Polls on Wisconsin issue are clearer than they seem

Bill O'Reilly asked Dick Morris to wade in on the Wisconsin issue that has already spread to other states. In the face of outright attacks against FOX instigated, apparently, by the SEIU thugs, O'Reilly has demonstrated an evenhanded perspective on the issue. Morris did an even better job.

The polls might, on the face of it, present the possibility that the public is somewhat schizophrenic on the topic. Not true. As Morris explained, the general population supports unions in general - the right to collective bargaining. On the other hand, the general population doesn't see why union members shouldn't be willing to pull back a little in hard times, such as these.

For those who haven't examined the issues beyond the Left-wing rhetoric, it appears that Wisconsin Governor Walker is on a crusade to blatantly bust the unions. However, upon closer examination, it turns out he merely wants a little restraint in terms of how much union members will contribute to their pensions and health insurance. In particular, this is related to government workers in the state.

While those in the private sector watch their contributions for health insurance skyrocket, they see those in the public sector enjoying benefits completely out of step with the times.

In the multi-state battle over the issue, private sector unions have joined in arm-in-arm with their public-sector brethren and sisters. It's a heart-warming show of solidarity. It's also misguided.

Public sector workers have become an elite group unto themselves. In these instances, they are consistently putting their immediate profit motive ahead of the welfare of the government bodies their work within. As Michael Medved said earlier today, what makes sense in the private sector, where profit and entrepreneurial viability place restraining forces on both management and the work force, makes no sense in the public arena.

States don't exactly go out of business the way companies do. The unsavory reality is that, without market-driven restraint, the public sector unions have operated at the expense of the public they're supposed to serve. Now, they have an unholy alliance with SEIU.

SEIU does not favor strong and successful unions; SEIU favors what comes after they use the unions to win their battles - the socialism of a welfare state. In fact, the driving forces at SEIU, the big name leaders of the organization, whether they're lying to themselves or not, really see the battle as one to redistribute the seating arrangements in a political game of musical chairs. And, when the music stops, those SEIU big shots expect to hold favored seats in the new America.

Theirs is an America unhindered by the inconveniences of Constitutional law or limited government. Government will provide all and, therefore, will rightly determine the cost, how the money will be raised and how the services will be administered. And that has nothing to do with private sector unions.

The reality is, though the folks at SEIU may be thinking otherwise now - I'm sure they're seeing this crisis as an opportunity - the American public is waking up. Yes, they do support unions, even unions in the public sector. But, they expect the unions to support the nation or, in this case, the states they work for.

For those private sector union leaders, you may want to think about where you'll be standing when the music stops. For all the bravado of the SEIU bigwigs, things may not shake out as expected.