In Ohio: Everything on the Line for Unions

(Eric Odom/The Union Label) – With the launch of StandWithOhio.com I’ll be spending the week in Columbus, Ohio. The purpose of the visit is two fold:

A) I’m helping the tea party groups in Ohio coordinate a counter-rally against the unions and in support of SB5
B) I’ll be filming and documenting the union rally on Tuesday (March 1) and the counter rally by tea partiers on Wednesday (March 2)

For those who are not yet familiar with Ohio Senate Bill 5, please click here and gain some knowledge on the subject. I’ll post the key points here.

* Eliminate tenure as the only consideration in deciding who gets laid off
* Require employees to pay 20% of their health insurance premiums
* Implement merit-based pay for some government workers.
* Restrict teachers, firefighters, police and university employees’ collective bargaining ability

Real Clear Politics has a great column out asserting the public unions in Wisconsin are dreaming of a “Socialist Utopia,” which is why this may ultimately be a huge losing battle for them.

The Democratic lawmakers who have gone on the lam in Wisconsin and Indiana-and who knows where else next-are exhibiting a literal fight-or-flight response, the reaction of an animal facing a threat to its very existence.

Why? Because it is a threat to their existence. The battle of Wisconsin is about the viability of the Democratic Party, and more: it is about the viability of the basic social ideal of the left.

It is a matter of survival for Democrats in an immediate, practical sense. As Michael Barone explains, the government employees’ unions are a mechanism for siphoning taxpayer dollars into the campaigns of Democratic politicians.

But there is something deeper here than just favor-selling and vote-buying. There is something that almost amounts to a twisted idealism in the Democrats’ crusade. They are fighting, not just to preserve their special privileges, but to preserve a social ideal. Or rather, they are fighting to maintain the illusion that their ideal system is benevolent and sustainable.

Nail on the head.

The Wisconsin fight has spilled over into other states now, however, and Ohio is about to be right smack in the middle of it.

I have it on good sources the Ohio Senate will vote on SB5 this week. The SEIU knows this and they’re now planning mega rallies in Columbus as early as Tuesday morning.

The Ohio Governor is addressing the issue in the media, standing ready to fight when the call comes.

Ohio tea party groups are countering the unions on Wednesday. We’re asking that anyone who is in Ohio get to the State House on Wednesday. If you know someone in Ohio, have them contact their Senator and THEN get to the State House on Wednesday.

This fight is VITAL in the survival of our nation and we need to support it at every turn.