Sarah Palin is right. Yesterday, the former Governor, in a painstakingly transliterated Facebook post, asked her “union brothers and sisters” in Wisconsin to join the “commonsense movement”, reminding them that they must be “willing to sacrifice” their “unsustainable benefits packages” that are unjustly funded by the tax-payer. I agree completely. After all, why should professionally educated teachers expect to be paid like professionals in the private sector? It’s an exceedingly unreasonable notion coming from a group of supposedly edumacated individuals.
Palin continued by saying that she “will always speak up in defence of the teaching profession”, and then warned the Wisconsin teachers not to be “taken in by the union bosses”, who are only protesting to “protect their own powerful privileges and their own political clout”. Again, the former Governor hits the mark because, as we all know, the right of unions to collectively bargain on behalf of their members can only possible benefit the union representatives. Also, collective bargaining sounds an awful lot like democracy to me, which, as I discussed in my letter to Governor Walker, is anathema to this republic; as this quote by the Founding Father, thomas Jefferson, proves:
“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.”
Lastly, I must join Ms. Palin in begging union members in Wisconsin not to be “led astray” by their own interests and join with “millions of other union members” who have happily received their lifetime membership of the contented serfdom. As one testimonial from a smiling peasant put it:
“This is doubleplusgood!”
Sincerely
Caru – the enmity toward unions comes from her Dominionist roots. Such non-christian observances stem from a really wacky interpretation of the Bible in which they believe the 12 Apostles were “businessmen” (as if that made ANY sense) meaning only the elites – themselves – are fit to run the world. The rest of us are supposed to be subservient and obedient to our “betters”. Being successful is manifest evidence that they are ‘saved’ and we are not. Union therefore upset the applecart by asserting authority of the masses to have say over their own lives and well being. The press from the Right to end even minimum wage is part of this – we should be happy to starve, GRATEFUL even that we are poor and hungry. Bob Cratchit should have nothing on US for our meek gratitude for a lump of coal from Scrooge.
This is behind a great deal of the GOP action these days – a theocratic interpretation of Christianity that would make Jesus blanch and theologians everywhere hysterical. But it has currency among a lot of the Libertarians (Rand Paul for one) and TeaBaggers who are closet Dominionists. They will not be happy until all of us are submissive and docile with them in power. Democracy is anathema to them. And Jefferson MAY have written that about the 51% taking away the rights of the 49% BUT I will lay odds it was before there was a bill of RIGHTS. Rights cannot be eroded or cut via votes – rights are rights.
Public sector employees are not covered by the NLRB, but they, ironically, have been empowered by Citizens United that gave unions the same rights as corporations. One cannot eradicated contracts and bargained rights without due process which legislative fiat most decidedly is NOT. I foresee that the eradication of union rights and the limitation of bargaining to ONLY wages will become a major court case in which I suspect the SCOTUS rulings will actually uphold the unions.
It is imperative that in terms of message we have pushback on this issue of pensions – they are NOT paid out of any state’s general revenues. Contributions are made as in any agreement, public or private, and paid out of separate investment funds. If and only if that fund goes broke do pensions get command of tax revenue. So it’s the Big Lie. In CA the fund took a real nosedive in the stock market crash – and has rebounded to nearly 66% of the original investment pre October 2008. That’s enough to stabilize payouts for some time. If people buy in extra time, it’s their money alone. The state contributes NOTHING. So what is that to anyone? That helps older workers get a better deal. If you work 20 years, you get 40% or your highest pay which for many people is a pittance. In states that do not allow public workers to contribute to Social Security, it means someone topping out at $60K (the norm) gets $24K upon which to live. Big whoop. Where can you live on that? Certainly not CA. Putting in your own money to bump up your pension to $30K is hardly graft and corruption or easy livin’ ESPECIALLY if you don’t get Social Security.
The REAL graft is high level appointees, college heads, etc. who are usually GOP cronies. They are making NO sacrifices at all. Why? They are not in unions. So they are not being cut. If those salaries – in the $300-400K range – were cut, it would actually MATTER. We have far too many supervisors today because eveyone wants the upper management stratum for their middle age and comfort. That is disgusting, but no one challenges THEM.
So WI, OH, IA, and several other states are facing massive civil unrest from people who’ve been putting one foot in front of the other, doing the work, and now getting kicked in the teeth over it.
And all because some jerks decided that America in 1890 was the model for success. Forward to the Past never worked for any nation. We talk about the “race” to be number one – but in fact all we’re getting is the Race to the Bottom for the majority. That’s not progress.
The headline reminds me of something I read about the Goldwater campaign. One of his slogans was “In your heart you know he’s right”. The Democrats used this against him, adding “Yes—EXTREME RIGHT!”.
Hell LG, today’s GOP considers Goldwater a liberal.
The Baggers would primary him!
Sarah I Quit! Palin?
Isn’t she the fascistic asshole who says that I am not a “Real American” because I live in LA or because I am a Democrat and a liberal?
Yeah. Fuck her.
Agreed.
I also agree! Besides, I thought the idea of PPOV was to get AWAY from the BITCH from Alaska! I don’t care what it is…I don’t want to see her, period! Then again, I’m just part of that 51%!
Good to see ya Alina! It has been nice since I signed up here to see less and less of Mrs. Palin.
