Sheilbh's Scott Walker Lovefest and Union Bashing Megathread

[Valmy]

This makes everyone who gives any money to the political campaign bad.  Everyone is expecting something, even if it's hope for change in policy.

It could indeed, if they donate so much to the point the politician is beholden to them and not the voters.  But, as I said in the very post you are quoting, it is not necessarily the donors who are bad it is the system that creates this state of affairs.  Not necessarily their fault for playing the game to the best benefit of their members.  It is complicated.

[Razgovory]

This makes everyone who gives any money to the political campaign bad.  Everyone is expecting something, even if it's hope for change in policy.

It could indeed, if they donate so much to the point the politician is beholden to them and not the voters.  But, as I said in the very post you are quoting, it is not necessarily the donors who are bad it is the system that creates this state of affairs.  Not necessarily their fault for playing the game to the best benefit of their members.  It is complicated.

Even if we had the government fiance electoral campaigns,  Organizations will have more clout if they can command the votes of their members.  There is a false dichotomy in your thinking I believe.  Union members are voters.  So it's not a situation of, "Unions wins the public loses!".

[grumbler]

This makes everyone who gives any money to the political campaign bad.  Everyone is expecting something, even if it's hope for change in policy.

It could indeed, if they donate so much to the point the politician is beholden to them and not the voters.  But, as I said in the very post you are quoting, it is not necessarily the donors who are bad it is the system that creates this state of affairs.  Not necessarily their fault for playing the game to the best benefit of their members.  It is complicated.

I'd argue that any donation is bad given that it does create at least the perception of special interests.  Now, whether that bad is worst than the bads needed to overcome that bad is the debate.  For instance, disclosure laws help ameliorate this bad, but have their own "bad" in terms of violations of privacy.  It's a balancing act, much to the frustration of those who see everything in terms of black and Raz.

In general, I think the bad elements of public-employee unions outweigh the good elements, but I don't think that that is true for all unions.  I've been in union jobs and non-union jobs, and can't honestly say that I've ever thought that the job I was in at the time should have been part of the other category.

[Razgovory]

You are getting kind of weird here Grumbler.  You are mentioning me in like every third post.

[alfred russel]

You are getting kind of weird here Grumbler.  You are mentioning me in like every third post.

You are making like every third post, so it isn't so weird.