>Hi Bill,
>
>Pardon me for jumping in this thread but I think an essential point has yet to be made.
>
>The main "issue" that many conservatives, including me, have is with unions of government employees which often negotiate contracts with the government decision makers to whom they also make generous campaign donations. And to make it worse, those negotiations, especially at the state and local levels, are not always subject to a stringent approval process.
>
>That often results in extremely generous retirement plans because the negotiators simply "kick the can down the road" for their successors and the taxpayers to deal with.
>
>Ken

I agree, Ken. Some of these public union contracts are outrageous.
In my own family we have a couple in their early 50's, both of whom are detectives who retired from a local PD after 25 years.
Their combined pension is over $200K/yr and they and their children have lifetime health care paid by the taxpayers.
Both have started second careers.
That's just whacky.

But I question your assumption that the problem is with the unions, not the politicians who agree to these contracts.
Of course unions contribute to their campaigns- so do business groups.
I started this thread by pointing out the rampant corruption among politicians here in New Jersey.
We need an aroused electorate and we won't get it by allowing those politicians like Christie to demonize unions while feathering their nests.