Published on FB, 2/23/11
I've been struggling to condense my many thoughts on what's happening in Wisconsin into something managable and have failed utterly. Instead of subjecting you, dear reader to a manifesto of everything that's wrong with America today, I've decided merely to embrace my failure and ramble on about what I think about the situation- and hopefully not go on for too long. Basically, the way I see it is this:
We've got a 19th Century government, education system and the tattered remnants of a mass industrialized, 19th century economy while trying to compete and survive in a 21st century world in a post-industrial economy.
Now you see why this is hard to condense down into something manageable? It's a huge problem and solving it is going to require everyone to come together, talk, debate- and I'm sure shout, yell and scream, but ultimately we need consensus on a whole host of gargantuan issues. It's enough to make you want to emigrate to Fiji, really- do we really have to live through this? Do we really have to put with decades of this? The answer, kids is I'm afraid that yes, we probably do. Whether through our own voilition or because we literally have no other choice in the matter, change, that ever-so-sexy word of the moment is coming soon to a theater near you. So get ready.
Do I think the unions are wrong to protest? No, I really don't. If you've put in 20 years doing jobs that no one else wants to do and getting paid squat for it and you're staring retirement in the face only to find that everything the state has promised is in fact one big lie, then yeah, I'd be pissed off and yeah, I'd take to the streets. That's totally fair. Unfortunately though, I don't think Governor Walker is entirely incorrect either. You only have to look at what's left of our manufacturing sector to see what happens when management and unions can't find a healthy symbiosis that benefits both worker and company. Unions asked for more and more and more until finally corporations went to Mexico where pesky things like minimum wage and basic labor law didn't matter so much. You can call that classic corporate greed, which to a certain extent it is, but a company exists to make money- and without a company, no one has a job.
So it's a Catch-22- and it's made worse by the fact that public sector unions are harder to justify. FDR was against them, saying a strike of government workers amounted to an obstruction of government operations by the very people who had sworn to serve it. But even that, I'm not sure how the logic holds up. In the private sector, unions (the theory goes, anyway) exist to ensure that workers are given a just and equitable share of the company's profits. That's problematic when you start playing in the public sector because the state doesn't generate wealth. It feeds of our taxes and fines us, regulates us and another annoying things- but generate profit? Not so much.
But I understand the panic and the outrage. People are worried that they're going to get totally hosed while the politicians and the rich line their pockets and the Middle Class just bent over and doinked. Hard. Where it doesn't tickle all that much. That worry doesn't make people all that warm and fuzzy inside- and it's a worry that might not be unfounded. Public sector unions are the only game in town these days and they are the bedrock of the Democratic Party. You bust them, you neuter the Democrats. There's a spicy patina of ideological trench warfare, including Walker's somewhat loose ties to kajillionare Libertarian Soros clones, the Koch Brothers, that worries me about all of that. This should be about the public good. It should be about dragging this country kicking and screaming into the 21st century once and for all.
You can't do that, however, if everyone doesn't share in the pain.
1. Chop From The Top: politicians should get paid less and get a lot less sweetners to boot. I heard tell the Aussies purchased a huge apartment complex for their politicos and give them a free apartment and a free economy class ticket home every weekend. Smart people, the Aussies. The Watergate looks big enough for Congress, I think- and if they want to keep up two homes for 'lifestyle purposes' or whatever, they can. On their dime.
2. Tax Reform: I don't know enough about the FairTax to say for sure, but the thought occurs to me: we are a consumer-based society. So why not tax people according to what they consume? The more crap you buy, the more tax you pay- and if you're below the poverty line, you pay no tax at all. Sounds fair to me. No backdoors, no loopholes for corporations- just a simple formula: more crap you buy, more tax you pay. (Oh: and it goes without saying that if Big Bird and NPR go baby, every last dime of corporate welfare and useless subsidies goes as well. Right Republicans?)
3. Entitlements: To me, the whole point of the 'social safety net' is not to need it. The concept of a safety net implies that there's something there to catch you if you fall- but if you're doing it right, you shouldn't fall. This means, to me, that the days of beer and pizza for the Boomers should come to an end as soon as possible. The retirement age should go up to 70 and we should means test the shit out of all these programs- so that only the people that really, really need them get the help. (I know, I know: some Conservatives out there are going, 'but wait, isn't that MY money that I've worked so hard for?' My answer: Kind of. But when you start out, you don't know if you're going to die a pauper or a millionaire so again, everyone should contribute, in case we need it- but the idea should be not too.)
4. Pensions: defined contributions and no double-dipping all round! (This goes double for Our Perpetual Governor!)
5. Health Care: gives me a headache just thinking about it- but we need to tackle it. (It's all very well for Our Perpetual Governor here in Iowa to go on about cheap insurance was back in the 70s. Or the late Triassic period. Whenever. But what has he done about it since then? Not much.) I don't like the idea of a government run model. I've seen it up close and personal and as far I can tell the only virtue is that it's free- and free doesn't necessarily equal good and free and government run just sounds like a damn nightmare. Does anyone remember Hurricane Katrina and how well that went? Do we really want the 'best and the brightest' dealing with our medicinal system? Being the independent moderate that I am, I tend to favor a bit of both- I think health care collectives are fabulous and should be encouraged and we should break down health care monopolies so that people can buy insurance from wherever they want- actual real-life competition might encourage a race to the bottom, price-wise without sacrificing quality along the way. It's certainly worth trying. But for a lot of people out there, it still might not be enough. Some form of governmental system of tax credits or subsidies should be there to make sure all Americans have the coverage they need.
6. Education: I honestly believe that education has been the most resisitant to changes of any kind and we need to unload a can of radical whoop-ass on the entire system as soon as possible, from kindergarten all the way to college. First and foremost: we need year round school. There are a few rural districts out there where kids might still go help Ma and Pa plant the fields and if so, that's OK, but the vast majority of school kids out there don't need a 3 month break every summer. And we should break ties to buildings- in the age of online internet magic if your high school doesn't have a class you want to study, you should be able to take that class online at another high school and have it count for credit. As for higher ed: we should be getting people in, out and done as quickly and efficient as possible. If that means adding a third summer semester, then so be it. We need to inculcate a love of creativity and innovation so that every student will not stop learning or looking for that next big idea. We need change, radical change and we need it right now.
So do I stand with the workers of Wisconsin? Sure. But do I also see the Governor's point? I do. Business as usual is no longer acceptable- but the politics of trench warfare practised by either side can no longer apply. This has to be about the public good- and kicking and screaming, we've all got to drag everyone into the 21st Century.
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