There is a game being played

Governors, among others, who like to demonize public employee unions are playing a game. For years, public employees in many municipalities have taken pay cuts in order to preserve their benefits. Now, they are being attacked for having benefits that are too generous.

First you roll back wages then you attack the benefits so you can cut them too.

Even so, many unions have agreed to cuts to their benefits. Some are the only ones funding their pension because the state has stopped paying into it.

The states are in financial trouble because the economy tanked because Wall Street screwed up. Many states also have problems because of tax cuts for the wealthy. New Jersey’s Governor vetoed the extension of a tax on those making over $400,000 a year – then he cut half a billion dollars from public schools claiming the state couldn’t afford it and he blamed the teachers’ union.

It is a self-fulfilling prophecy that foretells economic catastrophe and is very good at bringing about the predicted results.