Economic Realities Hold Bitter Pills For Democrats and Their Unions

The economy is forcing leaders to swallow bitter pills these days.

Gov. Gregoire recently announced plans to consider major reforms to cut government costs. Unemployment, while falling, is still at 9.1 percent. The state faces a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall just months after "fixing" the last deficit.

Despite this the Washington Federation of State Employees is suing to prevent the state's plan to furlough state employees. The union argues that the furlough plan violates public employees' statutory and constitutional (hmmm....) rights.

And there you have it: the problem with public employee unions.

Regardless of the economic constraints placed upon the state the union will oppose cost-saving measures that affect the union's members.

Forget reality and forget the budget crisis.

Now,do I want to see these individuals and their families out of jobs? No,of course not. But the perverse nature of government unionization is that employees everywhere else are forced to accept economic realities while also shouldering the burden of sustaining the government union's dreamland.

by Mike Reitz