Watch this great clip from Jon Stewart that lampoons the hypocrisy of many contemporary politicians who attack unions as if they are the cause of current economic problems, but continue to support huge corporate taxpayer bailouts and bonuses for the banking executives employed at the firms that drove the economy into shambles.
Stewart is discussing the ongoing controversy in Wisconsin, where the governor wants to pass a law that rips up collective agreements and effectively bans collective bargaining for most public sector workers. The governor hates teachers and public schools in particular, sort of like Mayor Ford hates garbage collectors and bus drivers. Actually, if you watch the clip, you notice some striking similarities between the rhetoric of the Wisconsin governor and his supporters and the Toronto Mayor and his supporters …
Here is the video clip.
My favorite part of the clip is when Stewart notes how the conservative media argued that the huge bonuses paid to Wall Street executives from taxpayer bailouts had to be paid because the employment contracts required them, and it would be grossly unfair not to comply with a contract. Yet the same media is arguing for public sector collective agreements to be ripped up to prevent teachers from getting their contractual benefits. Great stuff.