It appears that Saturday Night Live let their token conservative writer run wild last weekend producing this almost-too-real-to-be-funny sketch about government unions. If anything the clip is too harsh on government union employees, but the government unions themselves are already sapping our economic recovery.
Just last January the Labor Department confirmed what Heritage fellow James Sherk predicted last year: under President Barack Obama, 2009 was the first time in the history of the United States that the number of government union employees outnumbered private sector union employees.
There are two reasons for this: 1) Unions kill private sector jobs, and unionized companies earn profits 15% lower than those of comparable non-union firms. This makes unionized firms less competitive, which is why unionized manufacturing jobs fell 75% between 1977 and 2008, while non-union manufacturing INCREASED 6% over that same time. 2) Government union jobs face no competition. Public sector unionization has exploded in the past decade and President Obama’s $862 billion stimulus was specifically designed to preserve government union jobs.
So if you want to know what happened to your raise last year, go ask Anthony Scalise down at the Mercer County New Jersey probate court … that is if he isn’t already on break.
"I'm shocked to learn there is gambling going on here." This is the absurd position taken by Congressional committe members chastizing Goldman Sachs executives. Will Congress next call casino executives and flail them for betting that gamblers will lose and the house will win?
Does anyone on that committee know what it means to "short" a product? Are they aware that betting against the market is not only reasonable but responsible if Goldman has its clients' best interest in mind. If not, I refer them to their benefactor in chief, George Soros who made over $1 billion in one day shorting the British Pound in the late '90's. Goldman Sachs (and every other investment firm) SHOULD create products to ensure ROI no matter what the market does.
I would love for just one executive to pull a Hank Rearden on this group of self-aggrandizing statists.
Pingback: » Financial News Update – 04/27/10 NoisyRoom.net: Fighting for the Constitution
Pingback: Open Thread: 2010 Public Employee of the Year Awards | RedState
funny, sad but true, embarrassing because of the truth. I am for sure gonna start watching again. But really government jobs takes away a persons potential and freedom to think. Like the first actress comedian, doing the same thing over and over again narrows the minds ability to open. Go SNL! …