But she is still out there spewing her ignorance and dishonesty.
The woman is like a bad smell that won’t go away.
Hey KT!
She’ll only go away when we force her away! But, the more we feed into her BS…the more she’ll spew it!
Ann Coulter said something that was so profound: “Palin has an ability to make liberals heads explode; she can tweet or post on FB and the Libs eat it up!” She’s right in a sense…She says stupid crap just to get us talking about how stupid she is! Why give her that?
I totally agree that no one should take her seriously, but in fact, many people do. I am sad to say.
I think Coulter is just jealous. Palin and Bachman have nearly put Coulter out of business.
Kudo’s for coining a new term, “transliterated”
That is perfect when talking about Palin.
I truly loathe that woman and EVERYTHING she stands for. Which is herself first, last, and everything in between.
LG – I WAS going to ask “How can you tell WHAT she stands for?” then I read the post, and you’re right. That is the only thing that I can discern that is consistant as well.
There may have been bigger frauds in the history of American politics, but I am at a loss to figure out who right now.
Yes, she is the ultimate political grifter.
Con artists have a word for the inability of their victims to accept that they’ve been scammed. They call it the “True Believer Syndrome.”
Ha, you said the p word; palin painstakingly post packages professionally paid, professionals private palin profession protesting, protect powerful privileges political proves palin peasant (and I’ll add) panders. You said it all, YESTERDAY’s letter was P.
Well done, Caru.
SP: Quitter, secessionist.
She’s a product of our time. She would never have survived in the national spotlight when we had real journalism in this country.
I miss Walter Cronkite.
If Katie Couric could take what should have been a fluff interview and destroy her with innocent marshmallows think of what some of the lions of journalism might have done? I’m thinking I would like to have seen, lets see, Gore Vidal, hell even William Buckley, and Ed Bradley, I might have enjoyed the last one the most given her hatred of all things non-white
Imagine if we did have real journalism. What would the media be saying about her?
Maybe they would be speculating on Face The Nation or Meet The Press: “Why won’t she submit to being interviewed? Does she really expect to be able to hide behind her Facebook and Twitter accounts? We’ve invited her over and over to a hard-hitting interview, but she won’t agree…”
Or maybe they’d say nothing at all about her. Who remembers failed Vice-Presidential candidates, except for collectors of trivia?
Absolutely true, KQuark. This is one of the major problems in this country and it has to be solved. It is the sheer absence of reasonable media laws which allows for lying and “infotainment” to be sold as news. In any other country people who erode democracy from within would be in jail.
There have been many periods in America’s history when “journalism” was no more competent than it is today. I cannot think of any real “Golden Age” of American journalism.
Incompetence and a know conspiracy to mislead and misinform the public are two totally different things.
Huh? Thru most of America’s history, I wager, the media was owned by barons looking to influence the electorate.
Citizen Kane, anyone?
She’s a grifter and a liar too, JM.
Grifter, yes. Perfect descriptive.
Thank you Caru! Great article my friend! The sarcasm is strong within you…. ; )
Thanks.
Sarah may use the phrase “brothers and sisters,” but this is what she really thinks of teachers:
So Caru…were you following HP’s headline styel?! That headline was befitting of their style journalism! 🙂
Just teasing…I love parody! It’s the best!
I was worried there for a minute, when I read the headline…I should have known better!!! 🙂
X2!! A lovely parody!! Nicely done, Caru!!
Indeed…Caru, did a great job!
But Ms Quitter Palin,
Asking people to take less money in their paychecks is like asking them to take a TAX INCREASE !!!
Now Everyone Knows that you do not raise taxes on ANYONE during a recession!
Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, and every republican that talks and tweets said this for the past two years.
Todd was a union member, so I guess Sarah™ was for unions before she was against them.
Like i said yesterday, as far as Sarah’s, “union brothers and sisters,” I didn’t know there was a grifter’s union. But when I think about it, I guess you could call the entire GOP a grifter’s union.
Ha!
Nailed it KT – the entire GOP is a grifter’s union!
Zing!
gop = fascists
I’ll be so happy when she finally goes away.
I thought Newt had gone away, along with George Allen and Rick Santorum. But they never go away. They just lie in wait for the next election cycle.
That’s fine. They just get weaker and weaker. Look at poor Newt. I hope he has no illusions of running for President. He can barely get into the double digits in polls for his own primary. Best he sit back and say dumb things on FOX News and write books that only crazy people read.
Your comment made me thing of Flossy.
He still holds out hope that Newt will be President.
I just had shivers!
Sorry!
I remember Flossy. What’s he up to these days?
Still on HP, as far as I know.
I just found his undying devotion to Newt Gingrich amusing.
Like brown recluses?
More like wood roaches.
The flies in in a dark corner of your window sill you think died over the winter and suddenly come back to life the first warm sunny day
actually she’s more like the baby of those flies as in maggot.
poisonous spiders…how very apt. LOL
koch roaches
Good one!
Can’t you make her go away? After all, you are the Creator…
ME TOO!
CAN you use your powers to do something about this?????
Sarah is comparable to that smell you just can’t get rid of, after a rat dies inside of a wall. It will eventually go away, but it takes a long, long time and the odor is so putrid, that minutes seem like hours.