Hypocrisy of the left - again

United States
February 20, 2011 8:56am CST
Remember how appalled Democrats were when TEA party signs showed pictures of Hitler? They said that no one should accuse anyone today of being Hitler. (Of course, they conveniently forgot that protesters against Bush carried signs depicting him as Hitler.) Remember how angry they were about crosshairs targets on Palin's web site? Well, check out this video and see who is using pictures of Hitler and of crosshairs targets. Yep, it's those union protesters in Wisconsin. And, everyone knows that most of those union protesters are Democrats. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71gsnLfsbbM&feature=player_embedded Here's some info about the bill: [i]The Governor's Budget Repair Bill, SB 11, goes a long way toward reforming Wisconsin's government unions. This bill would still allow government workers to join unions, but would take away union officials' power and control over budgets and spending. It will also protect most of Wisconsin's government employees from having to pay union dues or "fees" in order to get or keep their jobs. In addition, the bill would do away with most of the unions' extra power to drive up the cost of government.[/i] http://capwiz.com/nrtwc/issues/alert/?alertid=27756506&type=TA Sounds great to me. Yesterday on the news, there was a woman screaming and crying for the camera saying, "We're doing this for the children! It's for the children. If we let this happen, if we allow the governor to take away collective bargaining, our kids will suffer. They will go back to working 12 to 16 hour days and making pennies for their work." Right. These people cannot possibly believe that, can they?
4 people like this
7 responses
@GardenGerty (157665)
• United States
20 Feb 11
I am not interested in arguing left or right per se. I am of the opinion that the Unions have outlived their original usefulness and it is time for some changes. Would they rather keep their raises and their high salaries,but have 15-25 percent of the jobs disappear? They would have to do more with fewer employees. It is like they do not see that changes must happen in order for people to remain employed. The gravy days are over. Kenzie, I think you did a nice job pointing out what these changes really are about.
@GardenGerty (157665)
• United States
21 Feb 11
I saw the same show. It seems that another city, in Texas, that has a shortage of police. At least one person is moving there to be an officer. At least, I think it is the same news show.
• United States
21 Feb 11
That is a choice that many unions do make - lay-offs rather than negotiating. I don't remember what city it was, but on the news yesterday they were talking about somewhere where they had to lay off hundreds of police and fire personnel because the unions would not take a pay and benefit freeze. So instead of everyone having to tighten their belts like the rest of us, they allowed some of their ranks to be laid off. Unfortunately with unions - even when we're taking about teachers - the rule of thumb is "last in, first out" so you end up ditching the young, healthy workers and keeping the old ones who should retire. You're right. Unions have outlived their usefulness. Sadly, they really want to unionize all government jobs and as many private ones as they can.
1 person likes this
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
23 Feb 11
I agree, Unions have outlived their usefulness. They have become corrupt in many cases and are not really about helping the worker, but about money and power. My son worked in a union shop. He had to train the leadman to do the job that my son had done temporarily, but my son was passed up for that job as permanate leadman because of union rules on seniority. He had to train the man who got the job, but he wasn't allowed to have that job. Make sense? The union did nothing for him in a dispute with management over facial hair. He did his own research and spoke for himself with his boss, and the union steward told him he couldn't do that! My son told him, I pay dues so that you'll represent me with management, and you didn't. So I did it for myself, who are you to tell me I can't?. Unions are about power and money.
@laglen (19759)
• United States
20 Feb 11
hahaha working 12 hours a day? LMAO how many of us dont? There is a good sign of a sense of entitlement right there. For their pay, they SHOULD be working 12-16 hours per day! The double standard constantly being portrayed by the left is getting very old.
• United States
21 Feb 11
That is rather funny, isn't it? It's like when they say that we who want to return to the country our forefathers designed, that has to mean that we want to reinstate slavery and take the vote from women. I read an excellent editorial yesterday, then promptly lost the URL to find and share it. It reminded people that everyone in this country chooses his/her vocation or career. We know - or should - what is required before we enter a field. In the case of teachers, they know the pay ranges and they know that they work only part of the year. When I was a kid, most male teachers worked summer jobs. Some female teachers did as well. When I was a customer service manager at a department store in Houston years ago, my best part time employees were all teachers. On another forum, I was told - by someone on the left, of course - that the reason that people are upset about the demands of teachers and other government/union persons is that we're all jealous and want to be part of the unions so we can have higher pay and better benefits as well. When I asked where all the money would come to pay even more people at absurd rates, you can probably guess what the answer was. Raise the taxes on the "rich" to 75%.
1 person likes this
@laglen (19759)
• United States
22 Feb 11
lolol then what do you do when all of the rich leave the country and take with them their businesses hence the jobs? You are spot on in the choice in careers. I know this sounds callous but when you choose a career, say a fire fighter, expect to get burned. If you work in a coal mine, expect to get copd. It comes with the territory. If you are a waitress or hair stylist, expect to get carpel tunnel.
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
22 Feb 11
In political philosophies there are two groups. One believes in more government control over the individual and the other in more individual control over your own life. Unions seem to believe in more control over the individual. They want the government to collect their dues. You have to pay the Union to get a job. Hitler, the Communist and other dictators rewarded people who paid the party with jobs and special privileges. It shows the poor teaching we have when college educated people think Hitler stands for less government. Gov Walker is proposing among other things that the local governments no longer collect the Union Dues for the Unions, He is saying that the present group of workers should decided if the Union is right for them not someone who decided it 20 - 30 or more years ago. It seems to me that the Unions want tell the government how things will be done and when and what they will do. The Unions are more like a Hitler or a Dictator. The Unions fought for the laws that created them and now when someone else want to fight to change the laws it is wrong???
