dis·crim·i·na·tion
dəˌskriməˈnāSH(ə)n/
noun:
The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things.
| Synonyms: prejudice, bias, bigotry, intolerance, narrow-mindedness, unfairness, inequity, favoritism, one-sidedness, partisanship; |
hyp·o·crite
ˈhipəˌkrit/
noun:
A person who indulges in hypocrisy (see: Legislature)
sub·ser·vi·ent
səbˈsərvēənt/
adjective
prepared to obey others unquestioningly.
| Synonyms: submissive, deferential, compliant, obedient, dutiful, biddable, docile, passive, unassertiveInformal: under someone’s thumb (see: Legislators, Norquist) |
What is it about this time of year that turns a group of men and women into blithering idiots, incapable of comprehending the inconsistencies they perpetuate in the name of good government?
Take House Bill 418 by Rep. Stuart Bishop (R-Lafayette) and SB 204 by Sen. Dan Martiny (R-Metairie), for two prime examples. HB 418 SB204
Both bills, being pushed hard by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (read: Bobby Jindal), would abolish forbid payroll deductions for public employee unions.
Stephen Waguespack, who previously worked in Jindal’s 2007 campaign and later served as Jindal’s executive counsel and chief of staff, is president of LABI.
Jindal, looking more and more like Scott Walker with each passing day, apparently wants to emulate the Wisconsin governor who recently said if he were elected president, he would “crush” all unions. http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/05/04/3654397/scott-walker-says-crush-whats-left-american-unions-elected-president/
“I feel it unethical for taxpayers to pay an individual to deduct union dues when they are not exactly sure what the union dues are for,” sniffed Bishop, apparently oblivious to approved payroll deductions for the Louisiana United Way which may support causes the donor might not wish to endorse. http://theadvocate.com/news/12063375-123/payroll-deduction-for-unions-under
Bishop may also have overlooked the question of ethics involved in his expenditure of $6,240 in campaign funds for LSU football tickets in 2012 and 2013. (Note: one of the entries for April 26, 2013 is a duplicate and should not be counted.)
http://ethics.la.gov/CampaignFinanceSearch/SearchResultsByExpenditures.aspx
Martiny, other than introducing SB 204, has been largely silent on the issue. Perhaps, unlike Bishop, he is hesitant to utter the word “ethical” in light of his own campaign expenditures which eclipse those of his House counterpart.
Campaign finance records show that that Martiny has dipped into $107,475 of his campaign funds to pay for such non-campaign-related expenditures as athletic events, meals, air travel, lodging and casinos.
Here is the breakdown on just the athletic events: Tickets for LSU football ($28,823), New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans ($22,680), New Orleans Saints ($22,670), the 2006 NCAA basketball regionals ($1,480), the 2004 Nokia Sugar Bowl ($600)—altogether, a combined expenditure of $76,252. Additionally, there were unspecified expenditures of $864 for “Augusta” (the Masters Golf Tournament, perhaps?) and $590 for Ticketmaster.
Other “campaign” expenditures for Martiny included $7,300 for furniture, $5926 for hotel and resort accommodations, $4,348 for air fare, $5,705 for nine meals, an average of $634 per lobster (mostly at Ruth’s Chris in Metairie), $1,500 for an apparent membership at Pontchartrain Yacht Club, and $5,000 at two truck stop casinos.
To be fair, he did chip in $4,500 for the Better Government Political Action Committee though it was unclear whose better government he was trying to promote.
In an incredible stretch, supporters of the measures linked union dues to abortion clinics when one supporter said the dues could end up supporting such organizations as Planned Parenthood.
Brigitte Nieland, LABI vice president for workforce development, said Louisiana taxpayers are supporting the automatic collection of dollars to go and fund projects that they say they do not support.”
But opponents say the bills are just measures to gut unions and to silence workers by handing more power to big corporations. “It is a way of getting unions out of the way of these large corporations and state political or legislative agendas that are not education or education-friendly,” said Debbie Meaux, president of the Louisiana Association of Educators.
Voters might be able to conjure up a bit more respect for lawmakers if they would just be honest and say they are trying to destroy public employee unions.
But they just can’t seem to be able to admit that. Instead they create phantom arguments such as preventing members from being forced to spend dues on causes that they oppose and, most implausible, that it eases the burden on the state to collect the dues.
Unless you happen to be LABI member Lane Grigsby. Bob Mann recently had a post on his Something Like the Truth blog in which Grigsby said on video (since removed from LABI’s website—did LABI learn transparency from Bobby Jindal?), “When you cut off the unions’ funding, they lose their stroke.” http://bobmannblog.com/2015/05/06/labi-leader-caught-on-video-paycheck-protection-bill-is-fatal-spear-to-the-heart-of-teacher-unions/
Aha! We may at long last have found that honest man Diogenes went searching for with his lamp (until he hit the halls of the Louisiana Legislature at which point he found it necessary to search for his stolen lamp). Anyone seen Scott Walker lurking around the State Capitol?
