With the decline of private-sector unions America has become more oligarchic and less democratic

[NNN0LHI]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2011/02/this_goes_far_beyond_wisconsin.html

Posted at 12:28 PM ET, 02/21/2011
This goes far beyond Wisconsin
By Greg Sargent
Paul Krugman frames the stakes in the Wisconsin standoff:

In principle, every American citizen has an equal say in our political process. In practice, of course, some of us are more equal than others. Billionaires can field armies of lobbyists; they can finance think tanks that put the desired spin on policy issues; they can funnel cash to politicians with sympathetic views (as the Koch brothers did in the case of Mr. Walker). On paper, we're a one-person-one-vote nation; in reality, we're more than a bit of an oligarchy, in which a handful of wealthy people dominate.

Given this reality, it's important to have institutions that can act as counterweights to the power of big money. And unions are among the most important of these institutions.

You don't have to love unions, you don't have to believe that their policy positions are always right, to recognize that they're among the few influential players in our political system representing the interests of middle- and working-class Americans, as opposed to the wealthy. Indeed, if America has become more oligarchic and less democratic over the last 30 years -- which it has -- that's to an important extent due to the decline of private-sector unions.

And now Mr. Walker and his backers are trying to get rid of public-sector unions, too.

[aquart]

1. Don't you love their argument?

It's not fair for the union people to have money and benefits the non-union private sector people haven't a prayer of getting.

We should all be poor beggars together. I really want a non-union cop who's desperate to find ways to support his family, yes I do.

[Cresent City Kid]

2. Are they doing what I think they're doing?

As I understand it, the Citizens United ruling allows the unlimited flow of political cash from right wing think tanks, corporations, and unions. With the unions out of the equation, the cash will flow in one direction in a torrent. It seems to me that the crushing of the unions is not only a right wing wet dream, but an election strategy as well.

[Overseas]

3. K&R! //nt