1 person likes this
• United States
22 Feb 11
Very good. The terms left and right and conservative, liberal and progressive have flip-flopped meanings through the years. But the fact remains that radicals on one side want total government control over everything and on the other side pure anarchy. Everyone else falls somewhere in the middle, with leanings more toward one than the other. I think that everyone should have the choice to be in a union or not and that choice should not keep him/her from getting a job. And if they choose not to be in a union, they should not be forced to pay the union for collective bargaining, which is what happens now.
@yoyo1198 (3641)
• United States
20 Feb 11
Hi, kenzie....I do not consider myself either republican or democrat. I like to heap fire on any and all of them when the circumstances call for it. What Gov. Walker is trying to do only makes sense. He gave them fair warning when he was campaigning for the governorship. Now the unions are crying foul and saying they were blindsided by this union bill. The workers are being asked to take pay cuts and pay more for their health insurance and pensions. He's trying to balance the state's budget. They're broke. It's not like he's telling them they will no longer have jobs. They should be grateful that they are still blessed with jobs. All of the states are coming in for a rude awakening as they see no money to pay for things that they've been handing out thusfar. I hope they use Wisconsin as an example. It wouldn't be such a bad thing to see the unions limited everywhere. But, I'm wondering, when it comes time for each state to bite the bullet, will we be seeing more yelling and screaming and placards on the state capitol grounds? I don't think the Wisconsin folk are going to get anywhere with all of their bellyaching. The governor seems not to be budging even with his Democratic senators playing 'hide the senator'. They will have to show up eventually. And you and I both know that these people aren't doing a bit of this "for the kids". They're doing it for themselves and, most likely, their union told them to get out there and raise h3ll.
1 person likes this
• United States
21 Feb 11
Yes, I think this kind of protesting will be seen as cities, counties and states work to try to cut spending and balance their budgets. The pensions negotiated by unions are just not sustainable. It was absurd for the local governments to agree to them and now they need to change what happens in the future. Many of the protesters were not teachers from Wisconsin. Team Obama called in some folks from across the country.
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
20 Feb 11
Everyone seems to feel fully justified in it, though. It's a shame we don't have honest media in this country. They help set the tone for everyone else.
1 person likes this
• United States
21 Feb 11
Yes, it is a shame. We no longer get news, we get opinions of news events. Big difference.
@RobtheRock (2433)
• United States
20 Feb 11
Since this seems to be a left vs right thing, Hitler was the wrong person for the Tea Partiers to use. The Tea Party people should have perhaps had a picture of Chairman Mao or Kruschev on their posters since many on the right are trying to brand President Obama as being Communist. Hitler was/is/and always will be identified with the right.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
20 Feb 11
Krushchev actually wasn't a half-bad guy, but that's for another discussion. What exactly makes you think that Hitler should be associated with the right? If you go with the most stereotypical right wing people you'd be talking about hardcore Christians who believe in the powers of state and local governments over the feds. Hitler was an atheist who wanted all the power resting solely with him. Personally I don't think dictatorships are left OR right. It's an authoritarian system so the opposite would be libertarian. Comically enough the tea parties were started by libertarians so comparing them to Hitler is especially ridiculous.
1 person likes this
• United States
20 Feb 11
Agreed. These Pinky and the Brain world-ruling wannabes don't seem to be anything remotely close to America's left-right ideologues. "Hitler" is a smear. People don't put him on signs as an in-depth political comparison, more so than simply a way to say "I think you're the worst person ever!" If Hitler's identified with the right, it's only because the left started the smear.
1 person likes this
• United States
21 Feb 11
Of the fringe left wing and right wing, Hitler was on the right. Of the left wing and right wing, Jews and Blacks are hated on the fringe right. I think of dictatorships on the left or right. Castro, Krushchev, Stalin are all associated with the left. Hitler and Mussolini are associated with the right. Plus, many right wing groups embrace Hitler,especially the Nazi groups. Left Wing Fringe Groups SDS (an old group) Yippies (an old group) Black Panthers International ANSWER Code Pink Communist Party USA Nation of Islam National Socialist Movement Right Wing Fringe Groups Blood and Honor (left the right wing British National Front) Former KKK leader Tom Metzger, who I'm quite knowledgeable of, helped start the movement here.) KKK Hutaree (a religious group) Aryan Nations Revival Blood and Honor Brotherhood of Klans Knights of the Ku Klux Klan National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan European-American Unity and Rights Organization National Alliance Supreme White Alliance Supreme White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan United White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Vinlanders Volksfront White Boy Society
• Belgium
21 Feb 11
Wouldn't hypocrisy mostly be THOSE individuals doing exactly what they opposed? Not random individuals going against what other random individuals said?
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
22 Feb 11
I think what's being pointed out is that there has been no condemnation from ANYONE on the left that was out there condemning everyone associate with the tea party for the acts of random individuals who were at tea parties. Maybe you never criticized people for carrying Obama/Hitler signs at Tea Parties, but people like Nanci Pelosi sure did and yet they have never once objected to people comparing Bush or any other conservative to Hitler at gatherings with Democrats.
1 person likes this
• United States
22 Feb 11
Right. The persons who have criticized the TEA party for things they never actually did do not criticize people on the left who are doing those things. And one doesn't see anyone on the left criticizing their own...