The cover from this month’s edition from my teacher’s union magazine:
Minnesota, like many other states, is about to become a “Right To Work” state, and it is the unions themselves that are unwittingly helping it to happen.
The unions and the democrat party have long had a nearly exclusive, symbiotic relationship. As long as the democrats remained in power, the unions were protected by the democrats; and in turn, the unions were free to act in a blatantly partisan fashion and be an unrepentant, militant arm of the democratic party.
Because of this relationship, the unions never had to worry about public relations. They could afford to be as-in-your-face-nasty-as-they-damned-well-wanted-to-be. Conservative rank-and-file members were summarily ignored. They didn’t care what the average non-union person thought. They didn’t care about winning the hearts and minds of the average American voter. They were quite comfortable in their roles as the enforcement/thug/footsoldier arm of the democratic party. But now that the democrats are largely out of power in Minnesota, as well as in a host of other state legislatures, the unions are suddenly finding themselves in the precarious position of being the toady left on a street corner whose protector has suddenly left the scene.
Now, given that “Right To Work” will no doubt make it on the ballot this November as a Constitutional amendment in Minnesota (and other states) , one would think that the unions’ very survival would depend on improving their public image. One would think that the unions would be running a full court press on public relations, running ads 24/7 extolling their virtues, and the services that their members provide to the public.
But instead, the public unions, including the teacher’s unions (of which I’m a member) have doubled-down on their self-serving, narcissistic thuggery. They haven’t yet awakened to the fact that with Right to Work going to the ballot this fall, it will no longer be the legislators (whom they used to have in their hip pocket) that they’ll have to convince. They’ll have to convince the very voters of Minnesota why they should remain a viable, omnipotent, political force.
Ergo, when the union leadership organize angry demonstrations like so many 60s hippie throwbacks or cadres of Bolsheviks running roughshod in near-riotous mobs, they’re not doing themselves any favors. At the same time, they just don’t seem to have a clue as to just how precarious their position is, or how to fix it.
Up to this point, Minnesota’s teacher and other unions, having had the luxury of being able to act like spoiled teenagers; largely without consequence, have been virtual one-trick ponies in terms of defaulting to in-your-face, thuggish tactics to get demands met.
But as Minnesota native Bob Dylan once crooned, “Oh the times, they are a changing.”
If Minnesota’s unions want to survive, they better damn well change with them.
Blogs For Victory 
If Minnesota’s unions want to survive, they better damn well change with them.
I have long held that the “union’s” them selves are nothing but self serving NON tax paying large corporations complete with fat cat CEO’s, corporate ivory towers, corporate limos, corporate jets and mansions for the elites.
They want numbers and drones to maintain power and could give a rats ass about the day to day worker.
They are now part of the donk/communist party USA and need to go the way of the Edsel.
Ergo, when the union leadership organize angry demonstrations like so many 60s hippie throwbacks or cadres of Bolsheviks running roughshod in near-riotous mobs, they’re not doing themselves any favors.
You kind of expect that kind of behavior from Teamsters but not from teachers. We’re seeing firsthand why FDR was against public sector unions. A lot of financial problems currently being experienced by states and local governments can be traced directly to pension and healthcare benefits to public sector unions.
Unless you’ve been or know someone who’s been a union activist, the average person simply can’t relate to what I call the “union mentality”. I have a cousin who just retired from a factory job and was a UAW member for over 30 years, including positions as steward and negotiator. Nicest guy you would ever want to meet, but get talking about anything related to unions and he becomes an in-your-face monster.
As a couple of your links mention, we just passed right-to-work in Indiana, and the Governor signed it on February 1st. It’ll be interesting to see if it has any effect on attracting business, particularly manufacturing, to the state.
Spook
I used to marvel at the mindset of the Union guys.
I would ask….
are you for gun control?…..NO
are you for the gay agenda?…….NO, are you for unbridled abortion on demand?……NO, are you for lazy drones who sleep on the job and hide half the day earning the same as you……NO, are you for marxism, socialism,?…..NO,
do you own stock?…..YES, do you want to make money on those stocks?…….YES, do you have a 401K?………yes, do you want that to grow?…..YES. do you want huge unbridled government that controls you from cradle to grave?…..NO, do you want to see our government bankrupt by paying those who are at home getting your money?…..NO
then WHY are you a donk?
ans = “they are for the working man”…..WTF X1000
spook
Nicest guy you would ever want to meet, but get talking about anything related to unions and he becomes an in-your-face monster.
Proof of what 30 years of brain washing can accomplish..
Funny though, those who put in 30 years with this terrible, horrible, company NEVER QUIT but stayed around for 30 years….go figure.
This union mindset is a great example of the mindset conservatives need to overcome over the next few years. As neocon admitted, most union members are hard working and have common sense conservative positions on many issues but for some reason, they have bought into the false rhetoric that the democrats are the party for the working man.