Why would legislators single out just one payroll deduction when there are literally dozens that are approved by the state?
Approved plans include payroll deductions for savings programs, life insurance, disability insurance, dental insurance, health insurance, the United Way, Secretary of State employees’ Association, Louisiana Wildlife Agents Association, Louisiana State Police Honor Fund, Louisiana State Police Officers Association, Louisiana State Troopers Association, Louisiana Society of Professional Engineers, Fire Marshal Association of Louisiana, Deferred Compensation plans, Probation and Parole Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 50, and….well, you get the picture.
If you really want to know why it’s so important, you need only read the endorsement by none other than Grover Norquist of Washington, D.C., head of Americans for Tax Reform, the man and organization who gives the marching orders (read: no-tax pledge) to legislators and governors all across the country, including Louisiana. https://www.atr.org/louisiana-labor-committee-passes-paycheck-protection-bill
“HB 418 saves taxpayer dollars by taking the government out of the dues collection business,” Norquist says. “No more administrative or financial resources will be used by state government to funnel money to unions that, in turn, often use that very money to work against the interests of Louisiana taxpayers. If the unions want the money, they will have to ask for it themselves.”
And oh, such a financial burden it is for a completely automated, computerized and untouched by human hands system to deduct those nasty dues.
That’s selective reasoning at best.
The House Labor & Industrial Relations Committee, by a 9-6 vote, has approved Bishop’s bill which now goes to the full House for debate.
So now we know for certain that nine members of that committee are still taking their marching orders from Norquist and Jindal.
Here are the committee members. Talk about a stacked deck. http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Cmtes/Labor.aspx
We share the sentiments expressed by Steve Monaghan, president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT) that the legislature has more important matters on its plate than spending time trying to inflict yet more punishment on the state’s teaching profession.
Like a $1.6 billion budget shortfall.
And yes, we are keenly aware that there were and still are abuses of power in the labor movement. But given the conditions of American labor before the birth of the union movement, I will opt for dealing with those abuses. I would rather not see women and children confined in sweat shops for 12 yours a day for starvation wages. I would rather not see those trying to stand up for their rights clubbed by goons hired by the robber barons. I would rather not see consumers sold rotten meat by the meat packing plants depicted in Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle.
Yes, of course there were abuses in the labor movement. There still are. And there’s not in the halls of government and on Wall Street? In case you haven’t been watching the pendulum has swung far back in the other direction—too far. Corporations wield far more power today than labor. Don’t believe it? Look at the campaign contributions. Compare what Labor gives to what corporations give to the PACs. Check out who has bought the most elections over the past 40 years. And don’t even try to play the corruption card.
But Grover’s will must be done for his is the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Louisiana Voice 
I would support that law and I don’t believe public employees should have the right to unionize. I also think Grover Norquist is a scumbag.
Is that because he has an Arab wife?
https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2014/03/04/grover-norquist-co-build-islamist-influence-in-gop/
Quit being a jerk, Fredster. Or maybe you can’t help yourself.
Not being a jerk at all. That’s still a popular meme on the right about Norquist.
Throughout my professional career I was never a big fan of unions. I have always supported my wife’s decision, as an educator, to be a union member primarily for the legal protections that school boards are not going to offer their employees, especially in today’s sue happy society. What makes you think you should have any say in this matter Bob? Union dues, just like United Way or AFLAC, are voluntary and auto deduct is a simple procedure afforded many different causes. To imply this is going to save our state money is a joke and our legislators should be busying themselves with more important things, like that giant $1.6 billion sucking sound coming from the 4th floor.
One more thing Bob. If you don’t think public employees should have the right to unionize it must be fair to think you support paying them at a level higher than their private counterparts since they do have the right. As I said before, I am not a big fan of unions but I do believe in fair play and recognize that unions offer some protections for employees that otherwise would not exist. BTW, Grover Norquist AND Bobby Jindal are scumbags.
Thankfully, the rights of fellow citizens don’t rely on what you think.
What’s the deal with so many legislators using their campaign donations for obviously unrelated expenses? No fear of orange jumpsuits?
Seems like the campaign funds are just another means to support an entitlement lifestyle that many of these parasites have become accustomed to. I will lay a bet that as poor a job as they have done, most will keep their seat, and more of the same will be our next Governor.
Unless the Feds or Lee Zurik are on the trail, crooked politicians in Louisiana HAVE nothing to fear. God knows the Attorney General & the ethics board are completely worthless when it comes to outing corruption & with Jindal’s unlimited resources to file appeal after appeal in court he gets his way most of the time by hook or by crook. Still there is Bruce Greenstein & the Medicare contract debacle & all that nefarious campaign bundling. Maybe the Feds are watching.
Fred – I think we should all just ignore Bob. He is obviously a troll.
Tom – Hey! Hey! You’ve been assigned a troll. You must be hitting them where it hurts!
