GOP Tactic: Intramural Class Warfare

[marmar]

from truthdig:




GOP Tactic: Intramural Class Warfare

Posted on Mar 1, 2011
By Richard Reeves


Mitch Daniels, the new governor of Indiana, is probably the smartest of the new crop of Republican governors determined to bring public employee unions to heel. This is the way he puts it:

“Public jobs grew while private jobs were lost. Public salaries went up while private sectors are shrinking. It’s time to interrupt that loop, in the public interest.”

You can read that a couple of ways. Perhaps the reason private-sector jobs are shrinking—in numbers and compensation—is precisely because corporations have broken most of the unions in the country. Only 7 percent of Americans working in the private sector have the protections unions generally provide. Forty percent of public employees, on the other hand, are union members.

Without doubt, there will be political gains for Daniels’ party if they can bring organized labor to its knees. Just as obviously, unions are an important part of the Democratic Party’s financial and political base. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/gop_tactic_intramural_class_warfare_20110228/?ln