Note to Republican Governors: Pissing Off the Unions Is Never a Good Idea:
Here's a little recent history lesson for the day: Back in 2005, the newly-elected governor of Indiana, Mitch Daniels, on his second day in office, canceled all union contracts by executive order, ending collective bargaining rights for two-thirds of state workers, many of whom earned less than $30,000 a year. Some of those contracts were supposed to be in effect until 2007. At the time, Daniels said that union contracts were not acceptable at a time when the state faced a $1.5 billion deficit.

One would think that, like in a village where a noble knight defeated a terrible dragon, all would be well in Indiana once this workers' right was eliminated, for, indeed, Daniels said it would make the state whole. Yet here we are, in 2011, and, oh, wait, Indiana has a $1.6 billion deficit. And now Daniels wants to limit collective bargaining rights for teachers. He had wanted to turn Indiana into a "right-to-work" state, effectively killing unionization, to close the budget gap, but when Democrats in the legislature went to Illinois to stop the vote, Daniels backed down.

In 2004, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher, and, in 2005, in his first act as Missouri governor, Matt Blunt both issued executive orders rescinding collective bargaining rights, which had been granted by previous administrations through such orders. Easy come, easy go. Blunt was at least, you know, blunt about it, saying that he didn't think state workers should have to pay dues. He didn't say it was a cure for the budget woes. He just didn't think state workers should be in unions. Would that such honesty was part of the discussion now.

Of course, what Daniels and Wisconsin Governor Scott "Eyes of a Porn Booth Masturbator" Walker and Ohio Governor John "This Is Easier Than Putting Up with O'Reilly" Kasich face now are legislative efforts to strip workers of rights. There was nothing to protest before. The executive orders were issued and unions could go fuck themselves. But, goddamn democracy, there's actually a process and rules in place. So now all three states have to deal with thousands of pissed off union workers and sympathizers who think it's bullshit that after the stupidity of massive tax cuts in the last few years (done by Democrats and Republicans) that Republicans would have the balls to suggest that budget crises have been caused not just by union contracts, but by the existence of public sector unions.

You can leave it to the turd-that-walks, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, to jiggle his jowls in the most offensive, idiotic way possible. On MSNBC, Christie said, "[T]he unions are trying to break the middle class in New Jersey." Which, if you know anything at all about the history of the nation, is a statement so crassly ass-backwards and calculatedly inflammatory that a just God would have set starving bears loose on Christie. But, oh, gee, it's darling Chris Christie. He doesn't lie. He just speaks harsh truths we all need to hear. Run that pile of shit for president.

Speaking of, it's way, way past time for President Obama to stop being such a pussy about this battle. He doesn't have to specifically address the concerns of each state (although he should). But howzabout a clear but general statement on support for collective bargaining rights, huh? Would that be so fucking hard? Or is the White House too worried that Hannity will get pissy about it? Or that it would focus attention on the fact that the White House froze the pay for federal workers?