What's Wrong With This Picture?

The New York Times published the results of a poll showing large majorities of Americans supporting collective bargaining for public worker unions. They are also opposed to cutting the benefits and wages of government employees, feeling that the amount of salary public workers receive is “about right” or “too low” for the work they do.

In these times of total corporate control of our media and the constant bashing of public workers as the root cause of our economic difficulties, this poll was astonishing. The truth shall be known and the American people are seeing through the lies.

The poll said -- "Americans oppose weakening the bargaining rights of public employee unions by a margin of nearly two to one: 60 percent to 33 percent. While a slim majority of Republicans favored taking away some bargaining rights, they were outnumbered by large majorities of Democrats and independents who said they opposed weakening them.

"Those surveyed said they opposed, 56 percent to 37 percent, cutting the pay or benefits of public employees to reduce deficits, breaking down along similar party lines. A majority of respondents who have no union members living in their households opposed both cuts in pay or benefits and taking away the collective bargaining rights of public employees."

Solidarity with Wisconsin public workers - NY City Hall, February 26, 2011. Click photo to see the rest of my photos.

As the cries of the workers in Wisconsin and throughout our country ring out: "This is what democracy looks like," I nod my head in complete support, admiration and agreement. Democracy is not about merely winning at the polls especially when victory comes through corporate-funded campaigns, trickery, outright lies and demagogic pandering. It   is about public servants doing their sworn duty to support the well-being and the values of the overwhelming majority of our people. The GOP shills who were elected last year on the back of the Supreme Court decision declaring corporations to be "persons" are doing the bidding of the Kochs, the banks and the corporations. That is emphatically not democracy but it's opposite: taking us down the road to corporate despotism. This trend must be stopped - in the ballot box but also in the streets and capitol rotundas of our state and federal governments.

This is our American moment - our uprising. Unions, love 'em or hate 'em (and I love 'em) are the last organized obstacle capable of standing up to corporate control of our government. That is why the business class is so intent on crushing them. It's time to take back our government of, by and for the people. (and the corporations, the Supreme Court notwithstanding, are not people). Tomorrow might be too late.

-Matt
Mar 1, 2011