Posse Incitatus

MEA goes over the cliff

As noted yesterday, the Michigan Democrats are apparently bent on mass suicide.  I thought their idea of a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing union privilage was stupid, but now here’s the Michigan Education Association president urging its members to support illegal work stoppages to protect their gold-plated retirement and top-of-the-nation wage scale.

The letter advises employees that they could be fired for striking, but reads that:

"It is simply not possible to replace all or most school employees in the state…It is to, say the least, a time-consuming and expensive process for school districts."
The letter also warns "There may be some inconvenience for your students.”

Amazing.  Absolutely amazing.

At the rate these guys are going, all public sector unions will be outlawed by the end of the year – and it will be by popular acclamation, not “dictatorial” Republican governors.

Conservatives have long opposed public sector unions, but most of their arguments were based in theory rather than practice.  For example, when one notes that unionized employees serve their union rather than their employer (the taxpayers) and raised the specter of illegal actions, union supporters could always claim that this was extreme and would never happen.

Now we see that even law enforcement unions are acting more like Mob enforcers than sworn officers of the state.

It is clear that the MEA and other public sector unions care far more about feathering their own nests than serving the public.  Even if the MEA backs down, it is intolerable than an unelected and unaccountable group of people should hold effective veto power over the state of public education in Michigan.

Think about that:  The MEA president is not subject to a statewide popular vote; she is operating above the law.

The unions keep screaming “This is what democracy look like,” but let’s go to the very first section of Michigan’s Constitution, shall we?

1 Political power.

Sec. 1. All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their equal benefit, security and protection.

What the MEA chief is proposing is in direct opposition to this.  An unelected, unaccountable cartel now holds effective veto power over the state’s school system.  Unless their demands are met, they will shut it down.

Whether one likes or hates Gov. Rick Snyder, he was elected by a majority of the voters in November.  Should he exceed his mandate, he is subject to recall, just like the Legislature.

How do we recall the MEA?  How do we – the people paying the salaries of its members and lining its leadership’s pockets – have any say in what this group of renegades do?

Indeed, this abuse of power is why teacher strikes were outlawed 20 years ago.  That alone is what allowed the MEA to survive.  Should they violate the law, they will have demonstrated that they can no longer be trusted – the danger is simply too great.

If the local unions have any brains at all, they will resoundingly reject this call, as it will result in their utter destruction.  Michigan has double-digit unemployment and many of those workers are highly educated and would jump at the chance to teach.  The MEA has set up a guild system to keep those workers out, to create an artificial labor shortage in order to boost their wages.  A teaching certification now takes five years – but in the face of necessity, those rules will go out the window.

Districts will finally be able to make flexible hiring choices and when the dust has settled, I bet the best and most dedicated teachers will choose to stay with their kids and the families they are helping rather than a corrupt power-hungry cabal.

Death ride of the Michigan Democrats

As my esteemed co-blogger noted below, Michigan's Democrats have taken their pro-union street theater to the next level and now want to amend the state Constitution to guaranteed union privilages for perpetuity.

While Michigan is more pro-union than most other states, its electorate is not completely insane.  Back in 2006, when the one-state recession was only a couple of years old, Democrats and their teacher union allies introduced a ballot initiative to guarantee permanent increases in education funding.  It went down to resounding defeat.

This is why I believe that by throwing their lot in with public sector unions, Michigan Democrats are ultimately digging their own graves.  After a decade of job losses and collapsing home prices coupled with rising taxes, Michigan residents are more than happy to have their public sector workers share their pain.  Indeed, the campaign against such a proposal is laughably easy:  simply point out that taxpayers in well-run townships and counties will be subsidizing the most bloated, corrupt and inefficient governments in the state.

This is why even the reliably liberal Detroit Free Press editorial board supports the supposedly anti-union legislation for emergency financial managers.  In a moment of rare lucidity, they note that the mere existence of the law will force municipal governments and public sector unions to be realistic about their budgeting as there is now a clear price for failure.

In the short run, the infusion of cash and enthusiasm may be reasurring for the paleoliberals.  In the long run, however, it brands them as unserious and unworthy of the responsibility of governing.

Return to the Lansing/Mason Gun and Knife Show

For the first time in a long time, this past Saturday I attended the Lansing area gun show, conveniently located in Mason.  It had been a few years since I was in the market, and while I wasn't planning on buying anything, I did find a deal that was too good to pass up.  More on that in a future post.

