Why Does It Matter? Law & Order with Bruce Ruff
Think about this.
In January 2010, the president of the United States of America, who is not a legislator but the leader of the Executive branch of the American Government, met privately with leaders of huge unions, the AFL-CIO and SEIU – special interest groups to be sure.
The president reportedly assured these union leaders he will see they are granted waivers, until 2017, from any penalty taxation of their members (and other union members who have collective bargaining agreements – so most major unions nationally). This means only non-union Americans with “Cadillac Health Insurance Plans” will be penalized, financially, for having their plans when the health care bill that is being rammed through the American legislature by the Democrat Party majority, currently in power, is passed and signed by the president.
As I cited in “Those with Grander Plans” the pitting of one group against another is a standard practice of the Socialist-Communist-Globalist machines.
My understanding of union contributions to the American work fabric is certainly different than what I see happening today.
Collective support is good if used for the right reasons – and evil if it usurps rightness and fairness.
People fellowship in churches, people support other nations/people in distress, like in Haiti at this very moment. When someone is really in need in America you can be sure at least one Good-Samaritan will rush to help out. Americans support others more than any other nation.
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In the local race to seat a new sheriff in San Diego County, in 2011, there is an interesting truth the mainstream media seems to simply ignore.
Here is what I want to share:
One candidate, the youngest in the field, is 10 years junior to all other candidates. He is the son of a former, late sheriff, who stepped down in 1990. The son has been a career politician. He left his father’s home at 19, only worked on the sheriff’s department for four years while his father was the sheriff and his father died in 1993 – but the son insists he was well trained by his relation to the late sheriff. The son became a member of the San Diego County Deputy Sheriff’s Association (DSA) in the late 1990s and spent six years on the DSA Board until he took a leave of absence in 2008 to work in a politician’s office. He spent his last three years on the Board as the president – not a job most law enforcement professionals seek – but ripe for a politician. He served as a chief of staff for a county supervisor for one year – that is how long it takes to gain a retirement pay-raise in his retirement system. His move guaranteed him $42-thousand dollars in additional retirement income consideration regardless of the election or his career outcome.
Having been a personal friend of the other DSA Board members for at least six years prior to 2009 – the DSA Board gave him their endorsement for sheriff – go figure.
The current DSA president argues the DSA is not a union – so I should mention this son was also endorsed by the San Diego and Imperial County Labor Council, an umbrella organization for various unions. I did not interview with them because they are associated with the SEIU union.
The president says the DSA it is only an association. There is no denial he and the other Board members are personal friends of the son/former president.
It is hoped the general public will accept their endorsement of the son/friend as due to his credentials and not their friendship – his renown within law enforcement is for being the late sheriff’s son not exemplary work.
The Association, if you will, is powerful enough to have previously forced the rank-and-file members of the association, and the non-member employees of the sheriff’s department, to give a portion of their earned income (personal property) to pay for the salary of a full-time release association president. They counted the votes and insist it was approved by a majority of members in the 1990s – few I knew said they had supported the proposition.
This association also forced payments to pay for contract negotiations whether you were a member or not. And they forced more payments to fund their political action committee (PAC) that supports political issues they decide are of interest.
So when the son was sitting as the president of the DSA, in the early years of 2000, he was free, for three years of full-time assignment, to socialize with law enforcement associations, local politicians and influential members of the community.
It was a trust the president would not seek personal advantage but only support for the best interests of the sheriff’s employees.
All law enforcement endorsements that came after the DSA’s endorsement were without interviews of any kind – they are rubber-stamped endorsements based on a simple majority vote of the DSA Board of Directors.
So it matters little whether the DSA is an association or a union. It negotiates the sheriff’s employee contracts with the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors when the contract negotiations arise; has forced loss of personal property from members and non-members in terms of forced economic support for contract negotiations and political action(s) the employees didn’t explicitly authorize or necessarily want. Association or union the impact of the DSA Board of Directors is pretty clear.
As I said above, in 2009, with the simple majority vote of the DSA Board, it decided to endorse their friend and former association president. And as I said this endorsement guarantees a rubber-stamped endorsement of all other law enforcement associations throughout the County of San Diego – without interviews.
So, if this candidate is successful in being elected it would set the stage for great difficulties in the future. He would be obligated to oblige the wishes of those who contributed so greatly to his election. Since he would be the one to impose discipline on association members for things like job actions, sanctioned or not, there is an inherent conflict of interest through being so close to the DSA Board.
Do you see the problems this election would pose?
If the unions are allowed to gain control of one of the most powerful seats in a county through endorsement and financing through their PAC – in the future, when it comes time to pit the department members against the Board of Supervisors who control funding, there is great potential for job actions to result. The sheriff’s department members could literally shut down all county wide law enforcement operation – through a sick-out, green or blue-flu, or other action the DSA members could prevent booking of any arrested people – this stops law enforcement effectiveness as long as it would last. The sheriff would need to take immediate and aggressive action to stop this from continuing – if he were obligated to the DSA what do you think the chances would be he would be effective immediately.
The sheriff’s department receives and books all prisoners. It provides the security and the production of criminal defendants who are in custody and have to go to court. And sheriff’s departments transport many of the detainees and convicted prisoners throughout a county and/or who need to be transfer to State custody.
An additional consideration is the ballot measure in San Diego County in 2010 to place term-limits on the Board of Supervisor’s seats. Should this ballot measure pass it will open the door for strong unions to support candidates running for the Board of Supervisors. This would offer circumstances in future elections that lend themselves to very suspect dealings behind closed doors. A union supported supervisor would certainly be more sympathetic toward the union side of contract negotiations. Supervisors could simply vote to cut services to citizens to ensure funds for union employees pay raises were available. The list for potential abuses is huge.
I strongly encourage you to think about these union issues where ever you live and vote.
Looking at a U.S. president meeting with union bosses and granting waiver assurances - are you comfortable with union power? It is now clearly impacting all citizens in the U.S. at this very moment in time?
Unions have grown in power in recent decades but have not grown in wisdom, restraint and discipline with their powers.
Special interests are being pitted against other special interests and all others – this is exactly how you control masses if you’re an ideology.
You, the voter, have a real opportunity here. Wake up, get involved and say no more - or start putting your life-preserver on and prepare for the freezing water - and perhaps look to the hull of the ship as it goes down and see if you can make out the name – it will start with the letter “T.”
Your choice – our future!