We can’t overcome this mindset overnight. It will reqre a deliberate approach to changing the narrative, and methodically turning this country around financially.
And James, I can blog from the road. It’s called an iPad. You might want to try one, they are very handy.
Well, we finally know the truth behind the Trayvon Martin tragedy.
STOP the MUSIC………..
abortion doesnt KILL CHILDREN????
donks OWN abortion…………….and the KKK, and OWS, and CPUSA and racist howling lynch mobs
yeah the terrible laws of self defense……..how American, we cant have that in a marxist paradise can we?
“The same folks who want to kill workers’ rights in the work place are the same folks who want to kill voters’ votes … and now they are literally supporting legislation that is literally killing our children.”
you mean like the two british “children” gunned down while begging for their lives by another one of Ubomas 17 yo sons?
Or the two cops shot to death by two other of Ubomas 17 yo sons?
Or the forty shot and ten murdered including a six year ols murdered by Ubomas sons?
Or the 13 yo boy doused with gasoline and set ablaze by three of Ubomas sons?
hey lady LOOK in the mirror….ALL of these MURDERERS LOOK just like YOU………………..imagine dat!
You may notice that dennis refused to answer any of my questions. They were presented calmly and objectively, in a spirit of true curiosity, and his only response was “whatever”.
Whatever happened to the war on women?
yesterdays news
Well, we just somewhat found out what did happen to the war on women:
http://online.wsj.com/article/declarations.html
Evidently it didn’t go to well.
From Cluster’s link:
Something’s happening to President Obama’s relationship with those who are inclined not to like his policies. They are now inclined not to like him. His supporters would say, “Nothing new there,” but actually I think there is. I’m referring to the broad, stable, nonradical, non-birther right. Among them the level of dislike for the president has ratcheted up sharply the past few months.
According to Dennis, such a group doesn’t exist, or at least not in large numbers. I guess we’ll see on November 6th.
Ha newbies…….
I have always hated the marxist, racist, kenyan, usurper, POS
They TOLD us this was coming……..they were waiting for the when and why……
Sharpton Plans “Escalating Civil Disobedience” If Zimmerman Remains Free
Posted by Jim Hoft on Friday, March 30, 2012, 11:39 AM
NOW the howling LYNCH mob of racists have turned on conservatives……….
Internet Goes Nuts Over Santorum‘s Alleged ’N-Word’ Slip — But Did He Really?
The ink isnt even dry on the kenyans revised power to declare martial law, and his national security force has begun it’s move.
Im telling you folks they have been warning us for a year what was coming. This is from farracan, the SEIU, OWS, the teamsters and ALL the racist communist organizations…..
According to Dennis, such a group doesn’t exist, or at least not in large numbers.
Can someone here explain Dennis? I’m at a loss to even try to respond to most of his comments. Most of the liberals I’ve run across over the years are either atheists, agnostics or, if belonging to an organized religion, aren’t very religious. According to Dennis, the conservatives here, who almost universally share a devotion to the Constitution, are far right fringe, while Dennis and his ilk are the mainstream majority. Yet poll after poll shows that Liberals make up about 20% of the U.S. population, and I’d have to think that religious liberals, which Dennis claims to be, make up a substantially smaller percentage. Is he just in denial, or is there something more at play here that I’m just not understanding?
Not much your missing JR. Dennis is our faux sanctimonious lecturer in chief around here. According to Dennis the only true Christians are those who support a massive central bureaucracy that takes care of the poor and indigent and never engages in war, because that’s the way Jesus wanted it, and incidentally, Dennis is only one of three people in the world who are true Christians.
and incidentally, Dennis is only one of three people in the world who are true Christians.
Oh, that explains a lot, Cluster. Thanks. I’m one of those old-fashioned Christians who believes in “judge not, lest you be judged”, but I’m always a little suspicious of people who claim to be beyond reproach because their thoughts are pure or their facts are “irrefutable”. I think the easiest approach is to just go on letting Dennis think he’s right and everyone else — well, at least conservatives, are wrong.
Cluster,
I just went back and re-read all of Dennis’ comments on the Supreme Court-Obamacare thread. I see what you mean.
This blog should be honored. We have somehow attracted one of the world’s three true Christians, and the nation’s only true conservative.
Nice work, blogmasters.
What is the government so afraid of? A lot of claims that it is for the “illegals”, yet they give them every government handout that there is when they get here, “free” healthcare, right to vote, etc, etc…I think we’re getting ready for something big.
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-03-28/news/31247765_1_atk-rounds-bullet
Yuuup
They are the main instigators.
I was watchin’ the documentary about Dr. King and when he was assassinated, the chaos and everything that went on in Memphis, New York and various places around the country. It was awful. They had the national guard in there, they was marchin’ on Washington, burnin’ buildings, everything…I mean, terrible.
But to be fair, we have to remember that conservatives go on rampages, too.
Remember those people calling their Congressman a liar at a Town Hall Meeting?
Terrifying, absolutely terrifying!