My focus today was on the changes since I last frequented the gun show circuit.  Two things stuck out:  The diversity of the crowd, and its size.

There were a lot of young women there.  Not a majority to be sure, but the fact that I saw any at all was noteworthy.

I think this illustrates the fact that despite the best efforts of the gun control lobby, firearms are being normalized.  To own one no longer carries a stigma, indeed many young women in particular find it empowering. 

At my youngest daughter's birthday party some weeks back, we hosted a laser tag game.  Long-time readers will not be surprised that I was not the deadliest participant - a 9-year-old girl took that honor (I came in second.  In my own defense, I was a rather large and conspicuous target).  I remarked on this to one of the other kids' moms and she pulled a pistol target with the center shot out from per pocket and speculated on what she would have been able to accomplish.

Now understand that I've grown up in the Lansing area and take for granted that guns are despised by all respectable folk, yet here was a soccer mom talking about her morning at the range - and she did so with perfect confidence.  Truly, something I was not expecting and a very positive sign.

I haven't verified attendence, but I never recall the county fairgrounds being this crowded before.  It was difficult to move between the tables with all the people there.

I noted with pleasure that the prices for ARs are beginning to fall (I saw a no-frills model for under $800) and that ammunition was plentiful (though still to my mind rather expensive).

I hope to continue this trend of frequenting area shows and if the readers like it, will endeavor to offer photos and other coverage of what is going on.  The Posse used to do a lot more with firearms and based on the quantity of comments, this is an area where we should devote more attention.

 

Warfighting by Poll

One of the most insane notions to emerge in this war is that we need to keep a constant eye out for every variation of public opinion. The slightest erosion in an approval rating means an instant policy reversal.

This is utterly insane.

Now Drudge offers a link to a poll showing falling support in Iraq for the Coaltion.

The same poll purports to show widespread support for Al Sadr and his band of vicious thugs.

The Posse is willing to wager that calls for an immediate pullout from the likes of Ted Kennedy will not be far off.

No war in history has been won by changing strategy every time the public mood alters. Setting aside the sheer insanity of judging the actual feelings of a multi-ethnic nation of 24 million based on 1600 interviews, it should be readily obvious that what the Founding Fathers called the "impulsive passions" of the majorities cannot be a guide for serious public policy.

The poll itself seems poorly concieved. Of course a vast majority of Iraqis would like the Coalition to withdraw, the real question is when and under what circumstances.

A handover of power to Al Sadr or the thugs of Fallujah probably isn't what they have in mind.

American public opinion polls are increasingly less reliable. Why we should suddenly trust overseas ones is beyond the Posse.

This is yet another example of defeatism masquerading a policy debate.

The Tomb is Empty

The analysis of Dr. Rice's testimony can be found most anywhere, particularly amongst honorary members of the Posse Incitatus.

This blog will be taking a hiatus for the next couple of days to ponder the mysteries of the Resurrection.

Or, to put it in the vernacular:

Happy Easter!

Cool Cities

A few months ago, OpinionJournal ran an excellent article debunking the myth of “cool cities.”

This idea has caught fire with the idiotarian left because it is predicated on the belief that people choose to live in certain places not because of the schools, crime rate or local tax burden, but because they crave being close to swinging night clubs and trendy boutiques.

Under this model, young workers are seemingly oblivious to the fact that they may lose 10 percent or more of their income to local taxes, but really care that they are near a goth dance club.

The reason for this appeal to the left if obvious: it means that the key to urban renewal isn’t lower taxes and (by extension) dismantling the dysfunctional union-dominated bureaucracy that paralyses local government and the school system. Instead, urban growth can be bought by giving subsidies to sports bars:

Visions of trendy nightspots, outdoor cafes and expanded cultural events will be put on paper this month as Michigan cities compete for 12 slots in Gov. Jennifer Granholm's Cool Cities Pilot Program.

The program, which has generated excitement throughout the state, will give chosen cities access to $1.15 million in grants and a pool of state resources to help revitalize urban areas. Lansing and East Lansing officials hope their cities are among those chosen.

The program's mission: attracting new jobs by bringing in young workers through better entertainment and cultural offerings, more housing and nightlife.

There you have it. Lansing isn’t losing people because it is one of the few Michigan cities with an income tax or because it levies high property taxes and insists on charging residents for trash removal. No, they just need to be “cooler.”