From my blog at http://theatleeappeal.com/

If you are a firm believer in the 2012 Mayan calender prediction about the end of the world, all you would need to do is pick up a newspaper to re-convince yourself that they Mayans might have been on to something. (I don't believe it).. But seriously, take a look at the news right now: The oil leak is wreaking havoc on wildlife and residents along the Gulf Coast and it may end up effecting the East Coast soon. Israel is still under attack. Muslims are still blowing each other up in the name of peaceful Islam. Our national debt is so big it will be impossible to pay off in the next 50 years. Tornadoes are eating up small Midwestern towns. Europe is on the brink of collapse. And Americans are trying to take pills to lose weight. Is there any good news out there at all? Sometimes I want some good news but I can't find much out there at this point in time. So.. on to the bad news!

Well, actually this isn't what I consider to be bad news. In fact, the correct term here would be "encouraging". Why? Because this story shows that Americans are waking up. The story I'll briefly talk about here comes from Politico entitled "Pols Turn on Labor Unions". About damn time! Labor unions have been nothing more than a curse on sound business. In this article, there is a picture of a union protest that really sums this up the union mindset quite well. "Raise Revenue, Save Jobs!" is what each sign held up said. Sounds easy enough! Hey guys, just bring in more money and nobody will get laid off! Oh wait.. these were all government union employees. I guess they forgot how the government brings in revenue. So in a nut shell this is what these union members were saying: "Don't you dare let us go because of budget constraints! Don't you know who voted for you and got you in office! Who cares that every private sector business is having to lay off massive amounts of employees in order to stay afloat. Who cares that they are hurting for money. Tax them more! Especially the rich! Our jobs are more important than theirs!"

More evidence of the union mindset was on full display up in New Jersey recently. Governor Chris Christie, who is my nominee for man of the year, put a union teacher in her place. The teacher was in a tizzy because Governor Christie was refusing to raise taxes while also refusing an increase in teacher pay. She also claimed that she wasn't getting paid enough (try telling that to your employer when your performance is suffering). Christie's response? "You don't have to teach." Brilliant!

The New York Times ran an article back in January of this year showing the new trends of unions. This quote pretty much sums up why there is such a huge issue now with unions: For the first time in American history, the majority of the nation’s union members are government workers, rather than private-sector workers, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report released today. This is despite the fact that there are five times more wage and salary workers in the private sector. Why the disparity? Well, there are two big reasons. First, private sector companies realize the dangers of unions and do everything in their power to keep union influence out (GM, Chrysler are perfect examples of what heavy union influence can do) Second, for the longest time our government keeps telling people that they are entitled to good jobs, wages, benefits...etc. That's why most government union contracts have benefit programs that are unheard of in the private sector. Pensions and medical benefits that require almost zero contributions from the actual employee? How the hell is that sustainable? Oh wait.. you gotta remember people, you pay for it! But thanks to the economic collapse and insane government spending the last few years, people have woken up to a bad deal when they see one. And right now, the citizens of this great nation have realized that they have been getting completely ripped off by government unions. While everyone in the private sector is hunkering down and counting pennies, our government unions are rapidly expanding and demanding MORE money and benefits off the backs of the suffering taxpayers. So the next time you here a government union worker claim "It's for the children" or "Workers have rights", just hand over your wallet and tell them thanks for their amazing sacrifices. It will only be a matter of time before Uncle Sam gets it anyway.