Union protests differ from the Un-unified Tea Party

by: bonnie alba | published: 03 04, 2011

Some media and political pundits have identified the ongoing public-sector (government) union protests as analogous to the un-unified Tea Party movement. This is like comparing apples and turnips.

Let’s clear the air on how different these two entities are. So far, union protesters have abandoned their jobs, are lying by collecting sick notes from unscrupulous doctors and, possibly worst of all, leading children into the streets to educate them about the wonders of belonging to a union.

Public Sector Unions

In news reports, we hear the protesters articulating their reasons for protesting and it boils down to “keeping our rights.” They believe they are entitled to paying the minimum for their healthcare and pension plans and collectively bargaining for not only wages but for any other rights they might desire. On the taxpayers’ dime!!!

Those so-called “rights” are not rights that exist for the majority of Americans. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that for 2010, the union membership rate for public-sector workers was 36.2 percent, compared with 6.9 percent in the private sector.

Over all, just 11.9 percent of the total U.S. workforce was unionized. That means the majority of working, taxpaying Americans are paying for public unionized workers -- to march in the streets. Folks, that means that 88.1 percent of the workforce population is not unionized.

How many of you would take to the streets and not fear “losing your nonunion job?”

In the Wisconsin protest, the teacher union’s primary motivation has nothing to do with education and children. It’s all to do with their wage and benefit contracts, with growing union power and supporting the political party that supports them. Politically it’s about keeping the status quo -- unions are typically supportive of the Democrats and fill their campaign coffers. If you’re a conservative and forced to join a union because of your job, that’s a travesty of constitutional rights.

Un-unified Tea Party

What’s the Tea Party about? They are definitely not about “rights.” They are about the bigger picture based on historically foundational “principles” which served to uphold our country through the first two centuries of her existence.

Citizens finally began to recognize that, as a nation, we can not continue on the present destructive path which will lead to the total failure of all that has been good about our Republican form of government.

Tea Party participants are letting the government know that the “status quo” is no longer desired or needed for the survival of America. We see our country surrendering to socialist changes which would change America forever. We see a government without conscience plunging headlong into socialist endeavors without benefit of adhering to the original intent of the U.S. Constitution and law. We desire to uphold the Republican principles of governing, law and government.

They are not clamoring for “rights” but for “principles.” The bedrock upon which our nation was established, those principles have guided us through good and bad times in America’s history.

The Tea Party message to government is very simple:

• Stop the spending, balance the budget, aim for no deficits, pay down the Debt.
• Streamline and downsize the federal government (state governments too).
• Return to government under the U.S. Constitution and law.

Tea Party Americans know the above cannot be done overnight, that it may take many years to restore constitutional rule. After all it took over 100 years to degenerate to where we are now. We the people know restoration will entail much sacrifice from us too. But the government must take the initial steps on a planned and committed course to get back on track to a Republic instead of the ongoing perilous road to tyranny.

The protests taking place in Wisconsin and other states will not change the reality that America is in danger. And like the many citizens who have already tightened their belts, unions and their members must be willing to do their share. We all have to sacrifice to restore our nation to one of strength, stability and prosperity.

That’s the difference between unions and the Tea Party. We do it for our children, grandchildren and future generations.

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