With respect to the incessant push for “right to work” legislation and the ensuing walk out, the Republicans and the Democrats in the General Assembly lately remind me a little of Aesop’s The Hare and the Hound:
A HOUND started a Hare from his form, after a long run, gave up the chase. A goat-herd seeing him stop, mocked him, saying: The little one is the best runner of the two. The Hound replied: You do not see the difference between us: I was only running for a dinner, but he for his life.
In this case, the Republicans are running for their dinner, and the Democrats are running for their life. Neither is running for Indiana, particularly. I have no idea if the hound will run out of steam first this year. That’s certainly what happened last year.
I don’t really trust that Republicans care if “right to work” helps Indiana workers any more than they really cared if restrictive Voter ID laws actually addressed any real problem with voter fraud. They’re doing it because it hurts Democrats politically. And, for that matter, I’m not entirely convinced that Democrats are so protective of unions because their presence helps workers. Certainly they have not gone to the wall like this on economic issues that didn’t directly implicate significant campaign contributions. My sense is that the positive effect on the economy, or lack thereof, on either side, is incidental.
I’m not a big fan of “both sides do it and are equally to blame” political analysis; so I’ll note that, in this case, the Republicans are the aggressors — ignoring all of the other things they (or the state) might want to get done in favor of returning immediately to the one thing almost guaranteed to bring the General Assembly to a halt; as we saw last session, there are a good many things Democrats might not like but which they will suffer. (Inserting a prohibition on marriage equality in the state constitution, for example.) Personally, I think that “right to work” legislation ends up being a net loser for workers — I recently read that, adjusted for cost of living, jobs in right-to-work states pay about $1,500 – $2,000 per year less than those in other states. (There are reports that argue otherwise as well). Bottom line on the policy is that I don’t believe this legislation will result in more or better jobs any more than I believed it when lawmakers suggested that trickle down tax cuts or daylight saving time would result in more jobs or a better economy.
But, like I said, I don’t think either party has anything more than a rhetorical interest in the economic effects of this particular legislation. It’s a fight over political power; and the citizens of Indiana aren’t the hound or the hare — we’re more like the grass on which the animals run and rest.
It’s this sort of gamesmanship that makes me nauseous and make me think there’s a real chance for big-time realignment, either obsoleting the damned Democrat and Republican parties or moving large blocs between them.
I started to explain why realignment made sense, but it bode to turn into a major essay and/or to pick a fight I’m not willing to enter. So I’ve got the best of everything: “don’t say I didn’t tell you” and plausible deniability that (God forbid) I actually predicted anything in politics.
You know, I almost avoided writing this for much the same reason. It’s a fight I’d rather not care about. I don’t think it’s going to improve the economy if it passes, nor do I really think we’re on the precipice of returning to “The Jungle” or “Grapes of Wrath.” I have my leanings on this one; but I don’t see it as anything like Good versus Evil.
It’s very important to those who live it daily. The stripping of collective bargaining rights from teachers last year was simply humiliating. One of the few things I have gotten over the years for all the money I have given back and foregone to teach students for decades was LANGUAGE in my contract. Language that keeps me from capriciously being fired, forced to work beyond my contract and so forth. I’m sure that the unions which are fighting today feel the same way. To take that away simply to protect and increase your power is callous and deserves ti be punished in the only way they understand.. politically.
I fear it will simply continue. I’m truly disheartened to be living in this state.. and this from a VERY Proud stubborn fifth generation Hoosier.
One thing I heard when this was a big issue in WI last year, was that many school superintendents liked the collective bargaining, well, at least one effect of it — they could get a handle on what was really important to the teachers vis a vis conditions that helped or hindered their ability to do their job. For instance, class size vs. some other variable.
I recently read that, adjusted for cost of living, jobs in right-to-work states pay about $1,500 – $2,000 per year less than those in other states. (There are reports that argue otherwise as well).
I hate “studies” like this. It’s regression analysis, but you just “control” for this (cost of living) or that (educational attainment) “factor” until you get the outcome (regression coefficient, or how much those factors contribute to that outcome) you want.
I think the bottom line is that, even in Obama’s America, there are places that are still growing nicely. Those states are generally in the Sunbelt, and they have low cost of living, right to work, and generally no income tax.
Now we can’t do anything about the weather in Indiana (global warming notwithstanding), but we can mimic the policy environment of those states that are doing well.