Comments on: Conservative Cultural Engineering Again

By: ry

ry — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 19:51:36 +0000

jif, You missed the point entirely. What happens when the police decide to suffer from ‘the blue flu?’ The people are screwed as the agency tasked to protect them evaporates(poof). Is that a good thing? That’s where I’m going with the capabilities argument. DHS is tasked with something that has far more dire consequences than a police force striking would. How would a ‘blue flu’ affect the ability of DHS to function? Oh, and unions aren’t political? Come now, don’t pretend to be niave. And the heads of unions aren’t going to award major posts within the organization to like thinkers to create an echo chamber? Please. Unions have a place in the world(like in the private sector, non-military civil service), but giving them the Pretorian ability to vote themselves higher pay at will or decide who is Ceaser is suicide.

By: jif

jif — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 18:26:25 +0000

Argh. The upside of the union in the Federal gov’t is that it makes it difficult for bosses (who are sometimes political appointments) to financially reward suck-ups and financially punish those who disagree. The pay scale and grades mean that non-political hires will get raises even when they work for political appointment bosses who are from the other side of the political fence. This has the potential to politicize positions that aren’t supposed to be political- that are merit based. How efficient would a unionized military be? I don’t know. How effective will a political echo chamber be in all other branches of the Fed? Take a look at the Bush administration for your answer. Oh. Right. It will get you into a war based on cherry-picked intelligence because there is no check installed.

By: ry

ry — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 14:38:44 +0000

Um, has anyone looked at this from a pragmatism angle? How would unionizing the entire US military affect its capabilities? What, you want a set up where the person who is one of the ten experts on X refuses to go to NY and work on a case because it would mean little Billy would have to leave his idealic school? The nature of the job at DHS, like service in the military, isn’t parrallel with working in the Ford plant.

By: praktike

praktike — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 05:01:54 +0000

Er, what do you mean if they succeed? This would simply be the final nail in the coffin. Union membership is what, 8% now?

By: gmoke

gmoke — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 04:44:22 +0000

There’s another way to look at this outside of party politics. The “conservatives” are intent on transforming corporations from limited liability institutions to zero liability institutions. The only real citizens of a present-day Republican government are corporations. Nobody else has any rights or privileges. They are working towards corporate feudalism and we will become the serfs – no unions, no right to sue for redress of grievances, no possibility of fighting back.

By: gmoke

gmoke — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 04:42:21 +0000

By: gmoke

gmoke — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 04:40:27 +0000

By: trostky

trostky — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 03:26:31 +0000

Um, being freed from the grip of the public-employee unions would do wonders for the competence of the Democrats to run a government, at least as seen from out here in California. Look, in the private sector, there is a natural, zero-sum rivalry between workers and owners over how the spoils of business should be shared. In the public sector, that zero-sum rivalry is between the workers and whom? Yeah, it’s simplistic, but nonetheless

By: Uncle Kvetch

Uncle Kvetch — Thu, 27 Jan 2005 22:55:04 +0000

To hell with crippling the Democratic party. How about crippling the country? Hear, hear. Given that today’s Democratic Party doesn’t stand for much of anything other than its own perpetuation, its future is the least of my worries right now.

By: Uncle Kvetch

Uncle Kvetch — Thu, 27 Jan 2005 22:44:38 +0000

To hell with crippling the Democratic party. How about crippling the country? Hear hear. Given the Democratic Party’s chronic inability to stand for anything other than its own perpetuation, its future is the least of my worries right now.

By: Maynard Handley

Maynard Handley — Thu, 27 Jan 2005 22:32:58 +0000

To hell with crippling the Democratic party. How about crippling the country? Sure the damage won’t be apparent in four years, but try twenty years.