It is a simple principle of liberty that any person, in any employ, should have the right to bargain peacefully with, and even against, his or her own government. No worldly thing is as powerful as the state: it alone possesses the right to tax and to arrest. No matter how influential other institutions may be, they don’t possess government’s vast powers to confiscate and detain.
No worker should be denied the right to join with others to bargain collectively against something so unmatched in power as government.
Our state has had difficult times, and has troubled finances. It does not matter; liberty requires citizens’ individual and collective rights even in the worst of times. Contrary views are possible, but to be genuinely libertarian and hold otherwise seems impossible.
There is not the slightest chance that I shall be a member of a union Still, liberty demands a general, rather than merely a particular, recognition of rights.
Gov. Walker has both admirers and detractors. Many hold their views of him passionately. I respect those strong feelings, but do not hold either view intensely.
Instead, on a matter of principle, I believe Gov. Walker has unjustifiably expanded the power of the government at the expense of workers’ rights to organize. Government should be much smaller and less expensive; this was not a libertarian way to achieve that end.
For this reason, simply held and without animosity, I believe it is contrary to libertarian conviction to stand with Gov. Walker.
Could not have been said any better.
Thank you for posting.
A better approach would be to reduce the size of government without considering collective bargaining at all. There was more than one way to fix the budget. People are just too headstrong to admit we could have cut more in a different way.
I get your point still there is no way back now.
After even a week last year this whole thing became impossinble to change.
We had to fix the budget this way or get nothing done.