State Budget Battle Showdowns

Wisconsin. Ohio. Michigan. New Jersey. New York. Budget-battle showdowns are coming soon to a statehouse near you.

Thousands of angry school teachers, union members, and their sympathizers have descended on capitals to fight against reducing pay and benefits for public employees. The protesters are up against a new crop of governors who are hell-bent on spending cuts to deal with deficits that may rise to combined $125 billion in the next fiscal year.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) is looking for public employees to pay $500 million towards benefits they're currently receiving for free.

New Jersey's Chris Christie is proposing public employees pick up 30 percent of their health care premiums. Wisconsin's Scott Walker wants public employees to pay at least 13 percent of their health care premiums. And he wants state workers to start contributing to their retirements for the first time.

This newfound fiscal discipline comes after a virtually unchecked binge over the past 10 years during which state expenditures exploded by more than 80 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars, including big bumps in overall worker compensation.

The most controversial aspect of the budget battles deals with public-sector unions and collective bargaining. Wisconsin'sWalker and others argue that the current process is inherently stacked against taxpayers because the government isn't spending its own money like companies in the private sector do. What's more, taxpayers have no way of opting out of any agreement that's reached. In the private sector, consumers can always take their business elsewhere. That's the basic reason why progressives such as Franklin Roosevelt and labor legend George Meany were against unions for government workers.

In a world of super-tight budgets, it's a foregone conclusion that public-sector workers are going to have to give back compensation. Public school teachers make up the bulk of government employees in every state in the country and they already make 35 percent more in straight salary than their private-school counterparts. There's also a growing gap between what they get toward retirement and what private-sector professionals receive.

Teacher union leaders in Wisconsin and elsewhere now say that educators are willing to accept less compensation - just as long as nobody cuts the union out of the deal-making. Whatever the fate of public employee unions in this, the winter of our discontent, there's no question that teachers and other state workers are going to have to get used to making less.

That's not a total fix, much less a revolution, but it counts as real progress in a country where every state government has spent itself to the brink of bankruptcy.

"Budget Battle Showdowns" is a joint production of Heritage Foundation and Reason.tv. Written and produced by Jim Epstein and Nick Gillespie, who also narrates. Footage and other assistance from Dan Hayes and Clay Broga of FreeThink Media.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Governor Scott Walker
• Collective Bargaining
• Unions
• Randi Weingarten
• Nick Gillespie
• Libertarian
• Reason.tv
• Heritage Foundation
• Education Cuts
• Chris Christie
• Andrew Cuomo

[yourass117]

@lockdown260 Yeah I agree! Their socio-economic plans are basically: lower taxes on "the workers", but tax the rich more, increase funding to all welfare systems, increase salaries to all workers, unionize every industry to its maximum capacity, and demand far better working conditions for all. Somehow I sense their little plan doesnt work out very well in the end...

[jtflyer]

Like these selfish jack asses give a damn about our great country. It's all about their own self serving interests. Thomas Jefferson must be rolling over in his grave.

[teabaggersblow]

@tutorturtle Turtle ass hump believes he has not met a republican he could not suck dry. Swallow you republican codnibbler. Greed is your salvation and cum is your life's biggest attraction.

[tripfunkmonster]

@Pondo1221: The indoctrination that has a powerful grip on most Americans is the Capitalist Indoctrination Process. Our entire society is run on economics. Whoever has the money has the power. Do you deny that? The Capitalists have the power. We are told throughout our lives by all media all day long that money & possessions are good - and that whatever it takes to get as much as possible is acceptable. Fuck everybody else - take care of #1 is one of Capitalism's commandments. That's the problem

[tripfunkmonster]

@tutorturtle; Do you honestly believe that unions getting raises for working Americans is more destructive to our economy than billionaires from the U.S. & other countries getting taxpayer money for fucking up?

[Pondo1221]

@kansasdem1

So you are saying that thinking is a bad thing then?

That would explain why you don't discuss ANY of the facts or offer a logical thought, just attack the messenger

If the only thing that the Heritage Foundation did was to get a couple fruitcake liberals to open their eyes and see some facts, or to show indoctrinated liberal kids that there is a place for logic and reason, then that would be worth a lot to the citizens of this country.

[kansasdem1]

The employees don't mind contributing to the health care premiums!!! The collective bargaining is a right of union members and you crooked governors want to take that away. How much do the governors make and how much do they contribute to their benefits???? The Koch bros are running this show including the Heritage Foundation. What the hell do you guys at the Heritage Foundatin do to help the citizens of this country? You only sit on your fat asses and "think?" 

[truckdawg43]

@successfulbuild Corporations not people huh just stock holders maybe ? Well who makes up these stockholders lets see .Unions for your healthcare your retirement ,your parents ,your grandparents .Chrysler stock holders were retiree from their own ranks and ended losing their retirements .Think before you start popping off do your home work .Let me ask you this if we go to one payer health will Unions lower their dues FAT CHANCE they are just as business as Wal Mart dont kid yer self

[truckdawg43]

@successfulbuild Because the dems a cutting it that is why you moron .To pay for that crackheaded health care plan that has already cut my throat .Your DAMNABLE unions want ot go on like nothing is wrong and tell the rest of us to tighten our belts well guess what we pay your damn wage we lose our jobs you got no wage !!!

[jperryam]

@SaroDarksbane - Nothing wrong with swaying people through speech, except when that speech is full of blatant propaganda and lies meant to serve the special interests that push it at the people's expense. The Koch brothers and their ilk are not spending millions buying politicians for the good of the people.

I suppose you have a point about not shouting the 80% from the rooftops. After all, if you've already succeeded in buying the government that serves your minority interests, who cares?