The freedom to choose

Perhaps as early as tomorrow, the Indiana legislature will consider a bill that would make Indiana a “right to work” state.  That is, if the Democrats in the legislature condescend to show up  for the session. 

Last week, the House Democrats “disappeared” for three days in order to prevent a quorum.  This week, they hid in a meeting room in the Statehouse basement. 

Currently there are 22 states with “right to work” laws, where, if you don’t want to join a union or pay union dues you are not compelled by law to do so.  Indiana would like to join those ranks, at least those elected officials who are not Democrats.

Does anyone else find it odd that Democrats, by and large, insist that women should have the right to choose whether to have an abortion, or not; but equally insist that women (or men, for that matter) should not have the right to choose whether to join a union or not?

 

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SoundOffSister

The Sound Off Sister was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and special trial attorney for the Department of Justice, Criminal Division; a partner in the Florida law firm of Shutts & Bowen, and an adjunct professor at the University of Miami, School of Law. The Sound Off Sister offers frequent commentary concerning legislation making its way through Congress, including the health reform legislation passed in early 2010.

17 Comments

  1. Dimsdale on January 12, 2012 at 6:39 pm

    I don’t find it odd; I find it stereotypical.? Much like your other post, where they want government free of religion, but don’t want religion free of government.



  2. Tim-in-Alabama on January 12, 2012 at 6:49 pm

    The D-Party Hatriots have been going all out to prevent this from happening. I hope Indiana is successful in approving “right to work” legislation.



  3. ricbee on January 12, 2012 at 8:56 pm

    I too hope that forced unionism becomes illegal again.



  4. Plainvillian on January 12, 2012 at 9:50 pm

    When I was young and a Hoosier, the UAW and the Steelworkers Union were very powerful and Indiana had a huge steel industry.? The automotive industry dominated many cities, including the one in which I grew up.? The steel mills are gone and most auto feeder plants are abandoned along with their unions.? There are, however, nonunion factories now profitably producing cars in Indiana.? There is business and job growth in Indiana.
    Do you suppose the Democrats might learn something from this?? I’d suggest Corrupticut might learn something from Indiana’s history, but here we believe that all intellect lies East of the Hudson, don’t we?? Never mind.



    • Lynn on January 19, 2012 at 11:58 am

      Could not agree more with everything you said! Well maybe to say here we believe intellect also lies in elitist Universities such as Yale and Harvard. Sorry, Grandpa, but Yale is not the same as when you went there.



  5. JBS on January 13, 2012 at 9:33 am

    ?
    Democrats are fa special interests group. They are for the people, groups or issues that will put money in their pockets and fund their reelection treasuries. Venal. That they are pro-choice on abortion and anti-choice on jobs is normal for Dems. You have to be schizophrenic to be a Dem and have multiple personalities, all venal.
    Gov. Daniels (IN-R) and the Publicans seem to be making headway. The “right-to-work” bill made it out of committee. The Indiana House Dems promptly fled. Vacating the House floor, again. (Last year they fled to Illinois to prevent a House quorum!) Use of the “strike” is a very union thing to do and very mature for a legislator. Publicans are confident that they will prevail. Maybe there is hope.
    There is currently no hope for Corrupticut. With Malloy at the helm . . .? worst state to retire in . . . highest taxes . . . high cost of living . . . rampant unionism . . . shrinking middle class . . . declining population . . . high unemployment . . . : – ( . . . the sky is falling!
    Nice scenery, though.



  6. sammy22 on January 13, 2012 at 12:32 pm

    Frankly I find these analogies w/ abortion and unions “amusing”. I seem to recall that Repubs are pro-choice on unions and anti-choice on abortions. Nice flip side.



    • Dimsdale on January 13, 2012 at 1:51 pm

      But in both cases, the Democrats have determined that neither the baby or the worker has any say in the decision.



    • Lynn on January 19, 2012 at 12:02 pm

      Not all Republicans! I believe in freedom of choice in almost all issues and there are many Republicans that believe as I do.? Republicans are individuals and there is strong debate amongst us. I would never choose to be a mouthpiece for the most corrupt administration the US has ever seen.



  7. JBS on January 13, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    In Corrupticut, a union-non-right-to-work state, if you are hired by a company, town or the state where there is a union, you do have a choice of whether or not to be part of the union. You do not have a choice about paying the union, only how much. For example, if union dues for your pay scale/salary is $50 per week, then a non-voting, non-member, yet working in a union “shop” employee, would have to pay 80% or more ($40.00) for the privilege of working in that “shop”.? All for the privilege of working in that union “shop”.
    How’s that!



    • JBS on January 13, 2012 at 3:58 pm

      In order to reign in the costs of public eduction, as an example, eliminating the unions from the public sector could add significantly to the dollars delivered directly to the classroom. ***RANT COMING***
      For that matter, why does every school district need a highly (over-) paid school superintendent? Each school superintendent probably sucks up $250,000 or more every year out of the school budget.And, there is often an assistant superintendent or two in larger cities and towns along with Directors of Curriculum, Directors of Special Services, Business, Student Learning and Directors for Elementary Education and Secondary Education. Caaaccchhhhing!$$$$$$$ WOW Nothing — no dollars — is? being delivered to the classroom; they spend their time on personnel matters, policy, endless meetings and following federal and state mandates and guidelines. Oh, and sending memos to each other and and everyone else.
      (How about one county superintendent?)
      That’s unions, again! Bloated bureaucracy. ***RANT ENDED***
      Off topic, I know, but, it’s unions at the root of the problems!



    • Dimsdale on January 13, 2012 at 10:04 pm

      To paraphrase a famous president: unions aren’t the solution to labor problems; they ARE the labor problem.



  8. Non Nobis on January 14, 2012 at 3:25 pm

    The truth is that being a member of a union today is not what it once was, certainly not what it was to my deceased farther who first voluntarily joined a union in 1938. ?Today the leadership of most national unions directly support the Democrat Party, advance a Progressive / Socialist agenda and in a few cases are outright international Communists. ?Wait, maybe not much has changed – well there was the voluntary part? Fine, we fought that war [cold thought it was] and Communism lost. ?If we have to do it again, I am certain that the free market will always win in the end [They may kill tens of millions of citizens in the loosing but They will loose]. ?What I object to is sub-contracting the coercive power of the state to a ?Criminal ?Enterprise? for the purposes of extorting my hard earned wages. ?Today?s union bosses know that they can not compete / prospers / exist without the laws put in place to tilt the playing field in their favor – shame, shame,…



  9. SeeingRed on January 17, 2012 at 7:37 am

    Hiding in a room in the basement – now if that doesn’t describe Democrats in general, I don’t what does.? Gutless, cowardice representatives of ‘the people’ that prefer de facto/dictum law.? Can you imagine a party – in a TWO party system – refusing to show up because they might lose a vote??? A VOTE?? I sure hope the Ravens and Giants elect to come out onto the field this weekend, the odds are against both….



    • Dimsdale on January 17, 2012 at 12:42 pm

      They only do that because holding their collective breath until they turn blue didn’t work.



    • Lynn on January 19, 2012 at 12:09 pm

      Ha, Ha except they are already blue. Frankly, I am turning red from embarrasment for the antics of these moronic Indiana House Democrats. Go Mitch Daniels, when you clean up Indiana, please run for President! BTW, since Daniels is my maiden name, I sure hope we’re related.



WI union boycott

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