Not a troll..just not a mindless liberal that has no original thought of my own. I read your posts and can’t say the same about you. When I say I dislike Grover Norquist, the original idea of the article, the assumption becomes it’s because I’m a racist? Get a clue, lib. This whole site is about public corruption. I believe in less government, not more.
Yup. No doubt a troll.
I encourage the free exchange of ideas and philosophies among my readers—but without insults and disparaging comments about each other. I have no problem with readers disagreeing with me and I encourage their input. That’s how we grow intellectually.
You are right Tom. My apologies to you, Bob. Thank you Tom for another, as always, enlightening article.
I agree, Tom. I have stayed out of this so far, but I have to say I would not call Bob a troll.
LABI apparently believes unions are undesirable in both the private and public sectors and their agenda is clearly to get rid of them. I wish they would be more honest and forthright about it rather than trying to make this sound like something public resources are being wasted on (doing the deductions via payroll systems) during legislative committee testimony. As many have pointed out, it takes no more resources than United Way, Group Benefits, retirement, Social Security, or anything else and may even be less of a resource hog than some of those.
In other words, I wish LABI would be as honest about their opinion as Bob.
You sound better when you skip the name calling.
True, Robyn. Calling “Bob in BR” a “mindless liberal”, or any ad hominem attack, including calling people “jerk” and “troll”, lowers the level of discussion to a pettiness. It’s easy to see how “Bob” originally calling Fredster a jerk degenerated into unproductive ya-yas that don’t benefit anybody except bullies. Free speech is free speech, but when the last resort is name-calling (particularly people you don’t even know) the speech becomes mindless.
How in the hell would Bishop know whether or not we know what our dues are for, and why the hell would he care anyway?
Tom,
I’m surprised your article nor any of the commenters have mentioned an obvious factor in the promotion of legislation such as this –
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Defund_the_left
I think the point missing in many anti-union articles is that La. is a right-to-work state. These teachers “unions” in La. are nothing more than membership organizations. The dues of members helps pay for the groups’ leaders to go to the Capitol and tell their side of the story – with a collective voice. As much of the session occurs when teachers are in school, they can’t all go down there and tell their side of the story. And, when they tried to do that in 2012, they basically got locked out of the Capitol while LABI and like-minded groups and individuals were allowed to fill up the committee rooms. But, now we want to discourage that membership by making it harder to pay dues?!?
Paying dues to be part of group that has the same goals and priorities is nothing more than what LABI members do. And, it has already been established that these payroll deductios are not causing any undue burdens on any employer or taxpayer as this is one of many, many different payroll deduction options for employees.
Maybe you don’t like the steelworkers union or the pipefitting union that you have heard of in places like New Jersey because they continually negotiate for better working conditions and salaries for their workers. Who else is going to fight for the worker? Do you expect the individual worker to waltz into the corporate office (probably housed out-of-country to avoid paying American taxes) and ask for better shift work, a break room, or $5 an hour more? How loud do you think those corporate CEOs would laugh if that were to occur? The individual worker wouldn’t even get in the front door of the building. So, should they suffer in silence, go to work like good worker-drones, while the CEO lives it up in private jets and McMansions?
Yes, there is some corruption that happens with these unions in states that aren’t right-to-work, but I’m willing to bet that corruption pales in comparison to what members of congress are doing or what some of these corporations finagle to keep from paying their fair share of taxes. Dear God, look a the lengths Wal-Mart will go to to keep from having to pay its workers a living salary, hire a diversified staff, and provide basic worker rights.
And, you would begrudge a teacher the right to pay her dues to a membership organization through an easy payroll deduction just to keep up that anti-union mantra that really has no meaning in La.? Further – to be a part of a membership organization that does nothing more than try to protect the few job protections a teacher has and testifies to the Legislature the thoughts and beliefs of its membership???
I do not understand that mindset at all. It seems, and it is, petty and small-minded, which tells you exactly how I feel about legislators who vote for such a bill.
And, NO, I’m not a teacher or a member of a union. I’m just an educated person who, despite living in this State, has learned to think for herself.
This is one of the best comments LouisianaVoice has ever received. It should be read by every member of the legislature—especially the members of the House and Senate labor committees. So clearly articulated.
Ditto!!!
LABI is probably just following orders… no critical thinking involved. It’s the mark of Jindal-Spawn everywhere. Yep, I called them a name.
I honestly believe you are giving Jindal and Grover Norquist too much credit for what goes on in the legislature. Jindal hasn’t even shown up. He is probably in Iowa campaigning. Meanwhile, Rome is burning.
I talked to a legislator Friday night that dubbed Thursday as Taxapalooza. He said most of the taxes that were levied were on small business. This guy has zero interest in Grover Norquist but voted no on every tax increase. He also said Jindal has been derelict in his duties and has basically told him as much.
There is genuinely a certain segment of the population that thinks government is incompetent. They want to give government less power, not more. They want to give them less opportunity for back room deals and corruption. This only happens by turning off the spigot.