, the state or the federal level. If you don't like what the current party in power is doing, then don't vote for the same people again. Remember, contrary to popular opinion, there is a thing called "checks and balances". Try it sometime. Who knows, maybe that one time will be the time that things will get done the right way.
At least on the state level.
Friday, October 21, 2011
12 comments:
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In the end governments just seem to want to funnel money from the less powerful people to the more powerful people. They invent many and various fancy schemes to that end, but the bottom line is always the same.
ReplyDeleteMachine politics suck moose testicles. We have a machine Democrat running against a perfectly good city council incumbent (who is also a Democrat) just because she has money and can win. WTF is right.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a total cluster. Pretty typical, I guess.
ReplyDeleteS.R.: At this point in my life (work and leisure), I would have to agree with you.
ReplyDeleteIt just simply boggles my mind with some of the odious garbarge that has been eminating from the capitol for the past year or so.
And now they're trying the same schtuff on the local level as well.
R: We have our local mayoral election coming up and even though I'm a registered Republican, I may vote Democrat. Why? 'Cause the current mayor is running on a theme of no tax increase and no cuts.
How to balance the budget if you don't want to cut spending and not raise taxes? Raid the rainy day fund.
Mama Z: Super major clusterfuck. If you only knew the whole disgusting picture, it would make whatever you're going through in your neck of the woods look like child's play.
Can't help but think they were somehow blackmailed into making those huge payments.
ReplyDeleteTotally bogus, of course!
I seriously believe government has ceased to be able to accomplish what is needed n practical, n just turned into a longer process of achieving nothing- Just like in Star Wars!
Sounds like your Union is taking more rights away than serving you.
Snaggle: The battle between the rank & file and the unions shows no signs of really letting up, and for that matter, neither does the battle between the out-of-touch union leadership and the guv'nor's office as well.
ReplyDeleteIt really is politics as usual here, and while people think that what happened in Wisconsin was a bad thing, personally, I think it was a very good thing.
I also honestly think that with all the crap that is going on here, the guv'nor is gonna dig himself a hole so deep that not even his party's control of the guv'ment is gonna save him.
The problem is that I don't see a bit of evidence that the Republicans are any better. Both sides steal to feed their own coffers and those of their cronies. It was pretty clear during the last Bush administration for example that there was a whole lot of this kind of thing happening with the Iraq war. Whoever is in office, steals from the people. That seems to be the rule.
ReplyDeleteCharles: I agree with your point that it goes on with a greater degree of frequency on the national level that anyone really wants to admit.
ReplyDeleteOn the state level, it really shouldn't be like that. But unfortunately, at least here in Connecticut, it is.
The Democrats haven't held the Guv'nor's office here since the late 80's I believe, so just like their counterparts in D.C., they've being going off the deep end in trying to even the score, so to speak.
The end result here is pretty much a repeat of what happened in DC back in '09-'10.
Hmmm. Very interesting and thought provoking post.
ReplyDeleteSarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)
Sarah: Thanks.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunate, my state is simply a microcosm of what is ailing a lot of state governments these days: monster deficits coupled with an insatiable appetite for spending leading to the painful realization that the status quo simply can't be maintained.
We can all lament I think that we would be bigger people but think on a smaller scale. How much are any of us willing to give up for the good of the company we work for. Few probably willingly.
ReplyDeleteOnce they get into the positions of power, they don't want to give it up or give back salary. So whether good for the state or not, people will resist.
Bearman: This is true.
ReplyDeleteHowever I think the problem that people like myself have is threefold:
1) The guv'nor campaigned long and hard on the concept of "shared sacrifice" and it seems that none of that is being done. The brutal truth is that the only sacrifice that is being done, is done by the state workers in the executive branch. Nothing else has been touched. You name it, nothing else has been cut or touched. In fact, not only did taxes go up, but no corresponding cuts were done to lessen some of the punitive tax increases.
2) The concession package that was originally presented to us, was presented with the expectation that we would be good little lap dogs and vote for it.
Problem was, the more that we actually read it, the more we didn't like it. Which leads us to...
3) Not only were the rules changed so that a simply majority would pass this crappy package, but believe or not, our lt guv'nor used the statewide e-mail system to urge us to vote "yes" on it.