In the wake of the midterm elections, the Democratic Party’s centrist and populist factions have been locked in a bitter family feud. Public employee unions are a little-acknowledged driver of this conflict. The reason: activist government and unionized government often work at cross purposes. It’s not easy to be both the “party of government” that Chuck Schumer praises and a “party of interest groups,” including unions representing the government’s employees, that Jim Webb disparages.

The reality is that it is unlikely that America's biggest cities will declare bankruptcy in the immediate future. But that doesn't mean that there isn't cause for concern. There is. A lot of it.

Today, few people worry about government's ability to control the governed. But the politicization of government workers, especially at the state and local level, has made it increasingly difficult for the government to control itself.

Notwithstanding the demise of reform in the Buckeye State, conflict over government labor relations is far from over and is very likely to continue. This is especially the case in states where the public workforce is heavily unionized and where slow economic growth will cause persistent budget problems—especially as pension and health benefits for retired workers crowd out other parts of their...]]> Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Wisconsin's public employee unions evened the score with Gov. Scott Walker last week.

Based on the claim that Republican legislators violated the Badger State's open meeting laws, a county judge struck down restrictions on collective bargaining, elimination of the state's collection of union dues and a requirement that the unions hold annual certification elections.

Wisconsin's Supreme Court will soon consider the case. If the court sustains this decision, Republicans in the Legislature will be forced to either pass the bill again or admit defeat. Passage could prove difficult, as recall...]]> Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0600 President Obama's agreement to extend the "Bush tax cuts for the wealthy" needs to be seen through the lens of contemporary populism. Populism divides the world between a small number of oppressors and a much larger number of the oppressed. The two parties have distinct populist narratives. But the Republican version has been winning the message war over the last two years.

According to the President, an economic elite and their agents (read: Republicans) are holding him, the political system, and 98% of Americans "hostage." In light of the "shellacking" the received on November 4, the President and his party must temporarily give in to the demand of the "hostage-takers" that...]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500 When Chris Christie became New Jersey's governor in January, he wasted no time in identifying the chief perpetrators of his state's fiscal catastrophe. Facing a nearly $11 billion budget gap — as well as voters fed up with the sky-high taxes imposed on them to finance the state government's profligacy — Christie moved swiftly to take on the unions representing New Jersey's roughly 400,000 public employees.